...The Walt Disney Company 1. According to the Harvard Business School case booklet, Disney started from the short cartoon industry into major industries such as licensing, distribution, movie, home video, merchandise, internet (Distribution channel), hotel and resort, sports restaurant (EPSN zones), cruise ship (Disney Magic Cruise 1998), theme park (1955 Anaheim, 1971 Orlando, 1976 Tokyo, 1992 Paris), and television network (ABC 1995). 2. Walt Disney Company pursues several different ways to diversify: -The first step Walt Disney Company took to diversify itself was when they started to license out their cartoon characters allowing merchandizer to sell Disney products. This was a horizontal diversification strategy as Walt Disney Company did not control these vendors besides collecting on licensing fee and a portion of the merchandize profits. -The second step Walt Disney Company took to diversify itself was when they Greenfield invested to form their own film and home video distribution company (Buena Vista). This was a vertical forward integration effectively cutting out the middle man costs. -The third step Walt Disney Company took to diversify itself was Greenfield invested into the theme park industry. The theme park was a vertical forward diversification strategy that provided a different output to promote their cartoons. -The fourth step Walt Disney Company took to diversify itself was when it Greenfield invested into the resort and hotel industry. The hotels...
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...brand management, and creativity. Known as the king of entertainment and media, Disney has also been able to remain profitable for so long due to the company’s various strategies used to create value through diversification, expansion, and integration. Throughout Disney’s history, the company was always operated by key businesspeople that had a goal of maintaining the brand and remaining profitable as the largest multinational entertainment conglomerate in the world. Additionally, Walt and Roy Disney set the stage for future leaders of the company to achieve success through horizontal integration and geographic expansion. An example of horizontal integration would include the acquisition of Disney purchasing ABC for $19 billion in July 1995. This business investment allowed Disney to remain ahead of all other company’s in the market and continue dominating the strategic challenges faced by Eisner and all of Disney’s employees. The strategy of merging with ABC capitalized on Disney’s internal capabilities and created value by increasing diversification and differentiation among all brands and products that Disney owned. Moreover, Disney has been able to remain profitable over the years by investing in multiple company divisions including Walt Disney Studios, Disney-ABC TV, ESPN, Walt Disney Theme Parks and Resorts, and The Disney Channel on network television. Along with these divisions, the company has also continued to generate profits from Hollywood by releasing new animated...
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...The Walt Disney Company, started in California more than eight decades ago, occupies today the tenth position in the rank of the Best Global Brands. In order to achieve this position, it was necessary that the focus of Disney was not only in the market inside the United States, but in the Global Market. The company today has their worldwide known amusement parks in three different continents, stores in United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal; and licensed shops in nearly every country in the world. The Strategies used by The Walt Disney Company for Reaching Global Markets are Foreign Outsourcing, Licensing, and Direct Investment. Due to the higher wages in the United States when compared to developing countries, Disney adopted the strategy of Foreign Outsourcing to reduce the cost of production. The main factories are located in Asian countries, especially in China, and then have their products distributed to all the stores. In order to have Walt Disney products available worldwide, Disney not only opened Disney Stores outside of the United States, but also authorized Licensees to resell their products. This approach is very beneficial for the company, in view of the low need of investment or no investment sometimes. As said before, Disney also opened Disney Stores around the world, as well as amusement parks and resorts. This type of Strategy is called Direct Investment. This represents a high cost investment for the company; however, their...
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...Running Head: WALT DISNEY COMPANY Walt Disney Company Student University Case: Walt Disney Company Walt Disney Company follows a business strategic which focuses on each line of the business within its organization. It seems Disney has developed a unique strategy for each of its four SBUs and has continued to make the right strategic decisions under competitive markets. The Walt Disney Company is organized in a SBU format in order to serve a specific market more efficiently and therefore extracting maximum value from a group of related businesses. By doing this, Disney enables to create value across its business units and creates a strong competitive advantage by having a strong presence in the business industry. Strategic Business Units are self-contained divisions founded within an organization and it deals specific business matters. The Strategic Business Units act as a complement for each business unit therefore empowering growth for the entire company. Mission Statements and Vision Statements are created to clearly communicate the direction of the company. A Mission Statement represents the organization’s purpose and objectives and it is the starting point of the organization’s strategic planning and goal setting development. The mission statement emphasizes attention and ensures internal management and stakeholders of the company understand what the organization is all about. Having a mission statement helps the corporation to create a relationship...
