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- Faculty Publications (176)
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- All HBS Web (249)
- Faculty Publications (176)
- Profile
Marla Malcolm Beck
nature.” As the founder and CEO of Bluemercury, the highly successful luxury cosmetics retailer, Beck has lived an entrepreneur’s dream. She started the company in 1999, just as the dot.com boom was at its zenith, and while everyone... View Details
- January 2014 (Revised January 2017)
- Supplement
Nivea (B)
By: Karim R. Lakhani, Johann Fuller, Volker Bilgram and Greta Friar
This supplementary case follows up on an innovative R&D approach by Beiersdorf,a skin care and cosmetics company. The case relates what happened to the product launched by Beiersdorf, to its Nivea line, following the events of the A case, and how the commercial success... View Details
Keywords: Innovation; Innovation Management; Marketing; Innovation Strategy; Innovation and Management; Research and Development; Product Design; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry
Lakhani, Karim R., Johann Fuller, Volker Bilgram, and Greta Friar. "Nivea (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 614-043, January 2014. (Revised January 2017.)
- June 2009
- Supplement
Mary Kay Inc.: Asian Market Entry (B)
By: John A. Quelch
By 2008, over half of Mary Kay Cosmetics' $2.8 billion sales were from outside the U.S. Sales from China exceeded $500 million in 2008 through over 450,000 beauty consultants. China was Mary Kay Cosmetics' second most important national market with revenues growing at... View Details
Keywords: Global Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Emerging Markets; Market Entry and Exit; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Asia; China
Quelch, John A. "Mary Kay Inc.: Asian Market Entry (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 509-067, June 2009.
- March 2021 (Revised October 2023)
- Case
Mary Kay Ash: Changing the World
By: Robert Simons and Shirley Sun
This case describes the rise of Mary Kay, the founder of the worldwide cosmetics company. As a young single mother, Mary Kay had to overcome many obstacles to start her business and guide it to success. Today, there are more than 3.5 million Mary Kay beauty consultants... View Details
Keywords: Business Start-ups; Entrepreneurship; Values and Beliefs; Business Startups; Work-Life Balance; Success; Religion; Family Business; Personal Development and Career; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry
Simons, Robert, and Shirley Sun. "Mary Kay Ash: Changing the World." Harvard Business School Case 121-046, March 2021. (Revised October 2023.)
- November 2024
- Case
Meghna Modi at Revlon India: Leading with a Bold Purpose
By: Aiyesha Dey, Sarah Mehta and Sarah Sasso
This case is about Meghna Modi, the head of struggling cosmetics company Revlon India, as she tries to both turn the company around and implement her personal purpose at work. Influenced by her own life struggles, Modi feels compelled to empower her frontline... View Details
- February 2020
- Case
Leading Change in Talent at L'Oréal
By: Lakshmi Ramarajan, Vincent Dessain and Emer Moloney
Jean-Claude Le Grand just stepped into a new role as Executive Vice-President for Human Resources at the global cosmetics company, L’Oréal. He is now responsible for the hiring, development, promotion, and retention of 83,000 employees worldwide. The highly successful... View Details
Keywords: Advertising; Business Headquarters; Business Divisions; Business Organization; Change; Change Management; Transformation; Competency and Skills; Experience and Expertise; Talent and Talent Management; Demographics; Diversity; Gender; Nationality; Multinational Firms and Management; Human Resources; Employees; Recruitment; Retention; Selection and Staffing; Innovation and Management; Jobs and Positions; Employment; Human Capital; Leadership; Leadership Development; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Management Practices and Processes; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Product Marketing; Organizations; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Structure; Personal Development and Career; Planning; Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges; Networks; Social Psychology; Attitudes; Power and Influence; Social and Collaborative Networks; Business Strategy; Advertising Industry; Advertising Industry; Advertising Industry; France; Paris
Ramarajan, Lakshmi, Vincent Dessain, and Emer Moloney. "Leading Change in Talent at L'Oréal." Harvard Business School Case 420-106, February 2020.
