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RC TOM Challenge 2018

November 13, 2018

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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/.

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Submitted (926)

I, Banker
Baker Flagg
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 3:48 pm
JP Morgan, Machine Learning, and the Future of Finance
Foxconn: Large Scale Manufacturing in the Machine Learning Age
C. Xu
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:50 pm
As Foxconn, the largest contract manufacturer in the world, faces increasing profit pressures, can it leverage machine learning to turn its business around?
Open Innovation at the Bank of Canada
VS
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 10:27 pm
The Bank of Canada's implementation of open innovation through PIVOT.
Fashion Forward – using deep learning at ASOS to predict customer lifetime value in online fashion retail
Karen Nyawera
Last modified on January 12, 2019 at 9:35 am
ASOS is using deep learning neural networks to predict customer lifetime value based on online shopping behavior.
PayPal’s Use of Machine Learning to Enhance Fraud Detection (and more)
Casilda Aresti
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:56 pm
This essay will begin by focusing on how and why PayPal is leveraging machine learning in fraud detection today. It will then consider additional potential applications of machine learning across the customer journey, and how these applications may serve to [...]
Capacity Command Center: Machine Learning & Hospital Management at Johns Hopkins
Alexa Elinor Walls
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 10:36 pm
A top US hospital is taking substantial steps in the use of machine learning to transform healthcare delivery
MetLife: A Case Study in Customer Segmentation
R Waitumbi
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 5:38 pm
In 2015, MetLife began a year-long brand discovery process that centered around using data and machine learning to develop a more refined view of their customer segments and enable a more nuanced go to market strategy. By better understanding their [...]
Farmers Business Network: Democratizing agriculture using machine learning
AgTechTOM
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 8:07 pm
Farmers Business Network (FBN), a HBS grad-founded startup, is disrupting the agriculture sector by crowd-sourcing farmer data. FBN has managed to apply machine learning techniques to aggregated farmer data to generate actionable insights around input use and crop marketing for [...]
Adidas: Eliminating prototyping and seeking personalization
r cai
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:17 pm
Adidas is using a unique 3D printing technology to explore the world of custom-crafted midsoles designed to enhance performance in running footwear by ensuring comfort and cushioning while maintaining stability and support.
Unilever and Open Innovation: How does the emergence of digitally native brands change what it means to innovate?
Tom Ingram
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 8:24 pm
Unilever's 400 brands have a new type of competitor: the digitally native brand. Can open innovation keep the organization nimble?
Machine Learning Is Already Changing How We Buy Online, But Will It Transform How We Think Of Commerce?
@NedStark
Last modified on December 17, 2018 at 4:19 pm
eBay is already using machine learning capabilities to enhance your experience on the site, have you noticed?
Machine Learning: Dating’s Saving Grace?
ZK191TT
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 8:02 pm
Romantic Unemployment Over the past ten years, the phrase “online dating” has undergone a social de-stigmatization. Once dubbed socially unacceptable and reserved for older “untouchables”, it is now 61% of Americans aged 18-29 and 44% of Americans 30-59 are currently [...]
Shiseido: How a 150-year-old responds to digital transformation
Betty Smith
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 10:52 pm
With online DTC newcomers already taking up a considerable market share, traditional beauty giants try to stay ahead. Shiseido invests in data and digital research and machine learning for product development, acquisitions of AI startups and launched their own Venture [...]
The Future is Customized Chocolate
Aditya T
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 11:08 pm
"Life is like a box of chocolates. You decide what you're going to get"
Data on Tap: PepsiCo Knows What You Like to Drink
hbsstudent123
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:28 pm
How AI can help soda giant, PepsiCo, adapt to changing trends towards health and wellness.
Predictions for Patton: Using AI for Maintenance of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle
Alex
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 9:01 pm
The U.S. Army is using AI to better address maintenance gaps in one of its most important assets. Success not only means fewer breaks but a faster and more effective force.
It’s all open at Wikimedia Foundation
LoremIpsum
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 7:21 pm
“Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.”
Caterpillar – Embracing Open Innovation and Co-creation
July
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 7:05 pm
Even though the global construction market is worth about $10 trillion, it is one of the slowest industries to adopt new technologies. To complete one construction project, many stakeholders, such as architects, engineering firms, equipment manufacturers, surveying companies and local [...]
“Brewing a Better World” with Open Innovation: Heineken’s Innovators Brewhouse
Banana Bread
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 6:45 pm
Heineken engages in co-creation with its global consumers as a core part of its innovation strategy.
Axon Enterprise and Machine Learning
Lost Angels
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 4:16 pm
Axon, known for its tasers and body cameras, is now using enhanced video, image, and audio processing to make communities safer
Tesla: How Machines Are Now Driving Our Cars
SC
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 5:39 pm
Autonomous driving is a form of applied machine learning that allows computers inside the car to process and recognize driving conditions in real-time. This paper explores how Tesla is bringing autonomous driving to the masses via its substantial machine learning [...]
Pins at Pinterest: How Pinterest is using Machine Learning to Cultivate Inspiration
Karen
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 11:21 pm
Introduction: Pinterest Founded in 2010 by Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp and Paul Sciarra, Pinterest is an online social platform that allows users to express creativity and define future aspirations through “pins” on a virtual board. These pins can encompass a [...]
“What do you mean, Doctor?!”
TOMTiger
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:08 pm
Machine Learning (ML) is changing the way healthcare systems operate, both in terms of internal processes and patient-facing interventions. How effective will it prove in the long run and will it be a tool to aid or a tool to [...]
3D Printing at Adidas: A PR Scheme to Conceal Mass Production or a Breakthrough Lever to Unveil True Mass Customization?
CAL3
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 10:03 pm
3D Printing at Adidas in Partnership with Carbon
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