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)

A long overdue disruption in The Construction Industry
Khaled Mouasher
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 4:50 pm
“In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” – Eric Hoffer
Platooning: The Evolution of Trucks in Autonomous Driving Age
Student
Posted on November 12, 2017 at 9:10 pm
Platooning, the concept of driving vehicles a few feet a part of each other, will reduce emissions and fuel consumption going forward, as a way for corporations to address climate change in their operations.
Chile’s Ministry of Energy: Market-Driven Approaches to Tackling Climate Change
Anonymous
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 7:35 pm
This essay examines how Chile’s Ministry of Energy is successfully subjecting renewable energy projects to market economics and providing a forum for fair competition and innovation by implementing an auction-driven pricing strategy.
The Best Supply Chain in The World
Victor Oliveira
Posted on November 11, 2017 at 3:32 pm
Johnson & Johnson has committed to become the best supply chain in the world. Will digitalization and IoT help them achieve this challenging objective?
Natural Gas: The bridge fuel to nowhere?
EA
Last modified on November 16, 2017 at 3:01 am
With the push towards renewable energy globally, are companies investing in natural gas infrastructure ending up with the short straw?
Brexit and the future of the all-electric Mini Cooper
Michal T Leszczynski
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 7:40 pm
Uncertainty introduced by Brexit is killing the UK auto industry. Can carmakers do anything to mitigate it? In doing so - how far can they go? Do they have the mandate to attempt coercing governments?
Procurement 4.0 – Full Integration
Ailin Castro
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 8:37 pm
Is full connectivity able to mitigate all supply related risks? BMW is moving toward Procurement 4.0, which are the challenges and opportunities ahead?
Impact of Digitalization on Healthcare
Regina Phalange
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 10:32 pm
Kaiser Permanente and the impact of digitalization on the healthcare supply chain.
Vertical Urban Farming: The Food Supply’s Savior from Climate Change?
Stephen Lantz
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 6:40 pm
Will new startups focused on high density urban farms save us from increasing prices and the environmental impacts of increasing farmland conversion?
The MBTA’s climate challenge
dgoldberg
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 3:57 pm
Climate change will have a major impact on the MBTA.
Why is Trump concerned with laundry?
John Smith
Posted on November 13, 2017 at 10:05 pm
Even before November 2016, companies were closely following Donald Trump’s campaign and the promises and threats he was making. What would it mean for global giants that rely on long, distributed supply chains, such as Samsung? After the surprise victory, [...]
Shrinking the Supply Chain: Target needs an integrated digitalization strategy to thrive as an omnichannel retailer
Bob Bedetti
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:57 pm
While many big-box brick-and-mortar retailers focus on closing stores and cutting costs, Target (NYSE: TGT) is bucking the trend by opening new stores, renovating existing locations, and pouring money into its physical infrastructure. To be a successful omnichannel retailer in [...]
Quick On Its Feet: 100+ Year-Old Boot-Maker L.L. Bean Embraces the Digital Supply Chain
JR
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:44 pm
Iconic American retailer L.L. Bean strives to sustain its best-in-class customer service in the face of ever-increasing consumer expectations straining its supply chain
Remove the Friction, Prevent the Fire – Disrupting 3M’s Supply Chain
Ricky Bachman
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:28 pm
Minnesota-based 3M, best known for its consumer products such as Post-it® notes and Command™ hooks, aims to use digitization to remove friction at all connection points in its supply chain.
Fintech VS Banking – Can banks win this battle and become more efficient using technology?
Shosha
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 6:24 pm
Leumi Bank recently released one of his flag ship products "Pepper". A digital bank which doesn’t have any branches or even an online website. Is this a smart decision? Would Leumi succeed in attracting the millennials? Is Pepper’s offering enough [...]
Nio – A Chinese Tesla Disrupting The World’s Supercar Industry
RCTOMS
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:08 pm
Can Nio, a three-year old Chinese electric vehicle company, with the help of favorable policies in fighting climate change from the China government, rise to be the next Tesla and disrupt the market?
Climate Change and Chocolate – Not so Sweet
A12345
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 4:54 pm
Climate change is presenting a terrifying threat to global cocoa production - what are the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world doing about it?
Tenet Health: Fighting the Climate Change Fever
Leigh McAdams
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 7:50 pm
Tenet Health is actively adapating to and mitigating the impacts of climate change at the forefront of the healthcare industry.
The Impact of Climate Change on U.S. Health: Is Aetna Planning Appropriately?
John
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 4:00 pm
Aetna and other major healthcare payers should wake up to the rising costs of climate change
Nissan at the Brexit Poker Table
mauaiz
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 9:22 pm
Should Nissan, owner of the largest auto-making plant in the UK, be concerned about Brexit? The post discusses the implications of isolationism and invites debate over Nissan's actions.
Climate Change: An Existential Threat for AB InBev?
Matt P
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 8:02 pm
How can AB InBev, the world's largest producer of beer, prepare for a future where its supply chain is constantly under pressure as a result of climate change?
Make Oxford Great Again: An Elite University in the Era of Protectionism
Francois
Posted on November 13, 2017 at 6:42 pm
How can Oxford University maintain its global influence after the Brexit vote?
The power of GIS for UNCHR – visualizing supply chains
Arnold Braunschweiger
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 8:55 pm
Geographics Information System (GIS) tools can visualise and organise UNHCR's supply chains around the world.
Looking for a high-end watch? How newcomer Filippo Loreti is playing digital disruption to its advantage
Miguel Frade
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 4:49 pm
Matas and Danielius Jakutis, two brothers from Lithuania and founders of Filippo Loreti (FL), are set to disrupt the watch industry. Their secret? Cut the middlemen and sell high-quality, Italian designed watches directly to the consumer at affordable prices, leveraging [...]
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