Dell From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the corporation known as Dell Inc.

For other uses, see Dell (disambiguation). Dell Inc.

The Dell logo; the circle was added in late 2010. Type Public Trade NASDAQ: DELL d as SEHK: 4331 NASDAQ-100 Component S&P 500 Component Indust Computer hardware, Computer ry software, IT consulting, IT services Found Austin, Texas, U.S. ed (May 1, 1984)

Found Michael Dell er(s) Headq 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United uarter States[1] s Area Worldwide served Key Michael Dell people (Chairman & CEO) Produ Desktops, netbooks,notebooks, peripher cts als,servers, printers, scanners,smartphon es, storages, televisions Reven ue Opera ting incom e Net incom US$ 63.07 billion (2012)[2] US$ 4.43 billion (2012)[2]

US$ 3.49 billion (2012)[2]

e Total assets Total equity US$ 44.53 billion (2012)[2] US$ 8.91 billion (2012)[2]

Emplo 110,000 (2012)[2] yees Subsid Alienware, Dell iaries Services,Force10, SonicWall, WYSE,Se cureWorks, KACE Networks, Exanet, Compellent,AppAssu re Software, Quest Software, Make Technologies Websi Dell.com te Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) is an American multinational computer technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing

the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest technological corporations in the world, employing more than 103,300 people worldwide.[2] Dell is listed at number 41 in theFortune 500 list. [3] It is the third largest PC vendor in the world after HP and Lenovo.[4] Dell has grown by both increasing its customer base and through acquisitions since its inception; notable mergers and acquisitions including Alienware (2006) and Perot Systems(2009). As of 2009, the company sold personal computers, servers, data storage devices,network switches, software, and computer peripherals. Dell also sells HDTVs, cameras, printers, MP3 players and other electronics built by other manufacturers. The company is well known for its innovations in supply chain management and electronic commerce. Fortune Magazine listed Dell as the sixth largest company in Texas by total revenue. [5] It is the second largest non-oil company in

Texas behind AT&T and the largest company in the Greater Austin area.[6] Contents [hide] 1 History o 1.1 Growth in 1990s and early 2000s o 1.2 Missed expectations and return of founder o 1.3 Recent plans and acquisitions o 1.4 Dell facilities 2 Products o 2.1 Scope and brands 2.1.1 Manufacturing 3 Technical support 4 Commercial aspects o 4.1 Organization o 4.2 Marketing 4.2.1 Dell partner program 4.2.2 Criticisms of marketing of laptop security o 4.3 Retail 4.3.1 United States 4.3.1.1 Kiosks

4.3.1.2 Stores 4.3.2 Elsewhere o 4.4 Competition o 4.5 Partnership with EMC 5 Environmental record o 5.1 Green initiatives 6 Criticism 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading

10 External links [edit]History

Main article: History of Dell Dell traces its origins to 1984, when Michael Dell created PCs Limited while a student at the University of Texas at Austin. The dormroom headquartered company sold IBM PCcompatible computers built from stock components.[7] Dell dropped out of school in order to focus full-time on his fledgling business, after getting about $300,000 in expansion-capital from his family.

In 1985, the company produced the first computer of its own design, the "Turbo PC", which sold for $795.[8] PCs Limited advertised its systems in national computer magazines for sale directly to consumers and custom assembled each ordered unit according to a selection of options. The company grossed more than $73 million in its first year of operation. The company changed its name to "Dell Computer Corporation" in 1988 and began expanding globally. In June 1988, Dell's market capitalization grew by $30 million to $80 million from its June 22 initial public offering of 3.5 million shares at $8.50 a share.[9] In 1992,Fortune magazine included Dell Computer Corporation in its list of the world's 500 largest companies, making Michael Dell the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company ever.[10] [edit]Growth in 1990s and early 2000s From 1997 to 2004, Dell enjoyed steady growth and it gained market share from competitors even during industry slumps.

[11]

Dell previously earned and maintained the #1 rating in PC reliability and customer service/technical support, according to Consumer Reports, year after year, during the mid-to-late 90s through 2001 right before Windows XP was released. In 1996, Dell began selling computers through its website, and in 2002, it expanded its product line to include televisions, handhelds, digital audio players, and printers. Dell's first acquisition occurred in 1999 with the purchase of ConvergeNet Technologies. Dell surpassed Compaq to become the largest PC manufacturer in 1999. In 2002, when Compaq merged with Hewlett Packard (the 4th place PC maker), the combined Hewlett Packard took the top spot but struggled and Dell soon regained its lead. In 2003, the company was rebranded as simply "Dell Inc." to recognize the company's expansion beyond computers.

In 2004, Michael Dell resigned as CEO while retaining the title of Chairman, handing the CEO title to Kevin Rollins who was the President and COO. Under Rollins, Dell began to loosen its ties to Microsoft and Intel, the two companies which were responsible for Dell's dominance in the PC business. During that time, Dell acquired Alienware, which introduced several new items to Dell products, including AMD microprocessors. To prevent cross-market products, Dell continues to run Alienware as a separate entity, but still a wholly owned subsidiary. [edit]Missed expectations and return of founder However in 2005, while earnings and sales grew, sales growth slowed considerably, and the company stock lost 25% of its value that year. The slowing sales growth has been attributed to the maturing PC market, which constituted 66% of Dell's sales, and analysts suggested that Dell needed to

make inroads into non-PC businesses segments such as storage, services and servers. Dell's price advantage was tied to its ultra-lean manufacturing for desktop PCs, however this became less important as the market shifted to laptops, and as rivals such as Hewlett-Packard and Acer made their PC operations more efficient. Throughout the entire PC industry, declines in prices along with commensurate increases in performance meant that Dell had fewer opportunities to upsell to their customers (a lucruative strategy of encouraging buyers to upgrade processor or memory), and as a result the company was selling a greater proportion of inexpensive PCs than before which eroded profit margins.[11] There has also been a decline in consumers purchasing PCs through the Web or on the phone, as increasing numbers were visiting consumer electronics retail stores. As well, many analysts were looking to innovating companies as the next source of growth in the technology sector. Dell's low spending

on R&D relative to its revenue (compared to Apple Inc.) which worked well in the commoditized PC market prevented it from making inroads into more lucrative segments such as MP3 players.[12] Dell's reputation for poor customer service, since 2002, which was exacerbated as it moved call centres offshore and as its growth outstripped its technical support infrastructure, came under increasing scrutiny on the Web. There was also criticism that it used faulty components for its PCs.[13] There was also a battery recall in August 2006, as a result of a Dell laptop catching fire which caused much negative attention for the company, although later Sony was found to be responsible for the faulty batteries.[11] 2006 marked the first year that Dell's growth was slower than the PC industry as a whole. By the fourth quarter of 2006, Dell lost its title of the largest PC manufacturer to rival Hewlett Packard which was invigorated thanks to a restructuring initiated by their CEO Mark Hurd.[12] [14] [15]

