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)

DIRECTV pre-paid: how to wake up a sleeping giant
Dino
Last modified on December 6, 2015 at 4:59 pm
Much is said about rising new technology companies, but how much more challenging is it to reinvent a mature business model that has been around for decades?
Yume Wo Katare: express your dreams
Phillip Han
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 10:34 pm
Yume Wo Katare is a Japanese ramen shop selling authentic hand made Jiro style ramen. From outside, it seems like a regular ramen shop, but there are very unique features about Yume Wo Katare and it operates very efficiently and [...]
Dangote Cement: A Story of Market Dominance
Prime
Last modified on December 10, 2015 at 6:58 am
How did Dangote Cement, in just over a decade, cement its position as the dominant player on the Nigeria and the Continent?
Axalta: “We Paint Winners”
Winnie Liu
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Axalta, a market leader in coatings, has accelerated its growth following the recent realignment of the Company's business and operating models.
A Family of Companies – Johnson & Johnson
Keyur
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 9:47 pm
Johnson & Johnson's flexible operating model helps them maintain a strong presence in healthcare.
Southwest Airlines: A Recovering Innovator
annielindseth
Posted on November 25, 2015 at 5:54 pm
Southwest is an operations leader recovering from on-time performance issues.
Wayfair: Holding Inventory Is For Losers
Abed Nadir
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 8:37 pm
With an asset-light operating model, Wayfair is well positioned for aggressive growth.
Is Telsa’s Battery Turbo-Charged?
Tesla Motors: How Charged Is It's Battery?
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 2:59 pm
Tesla's business and operating models are very closely aligned as they tightly control every aspect to ensure processes run exactly how they envision. Tight control = exact execution = positive customer experience.
Dah Makan – Gourmet Meal Delivery in Kuala Lumpur
beijunluo
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 5:06 pm
Will Dah Makan succeed as the Seamless of Malaysia?
MDVIP: A Business Solution to a Healthcare Market Inefficiency
JM
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 3:43 pm
The primary care delivery system in the US is broken. Can an innovative business idea create an operating model to solve it?
Eataly: life is too short not to eat well
Marco De Curtis
Last modified on December 6, 2015 at 12:51 pm
Italian Food and authenticity at scale: Eataly is leading the way #Italianfoodatscale
Cementing a Position
Kobe Bryant = GOAT
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 11:54 pm
The Dangote Group is a Nigerian industrial conglomerate that operates across the African continent, producing salt, fertilizer, flour, noodles and, most notably, cement. What is founder Aliko Dangote's secret sauce?
Capital One: Aligning the organization through data
SofiaBerrada
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 10:24 pm
Capital One is a Fortune 500 company that provides financial services such as credit cards and loans to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. The company operates mainly in the US, Canada and the UK. Since the economic crisis in [...]
Casper: Going to the Mattresses
Steve Cook
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 9:13 pm
Casper cuts through the confusion and hassle of the traditional mattress buying process with a high-quality product, hassle-free online purchasing and an appealing brand (as exhibited by its luxurious showroom experience)
Like to Know It: Monetizing personal shopping on Instagram
Ashley
Last modified on December 6, 2015 at 9:59 pm
By leveraging existing talent and content, Like to Know It has generated millions of dollars in sales for themselves, bloggers, and retailers.
Tinder’s Business and Operating Models #ItsAMatch!
Justin Smith
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:28 pm
Tinder's business model and operating model both swiped right, creating a power couple that drives high level performance
Barack Obama: Against the Odds
XG
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:32 pm
    2008: “There was a new actor in the campaign drama: Jim Messina. Obama convinced Messina to leave his political father, Sen. Max Baucus, by calling him the day after Hillary Clinton dropped out of the Democratic primary contest. [...]
Costco: Saving you Money
HeatherD
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 12:13 am
This discount retail giant outperforms competitors through cost-cutting and operational efficiency.
Designing the future at Bauhaus
Dmitry Zhdankin
Last modified on December 5, 2015 at 7:08 pm
Bauhaus was an art-school that existed in the Weimar Republic and invented the design for the 20th century.
The Ultimate House of Luxury
AS
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 9:26 pm
The Ultimate House of Luxury, defining style and creating desire, now and forever.
How Zara uses supply chain to execute business model
Alina Mozzhukhina
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 3:36 pm
Does HBS have case about Zara? If yes, I can bet it is about supply chain that in alignment with business model makes Zara the undisputed leader in fashion retail industry with over $14.8 billion in annual sales and over [...]
Natura: the cosmetics company from the Amazon rainforest that sets the example
Mapu
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 9:14 pm
Natura is an example of achieving operating alignment with a triple bottom line business model
MoMA: a museum that grows with its audience
Lily
Last modified on December 6, 2015 at 5:50 pm
People generally don’t think of art museums as a source of innovations but the slow, patient and thoughtful changes that The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) made in recent years have served its business missions well.
EnerNOC: The Software Leader You’ve Never Heard Of
nlake
Posted on December 4, 2015 at 10:26 pm
EnerNOC utilizes an operating model focused on technology, R&D, acquisition and partnership to carve out a category for energy intelligence software (EIS).
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