The TOM Challenge: TOM Winners and Losers Assignment

December 09, 2015

Read The Full Prompt

The basic thesis of the TOM course is that company performance is driven by the alignment between the company’s business model and operating model. As defined in the “Introduction to the RC TOM Course” note, a business model is defined as how the firm creates and captures value, and an operating model refers to the processes that transform a firm’s assets (e.g., capital, labor, intellectual property, equipment, etc.) into valuable actions.

Please identify one organization in the global economy that you think is highly effective (or one that is highly ineffective) at driving alignment between its operating and business models

  1. Did you choose the company as an example of effectiveness or ineffectiveness? Why?
  2. Describe the company’s business and operating models. What is interesting about them?
  3. Do the models align and support each other?  How?  What specific features of the operating model are designed to create and sustain competitive advantage?  What features of the business model leverage unique capabilities of its operating model?  What are the implications for performance?

Submitted (929)

Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits in the Emergency Department at Beth Israel Hospital
SHD
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 10:06 pm
The chain of custody for rape kits pulls nurses off the floor for 3-4 hours. The resulting resistance among ED staff to perform the kit causes breakdowns in care for sexual assault survivors.
To Infinity and Beyond: Disney’s Alignment with Magic
Ching-Ching
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 3:45 pm
No other corporation in America has more effectively monetized the key thing we all hold dearest to our hearts, MAGIC. To adults and adolescents alike, Disney caters to the inner child in all of us. Making us feel that much [...]
Rent the Runway: Data and fashion combine to deliver your dream wardrobe
Elena Del Real
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 8:56 pm
"Love. Wear. Return." Rent The Runway is your designer closet on demand. Can their operations scale to keep up with demand?
General Motors- death of a dinosaur?
Melissa
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:52 pm
Will General Motors be around for the next hundred years? GM continues to lag behind its competitors as the business model fosters slow decision making and additional costs. As a former employee, I believe GM is in the right direction [...]
Shake Shack winning in fast casual
barnstein
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 7:59 pm
Enlightened hospitality > throughput time
Ocado’s ‘Sci-Fi Ballet’
NHJG
Last modified on November 30, 2015 at 6:23 pm
Ocado is often thought of as an online alternative to incumbent food retailers. But the operational sophistication, backed up by 400 programmers and a clutch of patents, reveals a business that is taking a very original approach to grocery.
Shimano – Dominating the bicycle components market
Ko Miyoshi
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 7:21 pm
With its innovative R&D and operating model, Shimano dominates the global market share in bicycle components.
GameStop: Learning from Blockbuster
Gonzalo Munoz
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 12:31 am
GameStop has avoided Blockbusters fate by changing its Business and Operating models.
Enron: Failure of Epic Proportions
Reid
Posted on November 30, 2015 at 12:06 am
Enron’s innovative trading platform ended in fraud and bankruptcy due to fundamental flaws in their operating model
British American Tobacco: ailgnment between operating and business models
Yendi Wehbe
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 3:22 pm
British American Tobacco's alignment in its business and operating models have resulted in value creation for both its shareholders as well as for its customers.
FIFA – Glorifying the Game or Rotting the World’s Biggest Sport?
GilG
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:21 pm
Is FIFA, the governing organization for the world of Football (real Football, that is), true to its mission? A look into the works of a non-profit.
The Lean, Mean, Amazon Machine
devon_stewart
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 10:58 pm
How Amazon.com has leveraged Toyota, robots, data and much more to consistently deliver the best online shopping experience for its consumers.
Vidangel – “Watch movies your way – however the BLEEP you want”
tsmith
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:05 pm
Vidangel - a crowdsourced method to enable $1-2 movie rentals and provide edited movies for families
Slack: The greatest innovation to disrupt the business world since email
Kate Loose
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:24 pm
How a two-year-old startup is changing the way teams work with growth that every Silicon Valley tech startup or investor hopes for.
ArcelorMittal USA
sblemast
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:34 pm
ArcelorMittal USA creates high quality steel safely and sustainably in order to differentiate itself from its competitors
Learn a New Language and Change the World
Avilia Guardiola
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Leveraging interactive educational technology for a greater mission of equality for humanity!
GS Elevator – From Point A to B with Many Stops
Wall Street Oasis
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 8:21 pm
Introduction Goldman Sachs is a public investment bank with a market capitalization of ~$78bn that has ~ 34,000 employees around the world. The company’s core business is focused on providing clients with advice on their capital markets and strategic decisions. [...]
Netflix: Finding the Next Hit Business Model
A Grotta
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 5:46 pm
Companies struggle to successfully reinvent biz model once, let alone twice in 5 years. Netflix’s successful shifts -- from DVDs to streaming to originals -- have largely been in response to to trends impacting its content supply chain.
Jumia: Short term success without long term vision
E$
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 7:53 pm
A study on how Jumia's business model is dependent on long term growth, yet the operating model sacrifices long term gains for short term success
Nitori: 28 years consecutive profit increase
Kohei Arai
Last modified on December 10, 2015 at 8:00 am
Nitori, the largest furniture company, has recorded 26 years consecutive increase in its operating profit. Its operating model has supported the low-price strategy and the proposed concept of "Total Coordination".
Off-Grid Electric’s Mobile Power
Ankit
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:39 pm
A startup in Tanzania seeks to provide affordable electricity to households, by replicating the success of prepaid cellphones.
Orbital Sciences: You probably shouldn’t outsource rocket science if you’re selling rockets
Dr. Emmett Brown
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 8:44 pm
Choosing to outsource part of your business is a strategic decision - but how much is too much outsourcing? From its beginning, Orbital Sciences has sought to combine its mastery of systems engineering with extreme “make vs. buy” decisions to [...]
Virtue in Vice Media – The “Time Warner of the streets” and its plan to occupy…
gc
Last modified on December 10, 2015 at 4:19 pm
From a free Montreal-based “punk” magazine to an international media powerhouse with a $4B valuation.
EWOS – The Global Innovator in Aquaculture
PeterMichel
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:23 pm
WE ARE WHAT WE EAT... BUT WHAT DOES THE SALMON ON YOUR PLATE EAT???
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