After four out of five quarterly earnings reports were below expectations, Rollins resigned in 2007 and founder Michael Dell assumed the role of CEO again. Dell announced a change campaign called "Dell 2.0," reducing headcount and diversifying the company's product offerings. [edit]Recent plans and acquisitions In 2006, Dell acquired Alienware, a manufacturer of high-end PCs popular with gamers.[16][17][18]

The company acquired EqualLogic on January 28, 2008, to gain a foothold in the iSCSI storage market. Because Dell already had an efficient manufacturing process, integrating EqualLogic's products into the company drove manufacturing prices down.[19]

In 2009, Dell acquired Perot Systems, a technology services and outsourcing company, mainly active in the health-sector,

founded by former presidential hopeful H. Ross Perot In 2009, Dell acquired Perot Systems, based in Plano, Texas, in a reported $3.9 billion deal, and amalgamated into Dell Services.[20] The acquired business provided Dell with applications development, systems integration, and strategic consulting services through its operations in the U.S. and 10 other countries. In addition, the acquisition of Perot brought a variety of business process outsourcing services, including claims processing and call center operations.[21]

On February 10, 2010, the company acquired KACE Networks a leader in Systems Management Appliances. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.[22]

On August 16, 2010, Dell announced plans to acquire the data storage company 3PAR.[23] On September

2, Hewlett-Packard offered $33 a share for 3PAR, which Dell declined to match.[24] On November 2, 2010, Dell acquired Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) integration leader Boomi. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.[25]

In February 2011 the acquisition of Compellent by Dell was completed after the initial announcement of Dell's intention to buy the company was announced on 13 December, 2010

On Friday February 24, 2012 Dell acquired Backup and Disaster Recovery software solution AppAssure Software of Reston, VA. AppAssure delivered 194 percent revenue growth in 2011 and over 3500% growth in the prior 3 years. AppAssure supports physical servers and VMware, Hyper-V and XenServer. The deal represents the first acquisition since Dell formed its software division under former CA CEO John Swainson. Dell

added that it will keep AppAssures 230 employees and invest in the company.

Dell is headquartered in Round Rock, Texas In March 2012, USA Today said that Dell agreed to buy SonicWall, and the acquisition was completed 9th May 2012[26]. A company with 130 patents, SonicWall develops security products, and is a network and data security provider[27].

On 2 April, 2012, Dell announced that it wants to acquire Wyse, global marketleader for thin client systems[28]

On 3 April, 2012, Dell announced that it has acquired Clerity Solutions. Clerity, a company offering services for application (re)hosting, was formed in 1994 and has it

headquarters in Chicago. At the time of the take-over approximately 70 people were working for the company[29]. On 2 July, 2012, Dell announced that it was buying Quest Software.[30][31]

[edit]Dell facilities Dell's headquarters is located in Round Rock, Texas.[32] As of 2010 the company employs about 16,000 people in the facility, [33] which has 2,100,000 square feet (200,000 m2) of space.[34] As of 1999 almost half of the general fund of the City of Round Rock originates from sales taxes generated from the Dell headquarters.[35] Dell previously had its headquarters in the Arboretum complex in northern Austin, Texas.[36][37] In 1989 Dell occupied 127,000 square feet (11,800 m2) in the Arboretum complex.[38] In 1990 Dell had 1,200 employees in its headquarters.[36] In 1993 Dell submitted a document to Round Rock officials, titled "Dell Computer Corporate Headquarters, Round Rock, Texas, May 1993 Schematic Design." Despite the filing,

during that year the company said that it was not going to move its headquarters. [39] In 1994 Dell announced that it was moving most of its employees out of the Arboretum, but that it was going to continue to occupy the top floor of the Arboretum and that the company's official headquarters address would continue to be the Arboretum. The top floor continued to hold Dell's board room, demonstration center, and visitor meeting room. Less than one month prior to August 29, 1994, Dell moved 1,100 customer support and telephone sales employees to Round Rock.[40] Dell's lease in the Arboretum had been scheduled to expire in 1994.[41]

The company sponsors Dell Diamond, the home stadium of the Round Rock Express, the AAA minor league baseball affiliate of the Texas Rangers major league baseball team

By 1996 Dell was moving its headquarters to Round Rock.[42] As of January 1996 3,500 people still worked at the current Dell headquarters. One building of the Round Rock headquarters, Round Rock 3, had space for 6,400 employees and was scheduled to be completed in November 1996.[43] In 1998 Dell announced that it was going to add two buildings to its Round Rock complex, adding 1,600,000 square feet (150,000 m2) of office space to the complex.[44] In 2000 Dell announced that it would lease 80,000 square feet (7,400 m2) of space in the Las Cimas office complex in unincorporated Travis County, Texas, between Austin and West Lake Hills, to house the company's executive offices and corporate headquarters. 100 senior executives were scheduled to work in the building by the end of 2000.[45] In January 2001 the company leased the space in Las Cimas 2, located along Loop 360. Las Cimas 2 housed Dell's executives, the investment operations, and some corporate

functions. Dell also had an option for 138,000 square feet (12,800 m2) of space in Las Cimas 3.[46] After a slowdown in business required reducing employees and production capacity, Dell decided to sublease its offices in two buildings in the Las Cimas office complex.[47] In 2002 Dell announced that it planned to sublease its space to another tenant; the company planned to move its headquarters back to Round Rock once a tenant was secured. [46] By 2003 Dell moved its headquarters back to Round Rock. It leased all of Las Cimas I and II, with a total of 312,000 square feet (29,000 m2), for about a seven year period after 2003. By that year roughly 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of that space was absorbed by new subtenants.[48] In 2008 Dell switched the power sources of the Round Rock headquarters to more environmentally friendly ones, with 60% of the total power coming from TXU Energy wind farms and 40% coming from the Austin Community Landfill gas-to-

energy plant operated by Waste Management, Inc.[34] Dell facilities in the United States are located in Austin, Texas; Nashua, New Hampshire; Nashville, Tennessee; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Peoria, Illinois; Hilsboro, Oregon (Portland area); Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Eden Prairie, Minnesota (Dell Compellent); and Miami, Florida. Facilities located abroad include Penang, Malaysia; Xiamen, China; Bracknell, UK; Manila, Philippines[49] Chennai, India; [50] Hortolandia and Porto Alegre, Brazil; Bratislava, Slovakia; d, Poland, [51] Panama City in Panama, Dublin and Limerick, Ireland.[52] The US and India are the only countries which have all of Dell's business functions and provide support globally: Research and Development, manufacturing, finance, analysis, customer care.[53] [edit]Products [edit]Scope and brands

Dell's tagline 'Yours is Here', as seen at theirMall of Asia branch in Pasay City, Philippines The corporation markets specific brand names to different market segments. Its Business/Corporate class represent brands where the company advertising emphasizes long life-cycles, reliability, and serviceability. Such brands include: OptiPlex (office desktop computer systems) Vostro (office/small business desktop and notebook systems) n Series (desktop and notebook computers shipped with Linux or FreeDOSinstalled) Latitude (business-focused notebooks)

