Faculty

Ivo Beroš, M.Sc.
Lecturer

Ivo has worked in the field of education at the university level for more than 20 years. He held various positions at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Science, Zagreb School of Management and more recently at Vern’ University of Applied Sciences. He has published more than 10 articles on numerical mathematics, mathematical modelling and optimization. Also, he has written textbooks for many courses he has taught. The main focus of his research is the development of mathematical models for business purposes, numerical mathematics and optimization.

Snježana Boranić Živoder, Ph.D.
Professor

Snježana is a research associate at the Institute for Tourism, Zagreb, Croatia. She has worked in the Institute for Tourism for more than 15 years. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in Economics, all at the University of Zagreb, Department of Economics. Her research interests include strategic planning of tourism development, destination marketing and management and destination branding. She is an author and co-author of many academic papers published in international tourism journals and an author of a few book chapters. She also presented a number of papers at international tourism conferences. During her carrier at the Institute for Tourism she has been a project leader of many consultant projects for tourism destinations in Croatia and neighboring countries. She enjoys teaching and she is regularly involved in tourism education programs. She is also a senior lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences, VERN in Zagreb, where she has been teaching since 2009.

Areas of expertise

Destination Management
Destination Marketing
Strategic Planning of Tourism Development
Destination Branding

Education

Ph.D. in Economics, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Master Degree, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Bachelor Degree, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Nikolina Borčić, Ph.D.
Senior lecturer and Head of Quality Management

Nikolina has a B.A. in German and Russian languages and an M.A. in European Studies, after which she obtained two Ph.D.s, firstly in linguistics and then in communication studies. The subject of political communication of German and Croatian politicians with an emphasis on the connection between the conceptual mind and the language have been the focus of both her doctoral theses and her articles and scientific papers. At VERN' University of Applied Sciences in Zagreb she teaches German, Business Communication, Political Communication and Celebrity Management Strategies. As part of the Erasmus Exchange Program for lecturers, she has taught at Ecole des Metiers de la Communication in Paris, France three years in a row where she analyzed the perception of politicians in denotative circumstances.

Areas of expertise

Political Communication and the Language of Politicians
Impact Theory Behind Communication
Impression Management within Communication
Conceptual Metaphors within Political Thinking
Public Speaking Skills
German Language and Culture

Education

Ph.D., Social Sciences, field of Information and Communication Sciences, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia
Ph.D., Human Sciences, field of Philology, University of Zadar, Croatia
M.Sc., European Studies: Languages and Cultures in Contact
B.Sc., German language and literature, Russian language and literature, University of Zagreb, Croatia

Gordana Ćorić, M.Sc.
Senior lecturer and Deputy Head of undergraduate study program Entrepreneurship Economics

Gordana acts as a teacher, trainer, mentor, facilitator, researcher and program/project manager. Currently teaches the following courses: Dynamic Entrepreneurship, Business Ethics and Culture, Managing Growing Companies, Business Consulting and Advisory Services, Innovative and Start-up Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation, Business Innovation, etc. Worked at the European Foundation for Entrepreneurship Research (EFER) in Amsterdam (identifying fast-growing companies, and introducing new teaching methods to teachers of entrepreneurship), the American NGO World Learning (in projects on education of entrepreneurs and economic empowerment of women). She also runs her consultancy and training company Festina lente (business services, counseling, consulting, training programs). Published over 30 professional, scientific and review papers. Cooperates with many CSOs (including IMPACT HUB, TerraHub, Croatian Employers’ Association, Crowdfunding Academy, Reach for Change, HULT PRIZE, Croatian Association for Promotion of Franchising, CEPOR, Social Innovation Laboratory, Regional Foundation for Local Development.

