Walt Disney Is a Hallmark

Walt Disney

Disney is a hallmark for successful corporations built through aggressive, innovative, and mostly ethical business techniques. Walt Disney managed to promote and sell his products even in difficult times, when the odds (particularly economic resources) were against him. With respect to its stakeholders, the Walt Disney Company acts in an ethical and socially responsible manner. Company stakeholders include stockholders, customers, debt holders, and employees.

The Walt Disney Company's core mission is that of providing high quality entertainment for the people around the globe. Several things have changed within the company through its existence, but the belief in this core principle has remained the same. And all efforts made along the years have been concentrated in the direction of improving the satisfaction felt by the customers. On numerous occasions, the company's employees themselves argued that it was imperative to possess skills, abilities and desires in the direction of customer satisfaction in order to be considered as an eligible candidate.

The Walt Disney Company has been devoted to keeping strict rules based on organizational behavior. To a certain degree, one can attribute the corporation's success to the fact that it focused on its stakeholders and it generated constructive conflicts, even with the fact that it was at times on the verge of bankruptcy.

The organizational culture at the Walt Disney Company is constructed on a set of six distinct philosophies:

1. The organization is following a long standing tradition of innovation

2. The company maintains high quality of all the products it offers and generally strives to achieve quality excellence

3. The products and services offered by the company aim at the well being and well development of the communities by providing healthy ideas about families and entertainment products for all generations

4. The Walt Disney Company implements a long standing tradition of storytelling in the meaning that each individual product has its own story, and this inspires and delights the various stakeholder categories

5. In all of their actions, as well as in their products and services, the firm maintains an unbeatable sense of optimism and focuses on "hope, aspiration and positive resolutions"

6. Finally, the company promises to cherish and respect those who put their trust in the company (The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies Corporate Information Website, 2010).

It is not necessarily surprising that an individual who had not finished high school managed to build one of the largest corporations in the world, given that he chose to employ an essential factor in his line of work-common sense. In spite of the fact that he was not one of the most complex individuals ever, Walt Disney was distinguished through his nature, given that he was devoted to expressing innovative convictions in regard to virtually anything he came across. Disney did not want to give up his principles when concerning his business, but he was aware that one could not achieve success through only being the dreamer that he was and that a company would require a large deal of ethics in addition to that.

Walt Disney was accompanied by his brother, Roy Disney, in building the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio (presently known as The Walt Disney Company). All through the course of Walt's life, Roy struggled to bring order into the corporation, often being reluctant to support his brother's ideas.

Capitalist concepts are commonly found in The Walt Disney Company, as its institutions and the way they are governed can be considered to be true examples of capitalism.

When regarding the corporation's relationship to its stakeholders, one can easily understand that it is based on essential moral values. Considering that The Walt Disney Company took the first place "in the Boston College-Reputation Institute 2009 CSR Index which captures public perceptions about companies in the areas of ethics, corporate citizenship, governance and workplace practices" (The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies Corporate Information Website, 2010), it becomes even clearer that it pays special attention to all the people who are connected to it in some way. Because of the relationship The Walt Disney Company has kept with its stakeholders throughout its existence, most of these individuals have come to enjoy their dependence on the corporation.

The standards The Walt Disney Company uses are particular because of their "high-quality entertainment of all kinds, including films, television shows, attractions, consumer products, stores and resorts" (The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies Corporate Information Website, 2010). The corporation requires superior conduct from its employees, so as for them to be able to maintain its values. Also, the employees have to be aware of their statute and of the fact that they have to act in accordance to it. This is principally meant to guarantee that the customers will receive the services the company is accustomed to providing. The Walt Disney Company convey professionalism through the services they make available and their employees are doing their best to comply with the condition imposed by all the groups that constitute the corporation. Every single individual working for the company can virtually be identified as being the corporation itself, as he or she puts across the essence of Disney, making it pleasant for the customers to connect to it.

In spite of the fact that The Walt Disney Company wants to be seen as a responsible corporation imposing strict conduct rules on its employees, numerous critics have been skeptical in regard to this topic, believing that it is merely a marketing technique.

The Walt Disney Company emphasizes the fact that its customers are the key element for the corporation, since it is them who pay for its services. While others might consider that an ethical dilemma arises when the financial costs to provide a certain service are exaggerate, this corporation does not hesitate to invest into the comfort of its customers and compromises are not present in The Walt Disney Company. The employees at Disney's are also dedicated to invest their complete ability to work into the interests of the company's clients. The Walt Disney Company is practically determined to "designing, building, operating and maintaining" (The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies Corporate Information Website, 2010) services that are expected to generate satisfaction into customers and profits for the company on the whole. Disney lobbied that responsibility does not have to be considered less important when it belongs to an employee who is less qualified than the others. The Walt Disney Company advises everyone, ranging from tour operators to film directors to be actively engaged in promoting the company and oversee its benefit with the purpose of keeping customers happy.

Even with the fact that the employees at The Walt Disney Company excel through their work, it does not mean that the corporation stresses them to the point where they no longer feel contented. According the Walt Disney Website, Cast Members and employees are treated in agreement to values such as "fairness, dignity and respect" (The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies Corporate Information Website, 2010). The surroundings present at the corporation concomitantly serve as a stimulant through its rewarding character and as something that is challenging (so as for them to be sorted on behalf of their aptitudes) to the employees. People either advance, stagnate, or decrease in statue during their time at the company in accordance to their qualities.

