The Disney Difference

Guyette Luster MGT 301 17 March, 2013 Module 2: Case Application “Managing the Magic” Assignment Page 121 (1-4) 1. What is the Disney Difference and how will it affect the company’s corporate, competitive, and functional strategies? Answer: The “Disney Difference” is Disney’s marketing strategy that has basically kept the brand afloat throughout the recession years. Disney has been able to market well by staying with a large amount of products and services to add value to the brand.

The Disney Difference will affect the corporate strategy (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011) since they are expanding into Hong Kong and have already organized an amount of funding they will need to finish the project. The Disney Difference will affect the competitive strategy (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011) by staying with the times. Disney was once viewed as just a child-loved place. With the future ventures that Disney has decided to invest in, the company should do very well in its category and stay very competitive in nature.

The Disney Difference will affect the functional strategy (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011) by the amount of marketing and research they have invested in as well. Customer service will also be researched. Surveys and customer reviews could play a role in the functional strategy. 2. What challenges do you think Disney might face in doing business in Russia? How could Iger and his top management team use planning to best prepare for those challenges? Answer: Expanding into Russia is a very uncertain challenge.

The brand has done very little with Russia but the management team has already used planning to delve right in. They have planned to start with televised Disney programming (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011), a planning strategy that is very specific, but flexible. Television programming can be pulled if they do not do as well as planned so they really are not starting out huge. Another way Disney can plan with their management team is to start planning phase two in Russia with a time frame of televising and marketing.

Maybe put Disney products in local malls if not already doing so. Marketing and research are two very important roles in a successful brand. 3. With the announced expansion of Disney’s Hong Kong Disneyland, what goals might the company set? What type of planning will be necessary? Answer: Time frame will be an important goal for this specific project. The money has been evaluated and the length of time has possibly already been calculated. All organization departments need to be putting together individual goals that should be approved by top management.

Open communication is also very important for a project this size to be successful. Specific directional planning should be in use for this project. Every department must be given a specific goal and plan to develop in such a large investment. 4. How might Iger and his top management team use the strategic management process to “keep the magic coming” in the current economic climate? Answer: Planning and analysis are the first two ways to “keep the magic coming” (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011).

After, the management needs to formulate a plan and adhere to their short-term/long-term goals (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011). Implementing those strategies and goals are the next step (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011). Evaluating the results and researching the customer reviews or the marketing strategies (Coulter, DeCenzo, & Robbins, 2011). This is to ensure that the company is making the profit necessary to stay on top. References Coulter, M. , DeCenzo, D. , & Robbins, S. (2011). Pearson Custom Business Resources. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.