Research Topics: DELL Sample Essays

Bibliography

Bibliography   Books   Blatazar, Lina C.  (1990). Modules: A Strategy in Teaching Home Economics – A Handbook.  Sta Mesa Hts. Q.C.: Rex Bookstore. Calmorin, Jose. (1985).  Methods of Research.  Phoenix Publishing Garcia, Manuel B.  (1995).  Focus on Teaching:  Approaches, Methods, Rechniques. Q.C. Rex Prinitng Co. Inc.   Harunobu, Suzuki. (1986). The History of Massage.  Dell Publications: New York. Lardizabal, Amparo S. et. al. (1995).  Principles and Methods of Teaching.  3rd Edition. Q.C.: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc. Thesis Maraña, Ma. Rebecca. (1983).  A Comparison of the Hilots’ Pressure Points and Acupuncture Points.  College of Nursing.  University of the Philippines – Manila.   Internet Fakouri, C., and P. Jones. 1987. Relaxation Rx: slow stroke back rub. J. Gerontological Nursing 13:32-35. Field, T. 1993. Personal communication to Elliott Greene, president, American Massage Therapy Association. Field, T., C. Morrow, C. Valdeon, et al. 1992. Massage reduces anxiety in child and adolescent psychiatric patients. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 31:125-131. Field, T., S. Schanberg, F. Scafidi, et al. 1986. Tactile/kinesthetic stimulation effects on preterm neonates. Pediatrics 77:654-658. Joachim, G. 1983. The effects of two stress management techniques on feelings of well-being in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Nursing Papers 15:5-18. Kaarda, B., and O. Tosteinbo. 1989. Increase of plasma beta-endorphins in connective tissue massage. Gen. pharmacol. 20:487-489. Kerlinger, Fred (1974).  Foundations of Behavioral Research.  2nd e. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston Inc.     McBride, Melen. (1999).  Health and Health Care of Filipino American Elders.               Stanford Geriatric Education Center.  Stanford University, Stanford, California. McKechnie, A., F. Wilson, N. Watson, et al. 1983. Anxiety states: a preliminary report on the value of connective tissue massage. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 27(2):125-129. Solivas, John L.  (2001). Traditional Medicine in the Modern World.  Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Weintraub, M. 1992a. Alternative medical care: Shiatsu, Swedish muscle massage, and trigger point suppression in spinal pain syndrome. Am. J. Pain Mgmt. 2(2):74-78. Weintraub, M. 1992b. Shiatsu, Swedish muscle massage, and trigger point suppression in spinal pain syndrome. Am. Massage Therapy J. 31(3):99-109.     Websites   http://www.bucklandmassage.com. (2000).  Buckland Massage and Neuromuscular Center.   http://www.amtnsw.asn.au. (2000).  The Association of Massage Therapists in Australia. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Bibliography

Bibliography Books Blatazar, Lina C. (1990). Modules: A Strategy in Teaching Home Economics – A Handbook. Sta Mesa Hts. Q.C.: Rex...