Areas of expertise

Entrepreneurship (dynamic, innovative, social, start-up, women, rural, family-owned, corporate, effectuation, etc.)
Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
Economic Empowerment of Marginalized Groups, Unemployed, Women, etc.
Growth Strategies for SMEs and Start-ups
Social Innovation, Social Impact, Social Return on Investment
Other Areas (i.e. franchising, regional development, cross-sectoral cooperation, benchmarking, business innovation, design thinking, advocacy, mediation, etc.)
Undergraduate and Graduate Students' thesis Supervision

Education

Doctoral candidate, Entrepreneurship and Innovativeness, J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia (in co-operation with: University of Turku, Finland; University of Maribor, Slovenia; University of Klagenfurt, Austria; Durham University, United Kingdom)
M.Sc. (Econ.) Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Economics in Osijek, Croatia
B.Sc. (Econ.) Tourism, Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, Croatia

Jadranka Ivanković, Ph.D.
Professor

Jadranka has worked in international food and beverages and pharmaceutical companies for more than 25 years, holding various positions as marketing director of food division, executive director of strategic business unit and board member at the group level for marketing, communications and research and development. She gained extensive experience in international business practices in a FMCG company with the market presence in more than 40 countries worldwide. She has joined VERN’ University of Applied Sciences and teaches various marketing and management courses. She has participated in more than 25 business and scientific conferences in the country and abroad. She has published a book chapter and over 20 articles on marketing strategy and tactics, customer relationship management, marketing and CSR practice in Croatian food companies, marketing and quality management, the marketing mix and relationship management, socially responsible marketing and consumer attitudes, brand image and customer loyalty, viral marketing, the Internet tools and marketing communication, role of marketing in higher education in Croatia etc.
In 2016 she was appointed to Chair of the Entrepreneurship and Management Department position.
She has participated in various business and scientific projects such as: project team leader for a project of construction of new factory, supervised the project team for the Center of Competences in Koprivnica, project associate in a scientific research project Managerial Tools in Digital Enterprise and Integrated project EU, FP6 PHIME (Public Health Impact of long-term, low-level mixed element exposure in susceptible population strata).
She was president of Croatian Competitiveness Cluster of Food-processing Sector, vice president of General Assembly of Croatian Business Council for Sustainable Development, president of Foundation for Scholarships in the Croatian Chamber of Economy in Koprivnica-Križevci County, president of the Jury of the Croatia Effie Awards, member of the Supervisory Board in the Tourist Association in Koprivnica and member of Business Women Base at the Croatian Employers' Association.

Areas of expertise

Marketing Management
Brand Management
Integrated Marketing Communication
Customer Relationship Management
Corporate Social Responsibility
Strategic Management
International Management

Education

Ph.D. Marketing & Management & CSR, Faculty of Economics Rijeka, Croatia
M.Sc. International Marketing, Faculty of Economics Zagreb, Croatia
MBA, IEDC – Bled School of Management, Slovenia
B.Sc. (Econ) Finance, Insurance & Banking, Faculty of Economics Zagreb, Croatia

Zoran Klarić, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow

Zoran is a geographer with 33 years of work experience in tourism and higher education, most of it at the Institute for Tourism Zagreb. His other posts include teaching at the Faculty of Marine Studies at the University of Rijeka, Croatia, Vern University of Applied Sciences and Zagreb School of Management, where he was the dean for 6 years. He has published over 80 various scientific works (articles, books, book chapters) and worked on more than 100 studies mostly covering the geographic aspects of tourism and tourism planning, Besides projects in Croatia he worked as a consultant for UNEP and UNWTO in many foreign countries (Montenegro, Cyprus, Italy, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Malta, United Kingdom). He was a member of the Board of Directors and assistant to Secretary general of EURHODIP - The Leading Hotel Schools in Europe between 2005-2014 and a member of the Plitvice Lakes National Park Government Board in two mandates (1992-1994 and 1998-1999). He is currently working as a senior research fellow at the Institute for Tourism Zagreb and a lecturer at Vern University of Applied Sciences.

Areas of expertise

Geography of Tourism
Maritime Geography
Tourism Planning
Carrying Capacity Assessment & Sustainable Tourism Management
Adventure Tourism (especially Cycling Tourism)
Tourism Attractions
Environmental Interpretation

Education

Ph.D. in Natural Sciences (Geography), Faculty of Science - Department of Geography, University of Zagreb, Croatia
M.A. in Natural Sciences - Principles and methods of regional planning, Faculty of Science - Department of Geography, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Bachelor of Geography (Geography teacher), Faculty of Science - Department of Geography, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Three longer training courses abroad:
1999 - Sustainable tourism development, Japanese International Cooperation Agency – JICA, Chugoku International Centre – CIC, Higashi Hiroshima, Japan
1993 - Tourism planning in protected areas & Environmental interpretation, Centre for Environmental Interpretation on Manchester Metropolitan University and Losehill Hall study centre, Manchester and Peak District NP, United Kingdom
1990 - Geography of tourism, University of Munich - Institute for Economic Geography, Munich, Germany

Maja Kolega, Ph.D.

