Getting back on top Michael Dell pioneered a new business model at the firm that bears his name. Now he wants to overhaul it. 1 So why, after three years of relative distance as chairman of the board, did Michael Dell take charge again at Dell, the company he had founded in his dorm room at the University of Texas at the age of 19? “When you start a company, it's a very personal thing,” answers Dell. “I will care about what happens to the company even after I'm dead. I just can’t let it go.” 2 Mr Dell's tenacity (坚持) seems to paying off. His firm, which used to be the world's biggest maker of personal computers, but had lost its crown to Hewlett-Packard, is beginning to regain market share. 3 Ever since Mr Dell started selling computers, he has focused on a different sort of innovation from the rest of the industry. In contrast to Apple, for instance, Dell has never worried about designing sexy devices or building a global network of fancy shops. Instead, firm tried to make a commodity of customisation, allowing clients to choose the feature they wanted online, using cheaper generic (一般的) parts and maintaining an impossibly lean (精简的) supply chain. This model went down well with corporate customers, particularly in America, where Dell remains number one. 4 Turning customisation into a commodity served Dell exceptionally well, and not just in the PC market: it successfully used the same approach with server computers, printers and storage devices. Yet just when the firm seemed unstoppable, its world began to change. Growth migrated from corporate markets to consumers and from rich countries to emerging markets, where people are warier of shopping on line. As PCs became more powerful, buyers could no longer be persuaded to add extra processing power or a bigger hard drive when they bought them—one of the firm's specialties. Profits began to erode (削弱) . Add deteriorating customer service and accounting problems to the mix, and it is easy to see why Mr Dell felt he needed to come back. 5 Back in the driver’s seat, he is now trying out new approaches and diversifying Dell's business model both geographically and commercially. One of Mr Dell's first decisions was a push into what Internet types call “social media”. He set up a corporate blog and a website called IdeaStorm that lets customers make suggestions on how Dell can improve its products. This has earned Mr Dell a reputation in the blogosphere for “getting it”. 6 A much more momentous move was the decision to start selling in shops again. This is a cultural revolution for Dell. It no longer wants to sell dull black boxes, but must aim for products that build “brand lust”, as Mr Dell calls it. So Dell will have to foster a whole new minder among its engineers and designers. It will need to set up a bulk supply chain alongside the customised one. And it will have to delve into hitherto (迄今为止) unknown realms, such as managing relationships with retailers. True or False. Dell’s original strategy of providing a customized product, allowing customers to choose the features they liked, was very popular with corporate clients, particularly in the UK.