Household Life Cycle

Question 1: Buying Computers Online  (Dell–Hongkong site: ) 1.1       Small Business category offers the best deals when buying computers in bulk. In this category, the Dimension 1100 package is the best deal for a small business. It has basic essentials, but could still be customized for multimedia needs. It also offers a great value for entry level. This system is great for consumers and small business that need internet, email and basic productivity applications.             DimensionTM 1100 – Costs HK,899 but if bought online, only costs HK,799. It has Intel Celeron 3.06Ghz processor, genuine WindowsXP Home SP2 Edition (Traditional Chinese) (with label) operating system, 90 days warranty with technical phone support, 512MB 400Mhz DDR SDRAM memory, 80GB 7200RPM hard drive, an Intel 865GV chipset, 16X Max DVD-ROM Drive, 15” Flat Panel LCD Monitor (analog only), Dell USB keyboard in traditional Chinese, Dell Optival USB Mouse with Dell Mouse Mat, Integrated 2.1 Audio, Integrated 10/100 Fast Ethernet, Intel Extreme Graphics, System Driver CD kit, and McAfee Security Center in Traditional Chinese. Inclusive of shipping, handling and insurance charges. 1.2       The site is great for online buyers! It is user-friendly and browsing is done at ease. Categories are simplified for users to easily identify the help or support needed. It has Workstation Advisor for potential buyers and Solution Center for those who need technical support.                   Dell’s solutions helps customers get started, maintain computers and guarantee maximum productivity.   Question 2: All people born in a particular country (Eg Australia, Singapore etc) share the same cultural values and therefore can be expected to act in a similiar manner. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Use examples to illustrate your points.             I have to agree. But let me clear out first that people don’t act the same, but similarly only to a point where it differs somehow.             Values vary depending on cultural differences where you came from (2002).  That means an individual’s values depend wherever he had come from. What differs is how we handle conflicts.             Throughout man’s history and development, conflicts arise in all formats. Yet, despite the survival nature of man, these conflicts are always controlled for the benefit of the majority. In a more easier light, although man involves himself with a conflict of whatsoever, he always makes sure that his main purpose is for others to sustain from that act.             This has happened over the centuries in the similar manner but done in different approach. The Reign of Terror (1793-1794) in France and EDSA Revolution (1986) in the Philippines are examples. Both had shown hostility over rulings. In The Reign of Terror, Robespierre showed efforts of creating a secular society through the guillotine where he was later executed for his participation (Desaulniers,1995). Ferdinand Marcos on the other hand, similar to Robespierre’s secular society, created the new society. Because of his alleged devotion to develop the Philippines’ economic status, had declared Martial Law (1991).             There are differences if we’d look closely. But the similarities are still obvious. What differed both situations was that it happened at a different place and time.  The Reign of Terror happened in France from 1793 to 1794, where as the EDSA Revolution happened in the Philippines in 1986. Nevertheless, both incident happened for a sole purpose. To create and rule a ‘better’ society.             However, what failed them was their greed for power. Despite telling everyone that what they were doing was what’s best, they were both ousted.    But acting in the same manner never always got this pessimistic. By far, the most significant values are those that impose upon questions of human rights and democracy. The so-called ‘third wave of democracy’ that has swept through Pacific Asia in the 1980s and 1990s discredited the application of this argument to democracy. South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand have all shared in the democratic moment. Even China and Vietnam have encouraged a semblance of democracy at village level, and Cambodia at least makes a half-hearted attempt to pretend to be democratic.             That is why Robespierre was killed and Marcos exiled. They were both ruled out because they had violated human rights and democracy. They’re subordinates had done the similar things to the benefit of their countrymen.   Question 3: Does the notion of high “status crystallization” in society reduce the usefulness of social class as a predictor of consumption behaviour.             First of all, status crystallization has never been accurately or correctly measured or formulated for it to claim any sort of thing. And yet, since its first introduction half a century ago, status crystallization have always been associated with distributive system, social mobility and various sociological issues. In the basic context, status crystallization is the measure of whether persons with a disproportionate share of economic resources are also persons with a comparable share of social prestige. In our current social structure, it is not hard to differentiate consumption styles. These behaviors merely correspond with various levels of income (2003).             So the answer is no. Status crystallization does not reduce the usefulness of social class as a predictor of consumption behaviour because status crystallization uses social class to determine consumption styles. It actually specifies these behaviors with how much take home money an individual or a family has.             The principle of Status Crystallization (SC) is that people have prospects about how various kinds of social status should compare with one another. ‘Crystallized’ statuses are those, which include a variety of status at roughly the same levels. The educational attainment of a person is reliable with the occupation help and the income received. When the various measured dimensions of status are so connected then the status of that individual is said to be ‘crystallized’ or ‘consistent’. People with degrees who work as drivers, clerks or waiters are among those with uncrystallized or inconsistent positions on their various status dimensions. Question 4: How would you compare Global Marketing against International Marketing?             Strategies play a major role in marketing. There is not much difference with strategies when it comes to Global and International Marketing. Global marketing just does its market in a broader perspective. International marketing meanwhile, involves the states with great importance. But due to noticeable involvement of multinational corporations in international trades, some author refer global marketing as international marketing ( 2000).             Because the most profitable and sustaining way to maximize marginal contributions to fixed costs is to boost sales, firms have come to confer more responsibility upon marketing than in any prior era. What more better way to do this but to go global. This is new condition, termed globalization has varying definitions that seem to point to a single, ostensibly self-contradictory binarism: extreme disintegration and connectivity. By contrast, connectivity theorists emphasize that the world has become governed by the life force of a single economy and its attendant technologies and expectations. Whether these facets of globalization are regarded as a cause for celebration or dread, globalization is taken as a social fact.             Some authors prefer the term internationalization. They argue that the frontiers of countries, in a broad sense, are far from being dissolved, and therefore this globalization process is not happening, and probably will not happen considering that in world history, internationalization never turned into globalization (the European Union and NAFTA are yet to prove their case).             In this view, there is no difference between Global and International Marketing per se.               Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Household Life Cycle

Question 1: Buying Computers Online (Dell–Hongkong site: ) 1.1 Small Business category offers the best deals when buying computers...