Precision (workstation systems and high-performance notebooks),[54] PowerEdge (business servers) PowerVault (direct-attach and networkattached storage) PowerConnect (network switches) Dell Compellent (storage area networks) EqualLogic (enterprise class iSCSI SANs)

Dell's Home Office/Consumer class emphasizes value, performance, and expandability. These brands include: Inspiron (budget desktop and notebook computers) Studio (mainstream desktop and laptop computers) XPS (high-end desktop and notebook computers) Studio XPS (high-end design-focus of XPS systems and extreme multimedia capability) Alienware (high-performance gaming systems) Adamo (high-end luxury laptop)

Dell EMR (electronic medical records)

Dell's Peripherals class includes USB keydrives, LCD televisions, and printers; Dell monitors includes LCD TVs, plasma TVs andprojectors for HDTV and monitors. Dell UltraSharp is further a high-end brand of monitors. Dell service and support brands include the Dell Solution Station (extended domestic support services, previously "Dell on Call"), Dell Support Center (extended support services abroad), Dell Business Support (a commercial service-contract that provides an industry-certified technician with a lower call-volume than in normal queues), Dell Everdream Desktop Management ("Software as a Service" remote-desktop management),[55] and Your Tech Team (a support-queue available to home users who purchased their systems either through Dell's website or through Dell phone-centers).

Discontinued products and brands include Axim (PDA; discontinued April 9, 2007),[56] Dimension (home and small office desktop computers; discontinued July 2007), Dell Digital Jukebox (MP3 player; discontinued August 2006), Dell PowerApp (application-based servers), and Dell Omniplex (desktop and tower computers previously supported to run server and desktop operating systems). [edit]Manufacturing From its early beginnings, Dell operated as a pioneer in the "configure to order" approach to manufacturingdelivering individual PCs configured to customer specifications. In contrast, most PC manufacturers in those times delivered large orders to intermediaries on a quarterly basis.[57] To minimize the delay between purchase and delivery, Dell has a general policy of manufacturing its products close to its customers. This also allows for implementing a just-in-time (JIT)

manufacturing approach, which minimizes inventory costs. Low inventory is another signature of the Dell business modela critical consideration in an industry where components depreciate very rapidly.[58] Dell's manufacturing process covers assembly, software installation, functional testing (including "burn-in"), and quality control. Throughout most of the company's history, Dell manufactured desktop machines in-house and contracted out manufacturing of base notebooks for configuration in-house.[59] However, the company's approach has changed. The 2006 Annual Report states "we are continuing to expand our use of original design manufacturing partnerships and manufacturing outsourcing relationships." The Wall Street Journal reported in September, 2008 that "Dell has approached contract computer manufacturers with offers to sell" their plants.[60]

Assembly of desktop computers for the North American market formerly took place at Dell plants in Austin, Texas (original location) and Lebanon, Tennessee (opened in 1999), which have been closed in 2008 and early 2009, respectively. The plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina received $280 million USD in incentives from the state and opened in 2005, but ceased operations in November 2010, and Dell's contract with the state requires them to repay the incentives for failing to meet the conditions.[61][62] It is expected that most of the work that used to take place in Dell's U.S. plants will be transferred to contract manufacturers in Asia and Mexico, or some of Dell's own factories overseas.[63] The Miami, Florida facility of its Alienware subsidiary remains in operation. Dell servers continue to be produced in Austin, Texas. Dell assembles computers for the EMEA market at Limerick in the Republic of Ireland, and employs about 4,500 people in that country. Dell began

manufacturing in Limerick in 1991 and went on to become Ireland's largest exporter of goods and its second-largest company and foreign investor. On January 8, 2009, Dell announced that it would move all Dell manufacturing in Limerick to Dell's new plant in the Polish city of d by January 2010.[64] European Union officials said they would investigate a 52.7million aid package the Polish government used to attract Dell away from Ireland.[65] European Manufacturing Facility 1 (EMF1, opened in 1990) and EMF3 form part of the Raheen Industrial Estate near Limerick. EMF2 (previously a Wang facility, later occupied by Flextronics, situated in Castletroy) closed in 2002,[citation needed] and Dell Inc. has consolidated production into EMF3 (EMF1 now[when?] contains only offices).[66] Subsidies from the Polish government did keep Dell for a long time.[67] Dell's Alienware subsidiary also manufactures PCs in an Athlone, Ireland plant. Construction of EMF4 in d, Poland

has started: Dell started production there in autumn 2007.[68] Dell opened plants in Penang, Malaysia in 1995, and in Xiamen, China in 1999. These facilities serve the Asian market and assemble 95% of Dell notebooks. Dell Inc. has invested[when?] an estimated $60 million in a new manufacturing unit in Chennai, India, to support the sales of its products in the Indian subcontinent. Indian-made products will bear the "Made in India" mark. In 2007 the Chennai facility had the target of producing 400,000 desktop PCs, and plans envisaged it starting to produce notebook PCs and other products in the second half of 2007.[citation needed] Dell moved desktop and PowerEdge server manufacturing for the South American market from the Eldorado do Sul plant opened in 1999, to a new plant in Hortolandia, Brazil in 2007.[69] [edit]Technical support

Dell routes technical support queries according to component-type and to the level of support purchased:[70] 1. Basic support provides businesshours telephone support and next business-day on-site support/ Return-toBase, or Collect and Return Services (based on contracts purchased at point of sale) 2. Dell ProSupport provides 24x7x365 telephone and online support, a selection of 4 or 6-hour onsite support after telephone-based troubleshooting, and a Mission Critical option with twohour onsite support, for customers who choose the highest level of support for their most critical hardware assets.[71] Dell's Consumer division offers 24x7 phone based and online troubleshooting in certain markets such as the United States and Canada. In 2008 Dell redesigned servicesand-support for businesses with "Dell ProSupport", offering customers more options to adapt services to fit their needs.

Rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach, Dell allows various options for its customers. In addition, the company provides protection services, advisory services, multivendor hardware support, "how-to" support for software applications, collaborative support with many third-party vendors, and online parts and labor dispatching for customers who diagnose and troubleshoot their hardware. Dell also provides Dell ProSupport customers access to a crisiscenter to handle major outages, or problems caused by natural disasters.[72] Dell also provide on-line support by using the computer's service-tag that provides full list of the hardware elements installed originally, purchase date and provides the latest upgrades for the original hardware drivers. [edit]Commercial aspects [edit]Organization The board consists of nine directors. Michael Dell, the founder of the

company, serves as chairman of the board and chief executive officer. Other board members include Don Carty, William Gray, Judy Lewent, Klaus Luft, Alex Mandl, Michael A. Miles, and Sam Nunn.Shareholders elect the nine board members at meetings, and those board members who do not get a majority of votes must submit a resignation to the board, which will subsequently choose whether or not to accept the resignation. The board of directors usually sets up five committees having oversight over specific matters. These committees include the Audit Committee, which handles accounting issues, including auditing and reporting; the Compensation Committee, which approves compensation for the CEO and other employees of the company; the Finance Committee, which handles financial matters such as proposed mergers and acquisitions; the Governance and Nominating Committee, which handles various corporate matters (including nomination of the board); and the Antitrust Compliance

Committee, which attempts to prevent company practices from violating antitrust laws. Day to day operations of the company are run by the Global Executive Management Committee which sets strategic direction. Dell has regional senior vice-presidents for countries other than the United States, including David Marmonti for EMEA and Stephen J. Felice for Asia/Japan. As of 2007, other officers included Martin Garvin (senior vice president for worldwide procurement) and Susan E. Sheskey(vice president and Chief Information Officer). [edit]Marketing Dell advertisements have appeared in several types of media including television, the Internet, magazines, catalogs and newspapers. Some of Dell Inc's marketing strategies include lowering prices at all times of the year, offering free bonus products (such as Dell printers), and offering free shipping in order to encourage more sales and to stave off competitors. In

2006, Dell cut its prices in an effort to maintain its 19.2% market share. However, this also cut profit-margins by more than half, from 8.7 to 4.3 percent. To maintain its low prices, Dell continues to accept most purchases of its products via the Internet and through the telephone network, and to move its customer-care division to India and El Salvador.[73] A popular United States television and print ad campaign in the early 2000s featured the actor Ben Curtis playing the part of "Steven", a lightly mischievous blond-haired youth who came to the assistance of bereft computer purchasers. Each television advertisement usually ended with Steven's catch-phrase: "Dude, you're gettin' a Dell!" A subsequent advertising campaign featured interns at Dell headquarters (with Curtis' character appearing in a small cameo at the end of one of the first commercials in this particular campaign). A Dell advertising campaign for the XPS line of gaming computers featured in print in the

September 2006 issue of Wired. It used as atagline the common term in Internet and gamer slang: "FTW", meaning "For The Win". However, Dell Inc. soon[when?] dropped the campaign. In the first-person shooter game F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, several computers visible on desks within the game have recognizable Dell XPS model characteristics, sometimes even including the Dell logo on the monitors. In 2007, Dell switched advertising agencies in the US from BBDO to Working Mother Media. In July 2007, Dell released new advertising created by Working Mother to support the Inspiron and XPS lines. The ads featured music from the Flaming Lips and Devo who re-formed especially to record the song in the ad "Work it Out". Also in 2007, Dell began using the slogan "Yours is here" to say that it customizes computers to fit customers' requirements.[74] [edit]Dell partner program

In late 2007, Dell Inc. announced that it planned to expand its program to valueadded resellers (VARs), giving it the official name of "Dell Partner Direct" and a new Website.[75] [edit]Criticisms of marketing of laptop security In 2008, Dell received press coverage over its claim of having the world's most secure laptops, specifically, its Latitude D630 and Latitude D830.[76] At Lenovo's request, the (U.S.) National Advertising Division (NAD) evaluated the claim, and reported that Dell did not have enough evidence to support it.
[77]

[edit]Retail Dell first opened their retail stores in India.

[53]

[edit]United States In the early 1990s, Dell sold its products through Best Buy, Costco and Sam's Club stores in the United States. Dell stopped this practice in 1994, citing low profit-margins on the business. In 2003, Dell

briefly sold products in Sears stores in the U.S. In 2007, Dell started shipping its products to major retailers in the U.S. once again, starting with Sam's Club and WalMart. Staples, the largest office-supply retailer in the U.S., and Best Buy, the largest electronics retailer in the U.S., became Dell retail partners later that same year. [edit]Kiosks Starting in 2002, Dell opened kiosk locations in shopping malls across the United States in order to give personal service to customers who preferred this method of shopping to using the Internet or the telephone-system. Despite the added expense, prices at the kiosks match or beat prices available through other retail channels. Starting in 2005, Dell expanded kiosk locations to include shopping malls across Australia, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong.

On January 30, 2008, Dell shut down all 140 kiosks in the U.S. due to expansion into retail stores.[78] By June 3, 2010, Dell had also shut down all of its mall kiosks in Australia.[79] [edit]Stores In 2006, Dell Inc. opened one full store, 3,000-square-foot (280 m2) in area, at NorthPark Center in Dallas, Texas. It operates the retail outlet seven days a week to display about 36 models, including PCs and televisions. As at the kiosks, customers can only see demonstration-computers and place orders through agents. Dell then delivers purchased items just as if the customer had placed the order by phone or over the Internet. In addition to showcasing products, the stores also support on-site warranties and non-warranty service ("Dell Solution Station"). Services offered include repairing computer video-cards and removing spyware from hard drives.

On February 14, 2008, Dell closed the Service Center in its Dallas NorthPark store and laid off all the technical staff there.[citation
needed]

[edit]Elsewhere As of the end of February 2008, Dell products shipped to one of the largest office-supply retailers in Canada, Staples Business Depot. In April 2008, Future Shop and Best Buy began carrying a subset of Dell products, such as certain desktops, laptops, printers, and monitors. Since some shoppers in certain markets show reluctance to purchase technological products through the phone or the Internet, Dell has looked into opening retail operations in some countries in Central Europe and Russia. In April 2007, Dell opened a retail store inBudapest. In October of the same year, Dell opened a retail store in Moscow. In the UK, HMV's flagship Trocadero store has sold Dell XPS PCs since December 2007. From January 2008 the UK stores

of DSGihave sold Dell products (in particular, through Currys and PC World stores). As of 2008, the large supermarket-chain Tesco has sold Dell laptops and desktops in outlets throughout the UK. In May 2008, Dell reached an agreement with office supply chain, Officeworks (part of Coles Group), to stock a few modified models in the Inspiron desktop and notebook range. These models have slightly different model numbers, but almost replicate the ones available from the Dell Store. Dell continued its retail push in the Australian market with its partnership with Harris Technology (another part of Coles Group) in November of the same year. In addition, Dell expanded its retail distributions in Australia through an agreement with discount electrical retailer, The Good Guys, known for "Slashing Prices". Dell agreed to distribute a variety of makes of both desktops and notebooks, including Studio and XPS systems in late

