CASE-IN-POINT-咨询行业面试案例分析
咨询公司面试案例咨询入门系列：咨询案例分析
Firm: A.T. KearneyCase Number:Case setup (facts offered by interviewer):Your client is a U.S. based oil refineryThe refinery has a single location and is a small to medium-sized refineryYour client, although profitable, believes it is lagging behind the competition and could improve You are brought in as part of a joint consultant-client team that will review overall operations and make recommendations on ways to improve the bottom lineYou have been assigned to work with the maintenance divisionThe maintenance department’s primary objective is to prevent equipment failure and to repair equipment when it does failUnderstanding of its organization is important. It consists of three primary areas: nine assets areas, one central maintenance area and one group of contractors. The first two areas are employees of the client, the third an external source of labor.An asset is a physical area of the plant that contains various pieces of equipment (pumps, heat exchangers, etc.). There are nine assets. Each asset has a Maintenance Supervisor who is responsible for all maintenance to be performed in his/her asset. Working for the MaintenanceSupervisor in each asset is, on average, eleven “craftsmen”. The craftsmen are the actual workers that perform the maintenance. The craftsmen are unionized and divide into twelve different craft designations (e.g. electricians, pipefitters, welders, etc.). Each craft designation has a defined set of skills they are qualified to perform. They are not allowed to perform skills outside of their defined craft, or help in the performance of activities involving skills beyond their craft. Collectively the twelve different crafts can perform any maintenance job that might arise at the refinery. The maintenance supervisor and his/her assigned craftsmen are “hardwired” to their asset. That is, they work only on equipment in their given asset.Central maintenance is a centralized pool of Maintenance Supervisors and Craftsmen, who are dispatched to support the different assets during times of high workload. They are employees of your client and fit the description contained in the above Asset explanation. The only difference is that they may work in any of the different assets as determined by workload. There are a total of 11 Maintenance Supervisors and 100 Craftsmen that comprise Central Maintenance Contractors are a group of outside Supervisors and Craftsmen who support your client during times of high workload. They also are capable of performing any maintenance job that may arise, but differ from your client’s Craftsmen in that they divide the collective skills required into five designations rather than twelve. Thus, the craftsmen of the contractor are capable of performing a broader set of skills. They, like your client’s craftsmen, don’t perform skills outside of their defined craft but do allow different craft designations to help each other. There are an average of 7 contractor Maintenance Supervisors and 140 contractor Craftsmen at the refinery on any given day.Question:What opportunities exist to increase profits?What recommendations can you make to capture savings related to the identified opportunities?What are the cost savings associated with your recommendations?Suggested solutions:The first question involves identifying opportunities to improve profits. The candidate must start with either revenues or costs. Although one could make the argument that maintenance supports revenue by maximizing the operating time of the refinery equipment, maintenance should be seen to be a support function. Thus, it is more appropriate to focus on costs and cost reduction. The following questions will help the candidate gain insight into cost reduction opportunities.How does the maintenance department track its costs?If the candidate phrases the question about material or overhead costs, the interviewer would inform the candidate that detailed reviewed showed no major opportunities. The candidatewould be steered toward labor costs and given the following tables regarding maintenance labor costs for the past year.To support understanding of the following tables, Turnaround work is long term preventive maintenance (e.g. complete rebuilding of a boiler) that may be performed once every few years.All other work (short term emergency repairs, small scale preventive maintenance, other routine work, etc.) fits into the category of Daily workCraftsmen Daily work Turnaround TotalClient$ 8MM$ 2MM$ 10MMContractor$ 5MM$ 9MM$ 14MMTotal$ 13MM$ 11MM$ 24MMSupervisor TotalClient$ 1MMContractor$ 0.5MMTotal$ 1.5MM pursue cost savings opportunities in this area first.What is the utilization of Craftsmen in the assets? In central maintenance? And for contractors?Assume each area is utilized 100% of the time, 50 weeks per year, 40 hours per week.How does the labor cost of craftsmen ($24MM) on a refinery-sized basis (i.e., $cost / per barrel of crude oil processed) compare with industry averages?Consulting your industry data base shows that costs appear to be about 20% above the average of peer refineries.This is an important question to determine if ther e is a problem with costs (don’t assume there is, the client may be performing better than industry average!)Is there any particular reason why turnaround work is so heavily skewed toward contractors?Turnaround work tends to be more cyclical. An external workforce is used to absorb some of this additional work. Keep in mind that both client and contractor Craftsmen are capable of performing any maintenance job at the plant.After further analysis of the tables the key fact that should become appear odd is the large difference in the cost per unit of labor between your client’s Craftsmen and the outside contractor’s Craftsmen. Often candidates will ask for the hourly wage rates of these two groups. There is sufficient data to calculate these numbers. The calculation is:Annual cost of client craftsmen = $10MM/ ( 11 Craftsmen/asset x 9 assets + 100Craftsmen inCentral maintenance)= $50,000 / yearAnnual cost of contractor craftsmen = $ 14 MM/ 140 contractor Craftsmen= $100,000 / yearAgain, this difference should provoke a series of questions to understand the difference.Is there any difference in the work performed by the client and contractor craftsmen?No, other than the different levels of Turnaround work vs. Daily work performed as noted in the previous table. Both groups are capable of doing any job with roughly equal levels of quality.Is there any difference in efficiency between the two groups of Craftsmen?The candidate would at this point be asked how they would measure this.After reaching an understanding of the difficulty involved in measuring the efficiency of aworkforce (especially a unionized workforce), the candidate would be told that through a series of interviews with maintenance supervisors, there is a consensus that contractor Craftsmen are roughly twice as productive as client craftsmen.This is a critical point in the case. The candidate must recognize that in the present environment the client is largely indifferent about units of labor. You can have a client worker who is half as efficient or a contractor worker who is twice as expensive. The key now is to determine if there are ways to create an opportunity where the client would no longer be indifferent.What is causing the inefficiencies asso ciated with the client’s labor?Again, the candidate would be encouraged to offer their own ideas.After some discussion the candidate would be told that many of the Maintenance Supervisors complain endlessly about restrictions placed on them by the existing union labor contract and the tightness of craft designations.The interviewer would probe to ensure the candidate understands why the present craftdesignation create the inefficiencies. Essentially work is too finely divided. It makes planning and supervision extremely cumbersome. As an example, if one of six crafts required to perform a job is absent or late, the entire job must shut down, as craft designations are not allowed tosupport other craft designations.Is it possible to change the existing union contract?The present labor contract is a three year contract that is due to be renegotiated/renewed in six months.Will the union resist changes to the existing contract?Indeed!!At this point, the candidate should recognize a major (albeight difficult) opportunity to reduce labor costs. The client would essentially like to have its own employees look and function like its contractors, but continue to get paid at present rates. In reality, management will need to make wage concessions in order to change present work practices. However, through planned negotiations a scenario can be created which presents a favorable opportunity for your client to begin to replace outside contractors with its own Craftsmen.There are several ways to address the third question of the case, the actual savings that might be achieved. One quick method is to assume that these changes would bring maintenance costs back in line with industry average. Utilizing the cost benchmark mentioned earlier, one could assume costs could be reduced to $24MM/1.20 = $20MM, a $4MM savings.A se cond, and more detailed, method would be to take the extreme scenario where the client’s Craftsmen is paid its present rate, but is made as efficient as the contractor’s Craftsmen. In this case, you begin with the present level of 200 client craftsmen who are functioning as 100 equivalent contractor Craftsmen (they’re one-half as efficient). By improving their efficiency, you are effectively “creating” 100 equivalent contractors. Thus, you are immediately able to replace 100 contractors and save $10MM. This could be taken one step further by assuming you would want to replace all contractors. This would save an additional $2.5MM ($4MM existing contractor expense - $2MM required to hire additional client craftsmen + $0.5MM in contractor supervisors). As noted earlier, in reality, this approach would require wage concessions to the union, so actual savings may be something significantly less.Key takeaways:This case requires the candidate to quickly digest a large amount of organizational issues and then quickly check some ratios to uncover the basic problem (the client workforce is inefficient). Creativity must then be used to structure a recommendation that would create a more favorable situation for the client. As in other cases, acceptable solutions need not follow the exact method above nor cover all of the above points.。
咨询公司case分析方法共11页word资料
Case interview分析工具/框架来源：张旭的日志最近在准备CASE INTERVIEW，刚接触这个，对里面涉及到的FRAMEWORK和STRATEGY非常不熟悉，偶获珍宝，与诸君共享。
顺便攒RP！！案例面试分析工具/框架一．Business Strategy1．市场进入类●行业分析（波特5力，市场趋势，市场规模，市场份额，市场壁垒等）●公司宏观环境（人口，经济，自然，技术，政治），公司微观环境（公司，供应商，市场中介，顾客，竞争对手，大众）●3C（Competitor, Consumer, Company/Capabilities）●Cost-revenue固定成本，可变成本收入怎么计算？时间序列估计，可比公司估计●市场细分很重要，niche marketA.地理细分B.人口细分（年龄及生命周期阶段细分，性别细分，收入细分）C.心理细分（社会阶层，生活方式，个性特征）D.行为细分（购买时机-柯达，利益细分-牙膏，用户状况，使用率，忠诚度）2．行业分析类●市场（市场规模，市场细分，产品需求/趋势分析，客户需求）●竞争（竞争对手的经济情况，产品差异化，市场整合度，产业集中度）●顾客/供应商关系（谈判能力，替代者，评估垂直整合）●进入/离开的障碍（评估公司进入/离开。