Financial Management

Contents 1.    Introduction 2.    Background of the company 3.    Operating problems 4.    The project 5.    Conclusions 6.    Recommendations 7.    Bibliography and References                                                           Introduction Finance is a branch of economics concerned with providing funds to individuals, businesses, and governments. Finance allows these entities to use credit instead of cash to purchase goods and invest in projects. For example, an individual can borrow money from a bank to buy a home. An industrial firm can raise money through investors to build a new factory. Governments can issue bonds to raise money for projects (2002). Finance plays an important role in the economy. As banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions provide credit, they help expand the economy by directing funds from savers to borrowers.    For example, a bank acquires large amounts of money from the deposits of individual savers. The bank does not let this money sit idle but instead provides loans to borrowers who might then build a house or expand a business. The savings of millions of people percolate through many financial institutions, spurring economic growth. A wide variety of financial institutions have different roles in finance and the economy. These includes institutions, such as banks, link lenders and borrowers. These institutions act as an intermediary among consumers, businesses, and governments by lending out deposits. Other institutions, such as stock exchanges, provide a market for existing securities, which include stocks and bonds. Stock exchanges encourage investment because they enable investors to sell their securities when the need arises (2002) Many aspects of finance are studied individually. Corporate finance centers on how businesses can best raise and spend their funds. Public finance focuses on the financial role of federal, state, and local governments. Public Finance is the field of economics concerned with how governments raise money, how that money is spent, and the effects of these activities on the economy and on society (1936).  The paper will discuss about operating or capital investment wherein a company’s operating problems will be considered. A project will then be made to solve these problems. The project not only provides answers to the problems but can foresee the financial problems that the company might face.   Background of the business Dell Computer Corporation is a major manufacturer of personal computers, computer peripherals, and software. Among the leading producers of computers in the world, Dell sells its products directly to customers through the Internet and mail-order catalogs rather than through retail outlets. The company is based in Round Rock, Texas. At Dell Computers, customers are brought into the product planning and manufacturing processes, with all employees encouraged to have contact with customers. Through effective collaboration across boundaries, ideas can be shared about product designs and value propositions. The result is faster and more customer-focused product and service innovation. To produce the capacity for this, considerable attention must be placed on organizational structures, processes, skills and culture. Such elements that may need a radical overhaul in established companies (2002). Dell was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell. In 1983, during his freshman year at the University of Texas, he bought excess inventory of RAM chips and disk drives for IBM personal computers from local dealers. He resold the components through newspaper advertisements at prices far below retail cost. By 1984 his sales totaled about ,000 a month. In April 1984 Dell dropped out of school to launch his company (2003).   The new company soon began manufacturing its own IBM-compatible computers under the name PCs Limited. Because Dell sold computers directly to users through advertisements in magazines and catalogs, the company could price its machines lower than those sold through retail stores. Sales reached nearly million during the company’s first year, climbing to million the following year. By 1987 Dell was the leading mail-order computer company in the United States. That year it created a sales force to target large corporations and began adding international offices to capture the direct-mail market outside the United States (2003). While the company continued to grow rapidly; Dell experienced a series of setbacks that hurt profits. In 1990 the company began selling computers through retail stores, an effort it abandoned in 1994. In 1991 Dell launched a line of notebook computers, but quality problems and inadequate production planning forced the company to stop selling them for a year. In 1994 Dell launched a new line of notebook computers and expanded efforts to increase overseas sales. Dell also began focusing on the market for servers, which are computers used to run local area networks. By the late 1990s, Dell was firmly in place as the world’s number one direct seller of computers. More than 50 percent of the company’s computer sales transactions took place via its website, which generated worldwide sales in excess of million a day (Ford, Honeycutt & Simintiras 2003).   Operating problems Operations management has its origins in the study of production or manufacturing management. These terms still very much apply to manufacturing organizations that will have distinct operational activities that convert say, beans and rich tomato sauce into cans of baked beans to be sold by a retailer. Thus, people can initially think of operations management as being part of a distinct function producing a product and service combination, just as people have marketing and accounting functions in many organizations. Every organization that offers goods or services has an operations activity. As far as the organization structure is concerned, some firms will have a discrete operations function. This might be called a manufacturing department, an operations system, or have no identifiable name at all. However, like marketing and accounting, it is a fundamental function of the firm with professionally trained operations or production managers responsible for conversion of resources into the required product and service combinations. In some organizations such managers will have different titles, a store manager for a retailer, administrative managers within a hospital or distribution managers in a logistics company (2002).   The operations of an organization are all of the activities directly related to accomplishing the main purpose of the organization, whether it be producing some product or providing some service. In either case the operations system will provide the conversion of certain inputs, such as materials and labor, into certain outputs, either products or services. Thus, the operations function can be distinguished from the other main functional areas of an organization, such as marketing, finance, personnel, and accounting, which are no less vital for the firm’s success but which are less directly related to the organization’s day-to-day pursuit of its main business. Of course, all main functional areas of an organization are intricately entwined; all interact with and provide support for the others, and the boundaries are not always clear between them (1998).   Operations management refers to performing the traditional managerial functions that includes planning, organizing, directing, and controlling on the organization’s operations. The goals of operations management must be supportive of the goals of the overall organization, but what specifically are the goals relevant to the operations function? Perhaps the most obvious goal is productivity. Productivity simply refers to the ratio of a firm’s outputs to its inputs. Typical inputs to an operations system would include capital, raw materials, labor, and money. Increasingly, information is also being thought of as a resource. Outputs would include the organization’s products and services. Of course, organizations produce many less obvious and sometimes undesirable outputs, such as pollution and traffic congestion. Generally, though, the operations manager is striving to maximize the system’s outputs relative to its inputs. In other words, the goal is to produce the most products and services for the least cost, to the extent that this goal doesn’t interfere with the other goals of the organization (1998).   There are different problems that hamper smooth flowing operations and make the company fail to reach its goals. One problem is an unproductive workforce. The workforce is the backbone of a business. They are the persons responsible for creating the products the company sells and they are the ones that offer services to clients. Workforce that is unproductive hampers the operation of the business. They cause business process to take some time. An unproductive workforce also causes financial problems to a company. They hamper business processes to be completed in an earlier time and they waste the expenditures the company makes for production. Another problem is the tough competitors of the company. The competitors can affect how the company operates. They can do things that will make the workflow disrupted.   The project Projects have beginnings, middle periods, and endings. This may seem self evident, but it is not trivial if people are concerned with the management of projects, since where they are in the project life cycle will have a strong bearing on what they should be doing and what options are open to them. There are many different ways to view the project life cycle. One of the most common has the life cycle broken into four broad phases: project conception, planning, implementation, and termination. In the information sciences, one often-used approach cycle focuses on these six phases: needs recognition, requirements definition, system design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. Regardless of the specific approach to the life cycle, the main point to bear in mind is that projects are dynamic, continuously evolving organisms (2003).    The project will assist in providing solution to Dell’s workforce being unproductive. It will suggest different means to make the workforce productive and efficient. The project will cost the company a fair amount of expenses. The cost of the project will include the different expenses the company has to endure in the planning, implementing, controlling, and monitoring the project. If the company wants to improve its products and services it has to spend a reasonable amount. The company will have to budget its cost of operations with the cost of changes to make sure that the company will gain more and not spend more.   Conclusion Every organization that offers goods or services has an operations activity. As far as the organization structure is concerned, some firms will have a discrete operations function. This might be called a manufacturing department, an operations system, or have no identifiable name at all. The goals of operations management must be supportive of the goals of the overall organization, but what specifically are the goals relevant to the operations function? Perhaps the most obvious goal is productivity. Productivity simply refers to the ratio of a firm’s outputs to its inputs. There are different problems that hamper smooth flowing operations and make companies fail to reach their goals. One problem is an unproductive workforce. To solve this problem a project will be made. The project will assist in providing solution to the company’s workforce being unproductive. It will suggest different means to make the workforce productive and efficient. The project will cost the company a fair amount of expenses but it can benefit the company for longer periods of time.   Recommendations If the company wants to make sure that its operations will run smoothly and it will encounter lesser problems it has to make sure that the project will be successfully completed. The company also has to make sure that the project will be funded accordingly so that the effects will be beneficial. The company has to make sure that the project will be given outmost attention so that when problems are evident it can be dealt with and given proper action. The company must make sure that the project will be executed well so that its benefits will be evident. In doing the project the company must keep in mind that the project will solve the operational problems and not create more problems for the company. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Financial Management

Contents 1. Introduction 2. Background of the company 3. Operating problems 4. The project 5. Conclusions 6. ...

