...EuroDisney – Things Are Better Now at Paris Disneyland 1. What factors contributed to EuroDisney’s poor performance during its first year of operations? What factors contributed to Hong Kong Disney’s poor performance during its first year? Europeans failed to “go goofy” over Mickey in part because of the high prices of the theme park and nearby hotels. Families were reluctant to spend the $280 a day needed to enjoy the attractions of the park, including the food. Staying overnight was out of the question for many because prices ranged from $110 to $380 a night, and $340 to $380 a night at better hotels. Other factors that contributed to poor performance were unforeseen transatlantic airfare wars and currency movements, causing visitors to go to Disney World Orlando for vacation. EuroDisney successfully alienated many European visitors with its iconic American feel at EuroDisney. Many Europeans were put off by the Disney characters which they felt reflected only traditional American Disney characters, not European characters. Disney management’s conviction that it knew best what Europeans liked proved insensitive to the local culture. 2. To what degree do you consider that these factors were (a) foreseeable and (b) controllable by EuroDisney, Hong Kong Disney, or the parent company, Disney? The reluctance of visitors to stopover at EuroDisney due to high prices of the theme park and nearby hotels could not be foreseeable, but surely controllable...
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...Company (Disney) had built to date—bigger than Disneyland in Anaheim, California; Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida; and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. Much to Disney management’s surprise, Europeans failed to “go goofy” over Mickey, unlike their Japanese counterparts. Between 1990 and early 1992, some 14 million people had visited Tokyo Disneyland, with three-quarters being repeat visitors. A family of four staying overnight at a nearby hotel would easily spend $600 on a visit to the park. In contrast, at EuroDisney, families were reluctant to spend the $280 a day needed to enjoy the attractions of the park, including les hamburgers and les milkshakes. Staying overnight was out of the question for many because hotel rooms were so high priced. For example, prices ranged from $110 to $380 a night at the Newport Bay Club, the largest of EuroDisney’s six new hotels and one of the biggest in Europe. In comparison, a room in a top hotel in Paris cost between $340 and $380 a night. Financial losses became so massive at EuroDisney that the president had to structure a rescue package to put EuroDisney back on firm financial ground. Many French bankers questioned the initial financing, but the Disney response was that their views reflected the cautious, Old World thinking of Europeans who did not understand U.S.-style free market financing. After some acrimonious dealings with French banks, a two-year financial plan was negotiated. Disney management rapidly revised its marketing plan and introduced...
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...CASE 21 The Not-So-Wonderful World of EuroDisney*—Things Are Better Now at Disneyland Resort Paris BONJOUR, MICKEY! In April 1992, EuroDisney SCA opened its doors to European visitors. Located by the river Marne some 20 miles east of Paris, it was designed to be the biggest and most lavish theme park that Walt Disney Company (Disney) had built to date—bigger than Disneyland in Anaheim, California; Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida; and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. Much to Disney management’s surprise, Europeans failed to “go goofy” over Mickey, unlike their Japanese counterparts. Between 1990 and early 1992, some 14 million people had visited Tokyo Disneyland, with three-quarters being repeat visitors. A family of four staying overnight at a nearby hotel would easily spend $600 on a visit to the park. In contrast, at EuroDisney, families were reluctant to spend the $280 a day needed to enjoy the attractions of the park, including les hamburgers and les milkshakes. Staying overnight was out of the question for many because hotel rooms were so high priced. For example, prices ranged from $110 to $380 a night at the Newport Bay Club, the largest of EuroDisney’s six new hotels and one of the biggest in Europe. In comparison, a room in a top hotel in Paris cost between $340 and $380 a night. Financial losses became so massive at EuroDisney that the president had to structure a rescue package to put EuroDisney back on firm financial ground. Many French bankers questioned the initial financing...
