The Walt Disney Company has been a company that has glorified itself on its corporate image. It has become an iconic brand with people often referring to its theme parks as "the happiest place on earth." (DeMeo, 2014). So how would it react if a crisis occurred on its premises? Disney World Resorts in Florida dominated news coverage in June 2016, hours ahead of Disney's grand opening in Shanghai. A two-year-old named Lane Graves was playing by a lagoon at the Grand Floridian Resort (as the family had been on the beach after an outdoor movie night planned by the resort) where he was snatched by an alligator. In shock, his father tried to retrieve the toddler by wrestling the beast but was unsuccessful. His body was found the next morning “completely …show more content…
Despite how orderly and well-managed the company is, this sort of damaging link is the activation of a crisis. (Torossian, 2016). Journalist commenced their search and found that there were no warning signs of alligators in the lake, only that of ‘No Swimming” (Orlay, 2016). Local Floridians are aware of the alligators, but they’re obscure for tourists and visitors. Disney “Cast members” admitted to seeing attendees interacting and feeding the reptiles, as well as mentioning safety distresses that were brushed off by higher management (Orlay, 2016). Many journalists started demanding Disney for more information regarding the safety of its theme parks and whether the company could have taken further procedures to prevent the attack (Rivers, 2016). It is vital for a prominent company such as Disney to be prepared to handle these crises and maintain their cultivated reputation (DeMeo, …show more content…
Phase Four – chronic can also be identified as learning, damage containment and recovery (Howell, 2013). During this phase the company studies and learns from the crisis (Penuel, Statler, Hagen 2013). The period is specifically for reflection, recovery, investigations, explanation and blame and may also be considered a turning point in the crisis. A thorough analysis of the organization’s actions allows it to strengthen itself against potential crises (Penuel, Statler, Hagen 2013). Disney learnt from the crisis and issued requests for resorts to shut down and signs to be placed. Management of the message in the media is most important (Howell, 2013), if not taken seriously, this phase can last many years. Disney took control of the news outlets and issues statements concerning the
problems. In a study done on the role of the Walt Disney Company, Vincent Faherty explains
The strike of 1941 at the Disney Studios was one of the prime purposes for Disney’s testimony in front of HUAC years later. The problem is that historians cannot agree on the exact specifics of the strike. Leonard Mosley and Marc Eliot are two biographers who have both written versions of Disney’s life. The two biographies a...
The Walt Disney Company is a highly diversified media and entertainment company that has been growing by leaps and bounds since its inception in the late 1920’s. In the past few decades, The Walt Disney Company has expanded into numerous markets and diversified its business greatly. The company states that their corporate strategy is targeted at creating high-quality family content, exploiting technological innovations to make entertainment experiences more memorable, and expanding internationally. Upon studying the happenings of the company throughout the years, it is easy to see that the company is executing this strategy well through numerous strategic moves in the industry.
Ever since Mickey Mouse was created in 1928, Disney has been at the forefront of the cartoon world. Every youngster has a favorite Disney character or movie. Over the years they have created some of the best movies of all time. However, Walt Disney hasn’t always been successful. He survived bankruptcy in 1922 and had to rethink how he was going to approach his life. I think it is safe to say the approach he took was the right one. One of his first productions was an animated short film Alice’s Wonderland, which turned into what we know as Alice in Wonderland. Mr. Disney’s first attempt at a feature-length animated film debuted in 1937 after three years of production. His masterpiece of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is one of his most awarded movies. Following World War II Disney Production was in a substantial amount of debt. They needed to come out with a new movie that would win over the public of America. They came out with just the right movie, Cinderella, in 1950. This was their biggest hit since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs some 15 years ago. Because of Cinderella Disney Productions stayed in business and could go on to produce many more heartwarming movies.
M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! Every Sunday night at seven p.m., this song would come on all over the country. The Mickey Mouse Club a legendary T.V. Show. Mugs, Shirts, Toys, Posters sold. One man started everything. That very special man’s name was Walt Disney.
