What factors contributed to Euro-Disney’s poor performance during its first year of operation?
1） The expensive cost for each park attractions and also the hotels around Disney need charge more cost than other hotel in Paris.
2） Weather is not good in Paris.
3） The historic problem between American and French let Disney not attract customers.
4） Disney executives failed to plan the future like recession at the end of the 1980s and the halt on planned vacations after the Gulf War in 1991.
5） Disney executives also did not invite investors to a share in the project. They wanted to design and build themselves with a view to selling at a profit. They were influenced by their experience in Tokyo Disneyland when they licensed its name and image to another company who raked in all profits and left the parent company with a meager share
6） They downsized breakfast service because they were erroneously informed that Europeans don’t eat breakfast. 2,500 customers showed up in 350 seat hotels.
7） Europeans spent only 1 or 2 days to visit the park compared to their American counterpart who spent at least 3 days.
To what degree do you consider that these factors were foreseeable and controllable by either Euro Disney of the parent company, Disney? Most of problems are foreseeable and controllable. If Disney hires a European management, they may think like European to consider their development in Europe. The other big problem is the culture, Disney should have a research department since they need know the what are differences between America and Europe. What role does ethnocentrism play in the story of Euro Disney’s launch? Ethnocentrism is the tendency to believe that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own. The ethnocentric individual will judge other groups relative to his or her own particular ethnic group or culture, especially with concern to language, behavior, customs, and religion. This is a particular problem for American managers who believe that their ways are always right without respect to another’s culture, values and beliefs.
How do you assess the cross-cultural marketing skills of Disney? The culture differences like: Eating habits of European, personal grooming, walking versus riding and vacation customs. However, in last decide, Disney change their cross-culture marketing strategy: put some European entertainment in Disney, using different language in Disney characters and props and food.
Why did success in Tokyo predispose Disney management to be too optimistic in their expectation of success in France? The first Disney theme park to be built outside the United States was Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. Between 1990 and 1992, 14 million people had visited Tokyo Disneyland, three-fourths of who returned to visit. An ordinary family of four would also send $600 a night to stay in a Disney hotel. Disney also intended to correct the business opportunities it lost by failing to foresee potential money-makers. In Orlando, Florida, the