2008. Dell and Dick Smith Electronics (owned by Woolworths Limited) reached an agreement to expand within Dick Smith's 400 stores throughout Australia and New Zealand in May 2009 (1 year since Officeworks owned by Coles Group reached a deal). The retailer has agreed to distribute a variety of Inspiron and Studionotebooks, with minimal Studio desktops from the Dell range. As of 2009, Dell continues to run and operate its various kiosks in 18 shopping centres throughout Australia. On March 31, 2010 Dell announced to Australian Kiosk employees that they were shutting down the Australian/New Zealand Dell kiosk program. In Germany, Dell is selling selected smartphones and notebooks via Media Markt and Saturn, as well as some shopping websites.[80] [edit]Competition Dell's major competitors include HewlettPackard (HP), Acer, Toshiba, Gateway, Son y, Asus, Lenovo, IBM, MSI, Samsung, Appl

e andSun Microsystems. Dell and its subsidiary, Alienware, compete in the enthusiast market against AVADirect, Falcon Northwest,VoodooPC (a subsidiary of HP), CustomPotato, and other manufacturers. In the second quarter of 2006, Dell had between 18% and 19% share of the worldwide personal computer market, compared to HP with roughly 15%. In late 2006, Dell lost its lead in the PCbusiness to Hewlett-Packard. Both Gartner and IDC estimated that in the third quarter of 2006, HP shipped more units[dead link] worldwide than Dell did. Dell's 3.6% growth paled in comparison to HP's 15% growth during the same period. The problem got worse in the fourth quarter, when Gartner estimated that Dell PC shipments declined 8.9% (versus HP's 23.9% growth). As a result, at the end of 2006 Dell's overall PC market-share stood at 13.9% (versus HP's 17.4%). IDC reported that Dell lost more server market share than any of the top four

competitors in that arena. IDC's Q4 2006 estimates show Dell's share of the server market at 8.1%, down from 9.5% in the previous year. This represents a 8.8% loss year-over-year, primarily to competitors EMC and IBM.[81] In 2011, The Brand Trust Report, India study revealed that Dell is ranked as the 27th most trusted brand as compared to Samsung which stood at 5th and HP which ranked 23[82] [edit]Partnership with EMC The Dell/EMC brand applies solely to products that result from Dell's partnership with EMC Corporation.[citation needed] In some cases Dell and EMC jointly design such products; other cases involve EMC products for which Dell will provide support generally midrange storage systems, such as fibre channel and iSCSI storage area networks. The relationship also promotes and sells OEM versions of backup, recovery, replication and archiving software.
[83]

On December 9, 2008, Dell and EMC announced the multi-year extension, through 2013, of their strategic partnership that began in 2001. In addition, Dell plans to expand its product line-up by adding the EMC Celerra NX4 storage system to the portfolio of Dell/EMC family of networked storage systems, as well as partnering on a new line of de-duplication products as part of its TierDisk family of data-storage devices.[84] On October 17, 2011, Dell announced officially discontinued reselling all EMC storage products, this put end to 10 years of Partnership.[85] [edit]Environmental record Dell committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its global activities by 40% by 2015, with 2008 fiscal year as the baseline year.[86] It is listed in Greenpeaces Guide to Greener Electronics that scores leading electronics manufacturers according to their policies on sustainability, climate and energy and how green their products

are. In November 2011, Dell ranked 2nd out of 15 listed electronics makers (increasing its score to 5.1 from 4.9, which it gained in the previous ranking from October 2010).[87] Dell was the first company to publicly state a timeline for the elimination of toxic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), which it planned to phase out by the end of 2009. It revised this commitment and now aims to remove these toxics by the end of 2011 but only in its computing products.[88] In March 2010, Greenpeace activists protested at Dell offices in Bangalore, Amsterdam and Copenhagen calling for Dells founder and CEO Michael Dell to drop the toxics and claiming that Dells aspiration to be the greenest technology company on the planet[89] was hypocritical.[90] Dell has launched its first products completely free of PVC and BFRs with the G-Series monitors (G2210 and G2410) in 2009.[91] In its 2012 report on progress relating to conflict minerals, the Enough

Project rated Dell the eighth highest of 24 consumer electronics companies.[92] [edit]Green initiatives Dell became the first company in the information technology industry to establish a product-recycling goal (in 2004) and completed the implementation of its global consumer recycling-program in 2006. [93] On February 6, 2007, the National Recycling Coalition awarded Dell its "Recycling Works" award for efforts to promote producer responsibility.[94] On July 19, 2007, Dell announced that it had exceeded targets in working to achieve a multi-year goal of recovering 275 million pounds of computer equipment by 2009. [95] The company reported the recovery of 78 million pounds (nearly 40,000 tons) of IT equipment from customers in 2006, a 93percent increase over 2005; and 12.4% of the equipment Dell sold seven years earlier.
[96]

On June 5, 2007 Dell set a goal of becoming the greenest technology company

on Earth for the long term. The company launched azero-carbon initiative that includes: reducing Dell's carbon intensity by 15 percent by 2012 2. requiring primary suppliers to report carbon emissions data during quarterly business reviews 3. partnering with customers to build the "greenest PC on the planet" 4. expanding the company's carbonoffsetting program, "Plant a Tree for Me".
1.

The company introduced the term "The ReGeneration" during a round table in London commemorating 2007 World Environment Day. "The Re-Generation" refers to people of all ages throughout the world who want to "make a difference" in improving the world's environment. Dell also talked about plans to take the lead in setting an environmental standard for the "technology industry" and maintaining that leadership in the future.

Dell reports its environmental performance in an annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report that follows the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) protocol. Dell's 2008 CSR report ranked as "Application Level B" as "checked by GRI".
[97]

The company aims to reduce its external environmental impact through energyefficient evolution of products, and also reduce its direct operational impact through energy-efficiency programmes. Internal energy-efficiency programmes reportedly save the company more than $3 million annually in energy-cost savings.[98] The largest component of the company's internal energy-efficiency savings comes through PC power management: the company expects to save $1.8 million in energy costs through using specialised energy-management software on a network of 50,000 PCs.[99][100] [edit]Criticism See also: Lawsuits involving Dell Inc.

In the 1990s, Dell switched from using primarily ATX motherboards and PSU to using boards and power supplies with mechanically identical but differently wired connectors. This meant customers wishing to upgrade their hardware would have to replace parts with scarce Dell-compatible parts instead of commonly available parts. However, company practice in this respect changed in 2003.[101][102] In 2005, complaints about Dell more than doubled to 1,533, after earnings grew 52% that year.[103] In 2006, Dell acknowledged that it had problems with customer service. Issues included call transfers[104] of more than 45% of calls and long wait times. Dell's blog detailed the response: "We're spending more than a $100 million and a lot of blood, sweat and tears of talented people to fix this."[105] Later in the year, the company increased its spending on customer service to $150 million.[106]Despite significant investment in this space, Dell continues to face public scrutiny with even

the company's own website littered with complaints regarding the issue escalation process.[107] On August 17, 2007, Dell Inc. announced that after an internal investigation into its accounting practices it would restate and reduce earnings from 2003 through to the first quarter of 2007 by a total amount of between $50 million and $150 million, or 2 cents to 7 cents per share.[108] The investigation, begun in November 2006, resulted from concerns raised by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over some documents and information that Dell Inc. had submitted.[109] It was alleged that Dell had not disclosed large exclusivity payments received from Intel for agreeing not to buy processors from a rival manufacturer. In 2010 Dell finally paid $100 million to settle the SEC's charges of fraud. Michael Dell and other executives also paid penalties and suffered other sanctions, without admitting or denying the charges.[110]

In July 2009, Dell apologized after the firm offered its Latitude E4300 notebook at NT$18,558 (US$580), 70% lower than usual price of NT$60,900 (US$1900) in its Taiwan website. The firm withdrew orders and offered a voucher of up to NT$20,000 (US$625) a customer in compensation. The consumer rights authorities in Taiwan fined Dell NT$1 million (US$31250) for customer rights infringements. Many consumers sued the firm for the unfair compensation. A court in southern Taiwan ordered the firm to deliver 18 laptops and 76 flat-panel monitors to 31 consumers for NT$490,000 (US$15,120), less than a third of the normal price.

