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)

Ice, Cold Corona – Get it here for a 35% higher price!
CN
Posted on November 7, 2017 at 7:36 pm
Soon, it might become a lot more expensive for you to enjoy a bottle of your favorite import beer. U.S.-based Constellation Brands, best known for selling Mexican beer Corona in the U.S., is one of the world’s largest importers and [...]
Packaging Digitization – Sundial Seeks Greater Visibility into a Product’s Journey
Matthew Hanson
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 1:21 pm
The next connected device to enter homes will be upgraded packing for personal care products, better enabling companies to understand their consumers' habits. Sundial should take advantage of this.
Starbucks: the future isn’t brew-tiful
Coffeeislife
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 9:56 pm
Coffee is under attack. Can Starbucks save the day?
Delhi, my grandmother cannot breathe!
HBS_Anonymous
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 4:00 pm
Breathing Delhi air is equivalent to smoking 50 cigarettes a day.
Hunting in the Zoo: How Boeing’s plead for protectionism handed Airbus a spectacular opportunity to strike back
Tigran Petrosian
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 9:34 pm
After a complaint from Boeing, the Department of Commerce imposed a 300% import tariff on Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier’s brand-new C-Series aircraft, effectively shutting them out of the U.S. market. Bombardier’s response? To partner up with Airbus and produce the [...]
Beauty Inspired by Nature: Can The Body Shop Continue to Deliver?
Syndie Kim
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:59 pm
The Body Shop's key ingredient producers are increasingly impacted by climate change. Can The Body Shop adapt its global supply chain to this "new environment" and continue to deliver natural, ethically-sourced products to its customers?
Digitalization Drives “Dieselgate”
TM
Last modified on November 14, 2017 at 1:01 pm
Volkswagen AG’s integrated supply chain stalls its push to become the world’s top automaker.
The last dance of Just-in-Time?
Giovanni
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 7:35 pm
A Tsunami struck Japan in March 2011 generating a collapse of Toyota supply chain. Starting in 2011, Toyota decided to completely revise its famous Toyota Production System and forced suppliers to hold a few months’ worth of inventory, threatening the [...]
Starbucks: Saving Our Coffee from the Threat of Climate Change
CHH
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 11:11 pm
Starbucks is leading the way in addressing the impact of climate change on the coffee industry, but will it be enough to save our morning cup o' Joe?
Major League Baseball: A Leader in Live Content Distribution
jee
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 6:24 pm
This is a story of how Major League Baseball (“the MLB”) out-innovated other professional sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL) and Silicon Valley (Facebook, Google, Amazon) in response to an increasingly digitalized supply chain for live entertainment content. If you’ve watched [...]
“Smart Home, Intelligent Factories” – Haier’s Journey of Building Interconnected Factories
Charis Ji
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:08 pm
As China’s home appliance market comes to maturation, Chinese home appliance manufactures are now forced to confront the problems that they got away with during times of easy growth. Can they reinvent themselves in Industry 4.0? Or are investments into [...]
Associated British Foods: Mmmmm…Brexit
Dan Waldron
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 7:26 pm
Impact of trade isolationism on Associated British Foods
Digitalization in the Israeli electricity sector: will the Israeli citizens join the smart metering revolution?
Anat
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 6:21 pm
Many governments promote the rollout of smart electricity grids. A smart metering rollout will bring many benefits to the Israeli economy. Although a smart metering project execution started in 2014, it is unclear when a nationwide rollout be carry out.
Another Grocery Delivery App?
Test
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 1:10 pm
A local food delivery startup uses software to move towards profitability.
Sustainability in Food: How General Mills is Combating Climate Change
HBSTOM17
Posted on November 12, 2017 at 6:59 pm
Failure to Act on Climate Change Will Hurt General Mills’ Top and Bottom Lines
From the tundra to the savannah: climate change risk for a global mining company
Bumper the Cat
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:02 pm
Rio Tinto, the second largest diversified mining company in the world, combats different types of climate change risks across its geographically diverse global footprint.
Climate change, food security, and General Mills
StarP
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 5:41 pm
In the face of climate change, food manufacturers like General Mills must transform their supply chains. Our future and food security depends on it.
Plenty of Fish – How to Sustainably Harvest New Fish
Emily McTague
Posted on November 11, 2017 at 12:02 pm
As the arctic ice shrinks, sunlight will enter the arctic ocean which was previously dark. Fish that hunt by sight are expected to enter this ecosystem in record numbers and thrive on all the pristine food, which the arctic ocean [...]
YPF: Securing the supply chain for developing Vaca Muerta
Tomas
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 11:00 pm
While Vaca Muerta formation provides a unique opportunity for Argentinean national oil company YPF, limitations to access international supply could become a major headache.
Pfizer’s digital supply chain transformation: innovation or necessity?
Tracy Lu
Last modified on November 29, 2017 at 12:22 am
Faced with increased price and regulatory pressures, the pharma industry is forced to look to other avenues for revenue growth, including digitilization of its historically unwieldy and heavily regulated supply chains. Is industry leader Pfizer doing enough in this pursuit?
Can Protectionism Save Auto Jobs in the US?
ableet
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 10:57 pm
Did Ford make the right decision moving production from the US to China?
The Mining Industry in Chile and its Solar Bet
F1991
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 9:49 pm
The Chilean energy landscape has changed. In 2014 governmental policies allowed the competitive entrance of clean energy to the Chilean market with solar energy at its center. This creates an opportunity for Antofagasta Minerals, a private copper mining group, to [...]
Waste in Agricultural Supply Chains: Is Meal-Kit Delivery the Solution?
JR
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 8:48 pm
In the face of climate change and consequential increased consumer focus on sustainability, meal-kit delivery startup, Blue Apron, is focused on fighting food waste, but can the company do more to gain an advantage over competitors?
A “Target”ed approach to supply chain digitalization
RocknaFormerlyKnownAsRachna
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 5:46 pm
With the slogan, “Expect more, pay less,” Target has grown to become the second-largest discount retailer in the United States. As retailers across the country continue to digitize, how can Target continue to ensure that its customers can expect more?
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