对新加入者的反应，经济规模，预测学习曲线，研究政府调控）●资金金融（主要金融资金来源，产业风险因素，可变成本/固定成本）●风险预测与防范3．新产品引入类●营销调研●产品？价格？即4P●4C (Customer, Competition, Cost, Capabilities)●市场促销，分校渠道（渠道选择，库存，运输，仓储）●STP和4P（Product, Price, Place, Promotion）●产品生命周期二．Business Operation1．市场容量扩张（竞争对手，消费者，自己实力）2．利润改善型●Revenue, Cost分析，到底是销售额下降造成，还是成本上升造成●如果销售额下降，看4P了（是价格过高？产品质量问题？分校渠道问题？还是promotion的efficacy有问题？）●如果成本上升，看固定成本or可变成本是否有问题？（固定成本过高，设备是否老化，需要关闭生产线、厂房，降低管理者工资等，可变成本过高，看原材料价格是否上升，有没有降低的可能，switch suppliers? 还是人员工资过高，需要裁员等）●成本结构是否合理，产能利用率如何（闲置率）3.推销任何一种产品/服务●4P，3c4.定价●以成本为基础的定价成本加成定价，以目标利润（盈亏平衡定价）●以价值为基础定价●以竞争为基础定价三．Market Sizing/Estimation●市场趋势，市场规模，市场份额，市场壁垒等●市场集中度●市场驱动因素（价格，服务，质量，外观）●关键成功要素KSF四．M&A类●整合原因（synergy, scale, management impulse, Taxconsideration, Diversification, Breakup Value）●5C（Character, Capacity, Capital, Conditions, Competitive Advantage）●类型：horizontal, vertical, congeneric, conglomerate●估值方法：DFC，Market Multiple( EBITDA，P/E，P/B)●DFC：Pro Forma Cash Flow Statement，Discount Rate●Hostile VS Friendly takeovers所有咨询公司面试可能用到的分析结构Advanced concepts & frameworksMBAs and other candidates with business background, take note - interviewers will expect you to have a more detailed take on your case than an undergrad uate would have. Here are some commonly used case concepts.Net present valuePerhaps the most important type of decision company managers must make o n a daily basis is whether to undertake a proposed investment. For example, should the company buy a certain piece of equipment? Build a particular facto ry? Invest in a new project? These types of decisions are called capital budgeting decisions. The consultant makes such decisions by calculating the net pres ent value of each proposed investment and making only those investments tha t have positive net present values.Example: Hernandez is the CFO of Western Manufacturing Corp., an automobil e manufacturer. The company is considering opening a new factory in Ohio th at will require an initial investment of $1 million. The company forecasts that t he factory will generate after-tax cash flows of $100,000 in Year 1, $200,000 in Year 2, $400,000 in Year 3, and $400,000 in Year 4. At the end of Year 4, the company would then sell the factory for $200,000. The company uses a discount rate of 12 percent. Hernandez must determine whether the company should go ahead and build the factory. To make this decision, Hernandez must calculate the net present value of the investment. The cash flows associated with the factory are as follows:Hernandez then calculates the NPV of the factory as follows:Since the factory has a negative net present value, Hernandez correctly decide s that the factory should not be built.The net present value ruleNote from the example above that once the consultant has figured out the NP V of a proposed investment, she then decides whether to undertake the invest ment by applying the net present value rule:Make only those investments that have a positive net present value.As long as the consultant follows this rule, she can be confident that each inv estment is making a positive net contribution to the company.The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)In the above example, we assumed a given discount rate. However, part of a consultant's job is to determine an appropriate discount rate (r) to use when c alculating net present values. The discount rate may vary depending on the in vestment.BetaThe first step in arriving at an appropriate discount rate for a given investmen t is determining the investments riskiness. The market risk of an investment i s measured by its "beta" (?), which measures riskiness when compared to the market as a whole. An investment with a beta of 1 has the same riskiness a s the market as a whole (so, for example, when the market moves down 10 percent, the value of the investment will on average fall 10 percent as well). An investment with beta of 2 will be twice as risky as the market (so when th e market falls 10 percent, the value of the investment will on average fall 20 percent).CAPMOnce the consultant has determined the beta of a proposed investment, he can use the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) to calculate the appropriate disc ount rate (r):The risk-free rate of return is the return the company could receive by makin g a risk-free investment (for example, by investing in U.S. Treasury bills). The market rate of return is the return the company could receive by investing in a well-diversified portfolio of stocks (for example, S&P 500).Example: Shen, Inc., a coal producer, is considering investing in a new ventur e that would manufacture and market carbon filters. Shen's chief financial offic er, Apelbaum, wants to calculate the NPV of the proposed venture in order to determine whether the company should make the investment. After studying t he riskiness of the proposed venture, Apelbaum determines that the beta of th e investment is 1.5. A U.S. Treasury note of comparable maturity currently yie lds 7 percent, while the return on the S&P 500 stock index is 12 percent. The refore, the discount rate Apelbaum will use when calculating the NPV of the in vestment will be:Although this is an overly simplified discussion of how consultants calculate dis count rate to use in their cash-flow analysis, it does give you an overview of how consultants incorporate the notion of an investment's market to select the appropriate discount rate.Porter's Five ForcesDeveloped by Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter in his book Co mpetitive Strategy, the Porter's Five Forces framework helps determine the att ractiveness of an industry. Before any company expands into new markets, di vests product lines, acquires new businesses, or sells divisions, it should ask it self, "Is the industry we're entering or exiting attractive?" By using Porter's Fi ve Forces, a company can begin to develop a thoughtful answer. Consultants f requently utilize Porter's Five Forces as a starting point to help companies eval uate industry attractiveness.Take, for example, entry into the copy store market (like Kinko's). How attract ive is the copy store market?Potential entrants: What is the threat of new entrants into the market? Copy s tores are not very expensive to open - you can conceivably open a copy store with one copier and one employee. Therefore, barriers to entry are low, so th ere's a high risk of potential new entrants.Buyer power: How much bargaining power do buyers have? Copy store custo mers are relatively price sensitive. Between the choice of a copy store that ch arges 5 cents a copy and a store that charges 6 cents a copy, buyers will usu ally head for the cheaper store. Because copy stores are common, buyers hav e the leverage to bargain with copy store owners on large print jobs, threatening to take their business elsewhere. The only mitigating factors are location a nd hours. On the other hand, price is not the only factor. Copy stores that ar e willing to stay open 24 hours may be able to charge a premium, and custo mers may simply patronize the copy store closest to them if other locations ar e relatively inconvenient.Supplier power: How much bargaining power do suppliers have? While paper p rices may be on the rise, copier prices continue to fall. The skill level employe es need to operate a copy shop (for basic services, like copying, collating, etc.) are relatively low as well, meaning that employees will have little bargaining power. Suppliers in this situation have low bargaining power.Threat of substitutes: What is the risk of substitution? For basic copying jobs, more people now possess color printers at home. Additionally, fax machines h ave the capability to fulfill copy functions as well. Large companies will normal ly have their own copying facilities. However, for large-scale projects, most in dividuals and employees at small companies will still use the services of a cop y shop. The Internet is a potential threat to copy stores as well, because som e documents that formerly would be distributed in hard copy will now be post ed on the Web or sent through e-mail. However, for the time being, there is s till relatively strong demand for copy store services.Competition: Competition within the industry appears to be intense. Stores oft en compete on price, and are willing to "underbid" one another to win printing contracts. Stores continue to add new features to compete as well, such as e xpanding hours to 24-hour service and offering free delivery.From this analysis, you can ascertain that copy stores are something of a com modity market. Consumers are very price-sensitive, copy stores are inexpensiv e to set up, and the market is relatively easily entered by competitors. Advan ces in technology may reduce the size of the copy store market. Value-added services, such as late hours, convenient locations, or additional services such as creating calendars or stickers, may help copy stores differentiate themselve s. But overall, the copy store industry does not appear to be an attractive one.As dot-coms come under fire, one case question we've heard increasingly is " How would you create barriers to entry as an Internet Startup?"Product life cycle curveIf you're considering a product case, figure out how "mature" your product or service isStrategy tool/framework chartHere's one way to think about the choice between being the lowest-cost provi der or carving out a higher-end market niche - what consultants call differenti ation.The Four PsThis is a useful framework for evaluating marketing cases. It can be applied t o both products and services. The Four Ps consist of:PriceThe price a firm sets for its product/service can be a strategic advantage. For example, it can be predatory (set very low to undercut the competition), or it can be set slightly above market average to convey a "premium" image. Consi der how pricing is being used in the context of the case presented to you. ProductThe product (or service) may provide strategic advantage if it is the only prod uct/service that satisfies a particular intersection of customer needs. Or it may simply be an extension of already existing products, and therefore not much of a benefit. Try to tease out the value of the product in the marketplace bas ed on the case details you have been given.Position/PlaceThe physical location of a product/service can provide an advantage if it is sup erior to its competition, if it is easier or more convenient for people to consu me, or if it makes the consumer more aware of the product/service over its c ompetition. In the context of a business case, you may want to determine the placement of the product or service compared to its competition.PromotionWith so much noise in today's consumer (and business to business) marketpla ce, it is difficult