matching dell case study five forces

Dell Porter’s 5 Five Forces: 2022 Detailed Overview

Porter’s five forces analysis of dell.

Dell is the 10 th largest US tech company revenue-wise. Dell is one the largest producer of laptops, computers and other accessories. The company is famous for its e-commerce as it innovated the supply chain by selling directly to end users and removing the middle man, passing some cost synergies directly to users in terms of attractive pricing while keeping the quality premium.

Dell was awarded 3 rd largest PC vendor in 2021 and ranked 31 st on Fortune 500 list in 2022 from 76 th in 2021. Dell is also the second largest non-energy company in Texas.

From a financial standpoint, the company reported revenues of USD 101.2 billion in FY22, up 17% YoY on the back of strong demand post Covid-19 as the silicon chip shortages subside. The company recorded record PC sales.The company reported a Net Profit of USD 4.94 billion. The EPS reported at USD 6.26/sh growing faster than revenues at 27% YoY as the company also resorted to cost cutting measures.

The company divides its business into the following segments:

Client Solutions Group – The segment delivered a stellar performance with revenues of USD 61.5 billion, up 27% YoY, on the back of an increase in both commercial and consumer revenues.  The main highlight was the launch of the Dell XPS 13 Plus, a modern design and performance oriented computer.  Dell introduced the world’s thinnest gaming laptop (Alienware X14) under a subsidiary named Alienware which had a 17-inch gaming OLED screen. The segment also introduced the concept Luna, which is a commercial notebook concept that considers sustainability, recyclability, and reuse.

Source: Company Presentation 4QFY11

Dell Rivalry among Existing Competitors 

The consumer electronics market operates in a similar manner as the FMCG sector where there is low shelf time and high product turnover, also manufacturers are coming up with the latest technology every single year with the old ones being out of date in a couple of years.

Lenovo is one of the fastest growing brands in the PC/laptop business and is expected to outperform both HP and Dell in a few years. Lenovo, a Chinese company, is rated as the 4 th most reliable laptop brand (just after Dell on 3 rd ) by Syed Hammad Mehmood (2022) because it targets cost-conscious customers and with the global recession kicking in along with elevated commodity prices (energy and silicon chips to be the main focus) consumers are now switching to Lenovo because of its exceptional quality in a budget laptop.

Apple is one of the most premium brands for consumer electronics in the world with a high focus on industry-grade hardware, cutting-edge technology, and product innovation. According to Statcounter Apple IOS still holds roughly 15% of the total operating system market and with the Apple Macintosh only running the OS, Apple is the largest player in the PC/laptop space. However, Windows is the most used with 75%, and is further expected to grow because of the lack of software innovations on Mac’s end and because windows are considered a universal standard across the globe.

Dell Threat of New Entrants 

There is immense capital required for setting up facilities that can actually manufacture laptops, computers, and other accessories. Moreover, extremely highly skilled workers are required to run these facilities. In many countries, either such kind of skill is not present or it is expensive which reduces the threat of new entry.

Dell Bargaining Power of Suppliers 

There is less number of component manufacturers who control the power to control prices. On the other hand, there is an abundance of laptop middle-man (Dell still uses middlemen for international sales due to logistical reasons) and with the volatility in currency, it’s really difficult for suppliers to get hands-on tech products at the best rates.

In order to regulate after-sales service feedback on suppliers (as supplier provides these services in non-US regions), Dell has formulated a policy to send inspection teams at regular intervals to assess the quality of service, warehouses, stocking, and other necessary measures.

Dell Bargaining Power of Buyers 

Dell has a diversified client base globally as the company has partnered with more than 130,000 sellers across the globe to sell products in more than 180 different countries. The computer market operates in extremely standard product (like button layout on a keyboard) dimensions, however, some degree of innovation (in the supply chain, performance, and after-sale service) is always warranted.

Dell Threat of Substitute Products or Services

Back in the good days, a pc or laptop was used for gaming, video conferencing, browsing the internet, watching movies, and listening to music. However, in today’s world, a single cellphone has enough computing power to do all these things alone and packs more power than most CPUs built ten years earlier. There are powerful gaming consoles that completely replace the need for gaming pcs (the Playstation 5 costs USD 500 as compared to USD 2000 for an average gaming pc built) . Hence, since everybody owns different pieces of tech reduces the overall demand for laptops and pc to some extent.

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Dell Porter’s Five Forces Analysis

Porter’s Five Forces analytical framework developed by Michael Porter (1979) [1] represents five individual forces that shape the overall extent of competition in the industry. These forces are represented  below:

Threat of new entrants to consumer electronics industry is not significant due to cost and financial, knowledge and technological barriers. However, it is important to note that new businesses may overcome these barriers if they are able to introduce new products to the market based on innovative concepts. Large players such as Dell, Apple, HP, Samsung and Acer derive extensive benefits from the economies of scale and this fact represents an additional entry barrier to the consumer electronics industry.

Bargaining power of buyers is immense due to the abundancy of offer and little differentiation amongst products. Moreover, there are usually no additional costs for Dell customers to switch to the competition and the majority of customers are well educated about products and services offered by Dell, another important factor that fuels buyer bargaining power. High level of price sensitivity for the type of products and services offered by Dell also increases the bargaining power of buyers. However, inability of backward integration, i.e. producing products offered by Dell by customers, can be specified as an important factor that diminishes buyer bargaining power.

