The TOM Challenge: TOM Winners and Losers Assignment

December 09, 2015

Read The Full Prompt

The basic thesis of the TOM course is that company performance is driven by the alignment between the company’s business model and operating model. As defined in the “Introduction to the RC TOM Course” note, a business model is defined as how the firm creates and captures value, and an operating model refers to the processes that transform a firm’s assets (e.g., capital, labor, intellectual property, equipment, etc.) into valuable actions.

Please identify one organization in the global economy that you think is highly effective (or one that is highly ineffective) at driving alignment between its operating and business models

  1. Did you choose the company as an example of effectiveness or ineffectiveness? Why?
  2. Describe the company’s business and operating models. What is interesting about them?
  3. Do the models align and support each other?  How?  What specific features of the operating model are designed to create and sustain competitive advantage?  What features of the business model leverage unique capabilities of its operating model?  What are the implications for performance?

Submitted (929)

Handy Mandy: Your cleaner is here
pvuong
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:26 pm
Handy, the “Uber for handy tasks” such as cleaning and handyman, is an example of ineffectiveness for three reasons. Firstly, as a platform connecting cleaners and customers, it has little power to prevent disintermediation. Secondly, Handy’s insistence on its subscription [...]
Blue Bird School Buses
Christa Cunningham
Last modified on December 13, 2015 at 5:18 pm
Why Blue Bird Corporation is the fastest growing school bus brand.
Story of Innovation: How a local Rice Wine became a gift to President Obama?
SR
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 3:27 pm
This is a story of innovation of the operating model for Japanese Rice Wine ("SAKE"). This is given to President Obama, from Japan's Prime Minister.
Tesla – Winner winner chicken dinner
Aldo
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 7:07 pm
Tesla is an example of successful disruptive company derived from effective alignment between business (“BIG DREAMS”) and operating models (“EXECUTION”)
Chick-fil-A: Recipe for Success
Doug
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:46 pm
Chick-fil-A traces its roots back to 1946 when founder Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, GA. Since then, the company has grown to become the nation’s largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain with over 1,900 locations, generating sales of [...]
NET-A-PORTER: Selling Prêt-à-porter in A Digital World
KLagerfeld
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:45 pm
Connecting fashion content to e-commerce, NET-A-PORTER introduced a new space of luxury fashion online.
L.L.Bean: 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
BC
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 8:17 pm
L.L.Bean has thrived for over 100 years thanks to two core values that have effectively aligned the company’s business and operating models.
CVS Health: Transforming Healthcare
Shaharyar
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 7:24 pm
The company I am choosing as a model of effectiveness is CVS Health. I believe CVS demonstrates an example of effectiveness as evidenced by the sustained outperformance of its stock relative to competitors, but also the S&P500, and this performance [...]
Fast fashion? Faster distribution!
Nina Mullen
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 10:07 pm
Inditex's focus on customer behaviors, nimble sourcing strategy, and high tech logistics allows them to bypass the traditionally long inventory timelines typically associated with the fashion industry.
MoMA: a museum that grows with its audience
Lily
Last modified on December 6, 2015 at 5:50 pm
People generally don’t think of art museums as a source of innovations but the slow, patient and thoughtful changes that The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) made in recent years have served its business missions well.
Target Misses the Mark in Canada
ns87
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 1:40 pm
In January 2015, Target announced that it would liquidate its operations in Canada, shut down all 133 stores and report a $5.4 billion loss for the quarter.
Robaina: A Model Cuban Cigar Brand
Will
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 10:25 pm
The Robaina cigar operation is constrained by a business model that makes success difficult; however, by focusing on its operational strengths, Robaina has managed to remain Cuba's premier cigar brand for more than 150 years
PANDORA WINNING MODEL
Fernanda Almirao
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 5:35 pm
To become the world’s most loved jewelry brand...
In-N-Out isn’t your ordinary Fast Food Burger Chain
Awhittemore
Last modified on December 6, 2015 at 6:14 pm
In-N-Out has been a private, family owned business since its first restaurant opened in Baldwin Park, CA in 1948. Today, the burger chain operates in six states (CA, NV, UT, TX, OR, AZ) with over 300 restaurants and estimated revenues [...]
Euro Pool System: reshaping fresh food chain one tray at a time
Aleksis Razmuss
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 9:52 pm
Introduction Most of us are well aware of the three major players in fresh food industry: producers (e.g. Dole), logistics service providers (e.g. US Foods) and supermarkets (e.g. Kroger). However, some often overlooked market participants are key enablers of supply chain [...]
Vail Resorts – Epic Operations
Anna
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 7:51 am
Vail Resorts provides a resort experience that relies on it's multidimensional operating model to add value for customers past just skiing or snowboarding.
HBS: long-term value proposition with a short-term operating model
Joe Kiernan
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 6:09 pm
HBS creates value by educating leaders to “make in difference in the world.” However, for a business model that theoretically creates wide-ranging impact across the globe, its operating model is remarkably fixated on relatively short-term transactions.
The Related Companies
Sayiddah
Last modified on December 10, 2015 at 9:13 pm
Related Companies, vertical integration at its best
40K – a sustainable approach to delivering impact
Jesse Whelan
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 11:11 pm
Business Model The 40K group is an Australian social enterprise that operates two separate entities, PLUS and Globe.[1] 40K PLUS PLUS runs after school english literacy programs in rural India. The challenge they are trying to overcome is: how do you provide [...]
Ryanair: A TOM winner from Europe.
mgodek
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 5:52 pm
Ryanair, Europe's largest airline is a low cost carrier with a formidable track record of implementing low-cost carrier business model, by keeping costs low, volumes high and finding additional revenue sources.
Flatiron Health: Finding the Cure for Cancer
Alice
Last modified on December 6, 2015 at 10:31 pm
Odds are you know someone who was diagnosed with cancer. Learn more about one start-up taking on this deadly disease. Flatiron Health is a healthcare IT company using data to find the cure for cancer.
Enterprise Holdings – Three Brands under One Roof!
Chris Fuller
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 5:25 pm
Enterprise Holdings offers car renters three distinct brands while maximizing the benefits of economies of scale as the largest car rental company in the world
BCG’s Own Strategy
Kitty
Last modified on December 2, 2015 at 1:05 am
The Boston Consulting Group is a leading global management consulting firm providing strategic advice to private, public, and non-profit sectors worldwide. Although not unique within the consulting industry, BCG provides a great example of a company that is highly effective at [...]
Eastman Kodak: From Market Leader to Bankruptcy
AFZ
Posted on December 7, 2015 at 6:08 pm
How did Eastman Kodak plummet from being the fourth most valuable brand in the U.S. with $15 billion of revenue in 1996 to bankruptcy by 2012?
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