Case Analysis

The Walt Disney Company Live Case Analysis

A case report prepared for

MG 495 Business Policy

Spring II 2020

Team Aspire

May 10, 2020

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY LIVE CASE ANALYSIS

A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In 1923, Walt Disney arrived in California with hopes of making a career in the film industry. Prior to his move, he had made a cartoon show in Kansas City about a little girl in a cartoon world called “Alice’s Wonderland” which he thought would be a great pilot film to sell as a series of “Alice Comedies”. His wish was answered after his move to California when M.J. Winkler, a distributor from New York, offered Walt a distribution contract to his comedy series on October 16, 1923 which was the date the Disney Company began. Since its humble and early days as a cartoon studio business in the 1920s, Disney has transformed into one of the most successful and prominent entertainment industries in the world over the years.

The company’s mission is to “entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.” The company is an entertainment and media enterprise in the following business segments; Media Networks, Parks, Experiences and Products, Studio Entertainment, and Direct-to-Consumer and International. Walt Disney’s strengths as a company include brand popularity, product diversity, and strong portfolio. Their weaknesses on the other hand are overreliance to North American countries for revenue and limited expansion opportunities through acquisition due to antitrust laws. The increased demand for streaming services and technological innovation are some of their opportunities while the growth of competitors and digital content piracy ramps up their potential threats.