for any one product/service to stand out in a category. Promo tional activity (including advertising, discounting to consumers and suppliers, c elebrity appearances, etc.) can be used to create or maintain consumer aware ness, open new markets, or target a specific competitor. You may want to sug gest a promotional strategy in the context of the case you are presented relati ve to the promotional activity of other competing products/services.The Four CsThe Four Cs are especially useful for analyzing new product introductions and for industry analysis.CustomersHow is the market segmented?What are the purchase criteria that customers use?CompetitionWhat is the market share of the clients?What is its market position?What is its strategy?What is its cost position?Does he/she have any market advantages?CostWhat kind of economies of scale does the client have?What is the client's experience curve?Will increased production lower cost?CapabilitiesWhat resources can the client draw from?How is the client organized?What is the production system?The Five CsThis framework is mostly applied to financial cases and to companies (althoug h it can be applied to individuals). You may employ it in other situations if yo u think it is appropriate.CharacterEvaluate the dedication, track record, and overall consumer perception of the company. Are there any legal actions pending against the company? If so, for what reason? Is the company progressive about its waste disposal, quality of l ife for its employees, and charitable contributions? What sort of impact would this have on the case you are evaluating?CapacityIf you are dealing with a manufacturing entity, are its factories at, above, or below capacity, and for what reasons? Are there plans to add new plants, imp rove the technology in existing plants, or close underperforming plants? What about production overseas?CapitalWhat is the company's cost of capital relative to its competitors? How healthy are its cash flows, revenues, and debt load relative to its competition? ConditionsWhat is the current business climate the company (and its industry) faces? W hat is the short- and long-term growth potential in the industry? How is the market characterized? Is it emerging or mature? These questions can assist yo u in evaluating the facts of the case against the environment that the compan y/industry inhabits.Competitive AdvantageThis is the unique edge a company possesses over its competitors. It can be an unparalleled set of business processes, the ability to produce a product/ser vice at a lower cost, charge a market premium, or any number of other asset s that create an advantage over other market players. Whatever the case, the se advantages are usually defensible and not easily copied.In evaluating business cases using the Five Cs framework, you should look for those unique qualities that a company possesses and identify any that meet t he criteria mentioned above. You may suggest that the company leverage its competitive advantage more aggressively or recommend alternatives if that co mpany has no discernible advantage.Value Chain AnalysisThis approach involves assessing a company's overall business processes and i dentifying where that company actually adds value to a product or service. Th e total margin of profit will be the value of the product or service to buyers, l ess the cost of its production, as determined by the value chain.In most cases, a competitive advantage is only temporary for many of today's products/services. Being first to market, having a unique formula or configura tion, or having exclusivity in a market were once long-term defensible strategi es. But today, businesses are globally connected by lightning-fast communicati ons and knowledge-sharing systems and manufacturing technologies are gettin g better and faster at reacting to and anticipating market conditions. Thus the se advantages are only fleeting or may not exist at all.Value Chain Analysis attempts to identify a competitive advantage by deconstr ucting the various "changes" a company's business processes perform on a set of raw materials or other inputs. Most can be easily copied by other competit ors, but there is usually a unique subset that represents the "value-added" qu alities only the company under scrutiny possesses. This set is that company's competitive advantage, or "value chain." Sometimes this set can be copied, bu t a unique set of circumstances may still allow the company in question to per form them at a lower cost, charge a premium in the market, or retain higher market share than its competitors.In the context of a business case, you can use this framework to identify a co mpany's overall business processes set and then determine if one or more of t he processes are defensible competitive advantages.For example, a manufacturer of fruit juice might have the following value chai n elements:•Research and development (Will mango really taste good with cloudberry juic e?)•Cost of goods sold (How much does it cost to manufacture the fruit juice? Is there a frost in Florida that drives up the costs of oranges? Is the currency c risis in Indonesia making papaya very cheap? Are per-volume purchases lower than, for example, those of Tropicana?)•Packaging and shipping (How much does that new banana-shaped container c ost? Are many bottles lost in transit? What are the fixed costs of shipping?) •Manufacturing (How much do those juice pulpers cost? How often do factories need to be reengineered?)•Labor (How many employees do we have? Where are they located? Are they unionized?)•Distribution (Where are the distribution centers? Where are the products distri buted?)•Advertising (Billboards, TV, magazines?)•Margin (How profitable is the juice company?)For more detailed information on this type of analysis, you may want to consider the authoritative text on competitive strategy: Competitive Strategy: Tech niques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, by Michael E. Porter.Core competencies"Core competencies" is the idea that each firm has a limited number of things it is very good at (that is, its core competence or competencies).When restructuring or reengineering, one of the starting points for a company should be identifying its core competencies. A firm should define its core com petencies broadly in order to be flexible enough to adapt to changes in the m arketplace. (For instance, when Xerox defined itself as a "document company," rather than a maker of copy machines, it was able to take advantage of the more lucrative business of document handling and outsourcing for major corpo rations, as well as of the market for fax machines, scanners, and other docum ent-handling equipment.)Companies should seriously consider selling/spinning off business units that ar e not part of their "core" business. For instance, Pepsi recently spun off its re staurant operations after it concluded that its expertise was in manufacturing and marketing beverages, not in managing restaurants.Benchmarking and "best practices"A commonly used concept in consulting (especially in operations and implemen tation engagements) is "benchmarking." Benchmarking basically means researc hing what other companies in the industry are doing (usually in order to evalu ate whether your client is operating efficiently or to identify areas where the c lient can cut costs). For example, if a mail-order company wants to reduce its order-processing costs, it would want to compare its order processing costs w ith those of other mail-order companies, breaking down its costs for each part of the process (including order-taking and shipping) and comparing them with industry averages. It can then pinpoint those areas where its costs are higher than average for the industry.A related concept is "best practices": once you've benchmarked what other co mpanies are doing, you want to focus on those companies that have particular low costs or which otherwise operate particularly well. What are they doing ri ght (i.e., what are their "best practices")? And how can our client (in the case) emulate or copy what they're doing? Remember to look outside your client's particular industry, if necessary, to find the best practices for a particular proc ess or operation.The 2x2 matrixThe 2x2 matrix is a good framework to use any time you have two factors th at, when combined, yield different outcomes. A very rudimentary example wou ld be what happens when you turn on your bathroom faucets, as follows:A more business-appropriate example would involve acquiring a company. Let? s say a company is interested in understanding the difficulty of acquiring or b uilding a distribution center and it is considering financing this decision with ei ther stock or debt. The potential outcomes might look like this:The BCG MatrixThe BCG Matrix, named after the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), is perhaps t he most famous 2x2 matrix. The matrix measures a company's relative marke t share on the horizontal axis and its growth rate on the vertical axis.M&A cases: Determining the value of an acquisitionCase interviews aren't just for consultants. Mergers & acquisition cases are wil dly popular at investment banks. Here's how to analyze a potential acquisition.Value Drivers (M&A) FrameworkIn order to understand value, we need to understand the three primary value drivers:The value components can be further broken out into specific "value drivers":M&A Cases: Data Gathering and AnalysisMarket Analysis Tools• Competitive position framework• Relative value versus competitors to customer through supply chain• Product life cycle• Supply and demand analysis- Industry capacity- Industry utilization- Demand drivers- Regressions• Segmentation analysis• Porter's Five Forces• Experience curves• Trends and outlook• Key success factorsTarget Analysis Tools• Business system - comparison with competitors• Market share (over time and by segment)• Capacity (growth and utilization of)• Customer's key purchase criteria and relative performance• Financial history• Sales and profitability by segment• Cash flow analysis• Margin and expense structure• Relative cost position• Cost benchmarkingYour data gathering strategy will vary depending on industry:A framework cautionAll the frameworks detailed above are widely used, and most U.S. business sc hools teach them as part of their core curriculums. Your interviewers will insta ntly recognize when you are applying them, since they are already familiar wit h the techniques. While this is OK, consider that you are trying to demonstrat e your unique analytical and deductive reasoning skills that set you apart from other candidates. You must be creative and original in analyzing case questio ns. Use these frameworks sparingly. (Another note: No interviewer will be imp ressed if you proudly proclaim, "I'm going to apply Porters Five Forces now." Apply frameworks without identifying them.)第 11 页。
咨询公司面试案例分析指南咨询面试系列a完整版