Bargaining power of suppliers is significant. Dell is extensively dependent on suppliers because it does not manufacture, but simply assembles its products from parts delivered by external vendors. Although there is a large number of companies that can potentially supply parts for Dell, there are only few reputable suppliers located close to Dell’s assembling units and this fact increases supplier bargaining power. Presence of supplier switching costs also contributes to their bargaining power. For Dell, the cost of supplies relative to selling price of products is high and it increases supplier bargaining power. However, a paramount importance of volume for suppliers diminishes their bargaining power….

Dell Inc. Report contains more comprehensive application of the framework of Porter’s Five Forces. Moreover, the report illustrates the application of SWOT, PESTEL and Value-Chain analytical frameworks and discusses Dell’s marketing strategy and company’s approach towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

[1] Porter, M. (1979) “How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy” Harvard Business Review

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Porter Five Forces Analysis of Dell

by adamkasi | May 12, 2017 | Companies

No matter you are going to start a new business or searching for more insight into the prospects of the existing company, you definitely have a number of questions in your mind about concerned market’s competition rate. There are several ways to answer your question but the most useful one of the porter’s five forces model. It was presented by the Michael E. Porter in the year 1979. This model helps us to determine whether the business is profitable or not, keeping in mind your concerned industry’s scenario. 

Implementation of porter’s five forces model on Dell Inc

The porter’s five forces analysis is a very effective tool for your business. When we talk about the global computer companies, the first name and foremost name that come to our mind is Dell Inc. It manufactures the high-quality computers, laptops, tablets, displays, and workstations. Here is the implementation of the porter’s five forces model on Dell Inc.

Threat of New Entrants: (LOW)

This force considers the current scenario for the newcomers to enter the concerned marketplace. Is it easy for them to enter or there are some potential barriers? A few common potential barriers are well known as well as reputable brands, the economy of scale, and access to inputs, absolute cost advantages etc.

As a matter of common observance, the threat of new entrants in this industry is low as compared to the other. What are the potential reasons behind? The reason is that entrance in this industry requires huge investments, skilled professional and technological infrastructure, and these entire things serve as barrier for the new entrants in the PC industry thus the threat of the new entrants for the dell inc. is low. The last but not the least thing to mention here is that Dell has a very nice image as a brand and it has won the customer’s trust so no such threats for the company.

Competitive Rivalry: (HIGH)

This force let us examine the intensity of the competition amongst the competitors in the concerned marketplace. For instance, in this scenario, you get to know about the number of competitors as well as their current standing in your concerned industry. The last but not the least thing to mention here are that you need to invest a lot if the competition in the concerned industry is high. When we talk about the competitive rivalry, it’s high in the PC industry. For the Dell Inc, the top rivals include Lenovo, HP, Asus, Apple, and Acer. All these brands are really reputable and are trying to get better with the prices as well to with the quality, in comparison to each other. In order to compete with each other, all these leaders of the PC industry are introducing new designs, latest PC with new features as well as with the increased portability.

The Bargaining Power of Buyers: (LOW TO MODERATE)

This force deals with the buyer’s power and its potential effects on pricing as well as quality. As a matter of fact, the buyers are in power in case if there are fewer customers but the more sellers. Also, the buyers have the power when the current scenario allows them to easily switch to other’s services or the products.

As a matter of fact, the buyers prefer to buy the laptops etc from the company or the brand which is well-reputed as well as reliable. In this case, when we talk about the Dell, it is one of the most reliable companies. From its existence, the company has largely focused on proffering the excellent customer’s services thus it has low to the moderate bargaining power of buyers. Two most important aspects that affect the bargaining power of the buyers are brand quality and brand image, Dell is really strong in all these aspects.

The Bargaining Power of Suppliers: (LOW)

This force majorly focuses on business supplier’s power and their ability to raise the prices, which will in return lower the profitability of the business. For instance, you consider the number of suppliers in your concerned industry and if the number of suppliers is low, they will definitely have the additional power in this case. As a matter of fact, the bargaining power of the supplier is quilt low. What are the potential reasons behind? The reason is that as compared to the small number of companies, there is a wide array of supplier available.

Threat for Substitutions: (MODERATE)

The last but not the least force of porter’s five forces model is the substitution threat. It considers the ease of the customers in switching from business products or services. This force majorly focuses on the number of competitors, their quality, and prices as compared to the examined business.

When we analyze the last five years in this regard, we come to know that this industry is facing a steady decline from last few years. Not merely the small companies but the big and reputed companies like Dell also lost the share as well as profits in the market and rise of substitutes is definitely the reason behind. For instance, the smartphones, as well as tabs, can be utilized as the alternative to laptops for surfing the internet, game playing and listening music.

The porter’s five forces model is really simple yet the most powerful tool to understand the areas where the power lies in a situation of business, no matter what the concerned industry is. This model is really very useful and effective. The analysis of the model can help you to improve your standing in your concerned industry, by taking effective steps accordingly or by preventing yourself from taking the wrong steps. The porter’s five forces model is widely being used in the business world and is proved to be a really useful and effective tool in this regard.

Sedona, P.B., Lewis, G.P., Freeman, P. and Shanks, G., 2004. The case for viewing business models as abstractions of strategy. The Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 13(1), p.64. Gunasekaran, A. and Ngai, E.W., 2005. Build-to-order supply chain management: a literature review and framework for development. Journal of operations management, 23(5), pp.423-451.