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...CASE 21 The Not-So-Wonderful World of EuroDisney*—Things Are Better Now at Disneyland Resort Paris BONJOUR, MICKEY! In April 1992, EuroDisney SCA opened its doors to European visitors. Located by the river Marne some 20 miles east of Paris, it was designed to be the biggest and most lavish theme park that Walt Disney Company (Disney) had built to date—bigger than Disneyland in Anaheim, California; Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida; and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. Much to Disney management’s surprise, Europeans failed to “go goofy” over Mickey, unlike their Japanese counterparts. Between 1990 and early 1992, some 14 million people had visited Tokyo Disneyland, with three-quarters being repeat visitors. A family of four staying overnight at a nearby hotel would easily spend $600 on a visit to the park. In contrast, at EuroDisney, families were reluctant to spend the $280 a day needed to enjoy the attractions of the park, including les hamburgers and les milkshakes. Staying overnight was out of the question for many because hotel rooms were so high priced. For example, prices ranged from $110 to $380 a night at the Newport Bay Club, the largest of EuroDisney’s six new hotels and one of the biggest in Europe. In comparison, a room in a top hotel in Paris cost between $340 and $380 a night. Financial losses became so massive at EuroDisney that the president had to structure a rescue package to put EuroDisney back on firm financial ground. Many French bankers questioned ...
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...and Japan. When Disney saw the success of Tokyo Disneyland, they wanted to build other theme parks outside America and after choosing from over 200 potential sites included Spain, Italy and Greece; Paris was the chosen one. The management of Disney has expected to receive the same behaviour in EuroDisney as their Japanese counterparts in Tokyo Disneyland but they actually experienced the exact opposite of what they experienced in Japan. At EuroDisney, families were unwilling to spend the US$280 a day which was only to enjoy the attractions of the park with a milkshake and a hamburger. Staying overnight was not even in their mind as the prices were very high. Paris was chosen due to its location and also that it is the Europe’s most popular city for tourist destination. The management planned to received 11 million visitors and generate more than US$100 million during the first year but the attendance reached only 9.2 million and by summer 1994, they made a loss of more than US$900 million. The financial losses were so huge that the President had to put in place a rescue package to make EuroDisney back on firm financial ground. They had to revise their marketing plan and made new strategic and tactical changes in the hope of doing it right this time. Ironically, in summer of 1992, as the price of EuroDisney was too high, people went to Disneyland in Florida where it was much cheaper. Hence, management had to cut price at two hotels by 25 percent, introducing cheaper meals and making...
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...Euro Disney’s poor performance during its first year of operation? What factors contributed to Hong Kong Disney’s poor performance during its first year? The primary reason for the failure was its high cost. Hotel rooms at the park were charging rates comparable to luxurious hotels. People found it cheaper to fly to Disney World Florida and get an additional benefit of enjoying the weather. The Gulf war in 1991 also had a negative and during the same period, Europe was facing a recession. The French, for some reason, did not like the American culture while Disney tried to enforce this culture. The world fair in Spain and the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 attracted holiday visitors hence, EuroDisney did not have many guest visiting it that year. Hong Kong Disneyland faced different issues. Firstly, people were not familiar with the characters since Disney was banned for 40 years in China. The park was small, with just a few rides compared to other Disneyland's, therefore customers were not interested. Despite these issues, it fared better since it incorporated a lot of Chinese culture. 2. To what degree do you consider that these factors were (a) foreseeable and (b) controllable by EuroDisney, Hong Kong Disney, or the parent company, Disney? Since the cost of Disney World Florida was cheaper, customers preferred to fly to the US. This meant that prices in Paris could also be controlled. There were several other mistakes made by the management; for instance,...
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...institution closely identified with Mickey Mouse and world-famous theme parks. Hong Kong Disneyland was the Walt Disney Company's third international theme park outside America, after Tokyo and Paris. Interesting enough, both the Hong Kong and Paris theme parks had its chief replaced in less than a few months after the park's opening, if these corporate moves were anything but indicative. In September 2006, the Hong Kong theme park announced it had missed its first year attendance target of 5.6 million. Often criticized as the smallest Disneyland in the world, the Hong Kong theme park had been tipped as a "stepping stone" for the American company's entry into mainland China. If it was indeed to serve as a prototype for another Disneyland in China, it would be critical for the management of Hong Kong Disneyland to come up with a recovery plan and realign its strategy to improve its image, boost attendance and deliver its revenue target. This case can be used to explore what could be done to enhance the smooth delivery of the American fantasy in the alien culture of the Middle Kingdom. (Bennett Yim Josephine Lau). Moreover, Hong Kong Disneyland is one of the world largest entrainment businesses of the world. During the 1920s and 1930s Disney just had studio and theme park but at the end of the 20th century it had several TV networks, several theme park a cruise lines, malls, airports, hotel resorts and so many other entrainment units which in total are able to prove itself as a...
