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Introduction / Problem Identification
The Harpo Entertainment group is a privately held company that operates as a film and television production entity. It focuses on productions ranging from made-for-TV movies and ministries, to feature films, books and magazines, videotapes, and CD’s. Harpo’s biggest success and greatest revenue is generated from the long running daytime talk show; The Oprah Winfrey Show. The company was founded in 1986 and is based in Chicago, Illinois with additional offices in Los Angeles, California. Ms. Oprah Winfrey is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, and holds 90% ownership in the business. The President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) is Mr. Jeffrey Jacobs. Mr. Doug Pattison holds the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
The Harpo group is a well diversified group with staying power that will last for several years to come. The main problem is that it is a very mature group with a loyal audience that does not expand in numbers rapidly. They need to capture new people and bring them into the Harpo fan club. This is a difficult prospect because Oprah has set the mandate down of being an uplifting quality program that does not reach out to people with shock value. Keeping the moral focus of the group is a primary goal. This can have a limiting effect on the number of new fans because of the limited word of mouth. Also, Oprah has been labeled in recent years as being more preachy than helpful. This fact also limits the ability for Oprah to expand into other markets.
Societal Environmental Analysis
The economic situation for Harpo Industries is a little different than most companies. The big money making division, The Oprah Winfre ...