...* Explain how Dell’s working capital policy is a competitive advantage for the company? Dell uses a just in time order fulfillment policy and accurate forecasting of sales to minimize inventories. This allowed Dell to hold inventory of finished products far below levels of their competitors (10-20% compared to 50-70% industry level) and furthermore allowed them to quickly implement changes to their product lines as new technologies became available. This quick inventory turnover also allowed Dell to retain more capital. Finally, this policy enabled Dell to respond immediately to technological progress in components and deliver state of the art new finished products (e.g. Pc’s holding the newest Pentium microprocessors) while competitors are still selling inventory of products not containing newest technology. When comparing Dell’s 1995 DSI to its competitors you can see the competitive advantage taking shape: Company: DSI (1995): Inventory Savings at competitors DSI: Dell: 32 0 Apple: 54 $167.3 million Compaq: 73 $311.7 million IBM: 48 $121.6 million * How did Dell fund its 52% growth in 1996? Please be sure to distinguish between internal and external sources of funding, and to discuss the trade-off between the uses of external funds in order to maintain high growth rates. Dell funded its 52% growth in 1996 internally by increasing sales, lowering sales/operating expenses by 1%, which led to an increase in profit margin (net profit/sales)...
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...Introduction Dell Computer Corporation continues to have successful growth due to its innovative “built to order” business model and customer service focus which includes direct selling. Dell’s ability to maintain low levels of finished goods inventory minimized the cash conversion cycle to a high extent, thus minimizing the need for costly working capital. In past years, Dell has mainly financed its operations internally and secondly through the issuance of shareholder equity and small amounts of long term debt. Statement of Problem Being more flexible and responsive to market demands, Dell will bring new, superior products to market quicker than its competitors. This has created an expectation for large, double-digit growth in the upcoming year. Dell needs a plan for financing the large potential growth. Recommendations Dell has working capital advantages over its competitors which it should continue to pursue. Dell funded its FY 1996 growth both from internal and external funds. It was wise to seek external funding to support Dell’s healthy growth. If Dell were to grow by 50% in FY 1997, it is recommended to seek external funding for the amount not funded internally. Dell should issue debt and continue to take advantage of its strong internal cash conversion cycle to fund its continued growth. Dell should not reduce its external funding as it will limit its growth. Methods of analysis & Discussion (Q1) Dell’s advantageous working capital policy enabled the...
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...analyze the possible alternatives of Dell Computer Corporation in funding its future growth and expansion from the point of view of its top management. Given the company’s financial statements, projected growth in sales, and its working capital financial ratios, this paper forecasted Dell’s balance sheet and income statement for 1997 to trace the external fund needed, if any, and which type of funding is most optimal to fund its future operations and growth. The forecast used a set of assumptions based on the company’s historical data and company policies. After experiencing its first loss late 1993, the company dedicated itself to bringing back its efficient operations to keep up with the fast growing computer industry, minimizing middlemen retailers and shifting the company’s focus to the growth of their liquidity, profitability, and overall growth. The company eventually recovered through its new and improved internal systems of inventory control and vendor certification, ensuring that its products are always of the highest quality. Ensuring its foothold in the market, Dell was the pioneer in manufacturing Pentium-based products and transforming its major product line to Pentium technology. In 1995, Dell was able to ship its new system that was equipped with Microsoft’s Windows 95 on the same day that Microsoft released their operations system. Now, Dell is again atop the industry outpacing revenue growth and increasing its net income. Dell in the recent years has always financed...
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...Below is a free essay on "Dell's Working Capital" from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. Group Case: Dell's Working Capital Fundamentals of Managerial Finance 1) How was Dell's working capital policy a competitive advantage? Dell Computer Corporation in the mid-90s was using a just in time order fulfillment system and accurate forecasting to reduce its inventories to the lowest possible levels in the highly competitive PC market where profit margins are very small. This working capital policy allowed Dell to achieve higher levels of liquidity and inventory turnover than its competitors. As a result Dell was able to have a quicker response than its competitors every time the computer industry released new microprocessors and operating systems which proved to be key in obtaining a privileged competitive advantage over major PC manufacturers of the time, such as Apple, IBM, and Compaq. 2) How did Dell fund its 54% growth in 1996? Dell decided to incorporate key performance metrics such as growth, liquidity, and profitability to monitor and adjust its operating procedures to meet its ROIC (Return on Invested Capital) and CCC (Cash Conversion Cycle) goals. In 1996 Dell reduced its days sales of inventory from 34 to 31, improved they accounts receivables from 47 down to 42 days, and maintained low liquidity risks by keeping cash conversion cycle on an average of 40 days. Dell was able to fund its 54% growth maintaining...
