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)

Harry’s: Not Your Dad’s Razor
michellebrous
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:28 pm
Disrupting the razor blade industry
Eventbrite: A foolproof service for the event-organizing layman
Felix J
Last modified on December 2, 2015 at 11:22 pm
Eventbrite's service allows users to seamlessly manage and attend events all at one low fee per ticket. As its growing feature-heavy product spins off into apps with mobile payment functionality, and easy-to-use seating chart arrangements, organizers and consumers continue to [...]
Hilton Worldwide: Creating Value for Hotel Owners, Customers and Investors
Scott Maddux
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 4:00 pm
Hilton Worldwide: Creating Value for Hotel Owners, Customers and Investors
Trader Joe’s – using operations to support a distinct value proposition
Steve Robins
Posted on December 6, 2015 at 7:35 pm
Trader Joe’s pays new staff members $10-12/hour, a new assistant store manager makes $40-75K and store managers make six figures [1][2] and has a labor-intensive operating model [3]. Even with high labor costs, it has grown to over 440 stores [...]
Schindler – A Captive Audience?
Alissa Davies
Posted on December 7, 2015 at 7:09 pm
Company Overview Schindler was founded in Switzerland in 1874 and is a leading global provider of elevators and escalators. It operates in more than 100 countries and has 54 000 employees. Business Model Schindler’s business model is split into New [...]
Efes Russia: How operations react to regulations
Yigit Y
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 1:04 pm
“Regulations is what happens to you while you are busy improving your bottom line” - When the market got hit by the adverse effects of regulations, optimizing your operations usually turns out to be your plan A.
Retrofit: Tackling Obesity-Related Healthcare Costs
jeremy
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:29 pm
Retrofit is a leading private wellness company that drives weight loss for busy professionals. Retrofit has thus far effectively aligned its operational model to fuel its success in helping people slim down, but must overcome future challenges as the industry [...]
Comex, a pool of paint.
David Dana
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 4:58 pm
COMEX reduces costs and improves customer satisfaction by postponing differentiation and pooling safety stock.
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.
Allergan: The M&A Machine
Aileen
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 1:25 am
Finding growth, repositioning the business and being nimble in the dynamic pharma environment
Catch Surf: A Surfboard Company with an Apparel Problem?
MJB
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:13 pm
Catch Surf brings the fun, carefree attitude of the 1980s surf culture into the modern day with state-of-the-art foam surf Beater Boards and a recent expansion into apparel.
Athlete. Legend. Warrior. Rockstar. Renegade. SOULCYCLE.
Jenny Kelemen
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 9:49 pm
How an indoor cycling class in a dark room with scented candles grew into a multi-million dollar phenomenon.
Capital One Financial
SCross2017
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 8:53 pm
How Capital One's operating model enabled it to out last competitors and go from a monoline credit card issuer to one of the 10 largest diversified banks in the US by deposits.
Orbital Sciences: You probably shouldn’t outsource rocket science if you’re selling rockets
Dr. Emmett Brown
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 8:44 pm
Choosing to outsource part of your business is a strategic decision - but how much is too much outsourcing? From its beginning, Orbital Sciences has sought to combine its mastery of systems engineering with extreme “make vs. buy” decisions to [...]
COSTCO: Big Bad Amazon can’t blow this brick and mortar house down.
JPB
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 10:36 pm
COST SAVING, Costco's business and operating models' singular focus.
Le Tote – “Netflix for clothing”
ajung
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 8:41 pm
  Overview Le Tote is a subscription-based fashion rental startup for clothing and accessories. It was established in 2012 by Rakesh Tondon and Brett Northart and raised total #27.5 million worth of funding in three rounds as of November 2015. [...]
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Etoile: Michelin stars made effective
sgoeldi
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 4:04 pm
TOM brought to you by the most starred chef in the world
Camden City School District
Kate
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 9:52 pm
(still) waiting for Superman in New Jersey's toughest city
Goodwill: Doing Good While Doing Well
Jennie N.
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 10:37 pm
How Goodwill, one of the nation's largest charities, has designed its operations to support a healthy triple bottom line.
ARM Holdings – Powering the Smartphone Revolution
Jackson Speake
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:49 pm
ARM Holdings is a technology company with a narrow focus and worldwide impact.
SunEdison: Solar-As-A-Service & The YieldCo Model
Jeff_Bryant
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 3:47 pm
SunEdison, one of America’s largest solar energy companies, has used extensive vertical integration to ensure quality and reduce costs. However, a recent misalignment of strategy and operations have caused investors to flee.
Redbox – “Disruptor” Finally Disrupted
Cozean
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 8:31 pm
Redbox pursed a high-fixed cost, capital-intensive model that - due to superior pricing and alignment with customer needs - allowed it to disrupt Blockbuster and other brick-and-mortar rental firms but crippled its ability to compete in an industry now dominated [...]
Employees and Community at Shake Shack
pstamati
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 8:23 pm
Shake Shack Business Model   Shake Shack has revolutionized the fast casual space with the simple business model of becoming “the best burger company in the world”[1]. Its CEO, Randy Garutti elaborates that his team focuses on the simple tasks [...]
Online bank Simple – not so simple after all
ME
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 4:04 pm
“Online bank Simple was set for failure since the very beginning, and it belongs to the worst kind of startup failures: those that don’t achieve their ambitious goals by any means, but also manage to mediocrely survive; like nightmares that [...]
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