Category: Disney

1. Mostly the official Disney World in Orlando website was used to compile a description of the company and find more detailed information about it (Walt Disney World, n.d.). In particular, to describe the company, materials from the site were used that describe the options available to customers to spend their vacations. The section of the site describing vocation packages was a priority source of information, as the page provides data on all options, descriptions, and costs (Make a dream come true,  n. d.). The information received was structured to identify the most important aspects for further analysis.
2. STEPPED analysis and discussion allow defining social, tech, economic, political, environmental, and demographic aspects of the described company.
   1. Social factors include cultural identity, values, and the lifestyle of the society within which the company operates. These include healthy lifestyle and nutritional trends, as well as the possibility of a variety of family vacations.
   2. The technological aspects include the need for a developed infrastructure, as well as modern technological equipment of the company. In particular, in relation to the described company, such factors include the types of transport using which customers quickly get to the location and modern equipment for activities.
   3. Economic factors are the most important and include various economic indicators. In particular, for the described company, aspects such as competition in the industry and the general state of the market are important.
   4. Political factors include various laws and regulations that the government introduces. In relation to the described company, such legal aspects as the protection of intellectual property and stable political conditions in the market are relevant.
   5. Environmental factors reflect how a companys activities affect the environment. In relation to the described company, such factors as the use of renewable and sustainable energy, as well as the recycling and reuse of water and other resources, are relevant.
   6. Demographic factors include more varied age of customers.
3. The companys internal response to external factors ensures its stable position in the market.
   1. Social factors influence company performance through customer and employee behavior. In this situation, the greatest influence is on the attitude of customers towards the services provided by the company. Disney World meets the demands of people for outdoor activities within an urban environment as well as a variety of family activities. The answer to this external aspect is presented in the form of creating active recreation programs for people of different ages.
   2. Technological externalities require the company to use advanced technologies. In particular, augmented reality and the widespread use of mobile devices are key for this industry. The company is the largest entertainment provider in the world, so they can afford the advanced technology equipment.
   3. The company operates within the U. S. market, which is currently experiencing increasing demand. The U. S. market is the companys main source of revenue, and the industry is currently stable enough not to pose a threat. However, the growing Chinese entertainment market could pose an economic threat. The companys internal response should be to provide new options for customers.
   4. Political external factors do not have a critical impact on the company since the industry is quite stable in the legal field. However, companies should pay special attention to copyright laws to protect their services and materials.
   5. The companys response to environmental factors could be the development of autonomous power supply systems for parks and the development of a network of renewable energy resources.
   6. In response to demographic aspects, the company focuses not only on childrens recreation but also on adult activities.

References

Make a dream come true. Walt Disney World. Web.

Walt Disney World. (n. d). Walt Disney World. Web.

Introduction

The case study selected for the investigation of strategic management and planning is devoted to the Walt Disney Company. It is one of the leading mass-media and entertainment corporations with the central office in the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California (Cieply, 2012). At the moment, it is considered the worlds largest conglomerate that is focused on the production of movies, cartoons, and entertaining products such as theme parks that are popular among the population globally. It is an American company headed by its president, Robert Iger who is considered a successful CEO because of a number of effective solutions contributing to the development of the company and its becoming a leader in the selected market segment (The Walt Disney Company announces, 2018). The company also owns other famous franchises and studios such as 21st Century Fox which contributes to the generation of the competitive advantage and significant empowerment of the corporation.

Decision

The decision that is discussed in terms of this case is the purchase of Lucasfilm for $4 billion by Disney. The given strategic solution became a surprise for the media world because of the popularity of the legendary Star Wars franchise and multiple opportunities related to its possible utilization to create new products such as movies, theme parks, or cartoons (Cieply, 2012). Despite stakeholders fears associated with this deal and high risks, the decision turned out successful because of the stable revenue generated due to the licensing agreements, sales of merchandise apparel, toys, and more than $4,8 billion income at the box office (Cowley, 2012). It also improved Disneys position in the market providing new ways to evolve and broadening the target audience. For this reason, this purchase is selected for discussion and in-depth analysis.

In such a way, the deal between Lucasfilm and Disney is taken as the basis for the provided case study. Being one of the leaders in the market segment devoted to entertainment and movie making, Disney accepted the decision to buy the famous franchise regardless of the potential risks and possible negative attitudes from fans. The positive effect of this strategic move provided the corporation with new opportunities for its development and growth via the distribution of products associated with the Star Wars brand. Analysis of this decision will help to acquire an improved understanding of how strategic planning was impacted by internal and external factors and what aspects were considered by CEOs.

Structure

The following case study has a particular structure that contributes to a better comprehension of the discussed issue. There is the introduction of the central actors who planned the strategic decision and its details. This part is followed by the detailed evaluation of external and internal factors impacting this step with the application of stakeholder theory. Furthermore, the power of rivals and ideological constructs is investigated to determine the degree to which they preconditioned the change. The value created due to the given move is also analyzed. Finally, there is a conclusion summarising all meaningful details and discussing the importance of strategic management.

Analysis

When it Happened

October 30, 2012, Disney announced that it would buy Lucasfilm company and rights for a famous franchise Star Wards. The established price of the deal was $4,05 billion in cash and stock which became one of the most significant agreements in the world of cinema (Baidawi, 2016). The given news became astonishing for the business sector because it signalized the new era of Star Wars and the Disney conglomerate. Today, specialists consider the purchase one of the smartest acquisitions ever made in the corporate world of America because of its critical impact on the market and companies position in it (Baidawi, 2016). However, the given solution was not spontaneous as it was preceded by complex negotiations both between Lucasfilm and Disneys CEOs and within these very companies. The high price along with the existence of numerous complications associated with the utilization of the franchise stipulated significant risks.

Key People

Robert Iger, Disneys CEO, insisted on the given strategic decision as one of the possible ways to improve the state of the company and create the basis for its further evolution. One of the main elements of his strategy was the focus on significant acquisitions and exploration of the well-known franchises to return Disney to its leading positions and reconsider the functioning of the corporation (Whitten, 2018). Since his appointment in 2005, Iger has adhered to a particular strategy that presupposes the acquisition of powerful and recognizable trademarks that will be able to diversify products offered by Disney and increase income (Harmanci, 2012). For this reason, Pixars purchase became the first significant deal offered by Iger regarding the suggested course. It became a successful strategic decision as the corporation earned about $1 billion for Toy Story 3 (Baidawi, 2016). The positive outcomes associated with this solution make the discussed deal possible as the acquisition of Lucasfilm was expected to contribute to the corporations growth.

