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)

Maersk: Cutting Shipping Costs and Increasing Supply Chain Visibility with Blockchain Technology
BT
Last modified on November 14, 2017 at 8:20 pm
Maersk is piloting blockchain technology to improve supply chain visibility, transparency, accountability, and cost efficiencies for its global shipping business.
What Walmart Wants for Christmas: A Digital Supply Chain Makeover
Arthur Dief
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:02 pm
Walmart will need to consider creative digitalization solutions to improve its supply chain and maintain its dominance in retail over its competitors.
YiGuo 易果生鲜: Fresh Produce to Your Door Step
Minghao Li
Posted on November 12, 2017 at 12:05 pm
YiGuo is the first Chinese eCommerce company focused on fresh produce. It owns ExFresh, a specialized cold chain logistics company, to deliver quality produce to Chinese households.
Could isolationism be a drag on H&M’s fast fashion?
E.C. Scott
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 2:53 pm
H&M delivers fast fashion to the shelves via an agile, global supply chain network. But could isolationist trade policies disrupt the JIT delivery model?
Campbell’s Climate Challenge: Preserving An Iconic American Food Brand
Rob Thomas
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 8:44 pm
As a major user of water and agricultural products, Campbell's is significantly threatened by climate change on its supply chain. How is it addressing these problems and what should it do in the future?
Taking a byte out of the supply chain: How Winfield can win in the next Agricultural Revolution
kspies
Last modified on November 16, 2017 at 3:53 pm
Agricultural retailers, in an ever-competitive landscape, have yet to prove whether they can transition from distributor to partner. The question that will be debated in the next decade is whether they can make themselves essential in the digitized supply chain. [...]
Can The Glenmorangie Co Lead the Whisky Industry to Greener Pastures?
Malcolm Duncan
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 5:03 pm
The Glenmorangie Company has built the first whisky distillery to combat climate change, but does it do enough?
UPS: The rising tide of sustainability
cp94
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 8:31 pm
Sustainability initiatives at UPS are integral to business strategy and impacted by consumer and client behaviors.
The Spinout of Adient to Increase Innovation
KW
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:17 pm
The Spinout of Adient to Increase Innovation - the Opportunities and Risks of Digitization for the Automotive Interior Supply Chain
United States Navy: Digitizing Logistics to Maintain Maritime Superiority
Elle W.
Last modified on November 30, 2017 at 6:25 pm
USN forces are increasingly being used in critical global situations while simultaneously operating under the stress of strict Department of Defense (DoD) budgets and growing enemy technological capability. Digitization of the supply chain is imperative for the USN to maintain [...]
Target under attack
Bruno
Last modified on November 12, 2017 at 11:21 am
How supply chain digitalization helped hackers to exploit an air-conditioning firm and compromise operations of one of the US biggest retail companies.
Mexico Pushes for a Successful Trilateral NAFTA
ddkakpob
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 8:36 pm
Mexico Pushes for a Successful Trilateral NAFTA Since the end of the twentieth century, when the trade of goods and services quickly expanded worldwide, Mexico has secured several trade agreements with over 45 countries, the North American Free Trade Agreement [...]
Monsanto’s Battle for the Future of Farming
LEK
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 11:41 pm
Monsanto's strategic investments demonstrate its commitment to slowing down, rather than profiting off of, climate change. But is a potential $66B merger with Bayer merely adding to their ongoing crisis of public credibility?
Digitization: Amazon’s competitive advantage?
cay
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 7:21 pm
How will digitization affect Amazon's e-commerce website + logistics operations? Where and how can Amazon earn even more $?
NextEra ready for the Next Era of Electricity?
Everett
Last modified on November 14, 2017 at 3:36 pm
Climate change is greatly impacting the electricity supply chain. Is the utility that is the leading producer of renewable energy in the world ready?
Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo’s move to a sustainable supply chain
montbm9
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:20 pm
PepsiCo's size, brand power, and ambitious renewable energy targets could create a domino effect that has a widespread impact on the energy efficiency of supply chains and increased clean generation capacity.
How to lose $1 trillion: Boeing’s struggle to capture China’s commercial jet market
Samir
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:44 pm
Boeing is trapped between a groundswell of “America-first” manufacturing sentiment at home, and a fiercely competitive environment in China—its largest growth market for commercial jets. How the aerospace juggernaut handles this politically charged opportunity will determine the company’s growth prospects [...]
The Illegal Drug Trade: Leveraging Digitalization and Blockchain to Prevent Counterfeiting of Pharmaceuticals
ibhullar
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 8:26 pm
The Pharmaceutical industry has been plagued by the realities of counterfeit medicines being introduced into their complex supply chains for decades. With increasing threats to patient lives and brand credibility, companies are looking for innovative solutions. The rise of digitalization, [...]
How climate change put Ferrero in a unique position
FD
Posted on November 13, 2017 at 7:43 pm
Spurred by climate change critics and sourcing difficulties, Ferrero built a unique advantage when it comes to raw material sourcing, and is ready to take it to the next level.
REI: A Beacon for Sustainable Business
Tiffany S
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 11:13 pm
For many intrepid outdoor explorers, Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) is the go-to place for buying quality, performance clothing and equipment. But does a business with passion for the outdoors really walk the walk, taking into consideration climate change as it [...]
Diamonds Are Forever…But Their Supply Chains Are Not
Jane Doe
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 11:42 pm
This post explores how blockchain technology is being used to digitalize the procurement of diamonds and enhance industry transparency through the lens of major Asian jeweler Chow Tai Fook.
The Sustainability Paradox: How Vale S.A. is Operating in the Heart of the Amazon Rainforest the New World´s Largest Iron Ore Mine
Thiago
Last modified on November 14, 2017 at 11:25 pm
Is it possible to sustainably operate a large-scale iron ore exploitation project without causing significant environmental disturbs in one of the most sensitive biomes on Earth? Vale claims to have found the solution in its new S11D complex with the [...]
Gotham Greens: Transforming the Produce Supply Chain
Ryu
Posted on November 12, 2017 at 11:30 pm
Founded in 2009, Gotham Greens is the largest urban agriculture company in the world. Can Gotham continue to refine and grow its hyper-local, hydroponic farming model and become the new agricultural mainstream in the US?
Amazon’s Response to the OTT Universe
Michael Rodriguez
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:57 pm
The digital transformation of the entertainment industry has given rise to a gamut of Over-the-Top (OTT) streaming services to rival the traditional pay-tv powerhouses. Starting with Netflix in 2007, OTT services have proliferated to cater to the growing demand base, [...]
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