Dell Computers Essays (Examples)

Dell omputer orporation was founded by Michael Dell, a savvy entrepreneur whose ambition was evident from the early days of his life. When Dell was a high school senior, he sold so many newspapers that he paid for a BMW in cash. Since then, Dell, now in his 30's, has sold so many computers, he could probably buy the entire BMW corporation.

Dell is now a multibillionaire and has earned a regular spot on the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans. Interestingly, Dell does not even possess a college degree, as he dropping out of college after only one year to found Dell omputer orp. This paper will examine the history and background of Dell omputer orp. It will also discuss how Dell has evolved over the years and where it stands today. Finally, this paper will look at Dell's future strategies in an effort to determine whether or not…

Conclusion

Dell's track record suggests that the company will meet $60 billion revenue goal by 2006 (Park, 2003). Dell is already involved in the markets for inexpensive servers and data-storage gear. In a period of less than six months, its first handheld computer captured 37% of the U.S. market for such devices. Rollins believes that initial sales of Dell printers are double its internal targets. With the potential growth in PCs and new markets, few analysts doubt that Dell can generate the 15% annual growth needed to reach its goal.

Dell appears to be well on its way to enormous success in the technology world. With Michael Dell's management philosophy of constant improvement, I predict great things for the future of Dell Computer Corp.

Dell Computer

Dell

Operations management: Dell Computer

This seems fitting, given that it was Dell who conceived of the unique business model that catapulted Dell to the forefront of the PC market for nearly a decade. What is so extraordinary about the Dell success story (and some would say, the Dell fall from grace) is that Dell achieved its success through its operations management rather than creating a new product like Apple or Microsoft. Dell, in fact, hardly spends any money at all on &D. "It's a simple business model, but what makes it a success is doing it on that kind of scale and with that kind of complexity... Dell spends little on product research and development -- $440 million a year, vs. $4 billion a year at Hewlett-Packard" (Maney 2003).

The direct-to-consumer model

Dell pioneered the direct-to-consumer model of computer sales. By building computers customized to consumer needs,…

References

Byrnes, Jonathan. (2003). Dell manages profitability, not inventor. Harvard Business School.

Retrieved:  http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3497.html 

Maney, Kevin (2003). Dell business model. USA Today. Retrieved:

 http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2003-01-19-dell-cover_x.htm

DELL Computer Corp. Singapore Establish explain Ansoff's Growth Matrix DELL Computer Corp. Singapore market propose specific strategic actions DELL -establish position a global market leader PCs Industry Singapore (based Ansoff's Growth Matrix) choose focus Market penetration, Market developement, Product development Diversification propose strategy Thank .

Dell Computer Co: Market penetration in Singapore

The Dell Computer Company

While Apple and Microsoft are famous for the unique forms of technology they have created, Dell Computer achieved its success through its innovative supply chain model. What set Dell apart from its competitors was its "consumer-oriented focus" and the fact that it allowed for people to "customize their computers during the ordering process. ecause each computer was individually assembled" Dell could keep inventories fairly low and thus reduce waste, storage, and operating costs (Dell, 2010, Printer Ink Cartridges). Dell also gained a strong reputation for catering to the needs of its customers, and for…

Bibliography

Ansoff Matrix. 2010. Tutor2U. Accessed at  http://www.tutor2u.net/business/strategy/ansoff_matrix.htm [December 29, 2010]

Dell. 2010. Printer Ink Cartridges. Accessed at http://printerinkcartridges.printcountry.com/printer-company-histories-press-releases/the-history-of-dell [December 29, 2010]

Dell Singapore. 2010. Official Website. Accessed at  http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=sg&l=en&s=gen& ;[December 29, 2010]

Facts about Dell. 2010. Official Website. Accessed at  http://content.dell.com/sg/en/corp/d/corp-comm/our-story-facts-about-dell.aspx  [December 29, 2010]

Dell Computer Corporation: Strategy and Challenges for the 21st Century, by Thompson and Gamble. This case analysis will evaluate a variety of factors including, the role of Michael Dell as CEO, and his strategy. Further, a brief SWOT analysis will be given, and a competitive strength assessment will compare Dell to major competitors. Advantages of Dell's strategy and an assessment of the company's financial performance will be given. Finally, a brief personal assessment of Dell will be given.

Michael Dell is an excellent CEO. Remarkably, he founded the highly successful Dell Corporation at the age of 19. He had a vision that personal computers could be built to order, based on customer specifications. This vision has been the basis of Dell's success, and has seen the company and the CEO through many financially difficult times. As such, I would have to note that it is Michael Dell's vision which makes…

Dell Computer:

Competitive advantages and strategies, innovation, sustainability and strategy effectiveness

When evaluating the competitive advantage of Dell Computers in relation to its competitors, virtually every market analyst emphasizes its mastery of its supply chain. Dell is not known as a particularly innovative company in terms of its product line -- unlike Apple, it has no signature iMac or iPod that is uniquely 'Dell.' &D occupies only 1.3% of Dell's revenues compared with 15% for its competitors Intel and Microsoft. Unlike Apple, Dell does not nurture potentially profitable long-term research projects. It practices a "ruthless form of corporate Darwinism" within its organization, "killing off its own straggling product lines with savage speed" (Schrage 2002:1).

At Dell, the goal has always been "to offer computers at irresistible prices -- and to leave the cost and the risks of innovating to others" (Jones 2003). Its careful micromanagement of its inventories has been…

References

Johnson, Keith. (2008). Dell's green payday. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 17,

2011 at  http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2008/08/06/dells-green-payday-going-carbon-neutral-helps-bottom-line/ 

Jones, Kathryn. (2003). The Dell way. CNN. Retrieved September 17, 2011 at  http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2003/02/01/335960/index.htm 

Mintz, Jesse. (2008). Tech spending slows, Dell profits drop. Huffington Post.

Dell Computer Corporation Expansion Overseas

In the past ten years, foreign expansion has become a major part of the business community. Many companies are seeking to expand globally in an attempt to maximize profits. This research paper will explore the foreign expansion of the Dell Computer Corporation. e will explore the ways in which this relatively young company has expanded overseas. e will examine the history of the company, the industry and the ways in which the company has expanded.

History of Dell

Dell Computer Corporation was founded by Michael Dell in 1984 and was incorporated in 1987 and has grown substantially in recent years. ("Dell Computer Corporation (NASD) - Business Description") The growth of the company has been unprecedented in lieu of the relatively young age of the corporation. ("Dell Computer Corporation (NASD) - Business Description") The headquarters for the corporation is located in Austin, Texas Dell's products include…

Works Cited

About Us.  http://www.gateway.com/about/coinfo/corpbg.shtml 

Company Overview. Dell Computer Corporation Corporate Web site. © 2001-2002 Dell Computer Corporation.  http://www.dell.com /html/us/corporate/brochure/global.htm

Computer Hardware Industry and Profile." Yahoo Finance.  http://biz.yahoo.com/ ic/12.html

Dell Claims Major Inroads in Chinese Market." ComputerGram International. Issue: Sept 30, 1999.  http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0CGN/3758/55943311/p1/article.jhtml?term=Dell+foreign+expansion

Dell Computer Organization Problems

Dell Computer Organizational Problems

There are a few big names in computing everyone seems to know: Apple, IBM, Dell. And many people are also aware that all of them have had problems from time to time, in one area of their business or another. Apple had trouble in virtually all of its business functions for a while after one of the founders left. In fact, the introduction of the iMac is arguably the thing that saved the company. IBM is a behemoth, and much of its income is derived from corporate business, not selling to consumers. Dell, on the other hand, serves primarily consumers. According to the Financial Times, desktop computer systems accounted for 53% of revenues in 2003, with notebook computers accounting for 27% and enterprise systems for 20%. hile corporations may certainly be supplying their personnel with desktops and laptops bought from Dell, the…

Works Cited

Flynn, Laurie J. "Dell to stop using prison workers." The New York Times on the Web, July 4, 2003.

