...Euro Disney had a very hard initial experience in France. Due its lack on accurate informationabout the French and European preference and culture, further on their inability on forecastingexternal problems and inability on controlling both controllable and uncontrollable forces,Disney acquired a huge debt. Instead of analyzing and learning from its potential customersDisney chose to make assumptions, turned out that most of those assumptions were wrong.Disney made wrong assumptions in many areas as well. In the cultural area for example itassumed that customers would be ok not having wine to drink, turned out customers wereastonished but the decision of breakfast was another cultural mistake, but in the opposite way.Disney assumed that French customers would want to eat French breakfast while they wantedAmerican one. Operational errors were also committed for Disney, for example Disney assumedthat Monday would be a light day and Friday a heavy day, so they arrange the staff accordingly,turned out to be the opposite and Disney had a big problem with that. Another assumption suchas optimistic assumption about attendance was also made. If Disney had conducted a primaryresearch and learned from their potential customers, French and Europeans, they would haveforecasted those mistakes and prevented them from happening. Also if Disney had controlledbetter the controllable forces, price and promotion for example, they would have a betterinitial experience. Disney could have followed...
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...Hong Kong Disney: the good and the bad Introduction:Disney Disney was founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, and established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, travel, and theme parks (The Walt Disney Company, 2012). Disney went on to construct theme parks in California, Florida, Tokyo, Paris, and Hong Kong. Today Disney is the largest media conglomerate of the world and their theme parks alone generate almost $13 billion reported in 2012 in annual gross revenues (The Walt Disney Company, 2012). The Disney parks in the United States had been very successful and that is why Disney expanded into Tokyo. This was a wonderful idea, because Asian love fantasy and Disney is all about fantasy; moreover Asians were excited about the Disney Park. Disney Tokyo was constructed and opened with much success; however, Disney did not own the Tokyo location and they only received royalties from that location, but they soon realized the possibilities that could come with expansion. Disney decided to spread their wings again since Tokyo had been very successful, but they chose the wrong location for the next undertaking; Disney Paris. Who in their right mind would choose Paris as a site for a huge American themed park? Parisians hate Americans, this is a very well known fact. They hate us when we visit their city and they hate the way we live, so...
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...Disney’s global expansion – An Asia Perspective Executive Summary Disney theme parks had a long history of aggressive market expansion, started first with their first Disneyland opened in Anaheim in July 1955, Disney World Florida 1971, Disney theme park in Tokyo in 1992, and Disneyland Paris in France (Tsai & Liu 2011). Since introduction of its first theme park, Disney has been attaining global profit through expanding their existing parks while entering the new territories. Their ventures into the new Asia market, HongKong, met great hurdles and challenges as there were gaps between Hong Kong Disneyland offer and the local customs that need to undergo urgent local adjustments in order to become accepted among the Chinese and Hong Kongers. Although major changes have addressed incompatibility issues which in turn provided Disney with high profits and competitive advantages, the park faced serious problems including the frequent overcrowded flow of customers, the lacks of creativity and innovation, or the overloaded staff. As HongKong Disneyland has proved fairly successful with increased park occupation and revenues from growth especially from mainland China sector (Matusitz 2011, Tsai & Liu 2011, Zhang 2007), an unexplored market segment in China or in particular the chosen Shanghai catched Disney’s full attention along with many favored factors such as supported environment with lower cost of labor and materials (PR 2011, Schmidt et al. 2007). The decision to expand the...
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...“Disneyland” Case study How does Disneyland produce the “Disneyland Experience” in the United States? Firstly, the theme in Disneyland is the total contrast of the American daily life. It claims the focus on play, festive, clean, warmth, and child and safe which makes people forget the heavy work, adult’s life, the dangerous and cold living environment. Disney is built to be the happiest place in the world without nay decay, crime, confusion. Secondly, the Disneyland is designed as a complex of movie center, carnival, tourist site, shopping mall, state fair, museums and so on. People could enjoy different experiences in Disneyland. All characteristics are made by imagination and without any cultural boundaries. People from all around the world could share the same happiness and Disneyland Experience. Thirdly, all staffs are extremely professional to make sure the Disneyland is operating effectively and correctly, especially for the cast members who are at the front line to control the traffic, sell the tickets, serve the customers, show the directions, play all kinds of characters and so on. They are very crucial to the Disneyland Experience with job to create an environment of fun and delight. What made Tokyo Disneyland so successful? What lessons did Disney learn from it? Tokyo Disneyland opened in April 1983 and achieved a huge success since it has been open. Disney let the Oriental Land to take the ownership position with all the risks...
