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The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution

Case Study Description of The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire?


Soon after Robert Iger took over as CEO of the Walt Disney Company in late 2005, he turned his attention toward Pixar, the animation studio with which Disney had worked since 1991 and was responsible for producing hits such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Disney's own animated film business had been in decline since Jeffrey Katzenberg left to establish rival studio Dreamworks and the business relied on revenue from its partnership with Pixar to maintain performance. With the Co- Production Agreement between the two studios coming to a close in 2006, Pixar was looking to negotiate better terms with another distribution partner. Could Disney risk losing them?

Authors :: Juan Alcacer, David J. Collis, Mary Furey

Topics :: Strategy & Execution

Tags :: Mergers & acquisitions, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis

Swot Analysis of "The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire?" written by Juan Alcacer, David J. Collis, Mary Furey includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Pixar Disney facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, Mergers & acquisitions and Strategy & Execution.


Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? casestudy better are - – increasing commodity prices, supply chains are disrupted by pandemic , there is increasing trade war between United States & China, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, customer relationship management is fast transforming because of increasing concerns over data privacy, wage bills are increasing, banking and financial system is disrupted by Bitcoin and other crypto currencies, increasing government debt because of Covid-19 spendings, there is backlash against globalization, etc



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Introduction to SWOT Analysis of The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire?


SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Pixar Disney, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Pixar Disney operates in.

According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.




SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix


SWOT analysis of The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Pixar Disney
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Strategy & Execution field.
4. Making a Strategy & Execution topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Pixar Disney




Strengths The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The strengths of Pixar Disney in The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? Harvard Business Review case study are -

Strong track record of project management

– Pixar Disney is known for sticking to its project targets. This enables the firm to manage – time, project costs, and have sustainable margins on the projects.

Operational resilience

– The operational resilience strategy in the The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? Harvard Business Review case study comprises – understanding the underlying the factors in the industry, building diversified operations across different geographies so that disruption in one part of the world doesn’t impact the overall performance of the firm, and integrating the various business operations and processes through its digital transformation drive.

Highly skilled collaborators

– Pixar Disney has highly efficient outsourcing and offshoring strategy. It has resulted in greater operational flexibility and bringing down the costs in highly price sensitive segment. Secondly the value chain collaborators of the firm in The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? HBR case study have helped the firm to develop new products and bring them quickly to the marketplace.

Successful track record of launching new products

– Pixar Disney has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Pixar Disney has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.

Low bargaining power of suppliers

– Suppliers of Pixar Disney in the sector have low bargaining power. The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Pixar Disney to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.

Superior customer experience

– The customer experience strategy of Pixar Disney in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.

Effective Research and Development (R&D)

– Pixar Disney has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.

Learning organization

- Pixar Disney is a learning organization. It has inculcated three key characters of learning organization in its processes and operations – exploration, creativity, and expansiveness. The work place at Pixar Disney is open place that encourages instructiveness, ideation, open minded discussions, and creativity. Employees and leaders in The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? Harvard Business Review case study emphasize – knowledge, initiative, and innovation.

Diverse revenue streams

– Pixar Disney is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.

Cross disciplinary teams

– Horizontal connected teams at the Pixar Disney are driving operational speed, building greater agility, and keeping the organization nimble to compete with new competitors. It helps are organization to ideate new ideas, and execute them swiftly in the marketplace.

High brand equity

– Pixar Disney has strong brand awareness and brand recognition among both - the exiting customers and potential new customers. Strong brand equity has enabled Pixar Disney to keep acquiring new customers and building profitable relationship with both the new and loyal customers.

Ability to recruit top talent

– Pixar Disney is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.






Weaknesses The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis

The weaknesses of The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? are -

Lack of clear differentiation of Pixar Disney products

– To increase the profitability and margins on the products, Pixar Disney needs to provide more differentiated products than what it is currently offering in the marketplace.

Slow to harness new channels of communication

– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Pixar Disney is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.

Increasing silos among functional specialists

– The organizational structure of Pixar Disney is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Strategy & Execution segment. Pixar Disney needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Pixar Disney to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.

Products dominated business model

– Even though Pixar Disney has some of the most successful products in the industry, this business model has made each new product launch extremely critical for continuous financial growth of the organization. firm in the HBR case study - The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? should strive to include more intangible value offerings along with its core products and services.

High cash cycle compare to competitors

Pixar Disney has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.

Interest costs

– Compare to the competition, Pixar Disney has borrowed money from the capital market at higher rates. It needs to restructure the interest payment and costs so that it can compete better and improve profitability.

Compensation and incentives

– The revenue per employee as mentioned in the HBR case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire?, is just above the industry average. Pixar Disney needs to redesign the compensation structure and incentives to increase the revenue per employees. Some of the steps that it can take are – hiring more specialists on project basis, etc.

