Dell Computer And The World 's 500 Largest Companies

Since the beginning Dell has been selling customized computers. In 1988 Dell became a public company, turning the company more profitable by acquiring new investors. From 1990 to 1993, Dell used to sell computers in retail stores such as Wall Mart, Best Buy, Staples, etc. and because of low profit as results, in 1994, the company refocused its strategy to direct sales, eliminating retailers, wholesalers and consequently acquired satisfied customers by reducing cost and time for them and also the company. In 1997 the company became the low cost leader in pc vendors. During 2002-2007 the company had 7 elements as its strategy: making build-to-order manufacturing progressively more cost-efficient; partnering closely with suppliers to reduce cost of the supply chain; using direct sales techniques to gain customers; expanding into additional products and services and technical support; keeping R&D and engineering activities focused on better meeting the needs of customers, and using standardized technologies in all product offerings. As a conclusion, Dell has been always changing its strategy according to customer needs and in a way to make the company more profitable.

Chapter two (Krames, 2003) depicts the values, journey and leadership style of Michael Dell. Michael Dell is the founder and CEO of Dell, Inc. According to the author, Michael had an entrepreneurial gene in him since the childhood. He started his first business Dell Stamps when he was 12. Michael started his revolutionary journey of Dell Computer Corporation when he was 19 year old. He was the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company at the age of 27.

The market is never static and the preferences of the customers keep changing. In this case the executives at Apple must always ensure that the needs of the clients are effectively addressed at all times. In the same way, the industry has become very competitive in the recent past and the organization has to find ways and means of staying ahead of its competitors. In this case, innovation plays a major role in ensuring that new products are constantly produced by the organization.

The introduction of new products can be a huge risk for a company, and for many

One critical factor repeatedly presented itself throughout this research project and that is the absolute necessity for Dell to find a way to innovate in a sustainable manner. Having Chairman Michael Dell at the helm again is beneficial to the growth and cohesive vision of the firm, but Dell is losing ground to rivals such as HP in the areas of technological advances and sales. Another key take away is that Dell leaders must invest in the training and re-educating of employees and invest in the research and development of products in collaboration with the firm’s key suppliers in its network. Critical to the success

The company's evolution was achieved by taking away share from business frontrunners and “co-modifying” the product. Rather than being the market leader in other consumer electronic products (such as HDTV, digital cameras, etc.) when the prices for new products are high and consumers are doing research prior to the purchase Dell's home might be to jump into the market as consumer electronic products begin to changeover into merchandises. The company can be prepared to capture the second wave or level of consumers who have not taken on new technologies and products until the prices lower and technology becomes accepted.

1. a. In a span of 20 years, from 1984, Michael Dell became the leader of one of the most profitable and innovative organizations in the world. The meteoric rise of Dell Computers Corporation was largely a result of some innovative strategies and perspectives and reveals a new model for doing business in the information age. Discuss the major mistakes made during this period and the resulting lessons learnt by Dell.

Michael Dell was the founder member of the Dell Company back in the year 1984. Michael is one of the youngest known developers who have ever lived. He founded the company at the tender age of 19 while he was still a student at the University of Texas. Michael Dell’s journey of success started when he added features to personal computers that he obtained from local retailers. Michael therefore sold such computers that he had modified himself and after making profits he decided to expand his business by hiring more people to help him in the supplies. In 1985, to do the business on a permanent basis, he left school and began to manufacture his own computers and sold them with the aid of advertisement in publications of computers trade (Hunger, 2006).

The combination of product development and product proliferation strategies is beneficial to Apple since the perceived value of the products of Apple Inc. generated through innovation and superior design proves to be inimitable competency. Thus, as much as this advantage exists, Apple will continue to lead in the PC industry. However, the product proliferation strategy adopted by Apple Inc. a major shortcoming. According to Iliev et al (2004, p. 133), this tactic leads to high pressure for cost reduction and for local responsiveness. This makes this approach the most difficult to realize, but if a company succeeds, it can obtain a low cost structure and also considerable level of customer acceptance. According to Iliev et al (2004, p. 133), Apple applies this approach, but, it has not yet attained the optimal point. As a result, the majority of computer owners in the global market do not know much about Apple’s technology. For Apple to attain appropriately low cost situation, it has to come up with ways to persuade PC users in the global market from the very entry of their innovative and technological superiority.

This research is made to analyze computer hardware industry and focus on Dell Inc. First part will be analyzed overall industry and competitive analysis by answering 7 key questions. The second part will be evaluated company resources and competitive capabilities by answering 5 key questions. This research can help manager to understand more about computer hardware industry and learn how Dell deal with their competitors.

Michael Dell’s original idea, to allow the customer to order what they want in a computer, was a simple, yet effective one. It allowed Dell to grow quickly and become a leader in the industry. (Treacy, Michael and Wiersema, Fred, January-February 1993 Issue).

Let us assume the liabilities remain the same for the year 1997 even when sales increases by 50%, i.e. DELL would not go for any additional liability to fund the increase in operating asset and it would try to do it internally. As per the calculation shown in the attached exhibit, Dell would need 371 Mil USD to fund the increase in sales. The following are the ways DELL could fund this increase in operating asset

Dell has positioned itself as a global provider of IT solutions and services over multiple years. This branding has shown that it is not simply an attempt to distance itself from the profitable but low-margin PC business, but instead, that it is a very real transition for both Dell as a company and the IT landscape, in which Dell operates. The current increase in cloud computing, big data, and connected devices, information technology is becoming more vital to the survival of business service sectors. These changes are rapidly moving down from huge enterprises into Dell’s ideal customer base of small and medium sized businesses. Dell has made multiple acquisitions over the years which has created many offerings and helped to position the

The company was based on a simple concept: that Dell could best understand consumer needs and efficiently provide the most effective computing solutions to meet those needs by selling computer systems directly to customers. This direct business model eliminated retailers, who added unnecessary time and cost, and also allowed the company to build every system to order, offering customers powerful, richly configured systems at competitive prices. Dell introduced the latest relevant technology much more quickly than companies with slow-moving, indirect distribution channels, turning over inventory an average of every four days. In less than two decades, Dell became the number-one retailer of personal computers, outselling IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Compaq (2002).

The innovation process shifted away from innovating incremental products or product line extensions to radical products that are completely new to the market. Emphasizing the importance of this shift, 3M’s top management has set a new objective to generate 30% sales from radical products. 1.2