Category: Disney

Introduction

Animated films are popular throughout the world and they enjoy the viewership of millions of people from all age groups. Feature-length animated films evolved from the short subject cartoons that were popular from the early 1930s. The individual credited with introducing animations to the public is the renowned entertainment and media figure, Walt Disney. Disney Studios created the first ever animation feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It debuted in 1937 and the film was so groundbreaking that it received a special award from the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences in 1938. It was recognized as a significant screen innovation that created a new entertainment field for millions of viewers.

Whitley (2013) considers the move to feature length animations as Disneys single most impressive achievement in the history of animated film. This move was an ambitious and risky step by Disney since no other studio had attempted to produce a feature-length film. The project was expensive and failure would have been catastrophic to the company. Inge (2004) reveals that before moving to animations, Disney producers had to be sure that their artists, who produced comic shorts of a few minutes duration, had the ability to stretch their talents to fill a screen for ninety minutes. In light of the significance of Disneys creation of the first feature length animation, this paper will set out to investigate the steps Walt Disney Studio took to creating the revolutionary feature length animation.

Steps taken to Create Disneys Feature Length Animation

Story Structure

The first and most important component of the animated film was the story. Norman Rockwell Museum (2013) states that according to Disney Studios founder Walt Disney, the story was the central and most important part of the entire animated film. With this in mind, Disney devoted significant time and resources to the development of great stories. To create a feature length animation, Disney had to come up with themes and plotlines that could captivate and entertain the audience over a longer period of time. A defining characteristic of the feature length animation was that it was longer than the short cartoons previously produced by Disney.

However, Whitley (2013) declares that moving from short cartoon to animation was not simply a matter of expansion in terms of running time. Retaining the audience attention was paramount to the success of the animation. Walt Disneys detailed attention to the plot and character development contributed significantly to the success of feature animations. The Norman Rockwell Museum (2013) reveals that Walk Disney understood that the success of the feature animation would largely depend on the quality of the story.

For this reason, Disney set out to create animations that had the plots that could sustain the audiences interests until the end of the movie and that contained characters that made the audience care about them. The successful story had a number of key elements that included the setting, characters, a conflict, purpose, and a resolution.

Disney writers were taxed with coming up with a script for the film. The writers ensured that the dialogue in the animation was engaging. The character development process was also undertaken during the scripting process. Significant research is undertaken to ensure that the characters feel authentic. When the animation was based on the work of other authors, the scripting process involved adjusting the story to accentuate certain themes. Inge (2004) documents that Walt Disney was famous for taking the work and writings of numerous other authors and retelling their tales through animation.

Story Board

The second step in creating an animation was the development of a storyboard. The storyboard shows the directors vision of the animation. As such, a good storyboard is able to tell a visual story in such a way that the entire crew of production personnel knows what the director wants (White, 2006). By definition, a storyboard is a series of rough sketches that demonstrate how a particular story will play out. Storyboards are used to provide filmmakers with a visual illustration of the storys plot.

The sketches are in sequence allowing filmmakers to visualize how the story will progress. Disney made use of storyboards to visually represent the key moments in the animated film. The storyboards were created by storyboard artists who illustrated the whole film in a series of frames similar to a very long comic strip. The storyboard artists went over the script created in the previous step to determine the number of storyboard panels needed.

In addition to the visual illustrations, storyboards also contained words. These words could be in the form of captions depicting what the characters would say. The words could also be footnotes of the actions that would be undertaken by the characters at the particular scene. According to Inge (2004), the storyboards helped Disney producers determine the coherence of the animation. Through these tools, inconsistencies in the plot could be identified easily and corrective measures taken. This greatly aided in ensuring that the stories created where not only coherent but engaging for audiences.

Concept Art

After these initial two steps had been carried out, Disney moved on to the more artistic parts of creating the feature length animation. The first artistic step was coming up with the concept art. The concept is the environment in which the film is set. The concept design is of significant importance in the design and development of the feature length animation. White (2006) notes that when audiences watch a film, approximately 95% of what they see in each scene is the background environment. This happens whether the audience is conscious of it or not. Consequently, the background art contributes significantly to the overall perception of the quality of the animation. With a rich and high quality background, an animation (even one having a mediocre character design) can be given the illusion of quality or emotional quality.

Disney has a history of spectacular background art. White (2006) confirms that the classic Disney movies are famous for their magnificent background art and their ability to set moods or themes. This reputation was achieved by the amount of effort that Disney put in the concept art process. In this state of developing the film, the skilled artists worked hard to establish the required atmosphere of the film or the particular scene.

Specifically, Disney employed a concept artist who determined the overall visual and color look for the entire project under the supervision of the animation director. After the overall look had been determined, the concept artist set out to develop, in finer detail, a stage by stage representation of all the major aspects of the storyline. White (2006) states that concept artists made use of different visual and color approaches to convey varying moods, emotions, and actions encountered throughout the storyline.

This process was based on the understanding that specific colors suggest specific moods and emotions. During the concept art stage, the key character models and their appropriate background stylings were combined. White (2006) explains that by doing this, the direct and his development team were able to acquire a better appreciation of the look and feel of the project.

Character Concept Development

Characters play a great role in a feature length animation. These are the objects though which the story is told. The characters have personalities and they are responsible for fulfilling the key elements of the story. White (2006) declares that next to the animation process, character design is the most important aspect of the film. During this stage, the artists at Disney studies endeavored to develop personality animation.

According to the Norman Rockwell Museum (2013), personality animation is a technique that results in the establishment of personality in a particular character by defining the characters movement and his/her reactions. This technique was of great importance to Disneys animation productions since it helped give each character a sense of individuality and uniqueness. Through this step, a character that had no obvious characteristics was able to acquire a personality through his/her attitudes and mental relationship towards other characters or objects.

Character development also included defining looks and physical attributes. In this step, the physical features and attire of the characters were created. Significant background research might have been required to create the appropriate image for the character. White (2006) explains that in this stage, the Character artist must know the race, gender, ethnic background, attitude, and physical build of the proposed character. Disney artists also developed a unique style of movement for each character further increasing on his/her uniqueness. In addition to this, the character artist provided the set of facial expressions that could be unique to the character.

Model Sheets

After developing the character concept, the production team at Disney moved on to creating model sheets. Bancroft (2013) declares that Disney relied upon model sheets to illustrate what a character should look like as a guide for all of the animators to follow (124). The illustration contained in the model sheet was the final design approved by the directors in charge of the animation. Characters models sheets were elaborate illustrations of all the characters featured in the animation film. These sheets contained all the possible physical and expressive characteristics of each character once it was animated.

Each character had its own model sheet where a range of poses and different expressions that could be used by the character where illustrated. The model sheet could also show the character from varying angles. The Norman Rockwell Museum (2013) documents that sometimes a model sheet could include more than one character to assist in showing the height and girth differences among the various interacting characters. Model sheets were critical to the production process since multiple animators were used to create the feature-length film. By acting as a reference that could be used by all the participating animators, the model sheets ensured consistency throughout the film.

