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)

Iora Health: Redefining “Value” in Healthcare
Quita
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 8:03 pm
According to a recent Boston Globe article, Iora Health “attempts to deliver cost-saving primary care through a combination of preventative care, technology, and human contact, all pulled together with a simplified payment model.”I view the greatest success of Iora Health’s [...]
Chipotle: Fast food at its best
Chipotle Lover
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:35 pm
Chipotle went out and revolutionized how the world thinks about fast food.
UNIQLO: What’s behind the low-cost high-quality casual wears?
Taiki Narita
Last modified on November 28, 2015 at 5:11 pm
UNIQLO is a global casual wear SPA. How does UNIQLO create innovative high quality products, HEATTECH, AIRism, etc., despite low price?
Helijia- The World’s Largest Roving Nail Salon
ES
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 12:02 am
Helijia, a mobile app that provides on-demand manicure services in China, leverages its business and operating models to expand into the largest platform for on-demand services across industries.
Clover Food Lab: Changing the Way Fast Food is Made
Manju
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 8:30 pm
At Clover Food Lab, the quickly-growing, data-driven, Boston-based fast-food chain, it is all about the food. Both the business and the operational models are focused on bringing local-sourced, fresh and quality ingredients to consumers, in a fast and casual manner.
Warby Parker – making eyewear accessible
T
Posted on December 5, 2015 at 3:58 pm
How it all started Warby Parker (“WP”) is an American glasses brand that was founded in 2010 with the objective to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially businesses. At the time, the company’s [...]
BHP Billiton – The Big Australian
Yun Yu
Last modified on April 7, 2021 at 2:06 pm
Fueling the growth of developing economies
Yelp: a 5-star review
David Liang
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 8:39 pm
Yelp effectively leverages its business and operating models to deliver value on both sides of its two-sided market.
New York Road Runners: Run for Life
c
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:29 pm
New York Road Runners is an organization committed to providing runners all over the world the means to run, and an opportunity work towards a social cause while doing so. The growth that the organization and its insignia event- the [...]
“Amul – The Taste of India”
Pluto
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:36 pm
How an uprising against corrupt middlemen launched one of India’s longest standing and arguably most successful cooperative movements
Need a Hotel, Tonight?
sijwang
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:44 pm
How a mobile app is revolutionizing the hotel industry
Ace Hotel
Luthan
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 9:44 pm
A friendly place, continually new.
PANDORA WINNING MODEL
Fernanda Almirao
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 5:35 pm
To become the world’s most loved jewelry brand...
Why Better Place is in a better place…
Noorin D
Last modified on December 10, 2015 at 10:49 pm
The billion-dollar bet on batteries that ended in bankruptcy
Target Misses the Mark in Canada
ns87
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 1:40 pm
In January 2015, Target announced that it would liquidate its operations in Canada, shut down all 133 stores and report a $5.4 billion loss for the quarter.
US LNG import/export
Stan
Posted on December 6, 2015 at 6:13 pm
US LNG import/export
Green Chic: How Reformation Made Eco Cool
Young Hee Yoo
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 9:56 pm
In a world where “environmentally friendly” = “unfashionable,” Reformation founder Yael Aflalo is showing the world that Eco is cool.
Spirit Airlines: It’s a love/hate relationship…
t.c.
Last modified on November 27, 2015 at 2:30 am
Spirit Airlines operates on a paradoxical paradigm. Despite high levels of customer dissatisfaction, it is the fastest growing and most profitable US airline. How is the "most hated airline in the world" able to pull this off?
Westland Distillery – Crafting America’s Finest Single Malt Whiskey
Keith Tyler
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 4:37 pm
Westland Distillery is boldly creating a truly unique product- an American Single Malt Whiskey
Hello Alfred: Your new best friend when life is a clutter
Batman
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 9:59 pm
Presenting an e-platform of dedicated butlers to take care of your chores. But how scalable is this operating model?
#TIDALforALL or #tidalfornone?
KA
Last modified on December 14, 2015 at 5:10 pm
In spite of its admirable business model, TIDAL struggles to differentiate in the right ways to deliver value to artists and fans.
Iora Health: Redefining Primary Care
Christiana
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 11:14 pm
Iora's unique take on primary care - focused on customer service as good as Southwest Airlines and Zappos - shows promise but is its innovative model scalable?
PillPack: the new kid on the block in the world of pharmacy
Sojung
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:32 pm
PillPack is a Somerville, MA-based an independent online pharmacy start-up founded in February 2014, with $62.5M raised to date (valuation unknown). In less than two years, PillPack has distributed over a million individual dose packets, acquired licenses to serve patients [...]
Trader Joe’s: Food for Thought
Pantry Ninja
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 9:33 pm
Delivering innovative, high-quality groceries at affordable price points
1 … 24 25 26 27 28 … 39