Associate Professor
Expertise
Biography
With more than 20 years of international teaching experience, Dr. Laura Zizka has been a faculty member at EHL since 2002. As an Associate Professor, she teaches Academic Writing and Crisis/Strategic Communication to undergraduate and graduate students as well as coaching Student Business Projects and undergraduate theses. Her teaching philosophy revolves around lifelong learning, application of transferable ‘soft’ skills, and positive social change.
Dr. Zizka is the Chair of the Examination Board and is a Peer Pedagogical Coach. She animates seminars and workshops with students and staff on teaching and learning topics. Dr. Zizka is a member of the Swiss Faculty Development Network (SFDN), British Academy of Management (BAM), and Academy of Management (AOM). She has presented papers in international conferences and serves as a reviewer for several prestigious academic journals.
Awards
Education
Courses Taught
Teaching Location
Article
Reflecting on hospitality management education through a practice lens
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on hospitality management education from a “practice epistemology” and discuss how a connecting of savoir (theoretical knowledge or “knowing”), savoir-faire (knowing how to do tasks, i.e....
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Article
The current study contributes to the extant literature by illustrating that airlines can enhance passenger (customer) satisfaction and loyalty by focusing on the enhancement of those aspects of the pre-flight and in-flight service experience over...
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Article
Corporate reputation rankings 2016 : and the winner is?
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability initiatives, actions, and communication are strategic aspects in establishing corporate reputation. Each year, numerous rankings are published which measure corporate reputation on a global...
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Article
Native American Indians have used Talking Circles and storytelling as the foundation of oral tradition for thousands of years. In this research note, I describe how Talking Circles were used to encourage safe communication to produce a community...
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Article
Student perceptions of ethics, CSR, and sustainability (ECSRS) in hospitality management education
This study examines how hospitality students perceive ethics, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and sustainability (ECSRS) with regard to their current academic program and future career. Previous literature has shown an evolution in higher...
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Article
Purpose This paper aims to discuss how the hospitality industry is communicating corporate social responsibility (CSR) to its stakeholders, the premise being CSR communication through social media platforms will increase stakeholder engagement....
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Article
Meeting real world demands of the global economy : an employer's perspective
Educational programs prepare students theoretically for the workplace, but many programs are still lacking in the real-world skills that the workplace requires. This is especially evident in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)...
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Article
Hospitality students’ perceptions of ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability
The purpose of this article is to examine how higher education (HE) students perceive ethics, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and sustainability in relation to their academic programs and future careers. This quantitative study is based on a...
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Article
Sustainability in STEM higher education : making social change together
This paper examines the sustainability literacy of one pilot group of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) students in one U.S. HE institution. Currently, the absence of understanding how sustainability goals and challenges are related...
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Article
The purpose of this research is to identify the impact of airline passengers’ perception of service recovery output/process on their satisfaction and loyalty. We want to identify the direct and indirect effects of service recovery on airline...
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Article
Ethical concern for Dumbo : elephant tourism in Thailand
There is a growing interest in the treatment of animals used in the tourism industry, yet the academic literature on the animal welfare consideration exhibited by tourists is limited. This exploratory study seeks to identify if demographic...
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Article
KITRO : technology solutions to reduce food waste in Asia-Pacific hospitality and restaurants
This teaching case addresses sustainable hospitality in Asia-Pacific, specifically practices to reduce food waste. Hospitality and foodservice firms often require a third party to manage the introduction of sustainable practices. KITRO is a Swiss...
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Article
Employability skills for 21st-century STEM students : the employers' perspective
One of the goals of educational institutions is to prepare their graduates to be workplace-ready. The purpose of this paper is to identify the employability skills lacking in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) industry from...
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Article
Hospitality faculty member perceptions of the role of faculty development for their teaching
This research note aims to explore hospitality faculty member perceptions on the purpose of faculty development while bringing increased awareness to the overall significance of educational development to the hospitality education discipline. The...
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Article
To go or not to go, that is the question : using social influence to reduce hot beverage cup waste
While most consumers today feel concerned by environmental issues, the consumption of hot beverage in disposable cups remains very important. In this study, we use influence strategies related to social norms to reduce these behaviors and get...
