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)

In Seoul, the future of transportation is here.
Bismah Rahmat
Last modified on November 17, 2017 at 5:45 pm
How big data and "smart" infrastructure are transforming Seoul's mass transit systems.
Linking the Food Chain, Supply Chain, and Blockchain: Walmart’s Path to a Fully Transparent Food System
Sarina
Last modified on December 2, 2017 at 6:03 pm
How can Walmart use Blockchain technology to revolutionize food supply chains worldwide?
Contents May Be Hot: Can Starbucks Navigate A Changing Climate?
dliebma
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 9:41 pm
Climate change poses a serious threat to coffee cultivation. Will we still be able to cool off with Frappuccinos in an ever-warmer world?
Bureau of Land Management Deals with Climate Change – “Regulate with Data and Care”
OpXYL
Posted on November 12, 2017 at 5:08 pm
"We will lift the restrictions on American energy, and allow this wealth to pour into our communities. It’s all upside: more jobs, more revenues, more wealth, higher wages, and lower energy prices." - President Trump
Will Cash Always Be King? What Does It Mean for ATMs?
Pranay
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 9:05 pm
The use of cash is being challenged by digital substitutes and there are directional trends towards a “cashless” economy. This digitization trend in the monetary value chain threatens the existence of ATMs, disrupting ATM hardware manufacturers like NCR.
The European Truck Platooning Challenge: Transforming Europe’s Road Transport on Autopilot
Johannes De Turck
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 3:57 pm
Flanders and the European Commission are taking important steps in using digital to reduce the carbon footprint of road transport. The European Truck Platooning Challenge provides an inspiring case in point.
Ferrero: Sweetening the Supply Chain One Chocolate at a Time
KL
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 8:23 pm
Investing in digital technology is allowing Ferrero to better manage its complex procurement process.
Can Britain’s largest automobile company, Jaguar Land Rover, survive Brexit?
Yash Mandawewala
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 7:25 pm
British automotive companies will be severely impacted after Brexit. Will the country's largest automotive brand, Jaguar Land Rover, be able to adapt and survive?
Napa Valley’s Getting Crushed: Will OneHope Winery Survive Global Warming?
ABW
Posted on November 13, 2017 at 8:24 pm
OneHope, a Napa Valley multi-varietal winery is feeling the heat of climate change. They're starting to consider ways to adapt, but is it enough?
The impact of Brexit on pan-European champions: the example of Airbus.
Maud
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:54 pm
Increase in isolationist movements throughout the world questions the model of globally integrated supply chains. Focus on the Brexit and its consequences for Airbus.
Mercy: Delivering better quality healthcare at a lower cost
sakshi
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:55 pm
How Mercy has leveraged its supply chain to provide better, more cost-effective healthcare
H&M adapting to the digitalization of retail
Jennifer Wu
Posted on November 13, 2017 at 12:24 am
How the global retailer H&M is changing its supply chain in order to adapt to rapidly changing customer preferences due to digitalization
Tesla Shoots Itself in Its Blue Suede Shoes
Minecraft
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 7:07 pm
Green Tesla may have a problem sourcing a blue mineral for EV batteries.
Mars: The supply of chocolate is melting away
JJ
Last modified on November 26, 2017 at 8:21 pm
Less chocolate: The global supply of chocolate is in danger. Cacao trees, responsible for the delicious chocolate we all love, require very specific conditions to prosper. As such, Chocolate is largely grown in areas within ~10 degrees of the equator.[i] [...]
How Supply Chain Improvements are Enabling Growth At Adidas
Juan Doe
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 12:38 pm
How Adidas is reorienting their supply chain around speed and digitalization to grow.
DIGITALIZATION RADICALLY CHANGES THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Seo
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:57 pm
Digitalization has brought radical changes to the music industry. At a supply chain management standpoint, digitalization removed raw materials, such as CDs and LPs, and transformed traditional distribution channels to online thus making substantial cost savings. It also increased the [...]
Cold chain innovation: DHL fights to stay relevant in a digitized industry
Katie G
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 9:16 pm
Can DHL use digital innovation to take advantage of the $13.4bn market opportunity in pharmaceutical cold chain logistics?
The Virtual Supply Chain: Instantaneous, Custom & Local delivered by UPS
CL
Last modified on March 29, 2018 at 3:39 pm
3D printing and virtual warehousing has the power to improve the consumer offering and increase the efficiency of the supply chain by providing wider product variety with faster delivery while accessing scale manufacturing advantages and reducing inventory holding cost and [...]
Stitch Fix: Bringing Big Data and Artificial Intelligence to Fashion
Ruksi Gregory
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 9:42 pm
Over the last six years, Stitch Fix has achieved success in the fashion retail space by revolutionizing the shopping experience. But is their business strategy differentiated enough to stay competitive?
Intel Inside or on the Outside? Exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on the supply and design of processor chips
chloeho
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 11:53 pm
Intel Inside or on the Outside? Exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on the supply and design of processor chips
It’s Complicated: The Global Relationship between Boeing, its Customers, and its Supply Chain
Chris
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 11:00 pm
Boeing has depended on a network of suppliers across the globe to fuel decades of growth, now those suppliers threaten to begin producing their own aircraft, upending the Boeing-Airbus duopoly.
BMW’s supply chain in the face of isolationism
thomasyao
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 8:18 pm
BMW manages the risk caused by increasing isolationism through a combination of its global production network and active currency hedging.
Scan that drug!
Chris Devine
Last modified on November 10, 2017 at 5:02 pm
With 91 Americans dying every day from opioid overdose and a fragmented pharmaceutical supply chain, a new company is leveraging technology to trace drugs from manufacturer to patient.
Building the Future at GE, One Layer at a Time
Ada Tiveman Ufacturian
Posted on November 13, 2017 at 6:02 pm
Additive manufacturing will transform the way industrial companies design, develop, and support their products. How is GE layering up its defenses to compete in this new world?
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