blog




  • Essay / The Walt Disney Company - 1641

    BUSINESS BACKGROUNDThe Walt Disney Company is a wildly successful international entertainment and media company. The company was born in 1923, after Walt and Roy Disney formed a partnership and began creating animated films. They affectionately named their joint venture Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. This was the beginning of what is now known as The Walt Disney Company. A more detailed history is available at http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/. In 1957, the company made its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange. Under the ticker symbol DIS, shares were sold at 13.88 each (Seidman, 2012). Today, the shares are valued at around $77 (DIS income statement, nd). The Walt Disney Company is also a component of the S&P 500 Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Over the past three years, the company has recorded positive annual sales and profit figures. In 2011, sales peaked at $40.89 billion, generating $4.8 billion in profits. In 2012, sales reached $42.28 billion, while profits soared to $5.7 billion. Last year, sales peaked at $45.04 billion, with Disney pocketing profits of $6.1 billion (DIS income statement, nd). Additionally, Disney has a market value of approximately $104 billion (Walt Disney, 2013).INDUSTRY INFORMATIONThe Disney Company operates five divisions serving the entertainment and media industries. Their main clientele is young children. The segments are listed and detailed below.INTERACTIVEDisney Interactive creates games, mobile applications and other interactive content online. This division revolves around digital and online platforms. There are several websites that offer children an engaging and safe virtual encounter in the middle of paper activities. It is possible to plan and book a vacation. The company also sells Disney products online. Disney also makes money by selling advertising space. Additionally, interested parties can stream or purchase digital copies of films. EVALUATION OF THE VALUE OF THE INFORMATION SYSTEM I believe that Disney's use of information systems is very valuable. The MyMagic+ has the potential to personalize a Disney experience that a child will never forget. When that child becomes a parent, there's a good chance they'll take them to a Disney park. The company's energy information system and enterprise resource planning system help streamline fleet operations while achieving significant savings. Their contributions to the ultimate Disney experience may not be as big as MyMagic+, but they're just as important. All of these systems help solidify Disney customer loyalty.