Innovative Information Systems Capabilities of Disney Company - Research Proposal Example

Innovative information systems capabilities of Disney Company Disney's IT Overview Walt Disney is one of the most successful entertainment companies in the world and has grown to be one of the most popular and recognizable names around the globe (Gabler 3). The organization has spread from involving itself with simple animations and branched out to other businesses including production companies, amusement parks and even food and clothing products that are related to the company’s brand name. One of the essential parts of the Walt Disney organization is the IT sector, and it is one of the areas that make up the backbone of the organization. The IT sector is behind many of the operations of the organization and is responsible for the smooth running of the various companies that are related to the Walt Disney organization (Gabler 56). Due to the large scale of the Disney family, it cannot be said that the IT functions are centralized but rather are set up in the different companies such as the Animation and Amusement park subsidiaries according to the particular needs of that company and their particular requirements. However, there is a section of IT that can be considered to be central in nature as it is responsible for the overview of the various parts of the Walt Disney Empire (Gabler 59). This is to say that it collects and maintains important information having to do with all the parts of the organization into one place so as to formulate an overview of how the companies are performing with regard to various terms such as financially, growth and expansion (Van den Hoven & Weckert 102). This central collection of information can be considered to be the hub of the Walt Disney Information System. Disney's Current IT Status (SWOT Analysis from IT Point of view) The current IT status in the Disney organization can be effectively analyzed using the SWOT analysis that will allow an individual to identify the various aspects of the Information systems that run the organization. Using this analysis, the organization’s use of suave Information Systems that are specially designed to handle the particular tasks within the various companies of the Disney organization can be considered to be the conglomerate’s biggest strength while its weakness can be identified as the cost it takes to run these technologies efficiently. These costs arise in different forms such as the maintenance of the machinery involved with the IT infrastructure in a bid to keep it running smoothly, as well as the cost of manpower that is required to operate the various systems (Daintith 75). These costs tend eat into the organization’s budget as they are cheap. There are various opportunities that can be discovered in this sector as well if one is to carefully look around. These include the room for expansion that is provided by the development of IT. This is with regard to the spread of the internet and the resultant market that is available on this new platform. The proper use of IT in this sector will allow the organization the opportunity to fully exploit this new market (Daintith 89). In terms of threats, the most significant in this category would be of insecurity which has become a growing problem within the IT industry as more hackers look to exploit those who these systems to their own advantage. Hackers are a dangerous lot and could be responsible for the loss of a lot of money through operation interruptions and thus the proper security measures need to be taken to ascertain that the system is safe and secure from such individuals. Disney's New Technology There are a number of new technologies within the IT sector that have arrived in Disney over the past few years and have served to improve the business operations of the organization in various ways be it the enhancement of operational efficiency or the attraction of more customers as a result of their introduction (Gabler 98). The main introductions have been of the latter variety and have been especially utilized in amusement parks where their addition to various areas of the park have enhanced the experience that visitors are able to achieve when they visit these sectors. A good example of this is the new technology that has been introduced with regard to popular movies and their related theme parks (Stewart 34). These include affecting certain factors such as environmental settings that simulate surroundings similar to that in the movie. For example, the Disney amusement park has a set built to represent that of Pirates of the Caribbean whereby a simulation makes an individual who enters it feel like they are inside a ship complete with the rocking and swaying motions that are involved (Gabler 72). There has also been the introduction of electronic automatons that are used within various parts of the amusement parks as well. Apart from the various technologies that have been added to the front office part of divisions such as the amusement parks, there has also been the upgrade of software over the years that is used in more backdoor operations that occurs from time to time. This software is upgraded upon necessity which is determined by the IT sector of the organization. How the Information System Is Used For Customer Relations One important aspect where Walt Disney’s Information system is utilized is in the building of customer relations. This can be deemed to be one of the most important activities involving Information Systems as without customers the organization will not be able to thrive thus it is extremely important to ensure that a positive relationship between Disney and its customers is maintained at all times. There are a number of ways that Walt Disney uses Information systems to enhance their customer relationships. These include the collection of information on various issues concerning their clientele base that is used to improve the satisfaction rate of their customers (Van den Hoven & Weckert 89). This information could be dealing with various factors such as the customers’ opinion on the introduction of new commodities to the Disney base of products and issues related to them such as what is their level of satisfaction with the new product and what in the customer’s opinion could be done to improve it (Han, Kamber & Pei 45). This information can be collected electronically via forms and questionnaires that can be filled and submitted over the internet. The organization then collects this information and uses it to improve on their products. Information systems can also be used for other purposes as well such as recognizing various changes in certain parts of the company, for example a drop in the sales of a certain product (Daintith 78). This is related to customer relationships as the recognition of such a factor will lead the organization to communicate with their consumer base to find out the reason behind the drop in sales of said product (Han, Kamber & Pei 47). Information systems can also be used to pass on messages from the organization to the public when needed in order to keep them informed on issues relating to them. This can include information such as the closure of a certain location for a period of time due to renovations for example. IT Problems There are a number of issues that are faced by the IT sector as well and it is not always smooth sailing when dealing with this technology. These problems can be categorized into groups such as technical, ethical and financial problems. An example of a technical problem may have to do with the integration of the various information systems in use by the different subsidiaries of Walt Disney so as to link all relevant data making it easier for analysis. This may prove to be a problem as different subsidiaries may use different types of information systems and thus finding a way to bring them together under one roof may prove to be difficult (Stewart 41). Ethical issues may be related to the customers and deal with issues such as the invasion of privacy through the use of monitoring and surveillance systems (Van den Hoven & Weckert 76). These systems are considered to be a necessity especially in areas accessible to the public due to security concerns but individuals may not like the idea of an anonymous watching over them without their consent. Financial problems can be taken to be one of the common complications when dealing with IT. The cost of installing, operating and the maintenance of IT systems may prove to be very expensive, and thus the organization may face challenges in terms of the best way of absorbing these costs in such a manner that it will not feel the pinch of operating such systems (Proctor 21). This is especially true for Walt Disney as they operate on a global scale and thus the Information systems utilized need to be of a complex nature and the more complex the system, the more expensive it is likely to cost (Gabler 65). However, these problems can be resolved through various initiatives that can be taken up by the organization such as the streamlining of all costs relating to IT in a bid to cut any unnecessary expenditure that may not be needed. This way, the company saves money that they can utilize for something else. The provision of information to the public on why these monitoring technologies are necessary could be a way of resolving the ethics issue (Reynolds 78). The technical problems can be solved through the use of a single type of software that has all the needed capabilities for the different subsidiaries around the world. Works Cited Daintith, John, ed. "IT", A Dictionary of Physics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Gabler, Neal. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. Han, Jiawei; Kamber, Micheline & Pei, Jian . Data Minining: Concepts and Techniques (3rd ed.). Burlington, Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufman, 2011. Proctor, K. Scott. Optimizing and Assessing Information Technology: Improving Business Project Execution. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print. Reynolds, George. Ethics in Information Technology, Belmont: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Stewart, James. Disney War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. Print. Van den Hoven, Jeroen & Weckert, John. Information Technology and Moral Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008. Print. Read More