Animation

The next step was animation which literally means to bring to life. Yoon and Malecki (2009) observe that Walt Disney was able to master the business of animation, blending richness, technical perfection, and economic power which artisans could not match (p.244). In this step, the animators engaged in activities aimed at giving the illusion that the characters were alive. This was achieved by photographing the drawings and viewing them in rapid succession.

This created the illusion of lifelike motion in the drawing. Each drawing used in the animation process is presented in a single frame. To create the illusion of movement, the animation requires a number of frames to be shown each second. For a good quality animation film, the frame rate is 24fps. This means that 24 individual drawings will be photographed and shown in quick succession within the time frame of one second. Each different drawing would have a subtle difference from the previous one in order to create the illusion of seamless motion. This process was therefore very time-consuming and labor intensive.

Disney developed the cel animation process, which was a great advance in animation. This method increased the speed with which animations could be created. Through cel animations, animators were saved the effort of having to draw each entire frame. Instead, the animator could simply draw the part of the frame that changed. Typically, the animation drawings were made using pencil and paper. However, the final animation drawings could include color lines to ensure that the personnel in the next step knew what ink color to use.

A key objective of Disney during the animation process was to create movements that closely mimicked those made by humans or animals in the real world. To achieve this, artists at Disney sometimes relied on reference drawing during the animation process. Reference drawing involved using live actors to model the actions that the animation characters would perform. The animators observed the live actors performing and then used this as a reference for realistic movement for the animated characters. The Norman Rockwell Museum (2013) records that through reference drawing, the animators in Disney studios were able to mimic realistic movements and therefore create impressive animations.

Painting

Once the animation drawings had been drawn, the production cel stage followed. A cel (known as a celluloid) was a blank clear plastic sheet and the artists painted the animated drawings on this. The painting was done on top of the original pencil drawing provided by the animator. The inking and painting stage was very important since it produced the images that would be seen by the audience in the final film.

According to the Norman Rockwell Museum (2013), the best artists were used in this stage to produce high quality paintings. This step was very labor intensive and Disney had an entire department of artists working at this stage. Once the cels had been created, they were placed over the background created in the concept art stage. This was then photographed in a sequential order creating the illusion of motion in the complete feature film. This final product was packaged in reels and distributed to cinema halls for public viewing.

The success of the first feature length animation produced by Disney led to the growth of an animation film industry. There was a demand for animations of feature-length and many production companies moved in to fulfill the demand. However, Disney remained the most prominent studio, producing high quality films for decades since the first animation feature film was produced in 1937.

Conclusion

This paper set out to provide a detailed description of the steps that Disney historically used to create feature length animations. The paper began by acknowledging the great significant of Disneys first feature length animation in the history of the animation industry. It then proceeded to highlight the various steps undertaken in creating a feature length animation film. Disney began by creating a story structure and then proceeded to create a story board which told the story in a visual way. The concept environment was then created after which the characters were developed. This was followed by the creation of model sheets from which the animation pictures could be made. The final step was inking and painting and it created the final product that would be seen by the audience.

Through this paper, the distinctive difference between the animation production system and the film production system has been demonstrated. The paper has discussed the different technologies and labor skills that Disney relied on in the production of its feature length animation. The paper has demonstrated how Disney relied on artists and animators for its production process. The animation industry has evolved significantly over the last few decades due to the technological developments experienced during this time. Particularly, there has been a move from hand-drawn cel techniques to computer graphics imagery. The steps taken by Disney to create its early feature length animations are therefore no longer used today. However, one can develop a better appreciation of the various involving activities that went into creating a traditional Disney animation through this research.

References

Bancroft, T. (2013). Directing for Animation: Everything You Didnt Learn in Art School. NJ: CRC Press. Web.

Inge, M.T. (2004). Walt Disneys Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Journal of Popular Film & Television, 32(3), 132-142. Web.

Norman Rockwell Museum. (2013). Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic. MA: Norman Rockwell Museum. Web.

White, T. (2006). Animation from Pencils to Pixels: Classical Techniques for Digital Animators. NY: Taylor & Francis. Web.

Whitley, D. (2013). The Idea of Nature in Disney Animation. NY: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Web.

Yoon, H., & Malecki, J. (2009). Cartoon planet: worlds of production and global production networks in the animation industry. Industrial and Corporate Change, 19(1), 239271. Web.

What Makes The Video Melodramatic

I think that the most prominent features making this video melodramatic are animation and music. Melodrama is known to be something exaggerated in an emotional way, and this video is exactly like that. The way in which anopheles and dangers caused by them are depicted, as well as the utter hardships experienced by the man who has been bitten by a mosquito, are overdramatized (Disney 43). When anopheles is pictured bigger than the house, it produces a strong melodramatic effect. Such an approach makes the audience feel as if one representative of this mosquito family can destroy a persons health, his business, and his entire household. However, if not to overdramatize the situation, it is clear that the mans family can take care of him and continue his work so that no great harm is done to their welfare.

Another melodramatic element in the video is the choice of musical accompaniment. At the very beginning, the melody is so tense that it makes the viewers feel anxious and scared. Further, it gets even more strained, especially at the moments when the narrator talks about anopheles and the risks they may cause. On the other hand, at the moments when dwarves are fighting with the nasty mosquitoes, the music is extremely triumphant.

Finally, the video is melodramatic because of the dwarves participating in it. It combines a serious topic of a deadly disease with some of the childrens most favorite characters. The dwarves fight against anopheles brings a note of sensational exaggeration.

Therefore, the main melodramatic features in this video are the visual and audio presentation of the information and the characters chosen to participate in it.

My Opinion of the Environmental Behavior of the Dwarves

The ways in which the dwarves are fighting the anopheles may help to save peoples lives, but the harm caused to the environment during this process is disastrous. Three major terrible mistakes in regards to nature are spraying oil over water, burying the cans, and dusting Paris green everywhere (Disney 43). The narrator explains that when oil is sprayed over water, larvae have no chance to survive. However, he forgets to mention that such a method will also destroy other animals and plants living there. Not only anopheles larvae will be deprived of access to fresh air but also fish and other organisms. Thus, such a suggestion is rather damaging to the environment.

The second action with adverse outcomes performed by the dwarves is burying cans in the ground. The material of which these cans are made does not decompose easily. When put in the soil, such material will stay there for years. Therefore, it would be better if the dwarves took those cans to some recycling center or at least make sure there is no water in them but not bury them in the ground.

Another damaging thing that the dwarves do is dusting Paris green on plants and inside the house. This substance is known to be highly toxic, and using so much of it is rather harmful. While it helps in the fight against the mosquitoes, considerations regarding other elements of nature and especially people should be made. It is not acceptable to use such amount of toxic chemicals in and around the places where people live.

Thus, the environmental behavior of dwarves is very negative. However, allowances should be made as to the time when the video was made. Back then, there were not too many options that would destroy mosquitoes without causing harm to nature.

My Initial Impression of the Video

The video is rather engaging and fulfills the purpose of sharing the information about a dangerous disease, how it can spread, and the methods of fighting with anopheles. The melodramatic character of the clip makes it easy to comprehend very serious data and creates an atmosphere of optimism regarding the possibility of coping with a deadly illness.

