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)

Is Après-Ski Becoming the Main Event? The Impact of Climate Change on the Future of Vail Resorts
Anna Resman
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 7:49 pm
Rob Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts, has a particular question on his mind today – Will Vail be able to welcome skiers to its slopes next week? Opening day has already been delayed due to poor snow conditions, and while [...]
Trade wars for aircraft OEMs: Can Boeing keep cruising?
Lynn Nehme
Last modified on November 14, 2017 at 5:27 pm
International trade has "democratized" the aircraft industry. Can major players sustain control over an increasingly global supply chain and survive the threat of international OEMs?
Nestlé: Fostering climate change resilience among smallholder farmers
mmurray
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:59 pm
Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company with $92 billion in revenue in 2016,[1] depends on a sprawling supply chain of over 680,000 largely independent, smallholder farmers.[2] The challenges this supply chain faces amid changing climate conditions include: Adverse [...]
Disrupting Material Handling in India Through Digitalization
Nirav
Posted on November 13, 2017 at 5:40 pm
The crane and hoist industry in India is an extremely complex supply chain challenge. Communication is the driver to success and capitalizing on digitalization will help stay ahead of competition, along with helping to build vendor-to-customer efficiency and confidence.
Autonomous Trucks – Industry Savior or Environmental Threat?
Grant B
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 7:42 pm
JB Hunt has made a half-hearted, regulation-mandated attempt at curbing climate change. With autonomous trucks on the horizon, is it time to get more serious?
SV Agri – Consolidating India’s Potato Supply Chain
Diti
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:49 pm
Indian agriculture industry is segmented, scattered and primitive. SV Agri is a promising new start-up that is building to streamline the potato supply chain in India. But how should they incorporate climate change in the services that they offer?
Coca-Cola: Original formula in an IoT world
Micah Smurthwaite
Last modified on November 16, 2017 at 7:35 am
Modernizing Coca-Cola's trucking fleet while monitoring security and privacy risks.
LEGO: The missing bricks in their global supply chain?
Ab
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 12:33 am
Examining the effects of globalization and isolationism on LEGO's global supply chain
Love it or Hate it: The consequences of Brexit on a supermarket’s supply chain
Helen F.
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 5:02 pm
"Marmite-gate" highlighted the consequences of Brexit to UK supermarkets, and to the British consumer
Tesla: Building the Machine that Builds the Machine
LP
Last modified on November 14, 2017 at 10:47 pm
Tesla's mission to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy will require them to be able to produce more vehicles at a faster rate and lower cost, and they believe factory automation is the solution.
An End to the Walmart Era?
Nam P
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 5:25 pm
  Walmart is the biggest retailer with 10.6% US market share in 2016. With increase in digitalization, consumers are shifting their behavior to online ecommerce as they seek for convenience and low costs. Will Walmart be able to prove that [...]
‘Keep on Trucking’ : UPS and the digital supply chain
Anusha Rajadorai
Last modified on November 8, 2017 at 5:14 pm
Autonomous trucks are likely to hit the road sooner rather than later. Who will win the logistics battle - the incumbents (UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc.) or the tech giants (Amazon, Uber, etc.) ?
Economic Isolationism and America’s Biggest Rival: Canada
marklennox
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 6:33 pm
Cayuga Milk Ingredients from New York is fighting isolationist policies in Canada and hoping for dramatic changes for the dairy industry in the renegotiation of NAFTA.
Can Macy’s Stay Competitive?
Michael Love
Last modified on November 16, 2017 at 12:03 am
Macy’s is a retailer operating under three brands (Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury) that sells merchandise including apparel, accessories, cosmetics, furnishings, and other consumer goods. Founded in 1858, Macy’s pioneered many marketing practices such as a one-price system for all customers [...]
Delivering Jets for Bumpier, Warmer Skies: Boeing’s Supply Chain Pressures from Climate Change
BuildProcess
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 9:46 pm
Building Aircraft for a World Grappling with Carbon Emissions Supply chains must deliver the advanced technology needed by aircraft operators in a world dominated by climate change. Boeing is one of the two largest manufacturers of commercial aircraft in the [...]
Environmental Policy Reshapes Oil/Gas Industry: Trading Houses are Another Victims of Global Warming
Ray Dalio
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 8:49 pm
The essay analyzes the impact of strict environmental policy on oil/gas industry and how trading houses became victims under the background of global warming.
American Eagle Outfitters flying high on digitization
Andrea Frederick
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:38 pm
American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) has soared above its competitors thanks to its digitized distribution network and optimization engine for order fulfillment. AEO has a bird’s-eye view on its inventory across distribution centers and retail stores and has translated efficiencies into [...]
Let’s Get Physical (and Digital): How GE is Shaping The Industrial Internet
Gene E. Lectington
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 6:51 pm
General Electric has shocked the world by transforming from an industrial production conglomerate to a digital industrial product-as-a-service provider.
Climate Change will change the way we farm and eat!
Tanvi
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 9:46 pm
Food and beverage companies such as Cargill need to mitigate climatic change and adapt to it in order to ensure food security and protect their earnings.
Boeing Navigates Nationalist Winds
nclouse
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:14 pm
This essay examines Boeing's strategies in dealing with the effects of nationalist policies on its supply system.
Unilever and Brexit: How isolationist political movements impact supply chain decisions
niv
Posted on November 12, 2017 at 5:39 pm
Brexit introduced much uncertainty into Unilever's supply chain, and is already impacting strategic decisions. The extent of the impact hinges on the ultimate form that Brexit will take.
Responding to e-commerce disruption: Should medical supplier Owens & Minor fight or embrace Amazon’s threat?
Molly
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 8:15 pm
Amazon has its eye on the healthcare industry. Medical suppliers, such as Owens & Minor, have the option of embracing and partnering with the e-commerce giant, or fighting back and developing their own marketplace. Owens & Minor seems to have [...]
Victoria, Don’t Keep a Sustainable Supply Chain Story a Secret
Marie Caligiuri
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:51 pm
Victoria's Secret has an opportunity to double down on a more sustainable supply chain while catering to changing consumer preferences
The Battle of the Skies is Being Waged on the Ground – The Isolationist Impact on the Fight to Control International Air Traffic
David Aron
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 8:24 pm
The major US airlines, Delta, American and United, are trying to shut out their Middle Eastern rivals from accessing US markets by appealing to Trump's protectionist agenda. Instead, they should focus on winning the market with a superior product, service [...]
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