Problem Analysis dell

3. Dell – New Horizons
1. What is Dell’s position in the industry as of 2002
2. An August 12, 2002 Business Week article, indicated that by 2007 dell intended to double revenues to $60 billion. How should dell go about building the nearly $6 bilion annual sales growth needed to achieve that target?
3. If you disagree with Michael Dell’s growth target from Question #2 above, what would you alternative recommendation be? Why?
4. In brief SWAT

In preparing case write-up assignments, there typically is no one best or correct answer, just as there is no one incorrect answer. As such, the evaluation of the case write-ups considers your ability to make a persuasive argument using the course concepts. Some common errors that students make on assignments are:

1. Failing to present both sides of an argument.
2. Failing to incorporate the key points of the issues.
3. Providing contradicting answers, answers that contradict case facts or contradict course concepts.
4. Failing to provide qualitative and quantitative support.
5. Failing to explain/interpret information so that the conclusions are clearly motivated.

An underlying question in all cases is ‘How is the company doing?’ Thus, you should always look at the performance of the firm to understand what options it should take. In addition, if the performance of the firm has significantly changed, then consider what has changed (either within the firm or in the firm’s environment) to cause performance to change. In all case analyses, use quantitative and qualitative information to support your argument. Also, use course concepts to structure your argument.Study groups can be an effective way to prepare case analyses and recommendations. Participation in study groups is recommended.

The following questions apply generally to case analysis and may be helpful as you approach your case assignments.

Problem identification
1) Identify the situation and symptoms facing the key individuals i.e. protagonists in the case. You may want to list, draw, or somehow represent the information about what is going on in this case.
2) What are the key problems in this case? You can safely assume that many of the surface “problems” are really symptoms of underlying problems. Try to identify the key problems underlying the variety of symptoms present in the case.

Problem Analysis
• What seems to be causing the key problems? Do some problems share a cause, or are they somehow otherwise related?
• Regarding causes, what group and/or individual needs might be served by the current situation in the case?
• Regarding causes, what rewards – formal or informal, financial or non-financial – support the existing situation?
• Regarding causes, what environmental, organizational, or contextual factors underlie, contribute to, or perpetuate the existing situation?
• Can you develop a framework or representation of the problem (using concepts from the course) that might aid your analysis and inform your action plan?
• What are the beneficial aspects of the situation that you may not want to disrupt or which you might use to your advantage in designing and/or implementing a plan of action to address the situation?
Developing and implementing an action plan
1) What are your objectives for the action plan? Specifically, what problem(s) do you plan to address? What is your time horizon?
2) What options or alternatives are available?
3) What are the strengths and weaknesses of each alternative? Which alternative do you recommend?
4) Describe your action plan. Be specific and concrete about your actions, rather than relying on broad descriptions, such as “stronger leadership”, “better communication”, or “do more research”.
5) What factors in the situation would be supportive or facilitate the success of your action plan, and what obstacles might there be? (Consider opportunities and constraints associated with individuals, the existing reward system, etc.)
6) Could your solution touch off other problems? What are the risks facing your solution? What contingency plans do you recommend?
7) Assess the realism of your proposed action plan. For example, is there adequate time, money, or other resources for your solution? Also, does your solution place too much reliance on other people being “reasonable” i.e. on what you think is reasonable?
Writing
1) Are your sections presented in a logical order and well integrated?
2) Is your writing clear and lucid?
3) Is your analysis creative, thoughtful, innovative?
4) Does your paper stay within the legal restrictions?

These questions are general in nature and may not be relevant to all cases; questions not mentioned here might also be relevant to the cases on hand.
Important
750 words
3. Dell – New Horizons
1. What is Dell’s position in the industry as of 2002
2. An August 12, 2002 Business Week article, indicated that by 2007 dell intended to double revenues to $60 billion. How should dell go about building the nearly $6 bilion annual sales growth needed to achieve that target?
3. If you disagree with Michael Dell’s growth target from Question #2 above, what would you alternative recommendation be? Why?
4. In brief SWAT
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