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...Dell’s Working Capital In 1996, Dell’s net working capital, which is total current assets minus total current liabilities, was in a positive position with $1,018 million. For the past three years from 1994 to 1996, net working capital has been increasing significantly each year. Looking at the information on Table 1, it is very simple to detect this increase. The trend starts at $510 million in 1994 to $718 million in 1995 to $1,018 million in 1996 of net working capital. That makes a 40.78% increase from 1994 to 1995 and a 41.78% increase from 1995 to 1996. This increase can be perceived as either a good or a bad thing depending on the situation at hand. On one hand, it shows a measure of the Dell’s efficiency and its short-term financial health is in a good place. One the other hand, it could indicate that there is too much inventory. In this case, the inventory is never kept at a high volume, so we can say that the increase in working capital is a good thing. Now, we need to look at the percentage change for each current asset and each current liability in comparison with the increase in the working capital trend. We may notice that each one plays a part in it. One asset that may stick out more than any of the others is the percentage change in inventory. If we take a look at Table 2, we will notice that, for the most part, the percentage change decreased from 1995 to 1996 compared to 1994 to 1995. For inventories, this percentage jumped from 33.18% to 46.42%. This big of...
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...Dell’s Working Capital In 1996, Dell’s net working capital, which is total current assets minus total current liabilities, was in a positive position with $1,018 million. For the past three years from 1994 to 1996, net working capital has been increasing significantly each year. Looking at the information on Table 1, it is very simple to detect this increase. The trend starts at $510 million in 1994 to $718 million in 1995 to $1,018 million in 1996 of net working capital. That makes a 40.78% increase from 1994 to 1995 and a 41.78% increase from 1995 to 1996. This increase can be perceived as either a good or a bad thing depending on the situation at hand. On one hand, it shows a measure of the Dell’s efficiency and its short-term financial health is in a good place. One the other hand, it could indicate that there is too much inventory. In this case, the inventory is never kept at a high volume, so we can say that the increase in working capital is a good thing. Now, we need to look at the percentage change for each current asset and each current liability in comparison with the increase in the working capital trend. We may notice that each one plays a part in it. One asset that may stick out more than any of the others is the percentage change in inventory. If we take a look at Table 2, we will notice that, for the most part, the percentage change decreased from 1995 to 1996 compared to 1994 to 1995. For inventories, this percentage jumped from 33.18% to 46.42%. This big of...
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...Dell´s Working Capital – Richard Ruback 1- Briefly explain DELL´s strategy. Do you consider this strategy reasonable? 2- What is your assessment of DELL´s performance? Please refer to the financial statements and calculate the financial ratios used in class to strengthen your analysis. 3- Calculate DELL´s Free Cash Flows. What is your assessment of the quality of these cash flows? ------------------------------------------------- 1- Dell, one of the best worldwide computer producer and one of the most successful organizations in the world, attribut the success to quality products and strategic management. Dell manufactures, sells, and delivers personal computers directly to the customers by a build-to-order model, which enables Dell to have much smaller investments in working capital than its competitors and also enables Dell to enjoy more fully the benefits of reductions in component prices and to introduce new products more rapidly. Dell has grown quickly and has been able to finance that growth internally by its efficient use of working capital and its profitability. Dell’s management principles as well as its supply chain (including inventory) is founded in “Build-to-Order” philosophy, and this philosophy is lies of exchanging inventory for information, because information is easier to store, to move, to discard and less expensive than inventory. Graphic 1 shows Dell´s working capital advantage over competitors by the DSI (days sales of inventory). In 1994...