Strategic Management

Executive Summary     Tesco is the leading retailer in UK. It manages over a thousand supermarkets, hypermarkets, and convenience stores in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Central Europe and Asia. This study explored the competition inside the retail industry in Malaysia. Now, that Tesco has opened 16 stores in Malaysia, the retail industry becomes very competitive. The study analyzed the profile, the company’s goals and objectives and the industry life cycle, which is very important in strategic and competitive study of an organization, especially in the retail and service industry. Since the retail industry undergoes very diverse change almost everyday, it is just right that Tesco’s strategy on change examined. In analyzing how Tesco, Malaysia is competitive, the study utilized the SWOT analysis and Porter’s five forces for the industry attractiveness. The study arrived to the conclusion that Tesco, Malaysia like its mother company in U.K. is very competitive, however, since there are some competitors in the industry, Tesco still needs the aid of Michael Porter’s five forces, generic studies and cost leadership in order to stay on the top in the retail industry     Introduction               Tesco is the world leading retailer in United Kingdom and now is currently expanding outside Europe. Currently, they are entering the retail industry in Asia. In this study, the competitive advantage and strategic management of Tesco in Malaysia will be explored utilizing some concepts in strategic management such Porter’s frameworks and SWOT and industry analysis.     An Overview of the Organization   The first Tesco Hypermarket was opened in 2002. This hypermarket is in Puchong, Malaysia. Tesco also opened two more stores in Malaysia with Sime Darby Network Corporation. Currently, Tesco, Malaysia profit is increasing and had profited more than million. The suppliers of Tesco, Malaysia are mostly local suppliers, these suppliers understand the needs of the Malaysian consumers. Since the expansion is very fast in Malaysia, there will come a time that the supply chain of Tesco, Malaysia will be regional (2005) Tesco, Malaysia manages 16 stores and provides work for 240,000 individuals worldwide. Over the precedent five years, the corporation has extended from its conventional Malaysian supermarket foundation into new nations, merchandise and services, as well as a chief non-food business, individual investment and internet shopping. The ever-increasing degree and internationalization of its sales and purchasing processes constructs a noteworthy involvement to its competence and productivity, as it make progress towards its long-standing goal of becoming a truly global retailer. In this apparently vast scope of Tesco in terms of human resource, it is important to have a strong leadership to apply an equally competent human resource scheme for its whole workforce (2005)               Tesco’s organizational structure serves to be aiming for the company’s missions and goals. Tesco has three committees, the Remuneration Committee, the Audit Committee and the Nominations Committee Below is Tesco’s organizational chart of each stores.     Mission, Vision, Objective and Industry Stage Life Cycle                                                                                                                                 The core objective of Tesco is to establish value for customers in order to gain their lifetime loyalty.  Tesco’s success depends on their valued customers. These customers shop and work with the company. Tesco’s principle is, if the customer likes what they offer, surely these people will come back and purchase again. The two core value of Tesco are: No-one tries harder for customers and Treat people as we like to be treated. (2005)               Tesco’s mission and vision shows that this company is really for quality service and values their customers ( 2006)   ·         Be the leader in Quality Service provided to everyone in the retailing industry ·         Understand the needs of their client and respond with urgency. ·         Meet customer’s demands and exceeds their expectations ·         Maintain highly trained and motivated employees. ·         Continuously improve their skills, service and achieve excellence in all of the company’s endeavors.   The stage life cycle of the retail industry is no doubt to be mature because of the profits they are gaining every year. The retail industry’s profit is increasing and profiting from their cash cows.     A Major Strategy Change               The only permanent thing is change. Everyday in the retail industry and in global grocery markets, change is very rapid.  Tesco in Malaysia is beating the heat in food markets, struggling for growth, even if sometimes ageing population are declining; demographic profile is always growth-oriented and optimistic (2005)   In the case of Tesco, Malaysia, economic development condition, food supply chains are being rationalized according to more complicated major retail and food service consumers who wants to make business with fewer, larger, better-resourced manufacturers, suppliers and farmers. Therefore, power is polarizing the global retail industry. However, big retail organizations are exploiting the commercial value of the mass of information they have exclusive stores  (2005)               Another issue of change Tesco is facing is the use of e-commerce. Tesco is now leading the pack in the dot-com business, the arrival of broadband internet means that more and more people will shop online – suggesting there is plenty of room in the market for Tesco and competitors. Service differences are likely to smooth out, making it more likely that people will choose on the basis of price and brand loyalty. Tesco’s status as first to the market has won it a lot of customers. But if it’s still going to lead the field in five years’ time, it has to work a lot harder. Tesco will need to determine specific points that will set them apart from the rest of the pack of e-shopping companies. With the fast turnover of internet and communication technologies, it is just a matter of time before competitors could catch up. But even with the competitors having the same level of technology with Tesco, determined efforts in brand positioning and promotion, and enhancement of customer service for Tesco might just do the trick – in creating a perceived differentiation in consumer products and services from its competitors.     SWOT     STRENGTHS   WEAKNESSES   1.    Wide knowledge of retail industry 2.    Competent top management and rank & file for operation and maintenance 3.    Existing customer base 4.    Financial investment backing. 5.    Strong IT returns through internet shopping   1.    Low supervision on international market 2.     Considerably late exploitation of the Internet   OPPORTUNITIES     THREATS   1.    Expansion of target market 2.    Healthy market environment 3.    Increasing detraction of small retail businesses in Malaysia     1.    Economic restructuring 2.    Intensified competition 3.    Government regulation   Corporate, Functional and Global Strategy             Tesco has a long term business strategy in order to increase profits, the company has three different dimensions in their strategies, and these are: corporate, functional and global or international. Tesco has 16 stores across the Malaysia 80% of their group sales and profits come from the business.  According to Tesco.com, the key to their successful strategy is that they deliver first-class value, choice and convenience throughout their customer offer. To create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty is the Tesco core purpose.     Because of this belief, sales have grown by 7.9%. This year they celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Finest brand by expanding the range to 1,100 products. They have continued to grow the convenience business with a like-for-like growth in ready meals of 23% and lead the way in product development with their Healthy Living and Meals for One ranges.  (, 2003)   Another strategic action that the Tesco have undertaken is what they labelled as Regeneration. (2000) This process is similar to instituting a store with the help of the local community and the local government in accordance to the generation of jobs and commerce in specific areas. Among the areas where Tesco have “regenerated” includes Puchung, Kuala Lumpur, and Simpang Pulai. In this strategy, the company places a store in specific areas which they consider as deprived and in dire need of employment. This way, they have instituted a store in a location where there exists little competition and in the same time increases their reputation on the area by providing jobs for people in the community. Moreover, this strategy also moves their commodities closer to the public.          Providing the needs and quality service to their customers is the functional dimension of Tesco’s business strategy. TESCO introduced over 5,000 new food lines this year. Another innovation is bringing in screw-cap wines and their own label range ‘Unwind’, which is on-track to be a m brand this year. Grab and Go counters have been introduced into over 500 stores, offering customers a huge choice of cheese and hot chicken without having to queue, making it simpler and cheaper to operate. (2002) Another new introduction to their system is Primary Distribution, where they saw great progress this year.  