咨询公司面试案例分析指南咨询面试系列a 集团标准化办公室：[VV986T-J682P28-JP266L8-68PNN]Firm: A.T. KearneyCase Number:Case setup (facts offered by interviewer):Your client is a manufacturer of bicyclesThey have been in business for 25 yearsThey manufacturer and sell three categories of bicycles:Racing bikes: High end, high performance bikes for sophisticated cyclists Mainstream bikes: Durable, but not overly complicated bikes for everyday ridersChildren’s bikes: Small er, simpler versions of their mainstream bikes for childrenProfits at your client have decreased over the past five yearsQuestion:What is driving the decline in overall profits?What recommendations might correct the situation?Suggested solutions:The first question is to determine what has caused overall profits to decrease. To accomplish this the candidate must first understand what has transpired in each of the three product categories over the past five years during which profitability has slipped. The following are questions and answers that would be provided in an interview scenario.What are the client’s margins for a bicycle in each of the threesegments?Racing: Cost = $600/unit, Profit=$300/unitMainstream: Cost = $250/unit, Profit = $75/unitChildren’s: Cost = $ 200/unit, Profit = $50/unitWhat has happened to the market size of each of the three segments over the past five years?Racing: Has remained constant at its present size of $300MMMainstream: Has increased at 2% growth rate per year to its present size of $1.0BChildren’s: Has increased at 3% growth rate per year to its present size of $400MMWhat has happened to our client’s market share in each of these segments?Racing: Market share has decreased from 60% to 30%Mainstream: Market share has increased from 0% to 5%Children’s: Market share has increased from 0% to 3%Who are the client’s major competitor’s in each market segment What has happened to their market share in each segment over the past five yearsRacing: There is one main competitor and a host of small firms. Your main competitor has increased market share from 30% to 50%Mainstream: There exist many, large competitors, none of which holds more than 10% of the marketChildren’s: As in the mainstream segment, there are m any competitors, none with more than 10% of the marketThe above information provides enough information to put together a picture of why profits have decreased over the past five years : Your client, with a commanding position in a flat market segment (ra cing), expanded into new segments (mainstream and children’s). As this occurred, market share decreased dramatically in the most lucrative segment (racing), creating an unfavorable mix.The extent to which profits have decreased can be deduced from some quick math : profits have slipped from $60MM five years ago (=60% x $300MM x 33% racing margin) to $44MM today ( = (30% x $300MM x 33% racing margin) + (5% x $1B x 23% mainstream margin) + (3% x $400MMx 20% children’s margin)).The dramatic decrease in market share in the racing segment is at this point still unexplained. Questions that would help formulate an explanation include:Have there been any major changes in product quality in your client’s racing product Or in its main competitor’s racing productNoHave there been any major price changes in your client’s racing product Or in its main competitor’s racing productNoHave there been any major changes in distribution outlets for your client’s racingproduct Or for its main competitor’s racing productYes. Previously your client and its main competitor in the racing segment soldexclusively through small, specialty dealers. This remains unchanged for the competition.Your client, however, began to sell its racing bikes through mass distributors anddiscount stores (the distribution outlets for mainstream and children’s bikes) as it entered the mainstream and children’s segment.How do the mass distributors and discount stores price the racing bikes relative to the specialty stores?Prices at these stores tend to be 15 to 20% less.What percent of your client’s racing sales occur in mass distributors and discountstores?Effectively none. This attempt to sell through these distributors has failedHow has the decision to sell through mass distribut or’s and discount stores affected the image of the client’s racing product?No studies have been done.How has the decision to sell through mass distributor’s and discount stores affected your client’s relationship with the specialty outlets?Again, no formal analysis has been performed.Although some analysis and/or survey should be performed to answer more conclusively thelast two questions, a possible story can be put together. There has been no appreciablechange in either quality or price (or any oth er tangible factor) of your client’s racing product relative to its competition. It is not the product that is the problem, but rather its image. As your client came out with lower end, mainstream and children’s products and began to push their racing segment through mass distributors and discount outlets, their reputation was compromised. Additionally, the presence of the racing products in the discount outlets has put your historic racing distributor (the specialty shops) in a precarious position. The specialty shops must now lower price to compete, thereby cutting their own profits. Instead, they are likely to push the competition’s product. Remember, your client has no direct salesforce at the retail outlets. The specialty shops essentially serve as your client’s sales force.The above analysis offers an explanation of what has affected the top side of the profitability problem. Still to be examined is the cost, or bottom side, of theprofitability issue. Questions to uncover cost issues would include:How does the client account for its costs?The client has a single manufacturing and assembly plant. They have separate lines in this facility to produce racing, mainstream and children’s products. They divide their costs into the following categories: labor, material and overhead. Overall costs have been increasing at a fairly hefty rate of 10% per year.What is the current breakdown of costs along these categories for each product segment?Racing: Labor = 30%, Material = 40%, Overhead = 30%Mainstream: Labor = 25%, Material = 40%, Overhead = 35%Children’s: Labor = 25%, Material = 40%, Overhead = 35%How has this mix of expenses changed over the past five years?In all segments, labor is an increasing percentage of the costs.Does the basic approach to manufacturing (i.e. the mix of labor and technology) reflect that of its competition?Your client tells you that there is a continuing movement to automate and utilizetechnology to improve efficiency throughout the industry, but it is his/her opinion that the ir approach, maintaining the “human touch”, is what differentiates them from the competition. (Unfortunately, he’s right!!)Is the workforce unionized?YesWhat is the average age of the workforce?52 and climbing. There is very little turnover in the workforce.What is the present throughput rating How has it changed over the past five yearsPresently the plant is producing at about 80% of capacity. This has been decreasing steadily over the last several years.What is the typical reason for equipment shutdown?Emergency repairDescribe the preventive maintenance program in effect at the client’s facility?Preventive maintenance is performed informally based on the knowledge of seniortechnicians.How often has equipment been replaced Is this consistent with the original equipment manufacturer’s recommendationsThe client feels that most OEM recommendations are very conservative. They have followeda philosophy of maximizing the life of their equipment and have generally doubled OEMrecommendations.The above information is sufficient to add some understanding to the cost side of the equation. Your client has an aging workforce and plant that is behind the times in terms of technology and innovation. This has contributed to excessive breakdowns, decreased throughput, increased labor rates (wages increase with seniority) and greater labor hours (overtime to fix broken machines).In proposing recommendations to improve the client’s situation, there is no single correct approach. There are a number of approaches that might be explored and recommended. The following are some possibilities:Abandon the mainstream and children’s segment to recover leadership in the racingsegmentIssues to consider in this approach:How much of the racing segment is “recoverable”What are the expected growth rates of each segment?How badly damaged is the relationship with the specialty outlets?Are there alternative outlets to the specialty shops such as internet sales?How will this move affect overall utilization of the operating facilities?Maintain the mainstream and children’s segment, but sell under a different nameIssues to consider in this approach:Is there demand among the mass and discount distributors for bicycles under their name?What additional advertising and promotions costs might be incurred?What are the expected growth rates of each segment?What is driving the buying habits of the mainstream and children’smarket?Reduce costs through automation and innovationIssues to be considered:What technological improvements are to be made?What are the required investmentsWhat are the expected returns on those investments?How will these investments affect throughput?To which lines are these investments appropriateAre the mainstream and children’s segments potentially “over-engineered”What impact will this have on the required workforce levels?If layoffs are required to achieve the benefits, what impact will this have on labor relations?Reduce costs through establishing a formal preventive maintenance programIssues to be considered:What organizational changes will be required?What analysis will be performed to determine the appropriate amount of PM?What training is required of the workforce?What technical or system changes are required?How will the unionized workforce respond?Key takeaways:This case can prove to be lengthy and very involved. It is not expected that a candidate would cover all of the above topics, but rather work through selected topics in a logical fashion. It is important that the candidate pursue a solution that considers both revenue and cost issues to impact profit. Additionally, a conadidate’s ability to work comfortably with the quantitative side of this case is important. The above recommendations for improving profitability are just a few among many. The candidate may come with their own ideas.。
(企业管理咨询)咨询公司面试案例分析指南咨询面试系列