[111]

The court said the event could

hardly be regarded as mistakes, as the prestigious firm said the company mispriced its products twice in Taiwanese website within 3 weeks.

Dell Vision and Mission Statement

DELL INC. Michael Dell is the founder of Dell Inc. He started his business by simple built-to-order concept selling directly to customers. Later on he started direct sales by mail and phone. Dell is the first company to list a website. The profits dramatically increased when Dell started to sell its products through the website. collective commitment to our customers, direct relationships, global citizenship, team success and winning. Dell Effect Dell's aim is to create loyal customers by providing superior experience at a great value. They are committed to direct relationships, providing best products with standard based technology outperforming the competition with value and a superior customer experience. Purpose: provide customers with superb value technology Business: high quality, relevant technology, customized systems Values: superior service and support, easy to buy, easy to use

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Vision Statement: Its the way we do business. It's the way we interact with the community. It's the way we interpret the world around us-- our customers needs, the future of technology, and the global business climate. Whatever changes the future may bring our vision -- Dell Vision -- will be our guiding force. So Dell needs full customer satisfaction. In order to become the most successful computer company, they need the newest technology and loyal customers. Mission Statement: Dell's mission is to be the most successful Computer Company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve. In doing so, Dell will meet customer expectations of: Highest quality Leading technology Competitive pricing Individual and company accountability Best-in-class service and support Flexible customization capability Superior corporate citizenship Financial stability

What is Dell Incorporated's vision statement?

In: Business Plans, Mission Statements, Dell Laptops [Edit categories]

Answer:
Dell Vision And Mission Statement
DELL INC. Michael Dell is the founder of Dell Inc. He started his business by simple built-toorder concept selling directly to customers. Later on he started direct sales by mail and phone. Dell is the first company to list a website. The profits dramatically increased when Dell started to sell its products through the website.

collective commitment to our customers, direct relationships, global citizenship, team success and winning. Dell Effect Dell's aim is to create loyal customers by providing superior experience at a great value. They are committed to direct relationships, providing best products with standard based technology outperforming the competition with value and a superior customer experience. Purpose: provide customers with superb value technology Business: high quality, relevant technology, customized systems Values: superior service and support, easy to buy, easy to use Vision Statement: Its the way we do business. It's the way we interact with the community. It's the way we interpret the world around us-- our customers needs, the future of technology, and the global business climate. Whatever changes the future may bring our vision -- Dell Vision -- will be our guiding force. So Dell needs full customer satisfaction. In order to become the most successful computer company, they need the newest technology and loyal customers. Mission Statement: Dell's mission is to be the most successful Computer Company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve. In doing so, Dell will meet customer expectations of: Highest quality Leading technology Competitive pricing Individual and company accountability Best-in-class service and support Flexible customization capability Superior corporate citizenship Financial stability Dell Values - Vision Statement: "Dell is committed to being a good neighbor in the communities we call home. We must continue to grow responsibly - protecting our natural resources and practicing sustainability in all its forms - and improve the communities where we live and work through our financial and volunteer efforts.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_Dell_Incorporated's_vision_statement#ix zz25hgbLruc

Top 10 Company Mission Statements in 2012

Image via n2growth.com Companies often list their vision and their mission statements on their sites. The difference between a mission statement and a vision statement is that a mission statement focuses on a companys present state while a vision statement focuses on a companys future. However, some companies tend to blend these statements. The following are some of the top technology-based company mission statements: Amazon: Amazons vision is to be earths most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online. (They list this as their mission as a combination mission/vision on their site). Apple: Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings. Dell: Dells mission is to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve. Facebook: Facebooks mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.

Google: Googles mission is to organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful. Microsoft: Microsofts mission is to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential. Skype: Skypes mission is to be the fabric of real-time communication on the web. Twitter: Twitter lists its mission as a work in progress as it has yet to be fully developed. Yahoo!: Yahoo!s mission is to be the most essential global Internet service for consumers and businesses YouTube: YouTubes mission is to provide fast and easy video access and the ability to share videos frequently

Dell's (DELL) Mission Statement

Also known as "The Soul of Dell." Many people are familiar with Dell's customer-focused direct business model, and the company's success in creating leading value for customers and investors. Less well known is the unique environment forged by Michael Dell and the people of Dell since the company's founding in 1984. We characterize that environment in a statement of corporate philosophy called the "Soul of Dell." It defines the kind of company we are and aspire to become, serves as a guide for our actions around the world, and ultimately forms the basis of our "winning culture." Below are the core elements of the Soul of Dell: Customers: We believe in creating loyal customers by providing a superior experience at a great value. We are committed to direct relationships, providing the best products and services based on standards-based technology, and outperforming the competition with value and a superior customer experience. The Dell Team:

We believe our continued success lies in teamwork and the opportunity each team member has to learn, develop and grow. We are committed to being a meritocracy, and to developing, retaining and attracting the best people, reflective of our worldwide marketplace. Direct Relationships: We believe in being direct in all we do. We are committed to behaving ethically; responding to customer needs in a timely and reasonable manner; fostering open communications and building effective relationships with customers, partners, suppliers and each other; and operating without inefficient hierarchy and bureaucracy. Global Citizenship: We believe in participating responsibly in the global marketplace. We are committed to understanding and respecting the laws, values and cultures wherever we do business; profitably growing in all markets; promoting a healthy business climate globally; and contributing positively in every community we call home, both personally and organizationally. Winning: We have a passion for winning in everything we do. We are committed to operational excellence, superior customer experience, leading in the global markets we serve, being known as a great company and great place to work, and providing superior shareholder value over time

