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)

Whole Foods or Whole Check?
Janiki
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 7:24 pm
Whole Foods offers natural, organic products and a fun customer experience but with high prices and new competition, is it sustainable?
An Ode to Trader Joe’s
AnanthK
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 9:53 pm
Trader Joe's wins over customers (and their wallets) by utilizing an operating model that is perfectly aligned with their core business strategies.
T.J. Maxx – Using Buyers & Suppliers to Cash in on Off Price Retail
Elliott Campbell
Last modified on November 27, 2015 at 7:44 pm
The off-price retail chain T.J. Maxx (“TJX”) is a great example of a business that has been highly effective at driving alignment between both its operating and business model. TJX, headquartered in Framingham, MA, is an American department store chain [...]
Everlane: Radical transparency in a shrouded fashion industry
khaaaan!!
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 8:41 pm
Beautiful, ethical fashion, at the right price.
Samsung – Surviving in an Unstable Market
Alfonso
Posted on December 6, 2015 at 12:27 am
The story of Samsung in the unstable Argentina. How did the Korean company do to establish a dominant position in an economical unstsable country?
Selling Luxury Online – Yoox Net-A-Porter
Mohamed
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 8:50 pm
Through leveraging an interlocked business model and operating strategy, YNAP has successfully defined the luxury ecommerce space and is positioned as the clear market leader in the industry.
HBS: long-term value proposition with a short-term operating model
Joe Kiernan
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 6:09 pm
HBS creates value by educating leaders to “make in difference in the world.” However, for a business model that theoretically creates wide-ranging impact across the globe, its operating model is remarkably fixated on relatively short-term transactions.
iMatchative and the power of AltX
Marcus
Last modified on December 14, 2015 at 4:19 pm
Can big data, behavioral finance, adaptive learning technology, and proprietary algorithms replace humans when searching for and investing in funds?
TOMS: Evolving as a winner
ELG
Posted on December 6, 2015 at 2:14 pm
TOMS - evolving its business model while remaining a winner
Indochino: Transforming the Custom Suit Industry
Akash Patel
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 6:10 pm
Indochino is an online men’s custom suiting company whose business and operating models have aligned strongly to help it disrupt the traditional custom suit industry. What began as an online-only company has evolved to offer in-person shopping experiences for suits [...]
Zara: a Retailing Force to Be Reckoned With
Natasha Dossa
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:42 pm
From fabric to fashion: a vertically integrated operation engineered to maximize relevancy and minimize costs.
Alinea Restaurant: Dining Unconventionally
Ari Wright
Last modified on December 5, 2015 at 6:46 pm
One of the finest restaurants in the world is disrupting the conventional dining experience and improving operational efficiency with its shift to a pay-in-advance variable-pricing ticketing model.
Terra Nova: Proving that Irregular Land Titling Can Be a Strong Business Case
Camila Kataguiri
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 7:47 pm
Terra Nova and its shareholders are an example that impact investing has the potential to play an important role in the solution of our social and environmental issues in a large scale.
Transferwise – The money transfer revolution
Xavi
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 11:01 pm
Technology, borderless operations and innovative thinking is bringing light to the obscure market of retail currency exchange market. Let the banking revolution begin!
M-Pesa: a Mobile Money success story from Kenya
ab
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:29 pm
M-Pesa is a phone-based peer to peer money transfer service launched by Safaricom, Kenya’s largest telecom provider, in 2007. According to a Kenyan government report published from 2012, just five years after launch, there were 19.5 million mobile money users [...]
Groupon: Now 85% Off!
Rohan Nagesh
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:23 pm
Groupon's Roller Coaster Journey as Told by a Former Employee
Somebody Hates Amazon and Has Something Else to Offer
AF
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 10:47 pm
From diapers to challenging the biggest retailer in the world
YouTube: Struggling to Monetize Cat Videos
Anthony Terrizzi
Posted on December 3, 2015 at 9:26 pm
After ten years and over one billion active users, YouTube's ad model is still unprofitable.
Vail Resorts – Epic Operations
Anna
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 7:51 am
Vail Resorts provides a resort experience that relies on it's multidimensional operating model to add value for customers past just skiing or snowboarding.
ExxonMobil: Strong History backed by Strong Principles
T Teykl
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:30 am
ExxonMobil aligns strong operating systems with a consistent business model to deliver energy to meet global demand.
Amazon Web Services: A Down Payment on the Future of Computing
Micah
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 2:20 pm
The digital retailer’s big bet on the cloud.
The Honest Company: No Smoke & Mirrors
JoyceW
Last modified on December 4, 2015 at 1:40 pm
E-commerce startup turned global lifestyle brand refines model to create a culture of honesty
Roku – Remonetizing your TV screen
YuvalG
Last modified on December 4, 2015 at 4:59 pm
How can one private company compete over market share against Google, Amazon and Apple, and win?
FC Bayern Munich – achieving unparalleled sporting and financial success in the world of soccer
Rohan
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 7:24 pm
Bayern Munich has managed to become a dominating force in world soccer by carefully aligning its operating and business model
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