M RahmanStakeholders of Walt Disney Company
This is a detailed analysis of the stakeholders of Walt Disney Company. Stakeholders are people, groups, or organisations that have a vested interest in the success or failure of a business. Disney values the inputs of its stakeholders and works closely with a variety of them to promote safe, comprehensive, and respectful workplaces. Its stakeholders include but not limited to owners, employees, customers, NGS’s, peer companies, suppliers, partners, and competitors.
Internal stakeholders of Walt Disney Company
Disney’s executive leadership team
Disney’s senior executive leadership team has tremendous experience, creative and visionary thinking, and a commitment to excellence which indeed impact on its operations and the strategic direction (Disney, 2022). The team is led by the chief executive officer who is supported by the chairman, and several vice presidents, and senior executives. Without their inputs, Disney cannot plan for its operations and strategies.
Disney’s subsidiaries
Disney is the parent company of several other companies. These are its subsidiaries, and it depends on them to deliver its promise to the customers. Some of those companies are 21st Century Fox, Pixar Animation Studios, ABC, Lucasfilm Ltd., Marvel Entertainment, Fox Family Worldwide, and BAMTech LLC
Employees of Walt Disney Company
Around 195,000 people work for the Walt Disney Company in 45 countries (Disney, 2022). The company offers them a competitive total rewards package that includes pay, health and savings benefits, time-off programs, educational and developmental opportunities, on-site childcare, free visits to the parks, and many more.
The employees of the Walt Disney Company are known for their creativity and imagination in their field. They have the opportunity to work under one roof with some of the most successful people in different industries. They can also take advantages of various training and development programs. All of these contribute to their success which in turn benefits the company.
Different surveys show that Disney employment is popular across different demographics. People rank it high on their list (SurveyMonkey, 2022). However, not all workers are satisfied equally. For instance, Kilander (2021) reports that around 25,000 Disneyland workers considered suing the company over low pay.
External stakeholders of Walt Disney Company
Suppliers of Walt Disney Company
Suppliers are the people and organisations who provide the materials and inputs that help Disney create its products and services. Disney’s Sourcing Professionals buy products and services from the suppliers for the Company. They focus on the company’s interests first and buy without prejudice to achieve the maximum value for the money spent (Disney, 2022).
It is worth stating that Disney is not immune to supply chain challenges. Therefore, it has recently decided to bring about changes in supply chain management to accelerate the time to receive things through shipping.
Shareholders of Walt Disney Company
The shareholders of the Walt Disney Company include various individuals, the descendants of Walt Disney himself, and many institutions. Some of the top institutional shareholders are The Vanguard Group, Inc., BlackRock Fund Advisors, SSgA Funds Management, Inc., State Farm Investment Management, and Geode Capital Management LLC (CNN, 2022).
Customers of Walt Disney Company
Disney has millions of customers around the world for its various products and services. These are the people and organisations who are its center of focus. Identifying and understanding them is essential for the business. Doing so helps it tailor its products and services to each segment as appropriate. However, it is worth mentioning that many customers have shared their frustrations online over expensive prices for particularly Disneyland, and Disney World.
Competitors of Walt Disney Company
Disney is a well-diversified company. While this is great for many reasons, it also creates challenges for the company, particularly in terms of competition. Disney’s top competitors are Comcast, Sony, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Universal Studios, Six Flags Entertainment, Cedar Fair, Royal Caribbean, and Time Warner. It should be mentioned that Disney took over several competitors in the past.
Other stakeholders of Walt Disney Company
There are some other stakeholders who can impact on Disney. For instance, government agencies, regulatory bodies, NGO’s, labour unions, and pressure groups can put pressure on it or apply legal means to bring about changes in its operations.
Roles and influence of Disney’s different stakeholders
Every stakeholder plays a role in helping Disney grow and succeed. Knowing who they are and how they affect the business can help it make more informed decisions about strategic growth, partnerships, and new opportunities.
Working with the right stakeholders can be mutually beneficial for both parties i.e. Disney and others. It is important to note that not all stakeholders have the same power and the same interest. For instance, the Disney executive team has high power and high interest in the company, while the pressure groups have low power and low interest in it.
Summary of the stakeholders of Walt Disney Company
As shown above, Disney has different stakeholders. These are people, groups, and organisations that have a vested interest in its success or failure though their power and interest are not equal. Knowing who they are helps Disney make more informed decisions about strategic growth, partnerships, and new opportunities.
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Last update: 22 June 2022
References:
CNN (2022) Walt Disney, available at: https://money.cnn.com/quote/shareholders/shareholders.html?symb=DIS&subView=institutional (accessed 22 June 2022)
Disney (2022) Executive leadership, available at: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/ (accessed 21 June 2022)
Kilander, G. (2021) Thousands sue Disneyland over low pay, available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/disneyland-employees-pay-class-action-lawsuit-b1924092.html (accessed 15 June 2022)
SurveyMonkey (2022) Why Disney employment is a fairytale to many, available at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/mp/disney-employment-a-fairytale-for-many/ (accessed 22 June 2022)
Author: M Rahman
M Rahman writes extensively online and offline with an emphasis on business management, marketing, and tourism. He is a lecturer in Management and Marketing. He holds an MSc in Tourism & Hospitality from the University of Sunderland. Also, graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University with a BA in Business & Management Studies and completed a DTLLS (Diploma in Teaching in the Life-Long Learning Sector) from London South Bank University.
