Case Study: The Shattered Ceiling

The Shattered Ceiling For decades intelligent, ambitious, business minded women have had their careers stunted by the boys’ club cooperate glass ceiling that exists in companies all across, not just the United States, but across the globe. Women have had to take a backseat to men even though they have had the same education, training, and drive as their male counterparts. Women have been bashing their heads against the glass ceiling trying to gain access to the boardrooms and CEO offices of cooperate America with the end result being the concussions they have sustained for all their hard work and dedication. It has taken the persistence and hard work of a few pioneer women to finally begin to crack this glass ceiling and ultimately shatter
One of her first moves in this new position was to fire the advertising company and start over with a new image and ad campaign. She was trying to separate Avon from the old image of the Avon lady that grandmas would buy their lipstick from, to something more hip, fresh, and modern. She cut the product catalog in half in order to eliminate products that were only available in certain regions and then she replace them with products that were available to all markets, including global markets. This change helped to provide consistency among the sales representatives that were the backbone of the company. She changed the Avon slogan to “just another Avon lady” in an attempt to rebrand the company and appeal to the younger consumers (Encyclopedia of World Biography). The CEO of Avon at that time was James E. Preston and he took note of Jung’s accomplishments and soon took her under his wing. She began presenting ideas and initiatives to the board members under his recommendation, this helped her to become better positioned within the company. Within only three short years, Andrea was given the role of head of global marketing. She was only thirty seven years old at the time
She was able to entice celebrities such as Serena and Venus Williams, Reese Witherspoon, Fergie, Beyoncé, and Jon Bon Jovi, to endorse Avon products. She helped to start the Avon Foundation for Women which helps to finance breast cancer support, combat domestic violence, finance scholarship programs for sales representatives, and contributed to the Global Believe Fund. In 2011 she donated her entire after tax long term bonus, which equaled $5,362,500.00 to the Avon Foundation for Women (Casserly). In 2012, Jung stepped down as CEO of Avon amid falling sales and stocks. She did however remain on the board of directors for the company. She has held positions on several boards during her career including General Electric, Apple, and the non-profit organization New York Presbyterian Hospital and Catalyst. She was honored with the Clinton Global Citizen Award which recognizes forward thinking leaders who help solve global challenges. She is annually ranked among Fortune Magazines “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” and in 2011 ranked number 5 Top Women in Business by the Financial Times