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)

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 [...]
Ball and Rexam: $300M in cost synergies? CAN they do it?
Robert Graham
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 7:06 pm
On Feb 19th, 2015 Ball Corporation entered into an agreement to purchase Rexam PLC. Ball Corporation is one of the largest metal packaging manufacturers in the world.
Birchbox: opening new paths for beauty & e-commerce
MC
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 4:03 pm
Birchbox = 'the smartest way to shop for beauty and grooming products.' We're opening up its secrets to success.
SoulCycle: Spinning towards Success
BC
Last modified on December 4, 2015 at 6:39 pm
Introduction SoulCycle is a rapidly growing boutique fitness brand whose studios offer indoor cycling classes.   In the last two years, the Company has opened a total of 24 studios and grown revenue and EBITDA at compound annual growth rates in [...]
Celgene: A Winner in Biopharma
LuisR
Last modified on December 10, 2015 at 12:02 am
Celgene has been one of the dominant biotech players in recent history. Its successful R&D and acquisitions have made the company a contender for the industry's pole position, and its growing commercialization capabilities have effectively utilized its assets to create [...]
Microsoft: How Satya Nadella is Teaching an Old Software Company New Tricks
AClay
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:44 pm
Since taking over the helm in February of 2014, Satya Nadella has been steering Microsoft back towards evolution and innovation.
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.
Student Transportation: Lost on the Way to School?
Robby Kirkham
Posted on December 6, 2015 at 2:22 pm
Student Transportation, Inc. (“ST” or the “Company”) has achieved tremendous growth over the past 18 years by effectively aligning its operating and business models. However, if ST succumbs to investor pressure to reduce the capital intensity of the business, it [...]
IKEA: Modularizing Design and Value
Sherri Geng
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 7:52 pm
IKEA’s vision is to “create a better every day life for the many people”[1], aiming to bring good design to as many people as possible. As CEO Mikael Ohlsson once said, IKEA’s goal is to offer “people with limited means [...]
Rent the Runway: A Successful Fashion Forward Business
CRobertson
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:47 pm
A stylish business with an effective model
#Twitter: A story of #failure
utsavmitra
Last modified on November 29, 2015 at 11:31 am
Twitter: A broken operating model with a clueless leadership team #DoomedToFail
Clover Food Lab: Changing the Way Fast Food is Made
Manju
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 8:30 pm
At Clover Food Lab, the quickly-growing, data-driven, Boston-based fast-food chain, it is all about the food. Both the business and the operational models are focused on bringing local-sourced, fresh and quality ingredients to consumers, in a fast and casual manner.
IKEA: The Many People Retailer
ScottL
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 10:11 pm
The IKEA vision: "To create a better everyday life for the many people"
Monetizing Magic: The Disney Way
Megan Porter
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 5:17 pm
Disney monetizes magic like no other thanks to the alignment of its business and operating models.
Yoobi: One for You, One for Me!
Megan Trout
Posted on December 5, 2015 at 11:58 pm
Yoobi - a colorful school supply brand helping students in need!
Couche-Tard: Conquering Convenience
Nino
Last modified on December 6, 2015 at 11:32 am
Alain Bouchard built the world's largest convenience store chain (that nobody has ever heard of), by focusing on industry consolidation and best-in-class operations
Wikipedia: Information in the 21st Century
Prasad
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 12:13 am
“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge.” ~ Jimmy Wales (Founder of Wikimedia Foundation)
Hospital for Special Surgery
meghanp
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 11:57 pm
The hospital business model is broken - here's who’s getting it right.
Local Players at Risk: Online Payments in Mexico
desponda
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:08 pm
Local players can gain significant market share and raise barriers to entry to their market when they have a good alignment between their operating and business models. In this article, we will review Conekta, an online payments solution, that strayed [...]
Iora Health: Redefining “Value” in Healthcare
Quita
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 8:03 pm
According to a recent Boston Globe article, Iora Health “attempts to deliver cost-saving primary care through a combination of preventative care, technology, and human contact, all pulled together with a simplified payment model.”I view the greatest success of Iora Health’s [...]
Carnival Corporation
Carl Icahn
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 6:21 pm
Big profits on the high seas.
Visa: Gaining the Worlds’s Trust
Shivani Aryal
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 8:02 pm
I evaluated Visa Inc.’s business and operating models and I believe that the company is a “winner” in its ability to align the two. Company Overview: Established in 1958, Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, [...]
Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas – “A first-class movie destination”
Robert Lam
Posted on December 7, 2015 at 11:55 pm
Cinepolis seeks to provide an upscale movie going experience by providing comfortable seating, fine dining options and lounge areas for customers to interact. For roughly $20 a ticket ($8-10 more than a typical theatre), customers can have a convenient and [...]
British American Tobacco: ailgnment between operating and business models
Yendi Wehbe
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 3:22 pm
British American Tobacco's alignment in its business and operating models have resulted in value creation for both its shareholders as well as for its customers.
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