I think that using dwarves as the main characters of the video makes the situation look less threatening and draws the attention of various age groups. The choice of music creates an atmosphere of apprehension, but at some moments, it produces the effect of a joke, which makes the situation look more hopeful. The triumphant music at the moments when dwarves manage to destroy the mosquitoes acts as the motivator for joining the fight against anopheles.

What made a negative impression on me was the instances of the anti-environmental behavior of the dwarves. Along with destroying the anopheles, the characters are damaging nature. Such actions should not be encouraged. People have to treat the world in which they live with respect. I think that the only justification for such behavior can be that over half of a century ago, people did not have a lot of options that would combine killing the mosquitoes with saving the environment.

Overall, my initial impression of the video is more negative than positive. Even though it teaches people how to protect themselves against a deadly illness, it also contains a lot of instances of anti-environmental conduct. In my opinion, such actions should not be encouraged. Disney characters have always been favored by children and their parents. Thus, this company should be extremely cautious about the content of their videos.

Work Cited

Disney 43  The Winged Scourge. YouTube. 2008. Web.

Disney childrens movies have been around for the past 70-odd years, ever since the great Walt Disney started the Walt Disney Production Company in 1934. Walt Disney, for the main purpose of making full-length animated features out of folklore, produced adapted fairy tales, folk tales, and legends to suit the childrens audience, doing away with or changing certain events that occur through the course of the story. Since then now, Disney has released numerous animated features for children. Although a number of their features are adapted from books or are original, the most recognized are the ones that are adapted from fairy tales.

From the very first feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was adapted in 1937 from an 18th Century fairy tale by the renowned Brothers Grimm(Jacob and Wilhelm), Disney started a whole new era of animation. The story of Snow White was modified suitably from the original, which was by no means meant for children. In the story, the Queen had asked for Cinderellas heart to be presented to her in a jewel box, and, unknown to her knowledge, was given a pigs heart instead. It had cruel, almost gruesome instances in it. For example, the Queen was punished by being forced to wear a pair of heated iron shoes. She danced in them till her death. To evade such a horrid display, the animated feature showed the Queen being struck by a bolt of lightning and falling into a chasm, a more viewer-friendly adaptation.

Snow White, at the tender age of seven, is shown to the viewers doing household chores for dwarfs. The image seems to be that of a maid and not of a Princess  an extremely sexist depiction of females. The dwarfs themselves present a rather odd sight, wearing different colored Santa hats. According to mythology, dwarfs were creatures associated with death. Then why their presence in such number in the company of a Princess? They did not harm her simply because she cleaned their hut? It must also be understood that the fairy tale was dependent hugely on Dark Magic and Witchcraft. The Queen was a Witch, possessing a Magic Mirror and having powers enough to transform herself into any form at will and make poison apples to kill whoever she wanted.

It must also be noted that the original Grimms fairy tale showed us that the poison apple which killed Snow White was simply dislodged from her throat while her coffin was being carried away by the Princes men. The concept of loves first kiss was added to the movie merely for cinematic purposes, and also shows us that Snow White was dependent on a man for her survival. She could only be awakened from her death by loves first kiss, as opposed to her self-dependency in the original fairy tale; an instance of total dependency of a female on a male.

The tale of Cinderella, a young girl of unparalleled sweetness made to work relentlessly by her stepmother, can be traced back to Egypt and was recorded as far back as the 1st Century B.C. Since then, there have been numerous versions of the story. The Disney version sees Cinderella befriending creatures such as mice, birds, and even a bloodhound. Here she lives with her stepmother and stepsister who treat her like a maid rather than a member of the family. And even in Cinderella, we see the female character dependent on her fairy Godmother, who gives her favors, and a Prince, who gives her royalty by marrying her. And like Snow White, this is also extremely sexist in its depiction.

In The Little Mermaid too, we see a similar representation of a female character. Here, Ariel, a mermaid who desires to one day have human feelings and have a human identity, is dependent on a Princes kiss of true love. She is transformed into a human for three days by a Sea Witch and must receive the kiss within the three days if she wants to stay in her human form. Like Snow White and Cinderella, Ariel is also one who, in order to gain her identity as a Princess, is dependent completely on a male, continuing Disneys sexist adaptations. Also, in all three features, the lead characters have friends who are creatures from completely different species. From birds and mice to bloodhounds and even a talking crab with an oversized head.

It is also noticeable that for life Happily Ever After, the lead characters absolutely must be paired with a Prince. The situations are also extremely reliant on chance. Only when a Prince falls in love with them can they be considered to become Princess and be rid of their suffering. The concept of love is also placed very precariously. In each of the cases, love is at first sight and could be extremely physical in nature. The Prince simply falls in love with the way the female looks with no heed whatsoever to what kind of a person she might be. These concepts are neither clear nor justified. True loves first kiss is an extremely typical image of romance that, in Disney, the animation element introduces. It is a cartoonish exaggeration of emotions, images, types  all of which, in real life are more muted. Children are misled in a way that they seemingly believe in what they are shown in these films that Happily Ever After is achieved by marrying a Prince after receiving true loves kiss, and the very depiction of humans befriending harmful animals can influence children to explore whether such things are true. These can have disastrous consequences.

In Beauty and the Beast, the sexist depiction in most Disney features is reversed. Here, it is the beast, a male, who is dependent on the confession of love from Princess Belle in order for him to obtain his original human form. However, Princess Belles father is shown to sacrifice his daughter to the Beast for his own safety. A female is merely used for the safety of a male. Again, a sexist representation of females in Disney movies. At the end of the story, there is a marriage and the promise of a Happily Ever After as in all the aforementioned features.

It is clear from the worldwide video, books, and merchandise sales that children have quite happily absorbed these concepts of magic, love, beauty, and of Happily Ever After. The release of movies that seek to question established social and religious mores are often banned from screening, or even release. They result in heated protests and are given the go-ahead only after they clearly state that this work is purely fictional and means to harm no sentiments and bears no resemblance to any character, living or dead added with a further 15-second display of the same. Then why isnt the same done to make it known to children that what they are about to view in a Disney movie is fictional, and should not be mistaken for reality? Why is it that an error so grievous in nature, which concerns children aged below ten, is overlooked? Is it merely because the makers, adults, have taken it for granted that the views of ten-year-olds on the subject of Disney features will be on the same page as theirs? Or is it that the commercial success of the features is so important to them that they have plainly forgotten the moral aspect?

A change is necessary in modern Disney animated features in order to make them more viewer-friendly and reduce negative criticism. There have been claims ranging from sexual innuendo to subliminal images in Disney features. Such flaws have not gone overlooked by critics and scrutiny continues. The makers of Disneys childrens movies must pay more attention to detail in order to render such allegations groundless. An approach to fix the sexist problems which have been portrayed through their movies would be the Beauty and The Beast approach, where they tried to balance the depiction of females they had made in earlier movies by doing the same with a male character. Though that approach did not work to the extent they might have desired, it is a start. The other, more effective approach to deal with differentiating reality and fantasy fiction is the Finding Nemo approach, which clearly showed the differences between the animal world and the world of humans. We saw a similar concept in the Toy Story films, which made sure that the real world and the world of the toys were of two totally different dimensions with no interaction between each other. With such, more refined scripts Disney could be headed in the right direction towards preserving logical standards of their stories. But, on the other hand, if kids think crabs are friendly creatures and will help them, there promises to be a whole new field of doctors operating on crab bites on children.

