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)

Louis Vuitton: Luxury handbags coming off an assembly line?
Remi Bouvier d'Yvoire
Last modified on December 6, 2015 at 3:43 am
Louis Vuitton revolutionized its operating model to better serve its clients and enhance its luxury image.
BRING BACK THE TWINKIES! Saving an iconic American brand from bankruptcy
Stevie G
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 7:37 pm
“What they’ve done at Hostess should be a Harvard Business School case study on how to turn around a business” – Perella Weinberg Partners
JD.com: China’s E-commerce Pioneer
Haochen Lu
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:06 pm
JD.com is China's largest direct sale e-commence company with massive self-own logistics network. It witnessed a great growth story with equally tremendous capital investment.
New Balance: Keeping America Running
Carol
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 4:12 pm
In an industry that has gone overseas for manufacturing, New Balance is made in America and on track for success.
WeDo Technologies: consistency inside out
Cristiana Torres
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 6:48 pm
WeDo Technologies | The #1 provider of Revenue Assurance
Revolution Foods: Solving America’s Food Crisis
Meg
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 6:08 pm
“Real Food for All” - Delivering Fresh Lunches to Schools
Fitbit – Find Your Fit
Ryan J Lee
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 5:40 pm
The San Francisco-based wearable fitness-tracking device maker's efficient business and operating model in organization, focus, hardware, and software.
Enron: Failure of Epic Proportions
Reid
Posted on November 30, 2015 at 12:06 am
Enron’s innovative trading platform ended in fraud and bankruptcy due to fundamental flaws in their operating model
Whole Foods Market: Healthy Products with a Healthy Profit
TRogers
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:56 pm
The Whole Foods Market, Inc. (“Whole Foods”) motto of “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet” rings true in every aspect of the company. As a premium food retailer, Whole Foods does an excellent job of aligning its business model with [...]
Net-a-Porter: Bringing Luxury Online and Around the World
Ashley M
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 6:59 pm
Not many Internet companies can claim that they’ve been around since 2000, let alone e-commerce businesses (did we even know what e-commerce was in 2000?).  Natalie Massanet, magazine editor turned Internet entrepreneur, founded Net-a-Porter in 2000 in London with little [...]
AquaChile: Creating our first sustainable fish source.
Manny Soto
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 6:47 pm
Our demand for fish is far outstripping what our oceans can supply. AquaChile is a leader in developing sustainable and environmentally friendly ways to breed and grow fish.
General Motors- death of a dinosaur?
Melissa
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:52 pm
Will General Motors be around for the next hundred years? GM continues to lag behind its competitors as the business model fosters slow decision making and additional costs. As a former employee, I believe GM is in the right direction [...]
Cameron Hughes Wine: fine wine for everyone
juancd56
Posted on December 5, 2015 at 12:36 pm
Premium wine at a not-so-premium price makes for a happy customer
Realizing Growth Through the Potential of e-Commerce
DB
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 7:09 am
A vertically integrated retail store in the e-commerce era, Bonobos has successfully created a product line and a service experience that their customers value.
Amazon: ‘The Everything Store’ – Driving Long-Tale Strategy with Superior Supply-Chain Management
Itamar Zur
Last modified on December 10, 2015 at 9:18 pm
By developing superior supply-chain management, building strong relationships with vendors and distributors, and providing a seamless online experience for shoppers, Amazon has grown to be the world’s biggest online retailer.
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!
Delivering on the Purple Promise
Carlo Scott
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 11:19 pm
The combination of a broadened business model, operational innovation, and a strong corporate culture has allowed FedEx to secure its position as one of the world's most admired companies.
Blank Label: designed in the USA experience at made in China prices
James Graham
Last modified on December 6, 2015 at 2:02 pm
From its origins as an online custom shirt maker, Blank Label's has evolved into one of the fastest growing bespoke menswear stores in the US. Blank Label's operating model has been a key to this success and has directly enabled [...]
Bonobos: A Better Fitting Model for a Better Fitting Pant
Sarah
Last modified on December 2, 2015 at 7:08 pm
How Bonobos is capturing the best of both worlds as it straddles the line between digital and physical retailing.
Accor: The winner takes it all, even (more) behind the walls
Gilles
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 4:22 pm
How Accor has shifted its operating focus, leaning assets but boosting presence
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.
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.
U.S. News & World Report: Driving Value to a Multisided Market
Student_1
Last modified on December 2, 2015 at 9:39 pm
Once just an editorial company, U.S. News & World Report has transformed itself into a multi-platform publisher of rankings and datasets that occupies the heart of a vibrant ecosystem.
OYO Rooms: Disrupting the Indian hospitality industry
Adwaita
Posted on December 5, 2015 at 6:08 pm
OYO rooms is India’s largest branded network of hotel rooms with 14,000 rooms across India. It’s an incredible feat given that OYO was founded 2 years ago by a 21-year-old and  hasn’t built a single hotel! So how do they [...]
1 … 22 23 24 25 26 … 39