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...The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media. Media Networks Media Networks comprise a vast array of broadcast, cable, radio, publishing and digital businesses across two divisions – the Disney/ABC Television Group and ESPN Inc. In addition to content development and distribution functions, the segment includes supporting headquarters, communications, digital media, distribution, marketing, research and sales groups. The Disney/ABC Television Group is composed of The Walt Disney Company’s global entertainment and news television properties, owned television stations group, and radio business. This includes the ABC Television Network, ABC Owned Television Stations Group, ABC Entertainment Group, Disney Channels Worldwide, ABC Family as well as Disney/ABC Domestic Television and Disney Media Distribution. The Company’s equity interest in A&E Television Networks, Hulu, and Fusion round out the Group’s portfolio of media businesses. Parks and Resorts When Walt Disney opened Disneyland on July 17, 1955, he created a unique destination built around storytelling and immersive experiences, ushering in a new era of family entertainment. More than 55 years later, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (WDP&R) has grown into one of the world’s leading providers...
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...The Walt Disney Company Since its founding in 1923, The Walt Disney Company and its affiliated companies have remained faithful to their commitment to produce unparalleled entertainment experiences based on the rich legacy of quality creative content and exceptional storytelling. The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with four business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment and consumer products. Parks & Resorts Disney's Parks and Resorts is not just home to Disney's beloved characters but the place "Where Dreams Come True." The segment traces its roots to 1952, when Walt Disney formed what is today known as Walt Disney Imagineering to build Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Since then, Parks and Resorts has grown to encompass the world-class Disney Cruise Line, eight Disney Vacation Club resorts (with more than 100,000 members), Adventures by Disney (immersive Disney-guided travel around the world), and five resort locations (encompassing 11 theme parks, including some owned or co-owned by independent entities) on three continents: Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida Tokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba Disneyland Resort Paris, Marne La Valle, France Hong Kong Disneyland, Penny's Bay, Lantau Island Wherever the Guest experience takes place in our parks, on the high...
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...An#Analysis#of#The#Walt#Disney#Company# !1! An Analysis of The Walt Disney Company Kendall Forward TELE 3310 October 29, 2013 An#Analysis#of#The#Walt#Disney#Company# Overview & History !2! The Walt Disney Company is a leading American diversified multinational entertainment and mass media conglomerate, headquartered in Burbank California. Founded on October 16, 1923 by Walt Disney and his brother Roy as a small cartoon animation studio, the company struggled through years of unsuccessful creations but turned around after the debut of Mickey Mouse, the official mascot of the company. Now headed by CEO Robert Iger, Disney is one of the largest entertainment corporations in the world with approximately 166,000 employees and annual revenues approaching the $45 billion mark (Walt Disney). For eight decades, Walt Disney has entertained people around the world with its theme parks, resorts, cruises, movies, TV shows, radio programming, and memorabilia. Before diversifying into live-action film production, television and travel, the company established itself as a leader in the American animation industry. The company went public in 1940 and was reincorporated under its current name in 1986 and expanded operations and also started divisions focused on theatre, radio, music, publishing and online media (Cohesion Case). Mission Statement The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to be one of the world's leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using...