Maja has more than 20 years of work experience in the field of education with a special interest in organizational and experiential learning. After graduating from university she was certified in Reality Therapy, Choice Theory and Lead Management and is continuously educated in different therapeutic approaches. She has worked on the development and implementation of various educational projects, conducted numerous trainings in the field of communication skills, professional stress and teamwork and has experience in individual and group counseling and psychotherapy. She has published several scientific and professional papers and has participated in conferences at home and abroad. Her main interests are centered around humanistic psychology and organizational development. Maja is currently employed at VERN' University of Applied Sciences in Zagreb. She teaches courses in Business Psychology and Communication, and Organizational Psychology.

Areas of expertise

Organizational and business psychology
Communication skill
Supervision in psychosocial work
Social entrepreneurship

Education

Ph.D., Social Work, Faculty of Law, Zagreb, Croatia
Univ. Spec., Supervision in Psychosocial Work, Faculty of Law, Zagreb, Croatia
B.A., Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb

Izidora Marković Vukadin, Ph.D.
Lecturer

Izidora has been employed at the Institute for Tourism in Zagreb since 2009 as a junior researcher and postdoctoral researcher, while from 2017 she has been employed as a science associate. She started lecturing at VERN University in 2010. As an expert in sustainable tourism she participated in a number of European projects concerning spatial development of tourism, as well as in a large number of master plans for tourism development on the national, regional and local levels. She has vast experience in development of indicators (sustainable tourism related- social, spatial, ecological and economic) for the needs of CROSTO (Croatian sustainable tourism observatory - a part of UNWTO INSTO network). She has published three chapters in scientific books, 9 papers in science journals and proceedings and participated in more then ten international conferences. Her research work is focused on sustainable tourism development and management, impact of tourism on protected areas and identity in tourism of special interests.

Areas of expertise

Sustainable Tourism Development and Management
Sustainable Tourism Indicators
Spatial Identity
Tourism of Special Interests
Natural Protected Areas Management
B.Sc. & M.Phil. Supervision

Education

2015 – Ph.D. in Geography, Zagreb University, Croatia
2009 – M.Phil. in Geology and Paleontology, Zagreb University, Croatia
2008 – M.Phil. in Geography, Zagreb University, Croatia

Irena Miljković Krečar, Ph.D.
Professor

Irena has worked as a psychology lecturer at VERN' University of Applied Sciences for nearly 20 years. She lectures on topics from various fields of psychology such as - business and organizational psychology, general psychology, psychology of communication and human resource management. She has published over 20 scientific articles and a psychology textbook Psychology in the business environment. She has presented her papers at 15 international conferences throughout Europe. She has also written numerous articles for newspapers, magazines and online portals. A significant number of them related to the field - psychology of entrepreneurship as she was among the first Croatian authors that explored this topic scientifically. Besides teaching and writing, for the last 20 years she has been working as personnel consultant for numerous Croatian companies, mainly as a professional selection expert.

Areas of expertise

General Psychology
Business and Organizational Psychology
Psychology of Communication
Psychology of Entrepreneurship
Personnel Selection

Education

Ph.D. in Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb (Croatia; 2013)
M.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb (Croatia; 2006)
Undergraduate program in Psychology (psychology teacher), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb (Croatia;1999)

