Publications

December 1993 (Revised June 1994)
Case

Gloria Hilliard Mayfield at Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.

By: John P. Kotter and Andrew P. Burtis

Keywords: Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

11 Jan 2017
Research & Ideas

The Paradoxical Quest to Make Food Look 'Natural' With Artificial Dyes

confectionery hadn’t (yet) been found to be poisonous. The use of certified colors didn’t become mandatory until 1938, when Congress passed the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Even so, the initial Food and Drug Act shone a light on the... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

July 1981 (Revised December 1984)
Case

American Distilling Co. (A)

By: William E. Fruhan Jr.

Keywords: Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

12 Aug 2008
First Look

First Look: August 12, 2008

2001. In 1990 the German consumer goods company Benkiser began acquiring fragrance and cosmetics brands with the intent of developing a beauty business. These included the long-established, but relatively small, U.S. fragrance company... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

25 Mar 2014
First Look

First Look: March 25

describes the efforts of Beiersdorf, a worldwide leader in the cosmetics and skin care industries, to generate and commercialize new R&D through open innovation using external crowds and "netnographic" analysis. Beiersdorf,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Mar 2014
Research & Ideas

Entrepreneurship and Multinationals Drive Globalization

In a new book on the origins and impacts of globalization, Harvard Business School's Geoffrey Jones focuses on the role played by a vital but often ignored actor in this conversation: business entrepreneurs and the multinational enterprises they create. "There has... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Beauty & Cosmetics; Beauty & Cosmetics; Beauty & Cosmetics; Beauty & Cosmetics

April 2021
Supplement

Exercise for Revlon: Surviving Covid-19

By: Kristin Mugford and Sarah Gulick

Exercise for Revlon: Surviving Covid-19 View Details

Keywords: Leveraged Buyouts; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Financial Liquidity; Bonds; Corporate Finance; Borrowing and Debt; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States

September 1990 (Revised January 1992)
Case

Procter & Gamble Japan (A)

By: Michael Y. Yoshino

Ten years after entering Japan, P&G had accumulated over $250 million in operating losses on declining annual sales of $120 million by 1983. The decision facing the president of P&G International: exit, retrench or rebuild the operation? Ironically, the initial entry... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Change Management; Profit; Market Entry and Exit; Market Participation; Sales; Competition; Technology; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Japan

2018
Working Paper

Sustainability and Green Business in Latin America During Globalization Waves

By: Geoffrey Jones

This working paper examines the impact of modern business enterprise on the natural environment of Latin America during the globalization waves between the 19th century and the present day. It argues that although global capitalism created much wealth for the region,... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Natural Environment; Outcome or Result; Business History; Pollutants; Environmental Sustainability; Green Technology Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Tourism Industry; Latin America

SSRN

Read Now

28 Oct 2019
Research & Ideas

Brick-and-Mortar Stores Are Making a Comeback

the more traditional, siloed approach. Avery: I would give the example of Glossier, which is a digitally native, direct-to-consumer cosmetics company. They have one permanent showroom in New York, but everything else that they’ve done,... View Details

Keywords: by Jen McFarland Flint; Retail

02 Aug 2006
Research & Ideas

Investor Protection: The Czech Experience

drama behind the scenes, however, ultimately eclipsed the programming at TV Nova. Despite the eventual 99-percent stake held in the channel by Central European Media Enterprises (CME), the holding company of Ronald Lauder (one of the heirs to the Estée Lauder View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Media & Broadcasting; Entertainment & Recreation

February 1985 (Revised July 1993)
Case

Puritan Drug Co.

David Thomas takes his first sales management assignment and is faced with a sales rep revolt because of a possible territory reorganization. In addition, his sales division is performing well below the national average. Rewritten version of a case by R.Z. Sorenson. View Details

Keywords: Salesforce Management; Conflict and Resolution; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

03 Nov 2015
First Look

November 3, 2015

516-013 Vita: Cosmetics in the Nordics Vita is a Norwegian cosmetics retailer owned by FSN Capital, a Scandinavian private equity company. The company has a strong market position in Norway. The case focuses... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July 2021
Case

A Close Shave at Squire

By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Zoë B. Cullen, William R. Kerr, Benjamin N. Roth and Michael Norris

In 2020, just after closing a $34 million Series B financing round, Dave Salvant and Songe LaRon consider how to adjust their business, Squire Technologies, to the new realities posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their barbershop technology, including tools to run a shop... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Applications and Software; Growth and Development Strategy; Health Pandemics; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; New York (city, NY); San Francisco

January 2005 (Revised July 2005)
Case

Gretta Enterprises

Describes Gretchen ("Gretta") Monahan's founding and management of Gretta Enterprises, which has grown to five outlets--salons, day spas, and fashion boutiques--and $10 million in annual revenue in 10 years. Monahan's role as a television host on TLC's A Makeover Story... View Details

Keywords: Growth Management; Entrepreneurship; Leadership Style; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

October 1997
Case

L'Oreal of Paris: Bringing 'Class to Mass' with Plenitude

By: Robert J. Dolan

L'Oreal's strategy is to "trickle down" technology over time from high-end outlets like department stores to mass-markets, such as drugstores. The mass market brand Plenitude has become the market leader in France, but even eight years after introduction in the United... View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Marketing Strategy; Brands and Branding; Globalization; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; France; United States

September 2010 (Revised September 2011)
Case

Leasing Decision at Magnet Beauty Products, Inc.

By: Krishna G. Palepu and George Serafeim

A fast-growing retailer is facing two different leasing options for its stores. In choosing between the two options, management is considering the potential impact of the two options on the company's financial statements, in light of the proposed new accounting... View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Decision Choices and Conditions; Growth and Development Strategy; Standards; Leasing; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

January 1997
Exercise

Negotiating Corporate Change: Confidential Information, Paul Stokes, VP, Health and Beauty Aids Division

By: James K. Sebenius

This case provides the confidential role information necessary for one person in a four-person negotiation simulation about a major corporate change. Specifically, it describes the role of Paul Stokes as he attempts to negotiate a new uniform corporate information... View Details

Keywords: Business Units; Transformation; Information Management; Negotiation Deal; System; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

March 2021 (Revised January 2022)
Case

Revlon: Surviving Covid-19

By: Kristin Mugford and Sarah Gulick

In October 2020, Revlon faced a crossroads. While it had been struggling with high levels of debt before COVID-19, the pandemic had caused it to go further into debt. Unlike other financial crises, many consumers had stopped buying skincare or cosmetics, and sales of... View Details

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Leveraged Buyouts; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Financial Liquidity; Bonds; Corporate Finance; Borrowing and Debt; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States