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Product Description

Publication Date: August 09, 2002

Source: Harvard Business School

After years of success with its vaunted "Direct Model" for computer manufacturing, marketing, and distribution, Dell Computer Corp. faces efforts by competitors to match its strategy. The case 'Matching Dell' describes the evolution of the personal computer industry, Dell's strategy, and efforts by Compaq, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Gateway 2000 to capture the benefits of Dell's approach. Students are called on to formulate strategic plans of action for Dell and its various rivals.

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How Porter’s Five Forces Can Help Small Businesses Analyze the Competition

Use this tool to determine how profitable a business may be compared with other businesses in the industry.

Table of Contents

Knowing who your competitors are and how their products, services and marketing strategies affect you is critical to your business’s survival. Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a small, local business, competition has a direct influence on your success.

One way to analyze your competition and determine your industry standing is to use Porter’s Five Forces model. Originally developed by Harvard Business School’s Michael E. Porter in 1979, the Five Forces model looks at five factors that determine whether a business can be profitable in relation to other businesses in the industry. 

Using Porter’s Five Forces and other analytics models will help you understand where your company fits in the industry landscape.

Understanding Porter’s Five Forces model

Porter’s Five Forces model is a competitive analysis method that’s considered a macro tool in business analytics. It looks at the industry’s economy as a whole; in contrast, a SWOT analysis is a microanalytical tool that focuses on a specific company’s data and analysis.

“Understanding the competitive forces, and their underlying causes, reveals the roots of an industry’s current profitability while providing a framework for anticipating and influencing competition (and profitability) over time,” Porter wrote in a 2008 Harvard Business Review article . “A healthy industry structure should be as much a competitive concern to strategists as their company’s own position.” 

Porter theorized that understanding the competitive forces at play and the overall industry structure is crucial for effective, strategic decision-making and the development of a compelling competitive strategy for the future.

Here are the five forces in Porter’s model:

1. Competitive rivalry

This force examines marketplace competition intensity. It considers the number of existing competitors and what each one can do. Rivalry competition is high when these conditions are met:

• Only a few businesses sell a product or service.
• The industry is growing.
• Consumers can easily switch to a competitor’s offering for little cost. 

When rivalry competition is high, advertising and price wars ensue, which can hurt a business’s bottom line.

2. The bargaining power of suppliers

This force analyzes a supplier’s power and control over price increases. When a B2B vendor has extensive control over pricing, their client business’s profit margins can suffer. 

This force also assesses the available number of suppliers of raw materials and other resources. The fewer suppliers in the supply chain there are, the more power they have. Businesses are in a better position when there are many suppliers. 

3. The bargaining power of customers

This force examines consumer power and its effect on pricing and quality. Consumers have power when there are fewer sellers because they can easily switch to another seller. Conversely, buying power is low when consumers depend heavily on a single seller. When a business has more customers, the buying power of each individual customer is low.

4. The threat of new entrants

This force considers how easy or difficult it is for competitors to join the marketplace. The easier it is for a new competitor to gain entry, the greater the risk that an established business’s market share will be depleted. Barriers to entry include absolute cost advantages, access to inputs, economies of scale, and strong brand identity .

5. The threat of substitute products or services

This force studies how easy it is for consumers to switch from a business’s product or service to a competitor’s offering. It examines the number of competitors, how their prices and quality compare with the business being examined, and how much of a profit those competitors are earning — which, in turn, would determine if they can lower their costs even more. The threat of substitutes is informed by switching costs, both immediately and in the long term, as well as consumers’ inclination to change. 

Example of Porter’s Five Forces

There are many examples of how Porter’s Five Forces can be applied to various industries. 

The ultimate goal is to identify the opportunities and threats that could affect a business. 

In this example, the financial education company 365 Financial Analyst looked at the competitive position of retail giant Walmart. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Competitive rivalry: Walmart has a significant reach, a strong brand identity, a physical and online presence, and low prices that make it difficult for small challengers in the retail space to compete. However, Walmart does face sustained challenges from large, established competitors such as Target, Costco and Amazon. Overall, Walmart faces a moderately competitive rivalry space.
• Bargaining power of suppliers: A diverse supplier base limits supplier bargaining power. Additionally, due to Walmart’s size, purchasing power and consumer reach, each individual supplier exerts very little influence on the company.
• Bargaining power of customers: Walmart has a massive customer base of small buyers, weakening the power of any single customer and granting the company significant leverage. The company’s low prices, established locations and online presence further reduce the power of any single customer. However, customers can switch to other retailers at little or no cost, affording them some power. Overall, buyer bargaining power is medium to low.
• Threat of new entrants: Walmart maintains a substantial edge in sales, marketing, distribution and established business locations. It also has a highly developed and deployed online presence to complement its physical locations. Due to its size and established network, Walmart also has the advantage of selling to multiple customers while being able to purchase at scale from various suppliers. All of these factors, as well as the established nature of large rivals such as Amazon, make the threat of new entrants low.
• Threat of substitute products: Walmart’s economies of scale, reach and size ensure it carries almost all brands and products a customer would like, with the exception of specific in-house brands that its rivals offer. Even then, Walmart can leverage economies of scale to offer products and a range of substitutes at low costs. As such, the threat of substitute products is low.