- March 1990 (Revised October 1999)
- Case
Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A)
By: Robert L. Simons and Hilary Weston
Describes the incentive system by which Mary Kay Cosmetics motivates the sales force of 200,000 independent agents who comprise the firm's only distribution channel. Illustrates the powerful effect on sales-force behavior that results when creative types of employee... View Details
Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Cost Management; Salesforce Management; Distribution Channels; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States
Simons, Robert L., and Hilary Weston. "Mary Kay Cosmetics: Sales Force Incentives (A)." Harvard Business School Case 190-103, March 1990. (Revised October 1999.)
- July 2021 (Revised February 2022)
- Case
Mary Kay Inc.: Enriching Women's Lives while Embracing Change
By: Elie Ofek, K. Shelette Stewart and Julia Kelley
In December 2020, Mary Kay Inc. Chief Marketing Officer Sheryl Adkins-Green considered several strategic dilemmas. Founded in 1963 by Mary Kay Ash, Mary Kay was a direct sales company whose Independent Beauty Consultants purchased its beauty and cosmetics products at... View Details
Keywords: Advertising Campaigns; Demographics; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Social Marketing; Salesforce Management; Organizations; Mission and Purpose; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Strategy; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; North and Central America; United States; Europe; Asia; Texas
Ofek, Elie, K. Shelette Stewart, and Julia Kelley. "Mary Kay Inc.: Enriching Women's Lives while Embracing Change." Harvard Business School Case 522-004, July 2021. (Revised February 2022.)
- Article
Audit Quality and Auditor Reputation: Evidence from Japan
By: Douglas Skinner and Suraj Srinivasan
We study events surrounding ChuoAoyama's failed audit of Kanebo, a large Japanese cosmetics company whose management engaged in a massive accounting fraud. ChuoAoyama was PwC's Japanese affiliate and one of Japan's largest audit firms. In May 2006, the Japanese... View Details
Keywords: Audit Quality; Auditor Reputation; Japan; Accounting Audits; Crime and Corruption; Reputation; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Japan
Skinner, Douglas, and Suraj Srinivasan. "Audit Quality and Auditor Reputation: Evidence from Japan." Accounting Review 87, no. 5 (September 2012): 1737–1765.
- June 2024 (Revised August 2024)
- Case
Revlon India's Turnaround: Navigating Online-Offline Decisions Using a Balanced Scorecard
By: Tatiana Sandino and Samuel Grad
Revlon India was founded as a joint venture in 1995, pairing the industrial conglomerate UMG with the global beauty brand Revlon, Inc. to bring international color cosmetics to India. After growing rapidly and pioneering the Beauty Advisor (BA) model in India, the... View Details
Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Restructuring; Training; Supply Chain Management; Distribution; E-commerce; Business Model; Business Plan; Decision Choices and Conditions; Marketing Strategy; Alignment; Brands and Branding; Negotiation; Joint Ventures; Strategic Planning; Salesforce Management; Competition; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; Retail Industry; India
Sandino, Tatiana, and Samuel Grad. "Revlon India's Turnaround: Navigating Online-Offline Decisions Using a Balanced Scorecard." Harvard Business School Case 124-107, June 2024. (Revised August 2024.)
- November 2011 (Revised June 2013)
- Case
Natura Cosméticos, S.A.
Rodolfo Guttilla, Director of Corporate Affairs for Natura Cosméticos S.A. (Natura), prepared for a meeting with key stakeholders to discuss the future of integrated reporting at Natura. A cosmetics company with a strong brand, robust growth in international and... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Decision Making; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Brazil
Eccles, Robert G., George Serafeim, and James Heffernan. "Natura Cosméticos, S.A." Harvard Business School Case 412-052, November 2011. (Revised June 2013.)
