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)

Manicube – The $15, 15 minute, in-office manicure/lifesaver
Monica
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:44 pm
"It should be just as ok for a woman to get her nails done in the office as it is for a man to get a shoe shine." - Katerina Mountanos, co-founder
How Kenya created the world’s most successful mobile-payments service
Andrea Barry
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 9:44 pm
M-PESA has transformed the everyday lives of most Kenyans, disrupting the traditional banking system and capturing the previously unbanked market. Allowing whole businesses to be run from a mobile phone, the secret to M-PESA’s impressive performance can be found backstage.
HBS – A Business Model Perspective
Aner
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:01 pm
A simple thought process on HBS as a business model! Some food for thought...
RadioShack and its Operational Missteps
TOMChallenger
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:28 pm
RadioShack In February 2015, RadioShack, once a leading provider of consumer electronics, filed for bankruptcy after years of declining same-store sales and net losses. While numerous factors contributed to the precipitous decline in the company’s financial health, RadioShack’s poor financial [...]
GTBank: A different kind of Bank
Bankole
Last modified on December 13, 2015 at 1:45 pm
GTBank is one of Nigeria's most recognizable banks with a reputation for superior customer service and financial results. How have they been successful? Can they continue to win?
Growing Power – Cultivating Change in Cities through Sustainable Agriculture
Jackie Reilly
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:24 pm
  Growing Power The mission: to transform communities. The means: providing safe, affordable, sustainable, and healthy foods to the underserved, underprivileged in urban settings. An effort started in 1993 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – a city recently recognized as one of [...]
EPAM Systems: Defying the Odds in the IT Services Industry
pandakhubs
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 9:46 pm
EPAM Systems continues to relentlessly pursue the most innovative and often mission critical technology solutions for every client, aiming to solve where others have failed.
ClassPass: Shaking up the traditional workout regimen
Laura
Last modified on December 5, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Creating optionality and excitement in the sometimes staid exercise space, ClassPass fitness memberships have driven rapid growth and challenged the traditional gym model, yet sustainability questions linger.
Boston’s Office of New Urban Mechanics: Innovation for the Public Good
mdhellauer
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 6:58 pm
The Boston Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics uses a private sector innovation model to promote more effective government. It is trailblazing the way for how cities are run, one app at a time.
Methuen Festival of Trees Creates Value through Two-Sided Marketplace
Nicolas II
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 9:01 pm
The Methuen Festival of Trees brings local businesses together with members of the community every Christmas to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for historical restoration projections.
World Bank Group: Reform Without Change
Nick
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 10:28 pm
Why ill-advised restructurings and a baffling governance structure have led the World Bank Group to fail its member countries
Surf Air – Subscription Private Airfare
Michael Raiche
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 9:35 pm
Surf Air has proven to be a game changer in an era where commercial air travel has come to be detested.
Delta Airlines: Flying High in a Competitive Industry
Sam C
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 10:54 pm
Despite stiff rivalry in the airline industry, Delta consistently finds innovative ways to soar above the rest.
Blizzard Entertainment: Winner
Alex Topacio
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:21 pm
Blizzard Entertainment: Winner
Singapore Airlines: Achieving the best of both worlds of low-cost operations model and service excellence
Wendy
Last modified on December 5, 2015 at 11:52 pm
How the world's most awarded airline soared to such great heights by mastering the paradox of dual strategy
Mercadona: An Undisputed Winner
Luis de los Santos
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 9:10 pm
Satisfying ‘The Boss’, or how to become the leading supermarket chain in Spain by focusing on your clients’ needs
Brazilian Feedlots: More Beef with Less Resources
Win Bennett
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 10:02 pm
Click through the link to access full report pdf.
1 … 37 38 39