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Article
Corporate social responsibility performance, incentives, and learning effects
This paper examines the effectiveness of the use of executive compensation linked to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goals across US firms. Empirical analysis of a cross-industry sample of 746 listed companies for the period 2002–2013 showed...
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Article
Applying trauma-informed pedagogy to faculty development in times of crisis and uncertainty
This workshop report describes the facilitation of and insights resulting from two sessions on applying the principles of a trauma-informed approach to working in educational development during times of uncertainty which took place at the 2021 Swiss...
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Article
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically affected the aviation industry. This paper investigates how 20 European airlines communicated their crisis messages during the pandemic by employing Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT)...
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Article
Higher education Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs currently offer the theoretical knowledge and industry-related competences that seek to prepare STEM graduates to be leaders to meet 21st century demands. In this...
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Article
Currently, higher education (HE) institutions include sustainability concepts into their programs. Previous literature examined the opportunities and challenges of integrating sustainability at an institutional, curricular, and instrumental level....
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Article
This paper examines managerial perceptions of challenges for further food waste reduction within the restaurant industry. Although research gauged underlying drivers for food waste, the attitudes of foodservice managers toward practices and the...
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Article
Welcome to my home : Muslim residents’ perceptions of Western tourists
Religion influences people and their perceptions. This paper examines Muslim hosts' perception of Western mass tourism using the tourist island of Gili Trawangan in Indonesia. The study's primary purpose is to show how the beliefs and practices of...
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Article
Sustainability in top hospitality/leisure management programs : teaching for a sustainable future?
Higher education (HE) programs in hospitality/leisure management studies offer the theoretical knowledge which should prepare graduates to be effective thought leaders for a changing global workplace. Previous research examined HE institutions’ role...
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Article
Teaching during COVID-19 : faculty members’ perceptions during and after an “exceptional” semester
With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe in March 2020, higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide were confronted with creating online courses to complete the semester. While emphasizing positive elements such as flexibility and...
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Article
Learning during (or despite) COVID-19 : business students’ perceptions of online learning
Purpose : In March 2020, higher education institutions (HEIs) were obliged to complete the semester online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the semesters that followed, HEIs reopened and closed again because of new waves of the pandemic. While...
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Article
Since the first reports of the Covid-19 virus in December 2019, the tourism industry has struggled to find solutions to this unprecedented crisis. During crises, organizational learning can develop crisis management and communication skills while...
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Article
Egyptian crises and destination brand image: the resurrection of the mummy
Previous research has shown that a country’s perceived image during and after the crisis affects tourism, yet the impact of communications on the holistic destination brand image in a sustained crisis remains limited. Based on a case study of Egypt...
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McGunagle, D., Zizka, L., Mau, R., & Clark, P. (Forthcoming). The journey toward sustainability: positive impact of environmental, social, and governance index on transportation. Journal of Marketing Analytics.
Zizka, L., & Probst, G. (2024). Teaching and learning in business schools post-pandemic: a digital future. Journal of International Education in Business, 17(3), 542-555.
Probst, G. and Zizka, L. (2024). Higher education pre- to post-COVID-19: student and faculty perceptions. Quality Assurance in Education, 32(3), 445-459.
Zizka, L., Dias, Á., Ho, J. A., Simpson, S. B., & Singal, M. (2024). From extra to Extraordinary: An academic and practical exploration of Extraordinary (E) Pro Environmental Behavior (PEB) in the hotel industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 119, 103704.
Zizka, L., & Chen, M.-M. (2024). ‘We are open again (and again)’: communicating during COVID-19 – opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned. Current Issues in Tourism, 27(24), 4446-4462.
Zizka, L., & Chen, M.-M. (2024). “Sanitary measures, social distancing, safety”: The evolution of Swiss hoteliers’ Covid-19 communication through three snapshots. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 24(3), 463-478.
Baalbaki, J., & Zizka, L. (2024). Egyptian crises and destination brand image: the resurrection of the mummy. Current Issues in Tourism, 27(6), 887-905.
