Disney Factor Paper

The Walt Disney Studio’s Diversity Mission Statement is “To create and inclusive environment that is open to all perspectives, allowing us to tell compelling stories in film, animation and music that visually and emotionally reflect our audience worldwide.” “The Walt Disney Studios maintains that the only existing boundaries are those of talent, ambition, imagination and innovation.” (Moore, 2007)

“The Walt Disney Company incorporates best-in-class business standards as a key pillar of its business practices.” (Unknown, 2008) Disney Company provides business standard and ethics training to all of its domestic and international employees through a web based tutorial to ensure that all employees representing the Disney Co. act ethically and legally within the company’s standard of business conduct. (Unknown, 2008)

Disney is continually upgrading and modernizing all aspect of its company to keep up with today’s technological advances; from advances in digital movies and digital game versions of the movies to virtual and interactive rides and on-line components. Disney has come a long way form its humble beginnings when Walt Disney started the company. "Pretty soon you will have graphics in video games that look just like movies, but will react in real time, and guests will expect us to do much more than that when they come to our parks," said Bruce Vaugn, vice president of research and development for Walt Disney Imagineering. (Ogles, 2005)

A huge internal factor that impacts the functions of management is the increasing desire and pressure to “Go Green.” People choose what they buy, where they work, and how they live based on preserving the precious resources of our planet. They are now looking at the companies they purchase from to see if they are taking this matter into account when making their business decisions. Disney’s recognition of the importance of this factor led them to plan and pledge to a recycling and waste prevention program in the United States that has had many beneficial effects for the environment. The Walt Disney Company, according to an EPA report based on 2005 records, “has reduced an equivalent of more than 71,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide” (Disney, 2008). Continual planning and organization is underway to enhance green building designs for all Disney hotels by next Earth Day. Disney’s officials say they are very committed and with great leadership and control it is definitely possible (Disney, 2008).

External factors are those that affect business from outside the organization. There are several external factors that affect the outcome of day to day business, even for a huge corporation like Disney. Walt Disney has been known for its family entertainment for more than eight decades. It started small in the 1920s and has grown phenomenally today to a global corporation. Even a business this powerful and profitable is affected by external factors.

According to Dictionary.com, the definition of globalization is “to extend to other or all parts of the globe; make worldwide” (Dictionary.com, 2008). Globalization can have a huge impact on the four functions of management. In order to achieve success, a company must have a plan or goal set in action. Once a company decides to go global, it has to decide its market. For example, Disney has over 25 international websites, which are located in Africa, European Countries, Asia Pacific Countries, and other regions. Disney’s marketing team has come up with a way to satisfy almost every different type of culture that exists. For every new movie or show that they come out with, it is dubbed in many different languages in order to sell the item in different countries. This is a great way for organizations to make a good name for themselves. It gives the impression that the company is willing to put more effort into reaching people all over the world.

Whether a company goes global or not, technology is another huge impact on businesses. Innovation has a big impact on the four functions of management because it is through innovation that companies are able to continue to grow. Managers must use innovation during the planning process to introduce new ideas for products and procedures. They must encourage their planning team to think up new ways to stamp out competitors by coming up with new and different ideas for conducting their business.