Flynn, Laurie J. "Dell Moves Some Customer Service Operations Back to the U.S." The New York Times on the Web, December 8, 2003.

Louriero, Maria L., McCluskey, Jill J. And Mittelhammer, Ron C. (2002) "Will consumers pay a premium for eco-labeled apples?" Journal of Consumer Affairs, 36 (2), p. 203+

Mohr Lois A. And Webb, Deborah J. (2001) " Do consumers expect companies to be socially responsible? The impact of corporate social responsibility on buying behavior. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 35 (1), p. 45.

[...] transaction customers, which represent 30% of U.S. sales, are small and medium size enterprises (about 20%) and home office customers and consumers" (Kraemer, Dedrick and Yamashiro, 2000)

Built-to-Order Production

The built-to-order production strategy was implemented to the great success of Dell Computer Corporation as it aided it differentiate itself from competing PC manufacturers. It ensured customers of the highest levels of interest in satisfying their needs and it as such gained their trust. But is also has some limitations in the meaning that it requires more time, implies more costs and forces the organization to "have available specific components as they are needed to fill an incoming order" (Kraemer, Dedrick and Yamashiro, 2000). Then, as it implies a high level of customization, it prevents the company from producing large masses of similar products, which could reduce costs and offer Dell a comparative advantage - process otherwise know as economies…

References

David, F., 1989, Strategic Management, Columbus: Merrill Publishing Company

Kraemer, K.L., Dedrick, J., Yamashiro, S., 2000, Refining and Extending the Business Model With Information Technology: Dell Computer Corporation, Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations (CRITO), Graduate School of Management and Department of Information and Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA

2008, Official Website of Dell Computer Corporation,  http://www.dell.com , lastaccessed on April 11, 2008

e-Business Models of Dell Computer and Gateway

The e-business models of high tech manufacturers that combine quoting, pricing, and product configuration systems with production, Enterprise esource Planning (EP), and fulfillment systems exemplify how advanced multichannel selling has progressed over the Internet. The intent of this analysis is to evaluate Dell and Gateway's e-business models, as each have real-time integration of their customer facing quoting, pricing and product configuration systems with production, EP and fulfillment systems. Both of these companies are redefining the value chain of high tech manufacturing using the speed and accuracy of the Internet as the basis of their multichannel selling strategies. Selling over the Web, through telemarketing, catalogs, through stores, mass merchandisers including WalMart, and for enterprise accounts, through a direct sales force, Dell's e-business strategy is what makes it possible to unify all these channels into a consistent user experience. Dell continues to evolve their e-business…

References

CG Ash, & JM Burn. (2003). A strategic framework for the management of ERP enabled e-business change. European Journal of Operational Research, 146(2), 374-387.

Rob Bois. (2004). Quoting Complex Products across Multiple Sales Channels -- A

Sales Configuration Vendor Landscape. In AMR Research Editing Services (Ed.), AMR Research Series. Boston: AMR Research.

Louis Columbus. (2003). Configuration Is the Heart of Customer Fulfillment for Complex Product Manufacturers. In AMR Research Editing Services (Ed.), AMR Research Series. Boston: AMR Research.

To some users of personal computers, who state, never trust a computer that you cannot lift; the IBM has been viewed, more often than not, as an enemy, and according to Byte, the computer magazine, this was because of the fact that the IBM company rose to fame mainly on the basis of its mainframe computers, that were large and forbidding, and overwhelmingly bulky. This was probably why, when the rest of the world was eyeing the emerging opportunities in the minicomputer market, the IBM never paid any attention, and even though IBM did succeed in capturing a large chunk of that market, it did not happen until Digital had captured the minicomputer market and had grown into a large corporation.

In the past few years, IBM has agreed to change the ways in which it conducts its business, and adapt to the changing times when the prices of computers…

References

Ellett, John. "About / Best Practices Center, Results Oriented Integrated Marketing the Dell

Way" Retrieved at  http://www.nfusion.com/about/best_practices/Results-Oriented_Integrated_Marketing.html . accessed 27 July, 2005

Konrad, Rachel. (10 August, 2001) "From Bits to Boom, IBM PC turns 20" Retrieved at  http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/Mixed+record+as+PC+turns+20/2009-1040_3-271422.html . accessed 27 July, 2005.

Outsourcing Law, Deal structure, Case Study." Retrieved at http://www.outsourcing-law.com/DealStructures/IBM.Lenovo.2005.01.06.htm. accessed 27 July, 2005

Dell Inc.

The head office of Dell is at Austin, Texas at the same place where the company was based. Dell Americas is also located in Texas, which is the regional business unit for the United States, Canada and Latin America. The regional headquarters offices of the company are in England, for Europe Middle East and Africa; in Singapore catering to Asia-Pacific; and in Kawasaki, Japan, to serve the market for Japan. The production unit for the manufacture of computers is located in Texas, Tennessee, Brazil, Ireland, Malaysia, and China. Dell Computer Corporation sells products and services meant for Information Technology and the Internet backbone. The proceeds of the company for the previous four quarters were $31.2 billion. (Stories of Entrepreneurs: Michael Dell)

Dell's product, pricing, distribution, and promotion strategies

Product

The Dell product line-up of high performance computer systems comprises of PowerEdge servers, PowerApp server applications, PowerVault storage products,…

References

Bean, Michael. The Price Strategy Simulator: Anatomy of a Price War Hewlett-Packard / Compaq vs. Dell. Retrieved at  http://www.forio.com/pricing20010912.htm . Accessed on 16 October, 2004

Best practice resources enabling lean manufacturing excellence. Retrieved at  http://www.superfactory.com/Resources/concepts/demandflow.htm . Accessed on 16 October, 2004

Brief Description of the Product/Service. Retrieved at http://homepages.wmich.edu/~j0karnat/Dell%20Project.htm. Accessed on 16 October, 2004

Build-To-Order Model for Success (Part-II) Retrieved at http://www.themanagementor.com/kuniverse/kmailers_universe/manu_kmailers/scm_build2order2.htm. Accessed on 16 October, 2004

Dell

The current situation for Dell is that it is trying to recover from a downturn in its business. The company has a good brand name, a strong online distribution channel and good relationships with its suppliers. Key weaknesses are a lack of innovation, poor offline distribution channels and the company's finances are not great anymore. There are opportunities for Dell to rebuild its corporate business, or enter new consumer segments like tablets. The company could also focus on growth in overseas markets, as these remains a major source of growth in the PC industry. There are a lot of different threats for Dell, however. The company is threatened by competition, the state of the economy, by increasing costs at suppliers and technological changes such as the commodification of PCs, even though this was once an opportunity for Dell.