Zizka, L., & Probst, G. (2023). Learning during (or despite) COVID-19: business students’ perceptions of online learning. Quality Assurance in Education, 31(1), 60-73.
Button, D., McGunagle, D., Zizka, L., & Clark, P. (2023). Airlines and corporate sustainability initiatives: Unrecognised value. Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing, 11(3), 272-286.
Zizka, L. (2022). Sustainability in Top Hospitality/Leisure Management Programs: Teaching for a Sustainable Future? Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 34(1), 57-65.
Zizka, L., & Probst, G. (2022). Teaching during COVID-19: Faculty members’ perceptions during and after an “exceptional” semester. Journal of international education in business, 15(2), 202-220.
Stirnimann, A., & Zizka, L. (2022). Waste not, want not: Managerial attitudes towards mitigating food waste in the Swiss-German restaurant industry. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 25(3), 302-328.
Scheiwiller, S., & Zizka, L. (2021). Strategic responses by European airlines to the Covid-19 pandemic: A soft landing or a turbulent ride? Journal of Air Transport Management, 95, 102103.
Chen, M.-M., Zizka, L., Girardin, F., & Zhang, E. R. (2021). Explaining viewer affect with imagery diagnosis model. Tourism Management Perspectives, 38, 100814.
Zizka, L., & Varga, P. (2021). Teaching sustainability in higher education institutions: Assessing hospitality students’ sustainability literacy. Journal of hospitality & tourism education, 33(4), 242-257.
Zizka, L., McGunagle, D.-M., & Clark, P.-J. (2021). Sustainability in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs: Authentic engagement through a community-based approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 279, 123715.
Martin-Rios, C., Zizka, L., Varga, P., & Pasamar, S. (2020). KITRO: Technology solutions to reduce food waste in Asia-Pacific hospitality and restaurants. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 25(10), 1128-1135.
Terrier, L., Varga, P. Scaroni, A., & Zizka, L. (2020). To go or not to go, that is the question: Using social influence to reduce hot beverage cup waste, Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 23(4), 350-357.
McGunagle, D., & Zizka, L. (2020), Employability skills for 21st-century STEM students: the employers' perspective. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 10(3), 591-606.
Plews, R., & Zizka, L. (2020). Hospitality Faculty Member Perceptions of the Role of Faculty Development for Their Teaching. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education, 32(1), 55-61.
Worwag, S., Varga, P., & Zizka, L. (2019). Tourists’ Ethical Concern for Dumbo: Elephant Tourism in Thailand. Journal of Travel, Tourism and Recreation, 1(2), 17-27.
Zizka, L., McGunagle, D., & Clark, P. (2019). Sustainability in STEM Higher Education: Making Social Change Together. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 18(7), 121-132.
McGunagle, D., & Zizka, L. (2018). Meeting Real World Demands of the Global Economy: An Eployer's Perspective. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, 27(2), 59-76.
Zizka, L. (2018). Hospitality Students’ Perceptions of Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Sustainability. The International Journal of Learning in Higher Education, 24(4), 1-12.
Zizka, L. (2017). The (mis)use of social media to communicate CSR in hospitality: Increasing stakeholders' (dis)engagement through social media. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 8(1), 73-86.
Zizka, L. (2017). Corporate Reputation Rankings 2016: And the Winner is? Advances in Economics and Business, 5(3), 137-154.
Zizka, L. (2017). Student perceptions of ethics, CSR, and sustainability (ECSRS) in hospitality management education. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 17(4), 254-268.
Zizka, L. (2017). From Campfire to Classroom: An Application of Talking Circles and Storytelling in Hospitality Management Education. Journal of Hospitality &Tourism Education, 29(1), 44-50.
McGunagle, D. M., Button, D., & Zizka, L. (2016). The impact of corporate social responsibility communication on corporate reputation. I-Manager’s Journal of Management, 10(4), 37-44.
Zizka, L. (2016). Digital natives and perceived technology skills: Bridging the digital divide between natives. Journal of Communication and Media Studies, 1(3), 15-23.
Stierand, M., & Zizka, L. (2015). Reflecting on hospitality management education through a practice lens, Quality Assurance in Education, 23(4), 353-363.