ASSIGNMENT NO.

TITLE: Case Study of Oprah Winfrey

SUBJECT: Entrepreneurship Development

SUBMITTED TO: Mrs. Bijoylaxmi Sarmah

SUBMITTED BY: Tage Tallang MBA I Semester MBA/13/06

Q. Find the characteristic and qualities of Oprah Winfrey as a successful entrepreneur. Ans: 1. Hard working and Dedicated person In spite of her poor background, it was the result of her hard work and dedication that at the age of 19, she got her first broadcasting job as a reporter for the radio station WVOL. 2. Creativity Oprahs creativity resulted into opening of many companies, foundations and launching of O, The Oprah Magazine. 3. Initiator Instead of being hired by someone else. She initiated and took risk which ultimately resulted to her own company Harpo, Inc. 4. Trust Worthy Even with rapid growth of her company, Oprah believed in working with the people only on the criterion of trust. 5. Philanthropist Oprah denotes at least 10 percent of her annual income to charity. Hence, is considered one of the largest philanthropists of our time. 6. Motivator Oprah created Oprahs Angel Network, a campaign encouraging people to help others in need, which raised funds from viewer donations, sponsors and celebrity contributions. 7. Idealistic The sole criterion for the selection of her employees is trust. This shows the idealistic side of her persona.

8. Ambitious Despite the success of company in both the terms of earnings and ratings, Oprah was searching for more. This ambitious nature led to the alliances with TV syndicator King World and ABC to air her shows and movies respectively. 9. Brave and Courageous Oprah has ventured in various areas and today she is the owner of many companies.

Q. Briefly write the different phases of Oprah Winfrey which transformed her life from a common woman to a successful entrepreneur. Ans: In the year 1954, Oprah Winfrey was born to a very poor family in Kosciusko, Mississippi. She spent her early years in a house without electricity and running water. She experienced considerable hardship during her childhood. Education and books helped her to grow as a person and it was the result of her hard work and dedication that at the age of 19, she got her first broadcasting job as a reporter for the radio station WVOL in Nashville. In 1984, Oprah moved to Chicago to host WLS-TVs half-hour morning show, AM Chicago. The show was a super hit and it beat Phil Donahues show in rating, which has been dominant TV talk show in Chicago for more than a year. The show was expanded to one hour and was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. In the same year, Oprah met Jeff Jacobs, who convinced Oprah to start her own venture and it resulted in the establishment of Harpo, Inc. in 1986. In the following year, she made alliances with TV syndicator King World and ABC to air her shows and movies respectively. In 1997, she created Oprahs Angel Network, a campaign encouraging people to help others in need, which raised funds from viewer donations, sponsors and celebrity contributions. The funds were used to grant scholarships and to build homes and schools in developing countries. In the year, 1998 she was named one of the 100 most influential people of 20th century by Time Magazine. In 2000, Oprah launched O, The Oprah Magazine and within a year it earned revenue of $ 140 million. The Oprah Winfrey Show was earning most of the revenue for Harpo, Inc which was nearly $ 300 million and it was held as a No.1 position US talk show for 16 years. Today, Oprah is an owner and the chair of Harpo, Inc.; Harpo Productions; Harpo Studios, Inc.; Harpo Films, Inc.; Harpo Print LLC and Harpo Video, Inc., with a total net worth of $ 1 billion.