Case scenario: Dell Dell revolutionized the personal computer category by selling directly to customers via the telephone and later the Internet. Customers could custom-design the exact PC they wanted, and rigorous cost cutting allowed for low everyday prices. Sound like a winning formula? It was for almost two decades. But by 2006, the company was encountering problems that led to a steep stock price decline. First, reinvigorated competitors such as HP narrowed the gap in productivity and price. Always focused more on the business market, Dell struggled to sell effectively to the consumer market. A shift in consumer preferences to buying in retail stores didn't help, but self-inflicted damage from an ultra-efficient supply chain model that squeezed costs and quality out of customer service was perhaps the most painful. Managers evaluated call center employees primarily on how quickly they finished each call - a recipe for disaster as scores of customers felt their problems were ignored or not properly handled. A drop in R&D spending that hindered new-product development and led to a lack of differentiation didn't help either. Clearly, Dell had entered a new chapter in its history. A fundamental rethinking of its channel strategy and its marketing approach as a whole would consume the company for the next five years. Source from: Kotler, P. and Keller, K., 2012. Marketing Management. 14th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Retrieved date: 4 April 2022 Question: 1) Discuss TWO (2) importance of marketing channel. Provide examples for your discussion. 2) In your opinion, explain TWO (2) challenges of Dell of using direct marketing channel for the sales of computers to the end customers. Concur your discussion with examples