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)

IKEA: Redefining the Market to Achieve Success
David Rose
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 8:22 pm
How did an offbeat Swedish retailer managed to conquer the market for furniture around the globe? Below that quirky surface lies an amazing success story of well-executed strategic alignment.
Netflix: Revolutionizing Content Creation and Distribution
NP
Posted on December 5, 2015 at 7:38 pm
Netflix is disrupting the media industry with its innovative approach to ad-free content distribution over the internet.
PICARD, French gastronomy everyday for everyone!
JC Napoleon
Posted on December 10, 2015 at 1:36 am
Picard is the most famous success story in French food retail. I could eat Picard everyday!
SolarCity: Harnessing the Power of the Sun to Drive Customer Value
kwei
Last modified on December 6, 2015 at 4:15 pm
SolarCity's business and operating models come together to drive down the cost of clean energy
Bolt Bus – Disrupting the Urban Transit Market
Trang
Last modified on November 30, 2015 at 8:36 pm
Bolt for a Buck.  This simple concept has created value—an estimated $85MM* in annual revenues for Peter Pan and Greyhound who partnered to create BoltBus in 2007—in a formerly stagnant bus transportation industry.1 BoltBus’ business model is simple: to transport [...]
CIBC World Markets: Serving clients or serving selves?
andrea.heckbert
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 9:57 pm
How one investment bank falls short of "beating the Street"
ClassPass: Serving a Two-Sided Marketplace with Class(Pass)
Jean
Last modified on December 14, 2015 at 1:51 pm
ClassPass (‘CP’) is a two-sided marketplace that connects the end consumer, a fitness class attendee, with classes at boutique fitness studios.
MCX and CurrentC: How to Become the Laughingstock of the Mobile Payments Industry
Marc Batchan
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 7:52 pm
Conceived in 2012 to save retailers $15 billion in annual payment card processing fees, CurrentC is still not widely available, largely due to a disconnect between MCX's business and operating models.
Carnegie Steel: Building a Modern America
Robber Barron
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 5:21 pm
Revolutionizing steel-making through vertical integration, constant innovation, and scale to fuel American industrialization
WeChat Official Accounts –An “App-within-an-app” Platform
Feiran Wang
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 4:55 pm
With 10 million official accounts, WeChat is serving its users as a browser for 10 million apps covering every aspect of their lives.
Harley-Davidson: Being Bad Can Be So, So Good
Matt Simpson
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 11:11 pm
Harley-Davidson doesn't sell you a bike, they sell you freedom.
ZARA: Sprinting past traditional retail
Anna Marie Wagner
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 5:02 pm
ZARA has developed a large-scale, super-fast supply chain to allow it to capitalize on trends as soon as they happen.
Tesla Motors – A Car Manufacturer with a Difference
Saaket
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 8:35 pm
With an action plan in place to address the key inhibitions towards electric cars, Tesla Motors is a blockbuster in the making.
Solazyme: Poised to revolutionize oil markets?
Anthony Ferrara
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 11:08 pm
Solazyme has developed a revolutionary way of synthesizing tailored renewable oils that address various end markets via the use of proprietary algae technology.
Harry Winston: “Glitz, Glam, and Gorgeous Rocks”
Elizabeth D.
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:29 pm
Transforming Fine Jewelry into Fine Works of Art for over eighty years
Twitter at a Crossroads
TheOtherYiCai
Last modified on December 14, 2015 at 1:48 pm
Key gaps between Twitter's business and operating models slowed down product development and hampered the company in its race for more users--and accompanying digital ad dollars. Faced with a skeptical market, the company needs to refocus on execution and proving [...]
Yelp: a 5-star review
David Liang
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 8:39 pm
Yelp effectively leverages its business and operating models to deliver value on both sides of its two-sided market.
Whole Foods: Power to the People
PVD
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:37 pm
Whole Foods empowers people through high quality, extraordinary service and competitive prices
EPAM Systems: Defying the Odds in the IT Services Industry
pandakhubs
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 9:46 pm
EPAM Systems continues to relentlessly pursue the most innovative and often mission critical technology solutions for every client, aiming to solve where others have failed.
Chipotle: The birth of the fast-casual concept
Luli Mello
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 9:29 pm
Chipotle's incredible focus on its operations allowed it to carve out an entirely new segment within the already very mature food industry.
Tesla Motors – Revolutionizing the Auto Industry
Dylan Jackson
Last modified on December 5, 2015 at 6:35 pm
Transforming the century old automobile industry by the way of technology and vertical integration
Zipcar – An effective car sharing system
Arturo
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 8:41 pm
Zipcar is a car-sharing company that has been able to provide a reliable transportation alternative, defying the car ownership.
Fabindia: Connecting India’s rural economy to the Market
HB
Last modified on December 7, 2015 at 4:27 pm
Fabindia - creating value for customers while improving rural livelihoods.
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