Preliminary Work

At the same time, the complexity and large scope of the problem meant that the companys CEO had to consider all possible options for analyzing both the advantages and disadvantages of the given strategic decision. For this reason, before October 2012, the analysis of the market situation, external and internal factors was performed with the primary aim to determine if the company can afford this deal and utilize the franchise effectively (Goldsby & Mathews, 2018). Another problem was to keep the agreement secret to avoid interference of rivals or the negative impact of the important financial informations disclosure. For this reason, by the end of June 2012, the company managed to accumulate $4,4 billion in cash and short-term investments to make the deal, which helped to benefit from this strategic decision and overcome the closest rivals (Krantz, Sinder, Cava, & Alexander, 2012).

In such a way, it was a planned decision that demanded the utilization of all resources available for Disney at that moment. Moreover, Iger and Lucass participation was critical as they both represented their companies and acted regarding the existing interests and goals. Due to the effective negotiation and cooperation, The Walt Disney Company managed to acquire Lucasfilm, one of the most recognizable brands of the modern entertainment industry which significantly contributed to the further evolution of the conglomerate.

Impacting Factors

The scope of the given strategic decision means that there was a set of factors impacting the company at that period of time and preconditioning the emerging need for this step. These include both internal and external aspects that have an essential impact on the development and functioning of the organization (Kotler & Armstrong, 2015). The roots of this strategic decision can be found analyzing all forces that are relevant and unique features of Disneys problems or strategic planning (McPhail, 2014). For this reason, the strategy utilized by the corporation while buying the rights for using the famous franchise comes from the existing issues and problems that should be solved or improved to achieve success and contribute to the further evolution of the conglomerate.

External

Cogitating about the purchase of Lucasfilm, it is critical to understand external factors that preconditioned this decision. First of all, Disney had to struggle against the closest rivals such as Sony, CBS, and Comcast who mainly provided products for TV, cable, DVD, video games, and Internet markets (Segal, 2018). Their position was strong due to brands unique peculiarities, Disney had no alternative products that would be able to compete with these. For this reason, the focus on making content resting on the popular franchise was made. Previously, Marvel studio was bought by Disney as one of the ways to introduce new heroes and attract a wide public audience. Lucasfilm became another brand bought because of the growing pressure of rivals.

The stable popularity of Star Wars and the growing interest in a new movie about this Universe became another factor that impacted this strategic decision. Correctly realizing the tendency towards the increasing attention to fantastic movies and superheroes, Disney decided to relaunch one of the most successful franchises in history. This factor had an essential impact on decision-making because of the opportunity to generate high income and acquire a competitive advantage (Sylt, 2018). Moreover, the target audience of Star Wars had a high level of expectations because of multiple rumors about the creation of a new episode of a famous movie which contributed to the high box office sales.

Finally, another significant external factor that preconditioned the given decision was George Lucass readiness to sell the brand. Analyzing the market and the functioning of the most important actors, Disney concluded that Lucasfilm experiences a period of stagnation because of the lack of new products and the impossibility to engage in competition (McLauchlin, 2015). For this reason, negotiations were successful, and parties managed to come to an agreement. George Lucas was provided with high compensation while Disney became able to make products belonging to the Star Wards universe.

Internal

Nevertheless, there are also internal factors impacting decision-making and this strategic step. Regardless of visible successes and the companys value of $180 billion, there was a set of internal problems. First of all, its televised sports network ESPN failed and lost about seven million subscribers which can be considered a significant problem for the company (Cowley, 2012). Additionally, shares of the corporation fell more than 9% which also became a great disappointment for the company (McLauchlin, 2015). The combination of these factors evidenced the existence of a need for the introduction of an effective solution that would help to improve the situation and make the position of Disney stronger. The companys CEO, Robert Iger, also correctly realized the danger of the given situation because of the possibility to lose leadership in the sphere and connection with the target audience because of the inability to follow the popular trends (McLauchlin, 2015). For this reason, the purchase can be considered regarding the reconsideration of Disneys functioning and attempts to select a new course that would satisfy the new demands.

Another internal problem that preconditioned the purchase of Lucasfilm was a limited diversity of products and demographics affected by Disneys products. In the last two decades, the corporation has been successful at creating material for children (Russel, 2012). Disney princesses and fairies were popular among girls while some other characters such as Pixars cars inspired boys. However, there was a critical need to extend the target audience to attract male and female consumers of all ages. Acquisition of Marvel was the first step to achieve this goal, but having bought Lucasfilm, Disney created the basis for capturing new market segments characterized by a broad sweep of demographic appeal (Kober, 2017). That is why today Disneys target population is characterized by the increased diversity as all people regardless of their age or sex are interested in Star Wars globally and wait for new movies or products labeled by the famous trademark.

The companys CEO Robert Iger was also sure that to reacquire the leading positions, the company should create a new value. Speaking about Disneys purchase of Lucasfilm, he outlined the necessity to ensure both the publicity and corporations employees the conglomerate can launch large scale projects that will attract public attention and alter the balance of power in the world of media and movies (The Walt Disney Company, 2018). For this reason, the deal promoted by Iger also resulted from the internal need for a new project that would serve as the stimuli for further improvement and achievement. The inclusion of Lucasfilm into the companys structure also meant the emergence of new ideas due to the diversification of the staff composition and new CEOs who will be responsible for supporting the project and monitoring the state of the market.

Finally, the decision to buy Lucasfilm can also be explained by the necessity to create a new ideology and utilize it to overcome the closest rivals. The fact is that regardless of Disneys leading positions at that moment, there was no clear understanding of how the company should evolve and what qualities cultivate. At the same time, the major competitors managed to create a successful concept that devoted significant attention and promoted as one of the factors guaranteeing better positions (Bondic, 2012). That is why, the strategic decision to make this deal can be a result of Igers attempts to create the atmosphere and ideology of exclusiveness as the conglomerate acquired the unique rights for the distribution of popular products and their utilization to interest the target audience, which can be considered a serious advantage resulting in a better position at the market.

Stakeholders Theory

In such a way, a set of factors mentioned above, both external and internal, shows that Disneys strategic incentive to buy Lucasfilm was not spontaneous. It was preceded by the in-depth investigation of the market, main competitors, companys main goals, and stakeholders interests. For this reason, the application of Stakeholders theory can help to understand the nature of this solution better. In accordance with this perspective, the functioning of any company and its decisions can be taken as a result of the impacts of all actors affecting its rise and evolution (Bernstein, 2015). In other words, the nature of all strategic solutions is preconditioned by the assemblage of current aspects associated with stakeholders and their needs (Freeman, Harrison, & Zyglidopoulos, 2018). The ground for the introduction of change lies in the necessity to satisfy their interests and contribute to the further development of the company.

