Associate Professor
Expertise
Biography
Margarita Cruz holds a PhD in Economics and is an Associate Professor of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship at EHL. Her research explores the intersection of organizational theory and entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on how social evaluations influence entrepreneurial outcomes, such as founding new ventures and launching new products.
Her work has been published in top-tier journals, including Organization Studies, the European Journal of Innovation Management, the International Journal of Hospitality Management, and Tourism Review, among others.
During her tenure at EHL, Margarita has secured over 600,000 Swiss francs in funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO) for research projects examining entrepreneurial outcomes in breweries, restaurants, and hotels worldwide.
In the classroom, Margarita incorporates the latest trends and best practices in entrepreneurship and strategy, with a strong focus on the hospitality and F&B industries. Before transitioning to academia, she worked as a business engineer in the banking and chemical sectors.
Awards
Best Paper Award (with applications in the social sciences) : Barry Richmond Award. International Conference of the System Dynamics Society, Boston (2007)
Rising Star Teaching Award
Education
Courses Taught
Teaching Location
Article
Grown local : community attachment and market entries in the Franconian beer industry
Geographic communities are often thought to support new ventures, particularly when newcomers are able to replicate incumbents’ characteristics. This paper elaborates on the conditions under which geographic communities may hinder the action of...
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Article
Purpose : The purpose of this paper is to show how different business model innovations (BMIs) help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the food and beverage industry to navigate turbulent and uncertain environments such as the coronavirus...
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Article
Purpose : The purpose of this paper is to show how authenticity limits businesses' responses to competition in the food and beverage industry. Design/methodology/approach : This paper focuses on a unique dataset of over 300 breweries and more than...
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Article
The cruise industry workforce crunch – generational changes in work values of job seekers
Purpose: In the wake of COVID-19, the cruise industry is experiencing an unprecedented talent management challenge. Extant research suggests a broad range of work values that may attract job candidates to the cruise industry. The purpose of this...
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Article
While extensive research focuses on the relationship between chain-affiliation and hotel operating performance, these results are inconclusive. We suggest this is because previous studies have largely ignored whether affiliated hotels are operated...
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Cruz, M. and Bivona, E. (Forthcoming). Unlocking potential: collaborative approaches to crisis management and business model innovation for SMEs. European Journal of Innovation Management.
Cruz, M., Hodari, D., & Raub, S. (2024). The impact of management structure on guest satisfaction in chain-affiliated hotels and the moderating influence of chain scale. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 117, 103651.
Raub, S., Cruz, M., Gorka, J., Hodari, D., & Saul, L. (2024). The cruise industry workforce crunch – generational changes in work values of job seekers. Tourism Review, 79(1), 38-53.
Cruz, M., & Beck, N. (2022). All we want is authentic beer: the role of geographic communities and authenticity on breweries’ reactions to competition. British Food Journal, 124(12), 4496-4515.
Bivona, E., & Cruz, M. (2021). Can business model innovation help SMEs in the food and beverage industry to respond to crises? Findings from a Swiss brewery during COVID-19. British food journal, 123(11), 3638-3660.
Cruz, M., Beck, N., & Wezel, F.C. (2018). Grown Local: Community Attachment and Market Entries in the Franconian Beer Industry. Organization Studies, 39(1), 47-72.