Case Studies: Computer
Digital Communication at Dell
Jennifer M. Farrelly
Length: 22 pages
Publication date: 2009
Case#: 6-0032
Every second two new blogs are created, seven PCs are sold, 2.2 million emails are sent, 520 links are clicked, 1,157 videos are viewed on YouTube, 31,000 text messages are sent. With the explosive growth of social media, society and corporations are embracing this phenomenon as much more than a passing trend. This case focuses on computer manufacturer Dell Inc.'s social media strategy and how it has successfully integrated digital communications into every aspect of its business model. Case readers are put in the shoes of Bob Pearson, VP of Dell's "Conversations & Communities" team, who is tasked with developing Dell's social media strategy. After a rocky start with social media--including an actively blogged service crisis termed "Dell Hell"--Pearson is challenged with not only creating a department and strategy from scratch, but with developing internal buy-in and skill sets needed to get Dell started with Web 2.0. Pearson faced important decisions including how to structure the internal team,what guidelines to set for blogging and social media participation, and how to measure success. The Dell case focuses on how new social media technology is changing not only corporate communication but also business functions such as product development, customer service, marketing, and customer engagement. It offers many valuable lessons for both students and business professionals as they continue to join the Internet age.
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Topics: Marketing, Media, Product Development, Public Relations
Industry: Computer
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Agile Software - I Want My WebTV!
M. Eric Johnson, Hau Lee
Length: 16 pages
Publication date: 2002
Case#: 1-0074
Preview: Carol Schrader shifted in her chair, trying to focus on the conversation bouncing around the room. It wasn’t that she was uninterested in the topic. The group was debating the strategic direction of the firm’s software products. But like a jeep caught in the deep ruts of a muddy road, her thoughts kept falling back to the week’s stock market headlines. August of 1999 had not been a kind month for NASDAQ initial stock offerings. In fact, the whole summer was beginning to feel like a downward spiral. The worst headline had appeared that morning on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, “For Net-IPO Party, the Balloons Begin to Pop.”
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Topics: Innovation, Supply Chain
Industry: Computer
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EMC: Creating a Storage-Centric World
Jonathan Kwoh T'02, under the supervision of Visiting Professor Melissa M. Appleyard
Length: 7 pages
Publication date: 2002
Case#: 6-0009
While able to navigate technical and business roadblocks throughout the prior decade, by 2002, EMC Corporation faced a new set of challenges to its business model. This new set of challenges included the rise of distributed networking, whereby storage would become less centralized, in addition to the precipitous fall in demand due to the slowing global economy. Could EMC rely on its secrets for success from the past to propel its growth well into the future?
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Topics: Services
Industry: Computer
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