Marketing situation Dell is in is a very favorable one in my opinion. People buy Dell computers because of the reputed name brand and the reputation that Dell has gained over the years, along with the fact that the computers are marketed pretty well too. Marketing however, is not Dell's top priority. As discussed in the case and the article, Dell is more concerned with delivering good computers to the customers at the cheapest cost. One of Dells marketing strategies was to segment their target market into business customers, and home based customers. This segmentation is very necessary, as business based customers generally need mainframes and different types of equipment opposed to the ordinary user at home who would just need the bare minimum to do his/her computing. Also, the Dell was branched off in China, which was a very smart move in my opinion, considering the population of china, and the possible market base expansion there. Overall, I think Dell is fine where they are as they are more focused on the product rather than advertising, which is what they are famous for. .
2. The three business level strategies that Dell follows are Cost Leadership, Differentiation, and focus. Dell is a cost leader, because they eliminate the costs of the middleman that they would have to incur otherwise. They also assemble each computer per demand, ensuring that customers are fully satisfied and getting the product that they want. Differentiation is a strategy used by Dell, because of the very fact that they are the only reputed firm in the industry to follow such a service. Dell computers are reliant and effective and exactly what one would need compared to buying a generic computer which does not match all your requirements. Getting that message across to the audience is what makes Dell computers different. Focus is the third strategy that they use. Focus on constantly improving their technology and their efficiency is one of their strong points.