Works cited

Article by Ali Wachutka on Disneys sexist portrayal of women. 2008. Web.

Fairy Tales. 2008. Web.

The Brothers Grimm. 2008. Web.

Walt Disney. 2008. Web.

Snow White. 2008. Web.

Cinderella. 2008. Web.

The Little Mermaid. 2008.

• Original fairy tale. Web.
• Disney version. Web.

Beauty and the Beast. 2008.

• Original fairy tale. Web.
• Disney version. Web.

Allegations against Disney features. 2008.

Wikipedia pages of the features of The Little Mermaid. Index, pt. 5. Web.

The Lion King. Index, pt. 8.2. Web.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Index, pt. 5. Web.

Aladdin. Index, pt. 6.4. Web.

The Rescuers. Index, pt. 13.1. Web.

Finding Nemo. 2008. Web.

Walt Disney is a multinational Corporation headquartered in the United States. The primary competitors of Walt Disney are Universal Studio and Six Flags. Universal Studio is a multinational company that has been expanding it business operations into new geographical segments. Universal studio plans to invest heavily in Europe to leverage the growing demand for theme parks.

Six Flags is one of the largest amusement parks based in New York and headquartered in Grand Prairie, Texas. Six Flags own some properties in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Six Flags plan to expand its theme parks into a new market segment in Mexico to increase revenues. In the long-run, the company has a strategic plan to open up new branches in France and Germany.

Walt Disney is expanding into new market segments outside the US. Disney is entering the Indian market through a licensed joint venture with Modis. Walt Disney will license the joint venture in order to penetrate the market easily. The joint venture will enable Disney to sell its products including films, toys and videos. The entry of Walt Disney in India will discourage local producers who have enriched themselves by infringing the companys copyright.

As a result, local producers in India will be required to pay royalty fees for using Disneys characters to gain popularity (Tribe, 2011, p. 235). Walt Disney also plans to expand its theme parks in Germany, Russia and China. Globalization has enabled Disney theme parks to leverage and seizes new business opportunities in Europe and Asia Pacific thus increases sales.

Moreover, globalization ensures risk diversification. For instance, in 2014, Walt Disney Latin American sales decline by an estimated 8.6 percent. However, the loss in market share and revenues was offset by increased market share in Europe and especially France.

Globalization is essential to promote the economic growth of Walt Disney into new market segments. Zibart (2010) argues that globalization of Walt Disney has promoted rapid expansion of the theme parks across the world (p. 26). However, it has encouraged fierce competition among enterprises in the theme parks and resort industry. In some cases, internationalization of Disney exposed the firm to new business risks.

For instance, when Walt Disney was opening its business operations in Paris, a law suit was appealed against the company. In fact, the company suffered substantial losses due to the incompatibility of workers policies with those of French employees (Mitrasinovic
, 2006).

Walt Disney can reduce business risk by expanding its operations in Russia. Globalization exposes Disney parks to stiff competition from sellers with homogenous goods who drive prices down. Disney parks are located in areas where competitors such as Universal Studios and Six Flags try to create market imperfection in order to have ultimate control over market share.

Russia represents a large market segment with few competitors who do not have the innovation or the creativity to compete with Walt Disney. However, this expansion will likely expose Walt Disney to new business risk and market decline (appendix 2). Moreover, the company may experience barriers to entry as the Russian theme parks industry is highly regulated. Nonetheless, if the new expansion plans succeed, Disney could increase it current revenues by a significant percentage.

References

Mitrasinovic
, M. (2006). Total landscape, theme parks, public space. Aldershot: Ashgate.

Tribe, J. (2011). The economics of recreation, leisure and tourism. Oxford Waltham, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Zibart, E. (2010). The unofficial guide to Walt Disney World for grown-ups. Hoboken, N.J. Chichester: Wiley John Wiley distributor.

My chosen strategy for evaluation of Walt Disney Theme Parks is based on Transaction Cost Economics (TCE). This strategy is best used when a company internationalises on activities or processes that are cost productive on their operations, enabling them to have a cost advantage over the market while deducting on those which are cost deductive to their operations.

The first strategy is the use of auditing as a strategy for evaluation. Auditing is adequate, especially for a firm like Walt Disney Theme Park because, like the TCE, It helps in matters relating to international financial reporting standards. Therefore, the strategy assists firms in evaluating and obtaining evidence regarding the economic status of a given period (Klein & Sykuta, 2010).

The results are that the person in charge is assisted to make an accurate judgment on the steps or changes to make to secure their finances in accordance with the objectives or goals of the firm. Auditing strategy applies to the TCE strategy identified for Walt Disney Theme Parks because they both internationalizes activities or process that have a cost advantage over the market while taking various precautions like subcontracting on processes that are considered as a cost disadvantage to the firm.

The second strategy is contingency planning. This strategy is based on finding solutions to deal with unfavorable events before they occur. Just like the TCE, contingency planning is applicable in Walt Disney Theme Park because it also acts to remedy situations or processes, hence providing accurate information for the person concerned to take appropriate steps that are beneficial for the well-being of a company. Moreover, using the strategy of contingency planning like the TCE provides a firm with alternative plans for both events or processes that are rendered to be cost deductive.

The third approach is The Balanced Scorecard. It is a strategy that works for firms as strategy evaluation or control technique. Similar to the TCE, the balanced score card is used for identifying both financial and nonfinancial measures that are rendered to be cost advantage and cost deductive to firms. Therefore, it is applicable to the TCE strategy selected for use for Walt Disney Theme Parks because through its use, a company is capable of identifying ratios that are useful in measuring processes that are either cost advantage over the market or cost deductive in the market.

The last approach is published sources of strategy evaluation information. This strategy has been highlighted as the strategy is quite effective when applied in the TCE strategy because it works to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of other competing firms.

Thus, the strategy is important because when thoroughly analyzed, it serves the functions of the TCE strategy as it imparts persons concerned with vital information that are essential to effective decision making that will ensure cost advantage to the firm (David & Greene, 2000).

Quantitative methods will be the selected method for evaluating the TCE strategy that has been chosen for Walt Disney Theme Parks. This method may include the use of methods for measuring transaction cost and the econometric analysis of contracts and organizations. However, for the case of Walt Disney Theme Parks, I will use measurement methods for evaluating the strategy. These measurement methods include the use of indirect measurement and direct measurement.

Under indirect measurement, I will use questionnaires and one on one interviews to determine such qualities like the difference between buying and selling price.

In addition, I will determine observed buyer behavior for products being produced by the firm. On the other hand, for direct measurement, I will use interviews and experiments to evaluate the processes through contracting. In addition, for the budgeting section, I will use techniques such as interviews and accounting. The table below shows how the process may be structured (David & Greene, 2000).

