Walt Disney Company - Research Paper Example

From Mickey Mouse series to Silly Symphony, Walt Disney, the founder, continued to foster a culture of creativity and innovation and his precision which lead the company to become one of the most successful and diversified corporations (The Walt Disney Company, 2012). From the success of animated cartoons, which won various Academy awards, the company soon developed related merchandise and initiated another stream of revenue that was followed by a new venture in action films including Treasure Islands and the television show during Christmas time.

After the death of Walt, his vision was articulately carried on by his brother Roy, who carried out construction of the Disney land theme park as envisioned by his brother, on the 28,000 acres of land he had purchased in Florida and was later opened in Tokyo and Paris. After Roy’s death the company was then taken over by Card Walker, Donn Tatum and Ron Miller, all of which were initially trained by the Disney Brothers (DATAMONITOR, 2011). The Disney Company then initiated its Disney channel in 1983 featured by Touchstone Pictures, its film label.

The company remained under hostile pressures for takeover in early 1980s as its stocks remained undervalued and was eventually taken over by a new management. Soon after the Disney movies took a toll and collaborations with the filmmakers including George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola resulted in the opening of Splash Mountain. The company then expanded further to include luxury resorts in its portfolio. Establishment of Hollywood Records, stage production with Beauty and Beast, cruise line business were some of the more developments that took place (The Walt Disney Company, 2012).

One of the most prominent events was Disney’s $19 billion acquisition of Capital Cities (ABC Network). This acquisition, the second largest in the United States, not only resulted in 10 TV station, 7 daily newspapers and 21 radio stations but also enabled Disney to own positions in the cable networks including Lifetime, History Chanel, A&E and ESPN, which alone is worth $19billion today. Another important acquisition came in 2006 when Robert Iger, the then CEO of the company, decided to acquire Pixar Animation, a creative powerhouse which became one of the most successful partnerships in Disney’s history.

The intensive growth strategy of Disney continued in 2009 when it acquired Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4.24 billion (The Walt Disney Company, 2012). Company Portfolio; Operations and Major Holdings The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate of the world, with extensive operations in more than 40 countries around the world with its headquarters in Burbank, California United States. In terms of its size, Walt Disney has been recognized as one of the largest companies of the world by Fortune 500 with a total number of employees amounting to 144,000 as per the year 2011.

The stockholder’s equity amounted to a whopping $33,734 million (DATAMONITOR, 2011). Disney has a diversified portfolio and its major holdings have continued to increase over time. Walt Disney Motions Picture Group is one of flagship holdings that are also one of the best studios of Hollywood. It acquired ABC network along with its broadcasting television and radio stations. Walt