Strategies for success

Once your analysis is complete, it’s time to implement a strategy to expand your competitive advantage. To that end, Porter identified three generic strategies that can be implemented in any industry and by companies of any size.

Cost leadership

Your goal is to increase profits by reducing costs while charging industry-standard prices, or to increase market share by reducing the sales price while retaining profits.

Differentiation

To implement this strategy, your company’s products must be significantly better than the competition’s, thereby improving their competitiveness and value to the public. It requires thorough research and development, plus effective sales and marketing.

Successful implementation entails the company selecting niche markets in which to sell its goods. It requires an intense understanding of the marketplace, as well as deep knowledge of the business’s sellers, buyers and competitors. (Consult Porter’s 1985 book Competitive Advantage for more information.)

Alternatives to Porter’s Five Forces

While Porter’s Five Forces is an effective and time-tested model, it has been criticized for failing to explain strategic alliances. In the 1990s, professors Adam Brandenburger, then at Harvard Business School and now at New York University’s Stern School of Business, and Barry Nalebuff, of the Yale School of Management, created the idea of a sixth force, “complementors,” using game theory insights. (Consult their book, Co-Opetition , for more information.)

In this model, complementors sell products and services that are best used in conjunction with a competitor’s product or service. For example, Intel, which manufactures processors, and Lenovo, a computer manufacturer, could be considered complementors.

These additional modeling tools can inform your understanding of your business and its potential:

• Value chain analysis: A value chain analysis helps companies understand where their best productive advantage lies.
• BCG matrix: The BCG matrix helps companies identify which products will likely benefit most from increased investment.
• PEST analysis: Businesses should also consider conducting either a PEST analysis or a PESTLE analysis. These analyses take into account how external political, economic, sociocultural and technological forces — as well as legal and environmental forces, in a PESTLE analysis — can affect the business environment. This analysis should be conducted alongside Porter’s Five Forces to provide a thorough overview of factors and challenges that influence a business and its industry. 

Navigating the economic environment

All business decisions contain elements of risk and uncertainty. Conducting routine analyses of the business, industry and overall economic environment is vital to the success of any company, regardless of its size. Porter’s Five Forces model provides a clear framework that business leaders can employ to understand how their business fits into the larger industry. 

Using Porter’s Five Forces alongside additional analytical tools and models — like a SWOT analysis, a BCG matrix and a PEST(LE) analysis — can help business leaders navigate the broader economic environment with greater confidence and, ultimately, reap increased odds of success. 

Jeremy Bender and Katherine Arline contributed to this article. 

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Matching Dell Harvard Case Solution & Analysis

Home >> Harvard Case Study Analysis Solutions >> Matching Dell

After several years of success with its vaunted "Direct Model" for computer manufacturing, marketing and distribution, Dell Computer Corporation is faced with the efforts of competitors to match its strategy. This case describes the evolution of the personal computer industry, the strategy of Dell, and the efforts of Compaq, IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Gateway 2000 to benefit from the approach of Dell. Students are involved in the development of strategic plans for Dell and its various rivals. "Hide by Jan W. Rivkin, Michael E. Porter Source: HBS Premier Case Collection 31 pages. Publication Date: June 6, 1999. Prod. #: 799158-PDF-ENG

Matching Dell Case Study Solution

Matching Dell SWOT Analysis

Dell Computers is becoming increasingly popular among consumers. However, it's important to do some homework when buying one. As with any purchase, here are some tips for buying your next PC.

- The first thing you should consider is the user experience. Check how compatible the system is with your operating system (OS) and personal preferences and software.

- Evaluate the features and speed of Dell computers. An in-depth Dell Porters Five Forces Analysis will help you narrow down your choice to the right hardware and software.

- Make sure the price of your personal computer includes the cost of labor. Consider your monthly budget, and make sure you don't go over. Furthermore, don't be afraid to ask a salesperson to list extra costs such as tolls and taxes.

- Ask if there is an appropriate warranty for your Dell computers. Many websites list warranties, which are usually available for a few months.

- Know your shipping costs. When comparing prices, including shipping costs can save you significant amounts of money.

- Compare prices and features on Dell Computers. To do this, try searching Google, Bing, Yahoo, or MSN for the name of the brand. Use different search engines to find out how many reviews exist on the brand.

- Understand the brand's performance. Most consumer research indicates that customers who receive information on their specific brands, including online testimonials, are more likely to be satisfied with their purchases. Additionally, this gives you the ability to contact a local dealer to confirm the claim.

- Be aware of all shipping and handling costs that may cause you to pay an extra cost. Usually, shipping rates include handling, which could increase the cost significantly.

- Your final option is a refurbished or second hand Dell computer. Some web sites offer reseller discounts, which will save you money on your purchase. Take the time to read about a computer's history, to get a feel for whether it's suitable for your needs.

The best way to ensure you get a high quality PC from a genuine provider is to test drive a product before making a purchase. You should consider whether you will be able to run the test in different circumstances, such as in a lab environment or using different types of hardware.

Whether you're new to the world of computing or have been around it for a while, a Porters Five Forces Analysis can provide an enormous amount of useful information. By keeping these points in mind, you'll be able to choose the perfect computer and get started on your computing journey.

