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• Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2019

  The Walt Disney Company: The 21st Century Fox Acquisition and Digital Distribution

  David J. Collis

  Citation:

  Collis, David J. "The Walt Disney Company: The 21st Century Fox Acquisition and Digital Distribution." Harvard Business School Case 719-445, January 2019.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | March 2017 (Revised December 2018)

  Reawakening the Magic: Bob Iger and the Walt Disney Company

  David Collis and Ashley Hartman

  Mickey Mouse, Snow White, and Buzz Lightyear strolled down Main Street at the grand opening of Hong Kong Disney in the fall of 2005, pausing to snap selfies with enthusiastic children in Mickey Mouse ears. Bob Iger, newly appointed CEO of The Walt Disney Company, proudly watched the parade go by, but concerned for the future of the global corporation, he turned to colleagues and asked, “How many characters in this parade were created by Disney in the last 10 years?” There was one. But the languishing Disney animation department was not the company’s only problem. Disney was under pressure: the company had recently delivered poor financial results; ratings at the ABC network had fallen below competitors; Walt’s nephew, Roy E. Disney, had stepped down from the Board after expressing his displeasure with the direction of the company under Iger’s predecessor, Michael Eisner; and Comcast had made a $54 billion hostile bid to take over Disney only one year before. The situation for Disney looked bleak.
  Yet by December 2015 the tide had turned. The much-anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens was set to become the highest grossing film ever in the U.S. and earn over $2 billion worldwide. Frozen had just surpassed $1 billion in box office to become Disney animation’s biggest success ever. In live action movies, Disney franchises, like Pirates of the Caribbean and Marvel’s Iron Man, had produced multiple blockbuster hits. ESPN, ABC, and other cable and broadcast properties were producing record profits. Attendance was up at Disney parks and cruise ships, while the Shanghai Disney Resort, the company’s third and largest theme park in Asia, was scheduled to open in June 2016. Iger thought back to the Hong Kong Disney parade, reflecting on how far the company had come and the lessons he had learned about reawakening the Disney magic.

  Keywords: franchise management; brand management; culture change; business units; acquisition strategy; technological change; Disney; ESPN; cord-cutting; Bob Iger; Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Diversification; Integration; Media; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Consumer Products Industry;

  Citation:

  Collis, David, and Ashley Hartman. "Reawakening the Magic: Bob Iger and the Walt Disney Company." Harvard Business School Case 717-483, March 2017. (Revised December 2018.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2015 (Revised October 2018)

  Nasty Gals Do It Better

  David Collis, Diane Chang, Matthew Shaffer and Ashley Hartman

  In 2006, Sophia Amoruso started Nasty Gal, an eBay boutique selling vintage clothes. With a strong sense of style and personality, Amoruso poured herself into building the brand and developing relationships with her customers—typically the slightly edgy 18–24 year old. The company had grown since that time into a multi-category retailer, expanding into third-party clothing, accessories, and its own private label. Its explosive growth was one of the biggest stories in e-commerce, especially when the retailer attracted $50 million in investment from Index Ventures, a top VC firm that funded other successful retailers such as Net-a-Porter and Etsy, in 2013. Yet, with a cash infusion, plans for a brick and mortar store, an ever-growing e-commerce site, and fierce competition, Amoruso wondered what opportunity to tackle next. Should she concentrate on product line expansion into lingerie, swimwear, cosmetics, and fragrances? How would a brick and mortar store impact the focus of the company or its ability to develop customized web sites for overseas markets? How would she maintain the detail and attention she had put into so many aspects of the company as Nasty Gal grew? As Amoruso's time was limited and management resources were already spread thin to sustain the existing site's growth, what was the best way forward?

  Keywords: Business growth; brand management; e-commerce; online retail; social media; clothing; Apparel; Expansion; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Management; Marketing Strategy; Strategic Planning; Retail Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; United States;

  Citation:

  Collis, David, Diane Chang, Matthew Shaffer, and Ashley Hartman. "Nasty Gals Do It Better." Harvard Business School Case 715-412, January 2015. (Revised October 2018.)  View Details

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