Beauty - Publications - Faculty & Research

November 2021 (Revised December 2022)
Case

Farfetch: Digital Transformation for Luxury Brands

By: Sunil Gupta, Jill Avery, Elena Corsi and Federica Gabrieli

Farfetch, a global luxury technology platform and digital marketplace had been surfing the wave of digital transformation in the luxury fashion industry since 2008. While the company’s stock price and market valuation had fluctuated since its IPO in 2018, it had... View Details

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11 May 2016
Research & Ideas

Fix This! Why is it so Painful to Buy a New Car?

product—until the ideal rug emerged. It was only then that the price negotiation began—“price changes the discussion,” says Avery. “Buying a car could be a beautiful experience” Imagine if cars were sold this way. This would help dealers... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Auto

16 Mar 2015
Research & Ideas

Advice on Advice

even damage relationships. But when advice-giving does go well, it is a beautiful thing, says Margolis, the James Dinan and Elizabeth Miller Professor of Business Administration. "If you've been thinking about a problem in a certain... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

21 Nov 2019
Research & Ideas

Do TV Debates Sway Voters?

Intense preparation helped Hillary Clinton command the podium in her first debate with Donald Trump in September 2016—the most-watched presidential debate in US history. In one of the debate’s most memorable moments, Clinton called out Trump for ridiculing a View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

January 1981
Case

Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.

By: John P. Kotter

Introduces the student to Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc., its business, its strategy, and its organization. Provides the necessary background for understanding the contributions of Mary Kay Ash, the company's founder and chairman. View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Business Strategy; Organizations; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

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August 2020 (Revised September 2020)
Case

Facelift at Olay (A)

By: Sunil Gupta, Rajiv Lal and Olivia Hull

By October 2017, Procter & Gamble’s skincare brand Olay has been struggling with declining sales for several years. The team has tried many remedies, but none has returned the brand to growth. As pressure grows from Olay’s competitors, including hundreds of new... View Details

Keywords: Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Demographics; Age; Brands and Branding; Marketing Channels; Competitive Advantage; Competitive Strategy; Digital Marketing; Transformation; Marketing Strategy; Social Marketing; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States; Ohio

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September 2013 (Revised August 2015)
Background Note

Leadership and Teaming

By: Ethan Bernstein

Small differences in the leadership of teams can have large consequences for the success of their efforts. Many initiatives fail not because of a fatal error in judgment or insufficient ideas, knowledge, motivation, or capabilities to deliver a solution. They fail... View Details

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2023
Book

Deeply Responsible Business: A Global History of Values-Driven Leadership

By: Geoffrey Jones

Corporate social responsibility has entered the mainstream, but what does it take to run a successful purpose-driven business? This book examines leaders who put values alongside profits to showcase the challenges and upside of deeply responsible business. Should... View Details

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31 Jan 2007
HBS Case

When Good Teams Go Bad

metaphor also caught the eye of HBS professor Jeff Polzer and HBS associate professor Scott Snook. The pair has produced a case about the behind-the-scenes dynamics surrounding a college crew team. But unlike the beautiful images favored... View Details

Keywords: by Garry Emmons

January 2009
Article

From Regional Star to Global Leader

By: Nitin Nohria

Yang Jianguo was recently promoted from country manager for China to global head of product development at a staid French perfume maker. He was chosen for his technical smarts and his knowledge of emerging markets—a critical avenue for growth, given that sales in the... View Details

Keywords: Communication Strategy; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Globalized Firms and Management; Leadership Development; Management Teams; Emerging Markets; Product Development; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; China; Paris

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10 Mar 2021
Research & Ideas

Key to Doing Your Best at Work? Be Yourself

idea of reframing or reworking your expectations. [One] person who comes to mind when I think about authenticity—she’s African American and a woman—is filmmaker and writer Ava DuVernay. What’s beautiful about her is that she decided to... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette

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

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November 1991 (Revised July 1995)
Case

Body Shop International

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Describes the start-up and rapid growth of a company whose founder holds strong, non-traditional beliefs about the role of the corporation and its responsibility to society. After profiling Anita Roddick as a person, the case describes the anti-mainstream approach she... View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Business Growth and Maturation; Leadership Style; Management Succession; Management Teams; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Values and Beliefs; Global Strategy; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

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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; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; France; Paris

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January 2014 (Revised January 2017)
Case

Nivea (A)

By: Karim R. Lakhani, Johann Fuller, Volker Bilgram and Greta Friar

The case 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, best known for its consumer brand... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Innovation Management; Crowdsourcing; Big Data; Innovation Strategy; Innovation and Management; Knowledge Management; Knowledge Sharing; Research and Development; Social and Collaborative Networks; Collaborative Innovation and Invention; Analytics and Data Science; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry

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13 Jun 2011
HBS Case

Mobile Banking for the Unbanked

for "mobile," and "pesa" is the Swahili word for "money.") But soon after launching the service in 2007, they realized their mistake and quickly repositioned the service with the slogan, "Send Money Home." "The View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Banking; Communications; Telecommunications

30 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

The New Rules for Remote Work: Pandemic Edition

to keep up or start questioning their own performance.” 3. Be extra flexible The beauty of classic remote work is the breathing room for employees to take a walk, throw in a load of laundry, or start dinner, all while getting more work... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

16 Aug 2004
Research & Ideas

Luxury Isn’t What It Used to Be

first made contact with the firm five years earlier. In a relationship-intensive business, service, communication, and institutional memory are necessary, but not sufficient, he says. Ultimately, quality and beauty are paramount.... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Consumer Products

10 Oct 2011
Research & Ideas

Retailing Revolution: Category Killers on the Brink

near 20 percent online market share. Apparel, greeting cards, party supplies, and office products have reached double-digit penetration as well while sporting goods and cosmetics will likely reach double-digit share in 2011. Pet products and health and View Details

Keywords: by Rajiv Lal & Jose B. Alvarez; Retail

21 Nov 2015
HBS Case

HBS Cases: Stella McCartney Combines High Fashion with Environmental Values

design and create these beautiful objects that are also very sustainable and do not harm the environment. And why is this so important? Because at HBS, we try to inspire our students to be leaders who make a difference, make a positive... View Details

Keywords: by Brian Kenny; Fashion

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Farfetch: Digital Transformation for Luxury Brands

Fix This! Why is it so Painful to Buy a New Car?

Advice on Advice

Do TV Debates Sway Voters?

Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.

Facelift at Olay (A)

Leadership and Teaming

Deeply Responsible Business: A Global History of Values-Driven Leadership

When Good Teams Go Bad

From Regional Star to Global Leader

Key to Doing Your Best at Work? Be Yourself

Natura Cosméticos, S.A.

Body Shop International

Leading Change in Talent at L'Oréal

Nivea (A)

Mobile Banking for the Unbanked

The New Rules for Remote Work: Pandemic Edition

Luxury Isn’t What It Used to Be

Retailing Revolution: Category Killers on the Brink

HBS Cases: Stella McCartney Combines High Fashion with Environmental Values

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