In order to succeed again, Dell has undertaken a number of…

Works Cited:

Edwards, C. (2009). Dell's extreme makeover. Business Week. Retrieved June 19, 2012 from  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_43/b4152036025436.htm 

MSN Moneycentral. (2012). Dell. Retrieved June 19, 2012 from  http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/stock-income-statement/?symbol=DELL 

No author. (2011). Dell's transition from phase I to phase II restructuring creates best buying opportunity. Seeking Alpha. Retrieved June 19, 2012 from  http://seekingalpha.com/article/296433-dell-s-transition-from-phase-i-to-phase-ii-restructuring-creates-best-buying-opportunity

Dell is one among the largest computer system companies in the world, which is unique and popular because of its direct marketing policy. It deals in manufacturing personal computers, servers or enterprise products, storages and offer IT solutions for the customers. The services provided by the company are of high quality and low cost, thus providing the source of economical investment to the clients. Dell is among the pioneers and still a unique company that carry direct marketing operations. It started its sales via telephone and then expanded it using internet.

A 19-year-old teenager Michael Dell founded Dell in 1984 with only $1,000 capital. He started business with an aim of selling IM-compatible PCs. Dell received high worldwide success and profit in just few years of its functions. During the first year, it made $6 million gross revenue. The next year, Dell started selling computer of its own design name…

Bibliography

Bennett, P.D. (1995). Dictionary of Marketing Terms. McGraw-Hill Chicago, McGraw Hill, American Marketing Association.

Business Teacher. (2011). Dell Marekting Approach. Retrieved from Business Teacher:  http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/free-marketing-essays/dell-marketing-approach/ 

DELL. (2012). Dell PowerEdge 12th Generation Servers. Retrieved 2012, from Dell:  http://content.dell.com/us/en/enterprise/d/campaigns/poweredge-12th-generation-servers-ple.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=biz&dgc=IR&lid=9E615553&cid=&ref=gzilla  infusion . (2012, May 9). Dell PowerEdge 12th Generation Servers. Retrieved 2012, from Infusion:  http://infusiongeek.com/05/dell-poweredge-12th-generation-servers 

Jacobs, B. (2012). Dell PowerEdge 12th Generation Servers - Fastest to Market, with Stellar Reviews . Retrieved 2012, from Dell:  http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2012/07/10/dell-poweredge-12th-generation-servers-fastest-to-market-with-stellar-reviews.aspx

Dell

For many organizations, their performance in the international market is more important for their survival and growth than their performance in the home market and this performance has to be achieved. Dell as a company has outlined clearly its policies for operating in the International market and these should be viewed as its global strategy. This also should be the starting point for any discussions regarding its globalization.

The history of the company is quite interesting and it had begun as the company of Michael Dell in 1984 while he was still a student in Austin. The business started as one of selling upgrades of IBM compatible PCs and then shifted to a business of selling its own brand. He was operating on the direct sales model where the PC was built to the specification of the customer. Their retailing activities started in the year 1990, but the business…

References

Building technology that builds communities. Retrieved from  http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/citizenship/en/index?c=us& ; l=en& s=corp Accessed 4 October, 2005

Byrnes, Jonathan. Dell Manages Profitability, Not Inventory. 2 June, 2003. Retrieved from  http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item.jhtml?id=3497& ; t=dispatch Accessed 4 October, 2005

Global by Design. Web Globalization News and Design. March, 2005. Retrieved from www.bytelevel.com/globalbydesign/GBD_0305_ex.pdf Accessed 3 October, 2005

How Dell got soul. 18 September, 2004. Retrieved from  http://news.com.com/How+Dell+got+soul/2030-1069_3-5366494.html

Thus far, Dell has largely ignored the consumer market since the company views the margins in this market to be insufficient. Yet, if Dell can develop an effective route to market for consumers and/or streamlines its ordering process, Dell can expand its customer base substantially. It is already finding that consumers are coming to it after buying their first computer elsewhere, so the market is clearly ready for Dell computers.

The third potential market is in mobile devices. Personal digital assistants are becoming popular at this point. They have fairly limited computing ability but as chips shrink or become more powerful, the potential functionality of these devices is likely to increase. If Dell wishes to enter this market, it could build market share while the market remains relatively young and the majority of competitors are fairly weak.

As strong as Dell's market position is, they still have significant threats. The…

Works Cited:

MSN Moneycentral: Dell. (2009). Retrieved December 5, 2009 from  http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/results/statemnt.aspx?Symbol=DELL&lstStatement=Balance&stmtView=Ann 

Cantrell, A. (2006). Dell's bet to get back in gear. CNN. Retrieved December 5, 2009 from  http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/05/technology/dell/index.htm 

Kathawala, S. & Aich, V. (2006). Dell Inc.: Facing formidable challenges in the U.S. consumer market. IBS. Retrieved December 5, 2009 from http://www.ibscdc.org/Case_Studies/Strategy/competitive%20strategies/COM0083B.htm

Press release: Dell increases global retail footprint… Dell Inc. Retrieved December 5, 2009 from  http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/press-releases/2009-06-16-global-retail.aspx

In addition to the America's, your company also did well in the European market.

The company was able to fortify its No. 2 annual share position. In calendar 2003, your company held a 10.5% market share compared to 9.6% market share in 2002 ("Dell Annual Report 2004"). In deed the company's globel presence is increasing at a remarkable rate.

In 2004 your company's Gross margin as a percentage of net revenue increase to 18.2%, compared to 17.9% in 2003 and 17.7% in 2002("Dell Annual Report 2004"). In addition, your company's cost savings initiative drove the year-over-year improvement for fiscal 2004 and 2003 ("Dell Annual Report 2004").

The company also made a concerted effort to improve margins by implementing four main cost reduction initiatives ("Dell Annual Report 2004"). These cost reduction initiatives affect warranty costs, manufacturing costs, design costs, and operating expenses ("Dell Annual Report 2004"). In addition, the cost savings…

Bibliography

Balance Sheet (Dell Inc. Annual). 20 March 2005 at  http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bs?s=DELL&annual 

Cash Flows. 20 March 2005 (Dell Inc. Annual) at  http://finance.yahoo.com/q/cf?s=DELL&annual 

Dell Annual Report 2004" 20 March 2005.  http://biz.yahoo.com/ e/040412/dell10-k.html

Dell Fiscal 2004 in Review." 20 March 2005

This helps to provide a higher level of value to charitable organizations and encourages volunteerism on an ongoing basis. But One Dell: One Community is more than just volunteering.