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...DELL'S STRATEGY IS AN UNCONVENTIONAL APPROACH. • 1984 The company becomes the first in the industry to sell custom-built computers directly to end-users, bypassing the dominant system of using computer resellers to sell mass-produced computers. • 1986 Dell unveils the industry's fastest-performing computer, pioneers the industry's first thirty-day money back guarantee, and offers the industry's first onsite service program. • 1996 The company's quiet bid to sell custom-built computers over the Internet quickly becomes a public revolution when the company announces that sales over www.dell.com have exceeded $1 million per day. Dell introduces also its first custom custom-made web links for customers. Called "Premier Pages", the links allow customers to tap directly into the company's own service and support databases. 1998 Dell establishes web-based connections with its suppliers to speed the flow of inventory and quality information ================================ THE THREE GOLDEN DELL RULES Disdain inventory Always listen to the customer Never sell indirect ===================================== DELL COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES • Speed to market • Superior customer service • A fierce commitment to producing consistently high quality, custom-made computer systems that provide the highest performance and the latest relevant technology to the customers An early exploitation of the INTERNET. ========================================== ...
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...1. How was Dell`s Working Capital Policy a Competitive Advantage? Dell used its working capital policy as a competitive advantage by reducing the amount of WIP and finished goods inventory in its system. As a result of maintaining a minimum amount of inventory, Dell reduced its need for inventory financing, warehousing and inventory control. Dell kept its accounts payable (A/P) account to a minimum volume by waiting until the customers order was received before placing the “release” order with their suppliers. Dell’s suppliers were all located very close to Dells manufacturing plants, and made daily deliveries to Dell based on just-in-time delivery. By not receiving the parts until the last minute, Dell kept both its inventory and its accounts payable to a minimum. On the sales side, Dell took orders directly from consumers who normally pay with a credit card online, or over the phone. Because Dell waited until they received the order from the customer to start building the computer, Dell kept the CCC (cash conversion cycle to a minimum). If Dell were to operate at Compaq’s DSI level, we estimate that Dell would have to increase its 1995 inventory from $293m to $668m, which is an increase of $375 million. This would mean that Dell would have needed to invest in $668 million in inventory. I believe that the main reason that Dell was able to maintain such a low level of inventory compared to their competition has a direct result of their competitive strategy to maintain a minimum...
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...Q1) How was Dell’s working capital policy a competitive advantage? Dell’s Working Capital as competitive Advantage: * Build-to-order model: Dell was first in the industry to deliver customized products within a few days. While competitors were maintaining high levels of inventory to stock resellers and stock channels, Dell focused on customer customization of products and supply to them when they wanted it, thereby saving on huge inventory cost. * Ease of upgrading new parts and products. When the component cost was reducing, due to technological advancements (Price of components fell by an average of 30% a year, 1996) Dell was able to utilize it to pass on the savings to customers, by providing them comparative products at cheaper price. * After the launch of Pentium processors in 1994, Dell’s customer connect helped it anticipate demand for newly developed Pentium based system. It was able to get 75 % of its sales from product with Pentium models alone by FY 1996. It didn’t have to dismantle its existing PC’s, which made it less costly and move quickly to capture the market. * During Roll out of PC’s with new OS technology Dell was much faster than competitors. * In case of defective products, it had quicker time to market to replace the products. * Dell was also generating cash by maintaining low cash conversion cycle. * More sales could be stimulated on credit basis * Dell had a low inventory with low fixed assets which help it to achieve...
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...financial strategy. Of course, as we have seen throughout the course, sometimes firms can appear to perform differently because they have selected different accounting methods for reporting the same underlying economic events. For this reason, a precursor to effective financial ratio analysis is the development of a clear understanding of how a firm’s accounting decisions compare with those of its competitors, or with its own decisions in prior years. If there are important differences in accounting decisions, it may be necessary to make adjustments to the affected firms’ financial statements to ensure that ratio comparisons isolate differences in strategy or performance. Common adjustments include: treating operating leases as capital leases; adjusting LIFO inventories to a FIFO basis; changing the write-off period of intangible assets; restating reserves and charges for bad debts warranties and product returns; recognizing the possible impact of unrecognized potential contingent liabilities; revaluing tangible and intangible assets to reflect their fair market value; and valuing debt obligations to...
