1. Walter Elias Disney as an Entrepreneur
Hannah Slee

2. Walt’s Background Born 1901, Died 1966 (Lung Cancer)
Born in Chicago, Illinois
Married with two children (Diane & Sharon)
7 Emmy Awards, 22 Academy Awards & Cecile B DeMille Award
Father acquired shares in the O-Zell Jelly factory
1 brother –Roy Disney

3. Early Business Life
Aged 10 started doing a delivery of the Kansas City Times
Aged 16 rejected from the US Army after drawing cartoons for the high school newspaper
Joined the Red Cross and got sent to France to drive ambulances after armistice in 1918
Aged 19 (1920) started a short lived business ‘Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists’ but left after a bumpy start to work in the ‘Kansas City Film Ad Company’ and was soon joined by his business partner who couldn't run the company on his own
Aged 21 (1922) Laugh-O-Gram Studios – became bankrupt after high wages to staff

4. Continued Business Life
Disney Brothers Studios set up in California – THE START OF ALICE COMEDIES!
Alice Comedies aired
Oswold the Lucky Rabbit – 1926
Mickey Mouse
Theme Park – Disneyland California
Released Mary Poppins in 1964
1965 Walt announced plans to expand the theme parks and build Disney World
Early 1960’s Walt developed plans to build a ski resort in Sierra Nevada, California but after his death, environmental reasons stopped it from going ahead
After hiring Lillian Bounds in 1925 for Disney Brothers Studios, Walt and Lillian married the same year.
Alice Comedies were based on Alice in Wonderland, which Walt and Roy created in Kansas City and bought by a distributor Margret Winkler. Walt did the animation for the show by himself where Roy took on the role of cameraman
Disney lost the rights to Oswold after arguing with Mintz and Iwerks. The Walt Disney Company received the rights in 2006.
Mickey Mouse’s voice was done by Walt himself until 1947
Disneyland California – 1949 thinking started – opened in 1955 – wanted employees to be able to have fun with their children

5. Characteristics Self motivated and determination Innovative
Analytical abilities
Take risks – Snow White
Became successful in his thirties, after trying since 19!!
Father was a businessman – O-Zell Jelly when Walt was a child
A good manager – all about the people
Self motivated – ever since getting turned down from army – always gets rejected / messed about and still fights! Eg looking Oswold
Innovative – putting himself through animation night school while in high school – determination and created a business from it
Analytical abilities – from starting an idea all the way through financing, marketing and running it
Take risks – Mary Poppins, many companies
The company had always prided themselves on being all about the employees, and when you started you would graduate from mouse school! None of that happens now – which may be because Walt is no longer here!

6. SWOT Weaknesses! Changing viewer trends – loss of cinema’s
Bad reputation from local news stories
High operating costs
Limited range of target audience – children
Idealist corrupted idea to children
High employee turnover
Strength’s!
Diversified business – theme parks / TV
Brand Reputation!
Strong Customer Service Ethos
Opportunities!
Chinese market opening up
Growth in emerging markets – apps
School on management and training
Prospect to create more theme parks worldwide
Threats!
Loss of revenue – online piracy
Fierce competition - Universal / Paramount
Increase in labor costs
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7. Fun Facts Produced propaganda for the American Gov during World War 2!
Fascinated by trains – created a track around his home in Hollywood!
Has won more Academy Awards than anyone else (22)!
After his sudden death from lung cancer, rumors started that Walt had been cryogenically preserved (frozen) but he was actually cremated!
Was hell bent to create Snow White
His favorite character was Goofy
Walt has a planet named after him! 4017 Disneya was discovered by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Karachkina in 1980
Mickey Mouse was the first animated character to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
Disney never did his own famous signature or Mickey Mouse’s!
Mickey was originally Mortimer – but Walt’s wife thought it sounded too pompous!
- Snow White generated 8 million dollars on release (150mil now)
- Disney's final words remain a bizarre mystery. On his deathbed, he wrote the name "Kurt Russell" on a piece of paper. Even Kurt Russell himself is perplexed regarding the meaning. He was a child actor at the time of Disney's death, having just recently signed on with Disney studios
- His last film he oversaw was Jungle Book in 1966

8. Quotes
All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
It's kind of fun to do the impossible.
You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.
I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it.
When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.

9. Judgment
“Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled” - Harvard Business School professor Howard Stevenson
Has the characteristics of an entrepreneur and has taken many risks over his career:
He seen a gap in the animation market.
He seen a gap in the theme park market.
He set a standard for customer service.
Self belief in his own ideas and beliefs.
Self motivation and determination.

10. Reference List http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197528

11. BCG Matrix Relative Market Share Market Growth Rate Low High High
Question Marks
Studio Entertainment
Stars
Media Networks – Disney TV
Market Growth Rate
Boston Consulting Group Matrix
Media Networks and Broadcasting as “STARS”:
I have chosen Media networks unit as Stars because its growth in income is high, which is given in the case study that we had to refer to. In one of the exhibits provided its shown that in year 2006 income is $ but in year 2007 it increases to $ and market share is also high, i.e. Walt Disney owns number of diversified   media channels.
Studio Entertainment as “QUESTION MARK” :
In my opinion, Walt Disney’s Studio Entertainment is Question Mark because the growth is high as observed from the given case study, but its market share is low and the revenue from studio entertainment has shown a decrease by 1%.
Parks and resorts as “CASH COW”:
I have put the Parks and Resorts unit of Walt Disney as Cash Cow because market share is high as extracted from various exhibits given in the case study, but growth is low
Consumer Products as “PETS/DOGS”:
Lastly, in my opinion, Consumer Products of Walt Disney are pets/dogs because the growth in this business unit is low and also the market share is low. Also, recently Walt Disney sold off its stores under a franchising agreement.
Low
Dogs
Consumer Products – Disney toys
Cash Cows
Theme Parks