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)

3D Printing and Robots…for your Running Shoes?
aninnymouse
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 3:25 pm
Anyone who has ordered the NikeID customized shoe has likely felt the pain of waiting up to 5 weeks to receive their order. What if Nike could mitigate this by reducing lead time to 10 days?
Should the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Be Concerned about the Long-Term Viability of John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport?
Matt Goolsby
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 4:13 pm
With so much valuable cargo running through JFK, it’s a good thing that the airport isn’t close to any major bodies of water. 
Lenovo: Utilizing the Cloud to Build the Cloud
Maren
Last modified on November 13, 2017 at 11:00 pm
Can Lenovo utilize the digital supply chain that enabled their success in the PC industry to become a leading datacenter hardware provider?
CSeries Queries: Boeing Takes on Airbus/Bombardier
Christopher Kissel
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 12:49 am
In response to Boeing's complaint that Bombardier sold 75 of its CS100 aircraft to Delta Airlines at a price well below cost, the U.S. Department of Commerce added a 300% import tariff to the aircraft. In addition to appealing the [...]
Rent the Runway: A Trendsetter Behind the Scenes Too
Bee
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 11:54 pm
Rent the Runway uses digital technology throughout its supply chain to handle the complex operations of an e-commerce business that expects 100% of its inventory to be returned.
Procurement 4.0 – Full Integration
Ailin Castro
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 8:37 pm
Is full connectivity able to mitigate all supply related risks? BMW is moving toward Procurement 4.0, which are the challenges and opportunities ahead?
Unlocking access to medicine in developing countries through digitization
LB
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 7:03 pm
Novartis is a digital pioneer in developed countries, but has struggled to increase patient access in developing countries. How can Novartis use digital technologies as a catalyst to redesign fragmented distribution systems?
Jaguar Land Rover’s Billion-Pound Brexit Problem
Sam Peterson
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 6:07 pm
UK's largest automaker could see profits halved by import and export tariffs in post-Brexit Europe.
Feeding a business abroad – Can Saudi dairy giant Almarai bet its business on a fully global feed supply?
Christine Busaba
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 3:31 pm
Farming the desert       The desert is an unlikely place for a dairy farm, but for Saudi-based Almarai, when you source everything but the cows abroad, suddenly you can create the most productive dairy farm in the Middle East[1]. Food [...]
Will Digitization Eat Blue Apron for Lunch?
Patrick Gordon
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 7:27 pm
Will a newly implemented automated fulfillment center and inventory management system be Blue Apron’s undoing?
Coca-Cola: Original formula in an IoT world
Micah Smurthwaite
Last modified on November 16, 2017 at 7:35 am
Modernizing Coca-Cola's trucking fleet while monitoring security and privacy risks.
Outsourcery: Will Infosys lose its magic?
peteriatkins
Last modified on November 9, 2017 at 6:04 pm
Outsourcer, Infosys, is under threat from both Trump and Technology. What wizardry can save the company's future?
When the oldest industry collides with the newest trend
ILoveTom
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 4:00 pm
Cement, one of the key material used in construction, has gone through serial changes of chemical composition and manufacturing process. Now, with the new era of industry 4.0 and digitization, what will happen to the traditional cement manufacturers?
Preparing General Motors for the Effects of Isolationism and Trade Disruptions
TSP
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 11:00 pm
Discussion of preparing GM for trade disruptions and supply chain challenges.
Good Tariffs Make Good Neighbors?
DC
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 11:03 pm
How should a global, vertically integrated steel producer adapt to protectionism?  ArcelorMittal grapples with uncertainty in Trump’s America and abroad.
Dashing into a digital future with the Amazon Dash
avaswani
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 2:02 am
The Amazon Dash - joke or supply chain innovation?
Supply Chain as Source of Competitive Advantage
Moonshot
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:46 pm
Digitalization of the Supply Chain: The future is now.
Skistar: the impact of climate change on ski resorts
KZ
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 5:30 pm
How is climate change impacting Skistar, a ski resort operator in Scandinavia, and what are they doing about it?
Using Blockchain to Tackle Fraud in the Wine Supply Chain
D
Posted on November 10, 2017 at 3:54 pm
Wine collectors are being duped by fake wine in the supply chain. Blockchain offers a potential digitization solution to ensure transparency and authenticity in the supply chain.
The Cartographer and the Cloud: Isolationism’s Impact on Cloud Computing
TOM2017
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 8:47 pm
Is the internet truly borderless? Or will digital companies suffer in an era of rising isolationism?
Defending a Global Business Model in Turbulent Times
Nicolás
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 12:28 am
“Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more” ¿How isolationist political momentum across the world is threating Microsoft of accomplishing its mission? ¿Will the company be able to defend its global business [...]
Disrupting GM’s Supply Chain One Tweet At A Time
A Vachani
Last modified on November 16, 2017 at 7:28 am
General Motors faces President Trump's ire for its globalized supply chain. Yet Trump's "America FirsT" NAFTA renegotiations will only worsen the situation for American jobs.
Dilemma Facing Banks – Tulip Crisis or Internet 3.0?
TOMChallenge11
Posted on November 13, 2017 at 11:07 pm
Should banks implement blockchain technology for their cross-border payments business? Should they utilize the technology across all processes?
The End of Everyday: Isolationism’s Potential Impact on Walmart’s “Everyday Low Prices”
Dr. Christina Yang
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:59 pm
As Trump raises skepticism on China's trade practices and promotes isolationist investment, Walmart should rethink its strategy away from reliance on low labor and manufacturing costs found in China, potentially to invest in its loyal customer base - the everyday [...]
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