With a name like Walt Disney, it seems like you are expected to do great things and have your name known across America. From a young age, Walt Disney had an interest in all things animation. Growing up in a time where animation and TV was making its first appearances, Walt Disney wanted to be a part of the sensation. Striving and pushing forward with his natural talent of the creative arts and entertainment, Mr. Walt Disney became one of the most well-known entertainers that is mentioned all around the world. His great animation and artistic works but also with his world famous characters and popular theme parks, the first one, Disneyland, being built in Anaheim, California in 1955.
The Disney corporation is easily the greatest empire of entertainment in the world thanks to the creator Walt Disney and his brother. Disney’s influence has been great within culture and society and I learned how much of an influence Disney has had through our course this semester. This influence is reflected and broadcasted through the many works and readings that we examined in class. The articles gave me new knowledge about Disney that I was previously unaware of.
[1] Information was mainly taken from the Harvard Business Case Study “The Walt Disney Company: The Entertainment King”
This paper will assess the corporate culture of Walt Disney, addressing the background of the organization, training and teaching, stories, legends and myths associated with the company, philosophy, values, mission statement and the organizational goals of the company.
This case provides a brief history of management conflict and change at Walt Disney Company. Former CEO Michael Eisner was considered to be controversial because of his abrasive style and tendencies toward micromanagement. It was this style that strained several important relationships to the Disney Company. Though his reign as CEO during the 80’s and 90’s helped advance Disney Company, it was his conflicting management style that led to his demise and the beginning of Robert Iger’s epoch at Disney. Since Iger has taken the helm as CEO Disney was ranked 67th in the Fortune 500 list for largest companies, it has become the largest media conglomerate in the world, and relationships and disputes stemming from Eisner have been reconciled.
In addition, one weakness that can be concluded from the case study is Euro Disney’s ineffective marketing team when entering the European market. In fact, it is a failure of its marketing team to quickly react to the threatening environmental signals and especially predicting them before entering and positioning itself in the European market.
The Walt Disney Company is known throughout the world as a leader in entertainment. The strategies that the Walt Disney Company have used include competitive advantage, a growth strategy, and a renewal strategy. When a person mentions a theme park, Disney is the first park that comes to mind. They were not the first theme park, but they have mastered the art of creating memories for adults and children alike. As a former employee of Disney I can vouch for the amount of effort that goes into creating memories for families. Disney is a leader when it comes to the theme park business, and other parks look at Disney as a leader. An example of this is that other parks will not raise admission prices, until Disney first raises their prices. WESH.com said "It remains to be seen if Disney's move will trigger a round of similar increases at other Orlando theme parks. Historically, when Disney raises its prices, the other parks follow" (2011, p.1). There is not a company in the world that can provide the "magic" that the Walt Disney World company can provide (Disney.com, 2011).
Executive Summary: The entertainment industry holds the immense potential for growth and development. The industry is constantly evolving and Walt Disney emerge as a global leader and recognized as the world’s second largest media conglomerate in the terms of revenue after Comcast. The Walt Disney Company is a multinational entertainment conglomerate headquartered at California, United States. The company integrated its products into five target segments are as follows: (1) Media Networks (2) Parks and Resorts (3) Walt Disney Studios (4) Disney Consumer Products (5) Disney Interactive.
The Walt Disney Company, or more commonly known as Disney, is an American corporation headquartered in the Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, California. Disney (DIS) is the largest operator of theme parks and resorts and largest media conglomerate, reported total revenue of $11.58 billion, a 4% raise from the previous year in its third-quarter results. Most of its revenue is generated from the media network segment and the park and resort segment. Disney's strategies mainly focus on generating the best creative content possible along with innovation and utilizing the latest technology. (Seekingalpha.com, 2014)
Most successful firms spend millions on building a strong brand image. Disney must continue to expand the brand at every opportunity and keep the focus on its image. The creative energy of Walt Disney himself must exist throughout the organization. Disney can’t afford to lose its “magic” as the stakes are too high. So far, Disney is a textbook example of marketing genius. The mantra “Think local, act global” is a winning strategy for Disney since their product has a market all over the world. Everyone loves being entertained and escaping to a fantasy world every now and then.