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...be the essence of Disney, even as our businesses expand across borders and media platforms, it is the foundation for almost everything we do, the source of our strength and our success, and the fuel that will power us into the future” - Robert Iger, President and CEO - When we hear the word Disney, what is the first think that comes up in our minds? Most people think about Disney and relate it to magical, exciting and large attractions parks and hotels, and the famous Mickey Mouse. However, they missed to see how big and influential this organization really is. Walt Disney Company is one of the World largest communications organizations. Everyone knows Disney! It is everywhere in our lives, from TV, radio and movies, to parks, clothing, accessories and toys. Owning diverse media markets, Disney has build a tradition of culture and niche by efficiently managing its markets and products, allocating them among different cultures, age groups and preferences. In this report I will be analyzing some of the major managerial decisions within the Company, its influences over the market and the way it has established across the years in our culture. We are now about to discover all the financial numbers, facts, operational activities and responsibilities of the Walt Disney Company, the “Happiest Celebration in World.” Let the Magic of Disney to begin… A Little Bit of History Walter Elias Disney founded the Walt Disney Company in 1923 as a dream...
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...The Walt Disney Company June18, 2014 International Management Table of Contents Abstract 3 The Walt Disney Company 4 Board of Directors 4 Chairman and CEO 5 Mission/Vision Statement 5 Disney History 6 Disney Divisions 9 Media Networks 9 Parks and Resorts 10 The Walt Disney Studios 10 Disney Consumer Products 11 Disney Interactive 11 Walt Disney Company Goals and Objectives 11 Corporate Culture 12 PEST Analysis 13 SWOT Analysis 14 References 17 Abstract This paper is designed to present an overview of the Walt Disney Company. It covers it mission/vision, company history and culture and a breakdown of the various division of the company as a whole. This breakdown is extensive and highlights the world wide interests of this company. Also covered will be what the goals are of The Walt Disney Company and how it see’s for its future. Also provided is a SWOT and PEST analysis. Finally, there is a conclusion as well as recommendations to the company. The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media. The company has subsidiaries and affiliates around the world including North America, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Russia, Asian Pacific, and Japan. Board of Directors Walt Disney Company is a publicly held...
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...The Walt Disney Company is an American diversified multinational mass media corporation headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt Disney and Roy O. 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, and theme parks. The company also operated under the names Walt Disney Studio and Walt Disney Productions. Taking on its current name in 1986, it expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theater, radio, music, publishing, and online media. The company is best known for the products of its film studio, the Walt Disney Studios, which is today one of the largest and best-known studios in Hollywood. Disney also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, A+E Networks, and ABC Family; publishing, merchandising, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 14 theme parks around the world. It also has a successful music division. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. An early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, Mickey Mouse, is a primary symbol of The Walt Disney Company. Visi To be a top 10 brand within every market we operate in across Europe, Middle East, and Africa delivering one vision and one voice to consumers and customers...
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...Walt Disney Company Maria Galarza COM530 September 5, 2011 Brent Smith Walt Disney Company Walt Disney Company’s philosophy is giving the best customer services available to their customers. In this paper I will break down how the Walt Disney Company accomplishes their philosophy goals. I will use the most popular place Walt Disney philosophy is being used, which are their parks and resorts. I will also give you my personal experience when I visited Disney World. As everyone knows Walt Disney Company used the statement “Make people happy.” a priority. (Jordan, 2007) Disney started installing this in their employees, which they call Cast Members. The reason they call them Cast Members is because they have to be reminded that they are always on stage to entertain their customers. Disney also uses the word Guest for their customers. This reminds the employees that where they work at is their home and the customers are visiting it. Everyone that works for Disney has a role to make the customer happy, even the person that sweeps. They are not only sweeper but they are people that make a cleaner and happier place for their guest. The way Disney installs this to their employees is by training them. Once they go through an intense screening as applicants, they are interview by their peers. The first interview is usually done with three applicants and a supervisor. During this process the supervisor evaluates their human relation skills. Once they pass this process they go...