While it might be difficult for some to deal with problems in their endeavor to employ, review, penalize, or dismiss Cast Members or employees, the company expects all of the people working with it to be reasonable and use empathy for the individuals they take in hand. At the same time that it requires its employees to respect its requirements, The Walt Disney Company presents them with a pleasant and secure working atmosphere. Because of the benefits they come across at the company, it is almost impossible for its employees not to be devoted to doing their jobs without committing any errors.

Given that it is an international corporation and that it did not express a biased approach on selecting its employees, one can easily deduct that The Walt Disney Company is not discriminatory. Not only does the corporation want to attract strong employees to be interested in joining its ranks, but it is determined to appeal to any person, not considering of their backgrounds or of the group they belong to, with the rationale of raising the best teams to work for it. In spite of the fact that it is obvious that the company's main motive is that of gaining profits by hiring the best people available, it is also supportive toward the theory that a diverse working environment would influence people in providing better services. In addition to the company employing fairness in regard to the people working for it, it also recommends that its employees should be open-minded toward each-other.

Communication between the people working at The Walt Disney Company is facilitated communication channels that are free and effective, contributing to create superior teamwork and a working setting that is not only efficient but which is also healthy.

One of the most important matters for Disney Corporation is something that is not materially valuable. Its reputation is the one thing that most tend to disregard when considering its fortune, as people would rather think about the money it generates and its possessions. However, the people at Disney's know that shareholders are expecting their investment to benefit them, given the company's tradition. In order to refrain from disappointing its shareholders, The Walt Disney Company goes through great efforts to keep up with its reputation as one of the most successful corporations. In order to live up to its name, the company uses the simplest of rules, that involving ethical behavior, just as Walt and Roy Disney did at the time when they started it.

Another essential factor responsible for keeping the corporation among the world's greatest is the public and its confidence. People at Disney's are well aware that it is not appropriate for them to participate in a conflict that involves them or any other stakeholder in the corporation. Not only can such an occurrence harm them personally but it could also harm the company as a whole, thus the reason for which The Walt Disney Company advises against any conflicts of interest.

The Disney Corporation is very strict in regard to the rights it provides to its stockholders, as they do not have the right to publicize certain information they receive, even with that respective information directly concerns them. Also, according to the Disney Website, "opportunities that are discovered through the use of corporate property, information, or through one's position at the Company may not be used for personal gain," (The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies Corporate Information Website, 2010). It is uncertain whether this is a just thing to do or not, but it is explainable through the fact that The Walt Disney Company wants to protect its investments.

Stockholders should have complete rights over their position, given that it is only through in-depth analysis that they are able to determine the effectiveness of their investment. However, passing over confidential information can be detrimental for the corporation as a whole. When a shareholder wants to make information he or she has from The Walt Disney Company public, they should undergo a review of the respective information, with the purpose of determining if its publicizing can affect other shareholders in the company.

Disney's major stakeholders refer to their competitors, employees, customers, governmental institutions and their business partners. Employees are required to increase their efforts and offer the highest quality of the Disney products, developed with ingenuity, commitment and attention to details. However not actual employees of Disney, stakeholders are also the actors which play in the Disney films.

Disney's partners encompass international partners, basically the French institutions which support the opening of the Euro Disneyland. The French partners will own at least 17% of Euro Disneyland. Other partners refer to the exhibitors, but their influence has been reduced by governmental laws. In this order of ideas, the government has allowed more freedom to the entertainment industry, allowing movie makers to own studios and reducing as such their dependence on exhibitors. Also in the category of stakeholders are included other large corporations, such as the Delta Airlines or Coca-Cola, which paid to use Disney features in their advertisements.

Disney has reduced numbers of other partners, moreover since they handle most of their operations by themselves and refused to engage in franchise operations.

The number one customers remain children. They are primary targets for the Disney animation movies, consumer products and theme parks. They pose the problem of a future decrease as the generation of baby boomers is turning to adulthood. The Disney features also address the adult audience, through action-live films.

While Disney (and most of the general public) like to promote the belief that it is a company equally interested in the benefit of its shareholders as it is interested in the profits it makes, it failed to prove this theory at times. However, along with the mass movements performed by a great deal of multi-national corporations interesting in hiring laborers with lower wages, The Walt Disney Company chose to move parts of its businesses into poor countries. Although this seems to be beneficial for the corporation and for the poor people seizing the chance to work for it, it sometimes proves to be detrimental for both parts involved. Hearing that the products that they are about to buy were made in a substandard working environment, most people valuing morality will be reluctant to purchase them, preferring to buy something similar and more expensive instead.

The Walt Disney Corporation was found to have "sweat-shops" in various poor countries around the globe, where people work in miserable conditions for low-paid wages. Apparently, Disney motivates its choice to refrain from investing more into these factories because "it can't afford the 58 cents an hour workers say they could live on" (Bigelow). Working in such conditions is likely to have a terrible effect on the people doing so, making Disney's reputation less laudable.