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...Introduction This essay shall discuss what the Disney difference is and how it affects the company’s corporate, competitive and functional strategies. As Disney have plans on doing business in Russia, the discussion turns to the challenges they are likely to face and how the management team can best prepare themselves for such challenges by planning early. We will then be turning our attention to Hong Kong where Disney has announced its expansions plans of Hong Kong Disney Land. Lastly, the discussion takes to the how strategic management process is to be used to “keep the magic coming” in a given economic climate. 1a: Disney Difference Disney difference, to sum up, is the “experience”. Disney tries to achieve this experience by bringing happiness to its consumers. Vice President & General Manager of Disney Institute, Jeff James (2012) stated, "We create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment for people of all ages, everywhere." Disney implementation of this happiness factor can be seen in many ways. For example, Cinderella Castle, in Disney Theme Park allows the visitors to dine with Disney Princesses, immersing a storybook setting for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Thus instead of just having to watch/read the cartoon/story book, which could only allow one to be only exposed visually to the character, Cinderella, the Disney fan is now able to dine with her as well. This “imagination-comes-to-life” offering of Disney translates into happiness for the customers,...
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...Pace University DigitalCommons@Pace Case Studies Lubin School of Business 3-1-2002 Disney in Asia, Again Raymond H. Lopez Pace University Recommended Citation Lopez, Raymond H., "Disney in Asia, Again" (2002). Case Studies. Paper 3. http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/business_cases/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Lubin School of Business at DigitalCommons@Pace. It has been accepted for inclusion in Case Studies by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Pace. For more information, please contact rracelis@pace.edu. CASE STUDIES No. 26 March 2002 Disney in Asia, Again? by Raymond H. Lopez, Ph.D. Professor of Economics and Finance Lubin School of Business Pace University DISNEY IN ASIA, AGAIN? by Raymond H. Lopez, Ph.D. Raymond H. Lopez is Professor of Finance at the Lubin School of Business of Pace University. Introduction INTRODUCTION “We could be getting close to the time for a major Disney attraction in the world’s most populous nation.” 1 “I am completely confident that Chinese people love Mickey no less than they love a Big Mac.” 2 Early in 1999, Michael Eisner, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, voiced his opinions concerning potential markets for his firm’s entertainment products and services. A major thrust for the new millenium would be development in Asia. The firm had now achieved a certain level of experience with owning and/or managing assets and operations outside the United States...
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...Legislative Council Secretariat FS30/08-09 FACT SHEET Financial arrangements relating to Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland 1. Background 1.1 At the special meeting held on 4 July 2009, the Panel on Economic Development discussed the financial arrangements relating to the proposed expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland. During the discussion, a member requested the Research and Library Services Division to provide information on the financial arrangements relating to Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. As such, the purpose of this fact sheet is to provide the Panel with information on these three theme parks in terms of their ownership and the financial arrangements for the construction project. 1.2 This fact sheet originally intended to study the operational statistics of the three theme parks. According to the Tourism Commission of Hong Kong1, both the Government and the Walt Disney Company (Walt Disney) are bound by the confidentiality provision under the current agreement not to disclose any commercially sensitive information of Hong Kong Disneyland, including the gain or loss from the operation of the theme park. Against this, this fact sheet only lists the key operational statistics of Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris for comparison. 1 See Tourism Commission (2009). page 1 Research and Library Services Division Legislative Council Secretariat FS30/08-09 2. Tokyo Disneyland Overview 2.1...
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...Case Study 3: Hong Kong Disneyland November 26, 2013 1(A). Why was it important for Disney to work with the foreign governments where they want to open theme parks? While it may not always be a good idea for a business to work with foreign governments, it was the appropriate course for Disney to take. Certain aspects of the parks that were opened in Tokyo, Paris, and Hong Kong best evidence this. Tokyo, by every standard, is considered a success (Young & Liu, 2007). Its success led to the construction of a sister park, DisneySea. Regrettably, Disney opted to not take ownership of the park. By working with the government of Tokyo, Disney did not have to invest any capitol to open a park abroad. However, Disney forfeited exponentially higher profits for its equivalent in risk. Disney’s next venture, Disney Paris, was a collaboration with the French government. Similar to Disney Tokyo, it was important to work with the government for the purposes of immediate financial infusion. Unlike Tokyo’s government direct investment, the French government provided loans with interest rates (Young & Liu, 2007). The decision to work with the French government proved more important as construction costs went over by US$4 billion. This led to the French government restructuring Disney’s loan. It was crucial for Disney to work with the government of Hong Kong for several reasons. Like the previously mentioned Parks, Hong Kong helped financially. However, the scope...