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...Dell Computers[1] Introduction Dell Computers was founded by Michael Dell in 1984 and has its corporate headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. Michael Dell’s winning idea was to sell computer systems directly to customers, allowing him and his company to understand customer needs well and therefore to provide the customer with the most appropriate computing solutions. Dell still practices the direct business model, saving time and cost by bypassing retailers and passing on the cost savings to the customer. Dell takes pride in its ability to provide customers with the most up-to-date technology more quickly than its competitors that still rely on slower indirect distribution channels. Dell has a major presence on the internet, having launched dell.com in 1994. By 1997, Dell was generating $1 million daily in online sales – the first company to achieve this mark. At dell.com, customers can put together their own computer system, order it online, and track its flow from manufacturing to shipping. Dell also offers its premier.dell.com Web pages, allowing business and institutional customers to conduct online business. Currently, Dell receives about two billion page requests per quarter, covering 81 country sites, 28 languages and dialects, and in 26 different currencies. The Computer Industry The market for personal computers has been growing rapidly for several years with little end in sight. As of the end of the year 2000, approximately 120 million PCs...
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................................................. Dell Case: Question 1 :: What are the advantages to Dell of having manufacturing sites located where they are? What are the potential disadvantages? Answer: Dell’s manufacturing sites are in Brazil, China, Malaysia, Ireland, and the U.S. Advantages of these locations are that some of them are low cost (Brazil, China, Malaysia and, relatively, Ireland), they have educated work forces that are highly productive, and they are near large regional markets. Dell Case: Question 2 :: Why does Dell purchase most of the components that go into its PC from independent suppliers, as opposed to making more itself? (Does does little more than final assembly of components into PC) Answer: Dell outsources because it enables Dell’s business model to be successful. Dell’s comparative advantage is in pricing, customization and rapid order fulfillment, all advantages gained through supply chain management and logistics. By outsourcing, Dell does not carry risks connected to inventory such as obsolescence, Dell can maintain flexibility in its manufacturing, and Dell has lower coordination costs than if it were vertically integrated, producing its own parts. Outsourcing allows Dell to focus on what it does best. Dell Case: Question 3 :: What are the consequences for Dell’s cost structure and profitability of replacing inventories with information? Answer: Dell has been able to achieve the lowest inventory levels in...
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...A CASE STUDY PRESENTED BY: MELWIN G. MENDE MBA -2 MARKETING MANAGEMENT BA213 III. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Dell computer was founded by Michael Dell at age of twenty one in his dorm at the University of Texas, Austin. Dell’s strategy is to build computer so that it can be order by the consumers. It’s build to order strategy has made Dell the most successful company in the information technology field. Dell sells its machines and other equipments directly to customers so it has eliminated the middleman. Dell has high margin because of direct sale strategy and customers get excellent state of the art machines at low cost compare to Dell’s competitors. Michael Dell’s visionary leadership has made Dell the second most successful PC maker in the industry. (IBM is the leader). Dell’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances is its great strength. One week after the September 11th 2001 attack, Dell reported selling 24,000 servers and desktops. Dell established mobile technology park in Washington D.C. and New York by converting three eighteen wheel trucks and operated its factories round the clock to fulfill the unexpected customers demand. The trustworthy relationship between Dell’s management and work force made it possible to change the disastrous moment in the I.T industry to a great opportunity for the organization. Dell has very user friendly web site and half of Dell’s sale, half of tech support and three quarter of order status...
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...In te r n a ti o n a l J o u r n a l o f M a n a g e me n t C a s es BOOTSTRAP FINANCING: FOUR CASE STUDIES OF TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES EVA M.TOMORY UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, CANADA Abstract Innovative businesses, especially in the early stages of their life cycles, often encounter difficulty in obtaining long-term external financing. Their founders tend to seek financing through nontraditional bootstrapping methods to launch their ventures. Bootstrap financing refers to a range of creative ways to acquire resources without relying on borrowing money or raising equity from traditional sources (Freear et al., 1995a). The paper examines how successful technology entrepreneurs used bootstrap financing: the founders of Microsoft Corporation, Apple Inc., Dell Inc. and Research in Motion Ltd. The research investigates the elements of bootstrapping as described in Freear et al. (1995a) and in Winborg and Landström (2001), finding that entrepreneurs use bootstrapping extensively during the early stages of growth for both product and business developments. Bootstrapping methods change as the business develops with certain methods used more at the beginning of the life cycle, and different variations used as the business starts to grow. The study also points out that even the most successful technology-based consumer goods businesses relied on bootstrap financing at the early stages of their development. This technique deserves more attention from the scholarly community since it is certain...
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