-EURO DISNEYLAND - Case Study Example

Summarization of the article d ‘Euro Disneyland’ Any person curious to know about the empire known to the world as the concept created by Walt Disney may find the article to be of interest. The main area covered under this in-depth integrative case study is with regard to Euro Disneyland, the first and only Disney Park outside of the United States and Japan. The author (unknown), primarily focuses on the cultural issues faced by the organization, when the organization started its overseas operations.

The introductory section of the study starts with the dilemma faced by Frenchman Philippe Bourguignon as he took over as chairperson of in 1993 of Euro Disneyland. The entity was in the red with losses to the tune of 188 million francs. Moreover, only one third of the visitors of French nationality, while the projected figure was fifty percent. Before moving on to its European operations, the study provides a background of how Walt Disney (inadvertently) was responsible for creating a world famous brand, and later an empire that included film making, amusement parts, and theme parks like Epcot.

The author provides a brief background of succession problems and survival of Walt Disney Company after the death of its legendary founder in 1966. His son (Roy Disney) had to face a lot of issues especially from CEO’s like Cardon Walker and Ronald Miller. There is a brief mention about its hit movies like Love Bug’, and also about a string of flops after the controversial family (box office hit) movie Splash. But the visionary in Walt Disney had moved on to providing wholesome and clean entertainment to families through the concept of theme parks.

The first park was opened in Anaheim, California, followed by the hugely successful Orlando Disneyworld, Florida. But its overseas ventures had been plagued with problems that were cultural and political in nature. In Tokyo, though the venture was successful, was beset by minor issues. Height of public telephones, American fast food outlets, the queue system, etc were irritants to Japanese visitors. In the case of Euro Disneyland two main contenders namely Spain and France wanted the company to establish a Disney theme park in their respective countries, and ultimately the latter was chosen by the management on the basis that France had better infrastructure, and was a popular tourist destination.

But here again, apart from financial losses (which is briefly discussed in the study), the issue was culture. The intellectuals and the media accused ‘Mickey Mouse’ as fuelling consumerism and cultural imperialism. An interesting cultural aspect is that the French is not accustomed to the concept of standing in line for tickets. The main focus of the author is that American business is not attuned to cultural sensibilities and requirements in other countries. What is totally American may not work in a diverse cultural environment as can be seen from the company’s operations in Japan and France.

At the time of writing of the study, Euro Disney has yet to get off the ground in terms of profitability and attracting French citizens (Euro Disneyland). References “Euro Disneyland”. In-depth integrative case 1. Provided by student.