Matching Dell PESTLE Analysis

The history of Dell Computers dates back to 1979 when the company was founded by the co-founders, Bill Gates and Paul Allen. These two people had graduated from college and were introduced to each other at a business forum in the Valley. They soon fell in love with the idea of creating a computer manufacturing company which focused on innovative technology.

Dell Computers then started out with only one branch in Seattle, but today there are seven locations with a staff of more than two thousand people. Each branch is committed to technology innovation, quality and value. They have a reputation for quality and excellence.

Every year, the company has released a number of different models of laptops and desktop computers. The branch in Seattle is known for manufacturing all types of computers for consumers, while the others are dedicated to designing, manufacturing and selling desktops. Some of the highlights of their products include the following:

Dell is always in search of new ideas and technical solutions to make their laptops and desktop computers work better. This is what they are known for. Since their inception, they have made every effort to provide the best product, quality service and affordability. Their products are popular among businesses as well as individual consumers.

A lot of people do not realize how much technology they rely on, and how much of it is affordable technology. The demand for quality technology is often high, and the availability of quality technology is often low. This is where Dell has found a great opportunity to offer great technology at an affordable price.

Dell offers great computer support to their customers who bought the first generation of computers. This is a great incentive for buying a new computer that will last you a lifetime. Their new laptops have a user-friendly design, which makes them easy to use. The screens and keyboards are comfortable to use.

Dell Computer is well known for their excellent hardware design and technology. They understand the needs of their clients and are continually upgrading and improving their systems. They believe in the customer and the benefit they will get from their purchase. They care about how your computer works and how it will function in your everyday life.

Everyone knows that reliability and a high standard of quality are important, but Dell provides both in equal measure. When it comes to reliability, their computers are up to date with modern technology. They are the leading manufacturer of laptop computers.

While some people do not think laptops are capable of playing high-definition video games, Dell has designed a great gaming laptop that runs smoothly. They have designed a computer that can support a high definition screen. This means that they have a high definition screen that uses a CRT or LCD display.

There are many reasons why people buy Dell computers. One reason is because of the fact that they are durable. Dell products last longer than other brands, which means that you will be able to share your experiences with your friends and family for years to come. Even though they may be a little expensive, you are getting the best of the best.

If you need a computer for your home or office, Dell is the place to go. If you need a computer for your home, they can help you find the perfect computer for your specific needs. The devices are designed specifically for use in the home and office setting, so if you need to find one for your home, you will be able to find it.

Dell computers are designed with comfort and efficiency in mind. When you need a computer that you can use at home orin the office, you should be able to get it at a great price. The technicians that work for Dell have excellent training and knowledge, which help them to deliver a wide range of products, which helps customers like you.

Matching Dell HBR Case Solution

It's not that you can't find Dell Computers in stores today. It's that they are too expensive. To avoid having to pay ridiculous prices for your computer, you should use a Harvard Case Solution to help you.

Did you know that your computer can be repaired in the same way that your car gets fixed? In the past, your computer would need to be towed to a mechanic shop and then brought back. The great news is that it isn't necessary any longer. The ease of going online to have your computer repaired allows you to get computer repairs performed by trained professionals without ever leaving your home.

If you're looking for a Harvard Case Solution, the best place to find them is online. You will be able to find a service that is near you with their computer repair facility on call. You'll also be able to take advantage of all the other services that they offer like disk imaging and hard drive removal. Of course, the larger service will be able to handle all of your repair needs.

The major benefit to using a company like this is the fact that they are fully trained. They are well versed in how to fix Dell Computers in the most cost effective manner. If you have a broken machine, you want to take care of it. Unfortunately, when you take care of it yourself, you are wasting your money.

Having an on-call facility is going to help you out when it comes to being able to work at home or run a small business on a budget. When you call on a company like this, you'll be given a quote for your repairs and taken to the team that is available to work on your machine. With their background training, you will have no trouble taking care of your computer.

The cost of repairing your computer with a Harvard Case Solution is going to be less than the price of having it repaired at your local shop. While it might seem like the same cost of repairs, when you use a Harvard Case Solution, you're actually saving money. The machines are serviced by experts who have a lot of experience with Dell Computers.

The reason for this is because they will need to get more educated about the inner workings of a Dell Computer. If you let them know that your computer is under warranty, you are protecting them from making a mistake when they are performing their repairs. Even if your machine is not under warranty, you still won't have to worry about getting something wrong with the repair.

The return policy of Harvard Case Solutions is very strong. This is going to help to ensure that you get the best machine that you can afford. When you shop around for a service company, you should expect that they will accept your machine no matter what.

If you get Dell Computers in store, you can often end up with a machine that's broken. You can end up with a faulty computer that has been sold to you because your computer is broken. By making sure that you're working with an experienced team that can work to repair your machine, you can avoid this problem. Whether you need it for your business or personal use, you can trust a team that can help you get your machine back to a working condition.

You should also make sure that you get your repair from a team that will give you the best quote. When you go online, you should make sure that you are not paying for the hourly rate of someone who doesn't even work on Dell Computers. They have put a lot of time and effort into the company that they are part of. You should make sure that you are getting the best value for your money.

When you are ready to get your Dell Computers repaired, you should look into a company like the Harvard Case Solution. You can save a lot of money by going online and using a third party website. When you go to a company that does all of the work, you can save even more money.

You should be able to get a quote from a Harvard Case Solution for the same amount of money that you would have paid for Dell Computers in a store. Although you won't be able to tell what the work is going to cost, you will be sure that you aren't wasting your money by doing it yourself. This is an important fact to remember.

