Beyonce subject of new Harvard Business study

Superstar Beyonce has become the subject of a new Harvard Business School research study.

The brand marketing strategies which made the surprise December (13) release of the Drunk In Love hitmaker's self-titled album a huge success will be explored in the paper, which was co-written by Anita Elberse, the Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School (HBS) and former masters student Stacie Smith.

According to a press release, the study "examines what it took to pull off the ambitious and costly campaign, the prevailing market conditions, the structural and technical obstacles, as well as the many difficult decisions Beyonce and her management team confronted along the way."

The statement continues, "With insights from top executives at (Beyonce's company) Parkwood Entertainment, (record label) Columbia Records, Facebook and Apple, the HBS case asks M.B.A. students to decide what they would have done if they were working for Beyonce."

Elberse says, "She's clearly among the most powerful people in the music industry at the moment... so to understand the operation behind such a powerful figure is always very interesting."

The Massachusetts school case study is due to be published next week (beg29Sep14).