In addition, while conducting the evaluation, a proposed contingency plan will be structured to ensure that the steps and actions taken are sufficient for the long-term benefit of the firm (Diaz, 2006). The action plans taken for this will be as follows.

Each and every transaction will be properly spelled and abbreviated to avoid the problem of definition brought about when conducting an evaluation of TCE strategy.

Each transaction cost will be accurately separated from other expenses, such as production cost to avoid problems brought about due to problems of separation during the evaluation of the TCE strategy.

Transaction cost will be made to be moderate to prevent an evaluator from the problem of missing observations. The problem is always caused when sales cost is high, and observation of transactions always becomes difficult.

Estimation of transaction costs will be appropriate in order to prevent the evaluation process from such errors like problems of subjectivity.

Cost effective tools and processes will be used to avoid the problem of measurement costs which may arise in the process of evaluation because in most scenarios, the measurement value is always discovered to be costly to the firm.

References

David, F., & Greene, A. (2000). 9. In Instructors resource manual (instructors manual, test bank, lecture notes, transparency masters) to accompany Strategic management, fourth edition, and Concepts of strategic management, fourth edition. New York: Prentice Hall PTR.

Diaz, L. M. (2006). Evaluation of cooperative planning in supply chains: An empirical approach to the European automotive industry. Berlin: Springer.

Klein, P. G., & Sykuta, M. (2010). The Elgar companion to transaction cost economics. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

Walt Disney is one of the largest media and entertainment companies in the world. The company has 11 parks, four cruise lines, and 43 resorts. In this essay, we critically analyze Disney corporate-level strategies that enable the firm to remain competitive in the market. Disney competitive advantage arises from the fact that management has been able to diversify business operations in different geographical locations. The company has an impressive opportunity to expand and grow by taking advantage of new opportunities in Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Disneys theme parks and resorts undoubtedly represent the ability of the company to invest and manage businesses in multiple market segments. According to Goold & Luchs (2010) this is a unique part of the company since account for a significant value of the company (p.139). For instance, in 2013 Disney theme parks sales increased by an estimated 8.5 percent, while operating income increased by 15 percent. The company intends to grow sales by opening new theme parks in China, Russia, and India.

The long-term objective of Walt Disney is to become the best company in terms of service delivery in its theme parks. For instance, the Shanghai Disney Resort in China is expanding its operations, and it is expected to be the best theme park in China. The Shanghai resort plans to expand its operations by adding two themed hotels and resorts.

Walt Disney ventured internationally with an objective of increasing sales, expanding its operations and diversifying its theme parks to minimize potential risk. Moreover, the company intends to go green by reducing greenhouse gas emission by at least 50 percent by 2020.

The company has the potential not only to attract new clients, but also to retain low-cost laborers in its theme parks. Walt Disney applies backward and forwards integration strategy by acquiring ABC television network. Through this acquisition, Disney controls a distribution channel for its content. Forward and backward integration strategy can be employed when the company intends to control inputs and outputs it uses.

Competitive dynamic is one of the best strategies that play a significant role in policy formulations. Applying this approach will allow the organization to respond in many ways to the dynamic in the industry. Disney theme parks and resorts employ a defensive strategy such as aggressive competition to increase market share and diminish the ability of a competitor to compete.

For instance, Walt Disney uses the most talented workforce to produce animated films aimed at decreasing the ability of it main rival Universal Studio to compete in the same industry (Enz, 2010, p. 57). The company then uses an aggressive advertisement and promotion strategy to gain market share.

Disney should use this strategy internationally to expand into new market segments through acquisitions and mergers. In the theme parks, the company uses high-tech; world-class entertainment to create a magical place that is most appealing to families and young people. An aggressive strategy can only be successfully executed after Walt Disney has acquired adequate resources to create a product that is rare and challenging to imitate.

Walt Disney pursues a diversified corporate-level strategy through its horizontal integration strategy aimed at increasing market share. The company is expanding internationally to exploit emerging market opportunities in China and Russia through the acquisition of related businesses.

According to David (2015), acquiring affiliated companies reduce not only competition, but also enhance efficiency in the acquirer (p.136). Moreover, acquisition of related firms is easier to manage since managers of the acquirer are more likely to understand business operations of their targeted company.

Disneys intensive and diversified strategies are purely driven by the growing need to expand it business internationally that will give Disney strong dominance in the industry. These procedures can be executed successfully especially when Walt Disney is facing stiff competition from a rival firm that can be acquired with available resources in the organization.

For example, Walt Disney applied horizontal integration strategy through the acquisition of Jim Henson Studios and Lucas films after accumulating enough cash flows. These entities have given Disney more resources and a large market share that supports continuous growth. Hitt, Ireland & Hokinson (2009) posits that Walt Disney applies unrelated diversification strategy that creates value through financial economies(p.165). The firm has been able to realize economic of scope by proper allocation of investment capital in a diversified portfolio.

Walt Disney uses joint ventures to penetrate into new market segments. For instance, Disney has a joint venture in France that enables the company to compete effectively with local theme parks. Disney theme parks have applied integration strategy through a combination of hotels, dining, merchandise and accommodation. When a family visits Walt Disney theme parks, they eat there, book hotel rooms (owned by Disney theme parks) and buy Disney merchandise. Moreover, families can also buy videos and books that leave a long lasting emotional experience.

In conclusion, Walt Disney intends to expand its operations to other geographic regions to increase sale while minimizing risk. Walt Disney has a long-term objective of going green by reducing the rate of greenhouse gas emission. Disney intends to rely more on renewable sources of energy that are not only environmental friendly, but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The company uses both related and unrelated strategy (diversified strategy) to create economies of scope through corporate relatedness. Although these strategies have worked in favor of Walt Disney, management should consider sharing activities among its different Theme Parks and resorts to gain economy of scope. Moreover, in case of an acquisition, management should target businesses in the same industry because they are more likely to create synergies. Acquiring a competitor in the same business line reduces duplication of facilities thus creating efficiency in operation management.

References

David, F.R. (2015). Strategic management concepts (15th Ed.). Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, p. 155-168.

Enz, C. (2010). Hospitality strategic management concepts and cases. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons, p. 55-68.

Goold, M., & Luchs, K. (2010). Managing the multibusiness company: strategic issues for diversified groups. London New York: Routledge, p.135-140.

Hitt, M., Ireland, R., & Hoskisson, R. (2009). Strategic management: competitiveness and globalization: concepts. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning,p. 162-163.

Introduction

The quality customer service relies on organizational culture fostering among the employees. In this respect, sound leadership is a critical indicator of maintaining the core values and competencies among the followers, who focus on the realization of the organizational goals and objectives. Additionally, networking is a vital element for enhancing coordination and interdependence.

Disney is one of the multiple enterprises that have valued a corporate culture like a facilitator of sustainability after incorporation. The content of the article A Mickey Mouse Class  For Real reveals various features of the corporate culture and empathy networking that is peculiar for Disney. Thus, this paper analyzes the Disneys organizational culture. Moreover, it discloses a personal reflection of the basic feasible networking ideas that are adopted by the company.

