RC TOM Challenge 2018

November 13, 2018

Read The Full Prompt

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/.

Submitted (926)

Pfizer and IBM: A Collaboration to Accelerate Drug Discovery?
Joe Tung
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 11:15 am
  In December 2016, pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. announced a partnership with IBM Watson Health to use IBM Watson for Drug Discovery’s machine learning platform to help Pfizer’s research in immuno-oncology. [1] Pfizer sought to use Watson’s machine learning and [...]
Driving into the Future: The Impact of Self-Driving Haul Trucks on Oil Sands Mining Giant, Suncor Energy
Leah H
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 4:41 pm
Canada's oil sands mining industry faces the entry of self-driving haul trucks as a means to lower operating costs. In an economic environment of low crude oil prices and an unclear future for oil sands mining, is this an investment [...]
Vodafone: leveraging Machine Learning in an (almost) 5G world
KS
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:44 pm
Vodafone's ability to deploy more predictive analytics given its access to large, global, and varied data pools will be a key competitive advantage as we approach a 5G world.
Overcoming Information Asymmetries in Credit Markets: Machine Learning at LendingClub
Emma
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:58 pm
Machine learning techniques are starting to break down inefficiencies in lending markets, enabling wider access to credit and putting downwards pressure on borrowing rates. This post explores how LendingClub uses machine learning to reach its strategic goals, and where the [...]
Developing Machine Learning and Proprietary Data Sets at Goldman Sachs
Marc
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 2:27 pm
Goldman Sachs is a global investment bank, struggling to monetize customer data in a highly regulated environment. How are they getting around these restrictions?
Chanel’s Foray Into 3D Printing
Arting Chang
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 12:07 am
Chanel, one of the most iconic haute couture houses, has been at the forefront of additive manufacturing compared to its peers. The brand recently debuted a 3D printed mascara that it had been perfecting for over a decade. While the [...]
Rent The Runway wants to predict your fashion choices and give you a virtual closet, will you let them?
WinnieThePooh
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 2:37 pm
Rent the Runway believes through machine learning they can accurately identify your fashion preferences and customize your closet with the latest trends, but only if you trust their insights enough to take a chance on renting their limited selection of [...]
Stitch Fix: Using Machine Learning to Help The Grinch
StitchFixFan
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 4:22 pm
Stitch Fix uses machine learning to help you answer that age old question of what to wear
The Rise of Automotive Additive Manufacturing
9315
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 2:35 pm
Mercedes Trucks Coming to a 3-D Printer Near You
Investment Banks and Machine Learning: Friend or Foe?
Samuel Hill
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:31 pm
Investment Banks must start embracing machine learning to remain competitive. For instance, UBS is rethinking the bond issuance process through a Canadian tech startup – Overbond – which provides estimates for the timing and price of a potential issuance.
Machine Learning, Defense Innovation and the British Army
Desmond Wolfe
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 4:50 pm
A discussion of machine learning, its applications with respect to the British Army and an examination of the organizational structures required to support Research and Development.
Can Facebook’s Artificial Intelligence Kill Fake News?
Spencer Penn
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 5:53 pm
A exploration of the arms race to use Machine Learning by both those creating and stopping fake news.
UPS: Improving Global Supply Chains and Last-Mile Delivery with Machine Learning
Yury Kapko
Last modified on November 12, 2018 at 7:07 pm
e-Commerce caused explosion of home deliveries and gave consumers more power. How UPS employed the AI to solve these issues.
The internal-external AI gap: Why the UK’s leading AI healthcare startup refuses to deploy AI internally
Chaba
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:51 pm
“It will soon be seen as ignorant, negligent and maybe even criminal to diagnose disease without using AI”[1] Ali Parsa, CEO of Babylon Health   Having launched in 2014 as a telemedicine provider, Babylon quickly pivoted into AI diagnostics, growing [...]
Chanel has a magic wand for beautiful eyelashes, thanks to 3D printing
mac2020
Last modified on November 16, 2018 at 12:40 am
Chanel is on the cutting edge of additive manufacturing in the cosmetics industry, as evidenced by their latest mascara launch.
Emotionally Aware Vehicles: The Future of Road Safety?
Gbubemi
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 9:17 pm
How Emotion Artificial Intelligence can be used to monitor drivers and increase road safety
Machine Learning at Emirates Airlines
oliveoil
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 7:36 pm
Emirates Airlines brings innovative machine learning and data science techniques to the airline industry.
Can ML replace Human Resources?
M Williams
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 3:12 pm
With $40 million dollars in venture backing and over 20% of Fortune 100 companies asking to use their product, will Humu, an enterprise relationship management system, make a lasting impact in the move to bring technology into HR functions?
One Fish, Two Fish: How Machine Learning Can Enhance Fisheries Management
jack schlossberg
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 6:52 pm
Overfishing has decimated global fish stocks and threatens food security for billions down the line, but machine learning helps regulators meet this urgent challenge with new capabilities and better science.
Two Sigma Investments: Will Machines Take Over the Stock Market?
TomB
Posted on November 12, 2018 at 11:11 am
With over 1,500 employees, including 200+ PhDs, Two Sigma runs systematic hedge fund strategies that rely on machine learning to extract insights and predictive signals in a fraction of the time the human brain can to deliver superior alpha with [...]
John Deere – Bringing AI to Agriculture
Kate Grosch
Posted on November 7, 2018 at 6:58 pm
John Deere, known for its iconic green tractors, has been making big strides into AI-driven precision agriculture.
J.P. Morgan: Trades and payments with AI. What’s next?
Operator
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 12:57 am
J.P. Morgan is using AI to execute trades and assist corporate clients with payments. Other banks are also working on similar initiatives. Can AI help J.P. Morgan and other big banks retain customers and differentiate from competitors?
Bidgely: Named After The Hindi Word For Electricity, This Company Can Help You Save It
Nathan Nemon
Posted on November 13, 2018 at 6:58 pm
Imagine looking at a graph of your home’s energy usage and knowing exactly what's shaping it. Would you find this information valuable? Bidgely is betting yes and has the machine learning capability to deliver.
Artificial Intelligence at Berg: Just another biotech or industry changing company?
adventurezone
Last modified on November 13, 2018 at 1:41 pm
Assessment of Berg's (Boston based biotech) strategy in the short and medium term with respect to its AI, Interrogative Biology and drug development.
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