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)

AK Steel: Casualty of a Protectionist War with No Winner in Sight
vlookup90
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 4:19 pm
An industry that has historically relied on operating leverage to generate profits now finds itself struggling to plan production amidst the uncertainty caused by competing protectionist policies.
Disruption of Video Game Retailers
TOM_Section F
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 9:40 pm
Issue How will digital innovation in the video game supply chain impact traditional brick and mortar gaming retailers like GameStop?   GameStop relies on the traditional brick-and-mortar distribution model for video games Historically, GameStop played a key role in the [...]
Making the capital-intensive oil & gas industry cost effective through 3-D printing.
Anum Chandani
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:40 pm
Can technologies such as 3-D printing save the capital intensive oil and gas industry. Finding synergies and reducing cost in a low oil price environment has become extremely important for many oil & gas companies to survive, hence employing new [...]
Taking Shipping Full Digital with Amazon
timshi
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 9:25 pm
Amazon is leveraging its deep engineering skills to quietly upend the traditional e-commerce fulfillment chain.
Monsanto Predicting Weather: Crazy or Crazily Smart?
AL
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 6:21 pm
Farming in face of climate change? Monsanto bought a weather predicting technology to manage supply chain risks.
CARNIVAL CORPORATION: Cruising To A Cleaner Planet
GS
Posted on November 13, 2017 at 10:36 pm
Carnival Corporation, a major player in the cruise industry, has responded to critics in a meaningful way by redesigning operations to minimize impact on the environment.
Here Comes the Sun (Tariffs)- How isolationism and the pending ITC ruling could impact SunPower and the U.S. Solar Industry
Angela Hobart
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 6:39 pm
U.S. solar energy is currently confronting isolationist backlash via trade protection against an influx of inexpensive Chinese-made photovoltaic (PV) panels that have spurred rapid industry growth. Two struggling domestic manufacturers, Suniva and SolarWorld (both owned by international parent companies), recently [...]
Walmart: Save Money. Live Better. Go Green?
Jen Downing
Last modified on November 28, 2017 at 6:04 pm
An icon of consumerism profits from conservation.
Kisses Good-bye….Chocolate shortage by 2030?
Cocoawhat?
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:07 pm
With annual sales of $7.4 BN and a product portfolio consisting of renowned brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s and Kisses, The Hershey Company (Hershey) is one of the largest chocolate producers globally.[1] Given that West Africa currently accounts for 70% [...]
The Devil Wears Zara: Threat of Climate Change from Fast Fashion is Heating Up
Consuelo Williams
Last modified on November 18, 2017 at 11:19 am
Inditex, the world’s largest fashion retailer, pioneered the fast-fashion business model with its streamlined, agile supply chain operations. But can it disrupt the industry to counteract the hidden costs of its impact on climate change?
Amazon’s rapid supply chain innovation: Battling with consumer’s evolving needs!
Pranjal Saxena
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 3:14 pm
In the current tech savvy world, Amazon has been the clear winner against online and offline retailers through disruptive advancements in digitization of its Supply Chain. However, it might be important to realize the implications of rapid innovation and understand [...]
Donald Trump and Natural Gas – An Explosive Combination? Examining the natural gas industry’s response to NAFTA renegotiations
JS
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:51 pm
An overview of the natural gas industry's response to current NAFTA renegotiations.
Amazon – In Prime position for the last mile
Bepo25
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 5:31 pm
The last mile is the key step in each supply chain. Developing and testing new technologies, Amazon is at the forefront of digital innovation with technologies that will change how customers will order and receive deliveries in the future
Target: Digitalization is a double-edged sword
Aimmy Asavatevavith
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 10:43 pm
Target's longstanding business model has been challenged by e-commerce growth. And its only way out is to leverage on digitalized supply chain management and technology.
How to revolutionize a “dying” industry by attacking simultaneously top and bottom line – HP’s “instant ink” success of implementing IoT into supply chain and creating customer value
NT
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 5:19 pm
It is no secret the printing industry is suffering from decreasing revenues and profits[1]. As a product manager Working in HP I felt every day the pressure to innovate the company’s products on the one hand and it’s TOM processes [...]
Free Apple Watch! and other ways Aetna is embracing digitization
Christina Chew
Last modified on December 1, 2017 at 5:51 pm
Aetna is using digital technologies to create efficiencies in the health insurance supply chain.
From Russia With(out) Love: Russian Rockets & American Aerospace
Ben R
Last modified on November 29, 2017 at 9:42 pm
How Ongoing Russian Sanctions and Political Isolationism Threaten ULA’s Supply Chain Within the US Space Industry
Climate Change is No Walk in the National Parks
Emily Korby
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 12:16 am
Climate change is drastically altering how the National Park Service fundamentally operates - generating large amounts of complexity and questions
Walmart: Managing Food Safety through the Internet of Things
Calvin
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:04 pm
Walmart is combating food safety risks through the use of IoT (Internet of Things)
Is global warming always bad news? Arctic shipping industry proves otherwise.
Lev
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 9:04 pm
Sovcomflot, Russia's state-owned shipping company, leads the industry trend of entering trans-Arctic sea shipping, taking advantage of acceleration of melting Arctic ice.
Monsanto: Our climate change Messiah?
Aaron Schmidt
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 9:00 am
When you eat a bagel, you thank a farmer. When you pop an aspirin, you thank a scientist. So why don't we thank Monsanto for perfecting the mix between these two?
Nordstrom and Uber: A Match Made in Heaven?
Conner Brown
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 5:29 pm
How a luxury department store is integrating ride hailing technology into its supply chain
NIKE: Is it the Sustainability Transformation of the Decade?
Imran
Last modified on November 24, 2017 at 1:24 pm
"how can we double our business with half the impact on the world?" -NIKE CEO, Mark Parker
It’s time for Red Lobster to be a little less shellfish
Shalei Holway
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 3:22 pm
Red Lobster needs to start pressuring its suppliers to engage in sustainable fishing practices, before it’s too late.
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