Most Recent Assignment

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)

Teachers Trust Teachers: The Rise of Open Educational Resources
FellSam
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 7:14 pm
How TeachersPayTeachers is harnessing the rise of open innovation in K-12 educational curriculum development.
To All the Shows I’ve Loved Before: Netflix and Machine Learning
JT2020
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 1:51 pm
Why machine learning is at the core of Netflix's competitive advantage
The Impact of A.I. and Machine Learning on Financial Data at S&P Global
Danielle Waldman
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 8:18 pm
With a massive amount of data now available to financial institutions, S&P Global must determine how to use A.I. and machine learning to meet customers' evolving demands.
Process Development Disruption in the Oil & Gas industry: Open Innovation to Drive Value in UK Under-Explored Areas
Jane
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:25 pm
In 2015 and 2016 the UK Government took a new approach to attract interest to its oil & gas resources, adopting an open innovation model as a short and long term value driver in the country’s energy sector. First steps [...]
Amazon Studios’ experiment in crowdsourcing scripts: were they right to abandon open innovation in developing new content?
Ankur Chawla
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 8:00 pm
In November 2010, Amazon Studios launched and opened its doors to allow anyone with a movie idea to submit a script to potentially be developed at the studio. After 7.5 years and over 27,000 submissions for both TV and film, [...]
ETSY – “Keeping Commerce Human” through Machine Learning
hb178
Last modified on December 5, 2018 at 12:12 pm
How will Etsy use machine learning to retain customers in a sea of mass produced products?
May the Salesforce be With You: A Rising Power in Machine Learning implementation
Yoda
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:37 pm
CRM & Salesforce Background Over the past decade, customer relationship management (CRM) software has exploded as managers and sales teams have recognized the benefits of a dedicated CRM platform (vs. a tool such as excel) that assists sales teams in [...]
“Thank You for the Music”: Spotify and algorithmic music curation
EK2020
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 4:24 pm
Spotify's commitment to algorithmic music curation has made it an industry-leading streaming platform, providing users with exactly the right music at the right moment. But can it sustain this advantage as the service grows?
Machine Learning at PredPol: Risks, Biases, and Opportunities for Predictive Policing
Leila Meliani
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 4:40 pm
Law enforcement agencies are using machine learning tools to analyze, track, and attempt to predict crime.
Crowdsourcing a Pharma Breakthrough: Lilly’s Open Innovation Drug Discovery Program
Svenardi
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 4:45 pm
Given increasingly costly (and decreasingly effective) Research and Development in the pharmaceutical industry, can Lilly crowdsource innovation using its Open Innovation Drug Discovery (OIDD) Program?
NYC BigApps: Crowdsourcing Civic Innovation
clcorcoran
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 6:56 pm
In 2009, New York City launched the BigApps competition, inviting citizen-hackers to work together to create applications that improve the lives of New Yorkers. BigApps spurred a grass-roots movement for an Open Data law and served as a fecund source [...]
The Future of Portfolio Returns and Wall Street Traders
VNandula
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 7:41 pm
This post explores the benefits of machine learning platforms on the trading business of Goldman Sachs and the long-term effects of these platforms on human capital management and the ability of firms to retain their competitive advantage in the financial [...]
Baidu: Using Machine Learning for Voice Cloning to Get Closer to Consumers…All In Just 3.7 Seconds!
Mike Cluttons
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:43 pm
Baidu is using machine learning to clone human voices and develop the capability of imitating thousands of accents in order to personalize machine-based interactions with consumers.
Bricks & Code: Open Innovation at LEGO Group
Bruno2010
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 1:45 pm
The iconic toymaker LEGO Group faces a crisis in the mid-2000s as increased competition and changing consumer habits threaten its business. Turning to its passionate customers, LEGO uses open innovation to reimagine its product development process and catalyze radical change [...]
Machine Learning in Drug Discovery
Stacy Tan
Posted on November 11, 2018 at 2:17 pm
Machine learning has the potential to disrupt the drug discovery process, Pfizer has been dipping its toes in the water by collaborating with machine learning service providers, but is it enough?
Broad use of Machine Learning at Ford
petersonnenberg
Posted on November 10, 2018 at 5:45 pm
Players in the automotive industry are getting prepared for major disruptions to come in the next 10 to 15 years. Urban mobility (car/ride/bike sharing) and autonomous vehicles1 are disruptive trends that heavily rely on machine learning. A concern for traditional [...]
Nvidia: Datacenter Dominance
Everett Frost
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 6:26 pm
Nvidia seeks to extend its lead in the datacenter space with advanced machine learning capabilities.
Ambulnz, Inc.
cpassarella@mba2020.hbs.edu
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:22 pm
Can the use of disruptive technology and innovation in medical transportation really change lives? Let's find out.
Getting Swiggy With It: Your Favorite Foods, Faster
Ryan
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:41 pm
Always feeling hangry? Indian start-up Swiggy is using machine learning to decrease your meal's throughput time and keep you happy!
Project Dreamcatcher: Can Generative Design Accelerate Additive Manufacturing?
vodka4olives
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:30 pm
In May 2018, the computer-aided design (CAD) software maker Autodesk announced the alliance with General Motors (GM) to explore the use of generative design and additive manufacturing (AM) in developing future vehicles [1]. Dubbed Project Dreamcatcher, Autodesk’s generative design algorithm [...]
How traditional automotive OEM, Volvo Cars, embraces autonomous driving
Yongwei
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 7:13 pm
Autonomous driving is one of the applications for machine learning and is going to change entire automotive industry. How the traditional car maker, such as Volvo Cars, is preparing for this trend?
Revolutioning the seas: Rolls-Royce and Intel to build fully autonomous ships
Leonardo Hugo Lujan
Last modified on November 10, 2018 at 6:15 pm
As global commerce pushes for a more efficient and effective supply chain, Rolls-Royce is promising to disrupt the main transport mode for long-distance trade: maritime shipping. The implications of Machine Learning developments to deploy autonomous unmanned ocean-going ships by 2035.
Duolingo: Machine Learning Our Forgetfulness
Zack Reneau-Wedeen
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:56 pm
Duolingo is using machine learning to build a fun, personalized, and effective language learning experience.
Square: Using machine learning to de-risk small business lending
Sal Paradise
Posted on November 9, 2018 at 6:25 pm
Square is using transaction data to de-risk small business loans.
1 … 12 13 14 15 16 … 39