RC TOM Challenge 2018

November 13, 2018

Read The Full Prompt

The TOM Challenge provides an opportunity for you to continue exploring organizational learning and innovation through the lens of process improvement and/or product development, the focus of RC TOM’s second module. In this challenge, you will investigate how an organization is grappling with machine learning, additive manufacturing, or open innovation. These megatrends are likely to significantly affect how organizations manage process improvement and product development in the coming years of your career. The TOM Challenge requires you to (1) conduct research and write an essay that examines how one organization is facing a particular aspect of one of these megatrends, and (2) write six comments that share your reflections on some of your section mates’ essays.

Your essay should address four questions in the context of the organization you choose:

  1. Why do you think the megatrend you selected is important to your organization’s management of process improvement and/or product development?
  2. What is the organization’s management doing to address this issue in the short term (the next two years) and the medium term (two to ten years out)?
  3. What other steps do you recommend the organization’s management take to address this issue in the short and medium terms?
  4. In the context of this organization, what are one or two important open questions related to this issue that you are unsure about that merit comments from your classmates?

Your essay should convey facts, analysis, and your recommendations. It should focus on a single organization (e.g., a single company, non-profit organization, or government agency) and a concern related to one megatrend. It is fine if the concern you choose relates to other megatrends that the organization is facing, but that’s not required. Roughly a third of your essay should be dedicated to each of the first three questions, with just a few sentences dedicated to the fourth question. Your essay should be at least 700 words but no more than 800 words, and must conclude with a word count in parentheses (such as 778 words).

When posting your essay to Open Knowledge, be sure to enter “Machine Learning”, “Additive Manufacturing”, or “Isolationism” in the Topics field.

More details on research, sourcing, deadlines, and other matters are provided in the RC TOM Challenge: 2018 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://aiinstitute.hbs.edu/platform-rctom/how-to/.

Submitted (926)

Machine learning will revolutionize the future of insurance
Ulunma
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:45 pm
Over-regulation, technological changes, changing customer behavior and competitive pressures are driving the disruption of the traditional insurance business model. How should insurers re-think their strategy for the future in an agile market that demands a customer-centric view?
Keeping fighter jets in the fight; additive manufacturing’s solution to supply chain woes
Nicholas Dimitruk
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 7:52 pm
How additive manufacturing could be the solution to part shortages in military aviation
Intel’s move towards self-driving cars
David
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 3:50 pm
As PC sales have declined, Intel has struggled. Will self-driving cars bring Intel back to the top?
NIVEA: Leveraging Open Innovation to Drive Product Development in a Race to be the World’s Leading Skincare Company
John Smith
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 12:38 pm
Utilizing open innovation to drive product development at NIVEA
Billionaire Robots: Machine Learning at Renaissance Technologies
KEH
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 4:19 pm
Human traders may be a thing of the past - will machine learning and automation finally lead to the rise of a perfectly efficient market?
Discover Weekly: How Spotify is Changing the Way We Consume Music
BCA
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 5:54 pm
Spotify has invested heavily in machine learning to differentiate its product offering and change the way consumers experience music.
JBS and Robot Butchers
Blake Wilson
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 12:58 pm
The world's largest meat processing company begins experimenting with machine learning in their plants. Developing and implementing these smart machines, capable of performing skilled and dexterous tasks, is pushing the current boundaries of automation.
3D printing in automotive industry
Buang
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:07 pm
How is Ford Motor, a 100-year old automotive company, reacting to opportunities and/or threats of 3D printing technology?
“Thank You for the Music”: Spotify and algorithmic music curation
EK2020
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 4:24 pm
Spotify's commitment to algorithmic music curation has made it an industry-leading streaming platform, providing users with exactly the right music at the right moment. But can it sustain this advantage as the service grows?
The Future of Preventative Behavioral Healthcare Powered by Machine Learning
Kentucky Freud Chicken (MDZ)
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 11:02 pm
Improving preventative mental health care through passive a smartphone application enabled by machine learning
Role of AI in lending – can machine learning bridge the gap between irresponsible lending and financial inclusion?
Giorgi
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 6:13 pm
According to the PwC’s Financial services technology 2020 and beyond report, financial services is expected to be disrupted the most by modern technologies and banking is the industry with the highest share of leaders concerned about the speed of technological [...]
Zebra Medical Vision: Machine Learning Meets Healthcare Imaging
Agatha Christie
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:00 pm
Zebra Medical Vision: Machine Learning Meets Healthcare Imaging
Machine learning is not limited to Tech firms: Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Has Adopt The Advancement To Extract More Profit
I'm not Mo
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 1:21 pm
Generally, machine learning is perceived for computer technology-driven firms. This article examines the use of machine learning in an old world industry such as oil and gas.
Steam-powered ideas: a market for open innovation
Oliver Badenhorst
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 9:21 pm
Videogaming is a notoriously challenging industry. How then has Valve been able to develop such a dominant position since its founding in 1996?
vTaiwan: Crowdsourcing Legislation in Technology and Beyond
Caroline Schubach
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 1:44 pm
vTawain--a government crowdsourcing platform--takes citizen input on how to legislate up and coming industries
Using Machine Learning for Consumer/Retail Private Investing
NotABlogger
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 1:09 pm
How quantitative investment strategies can transform the deal for both sides
A World Without Checkout Cashiers…But What Are We Giving Up to Save 2 Minutes?
Adam Smith
Posted on December 30, 2018 at 1:28 pm
Amazon has ambitions to radically change retail stores, but it's unclear if all its cameras, weight sensors, and computer vision will lead to higher profitability and more customers or instead become a financial boondoggle and privacy nightmare.
Wasabi Ginger Potato Chips- Betcha Can’t Have Just One?
Chip
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:07 pm
You could be the inventor of Lay's next chip flavor as Pepsi turns to consumers for innovation.
Additive Manufacturing Takes Flight – GE Aviation’s Integration of 3D Printing to Enable Innovation
Carter C.
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 9:31 pm
GE, a manufacturing conglomerate recently under heavy scrutiny for its operational capabilities, is heavily invested in re-imagining how its aviation business innovates and operates through the use of additive manufacturing.
Giving Credit Where its Due: Machine Learning’s Role in Lending
Abkarians
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:29 am
Machine learning allows lenders to score credit risk for millions of people who may have had no FICO score before
Sotheby’s and machine learning for the arts
digitalgangsta
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 2:47 pm
Can machines appraise art? How about creating it?
A Use Case for Machine Learning: How Facebook Uses Machine Learning to Combat Fake News
Sam Vallely
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:06 pm
This paper will focus on Facebook’s use of machine learning to manage political content on its site. Today, with platforms like Facebook, content is being generated by a wider range of sources, which has eroded the credibility of the political [...]
Can an algorithm replace “the pill”?
Sophia Richter
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 5:11 pm
Natural Cycles is a leader in the innovative field of digital contraceptives and fertility tracking devices, but can its success be sustained after news of unexpected pregnancies among users?
Iberdrola, machine learning and the future of offshore wind
Julien
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:05 pm
Offshore wind turbines offer tremendous potential for renewable energy, but are still not as competitive as other low-carbon technologies. Iberdrola, global leader in power generation and one of the largest wind power producers, looks at machine learning solutions to decrease [...]
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