Disneys Corporate Culture

The corporate culture created a powerful impact on Disneys reputation that was supported by the enterprise for many years. Therefore, the organization strives to inculcate this culture in its workforce. The management of the corporation practices diverse seminars and training programs so that to emphasize the essence of sound leadership and customer satisfaction within Disney.

The administration of the company attracts highly efficient specialists since it puts a strong emphasize on a powerful Disney workforce. The recruitment procedure runs in two stages. First, it strives to provide the candidates with consistent training so that they had an excellent understanding of the work processes. Second, it conducts an actual recruitment procedure. On this stage, the primary assets of a corporate culture, as well as the key competencies among the interested professionals, are promoted. For example, the pixie dust formula that incorporates training, communication, and care shows that executives are expected to perform two tasks. Thus, they should embrace the corporate culture of Disney as well as spread it to the workforce as a part of the recruitment process.

The company values the strategy of informing the employees of the basic expectations, which enhances the quality of customer service. Disney uses various platforms such as newsletters and ubiquitous signs to achieve effective communication. The issue mainly regards the principles of the organizational culture functioning. For example, publishing 30,000 copies of the Eyes & Ears newsletters supports the idea of communication efficiency. Moreover, the signs on parking lots and bulletin boards also enhance communication of the corporate culture.

Further, the organizational culture emphasizes the learning of the companys traditions as one of the primary principles of recruitment, which stipulates success. Therefore, new employees are traditionally instructed on the essential historical aspects of Disneys work. The strategy usually maintains the core values of the corporations culture as well as evokes some positive responses among customers. For instance, the training programs highlight the importance of smiling. According to the principles of Disneys corporate culture, the experience improves the customers attitude towards the services.

Therefore, various strategies that are adopted by Disney corporation transmit the strengths of its corporate culture. The years of the companys functioning prove that creating an impact on the executives creates a favorable ground for the customers satisfaction. The winning values are communicated through different platforms. Specifically, the influential training programs and seminars contribute to the support of Disneys status. For example, the competitive wages and work benefits contribute to the process of workforces motivation, which results in both the employees and the clients happiness.

Fitting into the Disney Culture

Since Disney recruits the highly professional employees, one differentiates several personal and professional attributes that have to be considered. Regarding the basic principles of Disneys culture, I conclude that I possess the qualities that let me fit into the companys corporate culture. My experience allows me to foster its success in the mass media as well as in entertainment industry. Since I am motivated to master the principles of Disneys work, I claim the work type to be well fitted for my professional activity. The ease of adapting to the new culture principles would be critical for my working experience at Disney.

The complex understanding of my duties as a Disney employee would also stipulate the quality of my future work. The standards of effective working tasks accomplishment account for both personal success in a large company as well meeting the expectancies of the corporation and contributing to the attainment of collective ends. Therefore, an active participation together with the cultural requirements of the enterprise favors quick and smooth adaptation to the parameters of organizational culture.

The empathy networking aspect of the Disneys leadership strategies, which target the integration of the corporate culture, are compatible with my leadership ambitions. In this case, the working environment would cultivate the development of my leadership qualities. Moreover, my professionalism would influence the colleagues aspirations and help them to conform to the expected values and norms.

My current manager, Smith Johnson, could also fit into the organizational culture that is supported by Disney. As a motivated and talented manager, Johnson evinces some strong leadership qualities. His personal features account for both creating happiness among the workers and improving the clients experiences as they seek the companys products and services. This attribute qualifies him for leadership tasks at the organization since the management of large work teams requires the creation of a favorable corporate environment.

Additionally, the transformative leadership skills that are applied by Johnson in his professional activities comply with the principles of Disneys culture. Thus, the company strives to create a suitable working environment for culturally diverse workforce members. Under such conditions, networking within the organization is nurtured as individualized attention standard. Moreover, intellectual conditioning boosts working relations towards productivity, which is evidenced by customer satisfaction and the realization of the ultimate objectives. In this regard, I believe that both Johnson and I would fit into the Disneys working environment. As the companys members, we would continue supporting the rich organizational culture as well as promoting the reputation of the corporation in the mass media and entertainment industry.

Networking Ideas for Disney

The creation of acquaintance groups is essential as an indicator of communication efficiency. One differentiates some formal and informal ideas that enhance the quality of networking activities.

The informal networking ideas regard the organization of special work projects that bring professional workers together. Moreover, informal classes would be organized to facilitate discussions that aim at improving the results of networking project execution. Moreover, community and volunteering programs could also be developed to enhance the building of relationships.

The formal ideas for networking at Disney could involve the development of network events, the use of online platforms, and informational interviews. Networking events could help the executives to discuss the issues of mutual interests. Online platforms like LinkedIn could be utilized as the methods of experience sharing. Finally, informational interviews could contribute to gathering the relevant information about the companys functioning.

Overview

Introduction

When one thinks of Walt Disney, the mindsets visions of characters, animated films, and amusement parks. There was more to Disney than those few obvious things that one notices. There was a man of magic, dreams, and optimism. Behind the imagination lived a role model who, from the heart, made the world a better place for both animals and humankind. Disney went through many struggles that influenced him to set goals and expand his opportunities for his future.1 With Walt Disneys efforts, he changed and inclined the world through his entertainment, accomplishments, and even his struggles.

The Walt Disney Company was founded by brothers Walt and Roy Disney on October 16, 1923, as a small animation studio and grew into an empire. After Walts death in 1966, the company became increasingly detached from its original vision. The Walt Disney Company is a diversified worldwide entertainment company with operations in four business segments: Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, and Consumer Products.

For much of its history, the company was known as Walt Disney Productions, Ltd.; it took its current name in 1986. Disneys long-term prosperity fundamentally rests on their ability to create exceptional content that audiences around the world embrace, to deliver that content, to the greatest extent possible, to consumers when, how, and where they want it, and to do so in a way that delivers economic value to their shareholders over the long term. In 2005, Disney had revenues of $31.9 billion.

1 Walt Disney himself talks about the most meaningful and emotional moments of his life that explore the extraordinary hardships he overcame to achieve what he did in his lifetime. He had one foot in the past and one in the future. He wanted to inspire the young creative minds of today to help invent the future.

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Background

Walt Disney Company, the entertainment and Media Corporation based in Burbank, California. A leading name in family entertainment for much of the 20thcentury. In the early 1920s, Walter E. Disney began a cartoon company, in Kansas City,

Missouri, with fellow artist Ub Iwerks. Pitfalls in distribution rights nearly sank Walt and his company. Disney joined his brother Roy in Hollywood, California, in 1923 and together they established The Disney Brothers Studio. The studio produced a series of animated short subjects allied with Alice in Cartoonland (1924-1927). In 1928 Walt Disney came up with the idea for Mickey Mouse, a good-natured, lovable mouse who often finds himself in difficult situations, the creation of Mickey Mouse saved their dwindling business. Iwerks helped design the character and Walt Disney Productions produced Plane Crazy (1928), black-and-white silent featuring the mouse.

