Module 9

The Dell laptop build is rather interesting, and one I have often wondered about with the amount of business I perform with them in my job. Dell computers are in constant change to keep up with the changing technologies in the industry. The laptops are engineered and redesigned approximately every twelve months. These Dell engineers are referred to as “original design manufacturer” (ODM). These teams design computers to meet the needs of Dell's customers.

Dell has six factories throughout the world, which are located in Limerick, Ireland; Xiamen, China; Eldorado do sul, Brazil; Nashville, Tennessee; Austin, Texas; and Penang, Malaysia. These factories are closely tied to a supplier logistic center (SLCs), which are owned by suppliers that Dell contracts with and are staging areas for the various parts that make up Dell computers. A Dell laptop begins with a customer order either by phone, or by Dell's website. As soon as that order comes in, the SLCs are aware of it, and prepare what needs to be delivered to the factory based on the components needed to build that specific order. Because of the quantity of Dell computers ordered every day, those suppliers are required to deliver parts to the Dell factories every two hours to keep up with the demand. The various parts that make up a laptop come from hundreds of manufacturers and range from power cords, to motherboards, to wireless cards, and so on. The laptop is then assembled manually by teams within the factories where all the parts are put in place, and any appropriate labeling is placed on the laptop. The laptop is then sent down a conveyor to be burned, this refers to the actual downloading of the operating system, and any software that was ordered with the laptop. Dell has huge banks of servers supplied with the latest software and operation systems it uses to build their computers. The laptop is then placed in protective foam, boxed up and placed on a pallet, and a specific shipping manifest is labeled on the box to detail which pallet it will be on and what the customer's shipping address is. Dell has large 747 aircraft carriers that ship out six days a week from Penang, Taiwan to Nashville, Tennessee, and deliver around 242,506 pounds of computers on a daily basis. The laptop is then shipped to its final destination via UPS.

Unfortunately, Al-Qaeda has benefited from supply chaining in an effort to spread terror to countries and people of the world. Their destructive forces have been brought out largely on the fact they have been so successful in building their terror networks through mobile, self-financing mutant supply chains and collaboration. These supply chains have raised the money necessary to recruit followers, and to stimulate and disseminate ideas for terror. They have also brought upon tools to undertake their acts of violence. Thanks to the internet and satellite, Al-Qaeda has been able to solidify the Muslim identity and solidarity within Muslim countries. This has brought about sympathy for Al-Qaeda and new recruits for its cause of destruction of the western world.

The curse of oil refers to countries who are underdeveloped, anti-democratic, and opposed to drilling the talents and energies of the people. These monarch leaders do not get their revenue from the people through taxation, they simply get it from drilling, so this makes the relationship between ruler and rules highly distorted. Countries who do not focus on tapping the resources of the people have weak, or nonexistent institutions. Countries who do focus on tapping the resources of the people have real institutions, property rights, and the rule of law. It was interesting to read the quote from Nancy Birsdsall in the essay “Saving Iraq from Its Oil” as she points out that “34 less developed countries now boast significant oil and natural gas resources that constitute at least 30 percent of their total export revenue. Despite their riches, however, 12 of these countries annual per capita income remains below $1500” (pg 626). Friedman's argument that countries that have rich oil supplies are cursed because of their lack of effort and resources put in the people, and not solely on the oil, is one that has never really entered my mind. After reading this chapter, I agree with Friedman's assessment that these monarch's will likely continue to thrive with disregard for their people, and without the people benefiting from the natural riches of its resources.