Competition in the personal computer industry is predicated upon the carefu
l management of logistics, particularly those aspects concerned with time.
This is due to the need to mitigate the loss-of-value dynamics of the criti
cal components utilized in PCs. PC firms have developed various value chain
models for controlling this devaluation process. Direct marketers such as
Dell have organized their production activities to manage and benefit from
the constantly falling prices. In contrast, their more traditional competit
ors continue to lose market share because they have been unable to manage t
ime as effectively.