Applying the model to the investigated case, the decision to purchase Lucasfilm comes from both internal and external stakeholders:

As it has already been mentioned, the impact of internal stakeholders such as the owners demand for increased income, managers need for the generation of new value and better functioning, and the necessity to provide employees with a new ideology that will help to promote the further rise became critical aspects preconditioning the solution (Duyne, 2016). At the same time, external shareholders impact such as the ability of creditors to provide the needed sum, customers interest in new products, and the tendency towards the alteration of the societal demands also contributed to the decision to buy a franchise.

Conclusion

Altogether, Disneys decision to purchase Lucasfilm can be considered one of the most significant deals in the sphere of entertainment and media as the company acquired the rights for the production and distribution of products belonging to the Star Wars Universe. The investigation of the main aspects preconditioning this change and application of the stakeholders theory shows that the deal was made because of the need for the further expansion, diversification of products, and such factors as a high level of rivalry, the decrease of the popularity of brands products, narrow target audience, lack of value and new ideology to cultivate the competitive environment.

References

Baidawi, A. (2016). Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar: Why Disney bought them all.InTheBlack. Web.

Bernstein, G. (2015). Understanding the business of entertainment. New York, NY: Routledge.

Bondic, M. (2012). Is Disney buying Lucasfilm a good decision or not?Forbes. Web.

Cieply, M. (2012). Disney buying Lucasfilm for $4 billion.The New York Times. Web.

Cowley, S. (2012). Disney to buy Lucasfilm for $4 billion.CNN. Web.

Duyne, K. (2016). Strategic analysis of The Walt Disney Company. New York, NY: Kris Van Duyne.

Freeman, E., Harrison, J., & Zyglidopoulos, S. (2018). Stakeholder theory: Concepts and strategies. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Goldsby, M., & Mathews, R. (2018). Entrepreneurship the Disney way. New York, NY: Routledge.

Harmanci, R. (2012). Why Disney bought Lucasfilm.BuzzFeed News. Web.

Kober, J. (2017). Disney, leadership & you: House of the mouse ideas, stories & hope for the leader in you. New York, NY: Performance Journeys Publishing.

Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2015). Principles of marketing (16th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

Krantz, M., Sinder, M., Cava, M., & Alexander, B. (2012). Disney buys Lucasfilm for $4 billion.USA Today. Web.

McLauchlin, J. (2015). Star Wars $4billion price tag was the deal of the century. Wired. Web.

McPhail, T. (2014). Global communication: theories, stakeholders and trends (4th ed.). New York, NY: Wiley-Blackwell.

Russel, J. (2012). Star Wars: Why Disney was destined to buy Lucasfilm.The Guardian. Web.

Segal, R. (2018). Who are Walt Disneys main competitors?Web.

Sylt, C. (2018). Disney recoups a quarter of $4 billion Star Wars purchase price.Forbes. Web.

The Walt Disney Company. (2018). Fiscal year 2018 annual financial report. Web.

The Walt Disney company announces new organizational structure for its media networks business, conditional upon closing of 21st Century Fox acquisition.(2018). Web.

Whitten, S. (2018). Disney bought Lucasfilm six years ago today and has already recouped its $4 billion investment.CNBC. Web.

The following are the primary external variables affecting the competitive position of Disney based on the Porters 5-force Analysis. First, Disney enjoys high barriers to the new entrants business of its hybrid business model that presents it with many distinctive competitive advantages.

With a global presence and strategic partnerships for content distribution and development, the company is also well protected against increases in rival practices. However, the dynamic nature of the entertainment industry globally that is caused by technology changes can disrupt the business and cause the existing competitors, and new entrants have added advantages at serving customer needs.

Based on this fact, a five force analysis of Walt Disney reveals that the company has a significant threat from substitutes; there are alternatives to cable TV subscriptions presented through various Internet delivery channels. A notable alternative is a video on demand option available through renting services or podcasts. Many independent content producers are cumulatively eating into Disneys ability to service its market needs competitively.

On the other hand, Disney has significant bargaining power against its suppliers as a major player in the entertainment industry, with exclusive rights to its theme parks around the world. Its exclusive content creation agreements and capabilities also increase its power against other suppliers (The Walt Disney Company, 2015).

Reliance on suppliers of merchandise to reach into the Disney characters market gives Disney an upper hand in licensing matters, which increase its power against suppliers. On the contrary, consumers are not organized, with many industries offering liberalized access to television, Internet content, and merchandise business.

Therefore, Disney only faces mild threats of buyer power in cases of government regulation and reliance on resellers for its content distribution. Reseller services can dictate the terms of content purchase and distribution in their networks and online content delivery channels.

Disney EFE Matrix

The following is a table representing the external factor evaluation for Walt Disney. It is a summary of the weights posted by the strengths of the company against its threats. The positive figure outcome shows that the company is in a good position to counter its threats and make use of its opportunities.

It also has a compelling business case to keep on with its growth plans. The EFE matrix introduces additional external variables affecting Disney that were left out in the introductory part of the paper, given that the matrix arises from the variables identified in SWOT analysis.

Table 1: EFE Matrix.

Source: (Author).

With a total score of 3.2, Walt Disney has been successful at utilizing its opportunity to negate threats facing its business. The key highlights of the EFE matrix are as follows. First, Walt Disney faces expansion prospects for many of its current product portfolios in new markets and the existing ones.

Technological advances offer an opportunity for cutting coordination costs and other international management operations. There are various possibilities for the company to embrace local aspects of its various international businesses, including the introduction of new characters to the Disney family (Nielson, 2014).

Disney Competitive Profile Matrix

Disneys main competitors, CBS and Time Warner, were considered in developing the competitive profile matrix. The table shows that Disney is at a better competitive state than its main competitors, with the main contributions being the advertising and financial position variables. One fundamental assumption of the data below is that conditions have remained the same and will do so in the medium term.

Table 2: Competitive profile matrix for Walt Disney, based on the authors findings and The Walt Disney Company (2015).

Strategic recommendations

Piracy is a major threat facing the company while online movie renting options may also upset the ability of the company to scale its growth. Nevertheless, the advancements in technologies provide numerous opportunities for the enterprise to become protective of its content and address the two major threats highlighted in the analysis.