Firm: A.T. KearneyCase Number:Case setup (facts offered by interviewer):❑Your client is a U.S. based manufacturer of branded cookies (cookies that carry the name of the manufacturer)❑Recently private label cookies (those carrying the name of the retailer) have emerged and threatened branded cookies➢Private label cookies emerged five years ago➢Two and one-half years ago they made up 10% of the overall cookie market (brand being the other 90%)➢Today they make up approximately 20% of the overall cookie market (i.e., there has been a steady, linear increase of private label portion of the overall cookie market during the past five years)➢The overall cookie market has been relatively flat over the past five years❑Private label cookies are made by the same manufacturers who make branded cookies, they are just sold under the name of the retailer❑There are essentially three major competitors to consider:➢Your client, who makes only branded cookies➢ A second major player, that makes both branded cookies and supplies cookies for private labelers➢ A collection of small outfits, that make both branded cookies and supply private labelers❑Distribution occurs primarily through one of two types of outlets:➢Grocery outlets: all grocers sell branded cookies, most also carry their own private label cookies. This represents approximately 90% of total cookie sales➢Mass merchandisers (ex. Walmart, Sam’s, etc.): sell only branded cookiesQuestion:❑How large would you estimate the overall U.S. cookie market to be in terms of $?❑How large of a threat do you believe the trend in private label cookie sales to be to your client?❑Based on your assessment, what is an appropriate strategy for your client to follow?Suggested solutions:The first question, estimating the size of the U.S. cookie market, has no right or wrong answer. It is a test of a candidate’s ability to make reasonable assumptions and work quickly with numbers on an “order of magnitude” level. One acceptable response would be to estimate the number of U.S. households, estimate household consumption over some period of time, estimate the average cost of a bag of cookies, and project out for one year. In this case, after an estimate has been made, the candidate would be told to assume the market size is $1Billion to simplify any future calculations. As stated in the upfront information, the market is assumed to have been flat for the past five years.The second question is more involved. It involves determining to what extent your client is threatened by the increasing percent of the overall cookie market represented by private label sales. To better answer this question information should be gathered pertaining to what is driving the demand for private label cookies, to what extent this has already affected your client’s sal es, and what the likelihood is for the trend to continue. The following are questions and answers that would be provided in an interview scenario.❑What are the sales trends for the client over the past five years?Your client’s sales have been flat at $600M for the time frame of five to two and one-half years ago. Over the past two and one-half years, sales have decreased steadily down to a present level of $560MM.❑How has market share of the private label segment been split over the past five years between your client’s main competitor and the other smaller players?The smaller players combined had 100% of the private label subsegment five years ago.Two and one-half years ago your client’s main competitor began supplying private labelers.Today, this main competitor owns 40% of the private label subsegment, the smaller players own the remaining 60%❑How has market share of the branded segment been split over the past five years?Your client held 60% of this segment five years ago, 67% two and one-half years ago and 70% today. Its main competitor held 30% five years ago, 25% two and one-half years ago and 23% today. The combined smaller players owned 10% five years ago, 8% two and one-half years ago and 7% today.Analsis of the above information tells a very important story. The private label segment was launched five years ago by the smaller players. As private label first cut into the branded segment, it came at the expense of your client’s main competitor and the smaller players, not your client. In re sponse to this, your client’s main competitor entered into the private label segment two and one-half years ago. This further hurt their own sales and those of the smaller players, but also began to hurt your client’s sales. Additional information is requi red to understand what is driving the demand for private label cookies❑How does the quality of a private label cookie compare to that of a branded cookie?Consumer studies have shown that there is a noticeable difference in taste, texture and quality in favor of the branded cookies❑At the manufacturing level, what is the difference in cost of production and price between branded and private label products?It costs approximately $1.50 to manufacture a bag of private label cookies which will sell for$2.00 to retailers. It costs approximately $2.00 to manufacture a bag of branded cookies which will sell for $2.75.❑How do the same numbers translate at the retail level?A retailer, paying $2.00 for private label cookies can sell that product for $2.50. The $2.75 bag ofbranded cookies can be sold for $3.50.The key finding is that from a cost-price-margin perspective it is advantageous for both the manufacturers and the retailers, with all else equal, to sell a bag of branded cookies. Other factors must be contributing to the demand for private label cookies. Think about the incentives at each level in the chain (manufacturer, retailer, consumer). The following questions can help fill in details❑Have any of the manufacturers been able to gain additional shelf space for branded products by supplying grocers with private label products?No❑Has their been excess capacity at your client, its main competitor or the smaller competitors that has been used up through the manufacturing of private label products?Th ere was some excess capacity at the smaller competitors and your client’s main competitor (your client is unsure as to how much).. There is little excess capacity anywhere in the industry today..❑Has your client’s relationship with its retailers suffered as a result of it not supplying private label products?Not noticeably❑Are grocery stores using private labels in other food categories?Yes, there has been a major push by grocery stores to populate shelves with private labels❑Is competition increasing or decreasing among grocers?Generally increasing. Grocer chains are expanding and the number of grocers to be found servinga given area has generally increased over the past five years❑What general macroeconomic trends have occurred over the past five years?The economy has been slowing over the past five years. There is concern about recessionThe above information begins to expose a clearer story. A number of factors have contributed to the emergence of the private label segment: manufacturer’s interest in utilizing excess capacity, grocer’s desire to sell products with their name on it (they may believe this creates return customers in an increasing competitive environment), consumers concerns about a troubled economy (price vs. quality tradeoffs).At this point the candidate would be encouraged to state what they believe the magniturde of the private label threat to be to the client. There is no right answer. One can argue either way.If the threat is seen as high, the likely recommendation is for your client to begin supplying private label products. The candidate should recognize that in competing in the private label segment, the basisof competition is primarily cost. At the same time, the client’s branded product should be protected. The following tactics might prove appropriate:❑Seek to wring costs out of all phases of the operation➢Utilize all existing excess capacity➢Gain maximum product knowledge as quickly as possible➢Understand low cost positions on product ingredients and mix➢Review process improvement/ manufacturing efficiency opportunities➢Undertake overhead reduction efforts(Any of these points could be discussed in great detail)❑Ensure there is no customer confusion between private label offering and branded product❑Seek partnering agreements with retailers➢Joint advertising and promotions❑Explore deals with mass merchandisers to enter private labels (remember, mass merchandisers presently sell no private label)If the threat is seen as low, the likely recommendation is for your client to stay with branded cookies only. The candidate should recognize that in competing in the branded segment the basis of competition is one of differentiation. Additionally, your client should do all it can to halt or reverse the momentum of the private label segment. The following tactics might prove useful:❑Pursue a maximum differentiation strategy➢Invest in brand image to support premium price➢Make it difficult to copy product: innovate wisely through product advances, smart product line extensions, frequent changes to the product➢Manage price gap: explore price increases where appropriate( Again, any of these points could be discussed in great detail)❑Explore exclusive partnering with mass merchandisers❑Consider alternative distribution channels❑Seek partnering agreements with grocers regarding branded products❑Educate grocers as available➢Customers who buy private labels are the most price sensitive. They also tend to be the least loyal customers and spend less per store visit.➢Grocers financial stake in private label products extends beyond the product margins. There is lost profit from branded products that could occupy the same shelf space, advertising costs of the private label products, etc.Key takeaways:This case has no right or wrong answ er. It forces the candidate to take a stand in a “grey” situation and defend it. It also provides a large amount of data upfront which the candidate must quickly sort through and determine what is important and what is not. The key is to understand the story behind the data. How did the private label segment emerge? What is driving it? How has it affected manufacturers, retailers and consumers?。
CaseInterviewInPoint-通往咨询公司必经之路共45页word资料
Case Interview In Point—通往咨询的必经之路前序咨询行业属于出租头脑的行业，咨询顾问赚钱的方式就是针对客户给定的问题，综合大量不相关的数据资料，去粗取精，去伪存真，构思解决方案，当着公司高层的面，提出既合情合理又富有创意的设想。
其实这也是为什么咨询公司特别重视进行案例分析面试的原因，他们想借此机会来判断candidate的逻辑思维能力和说服能力，basically, 案例面试无异于扮演咨询顾问角色的一次练习。
想必各位对于去年teclast的那篇《Looking Beyond the Case Interview》还意犹未尽，那么我希望我这篇文章能让各位再次加深对于咨询以及case interview的理解，并有所突破。
记得我是从大三下开始认识和熟悉管理咨询行业的（比起现在的大一大二学生真是惭愧了），当年读了《麦肯锡方法》、《麦肯锡意识》后，对于咨询工作产生了强烈的兴趣和向往。
作为一个非经管专业的学生，我知道要踏入这一行，需要比别人付出更多，经历了两年多的历练、磨练、锤炼，终于修成正果。
要想进咨询公司，就必须过案例面试这一关；要过案例面试这一关，就必须知道如何进行准备和如何表现自己，必须知道面试官希望在你身上看到哪些素质，你也需要知道有哪些类型的案例问题，然后还要知道有一些怎样的思维框架，也就是我们俗称的framework。
所以仅以此文和有志于往咨询业发展的兄弟姐妹分享我的个人经验（有一些经验我在去年5月爱因斯特组织的牛人经验介绍会上已经share过了），此文和《Looking Beyond the Case Interview》不同的是，此文还是主要focus在case interview上，全文纯属个人意见，不足或遗漏之处望补正。
第一部分. 认识咨询，认识自我第一部分我觉得还是老规矩，先谈谈Why consulting? Why hires you? 这两个问题。
比如你今天去Bain参加一面，面试官肯定会问你为什么选择咨询，为什么选择贝恩，我们为什么要聘用你？这是需要首先解决的问题。
咨询业面试必看 case interview 及其经典案例分析
(1) 什么是Case Interview?一般来说，Case Interview主要针对咨询公司面试而言。
也有一些公司如Dell二面会用一些小case来考察面试者的应变能力、考虑问题的全面性以及逻辑分析能力。