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...The Walt Disney Company: The Entertainment King “Adults are just grown up kids”. With those words, Walt Disney summarized what his empire would be, what it would give to the world. Far from only being a cartoon drawer, Mickey Mouse creator had a broader vision on how to entertain everyone, kids and parents, boys and girls. Committed and exigent, not only Walt Disney created a successful company, but also set the rules for the entire industry. Disney corporation is a multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy O. Disney, as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. At the earlier stage of its life, the company would focus on story writing, character creating and cartoon drawing. But as it got more and more recognized, the firm started its way to be one of the biggest company in the world. Overviewing Disney’s businesses, it’s not complicated to understand how the company wants to monitor the entertainment industry as a whole. Not only Disney operates on different movie production related markets, but it also extends ad confirm his famousness through businesses that may appear disconnected. The risky bet Disney has made over its history belongs to the firm’s traditional strategy. The creation of a strong sustainable brand has passed through a lot of creativity and the sharing of ideas, as well as their management. When Disney competes in a singular and exigent industry within a global environment, the firms has developed tools and strength to stay...
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...period of strategic change at The Walt Disney Company which began in 2005 with the appointment of current CEO Robert Iger. The company began to experience halted growth during the late 1990s. The former CEO Michael Eisner had been successful himself in the late 1980s in changing the company during what is known as the Disney Renaissance. Eisner successfully concentrated the company’s energy back into producing animated films and helped the company to create now-classic names such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin and others. However starting in 1999 share prices began to fall as changes in Disney’s competitive environment, consumer preferences and technology combined to alter its strategic context – which posed problems for the company in aligning its strategic objectives with its organisational structure and culture. Eisner was well known for his micromanagement and top down approach to management (Gunther, 1999), which served the company well during the 1990s when he could focus on single brands. The production of animated feature films which are successful at the box office can generate revenue for all Disney’s business divisions from theme parks to theatre to consumer products (Gunther & Hajim, 2006). However Eisner’s management approach seemed to be ineffective for the digital age in which companies have to perform at the top level at high speed in all of its divisions simultaneously. Under Iger the company has...
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...Organizational Planning of The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company is a leader in family entertainment, spanning the globe with its many subsidiaries in dozens of countries. Founded in 1923 by Walter and Roy Disney, the company was known then as The Disney Brothers Studio. Over the years, the name changed, additional companies were added, and the vision statement grew to focus on three fundamental pillars: “generating the best creative content possible; fostering innovation and utilizing the latest technology; and expanding into new markets around the world” (The Walt Disney Company, 2014). Disney has many strengths, one weakness, many opportunities for growth, and a few threats that create a challenge for this global leader. This paper will discuss these items as they relate to the operational and strategic goals of the company. Disney’s strengths include having a significant customer base for its cable channels, having many diversified entertainment businesses, and having increased profits in the past decade (The Walt Disney Company, 2012). The biggest weakness that Disney has identified is that 75% of their revenue in 2011 was generated from customers in the U.S. and Canada. This is an opportunity for expansion of their operations to bring Disney entertainment to other parts of the world (The Walt Disney Company, 2012). The opportunities that Disney can develop include expanding their presence in emerging economies including Russia, China, Asia Pacific...
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...Analyzing the Walt Disney Company Damian Diaz MGMT 5120 Managing Organizational Design and Change Section 001 10/11/14 Overview and History The Walt Disney Company (WDC), headquartered in Burbank, California, was founded on October 16, 1923 by Walt Disney and his brother Roy Disney. WDC has five business segments which include studio entertainment, parks and resorts, media networks, consumer products and interactive media (Company Overview). With approximately 175,000 employees and an annual revenue of 45 billion dollars, the Walt Disney Company is one of the biggest entertainment corporations in the world (Fiscal Year 2013 Annual Financial Report And Shareholder Letter). Mission Statement The Walt Disney Company is a leading international entertainment and media enterprise founded in U.S. It operates five separate Disney segments: Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, Disney Consumer Products and Disney Interactive. Disney Media Networks is the most significant Walt Disney business segment. Disney products include television programs, books, magazines, musical recordings and movies (Mission statement of Walt Disney). Studio Entertainment From the early beginnings, the company established themselves as a leader in the American animation industry. The iconic Mickey Mouse cartoon debuted on November 18, 1928 titled Steamboat Willie, which also marked the first appearance of Minnie Mouse. In 1932, Disney signed an exclusive contract with Technicolor...
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