The Business Ethics Blog

My friend Andrew continues to have trouble with customer service at Dell computers.

Reports that he’s not alone in his dissatisfaction with Dell got me thinking about Dell overall, Dell customer service (such as it is) and the company’s commitment to ethics. What relationship is there between Dell’s overall commitment (or lack thereof — I have no idea) to ethics, on one hand, and the quality of their customer service, on the other? Sounds like a great student project, to me.

So, just in case anyone wants to take on an overall assessment of ethics at Dell, here are some resources:

• Here’s a story about Dell’s Chief Operating Officer, Can Kevin Rollins Find the Soul of Dell?, with a focus on values.
• Here’s a notice of an environmental award that Dell won at the 16th Annual Business Ethics Awards.
• Here’s the page for Thurmond Woodard, Dell’s Chief Ethics, Privacy & Compliance Officer and Vice President, Global Diversity.
• Here’s Dell’s corporate governance page.
• A complaint website, http://www.ihatedell.net/
• Electronics Industry Code of Conduct, to which Dell subscribes.
• Dell’s Higher Standard (Code of Conduct)
• And finally: The Soul of Dell, which includes the following commitment:
  

  Customers: We believe in creating loyal customers by providing a superior experience at a great value. We are committed to direct relationships, providing the best products and services based on standards-based technology, and outperforming the competition with value and a superior customer experience.