Dell have been introduce some special edition laptop in Malaysia like studio 14 and 15 which comes with some artistic style designed by Mike Ming, Derek Welch, Andrea Rosenberger and (PRODUCT) RED. All this laptop offers 10+ original designs for customers to choose from. It is an extension of one's personality which include restrained, expressive, wild and sublime. Furthermore, when customers buy the (PRODUCT) RED laptop, part of the proceeds will go to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

Competitors

The Dell Company faces major competition from other companies, this include Apple, Sun Microsystems, Gateway, Sony, Asus, Toshiba and Hewlett Packard which is also mentioned to as HP. All of these companies are its competitors but HP is…

Throughout the past trailing twelve months, the Dell share has decreased from a maximum of $26.04 to a current trading value of $10.62 (the Motley Fool, 2009). This negatively impacts its perception among investors.

A second strength was manifested in the packaging of their products. The Dell management sustained intense efforts to ensure that the organizational customers would receive their products as rapidly as possible and in the best of conditions. To ensure then the full protection of the hardware items, they would pack the products in large packages. This however brought severe criticism from environmental organizations which argued that Dell was wasting precious resources that were already scarce (Murray, 2008).

Following the same agenda of reduced prices and customer satisfaction, the Dell engineers sometimes fail to pay enough attention to all details. In 2006 for instance, 4.1 million laptop batteries were withdrawn from the market for fear that they…

References:

Cuizon, G., March 5, 2009, SWOT Analysis of Dell Computers, http://strategic-business-planning.suite101.com/article.cfm/swot_analysis_of_dell_computers last accessed on March 25, 2009

Kirkpatrick, D., September 5, 2006, Dell in the Penalty Box, CNN Money,  http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/09/18/8386121/index.htm  last accessed on March 25, 2009

Murray, May 12, 2008, Bloggers Secure Victory over Dell Packaging, Business Green,  http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2216354/bloggers-secure-victory-dell  last accessed on March 25, 2009

2009, Dell Inc., the Montley Fool,  http://caps.fool.com/Ticker/DELL.aspx  last accessed on March 25, 2009

Dell Case Study and Business Strategy

Comment by Sabina:

Dell is one of the leading industries for computer production and sales globally. The brand is highly recognizable and the company is mainly known for its personalization of computers for customers. In 2004-2005 Dell became one the leaders in the industry for PC sales, by overtaking Hewitt Packard. However since 2007 sales have dropped and Dell is struggling to keep its market share. Dell must compete in a very competitive market against competitors such as Apple. The competition has advance technology and has adapted similar business strategies to gain market share. Some of the major challenges that Dell faces are failure to keep with the technological advances of the competition, defect in equipment and management struggles to keep production cost low. In this paper I will discuss Dell's business strategies, some changes in the last two decades, their financial performance and…

References

Constantinides, E. (2006). The Marketing Mix Revisited: Towards the 21st Century Marketing. Journal of Marketing Management. 22 (3/4) 407-438.

Corbett, P. (2010, January 04). Facebook demographics and statistics report 2010. Retrieved from  http://www.istrategylabs.com/2010/01/facebook-demographics-and-statistics-report-2010-145-growth-in-1-year/ 

Datamonitor. (2010). Dell Inc. SWOT Analysis. 1-10.

Lee. L., & Ante, S. (2005). Can the PC King Excel in Services? Business Week. 3935

Dell Mercosur

Given how Dell translates its foreign-currency financial statements into dollars, how would a falling razilian real affect Dell Mercosur's financial statements? What about a rising real?

The falling real would help to improve Mercousur's financial statements. The reason why is because it made costs cheaper and increased profitability. A rising real would have a negative impact on the company, as it will cause their operating expenses to increase and profits to decline. ("Dell Mercousur," n.d.)

Dell imports about 97% of its manufacturing costs. What type of exposure does that create for it? What are its options to reduce that exposure?

It creates exposure that can cause the underlying cost of parts to increase, based upon moves in the currency. This is problematic, because it can have an impact upon profitability and forecasting. The options to reduce this exposure are: to aggressively hedge against adverse moves in the currency.…

Bibliography

Dell Computer Corporation. (1999). MHBE. Retrieved from:  http://www.mhhe.com/business/management/thompson/11e/case/dell2.html 

Dell Diversification Strategy. (2010). Wharton School of Business. Retrieved from: http://www.wharton.universia.net/index.cfm?fa=viewArticle&id=1946&language=english

Dell Mercousur. (n.d.).

Hedge. (2011). Invest Words. Retrieved from:  http://www.investorwords.com/2293/hedge.html

Dell Case Study Summary

Company Profile

Dell Computer Corporation (DELL:NASDAQ) was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell, who defined a unique business model at the time of purchasing IBM PC components, assembling them to his customers' unique requirements, and selling the complete system at a profit. Originally founded as PC Limited, Michael Dell and the founders changed the name to Dell Computer Corporation in 1987, went public with an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ stock exchange, and generated $73M in Sales. Dell was the first to revolutionize the high tech industry supply chain (Kopczak, Johnson, 2003) which led to the company's successful launch of their online business in 1996. Since that decision to go online, Dell has expanded their product categories to sell MP3 players, printers, servers, data storage, networking equipment, software, computer peripherals, cameras, HDTV (High Definition Television) and entire storage networks.

In 2003, the company changed…

References

Laura Rock Kopczak, & M. Eric Johnson. (2003). The supply-chain management effect. MIT Sloan Management Review, 44(3), 27-34.

Dell.com Analysis

The potential the Internet provides businesses to scale their supply chains, manufacturing, fulfillment, services and new product development strategies globally is exemplified in the decades of lessons learned at Dell Corporation. Of the thousands of businesses that sought transformation of their business models with the Internet by concentrating only on the websites, Dell was immediately contrarian, looking to streamline back-office systems first. This analysis presents how the core strategies Dell continues to differentiate on, including build-to-order, configure-to-order and mass customization continue to earn them new customers and retain existing loyal ones through their website strategies. Dell has taken a more systemic and process-based perspective of their websites and as a result the product configuration, guided selling, pricing and innovative service applications are immediately functional and scale globally. Dell has been able to define a development methodology for online strategies that enables the core strengths of their order management,…

References

Celeste Altus (2007, March). Dell provides its users a forum to share ideas. PRweek, 10(9), 6.

AMR Research (2005) -- The Handbook of Becoming Demand Driven. AMR Research Report. July 15, 2005. Accessed with permission from the publisher. Lora Cecere, Roddy Martin, Debra Hofman.

AMR Research (2006) -- What is Demand Visibility? AMR Research Report. Published March 14, 2006. Accessed with permission from the publisher. Lora Cecere and Roddy Martin.

Bernoff, J., & Li, C.. (2008). Harnessing the Power of the Oh-So-Social Web. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(3), 36-42.

HP has long been a respected computer brand and Compaq also had a decent share of the market prior to the merger. Together the companies have become a force to be reckoned and although HP has experienced some of its own problems recently, these problems have been internal issues that have not really affected the company's performance as it relates to profits.