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Matching Dell

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Matching Dell Case Study Solution & Analysis

In most courses studied at Harvard Business schools, students are provided with a case study. Major HBR cases concerns on a whole industry, a whole organization or some part of organization; profitable or non-profitable organizations. Student’s role is to analyze the case and diagnose the situation, identify the problem and then give appropriate recommendations and steps to be taken.

To make a detailed case analysis, student should follow these steps:

STEP 1: Reading Up Harvard Case Study Method Guide:

Case study method guide is provided to students which determine the aspects of problem needed to be considered while analyzing a case study. It is very important to have a thorough reading and understanding of guidelines provided. However, poor guide reading will lead to misunderstanding of case and failure of analyses. It is recommended to read guidelines before and after reading the case to understand what is asked and how the questions are to be answered. Therefore, in-depth understanding f case guidelines is very important.

Harvard Case Study Solutions

STEP 2: Reading The Matching Dell Harvard Case Study:

To have a complete understanding of the case, one should focus on case reading. It is said that case should be read two times. Initially, fast reading without taking notes and underlines should be done. Initial reading is to get a rough idea of what information is provided for the analyses. Then, a very careful reading should be done at second time reading of the case. This time, highlighting the important point and mark the necessary information provided in the case. In addition, the quantitative data in case, and its relations with other quantitative or qualitative variables should be given more importance. Also, manipulating different data and combining with other information available will give a new insight. However, all of the information provided is not reliable and relevant.

When having a fast reading, following points should be noted:

• Nature of organization
• Nature if industry in which organization operates.
• External environment that is effecting organization
• Problems being faced by management
• Identification of communication strategies.
• Any relevant strategy that can be added.
• Control and out-of-control situations.

When reading the case for second time, following points should be considered:

• Decisions needed to be made and the responsible Person to make decision.
• Objectives of the organization and key players in this case.
• The compatibility of objectives. if not, their reconciliations and necessary redefinition.
• Sources and constraints of organization from meeting its objectives.

After reading the case and guidelines thoroughly, reader should go forward and start the analyses of the case.

STEP 3: Doing The Case Analysis Of Matching Dell:

To make an appropriate case analyses, firstly, reader should mark the important problems that are happening in the organization. There may be multiple problems that can be faced by any organization. Secondly, after identifying problems in the company, identify the most concerned and important problem that needed to be focused.

Firstly, the introduction is written. After having a clear idea of what is defined in the case, we deliver it to the reader. It is better to start the introduction from any historical or social context. The challenging diagnosis for Matching Dell and the management of information is needed to be provided. However, introduction should not be longer than 6-7 lines in a paragraph. As the most important objective is to convey the most important message for to the reader.

After introduction, problem statement is defined. In the problem statement, the company’s most important problem and constraints to solve these problems should be define clearly. However, the problem should be concisely define in no more than a paragraph. After defining the problems and constraints, analysis of the case study is begin.

STEP 4: SWOT Analysis of the Matching Dell HBR Case Solution:

SWOT analysis helps the business to identify its strengths and weaknesses, as well as understanding of opportunity that can be availed and the threat that the company is facing. SWOT for Matching Dell is a powerful tool of analysis as it provide a thought to uncover and exploit the opportunities that can be used to increase and enhance company’s operations. In addition, it also identifies the weaknesses of the organization that will help to be eliminated and manage the threats that would catch the attention of the management.

This strategy helps the company to make any strategy that would differentiate the company from competitors, so that the organization can compete successfully in the industry. The strengths and weaknesses are obtained from internal organization. Whereas, the opportunities and threats are generally related from external environment of organization. Moreover, it is also called Internal-External Analysis.

In the strengths, management should identify the following points exists in the organization:

• Advantages of the organization
• Activities of the company better than competitors.
• Unique resources and low cost resources company have.
• Activities and resources market sees as the company’s strength.
• Unique selling proposition of the company.

WEAKNESSES:

• Improvement that could be done.
• Activities that can be avoided for Matching Dell.
• Activities that can be determined as your weakness in the market.
• Factors that can reduce the sales.
• Competitor’s activities that can be seen as your weakness.

OPPORTUNITIES:

• Good opportunities that can be spotted.
• Interesting trends of industry.
• Change in technology and market strategies
• Government policy changes that is related to the company’s field
• Changes in social patterns and lifestyles.
• Local events.

Following points can be identified as a threat to company:

• Company’s facing obstacles.
• Activities of competitors.
• Product and services quality standards
• Threat from changing technologies
• Financial/cash flow problems
• Weakness that threaten the business.

Following points should be considered when applying SWOT to the analysis:

• Precise and verifiable phrases should be sued.
• Prioritize the points under each head, so that management can identify which step has to be taken first.
• Apply the analyses at proposed level. Clear yourself first that on what basis you have to apply SWOT matrix.
• Make sure that points identified should carry itself with strategy formulation process.
• Use particular terms (like USP, Core Competencies Analyses etc.) to get a comprehensive picture of analyses.

STEP 5: PESTEL/ PEST Analysis of Matching Dell Case Solution:

Pest analyses is a widely used tool to analyze the Political, Economic, Socio-cultural, Technological, Environmental and legal situations which can provide great and new opportunities to the company as well as these factors can also threat the company, to be dangerous in future.