咨询公司的Case Interview可以分成两个部分，一开始先是Warm-up。
在这一部分，你可能需要自我介绍，然后大致回答一下面试官针对简历以及个人选择提出的一些问题。
接下来才是真正的Case Interview。
简而言之，Case Interview就是现场对一个商业问题进行分析的面试。
但是和大多数其他面试不同，这是一个互动的过程。
你的面试官会给你提出一个Business Issue，并且会让你给出分析和意见。
而你的任务是向面试官有逻辑的提出一些问题以使得你能够对这个Business Issue有更全面，更细致的了解，并且通过系统的分析最后给出建议。
一般而言，Case Interview是没有绝对正确的答案的。
面试官看重的不是答案，而是从面试过程当中你表现出来的分析能力和创造力。
对于大学毕业，没有工作经验的学生来说，大多数情况下Case不会很难，也不会需要你对那个行业有系统的了解。
Case Interview一般是一对一的，一轮会有两个Case Interview，由两个不同的面试官来负责，每个Interview持续45分钟，包括10-15分钟的warm-up以及一些Behavior questions，剩下的30分钟就是讨论Case。
10-15分钟的Warm-up一般用英文，Case可能是英文，也有可能是中文，不同的公司以及不同的面试官对语言是有不同的偏好的。
(2) 为什么使用Case Interview?由于咨询师在工作上的不少时间都是在和客户以及同事进行相互的沟通，同时咨询工作本身的特点要求咨询师必须具备一系列的特质才能够成功。
这些特质包括：在压力之下保持冷静，对问题能够很快的根据细节建立假设，并且运用很强的逻辑分析能力来解决问题等等。
CASE-IN-POINT-咨询行业面试案例分析
CASE IN POINT 咨询行业面试案例分析作者：Marc P. Cosentino目录1概述2面试2.1开场2.2关于你的问题2.3为什么选择咨询行业2.4可能出现的数学问题2.5案例题2.6由你提问2.7最给力的压轴题3案例题3.1案例题的目的3.2案例题的准备3.3案例题的步骤3.4案例题的种类3.5书面案例题和测试3.6激怒面试官3.7如果你思路卡住了3.8关于数学的困难4 Ivy案例系统4.1最给力的案例分析思路4.2最初的四个步骤4.3十二个案例情景4.4Ivy案例系统概观5分析工具和框架5.1 5C和4P5.2 BCG矩阵5.3 波特五力5.4价值链5.5 7S框架5.6现金流量表5.7应该记住的“如果”情境5.8商业案例贴士5.9亚里士多德框架6案例练习6.1 35个案例6.2案例类型6.3没有答案的案例题7给你室友的指南8最后的话9咨询术语1概述一个欧洲铁矿公司在澳洲买了一块富含铁矿的地。
他们应该开采吗？回答这个问题的时候，我要你告诉我每吨的成本、盈亏平衡点、利润率和对全球市场的影响。
咨询公司做的是出租脑袋的生意。
咨询顾问综合大量的陌生数据，剔除不相关的信息，构建一个针对特定客户的问题的对策，在位高权重的人面前做出兼具逻辑性和创造性的假定（比如矿业公司的大亨），通过这种方式来赚钱。
这就是为什么咨询公司那么注重案例分析——因为这让他们能够判断一个未来的咨询顾问（比如你）的案例展示有多少逻辑性和说服力。
在本质上，案例面试是一个角色扮演练习。
为了通过案例面试，你必须知道怎么去准备和表现。
这本书会帮助你做到这两点。
它会带你过一遍整个咨询面试流程，教你如何去做准备，告诉你咨询公司看重一个应聘者的什么，挖掘各种类型的案例题，向你介绍Ivy案例系统。
作为一个在哈佛十五年有余的职业导师，我已经帮助了超过八千名全国最优秀的学生准备咨询公司面试。
在此期间，学生们疯狂地记忆各种独立的框架并且焦头烂额地考虑运用哪个框架。
最新CaseInterviewInPoint-通往咨询公司必经之路汇总
C a s e I n t e r v i e w I n P o i n t-通往咨询公司必经之路Case Interview In Point—通往咨询的必经之路前序咨询行业属于出租头脑的行业，咨询顾问赚钱的方式就是针对客户给定的问题，综合大量不相关的数据资料，去粗取精，去伪存真，构思解决方案，当着公司高层的面，提出既合情合理又富有创意的设想。
其实这也是为什么咨询公司特别重视进行案例分析面试的原因，他们想借此机会来判断candidate的逻辑思维能力和说服能力，basically, 案例面试无异于扮演咨询顾问角色的一次练习。
想必各位对于去年teclast的那篇《Looking Beyond the Case Interview》还意犹未尽，那么我希望我这篇文章能让各位再次加深对于咨询以及case interview的理解，并有所突破。
记得我是从大三下开始认识和熟悉管理咨询行业的（比起现在的大一大二学生真是惭愧了），当年读了《麦肯锡方法》、《麦肯锡意识》后，对于咨询工作产生了强烈的兴趣和向往。
作为一个非经管专业的学生，我知道要踏入这一行，需要比别人付出更多，经历了两年多的历练、磨练、锤炼，终于修成正果。
要想进咨询公司，就必须过案例面试这一关；要过案例面试这一关，就必须知道如何进行准备和如何表现自己，必须知道面试官希望在你身上看到哪些素质，你也需要知道有哪些类型的案例问题，然后还要知道有一些怎样的思维框架，也就是我们俗称的framework。
所以仅以此文和有志于往咨询业发展的兄弟姐妹分享我的个人经验（有一些经验我在去年5月爱因斯特组织的牛人经验介绍会上已经share过了），此文和《Looking Beyond the Case Interview》不同的是，此文还是主要focus在case interview上，全文纯属个人意见，不足或遗漏之处望补正。
第一部分. 认识咨询，认识自我第一部分我觉得还是老规矩，先谈谈Why consulting? Why hires you? 这两个问题。
咨询公司case分析方法
Case interview分析工具/框架来源：张旭的日志最近在准备CASE INTERVIEW，刚接触这个，对里面涉及到的FRAMEWORK和STRATEGY非常不熟悉，偶获珍宝，与诸君共享。
顺便攒RP！！案例面试分析工具/框架一．Business Strategy1．市场进入类●行业分析（波特5力，市场趋势，市场规模，市场份额，市场壁垒等）●公司宏观环境（人口，经济，自然，技术，政治），公司微观环境（公司，供应商，市场中介，顾客，竞争对手，大众）●3C（Competitor, Consumer, Company/Capabilities）●Cost-revenue固定成本，可变成本收入怎么计算？时间序列估计，可比公司估计●市场细分很重要，niche marketA.地理细分B.人口细分（年龄及生命周期阶段细分，性别细分，收入细分）C.心理细分（社会阶层，生活方式，个性特征）D.行为细分（购买时机-柯达，利益细分-牙膏，用户状况，使用率，忠诚度）2．行业分析类●市场（市场规模，市场细分，产品需求/趋势分析，客户需求）●竞争（竞争对手的经济情况，产品差异化，市场整合度，产业集中度）●顾客/供应商关系（谈判能力，替代者，评估垂直整合）●进入/离开的障碍（评估公司进入/离开。
对新加入者的反应，经济规模，预测学习曲线，研究政府调控）●资金金融（主要金融资金来源，产业风险因素，可变成本/固定成本）●风险预测与防范3．新产品引入类●营销调研●产品？价格？即4P●4C (Customer, Competition, Cost, Capabilities)●市场促销，分校渠道（渠道选择，库存，运输，仓储）●STP和4P（Product, Price, Place, Promotion）●产品生命周期二．Business Operation1．市场容量扩张（竞争对手，消费者，自己实力）2．利润改善型●Revenue, Cost分析，到底是销售额下降造成，还是成本上升造成●如果销售额下降，看4P了（是价格过高？产品质量问题？分校渠道问题？还是promotion的efficacy有问题？）●如果成本上升，看固定成本or可变成本是否有问题？（固定成本过高，设备是否老化，需要关闭生产线、厂房，降低管理者工资等，可变成本过高，看原材料价格是否上升，有没有降低的可能，switch suppliers? 还是人员工资过高，需要裁员等）●成本结构是否合理，产能利用率如何（闲置率）3.推销任何一种产品/服务●4P，3c4.定价●以成本为基础的定价成本加成定价，以目标利润（盈亏平衡定价）●以价值为基础定价●以竞争为基础定价三．Market Sizing/Estimation●市场趋势，市场规模，市场份额，市场壁垒等●市场集中度●市场驱动因素（价格，服务，质量，外观）●关键成功要素KSF四．M&A类●整合原因（synergy, scale, management impulse, Taxconsideration, Diversification, Breakup Value）●5C（Character, Capacity, Capital, Conditions, Competitive Advantage）●类型：horizontal, vertical, congeneric, conglomerate●估值方法：DFC，Market Multiple( EBITDA，P/E，P/B)●DFC：Pro Forma Cash Flow Statement，Discount Rate●Hostile VS Friendly takeovers所有咨询公司面试可能用到的分析结构Advanced concepts & frameworksMBAs and other candidates with business background, take note - interviewers will expect you to have a more detailed take on your case than an undergrad uate would have. Here are some commonly used case concepts.Net present valuePerhaps the most important type of decision company managers must make o n a daily basis is whether to undertake a proposed investment. For example, should the company buy a certain piece of equipment? Build a particular facto ry? Invest in a new project? These types of decisions are called capital budget ing decisions. The consultant makes such decisions by calculating the net pres ent value of each proposed investment and making only those investments tha t have positive net present values.Example: Hernandez is the CFO of Western Manufacturing Corp., an automobil e manufacturer. The company is considering opening a new factory in Ohio th at will require an initial investment of $1 million. The company forecasts that t he factory will generate after-tax cash flows of $100,000 in Year 1, $200,000 in Year 2, $400,000 in Year 3, and $400,000 in Year 4. At the end of Year 4, the company would then sell the factory for $200,000. The company uses a discount rate of 12 percent. Hernandez must determine whether the company should go ahead and build the factory. To make this decision, Hernandez must calculate the net present value of the investment. The cash flows associated with the factory are as follows:Hernandez then calculates the NPV of the factory as follows:Since the factory has a negative net present value, Hernandez correctly decide s that the factory should not be built.The net present value ruleNote from the example above that once the consultant has figured out the NP V of a proposed investment, she then decides whether to undertake the invest ment by applying the net present value rule:Make only those investments that have a positive net present value.As long as the consultant follows this rule, she can be confident that each inv estment is making a positive net contribution to the company.The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)In the above example, we assumed a given discount rate. However, part of a consultant's job is to determine an appropriate discount rate (r) to use when c alculating net present values. The discount rate may vary depending on the in vestment.BetaThe first step in arriving at an appropriate discount rate for a given investmen t is determining the investments riskiness. The market risk of an investment is measured by its "beta" (?), which measures riskiness when compared to the market as a whole. An investment with a beta of 1 has the same riskiness a s the market as a whole (so, for example, when the market moves down 10 percent, the value of the investment will on average fall 10 percent as well). An investment with beta of 2 will be twice as risky as the market (so when th e market falls 10 percent, the value of the investment will on average fall 20 percent).CAPMOnce the consultant has determined the beta of a proposed investment, he ca n use the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) to calculate the appropriate disc ount rate (r):The risk-free rate of return is the return the company could receive by makin g a risk-free investment (for example, by investing in U.S. Treasury bills). The market rate of return is the return the company could receive by investing in a well-diversified portfolio of stocks (for example, S&P 500).Example: Shen, Inc., a coal producer, is considering investing in a new ventur e that would manufacture and market carbon filters. Shen's chief financial offic er, Apelbaum, wants to calculate the NPV of the proposed venture in order to determine whether the company should make the investment. After studying t he riskiness of the proposed venture, Apelbaum determines that the beta of th e investment is 1.5. A U.S. Treasury note of comparable maturity currently yie lds 7 percent, while the return on the S&P 500 stock index is 12 percent. The refore, the discount rate Apelbaum will use when calculating the NPV of the in vestment will be:Although this is an overly simplified discussion of how consultants calculate dis count rate to use in their cash-flow analysis, it does give you an overview of how consultants incorporate the notion of an investment's market to select the appropriate discount rate.Porter's Five ForcesDeveloped by Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter in his book Co mpetitive Strategy, the Porter's Five Forces framework helps determine the att ractiveness of an industry. Before any company expands into new markets, di vests product lines, acquires new businesses, or sells divisions, it should ask it self, "Is the industry we're entering or exiting attractive?" By using Porter's Fi ve Forces, a company can begin to develop a thoughtful answer. Consultants f requently utilize Porter's Five Forces as a starting point to help companies eval uate industry attractiveness.Take, for example, entry into the copy store market (like Kinko's). How attract ive is the copy store market?Potential entrants: What is the threat of new entrants into the market? Copy s tores are not very expensive to open - you can conceivably open a copy store with one copier and one employee. Therefore, barriers to entry are low, so th ere's a high risk of potential new entrants.Buyer power: How much bargaining power do buyers have? Copy store custo mers are relatively price sensitive. Between the choice of a copy store that ch arges 5 cents a copy and a store that charges 6 cents a copy, buyers will usu ally head for the cheaper store. Because copy stores are common, buyers hav e the leverage to bargain with copy store owners on large print jobs, threateni ng to take their business elsewhere. The only mitigating factors are location a nd hours. On the other hand, price is not the only factor. Copy stores that ar e willing to stay open 24 hours may be able to charge a premium, and custo mers may simply patronize the copy store closest to them if other locations ar e relatively inconvenient.Supplier power: How much bargaining power do suppliers have? While paper p rices may be on the rise, copier prices continue to fall. The skill level employe es need to operate a copy shop (for basic services, like copying, collating, etc.) are relatively low as well, meaning that employees will have little bargaining power. Suppliers in this situation have low bargaining power.Threat of substitutes: What is the risk of substitution? For basic copying jobs, more people now possess color printers at home. Additionally, fax machines h ave the capability to fulfill copy functions as well. Large companies will normal ly have their own copying facilities. However, for large-scale projects, most in dividuals and employees at small companies will still use the services