Through this approach, they are able to take control of product from the factory gates to their distribution centres, improving efficiency and delivering cost benefits that they reinvest in customer initiatives. One more strategy that TESCO emphasized is in their non-food section.  They have expanded their non-food offer to gain their customer’s expectations. Because of this, they now have a 5% share of Malaysian non-food market. They have a 16% share of chart music sales, up from 4% five years ago. ()             According to Tescocorporate.com  (2005) they are implementing six elements to their global strategy in order to compete internationally: <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; line-height: 200%"> Flexibility- making each market unique and have different approach</li> </ul> Acting local- local customers, local cultures, local supply chains and local regulations require a tailored offer delivered by local staff – less than 100 of Tesco’s International team are ex-pats Keep focus – to be the leading local brand is a long term effort and takes decades, not just a few years Be multi-format – no single format can reach the whole of the market. A whole spectrum from convenience to hypermarkets is essential and you need to take a discounter approach throughout Develop capability – developing skill in people, processes and systems and being able to share this skill between markets will improve the chances of success in challenging markets Build brands – brands enable the building of important lasting relationships with customers. PESTLE Analysis             The PESTLE Analysis establishes a good analysis of the external effects on a company by breaking them into essential and obvious sorts. Political- the Malaysian government’s polivy on the sale of alcohol to people under age of 18. Economic- the government’s decision to put tax on food. Sociological- Tesco’s adaptation measures to the different shopping patterns of the Malaysian consumers. Technological-e-commerce impact on Tesco’s distribution costs. Legal- the effect of the mad cow disease to the company. Environmental- climate change in Malaysia to the third world suppliers.           Enhancing Quality   Everyday, top managers of Tesco stores gather for an hour-and-a-half customer advocacy meeting to pore over that week’s performance statistics. What makes this unusual is that every performance measure under scrutiny relates to customer satisfaction, and this meeting is the most important one on the corporate schedule. The vice presidents discuss several measures, including on-time delivery (OTD), product returns and their causes, and abandonment rates for calls to Tesco’s toll-free number. OTD is a true cornerstone of Tesco’s competitive strategy. The company promises product shipment within five days of order and two-day delivery. In February 1989, management decided to make Dell first in its industry in customer satisfaction. Surveys indicated that reliable delivery was the second highest concern to customers, after product attributes. But the company was already expending a disproportionate effort on getting production to match demand. Tesco responded by simplifying products and components, adapting production lines to handle just a few configurations, pushing customization to the end of production, and transmitting order information to the shop floor within 24 hours. The business was transformed into a “made-to-order” manufacturing operation with three- to four-day cycle times. The results are apparent. Tesco’s OTD records are among the best. Sales have increased by 70 percent in less than two years. Tesco ranks first in customer satisfaction (Kumar and Sharman, 1992). Today, even suppliers with flawless track records can’t afford to rest on their chairs. In the past, they had to focus mainly on areas such as product reliability and defect rates. In the future, however, to make the cut as a “preferred supplier,” manufacturers will have to satisfy a number of service criteria, leading off with OTD. No failure in customer service is easier to identify, measure, and compare.   Efficiency Enhancement   Tesco always put their efforts to do things “better, simpler and cheaper,” for their customers and employees. They usually enhance not by focusing on big aspects of the business, but by providing small enhancements. For example, Tesco is recycling plastic crates in order to restore cardboard boxes and other packaging. This seems to be small, but this is been implement in the supply chain management globally. In the age of innovation, Tesco improves customers’ savings through their efficiency such as wide choices of their own brand that are suitable for different customers, efficient time and motion innovations that are being distributed to different stores globally, the utilization of self-scan checkouts and bigger conveyor belts that help improves packing speed during checkout. This may not be big enhancement of efficiency but if the hundreds of Tesco stores do this that will be big savings and efficiency to both employees and customers.     Industry Attractiveness[TEO8]    In analyzing industry attractiveness, Porter’s five forces model is used. The attractiveness of the retail industry, depends on the situation of competition. The competition in the retail industry is based on its economic structure Porter’s Five Forces Model implies that business are being influenced by five forces namely supplier power, threat of substitutes, buyer power, barriers to entry and rivalry. This model also implies that business must be able to understand the industry context in which they operate. This must be done in order to better design the strategy that the business will use to be able to compete with rivals within the same industry. It is important for businesses to determine the level of competition present within the industry. This will allow them to address potential risks before they even strike. According to (1985), a business positions itself based on its strengths and strength are categorized into two – cost advantage and differentiation. Furthermore, when these strengths are applied in either a narrow or a broad sense, it will result to three generic strategies – focus, differentiation and cost leadership strategy.             Cost leadership strategy means that the company is the low cost producer or provider of a certain quality item in a given industry. This kind of strategy is being implemented for two reasons and achieved through two ways. The first method and reason is to sale items at average industry price so that the company will be able to be more profitable compared to rivals. The second method and reason is to sale the products at below average industry price in order to gain market share. According to  (1985), a company that has the ability to produce or offer less costly products will be able to remain profitable for a longer period. It is important to note that this strategy targets a broad market.       BCG Matrix Tesco can be considered as a cash cow because it distributes quality and extra services to its consumers and equipped with new innovative products and services in Malaysia. At the same time the company can also be considered as Stars because they put a lot of efforts to increase the awareness of their consumers to the benefits of e-commerce and retailing     Conclusion     Tesco’s e-retailing arm is one of the most revered dot com shopping initiatives in the 1990s. However, with the continuing upsurge of internet technologies and the emergence of strong competitors, Tesco needed the help of Porter in improving their strategic management and corporate strategy. The company implemented Porter’s Generic Strategies which targets a broad market and aims to present customers with products at a low cost for a given level of quality. The industry sells its products at average industry prices to earn a profit higher than that of rivals, or below the average industry prices to gain market share. In the event of a price war, the firm can maintain some profitability while the competition suffers losses. Even without a price war, as the industry matures and prices decline, the firms that can produce more cheaply will remain profitable for a longer period of time.  Although, Porter provided Tesco a comprehensive strategic management model to serve as a guide in achieving the company’s goal in being the largest retailer globally, Porter’s model can still be considered limited at some extent: (a)Consumers, competitors and suppliers are not similar therefore they should not interact and may contradict each other. (b) Barriers might be created because the source of value is structural advantage. (c) Letting participants inside the market plan for the behaviors of their consumers might result to low performance and uncertainties in the market.                                                                                 Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Strategic Management