Future of Dell / possible solutions

It seems that the problems at Dell have come in rapid succession; perhaps these issues can be overcome and perhaps they can not. The ability to overcome these problems will play a significant role in the ability of the company to be successful in the future. The primary thing that the company has to evaluate is the safety and the dexterity of the products that it sells. The company can not afford to cut corners as it relates to the development and…

References

About Us." Hewlett Packard. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from;  http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/ 

Chairman of the Board. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from;  http://www.dell.com /content/topics/global.aspx/corp/biographies/en/msd_index?c=us&l=en&s=corp

Dell Profile. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from; http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=dell

Dell at a Glance." Retrieved October 11, 2006 from;

Dell business model and strategy is one of the best strategies that can be employed by various organizations for them achieve their set goals and business objectives (Hall, 2000). In this paper we describe how the auto industry might work differently if it were designed in accordance with the Dell Model.

The Dell model

The Dell Model (Hall,2000,p.6).

The strategy comprises of three main components namely the best direct customer experience, virtual integration as well as low cost provider. In the Dell Model, the company occupies the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) space between the suppliers and customers.

The best direct customer experience

One of the strategies that are employed by Dell is the provision of the best direct customer experience that they can have with machines (computers) as a tool. This involves the obtaining of these computers, using them as well as servicing them appropriately. This stage involves no intermediaries…

References

Hall, RW (2000). Distributed Excellence and the Dell Model. Target Volume 16 (2)

Kraemer, KL and Dedrick, J (2002): "Dell Computer: Organization of a Global Production Network," Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations, 2002.

Kraemer, KL.,Dedrick, J ., Yamashiro, S (2002). Refining and Extending the Business Model With Information Technology: Dell Computer Corporation

Dell's strategic management. It uses no source except for the case.

Michael Dell right from the beginning has been more of an entrepreneur then at technological guru. Although he had not taken active part in strategic decision making, he nevertheless realizes its importance. For this purpose he had brought leaders like Walker and Meyerson to aid him. As a leader he was dynamic in the sense that he easily takes into account of how the company could run with help of shared leadership. He also believes in cooperative work. Hence, in leadership, he has performed very well but as far as strategic management is concerned, Dell depended on other's skills more then his own.

Dells' strategy consist of the following elements:

embrace new ideas

Profit and loss management for each unit of business.

Value creation

Growth through informal enabling management like development of capabilities

Recruit talents

Strategy should be based…

6. In the last five years Dell has been careful in keeping its shareholders happy with a growth rate from 34% to 64% in 2000. This shows that the company concentrates on increasing profitability along with its innovative strategies.

7. Dell's strategy has all the characteristics that a global leader should have. It has potential to expand because it does not hesitate in adopting an idea or innovation; it is careful in its financial elements; it is also careful in internal management; it demonstrate strong leadership quality at the management level as well as at the market level. Despite the economic downturn due to Asian financial crises it has been able to maintain a steady growth rate. In my opinion this characteristics will enable it to grow into a global leader.

8. If I were given the choice to buy the stock of this company, I would buy it.

Dell Computers

Strategic Issues for Dell

Dell: Major strategic issues

In contrast to its rivals Intel and HP, Dell pioneered a business model rather than a product that made it famous: the direct-to-consumer model. Instead of focusing on research and development and creating an innovative type of hardware, Dell sold computers directly to consumers, including businesses that purchased computers 'in bulk' as well as individual consumers. Marketing and sales were the strategic focus of the Dell organization. Inventory was closely monitored and kept at a minimum so it was tailored to consumer needs. Computers were custom-built, ensuring that there was no stockpile of unneeded or obsolete inventory. There was also a strong emphasis on customer support and service.

The critical nature of Dell's business model cannot be underestimated, given that Dell's success as a business was founded upon its business model more than its products, in contrast to its competitors.…

Users can upgrade to a Sound Blaster Audigy sound card, which is also integrated. Apple's eb site does not indicate the type of sound card used on the iMac but it is integrated with the motherboard. The iMac has a built-in microphone and includes optical digital audio input and output ports that also support headphones. The Dell Dimension does not include digital audio input or output support on its standard jacks. All iMacs have built-in speakers, whereas the Dell PCs do not, and consumers must use external speakers.

Both the iMac 17" and the Dimension C521 have a DVI output port as well as VGA and S-video. However, the iMac's output port is mini-DVI, offering the user the option of purchasing an adapter to be used for any external video device. The Dell Dimension C521 has separate ports for each. The iMac comes with two Fireire 400 ports; the Dell…

Works Cited

Apple.com. Retrieved 22 June 2007 at  http://www.apple.com/iMac/specs.html 

Dell.com. Retrieved 22 June 2007 at  http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DDCWCA1&s=dhs

Dell Company Profile

The author of this report is asked to answer a few questions about a company of the author's choice. The author, in this case, chose Dell. The questions to be answered include the globalization and technology changes that are at foot. The second thing to be discussed is the industrial organization model that includes wielding the general environment, the industry environment and the competitive environment in a way to garner above-average returns. The third general question to be answered is to assess how the vision statement and mission statement and its influence on the corporation will render itself. Finally, it will be evaluated how each category of stakeholder, both internal and external to the company, will manifest itself. While Dell does need to reinvent itself a little bit for the future, the same is true of all companies both software and hardware given the mobile revolution that…

References

Dell. (2014, April 30). Dell Official Site - The Power To Do More | Dell. Dell Official Site

The Power To Do More | Dell. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from  http://www.dell.com 

ESPN. (2014, April 29). Donald Sterling receives lifetimeA ban. ESPN. Retrieved April

29, 2014, from  http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/10857580/donald -sterling-los-angeles-clippers-owner-receives-life-ban-nba

Computer clustering involves the use of multiple computers, typically personal computers (PCs) or UNIX workstations, multiple storage devices, and redundant interconnections, to form what appears to users as a single integrated system (Cluster computing). Clustering has been available since the 1980s when it was used in Digital Equipment Corp's VMS systems. Today, virtually all leading hardware and software companies including Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett Packard and IM offer clustering technology. This paper describes why and how clustering is commonly used for parallel processing, batch processing, load balancing and high availability.

Despite some challenges such as achieving transparency, mitigating network latency and the split-brain problem, clustering has proven to be a huge success for bringing scale and availability to computing applications. Hungry for even more efficient resource use, IT departments are now turning their eye on the next evolution of clustering called grid computing.

Parallel processing is the processing of program…

Bibliography

Beowulf clusters compared to Base One's batch job servers Retrieved May 2, 2004 from Web site: http://www.boic.com/beowulf.htm

Burleson, D. Requirements for parallel clusters. Retrieved May 1, 2004 from Web site:  http://www.fast-track.cc/teas_ft_rac07.htm 

Cluster computing. Retrieved May 1, 2004 from Web site:  http://search390.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,sid10_gci762034,00.html 

D'Souza, Marco (2001, April 13). Meeting high-availability through clustering. ZDNet. Retrieved May 2, 2004 from Web site:  http://www.zdnetindia.com/biztech/services/whitepapers/stories/19538.html

ell vs. Gateway

The personal; computer industry has been transformed over the past few years by several pioneers in the computer industry. Among those who are at the forefront of such changes are ell and Gateway. Their user-friendly individualistic format of marketing often leads the customer to believe that their services are indispensable for the consumer. They both take previously unknown technological terms and offer them to the consumer in a relaxed format, so the consumer may understand them better and feel more confident making a purchase that details the need of their individual PC.

