HARVARD BUSINESS PUBLISHING CASE STUDY

“Disneyland to Disney World – the Art of Land Assembly”
Suggested Approach:
• Read the entire case and the exhibits first;
• Assess what is really important to each of the stakeholders;
• Consider the development process as presented in this course.
• Understand who are the decision-makers: who can make decisions on the proposed project, or decisions within the project;
• Decide what will ultimately determine success or failure for Disney; and
• Think about what strategy you would employ if different from what is or seems to be suggested by the case.
A Memorandum should include the following analysis:
a. Establish or describe the material aspects or context of the case; and
b. Identify and discuss the primary stakeholders, and describe what is most important to each of them, and what are their motivations.
c. Analyze the following issues:

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 After its experience in California, Disney was convinced that it would be exploited at the bargaining table if its plans to develop near Orlando became known. Is this necessarily true with all development; is there any strategy other than working secretly that might have protected Disney from exploitation?
 Disney acquired its Florida property through dummy (untraceable 3rd parties) corporations. Does this raise any ethical questions? How might such a land acquisition policy affect the company’s negotiations with govt officials over regulatory issues?
 Evaluate whether, and the extent to which Disney did a good job, aligning the interests of the various stakeholders or parties. Evaluate the effectiveness of Disney’s decisions on the major issues that the company faces.
 Why does Disney lobby for an Improvement District? What are implications of having its property controlled by such a quasi-governmental entity? What issues does it present to the local community and city?
 Describe the strategies that you would have used, or the decisions that you would have made, if they are different from what is stated in the case.
 Add any other thoughts or comments about this case that you deem significant.

Sample Solution