of a cop y shop. The Internet is a potential threat to copy stores as well, because som e documents that formerly would be distributed in hard copy will now be post ed on the Web or sent through e-mail. However, for the time being, there is s till relatively strong demand for copy store services.Competition: Competition within the industry appears to be intense. Stores oft en compete on price, and are willing to "underbid" one another to win printing contracts. Stores continue to add new features to compete as well, such as e xpanding hours to 24-hour service and offering free delivery.From this analysis, you can ascertain that copy stores are something of a com modity market. Consumers are very price-sensitive, copy stores are inexpensiv e to set up, and the market is relatively easily entered by competitors. Advan ces in technology may reduce the size of the copy store market. Value-added services, such as late hours, convenient locations, or additional services such as creating calendars or stickers, may help copy stores differentiate themselve s. But overall, the copy store industry does not appear to be an attractive one.As dot-coms come under fire, one case question we've heard increasingly is " How would you create barriers to entry as an Internet Startup?"Product life cycle curveIf you're considering a product case, figure out how "mature" your product or service isStrategy tool/framework chartHere's one way to think about the choice between being the lowest-cost provi der or carving out a higher-end market niche - what consultants call differenti ation.The Four PsThis is a useful framework for evaluating marketing cases. It can be applied t o both products and services. The Four Ps consist of:PriceThe price a firm sets for its product/service can be a strategic advantage. For example, it can be predatory (set very low to undercut the competition), or it can be set slightly above market average to convey a "premium" image. Consi der how pricing is being used in the context of the case presented to you. ProductThe product (or service) may provide strategic advantage if it is the only prod uct/service that satisfies a particular intersection of customer needs. Or it may simply be an extension of already existing products, and therefore not much of a benefit. Try to tease out the value of the product in the marketplace bas ed on the case details you have been given.Position/PlaceThe physical location of a product/service can provide an advantage if it is sup erior to its competition, if it is easier or more convenient for people to consu me, or if it makes the consumer more aware of the product/service over its c ompetition. In the context of a business case, you may want to determine the placement of the product or service compared to its competition.PromotionWith so much noise in today's consumer (and business to business) marketpla ce, it is difficult for any one product/service to stand out in a category. Promo tional activity (including advertising, discounting to consumers and suppliers, c elebrity appearances, etc.) can be used to create or maintain consumer aware ness, open new markets, or target a specific competitor. You may want to sug gest a promotional strategy in the context of the case you are presented relati ve to the promotional activity of other competing products/services.The Four CsThe Four Cs are especially useful for analyzing new product introductions and for industry analysis.CustomersHow is the market segmented?What are the purchase criteria that customers use?CompetitionWhat is the market share of the clients?What is its market position?What is its strategy?What is its cost position?Does he/she have any market advantages?CostWhat kind of economies of scale does the client have?What is the client's experience curve?Will increased production lower cost?CapabilitiesWhat resources can the client draw from?How is the client organized?What is the production system?The Five CsThis framework is mostly applied to financial cases and to companies (althoug h it can be applied to individuals). You may employ it in other situations if yo u think it is appropriate.CharacterEvaluate the dedication, track record, and overall consumer perception of the company. Are there any legal actions pending against the company? If so, for what reason? Is the company progressive about its waste disposal, quality of l ife for its employees, and charitable contributions? What sort of impact would this have on the case you are evaluating?CapacityIf you are dealing with a manufacturing entity, are its factories at, above, or below capacity, and for what reasons? Are there plans to add new plants, imp rove the technology in existing plants, or close underperforming plants? What about production overseas?CapitalWhat is the company's cost of capital relative to its competitors? How healthy are its cash flows, revenues, and debt load relative to its competition? ConditionsWhat is the current business climate the company (and its industry) faces? W hat is the short- and long-term growth potential in the industry? How is the market characterized? Is it emerging or mature? These questions can assist yo u in evaluating the facts of the case against the environment that the compan y/industry inhabits.Competitive AdvantageThis is the unique edge a company possesses over its competitors. It can bean unparalleled set of business processes, the ability to produce a product/ser vice at a lower cost, charge a market premium, or any number of other asset s that create an advantage over other market players. Whatever the case, the se advantages are usually defensible and not easily copied.In evaluating business cases using the Five Cs framework, you should look for those unique qualities that a company possesses and identify any that meet t he criteria mentioned above. You may suggest that the company leverage its competitive advantage more aggressively or recommend alternatives if that co mpany has no discernible advantage.Value Chain AnalysisThis approach involves assessing a company's overall business processes and i dentifying where that company actually adds value to a product or service. Th e total margin of profit will be the value of the product or service to buyers, l ess the cost of its production, as determined by the value chain.In most cases, a competitive advantage is only temporary for many of today's products/services. Being first to market, having a unique formula or configura tion, or having exclusivity in a market were once long-term defensible strategi es. But today, businesses are globally connected by lightning-fast communicati ons and knowledge-sharing systems and manufacturing technologies are gettin g better and faster at reacting to and anticipating market conditions. Thus the se advantages are only fleeting or may not exist at all.Value Chain Analysis attempts to identify a competitive advantage by deconstr ucting the various "changes" a company's business processes perform on a set of raw materials or other inputs. Most can be easily copied by other competit ors, but there is usually a unique subset that represents the "value-added" qu alities only the company under scrutiny possesses. This set is that company's competitive advantage, or "value chain." Sometimes this set can be copied, bu t a unique set of circumstances may still allow the company in question to per form them at a lower cost, charge a premium in the market, or retain higher market share than its competitors.In the context of a business case, you can use this framework to identify a co mpany's overall business processes set and then determine if one or more of t he processes are defensible competitive advantages.For example, a manufacturer of fruit juice might have the following value chai n elements:•Research and development (Will mango really taste good with cloudberry juic e?)•Cost of goods sold (How much does it cost to manufacture the fruit juice? Is there a frost in Florida that drives up the costs of oranges? Is the currency c risis in Indonesia making papaya very cheap? Are per-volume purchases lower than, for example, those of Tropicana?)•Packaging and shipping (How much does that new banana-shaped container c ost? Are many bottles lost in transit? What are the fixed costs of shipping?)•Manufacturing (How much do those juice pulpers cost? How often do factories need to be reengineered?)•Labor (How many employees do we have? Where are they located? Are they unionized?)•Distribution(Where are the distribution centers? Where are the products distri buted?)•Advertising (Billboards, TV, magazines?)•Margin (How profitable is the juice company?)For more detailed information on this type of analysis, you may want to consi der the authoritative text on competitive strategy: Competitive Strategy: Tech niques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, by Michael E. Porter.Core competencies"Core competencies" is the idea that each firm has a limited number of things it is very good at (that is, its core competence or competencies).When restructuring or reengineering, one of the starting points for a company should be identifying its core competencies. A firm should define its core com petencies broadly in order to be flexible enough to adapt to changes in the m arketplace. (For instance, when Xerox defined itself as a "document company," rather than a maker of copy machines, it was able to take advantage of the more lucrative business of document handling and outsourcing for major corpo rations, as well as of the market for fax machines, scanners, and other docum ent-handling equipment.)Companies should seriously consider selling/spinning off business units that ar e not part of their "core" business. For instance, Pepsi recently spun off its re staurant operations after it concluded that its expertise was in manufacturing and marketing beverages, not in managing restaurants.Benchmarking and "best practices"A commonly used concept in consulting (especially in operations and implemen tation engagements) is "benchmarking." Benchmarking basically means researc hing what other companies in the industry are doing (usually in order to evalu ate whether your client is operating efficiently or to identify areas where the c lient can cut costs). For example, if a mail-order company wants to reduce its order-processing costs, it would want to compare its order processing costs w ith those of other mail-order companies, breaking down its costs for each part of the process (including order-taking and shipping) and comparing them with industry averages. It can then pinpoint those areas where its costs are higher than average for the industry.A related concept is "best practices": once you've benchmarked what other co mpanies are doing, you want to focus on those companies that have particular low costs or which otherwise operate particularly well. What are they doing ri ght (i.e., what are their "best practices")? And how can