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...areas of accounting flexibility (step 2) for Euro Disney Key accounting policies • Euro Disney Associés has opted for financial lease. The firm leases the Disneyland Park from Euro Disneyland S.N.C. EDL Hotels S.C.A., which is owned for 99,99% by Euro Disney Associés, leases the hotels from a specialpurpose financing company. • The special-purpose financing companies are fully consolidated in Euro Disney’s financial statements. The substance of the relationship between the group and these financing companies is such that they are effectively controlled by the group. Areas of accounting flexibility • The personnel is transferable between the park and the hotels and vice versa. This way, the company copes with the fact that 90% of the employees have a permanent contract. • Euro Disney can defer the payments of interest, royalties and management fees that it has to pay to The Walt Disney company, when the actual performance is less than the contractually agreed benchmark. • The debt covenants limit the amount of new debt capital that Euro Disney can attract to $50 million. 2. What incentives may influence managing reporting strategy (step 3)? • The CEO of the Gérant, Philippe Gas, could obtain a discretionary annual bonus based on the individual performance relative to the objectives of the company. Moreover, he also obtains discretionary grants of the company’s stock options, The Walt Disney Company’s stock options and...
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...The Fretful Euro Disneyland Abstract Wenhe Yue School of Management, Shenyang Jianzhu University Shenyang 110168, China E-mail: bobo1012@sina.com Euro Disneyland a theme park comprised of an updated, state of the art Disney's Magic Kingdom, is a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company located outside Paris, France, and has experienced numerous complications from its inception. This article introduces the fretful of Euro Disney, analyzes the reasons why it goes to wrong and give the recommendation to overcome the rattrap. Keywords: Euro Disneyland, Cultural differences, Management hubris 1. Introduction Many companies throughout the United States and beyond are resorting to developing their business abroad. The Walt Disney Company was one of the American organizations to expand on foreign soil. Its first foreign venture Tokyo Disneyland proved to be so successful that the decision was made to further expand abroad. This next foreign expansion experience, named Euro Disneyland all hopes were high, with Michael Eisner, the chairperson of Walt Disney promising to make Euro Disney the “most lavish project that Disney had ever built”. He had an obsession with maintaining Disney’s high reputation, as Disney had already seen the success of California and Florida Disneyland. While Euro Disney did not prove to be the successful venture that had been anticipated by its creators. Euro Disneyland a theme park comprised of an updated...
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...Now at Paris Disneyland Bonjour, Mickey! In April 1992, EuroDisney SCA opened its doors to European visitors. Located by the river Marne some 20 miles east of Paris, it was designed to be the biggest and most lavish theme park that Walt Disney Company (Disney) had built to date—Bigger than Disneyland in Anaheim, California; Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida; and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. In 1989, EuroDisney was expected to be a surefire moneymaker for its parent, Disney, led by Chairman Michael Eisner and President Frank Wells. Since then, sadly, Wells was killed in an air accident in spring of 1994, and EuroDisney lost nearly $1 billion during the 1992-1993 fiscal year. Much to Disney management’s surprise, Europeans failed to “go goofy” over Mickey, unlike their Japanese counterparts. Between 1990 and early 1992, some 14 million people had visited Tokyo Disneyland, with three-quarters being repeat visitors. A family of four staying overnight at a nearby hotel would easily spend $600 on a visit to the park. In contrast, at Euro Disney, families were reluctant to spend the $280 a day needed to enjoy the attractions of the park, including les hamburgers and les milkshakes. Staying overnight was out of the question for many because hotel rooms were so high priced. For example, prices ranged from $110 to $380 a night at the Newport Bay Club, the largest of EuroDisney’s six new hotels and one of the biggest in Europe. In comparison, a room in a top hotel in Paris cost...
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...Republic of the Philippines Laguna State Polytechnic University Siniloan (Host) Campus Siniloan, Laguna Fiscal Year 2012 Annual Financial Report Reported By: Monina Krisha S. Penaso Robie Ann P. Flores * Business * The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries, is a diversified worldwide entertainment company with operations in five business segments: Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, Consumer Products and Interactive. For convenience, the terms “Company” and “we” are used to refer collectively to the parent company and the subsidiaries through which our various businesses are actually conducted. * Information on the Company’s revenues, operating income, and identifiable assets appears in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 here of. The Company employed approximately 166,000 people as of September 29, 2012. * MEDIA NETWORK -The Media Networks segment includes international and domestic cable television networks, a domestic broadcast television network, television production operations, domestic and international television distribution, domestic television stations, domestic broadcast radio networks and stations, and publishing and digital operations. * Cable Networks - Cable networks derive a majority of their revenues from fees charged to cable, satellite and telecommunications service providers (Multi-channel Video Programming Distributors or MVPDs) for the right to deliver...
