Case on Hong Kong Disney

Tiffin University |

Case 1: Hong Kong Disneyland

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MGT 614 Global and Transnational Management |

Katie Tooley

1/26/2013

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Introduction

The first international Disney theme park was Tokyo Disneyland, which was opened on April 15, 1983 in Uraysau, just outside of Tokyo. This venture was regarded as one of the most successful amusement parks in the world. This led Disney to attempt to replicate the success in France so in 1992 they opened Disneyland Resort Paris. This was not met with the same success as Disneyland Tokyo. From reading the case, I get the feeling that Disneyland management didn’t learn from their mistakes with Disneyland Resort Paris and they ended up with the mess that was Hong King Disneyland.

This case goes into detail about Disney’s third attempt into opening a park outside of the United States (U.S.), Hong Kong Disneyland. The case also talks about the travel industry in Hong Kong and the issues that Disney encountered in its first year of operations.

Adapt or Not to Adapt, That is the Question

There are examples of how the management of Hong Kong Disneyland (HKD) had used the Chinese cultural in the park planning. The path leading to Hong Kong Disneyland's main gate was designed with a bend in it. The bend, according to Feng Shui will slow the flow of Chi and stop it from flowing past the main gate (Steed, 2010). Hong Kong Disneyland's main gate was designed in a north-south facing position to ensure good luck. The main ballroom at the Disneyland Hotel is 888 square meters. Feng Shui considers the number 888 as a wealthy number (Steed, 2010).

But these items were just for show as the staff and management did not fully implement the beliefs and culture of the Chinese people. They, the management and staff, made it look like they were adapting their park to their clientele but in reality it was just an empty shell. Take what we have been learning in class this past week. You should have a great awareness and understanding of...