A3. Guess :
"I couldn't bear to miss this chance," Dell says. Guess
which chance Dell did not want to miss.
Answers
Explanation:
Q.1 (A) Read the first activity. Read the extract and then do all the activities. (12)
A1. Global Understanding (2)
Read the following sentences related to the events in the story. They are given in a jumbled order. Rearrange the events in a proper sequence.
1) Dell risked all his savings and incorporated Dell Computer Corp on May 3, 1984.
2) Dell placed local advertisements offering his customized computers at 15 percent off retail price.
3) For advertising, Dell grabbed an empty box and on the back sketched the first ad for Dell Computer.
4) The next year Dell enrolled at the University of Texas.
Dell knew that IBM required its dealers to take a monthly quota of PCs, in most cases more than they could sell. He also knew that holding excess inventory was costly. So he bought dealers' surplus stock at cost. Back in his dormitory room, he added features to improve performance. The improved models found eager buyers. Seeing the hungry market, Dell placed local advertisements offering his customized computers at 15 percent off retail price. Soon he was selling to businesses, doctors' offices and law firms. The trunk of his car was his store; his room took on the appearance of a small factory.
During a holiday break, Dell's parents told him they were concerned about his grades. "If you want to start a business, do it after you get your degree," his father pleaded.
Dell agreed, but back in college he felt the opportunity of a lifetime was passing him by. "I couldn't bear to miss this chance," he says. After one month he started selling computers again — with a vengeance.
The quarter he shared with two roommates was in chaos — boxes piled high, computer boards and tools scattered around. One day his roommates heaped all his equipment into a pile, preventing Dell from entering his room. It was time to come to grips with the magnitude of what he had created. The business was now grossing more than $ 50, 000 a month.
Dell confessed to his parents that he was still in the computer business. They wanted to know how classes were going.
"I have to quit college," he replied. "I want to start my own company."
"What exactly is it that you want to do?" asked his father.
"Compete with IBM," he answered