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)

Globalization vs. Isolationism: Finding Nike’s New Competitive Advantage?
Isabel Khoo
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:57 pm
How do global brands thrive in an era of isolationism and protectionism? For Nike, the answer is lobbying, automation and reshoring.
Nissan: Supply Chain Uncertainty in the Age of Brexit
S. Banks
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 5:02 pm
How will the U.K.’s second-largest automaker remain competitive?
Unilever: The Problem of Water
Isabelle
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 7:49 pm
Water is the elixir of life. How can one of the world's largest companies help save the world?
Monsanto’s Battle for the Future of Farming
LEK
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 11:41 pm
Monsanto's strategic investments demonstrate its commitment to slowing down, rather than profiting off of, climate change. But is a potential $66B merger with Bayer merely adding to their ongoing crisis of public credibility?
Is the world on the cusp of an electric vehicle revolution? Volvo thinks so.
BH
Last modified on November 10, 2017 at 8:49 pm
Volvo has announced a monumental shift in its business towards electric vehicles as governments around the world are banning gasoline and diesel vehicles. Does Volvo have what it takes to compete against electric vehicle leaders Tesla and BYD? How does [...]
Cimpress: Custom Products on a Mass Scale
TOM Lover
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 7:19 pm
From sneakers to suits, consumers today are demanding more and more customization in the products they purchase . How can companies access the scale benefits of high-volume, mass production while still providing customers a highly unique, individualized product?
Delivering Jets for Bumpier, Warmer Skies: Boeing’s Supply Chain Pressures from Climate Change
BuildProcess
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 9:46 pm
Building Aircraft for a World Grappling with Carbon Emissions Supply chains must deliver the advanced technology needed by aircraft operators in a world dominated by climate change. Boeing is one of the two largest manufacturers of commercial aircraft in the [...]
Do You Mind If I Take Notes? — McKinsey Turns an Eye to Digital
Herman Melville
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 8:00 pm
Management consultants are known to be many things – bright, resourceful, and hardworking guides through countless strategic challenges. But as Sherpas through the age of digital transformation?
Nestlé: Fostering climate change resilience among smallholder farmers
mmurray
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:59 pm
Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company with $92 billion in revenue in 2016,[1] depends on a sprawling supply chain of over 680,000 largely independent, smallholder farmers.[2] The challenges this supply chain faces amid changing climate conditions include: Adverse [...]
How Monsanto Is Weathering Climate Change
TGD
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 5:52 pm
How Monsanto's acquisition of Climate Corp stands to mitigate supply chain risk due to climate change.
P&G Going Digital
YW
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 5:20 am
P&G Embracing the Digital Movement
Profits Starting To Wind Down: A Setback for Wind Turbines?
Michelle Czarniak
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 11:03 pm
Cost reductions in wind power are shrinking profits for wind turbine manufacturers.
Can Barclays Thrive in a Post-Brexit London?
Steve P
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 4:24 pm
In the aftermath of Brexit, can Barclays still attract the talent it needs to be a market leader without abandoning London and relocating to Frankfurt?
Driving into the Unknown: Ford Motor Company and NAFTA
Ben
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 5:25 pm
Potential changes to NAFTA could threaten Ford's supply chain
Local Content Policies: What is the Impact on Construction Firms?
timw
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 8:14 pm
Local content requires companies to use local suppliers and employees - how does this affect a EPC firm, and what should they do about this issue?
There’s No Place Like Home: Deutsche Bank’s Return to Germany
TOM Challenge 33
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 12:46 pm
How isolation in the form of Brexit influenced the company’s decision to relocate its UK operations to Frankfurt
Does Size Matter? Challenges in Supply Chain that Small Companies Face
Ashley M.
Last modified on November 28, 2017 at 8:27 pm
Digitization of supply chain allows companies to be more efficient and customer-focused, however, optimization in supply chains come at cost so how do companies position themselves to win [1]?
“Maintain the Pace”: Digital Disruption in the Aviation Maintenance Industry
Shlomi Pasternak
Posted on November 9, 2017 at 9:48 pm
Digitalization disruption in the aviation maintenance industry changes the traditional supply chain structure and generates new expectations among customers
Never mind the calories, how much CO2 is in your meal?
Jonathon McCarthy
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 4:45 pm
The global fishing fleet is under enormous pressure to rectify unsustainable fishing practices but with over 1% of global oil consumption are they doing enough on climate?
Hanging Gardens of Healthcare or Tower of Babel?
Kevin Werner
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 4:32 pm
A young U.K. startup by the name of Babylon Health is capitalizing on the existing capacity of mobile phones as a medium to connect patients with general practitioners.  Their mission is to put “accessible and affordable health service in the [...]
From Farm to Store: Walmart Improves Food Safety with Blockchain Technology
Food for Thought
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 12:13 am
Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, has announced a blockchain collaboration with IBM to improve the way food is tracked, transported, and sold to consumers.
Digitization at Intel – the company that ‘created digital’
Anthony.T
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 9:13 pm
Intel, the world's semiconductors pioneer, is leveraging digital supply chains to optimize its manufacturing.
Industry 4.0: Revolutionizing a Giant’s Supply Chain
Doha Tantawy
Last modified on November 14, 2017 at 4:55 pm
During my 2-year tenure at P&G, I’ve always wondered whether digitalization can shake the retail industry in Egypt; an industry primarily controlled by wholesalers with an ultimate power of market disruption in split of seconds and an industry where price [...]
Water, Water Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Source: PepsiCo Mitigates the Risk of Global Water Scarcity
Maggie
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 8:56 pm
The "deceptive abundance" of water makes it an especially interesting litmus test for evaluating companies and their commitment to long-term sustainability. PepsiCo is an example of a company that has taken early steps to mitigate the risks of global water [...]
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