Strength: one of the best known brands in the world first PC maker to offer next-day, on site product service direct to customer business model, without distribution retailers uses the latest technology low operating cost because of cutting out retailers and supplies directly to customers each system is built to order to meet each customer's demands and specifications not a manufacture, parts are made by suppliers, Dell assembles with relatively cheap labor has total control of supply chain shared leadership structure – more ideas & visions expand to additional products and services good customer service and technical support build and deliver products in 3-5 days plants are certified with ISO 9001:2000 standards long-term relationship with suppliers – they believe in strong relationship with reputable suppliers, stick with them as long as they maintain leadership in technology, performance, quality and cost. one of the world's highest volume Internet commerce website Reliability, service and support – direct customer allows it to provide top-notch customer service before and after the sale
Weakness: Computer maker and not computer manufacturer, making Dell unable to switch supply lack dealer/retailer relationship no priority technology – does not specialize in one specific type of products not attracting college student segment of the market. Sales revenue from educational institutions like colleges only accounts for about 5% of total customers cannot go to retailers because Dell does not use distribution channels each product is custom-built according to specifications, might take days to finish
Opportunities: Diversification by introducing many new products to the range, including printer, toners, LCD TVs Personal computers are becoming a necessity now, people are more educated about computers, therefore custom-built computers are more