Diana Plantić Tadić, Ph.D.
Professor

Diana has worked at VERN' for more than 15 years as a lecturer of marketing and quality management, as well as quality manager and auditor. She has published over 40 articles and presented a significant number of scientific/professional conference papers on marketing management and quality management. Also, she has worked on different business projects holding various posts including consultancy, lectureships and auditing of small businesses and international companies (such as Caparol, the Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies) which have significantly enhanced the knowledge base of the tourism and FMCG industry. Diana has conducted numerous projects on marketing research for several leading companies on the Croatian market (CCHBC Croatia, Croatian Telecom, Podravka, PBZ Card), she is a member of VERN' Market Research Center, which she founded in 2013 and has been its manager since then. She is currently a board member of the M-Sphere Multidisciplinarity Conference, member of the Croatian Association of Market Communication Self-Regulation and the Croatian Society of Quality Managers as well as a professional associate of the Croatian Agency for Science and Higher Education. Diana holds a Charter Award for Outstanding Contribution in Developing and Promoting Quality in Science and Practice in 2016.

Areas of expertise

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)
Market Research
Marketing Management
Quality Management
Quality Auditing

Education

Ph.D., Marketing and Quality Management, Rijeka University, Croatia
M.Sc., Marketing and Quality Management, Rijeka University, Croatia
B.Sc. (Econ), Business Economics, Zagreb University, Croatia

Dijana Pletikosa, Ph.D.
Senior lecturer

Dijana has worked in the foreign trade, tourism and leisure industries for more than 10 years, holding various posts including export and import of various goods, representation, marketing and hotel capacities sales of several companies (Scandecor International, Sweden; Gramat-Loris, Zagreb; Atlas Tourist Agency, Poreč; Globtour Tourist Agency, Poreč; Sonnenlandreisen Misir , Germany; Thomas Cook UK; Plava laguna, Poreč; Riviera, Poreč, etc) which have significantly enhanced her knowledge base of the international trade, entrepreneurship, tourism and hospitality industry. For the last 26 years she has been working as a lecturer at secondary school and university levels (Mate Balote, Poreč; Petar Zrinski, Zagreb; VERN’ University of Applied Sciences, Zagreb), teaching various courses related to economics and tourism. She has published numerous articles on investment and competitiveness in tourism and hospitality Industry together with presenting her work at conferences and supervising numerous final and graduate papers. The main focus of her research has always been the development of tourism and hospitality products as well as an increase in competitiveness and image of tourist destination. Since 2006 she has been working as a lecturer for home and ERASMUS students at VERN’ University of Applied Sciences in Zagreb.

Areas of expertise

Foreign Direct Investment
Tourism and Hospitality Financial Performances
Tourism Development
Responsible & Sustainable Tourism Management
Tourism and Hospitality Competitiveness

Education

Ph.D. (EDAMBA program) Tourism and Investment, Faculty of Economics and Business, Zagreb University, Croatia
Master of Science (Macroeconomics and Tourism), Faculty of Economics, Zagreb University, Croatia
B.Sc. (Econ) Faculty of Foreign Trade, Zagreb University, Croatia

Darija Prša, Ph.D.
Senior lecturer

Darija has 13 years of experience in the field of finances and accounting. She worked for the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency and Raiffeisen Mandatory and Voluntary Pension Funds Management Company where she held the position of the back office manager. She has published a number of scientific and professional papers and actively participated in several international scientific conferences. She is a senior lecturer at Vern University of Applied Sciences, Department of Finances, Accounting and Law where she is a course leader for four courses and she teaches seven courses. She is currently in the process of completing her postgraduate university doctoral studies. The main focus of her research is in the field of business finances and capital markets.

Areas of expertise

Managing Business Finances
Financial Analysis of Companies
Investment Analysis
Capital Market
Managerial Accounting in Hospitality Companies

Education

Ph.D. candidate (Company Finances), Faculty of Economics and Business, Rijeka University, Croatia
Master of Science (Company Finances) Faculty of Economics and Business, Zagreb University, Croatia
B.Sc. (Econ) (Accounting), Faculty of Economics and Business, Zagreb University, Croatia

Ozana Ramljak, Ph.D.
Professor

Ozana is a writer, a Croatist and a professor at VERN' University of Applied Sciences, Head of Film, Television and Multimedia Study. She teaches three courses - Literature and Media, Public Speaking Skills and Business Croatian Language. She worked as a senior adviser for culture and education at the Office for Ethnic and National Communities or Minorities in the Government of the Republic of Croatia, and then as a TV presenter, scriptwriter and journalist at the Croatian Radiotelevision and a communication coach. She has also lectured as an Erasmus guest professor at Ecole de metiers de la communication, Paris, France and Beykent University, Istanbul, Turkey. She has published research papers in numerous Croatian and foreign journals, participated in a number of international and national conferences and worked on several international and national projects. She is the author of six children’s books.

