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RC TOM Challenge 2018

November 13, 2018

Read The Full Prompt

The TOM Challenge provides an opportunity for you to continue exploring organizational learning and innovation through the lens of process improvement and/or product development, the focus of RC TOM’s second module. In this challenge, you will investigate how an organization is grappling with machine learning, additive manufacturing, or open innovation. These megatrends are likely to significantly affect how organizations manage process improvement and product development in the coming years of your career. The TOM Challenge requires you to (1) conduct research and write an essay that examines how one organization is facing a particular aspect of one of these megatrends, and (2) write six comments that share your reflections on some of your section mates’ essays.

Your essay should address four questions in the context of the organization you choose:

  1. Why do you think the megatrend you selected is important to your organization’s management of process improvement and/or product development?
  2. What is the organization’s management doing to address this issue in the short term (the next two years) and the medium term (two to ten years out)?
  3. What other steps do you recommend the organization’s management take to address this issue in the short and medium terms?
  4. In the context of this organization, what are one or two important open questions related to this issue that you are unsure about that merit comments from your classmates?

Your essay should convey facts, analysis, and your recommendations. It should focus on a single organization (e.g., a single company, non-profit organization, or government agency) and a concern related to one megatrend. It is fine if the concern you choose relates to other megatrends that the organization is facing, but that’s not required. Roughly a third of your essay should be dedicated to each of the first three questions, with just a few sentences dedicated to the fourth question. Your essay should be at least 700 words but no more than 800 words, and must conclude with a word count in parentheses (such as 778 words).

When posting your essay to Open Knowledge, be sure to enter “Machine Learning”, “Additive Manufacturing”, or “Isolationism” in the Topics field.

More details on research, sourcing, deadlines, and other matters are provided in the RC TOM Challenge: 2018 note.  For assistance with the Open Knowledge platform during business hours (9:00 am – 5:00 pm M-F), email openknowledge@hbs.edu. A short video with instructions on how to post an essay to this platform is available at https://d3.harvard.edu/platform-rctom/how-to/.

Submitted (926)

