Interdisciplinary Class Will Create New Shampoo and Design Marketing Plan
Waltham, MA – Marketing students at Bentley are spending time in a chemistry lab as part of an interdisciplinary course that partners them with a local company. Under the direction of Senior Lecturer of Marketing Perry Lowe and Associate Professor of Natural and Applied Sciences Bob Wallace, the students will design a new hair care product specifically formulated to provide a healthier head of hair.
In a partnership with Dr. Robert Leonard of Leonard Hair Transplant Associates in Newton, this senior-level class will research the current state of the shampoo industry and conduct surveys among consumer audiences. Students will study Dr. Leonard’s current shampoo in Bentley’s state-of-the-art chemistry laboratory, create a new product based on their research, and compare the new product with the current shampoo. Results will be presented to Dr. Leonard at the completion of the semester.
“This project reflects Bentley’s commitment to providing students with hands-on experience as part of the curriculum,” says Professor Lowe. “We’re taking them well beyond the course books and marketing plans. They will learn how to develop a product by determining its viability first and then develop a plan to bring it to market.”
The current product line, called HairDr, consists of shampoo, conditioner, and hair spray designed by Dr. Leonard. The students will focus only on the shampoo, suggesting changes to its color, viscosity, fragrance, lather, packaging, and even the name.
“The students will be in the lab comparing the properties of successful products already on the market. They’ll look at shampoos from salons, pharmacies and supermarkets and compare them to Dr. Leonard’s product”, says Professor Wallace. “They’ll make quality control improvements and ultimately a better product.”
“I’m thrilled to have these keen young minds working on improving my product,” says Dr. Leonard, an active lecturer and educator in the field of hair restoration. “I look forward to hearing their suggestions and deciding which recommendations to carry forward.”
Another significant component of the class is the use of Microsoft technology. Students are currently beta testing a product for Microsoft, using Office 2007 before its upcoming national release in order to make recommendations for Office 2009.
Students are also taking advantage of other Microsoft technology:
Researching through OneNote
Collaborating with one another through Groove
Publishing their assignments in SharePoint
Communicating with Dr. Leonard and others through Conference XP. Bentley is the only business school in the world using Conference XP over Internet 2 to connect corporations with the classroom.
About Dr. Leonard.
Dr. Robert Leonard has specialized in treating men and women with hair loss for the past 20 years. He is Past President and serves on the Board of Governors of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery. His offices are in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where he treats New Englanders as well as patients from throughout the United States and the world.
Dr. Leonard is a Fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and is certified by the American Board of Hair Restoration Surgery. He lectures around the world and has appeared as an expert on female and male pattern hair loss, their current treatments including hair transplant surgery, medical intervention, laser therapy, and ethics. He has been featured on television, on radio, and in print media across the world.
About Perry Lowe.
Perry Lowe has taught marketing and e-commerce at Bentley College for more than a decade and brings significant industry experience to his teaching. He actively consults to start-up and Fortune 100 corporations and specializes in strategic positioning, high tech new product development, and business-to-business marketing plans.
Perry Lowe’s applied research has focused on the use of technology to accelerate learning and he is considered a national authority on Tablet PCs. He creates project courses at the graduate and undergraduate level to enable students and industry to jointly solve current business problems. Recent company projects have included General Motors, Welch’s, HP, Toshiba, Sony and Dunkin Donuts. Lowe has also worked closely with Microsoft Corporation on the development and testing of new software and hardware.
About Professor Wallace.
Professor Bob Wallace teaches Natural and Applied Sciences at Bentley. He also serves as Chemistry Discipline Coordinator. Professor Wallace has been awarded several grants from the National Science Foundation, including more than $200,000 in NSF funds to create and conduct a math/science summer retreat for middle-school students. He has coordinated several interdisciplinary classes allowing students to work closely with major corporations such as Welchs and Dunkin Donuts.
About Bentley College.
Bentley is a national leader in business education. Centered on education and research in business and related professions, Bentley blends the breadth and technological strength of a university with the values and student focus of a small college. Our undergraduate curriculum combines business study with a strong foundation in the arts and sciences. A broad array of offerings at the McCallum Graduate School emphasize the impact of technology on business practice, including MBA and Master of Science programs, PhD programs in accountancy and in business, and selected executive programs. Enrolling approximately 4,000 full-time undergraduate, 250 adult part-time undergraduate, and 1,270 graduate students, Bentley is located in Waltham, Mass., minutes west of Boston.
For more information, visit: www.bentley.edu.