SIGN UP FOR THE IMD COMPANY VISIT – THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY In keeping with the 2008 AOM conference theme, "The Questions We Ask", this year's IM division company tour will feature The Walt Disney Company. Disneyland in Anaheim is The Original of an organizational model that has now been the inspiration for four additional Disneylands, one in the US and three overseas, and the creative catalyst of multitudinous cross-business synergies. On this IMD event, we will be hosted by The Disney Institute--Disney's external benchmarking division created in the wake of Disney receiving world-wide fame as one of Peters and Waterman's "Excellent Firms" in their popular corporate culture book In Search of Excellence. Our tour will begin with a brief overview of Disney's internationalization strategies followed by a question and answer session moderated by Mary Yoko Brannen focusing on questions we ask of a panel of Disney executives in regards to internationalization and cross-national business fertilization and growth. We will then be escorted on a walking tour of Disney's California Adventures where Disney executives will point out aspects of the themepark that have served as the source of creative inspiration for cross-fertilization of businesses and international expansion.
Here is a taste of the types of questions that will be explored:
• How does Disney decide what needs to be replicated in all its parks, and where to innovate and add new attractions? For example, are all the parks organized in the same way? Disneyland has become a model for many corporations in how to develop a front-line staff that excels at "emotion work" - making deep connections with customers.
• What are the challenges of doing this successfully in different countries, with such different models of service (Japan vs. France and China, for example)?
• Disney has become a business school case exemplar of "synergy" across different lines of business - and the success of the movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean" is a fascinating example of a park attraction that moved into another medium. What is the role of the parks in Disney's cross-business synergies?
Cost: $175.00/ participant. The fee covers a three hour program on Friday August 8 from 8:00 - 11:00 am. The session begins at 8:00 with a Disney executive panel question and answer session on "Internationalizing and Cross-Fertilizing Disney across Cultures and Business Contexts". This will be followed by a guided walk through the park.
This is a most unusual opportunity to collect first-hand information on a leading multinational company, and we hope you can take advantage of it. Please contact Eleanor Westney if you are interested in joining the group, at ewestney@schulich.yorku.ca
Prof. Timothy Devinney, IMD Chair
AGSM Professorial Research Fellow
Australian School of Business
UNSW Sydney NSW 2052 Australia