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...Fantasy World to the Chinese Case prepared by Professors Susan H. C. TAI and Lorett B. Y. LAU1 Introduction The 80-year-old Disneyland in the United States now appeals only to families, as Mickey Mouse is no longer an attraction for young Americans (October 20, 2005, Kyodo News International, Tokyo). The Walt Disney Company has also opened parks in Paris and Tokyo on the assumption that family values are relevant to any part of the world. Disney, however, has a mixed record of walking the cultural tightrope. It was criticized for ignoring French culture when it built Euro Disney in Paris, but Tokyo Disneyland has been well received by the Japanese (June 16, 2005, The Wall Street Journal). Since 1983, people in Japan and around the world have enjoyed the dreams and magic of Tokyo Disneyland, the first Disney theme park to be built outside the United States. Tokyo Disneyland did not try to adapt to the culture in which it was built. It worked because of the Japanese attachment to Disney characters and the ultimate US entertainment experience (Amine, 2005). Euro Disney, opened in 1992, lost almost $1 billion in its first 18 months of operation and quickly developed into one of the most costly mistakes in the company‟s history. The French perceived Euro Disney as a symbol of American influence (Spencer, 1995) and many Europeans would not visit the theme park because they believed the real Disney experience was in the US (Marsh, 1996). Euro Disney mistakenly ignored environmental...
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...1. What factors contributed to EuroDisney’s poor performance during its first year of operation? What factors contributed to Hong Kong Disney’s poor performance during its first year? Both Euro Disney and Hong Kong Disney suffered losses in its first year of operations due to several factors that stems from wrong marketing decisions and lack of research. The following are the said factors: Euro Disney * Location – While the demographics presented by the European government about the number of tourists that comes to Paris is true, Euro Disney failed to make further research on the reasons for this large number. Most tourists go to Paris to visit and wander in the streets of the city and not to visit theme parks. Moreover, the climate in Paris is unsuitable for a theme park thus the off-season attendance was way below target. The French government offered Euro Disney generous incentives that they chose to overlook cultural and weather barriers. * Pricing – Unlike the Japanese, Europeans are not willing to spend much to enjoy the attractions in the park. Euro Disney was confident that Europeans would come flocking to the park despite the premium price. * Euro Disney Marketing Strategy – Euro Disney’s advertising focused on the size of the park rather than the Disney experience. They were trying to sell an alluring bit of American which the European do not particularly like. Europeans do not care that the theme park had cost over $4 billion or that it is 4,800 acres...
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...of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse. -Walt Disney On a beautiful March day in Orlando, Andy Berst strolled down Main Street at the Magic Kingdom contemplating a new project proposal. Andy, the Director of Finance for Hong Kong Disneyland, had spent the last four years developing and preparing for the launch of Disney’s newest park on Lantau Island in 2005. It was now 2003, and as he prepared to move to his new office in Hong Kong, he received a call from CEO Michael Eisner’s office to discuss the possibility of a new venture in Shanghai. Berst, like many higher managers with the company, knew that Disney was interested in breaking into mainland China for several years. On the other hand, he also knew that Disney had never built a park in a communist country, or what could be considered an emerging market. However, with the recent announcement from rival Universal-Vivendi confirming their intentions to build a Universal Shanghai to open approximately the same time as Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney executives were anxious for their own counter-strike in the mainland. As he walked towards Cinderella’s Castle, Andy’s mind began to work out the details of a Shanghai Disneyland. The Walt Disney Company’s Theme Park and Resorts Division Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. -Walt Disney History In 1955, Walt Disney opened the company’s first theme park in Anaheim, California...