An increase in advertising expenditure across its global operations should help with brand consistency and improve customer loyalty, as well as augment the current strategies for global expansion. Adopting the strategies would be the right thing to do because they have had a significant effect on the companys competitiveness. However, Disney must be careful to expand only in areas that increase its financial bottom line, as that is an important factor in its competitiveness (Team, 2015).

References

Nielson, S. (2014). Travel back in time to learn more about the Walt Disney Company. Market Realist. Web.

Team, T. (2015). What will drive Disneys U.S. theme parks operations?Forbes. Web.

The Walt Disney Company reports second quater and six months earnings for Fiscal 2015. (2015).

The Walt Disney Company, one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world, utilized various business models. In the present time, the company uses the generic strategy to obtain a competitive advantage by the unique structure of the entertainment, mass media, and amusement park industries (Williams, 2019). Generally, generic strategy develops the competitive advantage of other companies in this sphere by producing new products that correspond to global trends. The company puts creativity and innovation first, enabling it to compete against other entertainment giants such as Time Warner Inc., Sony Corporation, CBS Corporation, and Viacom Inc. Williams (2019) highlights that the competitive environment affects the strategic goals and competitive advantage, maximizing the growth benefits. The company implements a generic strategy introducing the product-focused development model.

Product differentiation is a crucial component of the generic strategy for competitive advantage. Based on Michael Porters model, the strategy covers unique products distributed to many market systems (William, 2019). Disney companys products could be found in every part of the world and include family-orientated programs as well. According to William (2019), the companys theme parks and resorts have strategic teams that ensure the uniqueness of the product and observe clients satisfaction. The product differentiation focus supports the development allowing to resist against the competitor. Moreover, this approach creates the companys brand providing another advantage to the competitor.

Talking about the Walt Disney Companys intensive strategy for growth, several stages could be observed. Product development is a primary stage in the system that facilitates the companys intensive growth. In this strategy, a new product is introduced in the current or existing market (William, 2019). For example, the movie release becomes a perfect ground to generate more profit by offering corresponding merchandise. As highlighted by Williams (2019), Disneys organizational structure effectively manages product development and connects the system with effective management. The companys strategic objective at this point is to create a positive environment, effectively persuading customers to obtain an entertainment experience. Another consideration associated with the Walt Disney Company is its market penetration. Being the secondary intensive strategy, market penetration facilitates stable growth by increasing sales of products in the companys current markets. To illustrate, the corporations strategic objective could be used for aggressive advertising in order to increase revenue in the global entertainment market (Williams, 2019). The brand that relies on the generic differentiation strategy emphasizes competitive advantages that attract customers and increase revenue.

Considering Walt Disneys development strategy, it is crucial to highlight the role of market development in its growth. The intensive method requires constant updates of the various products in the different market segments (Williams, 2019). For example, a unique product of the Disney Company Disneyland amusement parks occupies local markets, providing a new economic environment. In their amusement parks, they could introduce new products by applying a differentiation generic competitive strategy that helps introduce products in the market.

The Walt Disney Company implements a diversification method to support intensive strategy growth in supporting the business strategies. Williams (2019) claims that this strategy is a classical approach in developing and creating intensive growth. One example of this structure is the Disney Cruise Line that combined the main aspect of the company entertainment with tourism. As the company uses the brand name to promote the product, diversification allows presenting the product in various markets. This makes Disneys corporate strategy unique and strong to manipulate the market.

References

Williams, A. (2019). Disneys Generic Competitive Strategy & Intensive Growth Strategies. Panmore Institute. Web.

Describe Disneys international products or services. What locations and countries do they operate in?

Walt Disney Company is an international corporation focusing on entertainment and media businesses. Walt Disney and Roy Disney founded the corporation in the early 1920s. During its inception, the corporation was registered as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. However, during the year 1926, the corporation changed its name to Walt Disney Studio. In the last few decades, the company has expanded its operations. As such, the corporation has been able to offer a wide variety of products and cover wide markets. Currently, the company functions under five major units. These units are studio entertainment, consumer products, media networks, and parks and resorts (Onkvisit & Shaw 366). The companys studio entertainment unit focuses on the production of films and recording labels. On the other hand, the park and resort unit focuses on the development and management of the corporations theme parks and travel-related properties. In the late 1990s, the company expanded tremendously with the acquisition of ABC Corporation. Through this expansion, the company was able to acquire traveling assets, theme parks, and cruise boats.

Currently, the corporations operations have expanded to more than 40 countries. These countries are located in Europe, Asia, South America, and North America. Some of these countries are Japan, the USA, France, Argentina, Russia, and China. Through this expansion, the company has employed more than 149, 000 employees. These employees range from engineers, technicians, artists to business innovators. Together, they have been able to come up with sensitively appealing stories, content, and expertise that are maintained by international brands. In the future, the company aims to become a global leader in the provision of entertainment and information services. Through this, the company aims to increase its returns and increase the growth rate of shareholder value.

Describe the foreign cultural, economic, and political environments Disney operates in and the unique situations these cause

Given that the Company operates in more than 40 countries, it is faced with challenges associated with doing business in an external environment (Rohn 250). These challenges comprise cultural, economic, and political factors. Before the company expanded its operations outside the USA, the companys leaders were skeptical of their success in foreign markets. Its executives questioned whether the company could be successful in the foreign markets given the uniqueness of American cultures. Therefore, for a very long period, the company hesitated to expand its operations outside the USA. However, ever since the company expanded its operation to foreign markets it has had its pros and cons of doing business in international markets (Rohn 256). In France, the companys park faces several challenges owing to cultural differences. Though the park is located in Paris, which has the largest population, failure to adjust to foreign cultures by the park administrators in the past almost bankrupted the companys parks and resorts unit. In Paris, residents thought that the recreational area would contribute to the erosion of French cultures. Similarly, in the Asian markets, the company is faced with several social-cultural challenges. For instance, the company can thrive well in China if it adopts a traditional based culture rather than a modernized culture exhibited in the USA.

With respect to the international economy, the company in the past has been negatively affected by the turmoil in international markets. In the USA and foreign nations, where the company operates, financial turmoil results in the reduction of the demand for the companys products and services leading to a reduction in its returns. Similarly, fluctuations in exchange rates affect their international demand for their products and services.

Equally, the companys foreign operations are faced with political challenges. Changes in governments might benefit or harm the companys operations in a particular country. Notably, with the establishment of new governments, fresh economic policies are formulated and implemented. These policies can affect the operations of international companies. Similarly, the eruption of political turmoil in some countries results in an increase in the cost of doing business in such countries. Thus, because of venturing into international markets, Disney Company is subject to political turmoil.

