Know-How Exchange : Student Questions

Let's start with the basics: Why Disney? Do you have a personal interest in the company or a desire to be employed by them post-graduation? You might wish to focus on a challenge or trend that Disney is experiencing - it may be attendance at theme parks, safety, pricing, acquisition of new properties, or branding relevance for different target demographics. Think of your dissertation as a potential calling card to get an interview/hired. by Disney post-graduation. How do you wish to be seen by them?

I like to select topics after considering how I would research the elements. There's no sense locking in on a topic without knowing how and where I will begin. Where will you find the information you need?

Possible lines of questioning behind the subject: consumer behavior include ...

What fuels and propels Disney's mission?

"The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world's premier entertainment company."

Think: the experiences Disney crafts; the people it attracts in terms of talent and visitors; its profit potential (how Disney wrings as much money out of people as possible) places (and placemaking); its products and productions; its historical and current narratives and the associated stories; the potential for future stories told to and heard by audiences who don't exist yet (think 20 to 20 years from now, when many of the babies born in the last year may have families of their own).

What fuels and propels Disney's leadership?

Who the movers and shakers are, what they've brought to the company, and what legacy they leave behind. This applies equally to Disney's past and current senior executives and trustees, and to the staff on the ground in the parks, at the resorts, and behind the scenes in creation, production, administration, housekeeping, security, legal counsel, and so on.

What fuels and propels Disney's parks, experiences, and products?

Disney runs 13 parks around the world and thousands of stores. What does each kind of location bring to the customer experience table?

What fuels and propels Disney's Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED)?

This is Disney's direct-to-consumer streaming brands and services, and its international business units.

Then there are three other groups: 1., Studios Content group; 2., General Entertainment Content group, and 3., ESPN and Sports Content group—each of which has its varying audiences and content feeds, each of which drives a different kind of consumer behavior.

What are those behaviors? What avatars does Disney project to? How do the various kinds of behaviors vary depending on who's consuming what kind of content? Star Wars fans will react one way, Marvel fans will react another way, ESPN followers will respond in another way.

What kinds of stories and narratives elicit what kind of response and drive what kind of action?