An Epic use of Machine Learning
C
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 1:49 pm
Moving into the next phase of digitized healthcare, Epic Systems needs to continue to develop, test, and implement its machine learning capabilities.
RIDGES Run Deep: How PepsiCo Delivered on Crunch through 3D Printing
ka
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 10:12 pm
PepsiCo employed 3D printing to create the RUFFLES Deep Ridged masterpiece. Under Nooyi's leadership, the corporation greatly expanded its innovation capabilities; however, other innovation programs may be superseding additive manufacturing at PepsiCo.
Solving the Opioid Crisis through Crowdsourcing Contests: HHS’s Opioid Code-a-Thon
RB
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 7:03 pm
Why did the Department of Health and Human Services host a two-day Code-A-Thon focused on the opioid crisis? What role does crowdsourcing play in government agencies?
Navigating Drug Discovery using AI
Licensed Drug Dealer
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 12:11 am
After the boom of Blockbuster(drugs with revenues exceeding $1B/yr) approvals in the 90’s, there has been a slowdown in the development of new drug entities (NDE). With drugs already in the market for easy to identify targets, research in academia [...]
Personalization in the Online classifieds industry – OLX path to a customized experience
Nick Tap
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:43 pm
The online classifieds industry started almost 30 years ago, when companies began to move the newspaper classifieds into a web-based platform. As time went by, more features were added to lower the efforts in achieving a transaction. OLX was founded [...]
Google Duplex: Does it Pass the Turing Test?
William Knightly
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:58 pm
Google Assistant's new feature can make a real phone call to make a reservation on your behalf.
Minority report: machine learning and crime prevention in China
Tom Thompson
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 11:09 pm
The use of machine learning for crime prevention in China
Activision-Blizzard (ATVI): Using Machine Learning for videogames development and community moderation
Tasslehoff
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 5:38 pm
The videogames market is large (with expected revenues of $138 billion [1]) but highly fragmented, with multiple corporations vying for market share. Increasingly, traditional companies like F1 motorsports are moving into videogames to expand their core product offering [2]. Hence, [...]
Mindstrong: An Application of AI in Wellness
lumos
Last modified on November 14, 2018 at 5:36 pm
Mindstrong is using AI and "digital phenotyping" toward diagnosing mental health conditions
Pfizer and IBM: A Collaboration to Accelerate Drug Discovery?
Joe Tung
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 11:15 am
  In December 2016, pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. announced a partnership with IBM Watson Health to use IBM Watson for Drug Discovery’s machine learning platform to help Pfizer’s research in immuno-oncology. [1] Pfizer sought to use Watson’s machine learning and [...]
Irrational Exuberance: Machine Learning at the Federal Reserve
Yip
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 6:58 pm
As the Federal Reserve enters its second century, will innovations in machine learning and artificial intelligence put our central bankers out of a job?
Facebook, Fake News, and AI: Yet Another “HUGE” Problem in the Digital Era
Ty
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:21 pm
The proliferation of misinformation, or fake news, on social media platforms has become a serious problem. Facebook - largely considered to be the main culprit in this controversy - is leaning heavily on machine learning to fight off this issue.
How Machine Learning is Transforming the Largest Purchase You Will Ever Make
Josh
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 4:57 pm
How Machine Learning is disturbing the world of Real Estate.
Is it time to say “good bye” to stylists as a profession: Kapsula.com.ua and pickup.fashion develop AI-stylist to dress you up.
EA
Last modified on November 11, 2018 at 12:30 pm
In 2018 Kapsula, online fashion marketplace, in collaboration with pickup.fashion introduced AI-stylist, which helps customers to generate complete looks within seconds depending on weather, color palette preference, and occasion.
Ministry of Supply: Using 3D Printing and AI in clothing
TH
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 5:47 pm
“We started Ministry of Supply to solve the problems of stiff, high-maintenance dress clothes by engineering high-performing, comfortable apparel” [1]
Rest Easy, Global Giant: additive manufacturing as risk mitigator
Warren’s All-You-Can-Eat Buffet
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:58 pm
For infrastructure-builder AECOM, additive manufacturing represents a way to address a set of its most-pressing risks--but is the technology ready?
ZOZO’S AMBITION: CAN YOU QUANTIFY “COOL”?
Issei Suzuki
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 8:12 pm
ZOZO, Japan’s dominant online retailer of apparel and related lifestyle products, with approximately $1B in sales and $7B in market capitalization, has taken on a journey to recreate the world of apparel to the next level. [1] It aims to [...]
The government wants you…to hack it?
Varrock
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:30 pm
How the US government is relying on open innovation to combat cyberterrorism
A Tactical Advantage? Additive Manufacturing in the US Military
Daniel
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 7:57 pm
How is the United States military utilizing 3-D printing and what is the way forward?
Skolkovo, Russian Silicon Valley vs. Corruption: how innovation can thrive?
SN
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 5:55 pm
Skolkovo was built with aspiration to nurture domestic breakthrough talent so much needed for the failing economy. In spite of the flamboyant federal support, empowered security services and corrupted government officials push innovation in the opposite direction.
Machine Learning in the Fragmented Construction Industry
Dareen Salama
Posted on November 14, 2018 at 12:39 am
Machine Learning: Upward Trajectory for the Construction Industry
You can pick your friends, and your friends can pack a box, but you can’t pick & pack a box without your friends
LLovegood
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 8:01 pm
Amazon's "Open Innovation" approach to solving warehouse automation
HTC Vive: Overcoming Developer Hesitance Through Open Innovation
Ahmed Al-Ghanim
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:27 pm
This post details how Valve, the developers of the VR headset HTC Vive, used open innovation to provide a wide variety of video games despite the lack of support from major game developers.
Can Additive Manufacturing become a powerful humanitarian technology?
KT
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 5:43 pm
Learn how 3D printing is revolutionizing disaster relief!
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