IHRM

Human Resource Practice at Disney

Case Presentation
Dr. I. Parvin Banu
Associate Professor & Head
PG and Research Department of International Business
Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts & Science
Coimbatore - 641 006
Tamil Nadu, India
1
About Walt Disney
Company
Founded in 1922 by
21 year old Walt
Disney and his older
brother Roy.
Walt Disney – Creative
Producer.
Roy – The Business
Brain behind the
Company.
Growth of Walt
Disney Company

In1990, developed
into $23 billion media
conglomerate.
Struggled for
Corporate success.

In 1928, Mickey
Mouse character was
co-created by Walt
Disney and Ub lwerks.
Growth of Walt
Disney Company

•Distribution agreements
with powerful corporate
sponsors.
•First feature – length
animated color film “Snow
White and Seven Dwarfs”
was highly successful.
•Innovative use of Sounds
and Technicolor.
•Audio-animatronics. – life-
like replicas of people and
animals.
Audio Animatronics
Audio Animatronics
Audio Animatronics
Labour Discrimination issues in Disney
• Gender based division of Task.
• Walt Disney was Paternalistic(Restricting freedom) and
Domineering(trying to control other people without understanding their
feelings).
• No women or Black people promoted to senior position.
• No Union Representation.
• In 1971, when both the brothers died, the Business under performed.
• In September 1984, new Management was appointed. – Michael Eisner
and Frank Wells. – Highest paid professional managers in the history of
American business.
• They adopted new strategies, hard human resource management policy,
- By 1991, Walt Diney became a Corporate Power.
Labour Discrimination issues in Disney
• Walt Disney has 4 theme parks and employs 50,000 workers.
• Casting – assigning work according to age and appearance
• Presentable – Frontline jobs
• Old ladies – sell merchandise
• Old men – Security
• Haitian women – house keeping
• Puerto Rican young people – food, service and preparation
• African – Americans – Cooks and stewards
• Rate of staff turnover – 200 – 300 percent
• Service Trade Council Union Consortium(STCU) – benchmark
monitoring system
 Disneyland in Japan
• American managers
• Leisure from work
• Recovery from World war experience
 EuroDisney
• Opened in April 1992 in an Agricultural land in
Paris.
• Company managers from America
• French culture
• European social and eating pattern
• Disney University – training and orienting
employees to the global corporate philosophy