Describe the international strategies Disney uses in their foreign markets

The current success of Walt Disney Company is not only attributed to its operations in the US but also in the foreign markets. To achieve this, the company has adopted some appropriate strategies. These strategies are a direct investment, licensing, and foreign outsourcing. For the last few decades, the company has managed to outsource some of its operations to the developing cost to reduce the cost of meeting laborers wages (Onkvisit & Shaw 123). For instance, the company has located some of its factories in China because the country has an abundant and cheap labor force. Similarly, the company has been able to access global markets through licensing. To achieve this, the company has certified licensees to resell their goods. Through this approach, the company has been able to expand its markets in foreign nations with little investment. In addition, through direct investment strategy, the company has been able to open stores, resorts, and recreational areas in several countries. By doing so, the company has been able to maximize its business operation in the international market.

Works Cited

Onkvisit, Sak, and John J. Shaw. International marketing: strategy and theory. 5th ed. London: Routledge, 2009. Print.

Rohn, Ulrike. Cultural barriers to the success of foreign media content: Western media in China, India, and Japan . Frankfurt am Main: P. Lang, 2010. Print.

Introduction

The increasingly rapid pace of globalization and the focus on disruptive innovations as the driving force behind expansion into the global market has made the competition levels in the latter incredibly high. To maintain a strong presence in the designated environment, companies need to seek new ways of enhancing their influence and building a competitive advantage. As a response to the challenging setting of the global market, the phenomenon of a strategic alliance (SA) emerged (Tjemkes, Vos, & Burgers, 2017).

By definition, a SA is a collaboration toward a common goal between two or more organizations without being bound by relationships based on a partnership entity or any form of affiliation (Tjemkes et al., 2017). Although the specified approach does not create numerous opportunities for reinforcing the mutual trust between the involved parties, it provides an efficient method of handling market-related difficulties, particularly, rivalry, as the SA of Hewlett-Packard and Disney has exemplified.

Main Body

At first glance, the specified organizations belong to two entirely different industries that have little in common with each other. However, on closer inspection, one will reveal that the specified solution reinforced the position of each organization in their designated markets. Although the SA between Disney and Hewlett-Packard is no longer in existence, Disney still uses the technology provided by its ally (Muthoka & Oduor, 2014).

The result of this creative business decision speaks for itself, with Disney producing the movies that fascinate with their astonishing visuals and clever integration of computer-generated imagery into a significant number of movies (Bourdaa, 2016). Given the drop in the popularity of traditional animation and the focus on computer-drawn images witnessed since the early 2000s, the support of a company such as Hewlett-Packard was essential for Disney.

Similarly, the latter also provided extensive assistance for Hewlett-Packard in the marketing domain. By showcasing the efficacy of the companys technology with its astonishing animated movies, Disney played its part in the management of its SA with Hewlett-Packard efficiently (Muthoka & Oduor, 2014). As a result, both organizations retained their brand recognition and popularity even in the era of globalization, when the levels of global competition reached unimaginable proportions.

Since both organizations attained the expected results after creating a SA, it is reasonable to say that the specified decision was successful for Disney and Hewlett-Packard alike. Both companies increased their revenue after the SA expired and managed to cement their positions as corporate giants in the context of the global economy (Bourdaa, 2016). Specifically, Hewlett-Packard managed to attract content creators and invest in talent management as an essential tool for increasing the value of its workforce. However, one must admit that some of the expectations that both organizations set when exploring new opportunities in the digital economy did not return the expected results.

For instance, Disney buying the.go.com domain might have seemed a lucrative decision at the time, yet the company was unaware of the further steps to take after the domain acquisition, hence the financial loss (Martynov, 2016). Nevertheless, in the long term, the SA proved to be rather successful, even though minor issues occurred in the process.

Conclusion

Although Disney and Hewlett-Packard belong to entirely different industries, their SA turned out to be a partial success because of the companies ability to utilize each others assets to meet the emergent needs of the global market. The case under analysis shows that a profound analysis of the possible outcomes is required; otherwise, both companies may make a string of regretful financial decisions. However, when guided by the willingness to assist each other in building a competitive advantage, the firms comprising a SA are likely to achieve the expected results.

References

Bourdaa, M. (2016). I am not a tribute: The transmedia strategy of The Hunger Games versus fan Activism. In The rise of transtexts (pp. 104-117). New York, NY: Routledge.

Martynov, A. (2016). Do strategic alliances, acquisitions, and R&D investments act as complements or substitutes? Foundations of Management, 8(1), 7-20. Web.

Muthoka, M., & Oduor, P. (2014). Effects of strategic alliances on organizational performances and their alliances in Kenya. European Journal of Business and Management, 6(34), 75-89.

Tjemkes, B., Vos, P., & Burgers, K. (2017). Strategic alliance management (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Ever since the dawn of every family’s favorite franchise, Disney, young girls everywhere have had their minds contorted into believing they should portray a certain kind of woman and to never dare break the glass-ceiling. Right from the get go with the studios first feature film, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ (1937), by using a doolally doe-eyed sweetheart relevant to the times, Disney has been dispatching a message of false hope that one day every young damsel, who wastes her life waiting, will have her Prince Charming, her one true love, her knight in shining armor, come galloping in on his noble steed to sweep her away from all the evil that inhabits this planet and make her his princess. Well, just like life isn’t fair, so too is this seed of warped reality that is constantly being sown into the foundations of young girls’ heads thereby blocking any sprout of individuality or opinion from bursting through. By sending this message Walt Disney and his colossal empire are consenting to having girls globally conclude that it’s perfectly acceptable to let life frolic by because one day, no matter how long it takes, without searching for any authentic dreams or aspirations they will receive their happy ever after. And what does this happy ever after consist of? A life of constantly floating in a bubble with only the cares of marriage, letting your man take charge, and fabulous fancy frocks.