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...CASE 21 The Not-So-Wonderful World of EuroDisney*—Things Are Better Now at Disneyland Resort Paris BONJOUR, MICKEY! In April 1992, EuroDisney SCA opened its doors to European visitors. Located by the river Marne some 20 miles east of Paris, it was designed to be the biggest and most lavish theme park that Walt Disney Company (Disney) had built to date—bigger than Disneyland in Anaheim, California; Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida; and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. Much to Disney management’s surprise, Europeans failed to “go goofy” over Mickey, unlike their Japanese counterparts. Between 1990 and early 1992, some 14 million people had visited Tokyo Disneyland, with three-quarters being repeat visitors. A family of four staying overnight at a nearby hotel would easily spend $600 on a visit to the park. In contrast, at EuroDisney, families were reluctant to spend the $280 a day needed to enjoy the attractions of the park, including les hamburgers and les milkshakes. Staying overnight was out of the question for many because hotel rooms were so high priced. For example, prices ranged from $110 to $380 a night at the Newport Bay Club, the largest of EuroDisney’s six new hotels and one of the biggest in Europe. In comparison, a room in a top hotel in Paris cost between $340 and $380 a night. Financial losses became so massive at EuroDisney that the president had to structure a rescue package to put EuroDisney back on firm financial ground. Many French bankers questioned the initial financing...
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...of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse. -Walt Disney On a beautiful March day in Orlando, Andy Berst strolled down Main Street at the Magic Kingdom contemplating a new project proposal. Andy, the Director of Finance for Hong Kong Disneyland, had spent the last four years developing and preparing for the launch of Disney’s newest park on Lantau Island in 2005. It was now 2003, and as he prepared to move to his new office in Hong Kong, he received a call from CEO Michael Eisner’s office to discuss the possibility of a new venture in Shanghai. Berst, like many higher managers with the company, knew that Disney was interested in breaking into mainland China for several years. On the other hand, he also knew that Disney had never built a park in a communist country, or what could be considered an emerging market. However, with the recent announcement from rival Universal-Vivendi confirming their intentions to build a Universal Shanghai to open approximately the same time as Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney executives were anxious for their own counter-strike in the mainland. As he walked towards Cinderella’s Castle, Andy’s mind began to work out the details of a Shanghai Disneyland. The Walt Disney Company’s Theme Park and Resorts Division Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world. -Walt Disney History In 1955, Walt Disney opened the company’s first theme park in Anaheim, California...
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...Modes of Entry Subtitle: The Case of Disney By, Carlos Gonzalez Hernandez This thesis was written as a part of the master program at NHH. Neither the institution, the supervisor, nor the censors are -through the approval of this thesis- responsible for neither the theories and methods used, nor results and conclusions drawn in this work. International Modes of Entry: The Case of Disney 1 Abstract The case of Disney’s theme parks represents an opportunity to test major internationalisation theories in a setting of large investments with little chance for reversal of commitments. The purpose of the research is to study the benefit of different entry modes dependent on Disney’s Theme Parks value-generating resources and capabilities while conditioned to certain local industrial and institutional conditions in foreign markets. Five major theories and frameworks were used to analyze all four Disney’s ventures abroad. This resulted in 20 individual hypotheses analyzed. Results indicate that Disney followed a predictable internationalisation process in the cases of Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai, but that it went off-path in the Paris one. In successful cases Disney followed a cautious approach, involving local partners to transfer and adapt the “Disney Experience”. In the case of Paris the company decided to enter the market alone, which neglected the unique needs of the local market. Page | 2 International Modes of Entry: The Case of Disney Table of Contents 1 2 3 4...
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...JÖNKÖPING INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL JÖ NKÖ PING UNIVERSITY Market ing Str ategic C hange in Expansion of D isneyland : Cases Study of Disneyland’s Overseas Expansion in Shanghai Master Thesis in Business Administration Author: Li Zhu & Dan Xu Tutor: Tomas Mü llern Jö ping nkö August 2010 Master Thesis Acknowledgements First of all, we would like to take the opportunity to thank our tutor Mr. Tomas Mü llern. Thanks to his guidance and valuable suggestions, we correct our mistake on time and finish our thesis in the end. From the first meeting to the last one, you are always concern us and the process of our writing. Every time, we handed in chapters, you always provided useful opinion to let us revise the thesis better and better. We thank you for patient guiding and providing us a good opportunity in our study to learn more and more. Secondly, we would like to thank Mr. Zhang and Edward. Thank you for taking time to find interviewees of our interview. You are busy with your own job, but you still use your private time to help us. You also share your experience about contacting skills with us. Last but not the lease, we are thankful to our families and friends who were helping and supporting us during this writing period. Li Zhu & Dan Xu Jö ping University nkö 2010 i|Page Master Thesis Master’s Thesis in Business Administration Title: Marketing Strategic Change in Expansion of Disneyland Authors: Li Zhu & Dan...
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