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)

Second Cup – A slow death or a second-act of revival?
AJ
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 10:12 pm
The transformation of an authentic Canadian java experience from a premium brand to an outdated brand
Uber – Reinventing The Taxi Station Operating Model
YaelS
Last modified on November 28, 2015 at 9:40 pm
Can Uber sustain its business model and success while competition increase?
One Medical: The Doctor’s Office. Reinvented.
Pia Gugnani
Posted on December 5, 2015 at 6:47 pm
One Medical Group is bringing back service and patient-centricity to healthcare by focusing on design, technology, and building a great team of doctors!
Bethesda Game Studios: Fun for the Whole Family
sjwarneke
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 6:59 pm
Bethesda Game Studios produces high quality, in-depth video games that are committed to only two story lines, and uses teams that are as equally committed to each other as the company is to the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series. However, [...]
InMobi: An Indian Startup with a global ambition
Bipul Sinha
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 3:18 pm
Learn about how InMobi is disrupting the Mobile Ad Tech industry
Wegmans: The New Frontier in Grocery
AG
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 1:54 am
Wegmans is battling competitors on all fronts - from Whole Foods to Trader Joe's to Walmart. Even so, it's winning the battle to keep prices low and quality high.
Trader Joes – Innovation in the grocery business
Aaron Stolear
Last modified on December 3, 2015 at 4:33 pm
In 2012, Fast Company ranked Trader Joes as the 11th most innovative firm in the US. That same year, Trader Joes managed to outperform the rest of the grocery industry with a record revenue per square feet of $2,054 (compared [...]
Bio-Pappel: Bringing sustainability to the forefront of Mexican manufacturing
changeme_27
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:30 pm
Bio-Pappel, the leading producer of paper and paper-based products in Latin America, underwent a radical shift starting in 2011 to become a truly sustainable company. With 27 production plants in Mexico, United States, and Colombia, and a production process that [...]
Chipotle: It’s not the burrito – it’s the operating model
SamLi
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 10:31 pm
Chipotle, the popular Mexican restaurant chain, is a great example of effective alignment between business model and operating model. “It works because of our system,” says the founder Steve Ells [1], and I think he is absolutely right. We can [...]
SpaceX: The Quest for Affordable Space Travel through Reusable Rocketry
Ian Tracy
Last modified on December 10, 2015 at 10:28 pm
With a wildly passionate fan base, first-principles processes, and a robust launch manifest to fund its reusable first-stage rocket program, SpaceX has secured its position as the most competitively operating aerospace company in the world.
MDVIP: A Business Solution to a Healthcare Market Inefficiency
JM
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 3:43 pm
The primary care delivery system in the US is broken. Can an innovative business idea create an operating model to solve it?
Xiaomi: China’s Threat to Apple and Samsung
ghong
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 8:31 am
It’s Not About the Phone!
Krispy Kreme: A Fresh Hot Mess
alee
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 9:25 pm
Why Krispy Kreme’s signature hot glazed doughnuts was not enough to satiate investors’ appetites.
Regional Management: Too Much.. Too Soon..
Kevin McCallister
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 10:38 pm
Regional Management sacrificed business and operating model continuity for asset growth.
Hampton Creek – Food Innovation Through Technology
Julia
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 9:37 pm
Did you know that the last cookie you ate in Spangler was dairy-free and egg-free? Or that the mayonnaise in the Grille is not only egg-less, but vegan? If you didn’t, you are Hampton Creek’s ideal target customer.
Beating Nike to Become Nike? Check out Oiselle
Margo
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 12:47 pm
Nike, take note. Oiselle has figured out how to speak to and sell to female athletes. Can they keep it up?
KIPP: Changing Lives One Student at a Time
Obi Okwara
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 9:20 pm
Roland Fryer showed that educational achievement is correlated with higher incomes, lower rates of unemployment, lower rates of incarceration, and better physical health.1 If you believe a causal relationship exists between educational achievement and life outcomes, then efforts to improve [...]
From Rock to Ring – De Beers’ Diamond Cartel Shifts from Managing Supply to Driving Demand
Jbogoss
Posted on December 8, 2015 at 3:56 pm
De Beers, historical leader in the diamond global oligopoly, had to shift from managing supply to stimulating demand in order to continue to win in the last two decades.
Mendocino Farms: A fast casual sandwich shop where “happy” is worth every penny
Adam Gold
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:35 pm
Mendocino Farms has perfected its restaurant design to deliver gourmet sandwiches at fast-food speeds in a location that feels like a neighborhood hangout.
The Rise and Fall of Sears
James Light
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 11:29 pm
How the alignment and eventual misalignment of a classic American business fueled its rise and brought its fall
Build-A-Bear Workshop: It’s Time to Hibernate
lbourgeois
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 5:24 pm
Retail industry trends, such as decreased mall traffic and movement to online shopping, are threatening Build-A-Bear Workshop's physically dependent operations
Pernod Ricard – achieving growth through premiumisation
Pierre-Matthieu
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 7:39 pm
Pernod Ricard, the second largest spirits and wine company in the world, has achieved tremendous success by focus on the premium spirits market and by closely aligning its business model with its operational one.
Roche Holdings AG
Takeo.Smith
Last modified on December 9, 2015 at 11:28 pm
How the business, R&D, and manufacturing synergies of the Swiss drug giant helped it to become the largest biotech manufacturer in the world.
Mercadona: An Undisputed Winner
Luis de los Santos
Last modified on December 8, 2015 at 9:10 pm
Satisfying ‘The Boss’, or how to become the leading supermarket chain in Spain by focusing on your clients’ needs
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