RC TOM Challenge 2017

November 15, 2017

Read The Full Prompt

The TOM Challenge provides an opportunity for students to learn more about supply chain management by exploring how organizations are grappling with some megatrends: climate change, digitalization, and the growing influence of isolationist political movements on international trade policies.  These 700-800 word essays should address four questions:

  1. Why is (or should) your particular aspect of one of these megatrends be of concern to the management of the organization you have selected?
  2. What is the organization’s management doing to address this concern in the short term (the next two years) and the medium term (3–10 years out)?
  3. What other steps do you recommend the organization’s management take to address this concern in the short and medium terms?
  4. What are one or two important open questions related to this concern in the context of the organization you selected that you are unsure about, which merit comments from your classmates?

When posting your essay to Open Knowledge, be sure to enter “Climate change”, “Digitalization”, or “Isolationism” in the Topics field.

More details on research, sourcing, deadlines, and other matters are provided in the RC TOM Challenge: 2017 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://goo.gl/yyXK2H.

Submitted (924)

Patagonia’s Mission Against Climate Change
Karen C.
Last modified on November 7, 2017 at 9:47 pm
Beloved by nature enthusiasts and urban dwellers alike, Patagonia is an outdoor clothing and gear designer founded in the early 1970’s. Since its inception, Patagonia has a legacy of environmental and social responsibility that has been codified in its mission [...]
Escaping to Tasmania
Chardonnay
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 3:38 pm
Climate change's effect on Australian winemakers and their migration to Tasmania to survive.
Adidas “Speedfactory”: Delivering what customers want, when and where they want it
Cenk Citiroglu
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 5:06 pm
Adidas, the giant sportswear manufacturer with more than $ 19.0 Billion in revenues, sold 360 million pair footwear in 2016 and produced 97% of total footwear volume in Asia. [1] However, “Speedfactory” project that Adidas initiated under the umbrella of [...]
Unilever’s climate-proofing strategy
Gayathri Ramkrishnan
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 6:44 pm
Unilever whose supply chain has been significantly impacted by climate change has commendable initiatives lined up to fight the climate change battle.
Digitalization in K-12 education: Will Boston pass the test?
JC
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 9:51 pm
How can supply chain digitalization help the public sector? One city is looking to find out. Boston is currently exploring Unified Enrollment, a system that would use digital supply chain solutions to transform the school enrollment system.
Miami’s (climate change) Models
Sharat Akasapu
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 9:07 pm
What's the impact of climate change on the city of Miami? Will the city even exist in 100 years?
From Supply Chains to Supply Circles: How Philips is Rethinking Business in a World of Scarce Resources
AR
Last modified on November 14, 2017 at 7:54 pm
If you could redesign the global supply chain from scratch, would it look like what we have today? Should hundreds of millions of tons of materials be ending up in landfills every year? If your answer is "no," then start [...]
Wait, Who Owns What? Oseberg’s Digitalization of America’s Land Records
Tom C. Thompson
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 9:12 pm
Oil and gas companies deal with a land recording system that is hundreds of years old, startup company Oseberg is here to digitalize and modernize that system.
Solar Panel Import Taxes: The Death of Tesla and the U.S. Solar Industry?
Katie Hsia
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 5:05 pm
Looming import tariffs could make rooftop solar too expensive for most Americans to afford. The decision to close America's borders to the importation of cheap solar panels lies in the hands of President Trump. Could isolationism kill the U.S. rooftop [...]
TEPCO: A quiet emergence of Smart-Grid in Japan (Digitization)
Motoaki
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 6:04 pm
Japan's leading utility, TEPCO has been quietly installing cutting-edge technologies in its energy grids as the world moves towards the new levels of interconnectedness. This essay looks at the energy grid as a supply chain network, and analyses the impact [...]
H&M quenching the thirst of the fashion industry
Paula Vich Serra
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 5:16 pm
It takes up to 10,000 liters of water to make one pair of jeans, the equivalent of flushing your toilet approximately 2,000 times. H&M sold +22USDBn worth of clothes globally last year. How is the company addressing the challenge of [...]
Textron Marine and Land Systems: Technology of the future, IT of the past
MilBrat
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 4:14 pm
A military vehicle company with 80 years of experience faces tough decisions on how to improve production planning systems after significant financial losses.
Pie in the Sky: can Africa help UPS in the Game of Drones?
angieslist
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 6:42 pm
UPS invested in last mile drone delivery and innovative partnerships in Rwanda and Tanzania, but is that enough to leapfrog Amazon and Google? Or will they remain a fast follower?
How HMG makes an (olive) oil and water relationship work
Carolina Perry
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 7:07 pm
Herdade Maria da Guarda (HMG) has been able to keep its olive oil production during the last years, while some of the largest european producers have faced decreasing productions as a result of extreme heat waves and water shortage. Is [...]
Can Colombia’s one-stop App become profitable?
Daniela Izquierdo
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:20 pm
Is becoming profitable achivablein a sector with thin margins, high labor costs, and tricky economics.
A Heifer Sized Problem for Tyson Foods
Rasha
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 5:18 pm
Demand for beef is expected to increase as income levels rise and the global population grows to exceed 9bn by 2050. However, beef production is a key contributor to climate change, producing ~3 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions annually, polluting [...]
Where in the world will our wine come from?
Worried Sommelier
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:14 pm
Climate change is threatening to disrupt the global wine industry supply map. How will wine producers evolve?
Adidas: Racing to Supply Chain 4.0
Zach Stolzenberg
Posted on November 12, 2017 at 6:08 pm
Adidas is taking the lead in revolutionizing an industry supply chain that is known for relying on manual labor and having extremely long lead times.
Diesel Gate: Is VW ready to take on yet another emission challenge?
Lige
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:49 pm
With a damaged reputation from its Diesel emission scandal, can Volkswagen achieve its aspirations in electric car production?
Tesla Versus the World: Can Insourcing Beat Outsourcing?
Melon Eusk
Posted on November 13, 2017 at 4:37 pm
Tesla has chosen to produce their parts and products in-house. Will this start a new manufacturing trend or lead to the demise of the company?
How Big is Amazon’s Opportunity in Healthcare?
ZB
Last modified on November 22, 2017 at 3:07 pm
In October 2017, reports surfaced stating that Amazon’s entry into healthcare was imminent. Overnight, stock prices for top pharmacies, PBMs, and wholesalers plummeted, losing a sum total of ~$40B in market capitalization [1]. But how well-equipped is Amazon to disrupt [...]
Blockchain Technology: Walmart’s Holy Grail of Food Supply Chain Management?
Roger L
Last modified on November 15, 2017 at 9:56 pm
Walmart bets big on blockchain to improve its food supply chain management.
Blue Diamond Growers: The effect of climate change on the almond industry
ES
Posted on November 14, 2017 at 11:37 pm
For Blue Diamond Growers, almond demand is growing and acreage is increasing; however, supply is being threatened by climate change, specifically droughts in the California region.
Hewlett Packard’s printing business is dying. Can HP leverage digitization as its tailwind?
Protagonist
Posted on November 15, 2017 at 10:59 pm
Digitalization has been of concern to Hewlett Packard Inc. (“HPQ”) for the past decade. HP’s printing business, which accounts for 38% of its total sales in 2016, is dying as its US$18bn revenue has been declining at an annual rate [...]
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