This is the first book to take readers inside this cosmetics powerhouse. It will offer a colorful look at Avon’s journey to the top. The company has had a good deal of management turnover but has emerged quite strong today. The company follows 16 leadership principles that will be examined closely. The book will describe how Avon went from a small business selling books door-to-door to become one of the world’s leading cosmetics companies. It will reveal how women were able to run their own businesses; how the company has built a global empire by addressing needs and customs of women around the world; how Avon thrives in all economies and sees improved business in tough times; why it took the company nearly 100 years to hire a woman; and more.
Book Details:
- Author: Laura Klepacki
- ISBN: 9780470232057
- Year Published: 2005
- Pages: 264
- BISAC: BUS058000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/Sales & Selling / General
About the Book and Topic:
This is the first book to take readers inside this cosmetics powerhouse. It will offer a colorful look at Avon’s journey to the top. The company has had a good deal of management turnover but has emerged quite strong today. The company follows 16 leadership principles that will be examined closely. The book will describe how Avon went from a small business selling books door-to-door to become one of the world’s leading cosmetics companies. It will reveal how women were able to run their own businesses; how the company has built a global empire by addressing needs and customs of women around the world; how Avon thrives in all economies and sees improved business in tough times; why it took the company nearly 100 years to hire a woman; and more.
WELL-KNOWN COMPANY: Avon is the world’s largest direct sales company with a record 4 million representatives selling goods in more than 140 countries around the world. Its product line has expanded from cosmetics to vitamins, weight control products, clothing and jewelry. The company has had remarkable staying power over its 118 year history. FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL COMPANY: Avon’s stock recently hit a record high and sales approached $7 billion last year, largely because of its dynamic CEO, Andrea Jung, who became the company’s first female Chairman and CEO in 1998. She has been called one of the most powerful women in corporate America. AUTHOR CREDIBILITY: Klepacki knows the company executives and people in the related industries. She presents a well-rounded complete company history by interviewing company insiders, past and present, as well as analysts and other experts in the beauty and cosmetics field. BUSINESS MESSAGE OF INTEREST TO OTHER COMPANIES: The book will examine how Avon has maintained and increased its market share through new product introduction, use of technology, appealing to different customers (men and teens), rewarding its best performers and giving back to society for such causes as domestic violence and breast cancer.
About the Author
Laura Klepacki (West Caldwell, NJ) is an experienced journalist who has covered beauty, marketing and other consumer issues. She is currently the mass-market beauty editor for Women’s Wear Daily where she specializes in articles on the multi-billion dollar health and beauty care industry in the US. She frequently travels to industry conferences to meet with senior executives and has close contacts with consultants and analysts in the cosmetics and fashion business. In addition to Avon, she has covered Proctor & Gamble, Revlon, CVS, Bath & Body Works, etc. Klepacki has interviewed Avon’s top executives–including CEO Andrea Jung, COO Susan Kropft and former CEO Charles Perrin–several times. In fact, she introduced Jung at the Women’s Wear Daily Beauty Summit in Evian, France where Jung delivered the keynote address. Before joining WWD in 1997, Klepacki spent five years at Supermarket News and previously worked at The Record in Hackensack, N.J.