Corporate Website Research: The Walt Disney Company

University Degree Business and Administrative studies

CORPORATE WEBSITE RESEARCH

Corporate Website Research

The Walt Disney Company

Financial Management

3/24/2011

The Walt Disney Company is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. I am eagerly waiting to learn how the Company works in each of their divisions and which divisions are growing and which divisions are in a decline. How The Company prioritizes their resources is information that I am looking to get out of my research. The main website for Disney () is primarily a vehicle to advertise and promote the Disney Channel as a media outlet. Disney’s corporate site () focuses more on the company’s business as a whole.

The corporate home page breaks the company across their four main divisions: The Walt Disney Studios or Studio Entertainment, which includes the company's film, recording label, and theatrical divisions; Parks and Resorts, featuring the company's theme parks, cruise line, and other travel-related assets; Disney Consumer Products, which produces toys, clothing, and other merchandising based upon Disney-owned properties, and Media Networks, which includes the company's television and Internet operations. Disney’s target market is consisting mostly of families, which is evident by the products and services provided by each division.

The Investor relations portion of the Disney site can be found directly from directly from the main corporate page. This site provides countless amount of information on the company’s financial dealings as well as corporate governance and citizenship. Disney has also made their 2011 Meeting of Shareholders available to view via web cast through their investor relations site. This unique feature will allow for Disney to have more fluid communication and connectivity to their shareholders and potential investors as well. The Disney stock price is displayed as $42.86 a share as of 4 PM on March 24, 2011 ("The Walt ...

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The Walt Disney Company’s 2010 Annual Report can also be easily accessed from the Disney corporate site. In this 120 page document income statements, balance sheets, and statements of cash flow for the 2010 fiscal year can be found. Disney’s mission statement can also be found in the Annual Report:

The Walt Disney Company operates a global entertainment portfolio of Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, and Consumer Products. This wide array reaches out to the world through its television broadcasts, Internet businesses, theme parks, and the many ventures of The Walt Disney Company's subsidiaries (, 2010).

This mission was reiterated by President and C.E.O. Robert A. Iger in his letter to shareholders included in the Annual Report. In the letter he explains the company’s operations for the year 2010, going into detail on the company’s success and challenges. Disney benefited from the success of films Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland, each totaling over one billion in world-wide box office gross. Iger also explained benefits that the company’s acquisition of Marvel Entertainment will have on shareholders both in the short and long term.

The review of a corporation’s web site and how it relates to financial management is very important. I learned a great deal from my analysis of Disney website, especially into their investor relations. The company places an emphasis on each of their division, as all four contribute to the company’s mission statement. I can now do more in depth research into a company’s financial information after my review of Disney.

References

. (2010). Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Financial Report and Shareholder Letter (Annual Report). Burbank, California: The Walt Disney Company.

. (n.d.). The Walt Disney Company - Investor Relations. Retrieved March 24, 2011, from www.corporate.disney.go.com/investors