Publications

02 Nov 2022
News

Strong Finish

heard that classmate and former beauty industry executive Alicia Sontag (MBA 2001) was starting a growth equity fund focused on brands like hers, with an all-female leadership team, she was intrigued. “They... View Details

Web

Advisory Board - Entrepreneurship

before it went public. He then led Open Market's expansion into business-to-business applications. In 1999, he founded and ran PurchasingCenter.com, a "My Yahoo" portal for industrial purchasing agents who purchase $2-$10 million of... View Details

Web

Globalization - Faculty & Research

Centers The globalization of business has long encouraged Harvard Business School (HBS) faculty to research international business practices and the effects of globalization. Seminal contributions - Christopher Bartlett on managing across borders , Michael Porter on... View Details

17 Mar 2008
Research & Ideas

The Lessons of Business History: A Handbook

knowledge of historical context. Q: What are you working on now? A: I'm completing a book for Oxford University Press on the globalization of the beauty industry from the 19th century. I'm trying to practice... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

18 Feb 2019
Book

What’s Really Disrupting Business? It’s Not Technology

If women wanted to shake up their makeup regimen 10 years ago, Sephora was the place to go. Beauty product junkies loved Sephora’s candy store-like display of sample-size face creams, glittery lip glosses, and eyeshadows in every shade... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost; Beauty & Cosmetics; Beauty & Cosmetics; Beauty & Cosmetics; Beauty & Cosmetics

Web

Winners & Runners-Up | New Venture Competition

screening test for lung cancer. Getaway Jon Staff (MBA 2016) Peter Davis Aaron Vomberg Sarah Ruehlow Business Track Runner-Up Getaway designs tiny houses, places them on beautiful rural land and rents them out by the night to stressed out... View Details

November 2019 (Revised June 2020)
Case

Shiseido Acquires Drunk Elephant

By: Jill Avery

On October 7, 2019, the Shiseido Group announced that it would acquire clean skincare brand Drunk Elephant for $845 million, a valuation of 8.5 times sales. Did Shiseido pay too much or too little for this brand asset? How much was the Drunk Elephant brand worth and... View Details

Keywords: Personal Care; Startup; Brand Equity; Brand Valuation; Brand Value; Brand Storytelling; Brand Management; Brands and Branding; Valuation; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States; Japan

August 2021 (Revised February 2024)
Case

Perfect Diary (完美日记)

By: Shunyuan Zhang and Sunil Gupta

Jinfeng (David) Huang founded Yatsen Holding Limited in 2016 and launched the first direct-to-consumer (DTC) cosmetic brand, Perfect Diary, in 2017. Perfect Diary used social influencers or key opinion leaders (KOL) to successfully build brand awareness and to grow... View Details

Keywords: Direct-to-consumer; Social Influencers; Marketing; Digital Marketing; Competitive Strategy; Brands and Branding; Expansion; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Asia

26 Oct 2022
Research & Ideas

How Paid Promos Take the Shine Off YouTube Stars (and Tips for Better Influencer Marketing)

desired outcome.” Deep dive into YouTube The influencer marketing machine is huge and growing. The industry was reportedly valued at $6 billion in 2020 and is projected to climb to $85 billion by 2028, the paper says, citing Globe... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin; Technology; Media & Broadcasting

25 Apr 2024
News

Origin Stories

Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Spotify More Skydeck episodes Dan Morrell: Hi, this is Dan Morrell, host of Skydeck. Where we come from and how we were raised has a profound effect on who we become. The recipients of this year’s Alumni Achievement Award grew up... View Details

May 2014 (Revised March 2017)
Case

Unilever's Lifebuoy in India: Implementing the Sustainability Plan

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Unilever's new Global Brand VP must not only revitalize Lifebuoy soap's sagging market performance, but simultaneously impact the health of one billion people worldwide. The latter challenge comes from Unilever's new CEO who has introduced the Unilever Sustainable... View Details

Keywords: Multinational Management; Corporate Social Responsibility; Strategy Implementation; Marketing Strategy; Mission And Purpose; Change Management; International Business; Global; Fast-moving Consumer Goods; Soap; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Health Care and Treatment; Environmental Sustainability; Global Strategy; Developing Countries and Economies; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Health Industry; India

13 Mar 2023
Blog Post

Career Journey: Karan Khimji, Co-Founder of 44.01

is oil and gas, and I grew up next to an oil refinery. Witnessing the environmental damage and the contrast between our beautiful nature and our main industry firsthand got me interested in how we can build... View Details

12 Oct 2022
Blog Post

11 Stories from HBS PRIDE for National Coming Out Day

marriage. I struggled to reconcile sermons that emphasized that we were all made in the likeness of God yet only half the population was available for me to fall in love with. My pan identity evolved from my recognition of the beauty in... View Details

01 Jun 2024
News

Again and Again

Edited by Jen McFarland Flint; Illustrations by Jason Holley Whenever he’s presenting to a large audience, Professor Michael Norton likes to pose this question to the crowd: After you get up in the morning, do you brush your teeth first and then shower, or vice versa?... View Details

Keywords: Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information

08 Nov 2021
Blog Post

4 Ways the MS/MBA is Preparing Me for a Career in Health Care and the Life Sciences

benefits of pursuing the MS/MBA over an MS or MBA individually: a strong like-minded community, unparalleled exposure to leaders in industry and academia, and increased fluency not only in science but also in the business of science. I am... View Details

November 1994
Case

Dow Corning and the Breast Implant Controversy (A)

By: Willis M. Emmons III, Monica Brand and Greg Keller

In early 1994, Dow Corning Corp. debates whether to participate in a proposed $4.2 billion product liability settlement. Specifically, the firm must decide whether to contribute $2 billion to end a class action suit filed by women suffering from connective tissue... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Ethics; Health Disorders; Government Legislation; Crime and Corruption; Legal Liability; Risk and Uncertainty; Business Strategy; Communication Strategy; Lawsuits and Litigation; Health Industry; Health Industry