Hong Kong Disneyland Case Analysys

International Management

Case Analysis 1: Hong Kong Disneyland

Professor: Dr. Dilip Patel

In the United States, Disney and the cultural symbols associated with Disney take on an almost magical meaning. American guests visiting Disney theme parks are welcomed by cast members (Disney employees) who share the same cultural understanding and interpret the ideas and symbols presented by the Disney organization in the same way and guests and cast members do not misinterpret meaning in their interactions. Disney management, employees and guests all share in the understanding of the sociocultural environment of the United Sates and interpret cultural symbols and communication similarly, thus the meaning of symbols and communication is not lost in translation and the intent of the attractions and entertainment and interaction from employees is effectively transferred to guests. However, in Disney's expansion to enter the Chinese market through their Hong Kong Disneyland (HKD) endeavor, the transfer of meaning and intent is not as straightforward and in order for Disney to be successful in their expansion Disney must adapt culturally and recontextualize the assets that Disney brings to the Chinese market.

When Disney embarked on creating Hong Kong Disneyland, they already had experience with internationalization, both successful, in Tokyo Disneyland, and unsuccessful, in Disney Paris. This prior experience allowed Disney to have mechanisms, such as using feng shui designers, Chinese symbols of luck and fortune, and customary cuisine, in place to help with internationalization in Hong Kong; however Disney still lacked in certain areas with regards to cultural sensitivity. HKD was ineffective in adapting to the Chinese culture because the cultural orientation and management was centered on the Disney way, rather than Disney's implementation of the traditional Chinese management and socialization. Disney did not seem to look into the details of the aspects of employee training that would be lost in between the cultures. This prevented Disney from ensuring the message was understood as intended.

Looking at Disney's strategic assets, such as the products they offered, their services, and ideologies. Disney had difficulty implementing the service orientation and conveying the message of safety and friendliness at HKD, which put Disney in an unfavorable position. Also, the human resources practices such as dress code did not transfer well to the Chinese culture. Disney also did not seem have adequate measures to ensure the recontextualizations as understood by individuals and guests within the park reflected the intended message, which could have been done through additional cultural training.

Additionally, it also appeared that Disney did not sufficiently address certain practices when launching