After the mental reign of innocent and petite Snow White, Disney kept the carriage rolling with the introduction of similar prince-dependent maidens such as Cinderella and Aurora commonly known as ‘Sleeping Beauty’, and rightly so as even though the movie is titled after her, she herself only appears for an overall time of eighteen minutes! This once again proves Disney desires girls to think it’s a man’s world, due to the duration of the film being taken up by a heroic prince having to save her. What is this showing little girls? That only a man is strong enough to save you and that true love conquers all? By filling their fragile heads with nonsense, it is therefore diminishing any thoughts of feminism and how women can do anything a man can. It is shifting the perception of us back many decades and bit by bit, eradicating the tremendous effort that our foremothers contributed to the war effort in both the First World War and the Second. How can Disney use these animated docile daughters to obliterate the feminism and ambition that icons such as Rosie the Riveter stood for? Yes, there may be some slight exceptions such as Belle and Mulan who were both the dauntless heroines of their own fantasies, but ‘Beauty and The Beast’, which was definitely the studio’s first film to feature ideas of what a women’s role could be like, granted that minds were open, did not reach the shimmering lights of Hollywood until 1991, with the empowering motion picture ‘Mulan’ coming out as it’s feminism-spreading successor seven years later. As mentioned before, Little Miss Ivory Frost had her film out in 1937, meaning it took the puppeteer that is Walt Disney, fifty-four years to loosen his strings and let a shining light of feminism peek through the projector. Fifty-four years! And within that time there had been four patronized princesses and countless female characters ruining women’s name and making the world keep digging into this myth that women are weak minded and are only capable of birthing and raising children; that our opinions and contributions aren’t valuable. It wasn’t until the late 2000s that Disney, as a major company, moved with the times elevated by astonishing ladies in literature, politics, and pop culture such as Maya Angelou, Michelle Obama and Emma Watson to name a few, promoting more determined and relatable princesses that shatter boundaries and teach young girls how important it is to be independent and self-aware. Yet even now the studios still show a common theme of what they think women should look like through the characters they promote.

When we imagine Disney’s first ladies and their looks, we think of minuscule waists highlighted by gorgeous glittering gowns, perfect poufy hair and dazzling grins. With young girls being shown the original princesses and how enchanting these beautiful beings are, it can often cause body insecurities, or pressure to conform into such a state of polished appearance, by them being bewitched with the magic of their stories. It doesn’t help either when society is subjected to these dolls manufactured by the franchise and is also put under the spell that this is ideally how a woman should look. With all these opinions and expectations that spiral out of control being thrown at these easily manipulated little girls, you cannot help but worry at how Disney thinks this is acceptable, making them paranoid over fictional cartoon caricatures! Although it’s completely fine in wanting to play dress-up and to have magical aspects to your life, like having a fairy godmother who can help grant your most obscure wish, but when little girls start to feel guilty, like it’s their fault for not portraying this class of beauty that is impossible to achieve, it becomes too much! How can we let young girls no more than twelve think this of themselves? On the other hand, it’s easy to see where this pocket of doubt comes from by looking back at exemplar characters such as Cinderella and Ariel, who drastically changed their looks to prove themselves worthy of men that barely knew them! What is this teaching our soon to be successors? That if you don’t like something about yourself and another doesn’t like you for you, you have no choice but to change in order to be happy? This message produced by Disney in their movies that are supposed to bring us magic, but more importantly, them money, is seriously disturbing in how deeply it really eats into young girl’s minds. Also, despite modern day princesses showing more uplifting personality traits and relatability, they still follow this trend that Disney tries to disguise by including more diverse or fun characters with different backgrounds, which unfortunately diminishes the motivational message they are supposed to stand for.

Leisurely, the franchise’s heroines are becoming more and more appreciated in the eyes of the public with the good they are teaching and growth they are showing with each film, but are Disney going too slow? As a mega franchise, it still has a substantial way to go in becoming a main contributor in inspiring young girls to believe in themselves and how to be comfortable in your own mind and skin, which should have been happening before. In a survey covered by the Daily Mail, “Ninety percent of British teen girls are unhappy with their bodies”. The article shows that most are convinced they have to shed weight when in fact they are of normal size and that quite a few, ranging from fourteen-year-olds, have considered diet pills or plastic surgery. This paranoia and insecurity caused by old fashioned media, will only filter down into younger girls’ heads if we don’t take a stand, and as a major part of children’s lives, Disney can stop this by setting an even better example like giving the world the first ever plus-sized princess, one of a non-royal status that stands for something that can deeply inspire all girls of any background. Or perhaps, in light of hit film ‘Moana’ (the uplifting tale of a Polynesian tribal princess determined to follow her own path in leading her village) more princesses of different culture that would help educate young girls on the different walks of life that could maybe spark a further interest in exploring the problems certain countries face, and how they, as a future generation could help mend them more than we ever could.

To conclude, we need Disney now more than ever, to supply us with more diverse and forward-thinking heroines that deeply inspire the young women of our world to take charge of their generation especially in the times we are in currently. With the right seedlings, Disney could possibly be the biggest help in planting a message that will in the future, connect to all our successors that will help make a difference in our planet. Until then, we will have to hope that the franchise eradicates their previous damage with more characters that can really help us boost up and break that glass-ceiling.

The media plays a significant role in our daily lives by providing us with cultural, educational, and supplemental information that cultivates our knowledge while also shaping our political aspects and framing our cultural guidelines in society. It has the role of being an effective educator, by informing us of anything newsworthy, which is quite true, but what most people don’t know is the canny and manipulative ways on how they are doing it. They hinder with our public opinion through mass media such as television, radio, and newspaper articles, in which most of the time, the information is quite bias. The sad thing is the main target to their tactics are not towards adults, but towards children. The jurisdiction of the media is very influential to the perception of the youth. They teach kids the suitable and appropriate gender roles in society through forms of entertainment. One corporation that hinders with the views of children is Disney. Disney movies imbed ideas and concepts about social customs into the susceptible minds of children. Characters in their movies unveil quarrelling realities about the representation of Disney princesses in a considerable amount of their films. These female characters are presented in ways of being in distress and menial to their male counterparts. The roles of men and women portrayed in Disney films have mimicked the cultural perspective and beliefs of social norms and expectations on gender roles and identity. Disney films have become a great illustration and representation of following cultural trends and behavioral norms for males and females, but they are presenting imprecise portrayal of gender roles to children at such a young age. I have first-hand witnessed the portrayal of stereotypical representation of gender roles in several of Disney’s princess films, where they belittle the female image in contrast to the male characters, are giving them fewer lines of dialogue throughout the movie, and are depicted in unrealistic and degrading forms, ruining the perception of our youth.

