The
Business Behind the Magic
Smith Undergrads Go Backstage at Walt
Disney World
This year when 28 lucky undergraduate
students at the University of Maryland’s
Robert H. Smith School of Business
wished upon a star, their dreams came
true! On May 22, 2008, students in the
College Park Scholars Business, Society
& the Economy program, accompanied by
program director Mark Wellman, traded
their text books for mouse ears at the
Disney Institute in Orlando, Fl.
The
Disney Institute welcomes professionals
from around the world to examine and
discuss the “Disney Approach” to
business and management. Since 1986, the
Disney Institute has provided tours,
team experiences, continuing education,
and custom solutions to companies
seeking a spark of “Disney Magic.”
Additionally, company executives,
including the executive vice president
of the infamous imagineering department,
are available for keynote speeches and
discussion sessions. Such offerings
prove valuable for business-minded
college students, especially since the
Disney Corporation is rated the No. 1
employer by recent college graduates,
regardless of major.
Bunking up on-property at the
All-Star resorts, the scholars were able
to enjoy the many amenities of Walt
Disney World. Friendly, accommodating
cast members, as Disney employees are
referred to, free transportation to all
Disney locations and impeccably clean
grounds contributed to their total
Disney culture immersion, but the spell
was soon broken by a peek at “Backstage”
Disney.
A
“Behind the Magic” tour first exposed
the business behind the fairy tales.
Besides a look at laundry services and
the manufacturing plant, students were
shown the textile services department
for the Florida attractions, where each
costume is hand-sewn and individually
inspected for quality. Junior Rachel Hsu
was particularly struck by this
experience: “I definitely have a
stronger understanding of the systems,
people and processes behind the scenes
that work together to produce a quality
experience. It’s not just factory
machines churning out costumes or sets;
it’s the people who take the greatest
care in stitching every costume.”
Rachel’s experience perfectly
complimented one of the trip’s goals,
which was to discover systems, people
and processes behind the scenes that
work together to produce a quality
experience.
Junior
Michelle Lacey felt that much of what
she learned at the Disney Institute
could be applied to most companies. In
line with another goal of the trip, to
gain insight into all of the work
required to execute a memorable customer
experience, Michelle discussed the
synergy of the various departments: “It
was amazing for me to see that even
though there were so many different
pieces, all of the employees had a
common focus on detail and wanted to
live up to Walt Disney’s goal of
perfection.”
Walt Disney said, “You can design and
create, and build the most wonderful
place in the world, but it takes people
to make the dream a reality.” Bearing
this tenet in mind, the scholars learned
that the magic behind the Disney
Corporation isn’t just fairy dust – it’s
the tireless cast members who take it to
heart. And with Disney ranked as the top
place to “Launch a Career” by
BusinessWeek, maybe one Scholar will
find their place among them.
Related Web Sites:
College Park Scholars,
Business Society & the Economy
By Amy Taylor, Office
of Marketing Communications