Executive Summary Tesco is the leading retailer in UK. It manages over a thousand supermarkets, hypermarkets, and convenience store...

To develop a strategic HR framework for an Dell Inc. Contextual and societal factors should be considered, as well as the nature and vision of the organisation. The objectives of the framework should be clearly defined and the ways that the HRM function

HR Framework for Dell, Inc   Direct selling to consumers is what sets Dell apart from its competitors as it is only the company which sells through catalogs before without the obstruction of in-store inventories, separating bond between inventory and product selection. Dell also had embrace the online PC retailing making the company a leaders in providing customers requirements through “configurator” software which allows customers to select among an array of choice while also proving online technical support. As Philip and Thomas put it, Dell had developed elaborate and sophisticated decision-support software to help its own technical staff troubleshoot problems. Dell’s mission statement is “to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve”. Dell employees, direct salespeople, help-desk operators, engineers, and the like all have to be knowledgeable and customer focused to ensure Dell’s continued competitiveness. Although the company only entered the electronic industry in mid-1980s it became a global phenomenon, enabling to serve and take advantage of the capabilities of the otherwise complex and multi-level PC industry. The reason behind this is that market potential is the driving force behind Dell’s general location decisions, while costs and capabilities are the driving forces behind the specific location of Dell’s activities. As such, though Dell generally appears to be receptive to its business model, the company was enabled to serve those markets by means of effective production capabilities and cost structuring. There are three strategic challenges for information strategy and Dell is not an exemption. These are using the new electronic medium at full advantages, upgrading information capability and improving the flow of information in the entirety of the business. Responding to these challenges means to position the business component in the strategy in order to put focus on the application of the information system to business purposes. It would be also necessary to implement the strategy within plans and training to implement changes in information systems and business processes. Dell did just that, and through the committed HRM function. Dell grows its organisation through a process called cell division. This is driven by technological advances and a need to address stiff competition from other providers. New developments in computer technology have to be made available as soon as possible, and preferably before these features are offered by competitors. When a business section dealing with a particular product or range reaches a specified size threshold, part is spun off to form a new unit. The threshold is not set purely on the number of employees. This process of growth does not suit everyone, so Dell aims to recruit employees with a particular mindset. Since the organisation is flat and distributed, it has no need for grandiose managerial titles and impressive hierarchical charts. Employees are expected to take segmentation as a sign of success. Dell seeks to attract people who enjoy constant and rapid change. It is worth noting that Dell paid its staff generously during this period. The HRM function at Dell has become a strategic partner in the process of growth. HRM is split into operations and management. Through the service center, the HR operations section coordinates transactional functions. Operational HRM staff report directly to the top of the organisation through an HR chain of command. HR management section provides consultants to business units and attends local staff meetings. HR management takes responsibility for Dell University employee resourcing including recruitment and a team of HR generalists. HR management section is also closely involved in growth policy. It is involved in segmentation through designing organisation charts, identifying appropriate people and dealing with training needs. Dell makes use of a ‘three-legged stool’ which consists of an administrative service center, a center of excellence and HR business partners. Specifically, the administrative service center, known internally as Dell’s Employee Resource Center, processes payroll, benefits and other transactional activities. The focus of the Employee Resource Center is efficiency and much of the work is delivered through the employee and manager web-based self-service in some organization. Dell’s Center of Competency is the center of excellence which houses managerial expertise in areas important to the businesses. The Competency Center focuses on effectiveness. Experts in this function concentrate on design rather than transactions and their customers are line managers. HR business partners are Dell’s HR Generalists who are generalist who report directly to line managers in business units, and only indirectly to HR department. The focus of HR Generalists is on providing tailored HR services to individual units. They serve as business consultants, aiding managers in the development and utilisation of their human capital.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

To develop a strategic HR framework for an Dell Inc. Contextual and societal factors should be considered, as well as the nature and vision of the organisation. The objectives of the framework should be clearly defined and the ways that the HRM function

HR Framework for Dell, Inc Direct selling to consumers is what sets Dell apart from its competitors as it is only the company which...