Ability to respond to the competition

– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire?, in the dynamic environment Pixar Disney has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Pixar Disney has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.

Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy

– From the instances in the HBR case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire?, it seems that the employees of Pixar Disney don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.

Capital Spending Reduction

– Even during the low interest decade, Pixar Disney has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.

High operating costs

– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? has high operating costs in the. This can be harder to sustain given the new emerging competition from nimble players who are using technology to attract Pixar Disney 's lucrative customers.




Opportunities The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? are -

Learning at scale

– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Pixar Disney to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.

Use of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies for transactions

– The popularity of Bitcoin and other crypto currencies as asset class and medium of transaction has opened new opportunities for Pixar Disney in the consumer business. Now Pixar Disney can target international markets with far fewer capital restrictions requirements than the existing system.

Creating value in data economy

– The success of analytics program of Pixar Disney has opened avenues for new revenue streams for the organization in the industry. This can help Pixar Disney to build a more holistic ecosystem as suggested in the The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? case study. Pixar Disney can build new products and services such as - data insight services, data privacy related products, data based consulting services, etc.

Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains

– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Pixar Disney can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire?, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.

Leveraging digital technologies

– Pixar Disney can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.

Reconfiguring business model

– The expansion of digital payment system, the bringing down of international transactions costs using Bitcoin and other blockchain based currencies, etc can help Pixar Disney to reconfigure its entire business model. For example it can used blockchain based technologies to reduce piracy of its products in the big markets such as China. Secondly it can use the popularity of e-commerce in various developing markets to build a Direct to Customer business model rather than the current Channel Heavy distribution network.

Redefining models of collaboration and team work

– As explained in the weaknesses section, Pixar Disney is facing challenges because of the dominance of functional experts in the organization. The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? case study suggests that firm can utilize new technology to build more coordinated teams and streamline operations and communications using tools such as CAD, Zoom, etc.

Increase in government spending

– As the United States and other governments are increasing social spending and infrastructure spending to build economies post Covid-19, Pixar Disney can use these opportunities to build new business models that can help the communities that Pixar Disney operates in. Secondly it can use opportunities from government spending in Strategy & Execution sector.

Reforming the budgeting process

- By establishing new metrics that will be used to evaluate both existing and potential projects Pixar Disney can not only reduce the costs of the project but also help it in integrating the projects with other processes within the organization.

Manufacturing automation

– Pixar Disney can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Strategy & Execution segment. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.

Identify volunteer opportunities

– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Pixar Disney can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.

Lowering marketing communication costs

– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Pixar Disney in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Strategy & Execution segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.

Finding new ways to collaborate

– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Strategy & Execution industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Pixar Disney can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.




Threats The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis


The threats mentioned in the HBR case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? are -

Regulatory challenges

– Pixar Disney needs to prepare for regulatory challenges as consumer protection groups and other pressure groups are vigorously advocating for more regulations on big business - to reduce inequality, to create a level playing field, to product data privacy and consumer privacy, to reduce the influence of big money on democratic institutions, etc. This can lead to significant changes in the Strategy & Execution industry regulations.

Increasing international competition and downward pressure on margins

– Apart from technology driven competitive advantage dilution, Pixar Disney can face downward pressure on margins from increasing competition from international players. The international players have stable revenue in their home market and can use those resources to penetrate prominent markets illustrated in HBR case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? .

Technology acceleration in Forth Industrial Revolution

– Pixar Disney has witnessed rapid integration of technology during Covid-19 in the Strategy & Execution industry. As one of the leading players in the industry, Pixar Disney needs to keep up with the evolution of technology in the Strategy & Execution sector. According to Mckinsey study top managers believe that the adoption of technology in operations, communications is 20-25 times faster than what they planned in the beginning of 2019.

Easy access to finance

– Easy access to finance in Strategy & Execution field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Pixar Disney can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.

New competition

– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Pixar Disney in the Strategy & Execution sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.

Learning curve for new practices

– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire?, Pixar Disney may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Strategy & Execution .

High dependence on third party suppliers

– Pixar Disney high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.

Consumer confidence and its impact on Pixar Disney demand

– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.

Stagnating economy with rate increase

– Pixar Disney can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.

Trade war between China and United States

– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Pixar Disney in the Strategy & Execution industry. The Strategy & Execution industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.

Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc

– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.

Shortening product life cycle

– it is one of the major threat that Pixar Disney is facing in Strategy & Execution sector. It can lead to higher research and development costs, higher marketing expenses, lower customer loyalty, etc.

High level of anxiety and lack of motivation

– the Great Resignation in United States is the sign of broader dissatisfaction among the workforce in United States. Pixar Disney needs to understand the core reasons impacting the Strategy & Execution industry. This will help it in building a better workplace.




Weighted SWOT Analysis of The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? Template, Example


Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants. We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –

First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.

Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.

Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire? is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Pixar Disney needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.



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