In our culture, being feminine is comparable to having a nurturing personality and being tough and aggressive is equal to having a masculine type of personality. How a person is taught and raised in society shapes their behaviors and characteristics. The way people act and represent themselves in society is referred to as gender roles which individualize a persons’ role and demeanor based on gender. As a society, we have mixed the terms sex and gender which has affected social expectation based off a persons’ biological makeup. The difference between the two terms is that we are born of a certain sex and gender is something that we learn. People have been taught on whether to be feminine or masculine. Disney movies have played a part on why children perceive certain things or activities as being geared only toward girls or boys. For example, in the first Disney movie ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, Snow White was a princess who was portrayed as being this beautiful, sensitive, and hopeless romantic. Throughout the film, she is seen as being a desolate girl who is in need of a prince. Snow White is shown washing the dishes, sweeping the floors, cooking the food, and being motherly for all seven of the dwarfs who all happen to be male. While she is at home doing household chores, the dwarfs are out at work all day, digging in mines. The actions of both male and female characters imply to the audience that it is the woman’s job to cook and clean and the mans’ job to work all day. These roles became terms that were coined in society as being the ‘housewife’ and the ‘man of the house’. These household and hard labor tasks have been taught and perceived as being the behavioral norm for males and females. This movie became the start of the Disney trend of the stay-at-home woman who becomes a damsel-in-distress relying on a prince to come and save her and the man who is expected to go out and work all day to support his family. This film and many others are brainwashing children to believe that these are the roles that males and females must represent in order to fulfil the idea of the norm in society, which is not the message we should be conveying to our youth of today.

Not only are the women characters in several Disney films being represented as being beneath man, but they are also being given fewer speaking roles compared to their male counterparts. Several of their films are represented with females as the lead role, yet they still get fewer lines. The amount of time each gender gets to speak in Disney princess films is split quite unevenly. Several of the Walt Disney Company’s films have as little as 2% dialogue from the female characters. Movies like ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Mulan’ are some of the films where this occurs. In fact, according to research from an article from The Pudding, dialogue in 22 of 30 Disney films are spoken largely by male characters. In the movie ‘Mulan’, for example, her animal sidekick has 50% more dialogue than she herself. In more of their recent films though, Disney has been better about having a balance in dialogue between both genders. In fact, in the movie ‘Tangled’, the female characters spoke about 52% of the time and in ‘Frozen’ about 74%. You can see where the Disney company is trying to be equal amongst the genders by making a few changes in the amount of dialogue, but it’s still not a fair enough and even exchange. What is quite ludicrous is that only about four Disney films have female characters that speak over 50% of the time, which is something that society should not approve of. Disney needs to give a far more equal amount of dialogue to the lead female characters and not have them be of a minority to their male counterparts. This company needs to be setting a better example for our youth who retain information quite easily and show them that women are just as strong and vocal as the male gender.

When watching Disney movies as a child, you probably weren’t in deep thought of the images and ideas being presented and illustrated to you. When you hear the name Disney, the first thing that probably comes to mind is family orientated and innocent films with meaningful messages. Little do you know or care to point out is the deeper message which is the subtle, stereotypical representation of women in their films. Many don’t notice the unrealistic illustrations of body image and personalities that many of the Disney princesses are depicted of having. Disney has objectified and devalued women and body types and has presented their princesses with having superb personalities, leading young girls to want to be just like them. Every Disney princess is presented with quite disproportionate body parts from having an unnaturally small waist, exaggerated eyes, and large breasts. According to an article from Buzzfeed, they had members from their team dress up as several of the Disney princesses, where they digitally altered the women bodies to be as exact and accurate as the animations were. These farfetched body types are representations of the ideal feminine body type that ‘fit’ the social norms of society. For example, in the movie ‘The Little Mermaid’, the female lead Ariel gives away her voice to the antagonist in the film, Ursula, in order to get the prince, she feels is her true love. While Ariel is giving away her voice to Ursula, she sings to Ariel stating, “You’ll have your looks, your pretty face, and don’t underestimate the importance of body language”. This line is giving the message to young girls that physical beauty is a woman’s most important aspect and is all they have to offer. No need for a voice to express yourself as long as you look ‘good’ is what the line is stating. Movies like this and many others have influenced and coined the phrase ‘Just stand there and look pretty’, implying that all women have to offer is their looks and nothing more, which is quite far from the truth. We are ingraining the idea in our youth that having good looks, the perfect body, and all-around great personality is all you need to find true love and happiness in life. The further we allow the media and such companies as Disney to release content with messages and ideas such as these, the more our children of today will think it is the norm and is how we should look and act in society. Continuing the trend of presenting Disney prince and princesses of having perfect bodies and personalities will hinder with the views of children whose goal will be live up to unrealistic realities. This can lead to issues of body image and self-worth, which can be detrimental to a person’s health. This should not be the message we are sending out to our children. Disney needs to switch its gears and transition from the message of finding true love, and instead to finding love in yourself.

The power of Disney and their influence on children is quite bigger than we think. Their films are a critical aspect to focus in on because their stories have such an impact on the youth. They present compelling messages about social relationships and gender roles that are becoming the expected and standard norms of society. Although Disney has slightly evolved with their views of gender, it is still lacking a lot of diversity. How will the children learn about diversity and the empowerment of both genders, if no one is there to do so? The more we continue to allow the Walt Disney Company to display women of being inferior to their male counterparts, presenting the princesses with having few speaking roles, and depicting the females with having unrealistic body types, the more our children will think it is the norm, influencing them to live up to improbable expectations. Our youth uses the media to discover who they are and what the world around them is like. The media is a powerful influence on how children perceive the world and their understandings of it. If Disney continues to portray their characters with these gender bias roles and stereotypical ideas, this endless pattern of gender roles will continue to unravel and transpire.

Parents should write a petition to Disney to make their princesses fit the mold of young girls across the world and protest the amount of sexualization that is being presented to girls through TV and the Internet. Stephanie Hanes (2011), author of ‘Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect’, claims that Disney stated: “The Disney princesses teach girls valuable life lessons like kindness and the love for animals”. Several parents have found themselves mixed up in the controversy of the Disney Princess effect. The Disney Princess effect is the belief that the Disney princesses are causing young girls to lose their youth a lot sooner than usual. Parents like Mary Finucane started a blog to help ‘break the grip’ of Cinderella and other Disney princesses in her household. Like many parents of young girls, Mary started to notice her daughter began acting different once she discovered the Disney princesses.

Several elements of logos prove that the Disney Princess effect are the first steps to sexualization, which is connected to eating disorders and depression. In the article, Stephanie Hanes claims that “girls who watch Disney princess movies are more likely to become victims of self-objectification, cyberbullying, and unhealthy body images”. A poll found that 50% of 3-6-year-old girls worry about if they’re too fat. At this age kids, shouldn’t even be worried about the way they look. This type of behavior is the result of the world we live in today. We live in a highly-sexualized society that mostly views women as sexual objects. Even at a young age we teach young girls if they’re not pretty there’s no chance of them being successful. This message has been engraved in young girl’s head for so long that they believe it. Girls today no longer feel like they must do or they can’t do something because they’re female, but they have a strong belief if they want to do something, they need to look hot doing it. Nowadays girls drop out of sports around middle school because they believe sports makes them look less feminine. Therefore, you see a higher percentage of girls wanting to be cheerleader’s rather than a basketball player. The cheerleader is advertised to be the more feminine one out of the two.