Business Strategy Dell built its reputation as a leading technology provider through listening to customers and developing solutions that meet customer needs. We are focused on providing long-term value creation through the delivery of customized solutions that make technology more efficient, more accessible, and easier to use. We are focused on improving our core business, shifting our portfolio to higher-margin and recurring revenue streams over time, and maintaining a balance of liquidity, profitability, and growth. We consistently focus on generating strong cash flow returns, allowing us to expand our capabilities and acquire new ones. We seek to grow revenue over the long term while improving operating income and cash flow growth. We have three primary components to our strategy: Improve Core Business. Dell seeks to profitably grow the desktop and mobility business and enhance the online buying experience for our customers. We have improved our competitiveness through cost savings initiatives, which are focused on improving design, supply-chain, logistics and operating expenses to adjust to the changing dynamics of the industry. We are also committed to simplifying our product offerings to eliminate complexity that does not generate customer value. We will continue to focus on product leadership by developing next generation capabilities. Additionally, we will continue to deepen our skill

Table of Contents sets and relationships within each of our customer-centric business units with the goal of delivering best in class products and services globally. Shift Portfolio to Higher-Margin and Recurring Revenue Offerings. We are focused on expanding our customer solutions business by delivering best-value solutions in the enterprise, including servers, storage, services and software. Our view is that a large majority of the data centers and the server and storage opportunities now and in the future will be based on best value, simplification, and more open data center solutions. These are the kind of solutions that we believe Dell is well positioned to provide. We believe that our installed customer base, access to customers of all sizes, and capabilities position us to achieve growth of our customer solutions business. We will focus our investments to grow our business organically as well as inorganically through alliances and strategic acquisitions. Our acquisition strategy targets businesses that we believe will expand our customer solutions business by delivering best-value solutions in the enterprise, including servers, storage, services and software. Balance Liquidity, Profitability, and Growth. We seek to maintain a strong balance sheet with sufficient liquidity to provide us with the flexibility to respond quickly to changes in our dynamic industry. As we shift our portfolio focus more to enterprise products and solutions, our financial flexibility will allow us to make longer term investments. We continue to manage all of our businesses with the goals of delivering operating income over the long term and balancing this profitability with an appropriate level of long-term revenue growth. By successfully executing our strategy and driving greater efficiency and productivity in how we operate, we believe we can help customers grow and thrive. These excerpts taken from the DELL 10-K filed Mar 26, 2009. Business Strategy Direct relationships with our customers give us an advantage of seeing changing customer requirements and needs earlier than companies who do not have the same breadth of direct relationships. As a result, we are able to develop products with simpler and more productive technology to better serve our customers. As we continue to expand our global presence, we are further diversifying our revenue and profit streams. Our strategy is to focus on higher margin products, services, and solutions to increase overall profitability as we balance our liquidity, profitability, and growth. We are also focused on improving our competitiveness by reducing overall costs. In May 2008, we announced a $3 billion cost reduction initiative, which includes both cost of goods sold and operating expenses. In the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2009, we identified additional savings opportunities and have increased our cost-reduction target to $4 billion by the end of Fiscal 2011. Our growth strategy involves reaching more customers worldwide through new distribution partners, such as retail, expanding our relationships with value-added resellers and distributors, and augmenting select areas of our business through targeted acquisitions. Our goal continues to be to optimize the balance of liquidity, profitability, and growth with a focus on increasing the mix of our product portfolio to higher margin products and recurring revenue streams. Provide great value to customers and partners through direct relationships. We are committed to innovating without legacy, creating efficient solutions, and providing price, performance, and feature leadership across all of our businesses. In addition, we will deliver the power of cloud computing and connect with our customers through the Internet. We are focused on helping customers identify and remove unnecessary cost and complexity in IT architecture and operations. In addition, we seek to broaden our profit stream to capture complementary opportunities in new solutions for customers that include search, services, and 3G originations. To that end, during Fiscal 2009 we released a broad lineup of dedicated virtualization solutions, including software, servers, services, and storage.

Table of Contents Optimize the balance of liquidity, profitability, and growth with a focus on increasing the mix of our product portfolio to higher margin products and recurring revenue streams. We will balance our mix of products and services to increase profitability over time. We are committed to shifting our solutions portfolio to higher margin solutions and recurring revenue streams in software, servers, services, and storage. Our services business has growth opportunities both in driving attachment of services onto existing product platforms and expanding into new solution offerings. We expect to expand our presence in the enterprise solution arena as we add more capabilities that are attractive to existing and new customers. We are committed to improving our storage and server products and services as evidenced by our new building IT-as-a-Service solution, an integrated service delivery platform that is simple, modular, and flexible, and which provides businesses with remote and lifecycle management, e-mail backup, and software license management, among other services. In addition to services, system software presents another opportunity for us to further strengthen our portfolio. Business Strategy

Direct relationships with our customers give us an advantage of seeing changing customer requirements and needs earlier than companies who do not have the same breadth of direct relationships. As a result, we are able to develop products with simpler and more productive technology to better serve our customers. As we continue to expand our global presence, we are further diversifying our revenue and profit streams. Our strategy is to focus on higher margin products, services, and solutions to increase overall profitability as we balance our liquidity, profitability, and growth. We are also focused on improving our competitiveness by reducing overall costs. In May 2008, we announced a $3 billion cost reduction initiative, which includes both cost of goods sold and operating expenses. In the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2009, we identified additional savings opportunities and have increased our cost-reduction target to $4 billion by the end of Fiscal 2011. Our growth strategy involves reaching more customers worldwide through new distribution partners, such as retail, expanding our relationships with value-added resellers and distributors, and augmenting select areas of our business through targeted acquisitions. Our goal continues to be to optimize the balance of liquidity, profitability, and growth with a focus on increasing the mix of our product portfolio to higher margin products and recurring revenue streams.

 Provide great value to customers and partners through direct relationships. We are committed to innovating without legacy, creating efficient solutions, and providing price, performance, and feature leadership across all of our businesses. In addition, we will deliver the power of cloud computing and connect with our customers through the Internet. We are focused on helping customers identify and remove unnecessary cost and complexity in IT architecture and operations. In addition, we seek to broaden our profit stream to capture complementary opportunities in new solutions for customers that include search, services, and 3G originations. To that end, during Fiscal 2009 we released a broad lineup of dedicated virtualization solutions, including software, servers, services, and storage.

Table of Contents

Optimize the balance of liquidity, profitability, and growth with a focus on increasing the mix of our product portfolio to higher margin products and recurring revenue streams. We will balance our mix of products and services to increase profitability over time. We are committed to shifting our solutions portfolio to higher margin solutions and recurring revenue streams in software, servers, services, and storage. Our services business has growth opportunities both in driving attachment of services onto existing product platforms and expanding into new solution offerings. We expect to expand our presence in the enterprise solution arena as we add more capabilities that are attractive to existing and new customers. We are committed to improving our storage and server products and services as evidenced by our new building IT-as-a-Service solution, an integrated service delivery platform that is simple, modular, and flexible, and which provides businesses with remote and lifecycle management, e-mail backup, and software license management, among other services. In addition to services, system software presents another opportunity for us to further strengthen our portfolio.