Pest analysis is very important and informative.  It is used for the purpose of identifying business opportunities and advance threat warning. Moreover, it also helps to the extent to which change is useful for the company and also guide the direction for the change. In addition, it also helps to avoid activities and actions that will be harmful for the company in future, including projects and strategies.

To analyze the business objective and its opportunities and threats, following steps should be followed:

• Brainstorm and assumption the changes that should be made to organization. Answer the necessary questions that are related to specific needs of organization
• Analyze the opportunities that would be happen due to the change.
• Analyze the threats and issues that would be caused due to change.
• Perform cost benefit analyses and take the appropriate action.

Pest analysis

PEST FACTORS:

• Next political elections and changes that will happen in the country due to these elections
• Strong and powerful political person, his point of view on business policies and their effect on the organization.
• Strength of property rights and law rules. And its ratio with corruption and organized crimes. Changes in these situation and its effects.
• Change in Legislation and taxation effects on the company
• Trend of regulations and deregulations. Effects of change in business regulations
• Timescale of legislative change.
• Other political factors likely to change for Matching Dell.

ECONOMICAL:

• Position and current economy trend i.e. growing, stagnant or declining.
• Exchange rates fluctuations and its relation with company.
• Change in Level of customer’s disposable income and its effect.
• Fluctuation in unemployment rate and its effect on hiring of skilled employees
• Access to credit and loans. And its effects on company
• Effect of globalization on economic environment
• Considerations on other economic factors

SOCIO-CULTURAL:

• Change in population growth rate and age factors, and its impacts on organization.
• Effect on organization due to Change in attitudes and generational shifts.
• Standards of health, education and social mobility levels. Its changes and effects on company.
• Employment patterns, job market trend and attitude towards work according to different age groups.

case study solutions

• Social attitudes and social trends, change in socio culture an dits effects.
• Religious believers and life styles and its effects on organization
• Other socio culture factors and its impacts.

TECHNOLOGICAL:

• Any new technology that company is using
• Any new technology in market that could affect the work, organization or industry
• Access of competitors to the new technologies and its impact on their product development/better services.
• Research areas of government and education institutes in which the company can make any efforts
• Changes in infra-structure and its effects on work flow
• Existing technology that can facilitate the company
• Other technological factors and their impacts on company and industry

These headings and analyses would help the company to consider these factors and make a “big picture” of company’s characteristics. This will help the manager to take the decision and drawing conclusion about the forces that would create a big impact on company and its resources.

STEP 6: Porter’s Five Forces/ Strategic Analysis Of The Matching Dell Case Study:

To analyze the structure of a company and its corporate strategy, Porter’s five forces model is used. In this model, five forces have been identified which play an important part in shaping the market and industry. These forces are used to measure competition intensity and profitability of an industry and market.

porter’s five forces model

These forces refers to micro environment and the company ability to serve its customers and make a profit. These five forces includes three forces from horizontal competition and two forces from vertical competition. The five forces are discussed below:

• THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS:
• as the industry have high profits, many new entrants will try to enter into the market. However, the new entrants will eventually cause decrease in overall industry profits. Therefore, it is necessary to block the new entrants in the industry. following factors is describing the level of threat to new entrants:
• Barriers to entry that includes copy rights and patents.
• High capital requirement
• Government restricted policies
• Switching cost
• Access to suppliers and distributions
• Customer loyalty to established brands.
• THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES:
• this describes the threat to company. If the goods and services are not up to the standard, consumers can use substitutes and alternatives that do not need any extra effort and do not make a major difference. For example, using Aquafina in substitution of tap water, Pepsi in alternative of Coca Cola. The potential factors that made customer shift to substitutes are as follows:
• Price performance of substitute
• Switching costs of buyer
• Products substitute available in the market
• Reduction of quality
• Close substitution are available
• DEGREE OF INDUSTRY RIVALRY:
• the lesser money and resources are required to enter into any industry, the higher there will be new competitors and be an effective competitor. It will also weaken the company’s position. Following are the potential factors that will influence the company’s competition:
• Competitive advantage
• Continuous innovation
• Sustainable position in competitive advantage
• Level of advertising
• Competitive strategy
• BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS:
• it deals with the ability of customers to take down the prices. It mainly consists the importance of a customer and the level of cost if a customer will switch from one product to another. The buyer power is high if there are too many alternatives available. And the buyer power is low if there are lesser options of alternatives and switching. Following factors will influence the buying power of customers:
• Bargaining leverage
• Switching cost of a buyer
• Buyer price sensitivity
• Competitive advantage of company’s product
• BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS:
• this refers to the supplier’s ability of increasing and decreasing prices. If there are few alternatives o supplier available, this will threat the company and it would have to purchase its raw material in supplier’s terms. However, if there are many suppliers alternative, suppliers have low bargaining power and company do not have to face high switching cost. The potential factors that effects bargaining power of suppliers are the following:
• Input differentiation
• Impact of cost on differentiation
• Strength of distribution centers
• Input substitute’s availability.

