Publications

04 Oct 2016
Blog Post

The Peek Weekend Stem Cohort Experience

That’s for consultants and bankers” I think HBS intentionally targets Peek to STEM majors who never saw themselves going to business school, and that’s the beauty of it. You... View Details

13 Mar 2025
Blog Post

Launching leaders: HBS's new initiative fuels first-generation and low-income student success

James Bedford (MBA 2025) smiles as he recalls growing up on a boat off the southwest coast of England. "It was just me and my dad in the most beautiful spot in the world," he says. Looking back now, he... View Details

12 Sep 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 12, 2017

classes, beauty products, and eSports offerings. Chairman Lee and VC Lee believe that KCON is a good vehicle for accelerating the Hallyu wave of Korean culture that was still... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

February 2021 (Revised July 2022)
Case

Sarah Breedlove: Changing the World

By: Robert Simons and Max Saffer

This case describes the rise of Sarah Breedlove, who later called herself Madam C.J. Walker, from the cotton fields of Louisiana to the head of a successful, nationwide beauty company providing opportunity and hair care products to Black women. The case describes how... View Details

Keywords: Brands; African-american Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship; Values and Beliefs; Personal Characteristics; Success; Work-Life Balance; Business Startups; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Personal Development and Career; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States

10 Sep 2013
First Look

First Look: September 10

Marketing the Beauty Secrets of Japanese Geisha This case considers the creation and early growth of California-based TATCHA, a Japanese-themed luxury beauty brand. It explores... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

February 2011
Article

The Underdog Effect: The Marketing of Disadvantage and Determination Through Brand Biography

By: Neeru Paharia, Anat Keinan, Jill Avery and Juliet B. Schor

We introduce the concept of an underdog brand biography (UBB) to describe an emerging trend in branding in which firms author an historical account of their humble origins, lack of resources, and determined struggle against the odds. We identify two essential... View Details

Find at Harvard

March 2004 (Revised November 2012)
Teaching Note

P&G Japan: The SK-II Globalization Project (TN)

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Traces changes in P&G's international strategy and structure, culminating in Organization 2005, a reorganization that places strategic emphasis on product innovation rather than geographic expansion and shifts power from local subsidiary to global business management.... View Details

Keywords: Business Subsidiaries; Trade; Globalization; Global Strategy; Innovation Strategy; Business or Company Management; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Hong Kong; Japan; Taiwan; Europe

10 Sep 2015
Blog Post

Why We Recruit: EF Education First

opportunities to partner with HBS students and clubs on and off campus. We’ve recently moved into our beautiful new North American headquarters on the banks of the Charles... View Details

02 Apr 2010
What Do You Think?

Why Are Fewer and Fewer U.S. Employees Satisfied With Their Jobs?

Wegrzyn cited (1) "incredible pressure from the economic side," (2) "incredible instability," and (3) a resulting "dog-eat-dog attitude." Dennis Hopwood said, "In the end, it's all about making the... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

November 2021 (Revised May 2022)
Case

West Virginia: Finding the Right Path Forward

By: Matthew C. Weinzierl, Christine Keung and Reggie Smith

Once at the center of the American economy, the state of West Virginia had seen decades of decline as its coal industry fell on hard times. With beautiful but challenging topography, a proud but shrinking population, and a new scourge of the opioid epidemic, the... View Details

Keywords: Population Health; Geographic Location; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Problems and Challenges; Social Issues; West Virginia

November 2011 (Revised October 2014)
Case

Attack of the Clones: Birchbox Defends Against Copycat Competitors

By: Peter A. Coles and Benjamin Edelman

Birchbox offers trial-sized beauty products delivered monthly by mail—attracting rave reviews. Seeing the success of this model, numerous "copycat" clones seek to offer the same service. Many of these copycats focus on non-U.S. countries, but others are challenging... View Details

Keywords: Competition; Competitive Strategy

11 Jul 2006
First Look

First Look: July 11, 2006

hair care. By 1980 there remained strong differences between consumer markets. Although American influence was strong, it was already evident that globalization had not resulted in the creation of a stereotyped American blond and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

January 2019 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community

By: Jill Avery

Glossier’s proclaimed strategy was “born from content; fueled by community.” The digital-first, direct-to-consumer beauty brand had experienced rapid growth, with sales up 600% in 2017 and a customer portfolio that grew by threefold. But, its founder, Emily Weiss, was... View Details

November – December 2008
Article

Holding a Mirror up to Marketing

By: John A. Quelch and Katherine Jocz

The Dove campaign addressed a common concern that crossed cultural boundaries. Confronted by standard visual stereotypes of beauty in the global media, many young women develop self-image and self-esteem problems. The Dove Real Beauty campaign rejected these narrow... View Details

Keywords: Marketing; Advertising Campaigns; Welfare; Diversity; Emotions; Government and Politics