Posted on 05/31/2007 2:16:17 PM PDT by Zakeet
Dell Inc. said Thursday that earnings fell slightly in preliminary first-quarter results, but the computer maker planned to lay off more than 8,000 employees over the next year as part of an ongoing restructuring.
Dell said it earned $759 million, or 34 cents per share, in the three months ended May 4. That compared with $762 million, or 33 cents per share, in the year-ago period.
First-quarter sales rose nearly 1 percent from the year ago period to $14.6 billion.
[Snip]
The layoffs, which represent 10 percent of Dell's global work force of 88,100 full time and part-time employees, come as Dell struggles to regain market share after Hewlett-Packard Co. ousted it from the top spot in worldwide computer shipments last year.
In the first quarter, HP kept its lead over Dell with about 4 percent more shipments, according to tech research firms IDC and Gartner Inc.
As part of an ongoing turnaround effort led by Michael Dell, the company has undergone an executive shake up and numerous other changes to improve customer service and reclaim market share.
The company said it was reviewing costs across the board and that the job cuts would vary across geographic regions and customer segments to "reflect business considerations as well as local legal requirements."
"While reductions in head count are always difficult for a company, we know these actions are critical to our ability to deliver unprecedented value to our customers now and in the future," Michael Dell said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
You don’t have to spend that much for well made and PERFECTLY comfortable shoes, made by an American commpany.
SAS shoes, made in Texas - are without doubt the MOST comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned, and my wife won’t buy anything else for herself.....
No internet sales from the manufacturer..
You can find the shoes in most specialty shoe shops...
Most shoes are UNDER $200 for men or women, and will last until you’re tired of them...
American-Made Footwear from Old-Fashioned American Companies
Our Buy American Mention of the Week!
by Roger Simmermaker
July 25, 2004
In continuing to focus on how Americans can buy American footwear from work boots and casuals to dress shoes and tennis shoes, I have recently become acquainted with an American company that has been making children’s and women’s sandals in America for 60 years!
Hoy Shoe Company is based in St. Louis, Missouri and makes all of their sandals with 100% American leather and components, and, of course, 100% American workers. You can visit their website at www.saltwater-sandals.com to find one of the many hundreds of stores near you that carries their fine collection of made-in-America merchandise.
Are you looking for an old-fashioned American-owned company making more than just shoes in America but handbags and other accessories as well? Then you’ll be happy to become acquainted with SAS Shoemakers of San Antonio, Texas. What do I mean by old-fashioned? The owner does not take orders over the Internet. The company doesn’t even have a website. The owner of SAS believes in the old-fashioned style of ordering from their catalog - which they will send to you for free. Give them a call at (210) 921-7415 or write to SAS Shoemakers at 1717 SAS Drive, San Antonio, Texas, 78224.
SAS makes sandals, walking shoes for men and women, oxfords and comfort casuals. All their leather handbags are made in USA as well.
So whether you are focused on footwear for the heads of the family or for the kids as they get ready to go back to school, order from Hoy Shoe Company or SAS for authentic, all-American made products and keep your money in America where it should be.
It’s all about supporting American companies who employ American workers that pay taxes to America and make supplying the demands that “We, the People” have made on our country possible.
Red Wing, another American company, makes an excellent boot.
In my experience, Dell would have saved a lot of money had I simply been connected to competent support staff.
The gal in India was very nice, she even spoke good English, but she knew nothing about computers and only read a trouble shooting flowchart.
They twice over-nighted parts that I was 99.99% certain wasn't causing the problem, then they also paid to ship the laptop to/from Dell for a "fix".
I was not impressed with the laptop's poor engineering or service and won't buy Dell again.
Precisely and exactly. When are high tech companies going to learn that people HATE dealing with foreign customer service reps? If Dell was smart they would immediately scrap all of their foreign support, move everything to America and then start a massive advertising campaign based upon the fact that they DON'T have foreign tech support.