By 1932, the Disney Company won its first Academy Award for Best Cartoon, for the Silly Symphony. 1934 marked the production of Disneys first full-length feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was released in 1937 and became the highest-grossing film of its time. But afterward, the expenses of production caused difficulties with the next few animated films; then the advent of World War II halted the production of films as the Walt Disney Company contributed its skills to the war effort.2 After the war, it was difficult for the company to pick up where it had left off, but 1950 proved a turning point with the production of its first live-action film, Treasure Island, and another animated film, Cinderella. In that time period, Disney also began several television series &2 the advent of World War II halted the production of films as the Walt Disney Company contributed its skills to the war effort.

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His brother Roy took over supervision at that time, and then was succeeded by an executive team, Team Disney in 1971. Several more projects, from merchandising to the continuing production of animated and live-action films to the construction of more theme parks filled the years. In 1983, Disney went international with the opening of Tokyo Disneyland. It produced dozens of animated motion picture hits, including Bambi (1942), The Jungle Book (1967), and The Lion King (1994). Disney has also produced a large number of live-action films, ranging from the family musical Mary Poppins (1964) to the violent thriller Pulp Fiction (1994). Since the mid-1980s Disney has diversified its holdings by branching into broadcasting, sports, the Internet, publishing, and the retail business.

Organizational Context

Disney Company believed in ten guiding leadership and motivational principles to have an effective organization:

1. Make Everyones Dream Come True,
2. You Better Believe it,
3. Never a Customer, Always a Guest,
4. All for One, One for All,
5. Share the Spotlight,
6. Dare to Dare,
7. Practice, Practice, Practice,
8. Make your elephant Fly,
9. Capture the Magic with Storyboards,
10. Give Details Top Billing.

The role of the leader is to create an environment in which all members of an organization have the opportunity to realize their own potential. The leader is not to enhance his or her own power but to create the conditions under which followers can achieve their potential.3.

3 Disney, each is responsible for upholding excellence and integrity. This means acting responsibly in all professional relationships, in a manner consistent with the high standards set for companys business conduct.

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Growth

Walt Disney maintained tight control over the company in both creative and business aspects. He oversaw the companys expansion into live-action films, television programming, theme parks, and mass merchandising.4 Disneys death in 1966 had transformed the family entertainment industry and influenced more than one generation.

Walt Disney Co. expanded its production units to include Touchstone Pictures and Miramax, makers of films for more mature audiences, and revitalized its animation division, producing films such as The Little Mermaid (1989) and Toy Story (1995), the first full-length computer-animated film. The company took an active role in reviving and commercializing New York Citys Times Square, including the recreation of some of its animated films, such as The Lion King (1994), like Broadway musicals. In 1994 it opened Celebration, a planned community in central Florida.

Under Eisners reign, Disney acquired Capital Cities/ABC in 1996, a $19 billion deal that increased the companys stature enormously. The acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC gave Disney the power of broadcasting and the ability to meld entertainment content with programming. Later in the 1990s, the company was aggressively building a presence on the Internet and adopting a concerted approach to international expansion. In 1998, Disney acquired Starwave, which maintained ESPN.com and Mr. Showbiz and other websites including 43% of Infoseek, Eisner also acquired two professional sports clubs, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, a professional hockey team, and Major League Baseballs Anaheim Angels.

4 The additions to the Disney group turned an already expansive empire into an all-around entertainment company of amazing proportions, but no matter the size of a company, success depended on implementation and execution.

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Recent Developments

Although films continue to be a major component of the Disney Company, they constitute but one of many successful ventures of recent years. New Disney theme parks were opened in Paris and Tokyo, and Disney Quests debuted in Orlando, Florida, and Chicago. The Disney Magic, the first ship in the Disney Cruise Line, was launched on July 30, 1998, and offered vacation packages to the Caribbean islands. In addition to the long-running Disney Channel cable network, broadcasting interests were expanded to include the ABC network, the ESPN sports cable network, and Radio Disney.

The Media Networks segment is centered on the American Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) television network, which it acquired through a merger with Capital Cities/ABC in 1996 The companys most visible and noteworthy enterprise of the 1990s was its venture into Broadway musicals. Stage adaptations of the animated features Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, both visually stunning and long-running successes, premiered in 1994 and 1997, respectively. The company purchased Broadways New Amsterdam Theatre in 1997 and has been credited with many civic improvements in the Broadway area. Disneys most ambitious stage production is a modern version of Aida in 2000.

In March 2007, it was reported that Disney is launching a new Web Site, Disney Family which is a one-stop site for parents, especially mothers.

To get community right, you need to have the right mix between homegrown content plus the ability to loop in people and content from outside Disney is launching this new website aimed at moms who are increasingly turning to the Internet for answers to everything from problems with teething babies to financing college

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Consumer Products works with licensees, manufacturers, publishers, and retailers throughout the world to design, promote and sell a wide variety of products based on Disney characters and other subjects.

Disney operates its own publishing company, the Hyperion which recently published books by comedian-author Steve Martin and bestselling author Mitch Albom.

Parks and Resorts include Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Walt Disney Imagineering, Tokyo Disney Resort, and Disney Cruise Line. This segment generates revenues from the sale of admissions to theme parks, hotel reservations, and rentals at the resort properties.

At the end of the 20th century the Walt Disney Company was one of the worlds largest entertainment conglomerates, and it consistently ranked among Americas top 50 corporations.

Revenues & Profits

Disney started off 2008 with another outstanding quarter, marked by strong creative and operational performances.6 Media network revenues for the quarter increased 10% to $4.2 billion. Cable networks increased $125 million to $586 million for the quarter driven by the increases at ABC Family Channel and domestic Disney Channels. Broadcasting increased $75 million to $322 million primarily due to the higher advertising rates and sold inventory. Parks and Resorts increased 11% to $2.8 billion. Walt Disney Studio Entertainment decreased 15% to $14 million.

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Strategies

Disneys corporate-level strategy is based on a horizontal and decentralized and informal management approach. Ideas are born from within the departments and are worked up throughout the relatively low hierarchy, where the final decisions are made. The management focuses on group creativity and in-teamwork. For instance, the most creative employees usually met every Sunday for the purpose of coming up with new ideas and new business concepts/strategies. The Sunday meetings are referred to as Gong Shows, where all participants have to come up with a unique idea. A large emphasis is placed on employee participation, especially on the most talented employees.

Furthermore, the company is frequently refreshing its top management with new executives. Top-flight managers from the entertainment and financial business bring with them new ideas and concepts which can be applied in the Disney Company. There is however a significant increase in expense attached to lure the very best to join the company. This increase in expense is directly related to special perk packages, higher bonuses, and escalated salaries that are offered to the top executives.

Equipped with the latest technologies and staffed with talented professionals and artists, the Company offers film and television producers, directors, and studios, as well as television advertisers effective solutions to their creative needs. The Companys technology outsourcing solutions offer clients low operating costs, improved response time and reliability, access to new technology, and high standards of quality recognized by the international technical community.