STEP 7: VRIO Analysis of Matching Dell:

Vrio analysis for Matching Dell case study identified the four main attributes which helps the organization to gain a competitive advantages. The author of this theory suggests that firm must be valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and perfectly non sustainable. Therefore there must be some resources and capabilities in an organization that can facilitate the competitive advantage to company. The four components of VRIO analysis are described below: VALUABLE: the company must have some resources or strategies that can exploit opportunities and defend the company from major threats. If the company holds some value then answer is yes. Resources are also valuable if they provide customer satisfaction and increase customer value. This value may create by increasing differentiation in existing product or decrease its price. Is these conditions are not met, company may lead to competitive disadvantage. Therefore, it is necessary to continually review the Matching Dell company’s activities and resources values. RARE: the resources of the Matching Dell company that are not used by any other company are known as rare. Rare and valuable resources grant much competitive advantages to the firm. However, when more than one few companies uses the same resources and provide competitive parity are also known as rare resources. Even, the competitive parity is not desired position, but the company should not lose its valuable resources, even they are common. COSTLY TO IMITATE : the resources are costly to imitate, if other organizations cannot imitate it. However, imitation is done in two ways. One is duplicating that is direct imitation and the other one is substituting that is indirect imitation.  Any firm who has valuable and rare resources, and these resources are costly to imitate, have achieved their competitive advantage. However, resources should also be perfectly non sustainable. The reasons that resource imitation is costly are historical conditions, casual ambiguity and social complexity. ORGANIZED TO CAPTURE VALUE : resources, itself, cannot provide advantages to organization until it is organized and exploit to do so. A firm (like Matching Dell)  must organize its management systems, processes, policies and strategies to fully utilize the resource’s potential to be valuable, rare and costly to imitate.

STEP 8: Generating Alternatives For Matching Dell Case Solution:

After completing the analyses of the company, its opportunities and threats, it is important to generate a solution of the problem and the alternatives a company can apply in order to solve its problems. To generate the alternative of problem, following things must to be kept in mind:

• Realistic solution should be identified that can be operated in the company, with all its constraints and opportunities.
• as the problem and its solution cannot occur at the same time, it should be described as mutually exclusive
• it is not possible for a company to not to take any action, therefore, the alternative of doing nothing is not viable.
• Student should provide more than one decent solution. Providing two undesirable alternatives to make the other one attractive is not acceptable.

Once the alternatives have been generated, student should evaluate the options and select the appropriate and viable solution for the company.

STEP 9: Selection Of Alternatives For Matching Dell Case Solution:

It is very important to select the alternatives and then evaluate the best one as the company have limited choices and constraints. Therefore to select the best alternative, there are many factors that is needed to be kept in mind. The criteria’s on which business decisions are to be selected areas under:

• Improve profitability
• Increase sales, market shares, return on investments
• Customer satisfaction
• Brand image
• Corporate mission, vision and strategy
• Resources and capabilities

Alternatives should be measures that which alternative will perform better than other one and the valid reasons. In addition, alternatives should be related to the problem statements and issues described in the case study.

STEP 10: Evaluation Of Alternatives For Matching Dell Case Solution:

If the selected alternative is fulfilling the above criteria, the decision should be taken straightforwardly. Best alternative should be selected must be the best when evaluating it on the decision criteria. Another method used to evaluate the alternatives are the list of pros and cons of each alternative and one who has more pros than cons and can be workable under organizational constraints.

STEP 11: Recommendations For Matching Dell Case Study (Solution):

There should be only one recommendation to enhance the company’s operations and its growth or solving its problems. The decision that is being taken should be justified and viable for solving the problems.

Porter's 5 Forces analysis of Matching Dell (B): 1998-2003 Case Help

Home >> Harvard Business School >> Matching Dell (B): 1998-2003 >> Porter's 5 Forces analysis

Porter's 5 Forces analysis of Matching Dell (B): 1998-2003 Case Study Help

Financial Analysis

Monetary analysis for Porter's 5 Forces analysis of Matching Dell (B): 1998-2003 Case Analysis could be carried out to examine the schedule of financial resources to the company that might be used in growth towards global markets. The monetary position of the company might be evaluated by utilizing the data given in the case Display 1. The ratios that might be thought about in financial efficiency analysis are given in the Table 1 below;

From the above Table 1, it could be seen that the business has an affordable monetary efficiency with a ROE of 7.9% and a high sales development of 18.4%. A 4.3% net profit margin does not appears to be possible and the company should put efforts in increasing its revenues along with decreasing its functional expenditures to increase its revenue margins.

Porter's 5 Forces analysis of Matching Dell (B): 1998-2003 Case Analysis

Segmentation.

Most of the business's Brick and Mortar stores are situated in US consisting of above 500 stores in almost each of the state of US. The business has also an international existence in 8 different countries with its greatest number of stores located in United Kingdom i.e. 21. The companyhas an overall of 54 shops in global markets that is most likely the 10% of its stores in the United States.

The business targets its clothes brand to the young, tall and attractive teens and kids that are thought about to be cool. This targeting policy is responsible for different distinctions in the business related to its rivals. For example, the business employs great looking males and females for its shops and follows a rigorous appearance policy to maintain tourist attraction of good-looking individuals towards its stores and offer a distinct brand name experience.

Positioning

The company has actually placed its brand as a high-end brand name targeting just a particular market section. The business with its non-traditional ways of marketing through designs and agents posters its brand name image as a high-end clothes brand name targeted to the cool and good-looking characters in society. This market position attracts different elite people towards the brand however it hurts the business's position in different communities focused at the equality in society.

External Analysis Competitor Analysis

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