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Matching Dell Case Analysis

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Matching Dell

Outline with General Questions

Read the following instructions before proceeding. 1) Write in a continuous, narrative style within each question. Keep section headings. 2) The questions in the outline are to help you analyze the case and develop your own thought. 3) Limit your memo to three pages of text. Diagrams and tables do not count as part of the three pages of text. Do not use bullet points. 4) Double-check your grammar before submission. It matters! 5) Upload your write-up in Word format to WISE.

What can we learn from this case?

1) Barriers to imitation (entry): it illustrates how fit among numerous activities, tradeoffs between positions, historical commitments, and threats of retaliation by other players can deter imitation. Interestingly, the retaliation threats come from both immediate rivals and downstream “partners.”

2) Different types of imitation attempts: “Straddling” by Compaq and IBM, “repositioning” by Gateway, and potentially new entry by some members of the channel.

3) The case allows us to quantify Dell’s cost advantage and estimate the portion of that advantage which is threatened by the imitation attempts of others.

1. Environment

a. Threat of New Entrants: It is low. Because high technology industry is highly competitive with continuing developments. Costumers are more likely to purchase on famous brands and be loyal to those familiar brands. So there is little room for new companies with no constantly technology developments and innovations. b. Bargaining power of suppliers: For the operating system and microprocessors, it is very high. As most of the computers were using Windows system and Intel microprocessors. But for the hardware components such as housings, keyboards, memory chips, motherboards, disk drives, monitors and so on, it

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