The Business Behind the Magic

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” byBusinessWeek, 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