战略行为经济学 7

Case: Matching Dell, 1999

- How does Dell’s approach in the personal computer industry differ from its main competitors?

- What accounts for the difference in performance between Dell and its major competitors?

- How far is Dell’s position likely to be sustainable in the future?

Background: Revenue of Dell rose from $3.5 bn in 1994 to $18.2 bn in 1998 while profits $149 mn to $1.5 bn. Stock price up by 5600%.

Dell Advantage: Economies of Scale – huge fixed cost of distribution (500Mn /$20bn = 2.5%): direct sales force (100 Mn) which focused on medium-large institution clients and web-base services (50K pages). Dominated this sector. Gateway had better mfg cost. If it follows Dell and gets 20% MKT of Dell: 20% * 20bn = 4bn, distribution cost/sales = 500mn/4bn = 12.5%!

Operation Efficiency: direct sales, outsource on-site services, rapid customized response, lean mfg process (36 hours), efficient assembly, and close supplier relationship.

Dell’s map: Strategic Situation (Efficiency/cost-advantage in Dist. vs Inefficiency in Mfg) + Op Efficiency à Strategic Decision Performance.