Gateway Computer additionally, was the main leader in building individual home and office computers for each consumer based on what the consumer reported its use to be and was first to offer a financing plan that included an open ended policy which allowed the consumer to grow with the technology, trading up in the same…

Dolinar, L. 2004, "Plan a computer purchase, but first, decide your needs," Newsweek.com

"Gateway Home" www.gateway.com

"Gateway Factsheet" Hoover's Online, 2004, website http://www.hoovers.com/gateway/--ID__16706 -- /free-co-factsheet.xhtml 'Gateway International" 2004, website  http://www.gateway.com/about/contactus/international/index.shtml

In particular, Wyse gave Dell a better foothold in the sprawling segment of cloud computing. This area has helped companies save money through the delivery of affordable services and software over internet-based infrastructures (Ignatiuk, 2008).

Dell will also benefit from the prior experience of Silver Lake expertise that has revived several tech companies such as Skype. This wrenching would typically change Silver Lake to be tricky for a public corporation anxious to help shareholders not to panic. If such challenging maneuvers were dealt with, it would assist Dell under the covers (Bamford & West, 2010). While this is true, it is clear that taking Dell private will not solve the strategic web of troubles surrounding the company. The company will still be forced to ensure it swings the axe carefully in light of PC segments. This is because Dell will require cash to help service the enormous debt. In addition,…

References

Bamford, C.E., & West, G.P. (2010). Strategic management: Value creation, sustainability, and performance. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Besanko, D. (2010). Economics of strategy. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Cohen, W.A. (2004). The art of the strategist: 10 essential principles for leading your company to victory. New York: American Management Association.

Flanagan, R.M. (2004). Mayors and the challenge of urban leadership. Lanham [u.a.: Univ. Press of America.

Dell, Inc. operates on a strategy of "persistent focus on delivering the best possible customer experience by selling products and services directly to the customer" (Form 10-K, 2005). Dell relies on customer intimacy by eliminating wholesale and retail dealers and manufactures products based on the customer's needs. Customers order directly from Dell and can track the order from manufacturing through shipping.

Dell, Inc. faces business risks of general economic, business, or industry conditions and no assurance of maintaining a competitive advantage. A substantial portion of revenue is dependent on international sales, which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Product, customer, and geographic mix can be different than anticipated. Infracture failures and inaccurate product transition can have adverse effects. Supplier failure or disruptions in component availability slows delivery to the customer. Foreign exchange hedging or the ability to get licenses can have adverse effects. Failure to attract or retain qualified personnel…

Bibliography

Form 10-K. (2005, Jan 28). Retrieved from Dell, Inc.: http://i.dell.com/sites/doccontent/corporate/financials/en/Documents/10-K-fy05.pdf

If this was applied at GM, it is likely that demand will further drop, with the company unable to honor orders for long periods of time.

Wal-Mart is a similar situation. Running out of a certain item on the shelves is less likely to cause a sudden demand in the Wal-Mart customers. However, a long waiting period for a car will certainly play worse on GM's company image.

Demand forecasting seems like a better fit inventory instrument. If the company would be able to evaluate both future potential demand, as well as the potential demand variation over the next period of time, then it is likely that it would also be able to better adapt its supply to match demand and avoid the type of inventory problems it is facing.

In this sense, it is more likely that the problem GM is facing is less one strictly tied to inventory,…

Bibliography

1. Farago, Robert. General Motors Death Watch 108: Stuffed? The Truth About Cars. January 2007. On the Internet at  http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=3070.Last  retrieved on August 21, 2007

2. Szczesny, Joseph. GM Shuts Plants to Reduce Inventory. On the Internet at  http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=8180.February  2005. Last retrieved on August 21, 2007

3. Byrnes, J. (2003, June 2). Dell Manages Profitability, Not Inventory. Harvard Business School Working Knowledge. Retrieved September 7, 2006 at  

The company can no longer look to its production model as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Although it can still provide competitive advantage, evidence over the past few years indicates that any such advantages will be temporary. Production cost control is only a core competency, therefore, not a source of sustainable competitive advantage. The company's brand is a source of sustainable competitive advantage as the Dell name has opened doors into other product lines, some of which have been successful for Dell. The company name, however, is no stronger than that of Hewlett-Packard or Apple, two of its main competitors, and is arguably weaker than either two. Thus, while the brand value of Dell is more easily sustained it is not necessarily a source of competitive advantage.

This leaves Dell in a challenging position. It has built its market share on its ability to deliver the lowest-cost computers and…

Dell Case

What should Maxwell recommend to Michael Dell?

Executive Summery

In order to expand their business to Latin America and set up a manufacturing unit there, Dell choose to set up a manufacturing unit in Brazil. The reason for choosing Brazil as the country to set up the unit was that the rise in sales in personal computers as the highest in Latin America compared to the world and Brazil was one of the largest Latin American countries with a population of more than 1500. This made Brazil a very attractive country.

The company chose to set up its unit in the state Rio Grande do Sul as the company found that the state had the requisite number of qualified personnel, adequate supply of electricity and requisite infrastructure for telecommunications and transport. The state also offered special financial incentives to the company. During that period Brazil was divided into…

The customer expectations of large business or enterprise customers is also very specific about the customization of PCs and their delivery, as are the many government accounts Dell has globally. What all of these customers share in common is an expectation of receiving a PC customized to their specific needs in the timeframes committed (Gunasekaran, Ngai, 2005).

Compared to traditional procurement and SCM strategies, the Dell e-business model requires a much faster pace of fulfillment with less room for error on each order. Traditional procurement processes often operate in a 90 day forecast period while Dell will often operate in one that is 72 hours or less, using Just-in-Time (JIT) production scheduling techniques (Kapuscinski, Zhang, Carbonneau, Moore, eeves, 2004). Dell has also revolutionized the aspect of supply chain collaboration throughout the PC industry as well, creating shared resources and the ability to create cross-supplier visibility measures of performance as well.…

References

Foreman, J., Gallien, J., Alspaugh, J., Lopez, F., Bhatnagar, R., Teo, C., & Dubois, C. (2010). Implementing Supply-Routing Optimization in a Make-to-Order Manufacturing Network. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 12(4), 547-568.

A Gunasekaran, & EWT Ngai. (2005). Build-to-order supply chain management: a literature review and framework for development. Journal of Operations Management, 23(5), 423-451.

Roman Kapuscinski, Rachel Q. Zhang, Paul Carbonneau, Robert Moore, & Bill Reeves. (2004). Inventory Decisions in Dell's Supply Chain. Interfaces, 34(3), 191-205.

Ioannis S. Papadakis. (2006). Financial performance of supply chains after disruptions: an event study. Supply Chain Management, 11(1), 25-33.

Michael Dell

While looking for a multibillion dollar management, the success of a company is measured by its business ideas and its strategic moves. The capacities of the individual personnel shouldn't limit the operating capabilities. The winning combination for a management team comprises of practical experience along with intellectual capacity while being able to respond to the ever changing requirements of an industry. A case in point is Michael Dell.