These excerpts taken from the DELL 10-K filed Mar 31, 2008. Business Strategy Our core business strategy is built around our direct customer model, relevant technologies and solutions, and highly efficient manufacturing and logistics; and we are expanding that core strategy by adding new distribution channels to reach even more commercial customers and individual consumers around the world. Using this strategy, we strive to provide the best possible customer experience by offering superior

value; high-quality, relevant technology; customized systems and services; superior service and support; and differentiated products and services that are easy to buy and use. Historically, our growth has been driven organically from our core businesses. Recently, we have begun to pursue a targeted acquisition strategy designed to augment select areas of our business with more products, services, and technology that our customers value. For example, with our recent acquisition of EqualLogic, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance storage area network solutions, and the subsequent expansion of Dells PartnerDirect channel, we are ready to deliver customers an easier and more affordable solution for storing and processing data. Our core values include the following: We simplify information technology for customers. Making quality personal computers, servers, storage, and services affordable is Dells legacy. We are focused on making information technology affordable for millions of customers around the world. As a result of our direct relationships with customers, or customer intimacy, we are best positioned to simplify how customers implement and maintain information technology and deliver hardware, services, and software solutions tailored for their businesses and homes.

Table of Contents We offer customers choice. Customers can purchase systems and services from Dell via telephone, at a growing number of retail stores, and through our website, www.dell.com, where they may review, configure, and price systems within our entire product line; order systems online; and track orders from manufacturing through shipping. Customers may offer suggestions for current and future Dell products and services through an interactive portion of our website called Dell IdeaStorm. Commercial customers also can interact with dedicated account teams. We plan to continue to expand our recently launched indirect initiative by adding new distribution channels to reach additional consumers and small businesses through retail partners and value-added resellers globally. Customers can purchase custom-built products and custom-tailored services. Historically our flexible, build-to-order manufacturing process enabled us to turn over inventory quickly, thereby reducing inventory levels, and rapidly bring the latest technology to our customers. The global IT industry and our competition have evolved, and we are continuing to expand our utilization of original design manufacturers, manufacturing outsourcing relationships, and new distribution strategies to better meet customer needs and reduce product cycle times. Our goal is to introduce the latest relevant technology more quickly and to rapidly pass on component cost savings to a broader set of our customers worldwide. We are committed to being environmentally responsible in all areas of our business. We have built environmental consideration into every stage of the Dell product life cycle from developing and designing energy-efficient products, to reducing the footprint of our manufacturing and operations, to customer use and product recovery. Business Strategy

Our core business strategy is built around our direct customer model, relevant technologies and solutions, and highly efficient manufacturing and logistics; and we are expanding that core strategy by adding new distribution channels to reach even more commercial customers and individual consumers around the world. Using this strategy, we strive to provide the best possible customer experience by offering superior value; high-quality, relevant technology; customized systems and services; superior service and support; and differentiated products and services that are easy to buy and use. Historically, our growth has been driven organically from our core businesses. Recently, we have begun to pursue a targeted acquisition strategy designed to augment select areas of our business with more products, services, and technology that our customers value. For example, with our recent acquisition of EqualLogic, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance storage area network solutions, and the subsequent expansion of Dells PartnerDirect channel, we are ready to deliver customers an easier and more affordable solution for storing and processing data.

Our core values include the following:

We simplify information technology for customers. Making quality personal computers, servers, storage, and services affordable is Dells legacy. We are focused on making information technology affordable for millions of customers around the world. As a result of our direct relationships with customers, or customer intimacy, we are best positioned to simplify how customers implement and maintain information technology and deliver hardware, services, and software solutions tailored for their businesses and homes.

Table of Contents

We offer customers choice. Customers can purchase systems and services from Dell via telephone, at a growing number of retail stores, and through our website, www.dell.com, where they may review, configure, and price systems within our entire product line; order systems online; and track orders from manufacturing through shipping. Customers may offer suggestions for current and future Dell products and services through an interactive portion of our website called Dell IdeaStorm. Commercial customers also can interact with dedicated account teams. We plan to continue to expand our recently launched indirect initiative by adding new distribution channels to reach additional consumers and small businesses through retail partners and value-added resellers globally. Customers can purchase custom-built products and custom-tailored services. Historically our

flexible, build-to-order manufacturing process enabled us to turn over inventory quickly, thereby reducing inventory levels, and rapidly bring the latest technology to our customers. The global IT industry and our competition have evolved, and we are continuing to expand our utilization of original design manufacturers, manufacturing outsourcing relationships, and new distribution strategies to better meet customer needs and reduce product cycle times. Our goal is to introduce the latest relevant technology more quickly and to rapidly pass on component cost savings to a broader set of our customers worldwide. We are committed to being environmentally responsible in all areas of our business. We have built environmental consideration into every stage of the Dell product life cycle from developing and designing energy-efficient products, to reducing the footprint of our manufacturing and operations, to customer use and product recovery.

This excerpt taken from the DELL 10-K filed Oct 30, 2007. Business Strategy Our business strategy is evolving as we combine our direct customer model with relevant technologies and solutions, highly efficient manufacturing and logistics, and new distribution channels to reach commercial customers and individual consumers around the world. Using this strategy, we strive to provide the best possible customer experience by offering superior value; high-quality, relevant technology; customized systems; superior service and support; and differentiated products and services that are easy to buy and use. Historically, our growth has been driven organically from our core businesses. Recently, we have begun to pursue a targeted acquisition strategy designed to augment areas of our business to gain more access to products, services, and technology that our customers value. Our core values include the following: We simplify information technology for customers. Making quality personal computers, servers, storage, and services affordable is Dells legacy. We are focused on making information technology affordable for millions of customers around the world. As a result of our direct relationships with customers, or customer intimacy, we are best positioned to simplify how customers implement and maintain information technology and deliver hardware, services, and software solutions tailored for their businesses and homes. We offer customers choice. Customers can purchase systems and services from Dell via telephone, kiosks, and our website, www.dell.com, where they may review, configure, and price systems within our entire product line; order systems online; and track orders from manufacturing through shipping. Customers may offer suggestions for current and future Dell products and services through an interactive portion of our website called Dell IdeaStorm. Commercial customers also can interact with dedicated account teams. We have recently launched a retail initiative and plan to expand that initiative by adding new distribution channels to reach additional consumers and small businesses through retail partners and value-added resellers globally.

 Customers can purchase custom-built products and custom-tailored services. Historically our flexible, build-to-order manufacturing process enabled us to turn over inventory every five days on average, thereby reducing inventory levels, and rapidly bring the latest technology to our customers. The market and our competition has evolved, and we are now exploring the utilization of original design manufacturers and new distribution strategies to better meet customer needs and reduce product cycle times. Our goal is to introduce the latest relevant technology more quickly and to rapidly pass on component cost savings to a broader set of our customers worldwide. We are committed to being environmentally responsible in all areas of our business. We have built environmental consideration into every stage of the Dell product life cycle from developing and designing energy-efficient products, to reducing the footprint of our manufacturing and operations, to customer use and product recovery.