Dell’s Working Capital 1. How was Dell’s working capital policy a competitive advantage? Dell had very unique working capital policy compared to its competitors. The most important characteristic of Dell's working capital policy is that they were using build-to-order manufacturing system, meaning that they would not build the product until a confirmed order for product is received. This system gave them a competitive advantage because of several reasons: * Low finished goods inventory
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Dell Working Capital Q1: How was Dell’s working capital policy a competitive advantage? ( Dell had a policy of working with low inventory and it used to make inventory purchases based on the sale orders received. This led to following advantages: • No obsolete goods. • Defects in raw material manufacturers were easily weeded out. • New technological up gradations can be easily set into the system before the competition turns over the existing inventory. Thus Dell had a first
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Q1) How was Dell's working capital policy a competitive advantage? * Dell’s built-to-order manufacturing process yielded low finished goods inventory balances * By the mid-1990s Dell’s WIP and finished goods inventory as percent of total inventory ranged from 10% to 20% in contrast to its competitor’s range was from 50% to 70%. * Supply of inventory of Dell was significantly lower than its competitors. * Manufactured PCs with latest OS and processor much before its competitiors
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Working Capital at Dell 1. How was Dell’s use of working capital a competitive advantage? Dell minimized its working capital as a result of its made-to-order manufacturing process. Dell focused on building computers to fit the orders placed by actual present and already-committed buyers. By building to order, Dell was able to significantly reduce its inventory on hand (in components, work in process and finished goods), accounts payable, and sunk labor costs thus reducing its working
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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
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1. COMPANY BACKGROUND * Founded in 1984 by Michael Dell * First, Dell company purchased IBM compatible personal computers, upgraded rgem, then sold the upgraded PCs directly to business by main order. * Subsequently, Dell began to market and sell its own brand personal computer, taking orders over a toll free telephone line, and shipping directly to customers. 2. DELL’S WORKING CAPITAL POLICY AS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE * Industry Strategy Assembled to forecast, retaining a substantial
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working capital management a competitive advantage? Dell introduced built-to-order manufacturing to the PC industry. This manufacturing process allowed for customers to have customized PCs with the latest technology, and Dell was able to keep its work-in-process (WIP) and finished goods inventory at very low levels. So less capital is spent in inventory and storage. WIP and Finished goods percent to total inventory was 10-20 while IBM e.g. 50-70. See Exhibit 2 DSI is constantly reducing and therefore
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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
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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
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Cost of Capital at Ameritrade 1. What factors should Ameritrade management consider when evaluating the proposed advertising program and technology upgrades? Why? 2. How can the Capital Asset Pricing Model be used to estimate the cost of capital for a real (not financial) investment decision? 3. What is the estimate of the risk-free rate that should be employed in calculating the cost of capital for Ameritrade? 4. What is the estimate of the market risk premium that should be employed
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