Backdrop

Michael Dell had humble beginnings, born in February 1965 with a startup investment of just $1,000. Currently, he is the chairman of the Dell board of directors. He is the proud owner of Dell to which he gave birth in 1984. The key idea here was to build rapport and long-term relationship with the clientele (Dell, 1999).

His vision Dell rose to unreachable heights within his lifetime. It was a childhood vision. He was raised in suburban Houston, Texas,…

References

Canak, N. (2006). Dell Business Case Study. GRIN Verlag.

Dell, M and Fredman, C. (2010). Direct From Dell: Strategies that Revolutionized an Industry. HarperCollins.

Dell, M. (1999). Direct from Dell. New York: Harpers Collins Publishers.

Friedman, L.S. (2008). Business Leaders: Michael Dell. M. Reynolds Publications.

The first of these was co-designed with Sony, and established the modern layout for laptop computers that has remained popular ever since.

In 1994, Apple revamped its Macintosh line with the introduction of the Power Macintosh, which was based on the PowerPC line of processors developed by IM, Motorola and Apple. Apple's operating system software was adjusted so that most software written for the older processors could run in emulation on the PowerPC series.

After an internal power struggle with new CEO John Sculley in the 1980s, Jobs resigned from Apple and went on to found NeXT Inc., which Apple ultimately bought. This move brought Jobs back to Apple's management. On July 9, 1997, Gil Amelio stepped down as CEO of Apple after overseeing a 12-year record low stock price and crippling financial losses. Jobs stepped in as the interim CEO and began the critical restructuring of the company's product…

Bibliography

Apple Computer, Inc. Five-Year Financial History. Cupertino, California: 2005.

Apple Computer, Inc. Q2 2005 Unaudited Summary Data. Cupertino, California: 2005.

Apple Computer Inc." Quote.com. July 13, 2005. July 18, 2005  http://finance.lycos.com/qc/research/marketguide.aspx?pg=cafl&symbols=NASDAQ:AAPL .

Apple Computer, Inc. United States Securities and Exchange Commission: Form 10-K. Cupertino, California: November 30, 2004.

43% and 59.80%, respectively. In the late 1990s when Apple was doing well, Dell was doing better, with 1998, 1999, and 2000 ratios of 91.19%, 82.06%, and 46.53% for those years. Dell has had some ups and down, but it has never faced the negative return on equity issues that Apple has seen in previous years, and the return on equity numbers for Dell remain very strong - much stronger than those of Apple.

Even though Apple's ratios are improving, the improvement is slow and not nearly as strong as the numbers that Dell Computer Corporation is showing. his is, naturally, suspected to be rather troublesome for Apple, especially when it did so well late in the 1990s. It is unfortunate that it has fallen by the wayside to some degree, but one often sees advertisements for Dell and Gateway computers, and rarely sees them for Apple. he marketing may…

There are assumptions that can be made from this. First, Apple is doing better than it had in previous years, because it is avoiding the negative return on equity problem that it faced before. Second, Dell Computer Corporation is overshadowing it quite strongly and growing much faster than Apple is. Whether Dell's technology is that much better, whether the name recognition means more, or whether Apple is simply not marketing as well as Dell are all areas for speculation, but there is no real way to say with certainty what is causing this large difference simply by looking at the financial information.

Morningstar.com. (5 July, 2005).  http://quicktake.morningstar.com/Stock/Profitability10.asp?Country=USA&Symbol=AAPL&stocktab=keyratio 

Morningstar.com. (5 July 2005).  http://quicktake.morningstar.com/Stock/Profitability10.asp?Country=USA&Symbol=DELL&stocktab=keyratio&hsection=quote&pmts

Relationship buyers offered Dell its "highest gross margins," (185). Transaction buyers consisted of the small-to-mid-sized businesses and individual home users who placed small and irregular PC orders. Transaction buyers called a different telephone number to order from Dell and rather than have a personalized sales representative team, they would speak with an inside representative who would encourage the buyer to investigate more advanced systems (185).

As Dell grew, the need to refine customer categories grew. To tailor to the specific needs of each market segment, Dell divided its relationship buyers into further categories such as specific governmental sectors or "global enterprise accounts," (185). Dell developed sophisticated means of direct sales, such as its Premier Pages for select relationship accounts: corporations could log onto a special website that would enable them to view their entire transaction and order history and discover when they might need to update their systems.

Regardless of…

Works Cited

Rivkin, Jan W. And Porter, Michael E. "Matching Dell." 6 Jun 1999.

His leadership has also led to the build-to-order strategy becoming an exceptionally profitable manufacturing strategy across dozens of industries.

eferences

Buffington, J. 2011, "Comparison of mass customization and generative customization in mass markets," Industrial Management + Data Systems, vol. 111, no. 1, pp. 41-62.

Dell Investor elations (2012). Investor elations. etrieved February 23, 2012 from Dell Investor elations and Filings with the SEC Web site: http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/about-dell-investor

"A revolution of one: Michael Dell invented a business model that all the world wanted to copy; yet after all these years, almost nobody has; why?," 2001, Economist, vol. 359, no. 8217, pp. 63-63.

Dell, M.S. 1994, "Making the right choices for the new consumer," Managing Service Quality, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 22-22.

DellIsola, M.,D. 2002, "Impact of delivery systems on cost management," AACE International Transactions,, no. 15287106, pp. PM31-PM36.

Gama, J. 2006, "What Could Be the Solution?," AmericaEconomia,, no. 327, pp. 69-71.…

References

Buffington, J. 2011, "Comparison of mass customization and generative customization in mass markets," Industrial Management + Data Systems, vol. 111, no. 1, pp. 41-62.

Dell Investor Relations (2012). Investor Relations. Retrieved February 23, 2012 from Dell Investor Relations and Filings with the SEC Web site:  http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/about-dell-investor 

"A revolution of one: Michael Dell invented a business model that all the world wanted to copy; yet after all these years, almost nobody has; why?," 2001, Economist, vol. 359, no. 8217, pp. 63-63.

Dell, M.S. 1994, "Making the right choices for the new consumer," Managing Service Quality, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 22-22.

Gateway PC

Gateway Computers

Gateway Computers has a rich heritage and a remarkable business story. Founded in 1985 in a U.S. Midwestern farmhouse, Gateway has grown into one of the world's best-known technology brands with millions of satisfied customers; starting with a $10,000 loan guaranteed by his grandmother, a rented computer and a three-page business plan, founder Ted aitt turned Gateway into a revolutionary company whose innovations helped shape the technology industry (Gateway, N.d.). Gateway's history includes several milestones that helped the computer industry in general develop. Although the company has also experienced many setbacks over the years, Gateway serves as a prime example of how a revolutionary vision can help shape an entire industry. Gateway's vision (before the Acer acquisition) was:

To profitably grow their business faster than the competition by better understanding and serving the desires of their customers and aggressively marketing the highest value directly to their…

Works Cited

Acer Group. (N.d.). Environment. Retrieved from Acer Group: http://www.acer-group.com/public/Sustainability/environment/overview.htm

Alchin, L. (N.d.). Gateway Computers Mission Statement. Retrieved from Specimen Templates: http://www.specimentemplates.org/mission-statements/gateway-computers-mission-statement.htm

CNET. (2009, July 31). eMachines ET1810-03. Retrieved from CNET:  http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/emachines-et1810-03/4505-3118_7-33709100.html 

Gateway. (N.d.). Company Background. Retrieved from Gateway Computers: http://us.gateway.com/gw/en/U.S./content/company-background

Gateway Computers gives an introduction about the company and outlines the main business strategies adopted by the company. This paper also describes the company's major business decisions and what contribution it has made to enhance the use of Information Technology among its consumers.

