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)

Twitter at a Crossroads
TheOtherYiCai
Last modified on December 14, 2015 at 1:48 pm
Key gaps between Twitter's business and operating models slowed down product development and hampered the company in its race for more users--and accompanying digital ad dollars. Faced with a skeptical market, the company needs to refocus on execution and proving [...]
The Business of Blowouts: Operational Efficiencies at DryBar
SR
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 11:43 pm
DryBar's ingenious branding, relentless commitment to customer experience and effective operations are transforming the beauty industry one blowout at a time.
Healthcare software forecast: partly cloudy with a chance of innovation.
ryanj
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 8:17 pm
Can athenahealth’s cloud healthcare products overcome traditional installed solutions from established providers?
Phillips-Medisize: A Leader in Outsourced Design, Development, and Manufacturing Services
TK
Last modified on December 14, 2015 at 11:50 pm
Long-term investments lead to long-term growth
Warby Parker: No Blind Spots for the Company that’s Revolutionizing Eyewear
Rachel Sam
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 10:48 pm
Built on a promise of affordability and convenience, Warby Parker has won the hearts of hip millennials.
Algramo: The Value-add Vending Machine
Rdikeou
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 4:55 pm
How a Chilean startup is eliminating the “40 % poverty tax” on food
Nike’s Category Offense on the Offensive
Erlich Bachmann
Last modified on December 10, 2015 at 6:04 pm
Nike has found its fast. How category offense has brought Nike up to speed and past the competition.
Evisors.com – Land Your Dream Job
Dino
Posted on December 6, 2015 at 9:12 pm
What do you want to do in life and how will you get there? This is a question every person asks him- or herself at some point in their life. Unfortunately, it is far from easy to answer. The reasons [...]
Water for Life: Doing Well in Haiti
DeJeune
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 3:58 pm
Water for Life Haiti uses its mission-driven business model to dig wells in Haiti, providing access to clean water and a sense of ownership within rural communities.
John Lewis: Would you leave your company to the workers?
James T
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 7:15 pm
John Lewis the UK's favourite retailer with sustained profitable growth and untouchable customer loyalty and advocacy. What is the secret to their success? They are a workers' co-operative, owned and operated for the benefit of their employees.
Reddit: The Front Page of the Internet
MerblesKeberbles
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 9:00 pm
Can the front page of the internet be as profitable as it is addictive?
Pioneer Natural Resources: Investing in operational efficiency during the down market to survive and then thrive
NTH
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 11:17 pm
A winning strategy consisting of innovation, spud-to-POP optimization, and vertical integration.
Vanguard – Driving Wealth Through Low Cost Index Funds
A Ru
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 10:45 pm
Vanguard has driven consistent growth in assets under management (AUM) over the last 40 years by offering investors a low cost, passive investment option that consistently outperforms actively managed funds.
sweetgreen: a healthy dose of operating model alignment
Molly
Last modified on December 3, 2015 at 10:07 pm
At the innovative new salad chain sweetgreen, operating and business models align for delicious results. Kale yeah!
Copa Airlines: high-yield / low-cost airlines do exist.
AnnaA
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:53 pm
Saying "no" 80% of the time. Or, an airline's guide to weathering regional economic challenges through a strict alignment of strategy and execution.
Cards Against Humanity: A party game for horrible people
Riley Horne
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 6:24 pm
Cards Against Humanity: A quick look into one of the most popular (and vulgar) card games.
Inditex, king of fast fashion
NLIinasC
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 9:18 pm
Over the past 20 years, one word disrupted the fashion industry and changed it more than any other single trend: fast. At the helm of this movement has been Inditex, a Spanish firm that originally started as a dress maker [...]
Shouldice Hospital: Standardized, Specialized Clinical Processes
Gorale
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 6:42 pm
standardized hernia surgery, the health care delivery model of the future?
Chick-fil-A: Recipe for Success
Doug
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:46 pm
Chick-fil-A traces its roots back to 1946 when founder Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant in Hapeville, GA. Since then, the company has grown to become the nation’s largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain with over 1,900 locations, generating sales of [...]
Trunk Club – Helping Men Where They Need It Most
Matthew Newill
Posted on November 29, 2015 at 2:46 pm
Trunk Club changes men's shopping. Forever.
Munchery – Delicious, delivered
KathyChoi
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 3:08 pm
Munchery - Bringing fresh, chef-prepared meals to your door on demand.
Zenefits: Disrupting Human Resources Management
Student
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 5:43 pm
Zenefits is one of the fastest growing software-as-a-service startups of all time, using a unique model to disrupt the payroll and business insurance industries.
Sprig: Uber for healthy meals
Arkesh
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 7:54 pm
How an on-demand start-up executes on its promise of healthy, delicious meals delivered in 15 minutes
SpaceX: A First Principles Company
Brandon
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 7:33 pm
SpaceX is using first principles to lower costs to launch rockets into space with the end goal of making human life multi-planetary.
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