Description
In the Module 3 Case, you will write Chapter 3 of your thesis-style paper – relating to the Political Frame. Using specific examples of “politics” (i.e., the “jungle”) as defined by Bolman and Deal, you will use the Political Frame as a lens through which you will analyze the downfall of Walt Disney Company CEO Michael Eisner.
Begin the Module 3 Case by visiting the Walt Disney Company website:
The Walt Disney Company. (2014). Retrieved on May 8, 2014 from
The following articles provide a good starting point concerning former CEO Eisner’s tenure with the Walt Disney Company:
White, D. (2005, Oct 01). When Mickey finally turned on his master. Michael Eisner’s reign at Disney is over. Dominic White reports. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved from Proquest.
Consider Michael Karpeles’ article relating to politics in the Disney boardroom:
Karpeles, M. D. (2005). Boardroom lessons from the Disney/Ovitz case. Corporate Board, 26(155), 6-10. Retrieved on June 10, 2014 from EBSCO – Business Source Complete.
Finally, read the following case study:
Forbes, W., & Watson, R. (n.d.). Destructive corporate leadership and board loyalty bias: A case study of Michael Eisner’s long tenure at Disney Corporation. City University London. Retrieved on June 10, 2014 from
Case Assignment
After you have reviewed the contents of the Walt Disney Company website, completed the above readings and those provided at the Background page of Module 3, and performed additional research from the library and the internet, write a 6- to 7-page paper in which you do the following:
Using the following five assumptions of the Political Frame, complete an in-depth assessment of the Walt Disney Company:
Organizations are coalitions of diverse individuals and interest groups.
There are enduring differences among coalition members in values, beliefs, information, interests, and perceptions of reality.
Most important decisions involve allocating scarce resources—who gets what.
Scarce resources and enduring differences make conflict central to organizational dynamics and underline power as the most important asset.
Goals and decisions emerge from bargaining, negotiation, and jockeying for position among competing stakeholders.
Keys to the Assignment
The key aspects of this assignment that are to be covered in your 5page paper include the following:
Using Bolman and Deal’s Political Frame, analyze the political behaviors surrounding the departure of Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Specifically, address the following:
Briefly identify and discuss the key political forces that led to Eisner’s downfall.
How does the “Jungle” metaphor apply to the Eisner case?
Describe the coalitions that formed at Disney. Then, identify those salient interests that caused the division between coalitions, and how these differences were ultimately resolved.
Discuss the Eisner case study in the context of two or three of Bolman and Deal’s Political Frame assumptions included above. How do the assumptions you’ve chosen inform what happened in the Michael Eisner case?
Briefly comment on the significance of the “Toxic Triangle”
