Let's Talk Disney: Management; Leadership: and Resources, Capabilities, and Competencies

The Walt Disney Company's institutional leaders have made sure that the company sustains its competitive advantage by reinvigorating the company's brand and defining the company's mission. The company's former CEO, Bob Iger, during his  year tenure as CEO increased market capitalization five times over from 48 billion to 257 billion. He also led several acquisitions such as: Pixar (2006), Marvel Entertainment (2009), LucasFilm (2012), and entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox (2019). Bob Iger also expanded the company's theme parks to East Asia, Hong Kong, and Shanghai; expanding its presence in international markets. The Walt Disney Company has an executive leader for each business segment. 

This talented group of institutional leaders have organized and structured the company in a way that its vision of entertaining and inspiring people around the world through storytelling. The Walt Disney Company's financial capital, physical capital, human capital, and organizational capital has helped the company improve its efficiency and effectiveness. The company has succeeded by finding a balance in focusing and investing in both its primary activities and support activities. Primary activities include purchasing, inventory, production, warehousing and distribution, sales and marketing, and service. Support activities include planning, finance, information services, legal, technology development, and human resource management and development. Disney has invested a great deal in both activities thus helping the company sustain its competitive advantage. The Walt Disney Company's executive leaders fully understand the importance of the resources and capabilities they have control over and how closely it is intertwined with the company's competitive advantage. The resources and capabilities are not limited to the executive leaders of the company but to every employee employed within the company. 

The Walt Disney Company's investment in diversity and inclusion, empowering its employees, enabling company culture, and encouraging teamwork are both economically valuable and difficult to imitate; increasing the company's competitive advantage. The company also has a whistleblower hotline for its cast members and employees and provides the Standards of Business Conduct. The Walt Disney Company's Standards of Business Conduct touches on the integrity of the company, the company's commitment to each other, the company's commitment to honesty and to its shareholders, its commitment to lawful business practices, and its commitment to the community. These Standards of Business Conduct helps establish and maintain the company's culture, which to some may seem easy to implement or imitate, but this can be indeed very costly to imitate and can also be a barrier-to-entry for companies that lack the resources.  

Please read The Walt Disney Company's Standards of Business Conduct and include your thoughts. 

https://impact.disney.com/app/uploads/2022/01/TWDC-Standards-of-Business-Conduct-1.pdf

1. Which is more important? 

A. Financial Capital

B. Physical Capital

C. Human Capital 

D. Organizational Capital 

E. All of the above (explain why)

2. Which is more important to invest in? 

A. Primary activities

B. Support activities 

C. A & B (explain how you would balance the two)