RC TOM Challenge 2017

November 15, 2017

Read The Full Prompt

The TOM Challenge provides an opportunity for students to learn more about supply chain management by exploring how organizations are grappling with some megatrends: climate change, digitalization, and the growing influence of isolationist political movements on international trade policies.  These 700-800 word essays should address four questions:

  1. Why is (or should) your particular aspect of one of these megatrends be of concern to the management of the organization you have selected?
  2. What is the organization’s management doing to address this concern in the short term (the next two years) and the medium term (3–10 years out)?
  3. What other steps do you recommend the organization’s management take to address this concern in the short and medium terms?
  4. What are one or two important open questions related to this concern in the context of the organization you selected that you are unsure about, which merit comments from your classmates?

When posting your essay to Open Knowledge, be sure to enter “Climate change”, “Digitalization”, or “Isolationism” in the Topics field.

More details on research, sourcing, deadlines, and other matters are provided in the RC TOM Challenge: 2017 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://goo.gl/yyXK2H.

Submitted (924)

Don’t mess with Dallas: How the city of Dallas is tackling climate change
Shrkatck
Last modified on November 14, 2017 at 1:10 pm
The city of Dallas is home to over 1.3 million people and boasts a GDP of $512 billion as of 2016. Climate change could change all of that. What is the city doing to ensure it remains an economic powerhouse [...]
Designed in California, Manufactured/Assembled in U.S.A.?
abcde
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 7:47 pm
Since several years ago, almost all the Apple products sold were manufactured overseas, for example, iPhone, which says “designed by Apple in California, assembled in China” on the back of the product. However, maybe soon, iPhone will be manufactured and [...]
Chinese E-Commerce Giant Eyeing Digital Supply Chain to Create Competitive Advantage
Panda
Posted on November 5, 2017 at 11:13 pm
Battle of Titans Every competitive edge matters in the battle over the hearts and wallets of Chinese online consumers in the world’s largest e-commerce market, totaling $750 billion of sales in 2016.[i] JD.com, China’s second largest e-commerce company, is betting [...]
“Climatitis!” Global Warming Meets Healthcare in the Big Apple
Anmol Gupta
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 8:34 pm
What does climate change have to do with the hospital design and construction of Mount Sinai's newest hospital?
Rent the Runway: A Trendsetter Behind the Scenes Too
Bee
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 11:54 pm
Rent the Runway uses digital technology throughout its supply chain to handle the complex operations of an e-commerce business that expects 100% of its inventory to be returned.
How Google Can Rebuild Trust in EMEA
Jane Doe
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 4:11 pm
The European Union is pushing back on American-based technological expansion. What can Google do to encourage the region to be more receptive?
Starbucks: Growing Sustainability One Cup at a Time
Aileen
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 4:06 pm
Starbucks implements proactive climate change strategy both as contributor to and sufferer of global warming.
AUGMENTED REALITY: A GAME-CHANGER FOR THE LOGISTICS OF TOMORROW
Jasmyn Beausejour
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 9:50 pm
Warehousing operations is big business. It is a $141B business in the US alone and accounts for 10% of all logistics costs [1].  Estimates suggest picking items from shelves represents 65% of those costs, or $92B (Figure 1) [2]. The process is [...]
Fast Fashion’s Fast Feedback: H&M Commits to Sustainable Cotton
TOM 2017
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 6:21 pm
HM is one of the largest consumers of cotton globally. Does HM have a responsibility and/or incentive to source sustainable cotton?
Brexit and BMW: Disintegration of European supply chains?
GJ
Posted on November 13, 2017 at 5:14 pm
BMW’s operations in the UK face severe challenges due to Brexit – Does the German carmaker’s supply chain disintegrate because of a protectionist vote?
GE Digital: One Size Fits None
AMM
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 4:27 pm
“The data economy for the industrial world has arrived, and GE is in a unique position to lead it.” – Jeff Immelt [1]
Trillions in Wasted Productivity: Digitalization in the Construction Industry
HBS19
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 9:59 pm
New digital technologies have the potential to exponentially increase productivity in the construction industry. Large companies such as Boston-based Suffolk Construction should begin to adopt these technologies at a faster pace in order to gain a competitive advantage over their [...]
Chipotle: The Fast, Casual Descent to Supply Chain Oblivion
Jim Sainz
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:41 pm
What’s the Beef?   Chipotle proudly boasts a unique customer promise: locally sourced, non-GMO, antibiotic-free ingredients wherever possible to fuel a radically simple, affordable menu.  This claim’s emotional resonance and the carefully choreographed supply chain which make it possible have [...]
Kellogg Changes so the Climate Won’t
Grant Williams
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 6:42 pm
Kellogg is adapting its global supply chain to adapt to and mediate its contribution to climate change.
From Scan to Analyze – Zebra Technologies’ Journey to become the leader of Enterprise Asset Intelligence
Oswald Cobblepot
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 1:15 pm
Growth aspirations and strategies for one of the world's foremost enterprise resource management and Internet-of-Things device manufacturers
Do You Mind If I Take Notes? — McKinsey Turns an Eye to Digital
Herman Melville
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 8:00 pm
Management consultants are known to be many things – bright, resourceful, and hardworking guides through countless strategic challenges. But as Sherpas through the age of digital transformation?
Ele.me, Digitizing the food delivery service in China
Cissy
Last modified on November 13, 2017 at 1:00 pm
The incredible rise of Chinese food delivery giant Ele.ma, and how digitization has helped pioneer the food delivery industry.
Walmart in the Face of Isolationism
PolkaDots
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 6:43 pm
How can Walmart best position itself to withstand de-globalization trends and government-led shifts toward isolationism?
CVS Health: Can It Disrupt the Health Care Sector and Beat Amazon?
E-nonymous
Last modified on November 28, 2017 at 9:35 pm
CVS Health has transformed itself into the largest health care conglomerate in the United States. Do its size and supply chain integration drive further competitive advantage, or leave it open to disruption?
Dear Barnes & Noble: Stop Playing Catch-Up!
Sergio Villanova-Marquez
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 2:22 am
What can Barnes & Noble do beyond struggling to stay afloat with digital in an Amazon-controlled era?
Ohio’s Big Bet on the Future of Transportation
Justin Thyme
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 8:31 pm
We typically think of governments as bumbling behemoths that are oftentimes more reactive than proactive when it comes to adopting new technologies. Not so in the case of the Buckeye State...
The Drowning Power Grid: CenterPoint’s Plight to Keep the Lights On
JC
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 7:20 pm
With the increasing number of superstorms resulting from climate change, utility companies, such as CenterPoint Energy, are faced with securing power substations from storm surges and flooding.
Industry 4.0: Revolutionizing a Giant’s Supply Chain
Doha Tantawy
Last modified on November 14, 2017 at 4:55 pm
During my 2-year tenure at P&G, I’ve always wondered whether digitalization can shake the retail industry in Egypt; an industry primarily controlled by wholesalers with an ultimate power of market disruption in split of seconds and an industry where price [...]
Big Data and City Government – A Paradox No More for the City of Angels
AJ
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:55 pm
Los Angeles becomes a leader in technological innovation and big data implementation to address continuing problems of traffic congestion, gang violence, and homelessness.
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