Areas of expertise

Arts and Literature
Media
Communication
Research Methodology and Epistemology

Education

Ph.D. in Humanities, University of Zagreb, Croatia
M.A. in Croatian language and literature and South Slavic languages, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia
B.A. in Croatian language and literature and South Slavic languages, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia

Željko Trezner, M.A.
Senior Lecturer

Željko has worked in the tourism industry for more than 25 years on various positions as a tourist guide, travel agency manager, consultant, and director of professional association. He has managed and participated in many national and international projects and held various positions in Croatian and international organizations related to tourism such as EURHODIP, ECTAA, and SKAL. As an expert with a business background he has successfully merged theoretical theses into practical solutions published in numerous reports, manuals and professional papers and presented at many workshops, seminars and conferences in Croatia and abroad. He is active in different projects, expert councils and groups in the field of tour operator and travel agency management, destination marketing/management and sustainable tourism in general. He teaches various courses related to tourism at several colleges in Croatia such as: Basics of Tourism, International Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Destination Management, Travel Agencies Management and Marketing, Operations Management in Tourism. He is Counselor of the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies Board of Directors and Director of the Centre for Responsible Tourism in Karlovac.

Areas of expertise

Responsible Tourism Management and Marketing
Sustainable Tourism Development
Ethics in International Tourism
Destination Management and Marketing
Travel Agencies and Tour Operators Management and Marketing
Operations Management in Tourism

Education

Ph.D. cand., International Relations, Libertas International University, Zagreb, and University of Zadar, Croatia
M.A., International Relations and Diplomacy, Libertas International University, Zagreb, Croatia
M.A., Sustainable Tourism Development and Management, VERN' University of Applied Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia
B.A., Tourism, Zagreb School of Management, Zagreb, Croatia

Mario Vukelić, LLB, B.A.
Senior lecturer and President of the High Commercial Court of the Republic of Croatia

Mario is a senior lecturer of Essentials of Law, Commercial Law, Company Law, Commercial contracts Law, at the VERN. He is also the President of Croatia's High Commercial Court since 2009. His judicial career at the High Commercial Court and the Commercial Court in Zagreb spans over thirty years. He is an arbitrator and a conciliator. Mr Vukelić is a member of various expert groups for drafting laws at the Ministry of Justice (including Insolvency Act, Consumer Insolvency Act and Civil Procedure Act). In addition, he is a member of the Supervisory board of the Association of Croatian Judges and of Program council of Judicial Academy. He is a member of various experts groups of the World Bank, a member of the International Insolvency Institute (III), the International Exchange of Experience on Insolvency Law (IEEI) and the Judicial Wing of INSOL Europe. He was a member of the Negotiating Team for Accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union (2005–2012), a representative of the Republic of Croatia to the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) (2005–2008) and the EU expert for judicial reform in the area of commercial law in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2015-2016). In 1981 Mr Vukelić earned his LLB at the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Law and a BA in Economics from the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Economics and Business. Mr Vukelić is the author of several books and a number of papers on the topics of commercial law, bankruptcy law and company law. He was lecturer, speaker, participant on large number of domestic and international law seminars, conferences and conventions organized by/at European Commission, the Council of Europe, the World Bank, the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia, the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, the Federal Constitutional Court of the Federal Republic of Germany , the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Commercial Court of the Russian Federation, CEPEJ, CARDS, Croatian Chamber of Commerce, German Ministry of Justice, PIET, USAID, ABA, CEELI, International Commission of Jurists - Canadian section, German Foundation for International legal Cooperation, National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges - USA, Faculty of Law Zagreb, Peperdine University School of Law, Malibu, McGill University-Faculty of Law, Montreal, Peking University.

Education

B.A., Economics, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business, Zagreb, Croatia
LLB, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law, Zagreb, Croatia