Bahria University

Lahore Campus
Department of Computer Sciences

Assignment

Select a company (domestic or international) that will be the basis for your research. Research
the company’s record in the area of CSR. Be sure to look at both their domestic and well as
international reputation.

Complete a written assignment that contains the following information:

1. A brief (one-paragraph) summary of the business you selected.

2. According to your research, how does the company rank with regard to CSR? Be sure to
provide a source for this ranking!
3. Describe specific examples of corporate actions that resulted in this company’s ranking.
4. Does a company’s approach to CSR influence your purchasing decisions? Why or why
not?
Summary:

The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney is an American diversified

multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney
Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 16, 1923, by
brothers Walt and Roy O. Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; it also operated under
the names The Walt Disney Studio and Walt Disney Productions before officially changing its
name to The Walt Disney Company in 1986. The company established itself as a leader in the
American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and
theme parks. Since the 1980s, Disney has created and acquired corporate divisions in order to
market more mature content than is typically associated with its flagship family-oriented brands.
The company is known for its film studio division, The Walt Disney Studios, which includes
Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucas film, 20th
Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and Blue Sky Studios. Disney's other main units and
reporting segments are Disney Media Networks, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, and
Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International. Through these segments, Disney owns and
operates the ABC broadcast network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN,
Freeform, FX, and National Geographic; publishing, merchandising, music, and theater
divisions; and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a group of 14 theme parks around the
world.

Ranking:
The Walt Disney Company ranks high on The Axios Harris Poll 100 for 2019, holding the No. 5
spot for the second consecutive year. The annual study uses proprietary research from The Harris
Poll Reputation Quotient to measure the reputations of the 100 most visible companies in the
U.S. and determine how people perceive these prominent businesses right now. Earlier this year,
Disney’s corporate reputation was also recognized by Fortune, which ranked Disney at No. 4 on
its list of the “World’s Most Admired Companies,” and the Company took the fourth spot on
Fast Company’s ranking of “The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies,” as well
Source:
https://www.csrhub.com/CSR_and_sustainability_information/The-Walt-Disney-Company

Corporate Actions:

The Walt Disney Company’s corporate social responsibility strategy supports and manages the
expectations of stakeholders of the mass media, entertainment, theme parks and resorts,
consumer goods, and retail conglomerate. On the surface, the company’s CSR strategy is all
about the natural environment and support for solutions to community and societal issues.
However, Disney’s corporate citizenship goals are interlinked with the strategic objectives of the
company’s different businesses. For example, environmental impact policies ensure business
sustainability and related stakeholder interests, while also supporting Disneyland operations in
terms of maintaining the amusement parks and resorts’ greenery and natural balance. In this way,
such corporate responsibility efforts also directly enable the effective implementation of
Disney’s generic competitive strategy and intensive growth strategies. This multifaceted CSR
approach helps the company compete against other firms, including Sony, Viacom, Time
Warner, and Comcast (parent company of Universal Studios). Disney’s corporate social
responsibility strategy and associated initiatives and programs are part of an overall strategic
positioning that benefits the entire organization, including subsidiaries like Marvel Studios and
Pixar Animation Studios.

As a major player in the international theme parks and resorts, and media and entertainment
industries, The Walt Disney Company successfully addresses and manages stakeholders’
demands. The company’s overarching corporate citizenship approach is holistic in satisfying
stakeholder’s interests as well as the operational effectiveness and financial objectives of the
business. In this way, the corporate social responsibility strategy ensures an ethical Disney that
profits from providing valuable entertainment products and experiences to customers worldwide.

Components of Disney’s Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy

Disney groups its corporate social responsibility efforts into two: Environment and Philanthropy.
These CSR groups address two main concerns of the media and entertainment company’s
stakeholders: environmental impact and community impact. Thus, in general, Disney’s corporate
citizenship is two-pronged. However, an examination of the specific programs and initiatives
contained in the CSR strategy shows that the company’s approach is multi-faceted and holistic in
considering the conglomerate’s operations and stakeholders. The main components of The Walt
Disney Company’s corporate social responsibility strategy are:

1. Environmental Stewardship (Environment)

2. Conservation Fund (Environment)
3. Charitable Giving (Philanthropy)
4. Volunteering (Philanthropy)

Environmental Stewardship. This component of Disney’s corporate citizenship efforts

addresses stakeholders’ interests about the environmental impact of the company’s business
operations. For example, as part of this CSR component, some of the main strategic objectives
are waste diversion, emission reduction, and water conservation. Waste diversion programs aim
to reuse and recycle materials from Disney’s operations, such as in amusement parks and resorts,
to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. Thus, environmental stewardship makes the
corporate social responsibility strategy enhance the sustainability and greening of the global
business, with the natural environment as a stakeholder in business ethics considerations in
Disney’s strategic management.

Conservation Fund. Disney’s Conservation Fund extends corporate social responsibility

initiatives to stakeholders and parties that are not necessarily directly impacted by the media and
entertainment, parks and resorts, and consumer goods and retail business. This CSR strategy
component involves programs for saving wildlife, protecting the planet, and facilitating
community involvement. For example, through the Conservation Fund, the media and
entertainment conglomerate financially supports and cooperates with conservation organizations
for the purpose of improving the populations of endangered or at-risk species. In addition, The
Walt Disney Company has corporate citizenship programs that encourage and enable
communities to participate in greening and sustainability activities via nonprofit organizations.
The corporation also promotes environmental conservation literacy in this manner, along with
related literacy programs included in its theme parks and resorts operations. This corporate social
responsibility strategic component expresses Disney’s interests in managing and satisfying
communities as stakeholders of the multinational business.

Charitable Giving. Also under the philanthropic thrust of its corporate citizenship strategy,
Disney engages in charity work as part of efforts to fulfill its corporate social responsibilities.
For example, funds and materials are provided to nonprofits for a variety of purposes, thereby
helping support individuals and communities, while also drawing potential customers to the
company’s amusement parks, resorts, movies, and other products. Charitable giving reinforces
the strategic strengths identified in the SWOT analysis of The Walt Disney Company. This part
of the company’s CSR efforts supports the interests of various stakeholders, such as
conservationists concerned about the environmental impact of Disneyland operations, depending
on the nonprofit organization involved, as well as the company’s current leadership focus.

Volunteering. Disney allocates some of its human resource time to support its corporate social
responsibility strategy. This part of the strategy focuses on solutions to problems of interest to
stakeholders, such as through the volunteer action of artists and engineers to support skills
development among the youth. The success of volunteering relies on the effectiveness of
Disney’s corporate culture in instilling the right mindset that explores corporate citizenship
opportunities beyond those that the business operations influence. This CSR component
facilitates the diffusion of sustainability, business ethics, and other aims to stakeholder groups
around the world. Along with charitable giving, volunteering has the added effect of enhancing
The Walt Disney Company’s marketing mix (4P) effectiveness via public relations.

Does a company’s approach to CSR influence your purchasing decisions?

I more likely to start shopping at a company that chooses to support an issue to which its
customers agree with. Because when a company shares their consumers’ views and values and
helps contribute to solving a problem everyone agrees is a problem, consumers are going to want
to keep working with or buying from that company. As consumers hold the power of choice over
businesses and can use their money as a tool to affect change and influence how businesses
operate.