Strategic Management at the Walt Disney Company - 4260 Words

Identify an episode of strategic change for an organisation of your own choice. How appropriate was the approach to strategic change given the issues faced by the organisation? Critically evaluate the effectiveness of the strategic leadership during the change process. Identify the impact of the change episode upon the key resources and core competencies of your organisation. This paper will analyse a recent period of strategic change at The Walt Disney Company which began in 2005 with the appointment of current CEO Robert Iger. The company began to experience halted growth during the late 1990s. The former CEO Michael Eisner had been successful himself in the late 1980s in changing the company during what is known as the Disney†¦show more content†¦Financially, Iger managed to steadily increase share prices from a 2005 average of $25 to an average of around $34 in 2007 (Barnes, 2010). Despite a global recession which halted consumption of products and visits to its theme parks, the company has seemingly recovered its low of $15 in 2009 with its share prices reaching almost $38 as of May 2010. As I will explain however, the strategic change at Disney has not only provided short-term profits, it has put the company in a position in which it can sustain its competitive advantage in the long-term due to the changes in the structure and underlying cu lture of the organisation. Beginning with the pre-2005 context of Disney’s business environment I will show why Eisner’s autocratic style of management was impeding the necessary changes the company needed to survive in light of the issues facing the company. Following on from this analysis I can assess the process of change which the company undertook relating to relevant theories in the strategic change literature. This will allow me to evaluate the effectiveness of the leadership during this process and show how CEO Iger was central to the changes which took place, again in accordance with strategic leadership theories. Finally I will attempt to identify how Disney has harnessed its key resources and core competencies throughout the process of strategic change to give itself aShow MoreRelatedA Strategic Management Case Study on the Walt Disney Company8543 Words   |  35 PagesA Strategic Management Case Study on Erika Erro | Mimilanie M. Mabanta | Javi Mendezona | Clara Poblador Tour 198 Prof. Emma Lina F. Lopez Introduction Company Background When brothers Walt and Roy Disney moved to Los Angeles in 1923, they went there to sell their cartoons and animated shorts. One could only  dream  that their name would one day be synonymous with entertainment worldwide. 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