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...for a major Disney attraction in the world’s most populous nation.” 1 “I am completely confident that Chinese people love Mickey no less than they love a Big Mac.” 2 Early in 1999, Michael Eisner, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, voiced his opinions concerning potential markets for his firm’s entertainment products and services. A major thrust for the new millenium would be development in Asia. The firm had now achieved a certain level of experience with owning and/or managing assets and operations outside the United States. They had two competing models that would be utilized to analyze and ascertain the financial and operating structure of their next foray into the global business arena. Their first experience was Tokyo Disneyland. Modeled after Disneyland in California and located six miles from downtown Tokyo, the park opened in 1983 and was literally a cultural and financial success from its start....
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...EuroDisney 1. What factors contributed to EuroDisney’s poor performance during its first year of operation? The factors contributing to EuroDisney’s poor performance are: a) Hotel Rooms were high priced. b) Poor Attendance in 1992. c) Gulf War in 1991. d) The World’s Fair in Seville, Spain. e) The 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. f) Too few seats at restaurants for guests at breakfast. g) No alcohol served with meals h) French visitors stayed away from EuroDisney (Cateora, Graham, 2007, pp. 614-616) 2. To what degree do you consider these factors were a) Foreseeable because Disney knew they were taking a risk by opening the theme park. The post Gulf War kept visitors from taking summer vacations. The World’s Fair in Seville and the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona drew visitors away from EuroDisney. Disney didn’t know what to expect for breakfast and was unprepared. b) Controllable because Disney could have anticipated the French custom of having wine with every meal. They could have lowered costs on hotel rooms and flights into Paris to see EuroDisney right away. (Cateora, Graham, 2007, pp. 614-616) 3. What role does ethnocentrism play in the role of EuroDisney’s launch? Ethnocentrism played an important role in the story of EuroDisney’s launch that Disney believed that the French visitors would really go for a Disney theme park. The variety the theme park had to offer needed to change to attract French visitors...
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...Introduction: Euro Disneyland is a foreign venture of very successful American company known as Walt Disney Company which was established in 1923.The organization has been very successful over the years operating in USA, California and Florida and also expanded its business in Japan and Europe. Their operation in Europe widely known as Euro Disneyland was not successful for various reasons which include planning , cultural differences etc. Evaluating some of the areas that went wrong in case of Euro Disney: Walt Disney, a highly successful organization of US, comes up with a theme park, Euro Disney located outside of Paris, France. The Walt Disney Company was one of the American organizations which expand its business to the foreign soil. Doing a very successful and profitable business throughout US, California and Florida, the company established its first foreign venture Tokyo Disneyland, another winning and profitable business of Walt Disney. Being successful from Tokyo Disneyland, the company decided to further expand abroad and enhance its foreign presence, Euro Disney comes forward. But in case of Euro Disney, the company made some wrong steps in decision making which in turn experienced numerous complications from its inception. Below some areas are discussed critically that went wrong in case of Euro Disney. Location or area and environment selection were wrong in first place. Though French suggested to building the Euro Disneyland into the East Paris despite the...
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...major thrust for the new millenium would be development in Asia. The firm had now achieved a certain level of experience with owning and/or managing assets and operations outside the United States. They had two competing models that would be utilized to analyze and ascertain the financial and operating structure of their next foray into the global business arena. Their first experience was Tokyo Disneyland. Modeled after Disneyland in California and located six miles from downtown Tokyo, the park opened in 1983 and was literally a cultural and financial success from day one. However, not all of the potential financial benefits accrued to Disney shareholders, since the facility was entirely owned by The Oriental Land Company. Disney generated a large and growing stream of fee income, but did not participate as an owner. The architect of Disney’s strategy was Ron Miller, CEO, son-in-law of Walt Disney, and leader of a very conservative management team. By the time a development decision for Western Europe rolled around in 1987, Michael Eisner was Disney’s CEO. The new management team was convinced of the benefits of ownership. In negotiating with the...
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