Parents fear that their daughters are going to grow up hating their bodies because the girls that are shown on the big screen only represent a portion of those watching. The Disney princesses shouldn’t just be skinny teenagers, but girls who are all different ages and sizes. For example, when Disney came out with movie ‘The Princess and The Frog’, the African-American community was thrilled that they were finally being represented in the 4-billion-dollar company. Imagine what it would do to a young girl’s confidence if she saw a Disney princess that looked just like her.

In addition, numerous elements of ethos prove that it’s wrong for young girls to be exposed to this type of sexualization at such a young age. The movies and shows that are shown on TV only broadcast girls who are skinny, pretty, and twice their age. Young girls shouldn’t be thinking about having boyfriends and getting married at the age of 6. They should enjoy playing around without a care in the world. Parents should start to enforce their kids to watch more age-appropriate shows, where the characters are the same age as the kids watching. This will allow kids to notice behaviors that are normal for their age. For example, showing 8-year-olds how to play with other children, or how to dress themselves would be a good idea.

The fallacy faulty causality is avoided in this article because the cause-and-effect statement that was presented was based on factual evidence that can be backed up by parents, educators, and researchers. The faulty causality is the assumption that an event or action follows another, the first causes the second cause and effect. In the article, Stephanie Hanes claims that since these little girls have become addicted to these Disney princess movies at such a young age their going to become over sexualized. In result of this, Hanes can argue that girls around the ages of 7-12 years old spent $1.6 billion dollars on thong under-wear in 2003 alone due to the influence of the Disney princesses.

In conclusion, parents should think of creative ways to stop their daughters from becoming victims of sexualization. Taking the famous Disney princess isn’t going to completely solve the issue, but pointing out the misrepresentation of female character’s may be able to help resolve this issue. In the article a young girl by the name Maya Brown suggested that girls should become media critics. This action will allow girls to notice what’s wrong with certain images and why they should avoid dressing like certain characters. Teaching young women that their worth more than just their bodies, will not only create better women, but better people.

Have you ever caught yourself whistling at work? Perhaps you have told yourself to just keep swimming? Maybe even had your knee kissed better when you hurt it as a child? Are these phrases ringing any bells in your head? If yes, you have likely been influenced by the monstrous bundle of movies created by Walt Disney. If not, I am guessing you are not part of the 116 million subscribers of Disney+. Nevertheless, you are still influenced by Disney one way or another.

Children. They are Disney’s target audience. It is from Disney movies that kids get their initial insight into how men and women are supposed to act. People blame social media for growing the roots of a negative body image with teenage girls. However, the seed was planted by Disney. The archetypal Disney princess is usually tall, slender, fragile, pale-skinned, and long-haired. This is the case for several original Disney princesses: including Belle, Aurora and Snow White. Aurora’s physique is as futile as Barbie’s to attain. Not only is it the princesses who are impossibly proportioned, but it is also the female villains. A few of the female villains, such as the Queen of hearts, Ursula, and the ugly stepsisters are seen as obese. This can harm today’s society as oversized people could be viewed as evil causing them to be left on the outskirts of society. Aurora is described as an extraordinarily beautiful woman so young girls will get the perception, even if they are not directly told, that is how they are supposed to strive to look. Illustrating a form of beauty that can mess with girls’ minds and be irreversible.

In a large number of Disney classics, girls are the damsels in distress who need a prince to save them. This tells younger girls that they are incapable of doing anything on their own and that they need to change their appearance or sacrifice their well-being and talents to fall in love. Just like Ariel in ‘The Little Mermaid’, she changed her looks and gives up her voice for the happiness of the man in her life. Regardless of being the main protagonist, women speak just 32% of the time in ‘The Little Mermaid’, while they have just 24% of lines in ‘Pocahontas’ and 23% in ‘Mulan’. In ‘Aladdin’, female characters have just 10% of the dialogue. The superior women who do use power in Disney movies are villains. Maleficent’s magic is more vigorous and forceful than anyone else’s in the kingdom, including the combined capability of the three commendable fairies. Ursula is the sea witch people go to when their dilemmas cannot be handled in traditional ways. This shows little girls that women with power are evil and, they should be contemptuous and weak if they want to be successful.

If Disney movies can influence girls to the point of insanity, then why is it okay for Disney movies to include racial, non-consensual and stereotypical scenes? The crows from ‘Dumbo’ are racist cartoons of black Americans for their use of jive talk. The head crow was called Jim Crow, this name is associated with the racist southern segregation laws. The cartoon Jim Crow was worryingly voiced by a white actor (Cliff Edward). ‘Dumbo’ also includes a song called ‘Song of the Roustabouts’, which consists of faceless black circus workers singing insulting lyrics such as ‘we slave until we are almost dead, were happy-hearted roustabouts’ and ‘keep on working, stop that shirking, pull that rope, you hairy ape’. Many people may argue that Disney movies have had a positive impact on their life, by teaching them valuable lessons like a sense of hope, just keep swimming, set your goals high, hard work is key to success the list goes on and on. However, it’s difficult for these ambitions to occur if people are treated the way the circus workers are treated. Not only are these lessons difficult to implement, but they are also unrealistic and can lead to terrible events. It does not stop there, in ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ the prince kisses Snow White whilst she was passed out and thought to be dead. Therefore, this is an act of assault and seen as non-consensual. Actress Kirsten Bell asks her daughters in an interview with parents.com: “Don’t you think that it’s weird that the prince kisses Snow White without her permission? Because you cannot kiss someone if they’re sleeping!”. Besides Princess Anna’s voice-over, stating her views on the scene, many parents have made it evident that they don’t feel comfortable showing this scene with their kids. In ‘Peter Pan’, Peter and his darling siblings go to visit his friend Tiger Lily, who belongs to the Native American tribe. The way the movie portrays Native American culture is stereotypical. The characters speak in gibberish instead of an actual indigenous language, smoke excessive amounts of pipe tobacco (which they offer to the children) and sing an offensive song called ‘What Made the Red Man Red’. Grouping all American Indians as one monolithic caricature is grossly offensive because these are real people with many different cultures.

Disney has dominated the animated film industry, for over 9 and a half decades and can easily influence and persuade people, so why would Disney think it is okay to use their power in a way that can destroy people’s lives?