SWOT ANALYSIS

SWOT ANALYSIS (DELL COMPUTERS INC.)   Dell Computers History   The company was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell, now the computer industry’s longest-tenured chief executive officer, on a simple concept: that by selling personal computer systems directly to customers, Dell could best understand their needs, and provide the most effective computing solutions to meet those needs. Today, Dell is enhancing and broadening the fundamental competitive advantages of the direct model by increasingly applying the efficiencies of the Internet to its entire business. Company revenue for the last four quarters totaled .9 billion. Through the direct business model, Dell offers in-person relationships with corporate and institutional customers; telephone and Internet purchasing (the latter now exceeding million per day); customized computer systems; phone and online technical support; and next-day, on-site product service. Dell arranges for system installation and management, guides customers through technology transitions, and provides an extensive range of other services. The company designs and customizes products and services to the requirements of the organizations and individuals purchasing them, and sells an extensive selection of peripheral hardware and computing software. Nearly two-thirds of Dell’s sales are to large corporations, government agencies and educational institutions. Dell also serves medium and small businesses and home-PC users. Dell’s Unique Direct Model: Dell’s award-winning customer service, industry-leading growth and consistently strong financial performance differentiate the company from competitors.   SWOT Analysis Strengths                                                                 Weaknesses   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> No Inventory build-up </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Industry Leading Growth </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Cost Efficiency </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Direct to Customer Business Model </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Access to Latest Technology </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Customization </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Internet Sales Leadership</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Million Worth of Products Everyday </li> </ul>   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> No Proprietary Technology </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> High Dependency on Component Suppliers </li> </ul>     <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Network Internet, Intranet and Extranet</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Strong potential market in Europe, China and India</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Low Costs and advanced Technology </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Growth in business, education and government markets. </li> </ul>   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Competition in price and market share </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Currency fluctuation in markets outside the U.S. </li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Political instabilities in some markets</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Tariff trade barriers </li> </ul> Opportunities                                                          Threat   SWOT Analysis (Strength) <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> No Inventory build-up </li> </ul> Dell turns over inventory every six days on average, keeping related costs low. Superior Shareholder Value — During the last four quarters, the value of Dell common stock nearly doubled. From 1996 through 1998, Dell was the top-performing stock among the Standard & Poor’s 500. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Industry Leading Growth </li> </ul> Company revenue for the last four quarters totaled .9 billion. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Cost Efficiency </li> </ul> With the industry’s most efficient procurement, manufacturing and distribution process, Dell offers its customers powerful, richly configured systems at competitive prices. Every Dell system is built to order. Customers get exactly what they want. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Direct to Customer Business Model </li> </ul> Dell’s Unique Direct Model: Dell’s award-winning customer service, industry-leading growth and consistently strong financial performance differentiate the company from competitors. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Access to Latest Technology </li> </ul> Dell introduces the latest relevant technology much more quickly than companies with slow-moving indirect distribution channels. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Customization </li> </ul> Every Dell system is built to order. Customers get exactly what they want. Dell uses knowledge gained from direct customer contact before and after the sale to provide award-winning reliability and tailored customer service. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Internet Sales Leadership</li> </ul> Internet Leadership Sales via Dell’s Web site surpassed million per day during early 1999, accounting for 30 percent of overall revenue. The company’s application of the Internet to other parts of the business –including procurement, customer support and relationship management — is approaching the same 30-percent rate. The company’s Web received 25 million visits at more than 50 country-specific sites last quarter. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Million Worth of Products Everyday</li> </ul>   (Weaknesses) <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> No Proprietary Technology </li> </ul> Dell do not enjoy protected by trademark or patent or copyright technology. The technology being used in the industry is shared by all industry players. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> High Dependency on Component Suppliers </li> </ul> Line-of-business applications are applications that are central to a company’s operations include systems such as databases, messaging servers, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) applications, and core file and print services. Clustering helps ensure that these critical applications are online when needed by removing the physical server as a single point-of-failure. Dell employs Microsoft technology (Microsoft Cluster Server) instead of having its own.   (Opportunities) <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Network Internet, Intranet and Extranet</li> </ul> The Internet is becoming more integrated into daily life, businesses rely on the Internet for commerce and real-time information exchange; customers go online to shop, bank and conduct personal correspondence; and students from grade schools through college use the Internet as an educational tool. From servers that power the Internet connection, to desktops and notebooks that efficiently and effectively provide the interface, to workstations used to develop digital content, the ability to provide products and services that enable Internet access and enhance the online experience will be vital for companies in the computer systems industry. Current Dell initiatives include moving even greater volumes of product sales, service and support to the Internet; using the Internet to improve the efficiency of Dell’s procurement, manufacturing and distribution process and further expanding an already broad range of value-added services. By taking its direct business model and its associated customer experience to even higher levels, through the Internet. