313 Exam One

What is a cultural studies approach and how can it help us explain the relationship between business and culture?

What is a cultural studies approach and how can it help us explain the relationship between business and culture?

A cultural studies approach examines the way cultural practices and interactions with political and economic structures influence a business, its consumerism and the power dynamics and meanings it values within.

How is the power of Walt Disney company both economic and cultural?

The Walt Disney Company’s economic power lies in its many company holdings, while their cultural power lies in their ability to shape the dreams of the younger generation.

Who has agency and power in the Disney organization and how can they use it?

A combination of management leadership, shareholders, licensees, employees, and consumers all share power and utilize it in creative, individualistic ways that contribute to the purpose and meaning of Disney.

Why is it important for us to reflect on our own relationships to Disney brands and products?

reflecting on our relationship with Disney brands and products if crucial because our personal experiences can reveal insights into how these brands shape cultural norms and values, while our pre-existing attitudes may lead to blind spots that affect…

What does it mean to call Mickey Mouse and intertext?

Mickey mouse is constantly changing over time and can not be understood as one fixed symbol, but rather a complex symbol that has different meanings to various individuals and generations.

How does Mickey: The story of a Mouse confront the intertextual nature of Mickey Mouse and work as part of that intertext to focus its meanings?

Mickey Mouse is perceived, not through one animation, but through the combination of all forms of his character. Individual animators are able to add their own spin to the character and frame Mickey within the historical context of the time.

Why is Disney so protective of the Mickey Mouse character?

Mickey’s character is representative of many different things to many people as well as representative of Disney’s brand image, so Disney protecting his character is also a protection of the brand itself to both Disney themselves and their broader audience.

How are animated characters tied to the racist performance styles of blackface minstrelsy?

Vaudeville theater performers influenced animated characters to exhibit exaggerated features, elastic dancing, and costumes associated with blackface minstrelsy, like Mickey Mouse’s white gloves.

What Minstrel conventions can we see in Steamboat Willie and are they still a part of the Mickey Mouse intertext today?

Mickey specifics like him as a laborer or bodies being stretched.

How did Disney expand from producing animated shorts to become a major Hollywood studio?

Disney’s expansion was propagated by the use of television (partnered with ABC) as a multimedia marketing tool to promote film production, merchandise, and eventually the theme park.

In what ways are Disney’s current film and television operations vertically integrated?

Disney had almost total control over several means of production in producing (Walt Disney Studios), showing/exhibiting (El Capitan Theatre), and distributing (Hulu/Disney+/Disney Channel, etc.) their own movies and television programs.

In what ways are Disney’s current film and television operations horizontally integrated?

Through developing the relationships with the various distribution companies that Disney owns, the Disney company is able to create new products to sell within parks, franchise stores, cruise lines, and other Disney owned retailers.

How did Disney’s expansion into television in the 1950s support a strategy of “total merchandising”?

Disney’s expansion to television is representative of total merchandising as the Disneyland show was aimed to both attract people to the park and constantly promote other products while drawing people into the magic of Disney.

What strategies does the Disneyland TV series use to encourage the consumption of Disney texts, products, and experiences?

The Disneyland TV series uses a centrifugal model, where each episode shown pushes them toward furthering Disney experiences such as films, theme parks, and consumer products to complete their story related to characters or a text they may have interest in.

-centrifugal model and storytelling

Why is Disney currently prioritizing investment in parks, cruises and other consumer experiences?

Because Disney considers their theme park and consumer experiences as their “growth engine”, which allows them to distinguish themselves from other competing businesses like Netflix and gain profit.

What strategies does Disney use to produce lifestyles from consumer engagement with its products?

Disney integrates its characters and stories across various channels for a cohesive and immersive brand experience that helps to appeal to a wide array of consumers and cultural practices.

How do Disney consumer products extend the educational and curricular appeals used by television texts like Disneyland?

Educational and curricular consumer products naturalize the brand's ideals/values and solidify them in artifacts of culture in ways that the public can consume otuside of Disney parks or viewing Disney programs.

In what ways has Disney structured its company around sports media?

Disney reorganized its structure, making ESPN one of its three main divisions, which has proved successful by branding Disney characters with sports and bringing in higher profits that the entertainment division from carraige fees, subscriptions, and more.

How has Disney relied upon a bundling strategy to support its sports business?

Disney relies upon bundling to support its sports business by making ESPN mandatory in basic cable packages, ensuring a wide distribution and making it a go-to destination for sports fans.

