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RC TOM Challenge 2018

November 13, 2018

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The TOM Challenge provides an opportunity for you to continue exploring organizational learning and innovation through the lens of process improvement and/or product development, the focus of RC TOM’s second module. In this challenge, you will investigate how an organization is grappling with machine learning, additive manufacturing, or open innovation. These megatrends are likely to significantly affect how organizations manage process improvement and product development in the coming years of your career. The TOM Challenge requires you to (1) conduct research and write an essay that examines how one organization is facing a particular aspect of one of these megatrends, and (2) write six comments that share your reflections on some of your section mates’ essays.

Your essay should address four questions in the context of the organization you choose:

  1. Why do you think the megatrend you selected is important to your organization’s management of process improvement and/or product development?
  2. What is the organization’s management doing to address this issue in the short term (the next two years) and the medium term (two to ten years out)?
  3. What other steps do you recommend the organization’s management take to address this issue in the short and medium terms?
  4. In the context of this organization, what are one or two important open questions related to this issue that you are unsure about that merit comments from your classmates?

Your essay should convey facts, analysis, and your recommendations. It should focus on a single organization (e.g., a single company, non-profit organization, or government agency) and a concern related to one megatrend. It is fine if the concern you choose relates to other megatrends that the organization is facing, but that’s not required. Roughly a third of your essay should be dedicated to each of the first three questions, with just a few sentences dedicated to the fourth question. Your essay should be at least 700 words but no more than 800 words, and must conclude with a word count in parentheses (such as 778 words).

When posting your essay to Open Knowledge, be sure to enter “Machine Learning”, “Additive Manufacturing”, or “Isolationism” in the Topics field.

More details on research, sourcing, deadlines, and other matters are provided in the RC TOM Challenge: 2018 note.  For assistance with the Open Knowledge platform during business hours (9:00 am – 5:00 pm M-F), email openknowledge@hbs.edu. A short video with instructions on how to post an essay to this platform is available at https://aiinstitute.hbs.edu/platform-rctom/how-to/.

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Submitted (926)