- March 1996
- Case
Erox Corporation: Leverage Marketing
Erox Corp. is a biotechnology start-up that creates products containing synthetic human pheromones. It was founded in 1989, went public in 1993, and brought in a turnaround team in 1994. Sales ramped from $110,000 in 1993 to over $1 million in 1994, with prospects for... View Details
Kosnik, Thomas J. "Erox Corporation: Leverage Marketing." Harvard Business School Case 596-046, March 1996.
- 14 Jul 2020
- Research & Ideas
Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World
decisions more quickly and reliably. Case 3: Preempt the threats Brazil Energy Biomass is an energy producer, generating steam from biomass and selling the energy to industrial clients in take-or-pay contracts. The company has two plants... View Details
- Spring 2017
- Article
Globalizing Latin American Beauty
By: Geoffrey Jones
This article discusses the growth over time of the beauty industry in Latin America and its bias towards celebrating whiter rather than darker skin. Although alleged Latin American fascination with beauty is regularly ascribed to culture, Latin sensuousness, and... View Details
Keywords: Latin America; Race And Ethnicity; Globalization; Race; Ethnicity; Prejudice and Bias; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Latin America
Jones, Geoffrey. "Globalizing Latin American Beauty." ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America 16, no. 3 (Spring 2017): 10–14.
- June 2003 (Revised August 2003)
- Case
Pension Policy at The Boots Company PLC
By: Luis M. Viceira and Akiko M. Mitsui
In early 2000, the trustees of the pension scheme at Boots considered a proposal to move 100% of the pension assets into a bond portfolio, which would be passively managed. The Boots Co. PLC was a leading retailer of cosmetics and toiletries in the United Kingdom, and... View Details
Keywords: Performance Productivity; Employees; Asset Management; Capital Structure; Investment Portfolio; Consumer Products Industry; United Kingdom
Viceira, Luis M., and Akiko M. Mitsui. "Pension Policy at The Boots Company PLC." Harvard Business School Case 203-105, June 2003. (Revised August 2003.)
- December 2011
- Article
Globalization and Beauty: A Historical and Firm Perspective
By: G. Jones
This paper uses the beauty industry to explore the impact of globalization over the very long run. As the first wave of modern globalization started in the nineteenth century, there began a massive homogenization of beauty ideals around the world that has, to some... View Details
Keywords: Globalization; Business Ventures; Trends; Societal Protocols; Value; Brands and Branding; Perception; Entrepreneurship; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry
Jones, G. "Globalization and Beauty: A Historical and Firm Perspective." Ou Mei yan jiu [EurAmerica] 41, no. 4 (December 2011): 885–916.
- Web
Publications - Faculty & Research
Performance Across Three CEOs." Harvard Business School Case 125-112, July 2025. July 2025 Teaching Note Designed for Purpose: “Never a Failure. Always a Lesson” By: James Riley and Andrea Dorbu In 2017, Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty under LVMH, disrupting the View Details
- February 2008
- Article
Blonde and Blue-eyed?: Globalizing Beauty, c.1945–c.1980
By: Geoffrey Jones
This article examines the globalization of the beauty industry between 1945 and 1980. The industry grew quickly. Firms employed marketing and marketing strategies to diffuse products and brands internationally, despite business, economic, and cultural obstacles to... View Details
Keywords: Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Globalized Markets and Industries; Product Marketing; Standards; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry
Jones, Geoffrey. "Blonde and Blue-eyed? Globalizing Beauty, c.1945–c.1980." Economic History Review 61, no. 1 (February 2008).
- 25 Apr 2005
- Research & Ideas
New Learning at American Home Products
preparations; publicly advertised medicinal, pharmaceutical and dentifrice preparations; food products; household products; cosmetics and toilet preparations; and chemicals, organic colors and pigments, dye stuffs and intermediates."... View Details
- 11 Jan 2017
- Research & Ideas
The Paradoxical Quest to Make Food Look 'Natural' With Artificial Dyes
Historians.) Hisano’s paper looks at how industry players and regulators collectively decided what any given food is supposed to look like—and redefined the marketing meaning of “natural.” The quest for summery butter and orange oranges... View Details
Keywords: by Carmen Nobel