1. http://www.dell.com

Michael Dell established the Dell Corporation in 1984. This organization is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is identified as the world’s most preferred computer systems company today. Its market leadership is a result of a continuing focus on delivering the best possible customer experience by selling products directly to the consumer. Dell’s "direct business model" method eliminates retailers that add unnecessary cost and time while allowing it to maintain its focus on responding to individual customer needs and wants. Dell’s revenue for the previous year totaled $31.2 billion. It currently employs over 34 thousand team members around the globe.

Explore this informative Website. Prepare a two-page report indicating your responses to the following questions. You should be prepared to discuss your findings within the class. How does Dell employ the strategic management process? What type of strategic choice has Dell made in regard to competition? How important do you perceive successful human resource management capabilities to be to this organization? Why? Does Dell live up to its stated mission? Why or why not? How does Dell exemplify Michael Porter’s differentiation strategy?

2. www.fanniemae.com

In 1938, federal government established Fannie Mae to expand the flow of mortgage money by creating a secondary market. Today, Fannie Mae is a private, shareholder-owned company that works to make sure mortgage money is available for people in communities all across America . With little over 5,000 employees only, Fannie May is one of the largest financial services company in the world. On Fortunes list of best employers, Fannie Mae claimed the 20 th spot in 2004.

Explore the company Website and gather information to respond to following questions. What different pieces of Strategic Management Process can you find from the Website? Which ones seem to be missing? Can the overtly missing ones be inferred from other information? Do you see the evidence of HR input in the strategic process at Fannie Mae from the Website information? Explain. What set of information would you like to see displayed clearly at the company Website? Why? Would it have any negative or positive impact competitively? Explain.