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Changes

The frequent changes of corporate officers should be stopped. It is true that a new leader not required from within the organization will bring with him/her new ideas and concepts. But, such a person also brings a foreign corporate culture to Disneys organization. That fact may lead to communication efficiency and moral problems within by promoting from within, employees will know the new corporate officers, and understand the new rules of the game.

Liquidity ratio appears to be a bit low for the corporation. It was suggested that the company should increase current asset requirements and keep current liabilities under strict control.

Outlook

The simmering feud for control of Disney Co. has described the companys outlook as murky. However, the improved performance in the entertainment companys film and TV operations and improved financial performance of the ABC television network posed positive outlook in the next two years. One of the two new markets Disney has already incorporated their business model into is the PC market. Integrating the ears of Mickey Mouse on their new personal computers will create a new source of revenue because as the standard of living and digital medium continue to increase more consumers will purchase personal computers. The success of Walt Disney Company depends upon their ability to recognize new technology trends and develop plans to minimize the risks associated with technology. (Khayat, 2004).

Walt Disney Co.s objective is to be one of the worlds leading producers and providers of entertainment, and information using its portfolio of brand to differentiate its contents, services and consumer products. (Khayat, 2004).

Bibliography

1. Birnbaum, S. (1987). The Best of Disneyland, Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 2008.
2. Friedland, J. (2008).Walt Disney Company Reports First Quarter Earnings. MSN Money: Businesswire. Web.
3. Khayat, S. (2004).The Walt Disney Case Study. Researching Nanotechnology. Web.
4. Sanders, A.L. (2008).The Walt Disney Company. About.com:Animation. The New York Times Company. Web.
5. The Walt Disney Company  Competitive Benchmarking Report. (2008). Research and Markets. Web.
6. Walt Disney in Relationships (2003). Top Synergy. Web.

The Walt Disney Company is an entertainment service provider which operates and invests in ventures which further entrainment for teenagers and children. The company is a diversified entertainment company that has four basic segments for its operations, specifically media networks, studio entertainment, parks, and resorts, as well as consumer products. The operations of the company are primarily based in the United States. The company states that it is committed to its corporate governance policies.

The main points of the corporate governance policies of the company pertain to promote the practices and standards which ensure that shareholder interests are represented in their original while being independent. However, the board of directors is held accountable for the activities and the operation of the business.

The company is also committed to conducting business activities according to a trio of the highest standards of business ethics while complying with the laws and rules of the regional and national state of government. The company also has established a specific code of conduct which indicates to its director, managers, and employees as to what is a different method of interaction and communication in the company which abides by the regional laws and regulation. These are specifically addressing the issues of conflicts of interest, business relationships for the directors, as well as information pertaining to the use of corporate information and assets. The code of conduct and operation of the business also enforces that the directors of the company have to abide by the laws, rules, and regulations that are inherent in the state and in the industry. Moreover, it also encourages fair dealing when interacting with the companys employees, customers, suppliers, and even competitors.

The Federal Express Corporation is a courier and postal service provider. The company has been able to create a leadership position for itself pertaining to urgent and overnight deliveries. The business was initiated with the mission to produce superior and financial returns for its shareholders. Aside from this, the company has been focusing on providing high-quality, value-added logistics and transportation services to its customers. The company has also included in its mission to conduct its corporate activities according to the highest standards of professionalism and ethics.

The main key points of the corporate governance strategy of the FedEx Corporation include transparency in its business and financial transaction, as well as the clearly outlined definition of the responsibilities of the board members, employees, and managers in the company. Corporate governance is also used to provide for how the staff at the Fed Ex corporations shares responsibilities and rights. A code of conduct has been developed which is focused on providing the best value of products and services to customers while operating in an ethical manner.

The image of the company is established by its brand and its efficiency. The company has a very strong brand image which provided the corporation with an advantage over its competitors. However, the main competitors of the FedEx Corporation are United Postal Service (UPS) in America and Royal Mail in Europe. UPS does not have a higher reputation than FedEx; however, it does earn a higher margin o its sales. The Royal Mail enjoyed a monopoly in Europe till the year 2006, however, now new entrants have also entered the market, and their reputation in terms of competition still needs to be established.

Reference

Corporate Governance, The Walt Disney Company  Corporate Website, 2007. Web.

Investor Relations  Governance Guidelines, FedEx Corporate Website, 2007. Web.

Corporate governance regards the rules, principles, or laws through which a business or organization is controlled or regulated. Its existence is shown by the internal and external factors set by the various parties involved. Such members are the shareholders, government, the firm through its constitution, officers, customers, and other clients to the organization. From the reference company, a board of directors is used to give out the directives that the firm is to follow, in its operation to achieve results.

As at incorporation of Disney Company, the law allowed the board to consist of not less than eleven and not more than twenty-one directors. Directors are expected to be independent of the organization to devote their ability and integrity in guiding the control of the firm. The nature of customer governing arises from the agency relationship with the directors (Walt Disney Company, 2011). Management acts to supervise the working of subordinate staff like the chief executive officers and their continued renewal. The board is also entitled to the approval of all the major decisions involving finances as well as the management of the business. They are expected to provide detailed data concerning the operation of the firm to the various interested parties.

Decision-making entails proper analysis of the data from past or current transactions in focus on what is to be in the future. The financial statement from the summary of the firm transactions needs is accurate and well established. The management team consisting of directors has an obligation to ensure that the data analyzed is reviewed for accuracy. It is also necessary to prepare the statements on due dates prior to decision time. As the company has legal regulations, it calls for the preparation of statements complying with the set accounting and legal standards (Walt Disney Company, 2011). The documents prepared to give the detailed data must be covering the whole or general operations of the firm showing the completeness of the information.

Disney Company has to ensure an efficient flow of information to aid in quick and informed decisions made. Technology act to be the quickest mode to use. In this regard, the company has a media network structure to ease data flow. Blog sites are in a place where distant customers can communicate and place orders and reservations. In addition, the firm holds regular exchange programs through meetings and conventions that create interaction moments between the clients and the management. In return, the clients give suggestions, complaints, and approval to the services and products of the firm. The board then has the duty to ensure the failures are rectified and where suggestions are within reach, implement them.

Every business has an obligation on dealing with the various risks involved in the operation. The Disney firm security pack is outlined to serve in both the sites and parks. To inform the clients of the firm, it sets up safety training programs to reach the members in attendance also visiting the sites. From the interaction, the firm acquires data regarding any posing risk as given by the members. The firm also has contacts with other competing firms from where more information is shared across. This aids the constant consideration of clients in case of sudden changes in the operating climate since the firm has prior knowledge of the changing world.

For an effective business, feedback is required from the interested parties to the organization. This is made possible by the reports and returns given to the stockholders during the regular meetings. The directors are required to publish the final audited and approved final accounts through the press and in booklets to shareholders, in the meetings. The external parties can evaluate the business through the information on the press or sites that show the profit gains, as well as changes in comparison to prior years. Decisions like changes in management and other important decisions are also communicated through the networks. Well-defined governance creates a structure that works to the benefit of all parties.

References

The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies. 2011. Corporate Governance guidelines. Web.