Technology & Operations Management
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- October 2021
- Case
Diversifying P&G’s Supplier Base (A)
By: Kris Ferreira, Kym Lew Nelson, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Sarah MehtaIn February 2003, P&G hosted two meetings—one with its largest woman- and minority-owned suppliers and one with its largest non-minority-owned suppliers. Attendees in each meeting heard the same message: P&G was keen to grow its commitment to inclusive supply chains, but felt hamstrung by the limited scale and scope of its existing woman- and minority-owned suppliers. It was up to the attendees to determine how to work together to meet P&G’s needs. Otherwise, the consumer packaged goods giant would be forced to look outside its home city of Cincinnati, Ohio, for diverse suppliers at scale. This case tells the story of how Carl Satterwhite, president and co-owner of Infinity Services, a minority-owned furniture installation business, and J. Scott Robertson, president and owner of Globe Business Interiors (GBI), a non-minority-owned office furniture company, responded to P&G’s call.
- October 2021
- Case
Diversifying P&G’s Supplier Base (A)
By: Kris Ferreira, Kym Lew Nelson, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Sarah MehtaIn February 2003, P&G hosted two meetings—one with its largest woman- and minority-owned suppliers and one with its largest non-minority-owned suppliers. Attendees in each meeting heard the same message: P&G was keen to grow its commitment to inclusive supply chains, but felt hamstrung by the limited scale and scope of its existing woman- and...
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- October 2021
- Article
Shareholder Activism and Firms' Voluntary Disclosure of Climate Change Risks
By: Caroline Flammer, Michael W. Toffel and Kala ViswanathanThis paper examines whether—in the absence of mandated disclosure requirements—shareholder activism can elicit greater disclosure of firms’ exposure to climate change risks. We find that environmental shareholder activism increases the voluntary disclosure of climate change risks, especially if initiated by institutional investors, and even more so if initiated by long-term institutional investors. We also find that companies that voluntarily disclose climate change risks following environmental shareholder activism achieve a higher valuation post disclosure, suggesting that investors value transparency with respect to firms’ exposure to climate change risks.
- October 2021
- Article
Shareholder Activism and Firms' Voluntary Disclosure of Climate Change Risks
By: Caroline Flammer, Michael W. Toffel and Kala ViswanathanThis paper examines whether—in the absence of mandated disclosure requirements—shareholder activism can elicit greater disclosure of firms’ exposure to climate change risks. We find that environmental shareholder activism increases the voluntary disclosure of climate change risks, especially if initiated by institutional investors, and even more...
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- September 2021
- Case
Telepass: From Tolling to Mobility Platform (Abridged)
By: Chiara Farronato, Stefano Denicolai and Sarah MehtaTelepass, the sole processor of electronic toll payments on Italy’s highways, has ambitions beyond tolling. Since the mid-2010s, the company has been expanding into adjacent services. In 2017, Telepass launched TelepassPay—a mobile payment application (app) that allows subscribers to pay for dozens of mobility-related services and products from their smartphones. In 2019, Telepass launched a car insurance brokerage service. Using Telepass data, the brokerage service offers tailored insurance products to existing customers on behalf of insurance companies for a commission on converted leads. Now, in September 2020, Telepass’s senior leaders are considering a new, insurance-related growth opportunity: moving beyond the brokerage model to become the primary insurance seller. It is unclear, however, whether Telepass’s data provides sufficient insights into individual drivers’ risk profiles to build competitive, customized insurance products. Alternatively, Telepass could continue to improve the brokerage model and focus its resources on adding new mobility services to TelepassPay. This case is paired with a supplementary dataset (courseware no. 622-701), which provides a data analysis opportunity for students.
- September 2021
- Case
Telepass: From Tolling to Mobility Platform (Abridged)
By: Chiara Farronato, Stefano Denicolai and Sarah MehtaTelepass, the sole processor of electronic toll payments on Italy’s highways, has ambitions beyond tolling. Since the mid-2010s, the company has been expanding into adjacent services. In 2017, Telepass launched TelepassPay—a mobile payment application (app) that allows subscribers to pay for dozens of mobility-related services and products from...
About the Unit
As the world of operations has changed, so have interests and priorities within the Unit. Historically, the TOM Unit focused on manufacturing and the development of physical products. Over the past several years, we have expanded our research, course development, and course offerings to encompass new issues in information technology, supply chains, and service industries.
The field of TOM is concerned with the design, management, and improvement of operating systems and processes. As we seek to understand the challenges confronting firms competing in today's demanding environment, the focus of our work has broadened to include the multiple activities comprising a firm's "operating core":
- the multi-function, multi-firm system that includes basic research, design, engineering, product and process development and production of goods and services within individual operating units;
- the networks of information and material flows that tie operating units together and the systems that support these networks;
- the distribution and delivery of goods and services to customers.
Recent Publications
Diversifying P&G’s Supplier Base (B)
- October 2021 |
- Supplement |
- Faculty Research
Diversifying P&G’s Supplier Base (A)
- October 2021 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Shareholder Activism and Firms' Voluntary Disclosure of Climate Change Risks
- October 2021 |
- Article |
- Strategic Management Journal
GHN and AhaMove: Last-Mile Delivery in Vietnam
- September 2021 |
- Teaching Note |
- Faculty Research
Telepass: From Tolling to Mobility Platform (Abridged)
- September 2021 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Telepass: From Tolling to Mobility Platform
- September 2021 |
- Supplement |
- Faculty Research
Telepass: From Tolling to Mobility Platform
- September 2021 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Improving Deconvolution Methods in Biology Through Open Innovation Competitions: An Application to the Connectivity Map
- September 15, 2021 |
- Article |
- Bioinformatics