Disneyland Hong Kong

Before discussing the cultural missteps taken by the Walt Disney Company (TWDC) at their international theme parks, a quick overview of the company and its international theme parks will be given. The Walt Disney Company is an entertainment conglomerate with business divisions in movies, television, radio, theater, publishing, and theme parks. Since the focus of this paper is international theme parks, only a brief history of the American theme parks will be discussed. Walt Disney thought of the idea of the theme park one day when he took his daughters to a local park and watched them as they rode the merry-go-round (Disney, 2009). Disney wanted a place where children and their parents could have fun and enjoy the rides together (Disney,

The Disney Corporation is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media. (Disney Corporate, 2009). This company did not become one of the leading corporations in the world without hard work, an extreme dedication to the mission and core values of the organization, and the successful application of the four functions of management: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Many internal and external factors may have a direct impact on the four functions of management like: globalization, ethics, and innovation.

The Walt Disney Company has seen their share of success in taking their parks and resorts into global markets. “60 years ago, the first Disney theme park opened, in California and was the brainchild of Walt Disney himself, who was motivated by the lack of entertainment options available to him and his two young daughters.” (Forbes, 2016). Disneyland California penetrated the market rapidly, and its popularity led to the opening of Disney World in Florida, followed by global expansion in Tokyo, Paris, and Hong Kong. Their latest expansion came in June 2016, on a 963 acres’ site in Shanghai, China (Xu, 2012). After one year in operation, Shanghai Disneyland is outpacing their most optimistic projections, and the park’s

Introduction: The Walt Disney Company is on the threshold of a new era. Michael Eisner has stepped down from his position as CEO and turned over the reigns to Robert Iger. A lot of turmoil has been brewing through the company over the last four years; many people are hoping that this change in leadership will put Disney back on the road to success. Issues began around mid-2002; when declining earnings, fleeing shareholders, and

Globalization is forcing all companies, large and small, to focus on a larger competitive landscape. For many companies hypercompetition arises and they are left with stunted growth while competing with other businesses across the globe. Fortunately, Disney has constructed one of the world’s most recognizable and beloved brands in the entire world. To understand the external environment in which Disney competes, we must first discern which market we wish to analyze. Disney owns a plethora of companies across an extensive list of industries including publishing, game production, retail, theme parks, and software. By far the two largest segments of Disney’s business are its parks/resorts and media networks; those will be

Abstract Disney has led the entertainment industry for much of its storied 80-year history. What exactly is the ‘Magic of Disney’? And how has Disney sustained the magic for so long? This paper analyzes Disney’s historical competitive advantage, drawing emphasis on the remarkable synergies Disney created across its various businesses. This paper then addresses the contributions of CEO Michael Eisner, credited with restoring Disney to greatness in the mideighties. Finally, this paper evaluates Disney’s growth strategy over the last decade.

The Walt Disney Company has been a major face of family entertainment for the past nine decades. It has grown from a small cartoon studio in the 1920s into a multi-million dollar global corporation, entertaining the world around us every day. As a corporation, The Walt Disney Company has numerous affiliates and offspring spanning different media networks, recreational theme parks, studios and consumer products. Their theme parks and resorts are a premier travel destination for millions of families, and are located in several different countries including the US, France, Japan and China. The Walt Disney Company also has a cruise line of its own, adding more travel and entertainment options to the mix. The question we often ask ourselves is, how did this small partnership of brothers develop into such a gigantic organization? Throughout Walt Disney’s 64 short years, his leadership, vision, and strong morals and values led the Mickey Mouse organization to where it is today. Walt had a vision, and his attitude and motivation are key drivers behind the

Hong Kong Disneyland, opened to visitors in 2005, is one of the two largest theme parks in Hong Kong. It successfully brings magical experience of Walt Disney to all the visitors just like other Disneyland around the world.

After Eisner invested tens of millions of dollars to update and expand attractions and park facilities, Disney recovered its investment with attendance-building strategies. By creating a range of complementary services and entertainment at the park, customers stayed longer and spent more money. A plan was also put in place to develop Disney’s unused acreage and further maximize the profitability of these assets. One result of the above measures was that attendance at Tokyo Disneyland increased by 50% from 10.2m in 1983 to 15.8m in 1991.

Disney’s target market consists mainly of family-oriented Asian tourists, primarily those from mainland China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The mainland China accounted for large number of incoming visitors. At the time of Hong Kong Disneyland’s establishment, Hong Kong already enjoyed booming business and tourism sectors, but the government believed that the latter would be invigorated by the creation of a then absent “family tourist” niche. Below are the

The Walt Disney Company Parks and Resorts strive to be the leader in innovative and creative family entertainment in the world. The mission of The Walt Disney Company Parks and Resorts is to provide “magical” experiences to all guests that visit our Parks and Resorts. We use technology, innovation, and imagination to create a unique entertainment experience comparable to nothing else.

1) What is the Disney Difference and how will it affect the company’s corporate, competitive and functional strategies?

Walt Disney Company had always been successfully operating theme park until 1992. Starting in 1955 where the first Disneyland set its foot at Anaheim, California and in 1983 in Florida (Hill, 2000). While in 1983, Disney faced a true challenge as they opened the first international Disneyland in Tokyo. In a fear of wide cultural differences between American and Japanese, it turned out an unexpected massive successful Tokyo Disneyland. As a result, Disney did not hesitate to invest a big sum of money for Euro Disney in Paris.

Another external benefit that this new theme part will bring to Hong Kong is fame. Disneyland will enhance Hong Kong?s attractiveness as an international tourism destination, as well as attract tourists that do not normally come to see theme parks. For example, some tourists might come to Hong Kong because of it?s well known shopping prices, but with Disneyland in Hong Kong, it gives them one more reason to come to Hong Kong. Ocean Park also announced that Disneyland will be a compliment to Ocean Park- tourists that come to see Disneyland would not want to miss out on Ocean Park, as well.

Hong Kong was a prime tourist destination for a large number of people from the mainland. Disney focused on people from mainland, the local residents and