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Strong potential market in Europe, China and India</li> </ul> Dell still has significant opportunity for expansion in all parts of the world, especially in markets outside of the U.S.; in all customer segments; and in all product categories, ranging from home PCs to enterprise products, such as network servers and workstations. Europe has now overtaken the United States to become the biggest market for personal computers. This was revealed in the report saying that the shipment of PCs in the global market increased by around 15.3 percent in 2005. Interestingly, Dell continues to impress the customers as it extended its advantage over Hewlett-Packard. The number of PC users is expected to hit or exceed 1 billion by 2010, up from around 660 million to 670 million today, fueled primarily by new adopters in developing nations such as China, Russia and India, according to analysts. <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Low Costs and advanced Technology </li> </ul> The stream of software and hardware innovation from companies such as Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. is rapid and robust, and is sharply increasing system performance and reducing the relative cost of computing. While computer performance is going up, the relative cost of computing computer prices per MIPS has steadily declined, encouraging new computer users and more rapid PC replacement. Customers, in turn, are using those savings to buy even more powerful, more richly configured systems. ·         Growth in business, education and government markets. The most likely driver of PC sales would be state and local government spending, including education. Government and education is typically the biggest sequential growth driver in the July quarter. While federal demand has held up well, we remain concerned about state and local spending. Educational spending at the K through 12 levels is particularly important in the July quarter, and the state and local budget crises make this a key wild card for the quarter (Spooner, CNETNews.com, 2003).   (Threat) <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Competition in price and market share </li> </ul> The merger, between Hewlett- Packard and Compaq HP-Compaq will command a whopping 81 percent of the U.S. retail PC market. HP-Compaq is expected to be more cost efficient by cutting its duplicative costs.   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Currency fluctuation in markets outside the U.S. </li> </ul> Some investors traditionally have ignored currency differences when investing internationally. They have shared a widely held view that such discrepancies even out over time and so the effect of currency fluctuations is reduced when investing for the long term. But increasingly, investors are taking more account of currency considerations when they invest internationally, realizing that currency is a major driver behind the short- to medium-term performance of such markets.   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Political instabilities in some markets</li> </ul> The economic implication of political instability is to increase transaction costs associated with security and flow of capital, goods and people between countries. Insurance cost would also increase.   <ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #404040; text-align: justify; line-height: 200%"> Tariff trade barriers</li> </ul> Tariffs and trade barriers affect the smooth flow of a company’s operation by finding natural or legal restrictions being imposed by other countries. The additional payment paid on tariffs by products bought from other countries increases manufacturing and delivery cost.                   BalanceScoreCard                             ____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________                       ________________________________________________________________                       Dell’s mission statement, which appears on its website, is “to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve” Dell’s two biggest assets are classified under its organizational assets, namely the leadership of Michael Dell and its organizational structure, the business processes underlying the direct business model. Dell has the flexibility to respond quickly. Because it relies mostly on its highly reliable supplier, where Dell streamlines its operation and relies on its computer monitor supplier to ship directly to the customer. As long as its supplier retains its leadership position, Dell would collaborate with it to achieve mutual success, but if it fails, Dell has the flexibility to respond quickly. Another asset? Employees. Direct salespeople, help-desk operators, engineers, and the like all have to be knowledgeable and customer focused to ensure Dell’s continued competitiveness. This is why “Employee” is classified also as a critical factor to success under customer measures. In addition, customers are critically important assets to Dell. When Dell introduced the direct model, its competitors were selling computers to end consumers via distributors. Dell, on the other hand, sells directly to consumers and is continuously communicating with them and benefiting, especially in two areas, seeing sales trends and learning about unmet customer needs. The company also relies on customers’ knowledge of what they want to purchase and when they want to complete the transaction to drive the direct business model. Dell leverages this source of customer knowledge by making it as easy as possible for a customer to place a customized order electronically. Electronic ordering is hassle free for the customer and cost effective for Dell. Dell’s assets that relate to its customer intimacy and operational efficiency value propositions are the following. Dell’s leadership, structure, customer, brand, and employee assets play a pivotal role in delivering on the customer intimacy value proposition. Michael Dell says his most important leadership responsibility is looking for “value shifts” in his company’s customer base. To identify the shifting needs of customers, he has to stay in close contact with them. To build customer intimacy and loyalty, Dell leverages its customers’ knowledge of their own unmet needs. Dell’s brand image was and is shaped by customer feedback. Identifying this linked set of assets enables Dell to select strategy-focused, asset-based balanced scorecard measures that support the customer intimacy value proposition. For example, the balanced scorecard’s learning and growth measures might include the following. (1)Training dollars spent per full-time equivalent by customer segment to ensure that well-educated business segment managers provide state-of-the art advice to customers. (2)Number of collaborative customer-solution teams that motivate Dell to collaborate with its customers and jointly create technology solutions that fulfill any unmet customer needs. (3)Number of emerging technologies evaluated inspires Dell’s leaders to stay abreast of technology threats and opportunities that may alter the competitive landscape in the future.   Business process measures might include.  (1)Percentage of total hours spent in contact with the customer, (2) Number of customer-initiated product innovations, And (3) Average customer idea ramp-up time. The first measure—hours spent with the customer— would be evaluated at the executive as well as managerial levels. This would motivate Dell’s highest-level leaders, as well as its segmented management teams, to stay in touch with the customer. The second business process measure— customer-initiated product innovations—should motivate Dell employees to listen to and collaborate with customers. The first two measures from the learning and growth perspective would support this process-oriented measure. The third measure—ramp-up time—assesses how long it takes Dell to translate a customer’s idea into reality because creating innovative ideas is one thing, but delivering results in a timely manner is another.   The three customer measures are customer perception of customized response capability, customer perception of stability and first-to-market capability, and customer retention. If the learning and growth and business process outcomes are being achieved, then as the first customer perspective measure suggests, customers should perceive that their individual needs are being met in a timely manner. The second measure focuses on brand image. If Dell stays in touch with customers and delivers solutions consistent with their needs, then its brand image of stability in the institutional segment and “first-to-market with the latest technology” in the consumer segment should remain strong. Finally, if customer perception regarding the prior two measures is positive, Dell should be able to retain customers and grow the business. Pursuing the value proposition of customer intimacy should lead to revenue growth, so the financial measures are revenue growth by segment and gross margin by segment. Since the growth needs to be profitable growth, gross margin is included as a financial measure to ensure profitable growth.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

SWOT ANALYSIS

SWOT ANALYSIS (DELL COMPUTERS INC.) Dell Computers History The company was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell, now the computer indu...