Ah, so freedom in the market, which IS a promotion of the American way that has been an icon of the promotion of human betterment, is best to be stifled because of China?
Lest we forget, we are fearful of losing what we have because we are the only sovereign nation that does have an offering, to the point of not wanting more by being the icon of free trade in the first place....
We lose this system and the world as a whole loses when our freedoms are stifled.
What should we change to make it a better system in your opinion?
Good old Heathkit. The smell of a hot soldering iron. Ouch!
I don’t advocate any stifling of the free market. I advocate Americans buying American products. Yes, I’m aware that this is a hugely controversial issue. I mean, if the CEO of an American company has politics we don’t agree with or unions are involved, we should — according to some — wish and pray for the destruction of the company.
Call me a radical, but I believe Americans should buy American regardless of the political views held by the CEO.
I cannot remember any time I have called tech Support..not since the early '90's, I think.
But I DO recall this recent exchange with Dell. We bought one, and I got an amazing high pressure call about buying an extended warranty! It went ON and ON for ages, and degenerated into this ending:
"Did you build the system correctly, from quality parts? If so, why do I need ANY warranty at all?"
Here comes the SCARE SCARE FNORD:
"Suppose your hard drive failed after the first year?"
I'd throw it away, and buy another..they are DIRT CHEAP, unlike this absurd warranty you are trying to sell me!"
{GOSUB SCARE SCARE FNORD}
"What if the MOTHERBOARD failed?"
{ COUNTERFNORD} "You mean YOUR Proprietary Motherboard! Oh, that's no problem at all! I live in a Warranty of Merchantability State, you'd get a Small claims Summons, default, and I'd get treble damages! Sounds like a better deal than your pricey warranty! Let's do it." END.
compared to this pushy person, I would rather listen to Sitar Music when Holding for a call center.
To an extent, but there have to be limits. This NRA Lifer is not bringing Ben and Jerry's ice cream home because it would be obscene. Their management ELECTS to mix their politics with their business. It is their free decision to alienate me. I respect that. It is my free decision to tell them to stuff their politics-blended products, whether they respect that or not.
Now I am sure there are thousands of companies run by people whose politics I despise, but they do not TELL me about it, nor rub my face in it.
Fair enough. If a company chooses to make their product “political,” then those with opposing political viewpoints would naturally avoid it. However, if the private politics of a CEO etc. comes out through no promotion of their own, then that’s their business and not related to the product.
How many time have you seen an article her about a failing American companies?
And what do half the posters say?
It's the greedy employees fault to wanting good wages. It's the unions fault. They just make crappy cheap products. They deserve it. It cost too much to do business in America. The American employees are lazy and on drugs and on and on.
It's almost the same with all products now. Ya hear the same things here over and over.
In the end, I just don't know how in heck we are going to compete with endless low wage labor over seas.
Some here think Dell is just swell, yet they are laying off 8,000 Americans, and they're profits are down.
Is everyone now invested in overseas companies? What happens when few here can afford anything for over there? Do they care? Is the new focus on billions of Red Chinese consumers?
>>>Dell’s stock was up 2.6% today and is up another 6% in after hours trading, for what that is worth.<<<
For those who don’t do math, the stock went up 60 cents during the normal trading hours, and $1.58 after hours. That was a huge gain for Dell — up from $26.22 to $28.49 in one day. I wish I had bought in.
I'll bet those 8,000 laid off Americans are celebrating.
The U.S. is the third largest market in the world — after China and India.
Yeah, all of these countries are hot to trot in China/India, both of which have a rapidly expanding middle class in terms of numbers (not percentage of the population).
This is significant because the sacred “Middle Class American” is no longer all important as a consumer.
It’s a get what you pay for world. You want a quality computer, then you have to pay top dollar. Same as any other product.
I am an ex dell customer as well. Horrible customer service.
I am an ex dell customer as well. Horrible customer service.
Easily?
Yikes! This is not good news for Round Rock, Texas where my daughter lives! Pure rich Yuppy land up there but maybe not for long?
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