Comcast: Don’t cut the cord
MPan
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 8:28 pm
As the largest cable TV company and largest home Internet service provider in the United States, Comcast boasted a customer base of over 22.5 million TV subscribers and 25.1 million broadband subscriptions in 2017 (Kafka). With this enormous scale comes vast amounts [...]
Bioprinting – The Future of the Healthcare Industry
Michael Scott
Posted on November 9, 2018 at 5:15 pm
Organovo and other biotech companies are changing the shape of medical research and practice by developing and perfecting bioprinting technology. With the ability to print 3D tissues and organs, what are some of the opportunities and challenges presented by this [...]
Can machine learning provide a solution to CNP frauds?
KML
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 8:15 pm
FICO Machine Learning Algorithms Improve Card-Not-Present Fraud Detection by 30% – About a year back, FICO, a software firm announced that its new Falcon consortium models for payment card fraud detection include machine learning innovations that improve card-not-present (CNP) fraud [...]
Tesla: Driving Into the AI Future?
Low Rider
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:29 pm
This post examines the impact of machine learning and public perception on Tesla's autonomous vehicle product development process.
For GE to Convince the World of the Benefits of Additive Manufacturing, It Must First Convince Itself
JK Rowling
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 3:45 pm
Can GE get divisions outside of Aviation to adopt the Additive Manufacturing technologies it is trying to sell to customers as a standalone product?
Salesforce’s Secret Sauce To Stay Ahead of the CRM Market: AI
Tomas Musich
Posted on November 11, 2018 at 11:07 am
In the large and heavily competed market of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, Salesforce is relying on AI to differentiate its product offering from tech giants such as Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP. The bet on AI has allowed Salesforce to [...]
Predictive Policing: Promoting Peace or Perpetuating Prejudice?
Holly F
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 4:30 pm
The Chicago Police Department's embrace of machine learning raises critical questions about the balance between community safety, civil liberties, and systemic bias.
MOO-ve Over Alexa, Meet the Udderly Efficient IDA (a.k.a. the Intelligent Dairy Farmer’s Assistant): How One Food Conglomerate Helped Pilot Machine Learning to Make the Dairy Industry More Sustainable
L Wallace
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:16 pm
Danone teams up with a start-up to explore artificial intelligence in the dairy industry. Can a FitBit for cows keep farmers happy and cows healthy with long-term benefits to the conglomerate's supply chain?
Square’s New Circle: Banking on Data
Cathy Han
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 11:45 pm
Square brought small business payment terminals into the modern day. The simple, clean Square dongle has become widely recognized as the icon of new-age payment. Now, the company is eyeing its valuable set of transaction data to make loans. Square’s [...]
Boston Red Sox, Beacon, and Buy-In
Colin E Ryan
Last modified on November 15, 2018 at 4:15 pm
The Boston Red Sox upgraded their machine learning capabilities to provide user-friendly data to management and players. Management and players bought-in to the system, and many wins ensued.
Alibaba Has Something to Say about What You Should Buy and Whom You Should Marry
Jack Q Ma
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:54 pm
Its highly personalized app seems to know you better than you know yourself. But is there such a thing as too much personalization?
Additive Manufacturing in Construction
Triple E
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 7:31 pm
How important will additive manufacturing be in the future of construction? Over the years, additive manufacturing has been a constant topic of discussion in the industry. For the most part, the discussion revolves around trying to understand the limitations, applications [...]
Is Gucci’s Fad Shopper Dilemma a Predictive Analytics Opportunity?
Jayne Mathias
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 11:51 pm
Gucci's runaway growth has largely stemmed from first-time, millennial customers – a notoriously fickle client demographic with little brand loyalty and tall customer experience demands. Will Gucci's hesitance to deploy machine learning be what proves it a fad, rather than [...]
To All the Shows I’ve Loved Before: Netflix and Machine Learning
JT2020
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 1:51 pm
Why machine learning is at the core of Netflix's competitive advantage
On the Shoulders of Giants: How Amazon Uses Machine Learning and Consumer Data to Disrupt its Partners
Nassim Graham
Last modified on November 11, 2018 at 2:15 pm
What if I told you...that the flow of aggregated consumer shopping data could be multi-directional?
Smarter e-shopping with The North Face and Watson
JM
Posted on November 10, 2018 at 7:37 pm
“Hi! Can I help you shop for a jacket today?” This was no an ordinary sales assistant greeting me at the store. It was Expert Personal Shopper, a robot by The North Face that would help me choose “the perfect [...]
Is the Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Strategy Bold Enough?
Devin
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 1:09 pm
The line between disorder and order lies in logistics… - Sun Tzu
Leveraging Machine Learning to Reduce Spam on Twitter
aerochef747
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:36 pm
Engineers at Twitter have leveraged machine learning techniques to reduce the incidence of spam on the popular social networking site.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: L’Oréal’s ModiFace Uses AI to Find Your Perfect Shade Match
ModiFace
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 4:38 pm
L’Oréal’s acquisition of ModiFace, the leading provider of augmented reality solutions powered by machine learning, could revolutionize the way consumers experience beauty and make purchasing decisions - will competitors follow?
Machine Learning at Ant Financial (724 Words)
Billy Ford
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 1:26 pm
Discussion of innovation at Ant Financial wrt machine learning and the ramifications of those innovations.
Alibaba turns to Open Innovation to harness the power of millions of tech developers around the world
Tatiana
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 5:40 pm
Working with others can be much for productive than we expect
How Caterpillar uses Machine Learning to Produce Real ROI
Butterfly
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 6:28 pm
How much value does Machine Learning deliver to traditional industries? Although vital to the operation of almost all technology companies and hot start-ups, Machine Learning seems to only be adjunct to the core businesses of traditional manufacturing and operations. Having [...]
The NFL and Machine Learning: A Touchdown for Technology?
AB_23
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 3:01 pm
In an increasingly competitive industry, professional sports teams are seeking innovative ways to create unparalleled fan experiences. The NFL is now leveraging big data to optimize a nation's tradition.
JP Morgan COIN: A Bank’s Side Project Spells Disruption for the Legal Industry
Legal ML
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:34 pm
JPMorgan has begun to automate the work of its law firms using machine learning. It'll save time and money, but the bank shouldn't write off human analysis just yet.
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