Gateway Computers

In its seventeen years of business, Gateway Inc. has made valuable name and place in the global market of computers. Ted Waitt, founder of the company initially conceived his corporation on an Iowa cattle farm. Seventeen years later its head quarters can be found outside San Diego, California. The company was primarily founded on the ingenious idea of selling computers straight to the consumers rather than through retailers and distributors. The main aim of the company was to make to profit via abating costs of computers to consumers through a direct sales approach. In the beginning, the company acquired success but eventually suffered as its…

References

Hawkins, D. Whither A National Information Infrastructure? Online. 9 Jan. 1991.

Paul, R. Gateway And Apple: A Tale Of Two Companies. 30 Sept. 2002. Available on the address  http://www.macobserver.com/stockwatch/2002/09/29.2.shtml . Accessed on 17 Apr. 2004.

Paul, S. Nightly Business Report. Nightly Business Report. 30 Jan. 2004.

Shelly, G.B. And Cashman, T.J. And Vermaat, M.E. Discovering Computers 2004: A Gateway To Information Web Enhanced: Complete. Course Technology. Feb. 2003.

Price

The common perception is that price is often the most effective differentiator and catalyst for driving up sales of products. Ironically for laptops, where there are many competitors and the price is often already very low, dropping the price doesn't increase demand. The inelastic nature of the laptop market makes price a positioning variable in the marketing mix. By raising prices on certain laptops for example, Dell has been able to communicate greater value for them, which is especially the case in the higher-end build-to-order product models (Fields, 2006). Pricing is used as a means to communicate relative value and critical to the financial success of a given product. Dell uses pricing very effectively for communicating both market position and optimizing the potential for profitability.

Promotion

The promotional strategies for laptops center on both print and online media, with social networks being heavily used to launch new models. Dell…

References

Gary Fields. (2006). Innovation, Time, and Territory: Space and the Business Organization of Dell Computer. Economic Geography, 82(2), 119-146.

Goi, C.. (2009). A Review of Marketing Mix: 4Ps or More? International Journal of Marketing Studies, 1(1), 2-15.

2). The company has demonstrated this effect time and again as it enters new, standardized product categories, such as network servers, workstations, mobility products, printers and other electronic accessories; in fact, almost 20% of every standards-based computer system sold in the world today is a Dell: "This global reach indicates our direct approach is relevant across product lines, regions and customer segments" (Dell at a glance, 2007, p. 3).

Today, Dell competes on a global basis, and it manages its business through three key geographic segments as shown in Table 1 below:

Table 1.

Dell Geographic Business Segments.

Geographic Segment

Description

The Americas

This business unit accounted for about 64% of the $56 billion the company earned in revenues in 2005 (Allison, 2006). This market region includes the U.S., Canada, and Latin America (Dell Annual eport, 2006); one Dell executive, Lawrence Pentland, was recently assigned control of the operations in…

References

Agrawal, Mani, T.V. Kumaresh and Glenn a. Mercer. (2001). The false promise of mass customization." The McKinsey Quarterly, 62.

Allison, K. (2006, June 29). Dell reorganises struggling Americas unit. [Online]. Available:

FT.com. http://us.ft.com/ftgateway/.

Dell annual report. (2006, March 15). Yahoo! Finance. [Online]. Available:  

It adopted a lateral structure that lacked hierarchy and was more informal. Employees were encouraged to practice self-managing behaviors and actively participate in the decision making process. It was important to the transformation process that all employees knew that their input was valued and that they all played a significant role in the success of the organization.

CRM strategy should analyze customer segments and make the appropriate determinations on whether each segment is profitable for their business and how to affect the purchase patterns of the segment so the business can experience the profitable attributes of CRM; loyalty purchasing, cross selling, up selling, etc. Direct Mail fits perfectly into the customer communication strategy for customer segmentation. With variable printing and data rich files a company can use their intelligence and print relevant Direct Mail that will move customers toward the purchase decision. Additionally customer communications should also enable the company…

Operations Management

Supply Chain Management at Dell Computer Corporation

Supply chain management systems have historically been designed to bring increasingly higher levels of automation and standardization of processes throughout supplier relationships, fulfillment, quality management and services. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century the concentration on lean supply chain performance sought to drill out every errand and unnecessary step and costs from supply chain collaboration, planning and execution (Foreman, Gallien, Alspaugh, Lopez, Bhatnagar, Teo, Dubois, 2010). This was especially the case in high technology industries including personal computers where the greater the level of standardization, the higher the level profits and lower the costs. Lean supply chain management and manufacturing was the approach Compaq took to establishing an early market share lead, yet was quickly challenged by Dell with its innovative uses of build-to-order supply chain management and rapid mass customization selling techniques (Gunasekaran, Ngai, 2005). The intent of…

References

Foreman, J., Gallien, J., Alspaugh, J., Lopez, F., Bhatnagar, R., Teo, C.C., & Dubois, C. (2010). Implementing supply-routing optimization in a make-to-order manufacturing network. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 12(4), 547-568.

Gunasekaran, A., & Ngai, E.W.T. (2005). Build-to-order supply chain management: A literature review and framework for development. Journal of Operations Management, 23(5), 423-451.

Gunasekaran, A., & Ngai, E.W.T. (2009). Modeling and analysis of build-to-order supply chains. European Journal of Operational Research, 195(2), 319.

Kapuscinski, R., Zhang, R.Q., Carbonneau, P., Moore, R., & Reeves, B. (2004). Inventory decisions in dells supply chain. Interfaces, 34(3), 191-205.

dell.com)

Small Desktop Computer (Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 2.80GHz, 1M/533MHz FSB, Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Operating System, 256MB DDR SDRAM, 60GB Hard Drive, 17" Flat Panel Display (E152), Dell AS500 Sound Bar Speakers, Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 Graphics Card, 48X32 CDRW/DVD, Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio Sound Card, PCMCIA Type II slot, 1.44MB 3.5" Floppy Drive, Windows XP Office Standard)

Network Computer Printer (Monochrome Laser, 1200 x 1200 dpi, 25 ppm, 160 MB RAM, 10/100 BaseT Ethernet built-in for Networking, TCP/IP Setup Utility, 100 to 127 volts (V) at 50 to 60 hertz (Hz), Power cable included with, 3,000-page Toner cartridge and 250-sheet standard drawer)

Wireless-G Access Point

Wireless Network PC Card

Smart Board 580 72"/182.9 diagonal with Smart Board Floor Stand 570

Ethernet Switch

CAT-5…