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)

ExxonMobil: Strong History backed by Strong Principles
T Teykl
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:30 am
ExxonMobil aligns strong operating systems with a consistent business model to deliver energy to meet global demand.
PeekaBOO Pop-up Stores: Spirit Halloween
Bobby
Posted on December 3, 2015 at 10:42 pm
The scariest day of the year is actually the most fun, and most profitable, for Spirit Halloween. With its remarkable prowess among Halloween pop-ups, it has boasted the number one spot in Halloween retail, an $8 Billion industry, for the [...]
BaubleBar: Redefining How Women Shop for Fashion Jewelry
Stephanie Chan
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 5:12 pm
A “fast-fashion” jewelry startup shaking up traditional retail
Parts Town: A Case Study on How to Disrupt a Sleepy Market
JRC
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:19 pm
Distribution businesses are not often thought of as sexy. Functioning as middlemen in highly fragmented industries, these businesses often require large amounts of capital investment and generate thin margins in return. Parts Town (“PT” or “the Company”), however, has effectively [...]
SolarCity’s Rise to the Top
chollyday
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 1:17 pm
In an environment where many solar energy companies have failed, SolarCity has effectively implemented a no-fuss approach to facilitate customer adoption and has quickly become the leading player in the market.
Spinning and Winning: How Peloton is revolutionizing fitness, technology, and everything in between
Charlotte
Last modified on December 13, 2015 at 1:19 pm
From Fitbit to P90X, SoulCycle to Equinox, gone are the days when the average fitness addict is satisfied with a 3-mile jog on the treadmill. Enter Peloton.
Quirky: Crowdsourcing Innovation
Brad
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 1:59 am
Quirky tried to crowdsource innovation, but fell victim to 2 fatal flaws #busmodel #opsmodel #failcity
RadioShack: Yes, It Still Exists
TOM123
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 10:59 pm
The story of a retailer with thousands of products but nothing anyone actually wants to buy.
World Bank Group: Reform Without Change
Nick
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 10:28 pm
Why ill-advised restructurings and a baffling governance structure have led the World Bank Group to fail its member countries
Stem: Energy Storage-as-a-Service, Delivering Value to Customers and Utilities
Joe
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 8:38 pm
Stem offers energy storage to reduce electricity bills for commercial and industrial customers.
Akindo Sushiro: Tasty Sushi for All at $1 per plate
Tak
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:33 pm
“Tasty sushi for all. Tasty sushi for the heart” Sushiro changed sushi from high-end meal to more daily meal
M-Pesa: How Sub-Saharan Africa Bred the Global Leader in Mobile Money
Farhaz
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 9:45 pm
M-Pesa set the global bar for mobile money innovation in one of least sophisticated financial services sectors through operationally leveraging an existing mobile phone user base and 3rd-party distribution network
Everlane: Simple Fashion, Radical Business Model
MH
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:17 pm
Radical Transparency - no, not Bridgewater, but fashion retail.
Harry’s: Shaving Men in an Age of Razor Robbery
Jon Wu
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 10:48 pm
How an upstart shaving company is upending the way men shave while uplifting design.
GTBank: A different kind of Bank
Bankole
Last modified on December 13, 2015 at 1:45 pm
GTBank is one of Nigeria's most recognizable banks with a reputation for superior customer service and financial results. How have they been successful? Can they continue to win?
New ‘Coupang’ in food delivery industry?
Seunghyun
Last modified on December 13, 2015 at 4:45 pm
A food delivery startup expanding its user base by focusing on its core competency and vertical integration
Rocket Internet: it’s all about risk mitigation
JM W
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 10:26 pm
Rocket Internet's business and operating models are perfectly aligned: both aim at mitigating the risks of starting a venture in a new market.
McMaster-Carr – Delivering Supplies and Service
Eliza
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 9:53 pm
McMaster-Carr Supply Company, an industrial supply distributor, targets specific customers and aligns all aspects of its operating model around meeting these customers' needs.
Did you stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night?
Tyler T.
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 5:11 pm
Holiday Inn Express provides a reasonably priced, no-hassle experience for everyday travelers.
Warby Parker: Affordable Fashion That’s Easy to See
Adam H-L
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 5:35 pm
How Warby Parker's Operating Model has Enabled It's Disruption of the Eyewear Market
Planet Labs – Satellite Imagery to Better Humanity
Ben Cohen
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:01 pm
Planet Labs utilizes cutting-edge satellites to take daily pictures of Earth, enabling not just business but positive social change.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts: The Sweet Success of Business and Operational Alignment
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:16 pm
The alignment of business and operating models rarely align as sweetly as they do in Krispy Kreme's glaze waterfalls, melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts, and finely tuned production lines.
Warby Parker: The Unicorn in Hipster Glasses
Julia K
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 11:08 pm
Bringing hip glasses to the masses.
Combatant Gentlemen – vertical integration so you can #DressSmarter
Carolyn Geller
Last modified on December 3, 2015 at 5:21 pm
Combatant Gentlemen's vertically integrated supply chain enables them to offer stylish, quality menswear at an affordable price.
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