How does Disney balance the value of bundling with the possibilities of breaking its assets apart?

Disney employs a strategy of surgical culling to balance bundling and unbundling, selectively sacrificing certain assets that do not align with their long-term goals while prioritizing investments that foster the company’s growth.

What is financialization and how has it impacted the media business?

Financialization refers to the increasing power of the financial industry on the media industry and allows media businesses to take more financial risks, puts an emphasis on quantitative metrics, and encourages short-term metrics over foundational investments.

What power do trade journals and other industry analysts have to shape our understanding of Disney?

Trade journals are designed to be read by professionals who want to understand how their industry works which provides insight into how Disney understands what type of business they are and how we understand Disney’s role in their industry.

What cultural functions does authorship perform? Why does it matter if something is authored?

Authorship is about a claim of ownership, shaping meaning and value over a work. It also classifies and creates relationships between works, which are related to social and institutional constructs.

How does Disney construct the authorship of Walt Disney within its screen products?

Saving Mr. Banks illustrated Disney not just as a businessman but as a passionate storyteller, emphasizing his desire to bring “Mary Poppins” to life which navigating the complexities of securing the rights from PL Travers.

How does the authorship we recognize in Walt Disney reinforce the ideology of the American Dream?

Walt Disney built himself from nothing, he supported his country, and he could build the vision of the future he has for Disney.

How could the myth of authorship around Walt Disney be contested?

Disney’s “family friendly” and “patriotic” image is misaligned with many unfortunate realities about the company, including racist and antisemitic animations, labor issues, as well as a complicated history with fellow Hollywood professionals, which were…

In the Walt Disney company, what kinds of challenges does the CEO face on an everyday basis?

The CEO must strategically balance the management of employee satisfaction, maintaining the company finances, navigating public relations, building external partnerships, and addressing crises - all while driving the company’s long-term growth and vision.

How has the leadership of the Walt Disney company changed since the death of its founder?

The company’s leadership has evolved through a series of CEOs and board members, creating a mix of insiders who understand Disney’s vision and with outsiders who contribute innovative ideas and fresh perspectives.

In an age of financilization, how secure are leadership positions within media empires like Disney?

Leadership positions in media empires like Disney are often not very secure due to expectations from investors and shareholders pressures and influences of change.

How does Waking Sleeping Beauty represent change and conflict within Disney’s corporate culture?

Through the struggles seen with prior executives Roy Disney, Michael Eisner, and Jeffery Katzenberg, Waking Sleeping Beauty demonstrates what goes into rebuilding what at one point was a failing industry.

In his autobiography, how does Bob Iger present himself as particularly well suited to the work of corporate leadership?

He’s the guy who can bridge cultural bridges and bring the company together.

How has Disney exercised its own governmental authority at the state and local level in Florida?

Disney’s acquisition of the Reedy Creek improvement district allowed Disney to have the power to eminent domain, declare zoning regulations (including roads), and declare building codes.

How did Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis try to challenge Disney’s local governance authority?

Abolishment of the RCID, Central Florida Tourism Oversight District - he chooses the board himself.

Why did the residents of Disney’s urban planning experiment in Celebration, FL find it difficult to voice challenges to Disney’s authority over their community?

Disney maintained legal control over Celebration through contractual and zoning agreements, limiting residents’ ability to influence decisions and challenge corporate authority.

How is the consumption of Disney products shaped by class distinctions, even as Disney attempts to market its products to everyone?

People who possess the necessary economic and cultural capital are able to afford Disney products and know which products to buy.

What benefits and risks does Disney face when it produces exclusive experiences that most consumers cannot access?

Disney creates exclusive experiences like Galactic Starcruiser that run the risk of failing and shutting down. However, these experiences also have the potential to bring in more profit than less with exclusive experiences.

What is labor and where can we see it in the Disney organziation?

Labor is work, and the One Day at Disney shorts seek to make employees who have formed working identities that align with Disney’s core valyes more visible to the public.

How does Disney represent its labor force in the One Day at Disney shorts?

Disney’s laborers are represented through a sense of pride in one’s work and through retention rate, while the magic of Disney as a workplace is highlighted.

How do employees navigate the expectations that are placed on them as “cast members”?

Employees navigate the expectations and pressure to adhere to Disney rules and norms by learning to regulate their emotions, using techniques such as surface acting, which are a large part of the cast member training process.