our client (in the case) emulate or copy what they're doing? Remember to look outside your client'sparticular industry, if necessary, to find the best practices for a particular proc ess or operation.The 2x2 matrixThe 2x2 matrix is a good framework to use any time you have two factors th at, when combined, yield different outcomes. A very rudimentary example wou ld be what happens when you turn on your bathroom faucets, as follows:A more business-appropriate example would involve acquiring a company. Let? s say a company is interested in understanding the difficulty of acquiring or b uilding a distribution center and it is considering financing this decision with ei ther stock or debt. The potential outcomes might look like this:The BCG MatrixThe BCG Matrix, named after the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), is perhaps t he most famous 2x2 matrix. The matrix measures a company's relative marke t share on the horizontal axis and its growth rate on the vertical axis.M&A cases: Determining the value of an acquisitionCase interviews aren't just for consultants. Mergers & acquisition cases are wil dly popular at investment banks. Here's how to analyze a potential acquisition.Value Drivers (M&A) FrameworkIn order to understand value, we need to understand the three primary value drivers:The value components can be further broken out into specific "value drivers":M&A Cases: Data Gathering and AnalysisMarket Analysis Tools• Competitive position framework• Relative value versus competitors to customer through supply chain• Product life cycle• Supply and demand analysis- Industry capacity- Industry utilization- Demand drivers- Regressions• Segmentation analysis• Porter's Five Forces• Experience curves• Trends and outlook• Key success factorsTarget Analysis Tools• Business system - comparison with competitors• Market share (over time and by segment)• Capacity (growth and utilization of)• Customer's key purchase criteria and relative performance• Financial history• Sales and profitability by segment• Cash flow analysis• Margin and expense structure• Relative cost position• Cost benchmarkingYour data gathering strategy will vary depending on industry:A framework cautionAll the frameworks detailed above are widely used, and most U.S. business sc hools teach them as part of their core curriculums. Your interviewers will insta ntly recognize when you are applying them, since they are already familiar wit h the techniques. While this is OK, consider that you are trying to demonstrat e your unique analytical and deductive reasoning skills that set you apart from other candidates. You must be creative and original in analyzing case questio ns. Use these frameworks sparingly. (Another note: No interviewer will be imp ressed if you proudly proclaim, "I'm going to apply Porters Five Forces now." Apply frameworks without identifying them.)。
著名咨询公司近年面试案例RecentCases分享
著名咨询公司近年面试案例Recent Cases分享来源： 管咨的日志Below are sample questions that have been asked by top-tier consulting firms during the p ast two recruiting seasons. (The Firms that qualified the two criteria, top 50 Companies & has office in china, which are Mckinsey, BCG, Bain, Monitor, Deloitte, Mercer(managem ent, Olive, HR), A.T. Kearney, Accenture, IBM Consulting,Roland Berger, McKinsey1st Round:1)We are back in the 80s, and Daewoo wants to enter the Italian market. They approach yo u and say that they want to sell 100,000 cars after one year. What do you tell them?2)A steel producing company wants to cut costs. It currently operates 2 large mills at 75% capacity and four small ones at 100% capacity. It is experiencing profitability issues. Wha t action would you recommend it takes?3)Our client is a retail brokerage. W e have seen our customer base decline over the past 18 months. Why this happening is and what can we do about it?4)The client owns mines that produce high and low grade ore and processes it into an alloy that is then sold as an additive to strengthen steel (sold directly to steel manufacturers).A new foreign competitor has shown up in the market and the company is losing profits.A general manager of one of the processing plants asks what he should do to maintain profits.5)The past few years a Health Insurance Company has been growing at a rate of about 1 5% a year. This past year it only grew by 1%. Costs are rising 12% each year. What is the problem and what should the company do?6)Company X is a chemical manufacturer.They make a product that is very similar to Company Y’s product.Company X and Y are direct competitors in many geographic markets, but each also has unique areas in which the sales forces do not face direct competition.Company X buys Company Y.How do you integrate the sales forces?7)Y ou are working for a Brazilian soda manufacturer that is experiencing declining profits o ver the last two years. Why is this occurring? [competition from generics] What is the siz e of the market for canned cola? What are the company's options for improving profitabili ty? What are the possible effects of a change in the cola's price?8)Our client is a mid-Western HMO. They have 300 doctors and 300,000 subscribers. They handle mostly checkups and routine visits. The HMO outsources specific cases to local s pecialists. Over the last two years the HMO has seen their profits decrease. They've called us in to find out why. 2nd Round1)A European iron mining company bought a piece of land in Australia with a high contentof iron. Should they proceed with extraction of the ore or not? / 2)A PC manufacturer wants to add a new line of pocket PCs. Should they do it? What do you tell the CEO?3)A health and fitness center, a chain of gyms, like Bally's is considering building more ten nis courts. The cost of the land development is 2.5 million for 10 tennis courts per gym.Determine if the gym would break even if they charged an additional fee of $7 per gam e.4)Our client is Burger King. Their growth has been slower than expected. They want to kn ow why? And estimate for me the size of the hamburger market.5)Tell me the annual revenues of a company you're following?6)The law has recently changed. Consumers can now switch cell companies and keep their phone numbers. What are the effects of this legislation? What is the cost of this legislatio n? And can you recommend any options for the cell phone companies?7)A healthcare company that sells to individuals and small businesses has seen growth in th e last 5 years, but this last year there has been a decline. What is going on? What sort o f incentive system do we have and what kind can we create? (There were a number of g raphs and charts that the student had to review8)Y ou and your colleagues are McKinsey partners trying to decide which nonprofit to help. Your goals are doubling their revenue and improving their management. Each participant h as information the others don't have. Which one should you pick? [what criteria to use, et c.9)Our client is a travel agency in NYC which employs 25 people. They have seen their co mmissions cut from 10% to 8%. They are wondering what strategy they should adopt to i ncrease their profits, and what else they should do to remain profitable and grow their bu siness? 10)"First, I would say that globally, the cases had a bit of a different felt to them than man y I had worked on.All three were business cases, however, in two of the three, there was less opportunity tostructure the cases cases———the questioners asked specific questions about data that they presented to me a bit at a timetime——usually in graphic format.In two out of my three cases, there were multiple graphs and charts that built on one an other.Conclusions drawn from the first graph were applied to graphs presented later in the same interview.Also, when I analyzed the data, I was usually given a ratio or series of ratios that I need ed to calculate.At the beginning of each graph/data series, the interviewer would explain the significance of each of the ratios I was to calculate.When I finished calculating them, he asked me to explain what the results meant. To be honest, the ratios may have been quite common, but they were new to me."3rd Round (Nov. 2003)1)Assuming zero costs. What are the first three industries that will appear in outer space? 1)It's October 2001, with the current gloomy economy. One of the most affected industries i s the luxury industry: People tend to postpone buying luxury goods, and even if they hav e the money, after what happened it is not the right time for them to buy something whi ch is unnecessary. A client approaches our firm and asks us to increase his sales. What d o we tell him?BCG1st Round (Nov. 2004):1)Our client is a mid-sized manufacturer of industrial batteries for the aerospace and defense industry.For example, the company's batteries can be found in various military missiles as well as in the Hubble Space Telescope.Over the last few years, the defense and aerospace industries have been flat or declining, so the client is looking for high-growth industries that might be able to make use of its b attery technology.After a review of possible industries, the client wants us to look at whether they can ente r the market to provide batteries for implantable cardiac defibrillators.Estimate the size of the market for implantable cardiac defibrillators, and then tell me ho w you might go about helping the client decide whether or not this is a good market to enter.2)Our clients are a consortium of 10 commercial real estate companies (2-3 big companies, 4-5 mid-sized companies, and 1-2 small companies) that collectively own 350-400 building s in downtown areas of cities all over the country. Together, they spend $1 billion/year o n all of the non-sexy aspects of owning commercial real estate: cleaning and general main tenance, plumbing and electrical repair, etc. They have come together to explore the possi bility of setting up a "buying pool" to realize cost reduction by achieving economies of scale in purchasing products and contracting for services to conduct this general maintenanc e. This "buying pool" will cost $40 million (one-time fixed cost) to set up and will cost $10 million/year to maintain. Is this a good idea? What kind of information do you need to know to help your clients decide if this is a good idea?3)The client is a four-year music university in Boston that specializes in classical music for pre-professional students. The university is under performing in three key areas when co mpared to its biggest competitor. The areas are: applications per seat, high-quality applicati ons, and accepted applicants that enroll. The mission of the university is to increase the n umber of high-quality students.4)The industry is the Yellow Pages. What is the business? What do they do for money? W hat is their profit?5)A small agrichemical company wants to triple its revenue by 2005. What are some of its options, and how would you evaluate those options?6)A Vietnamese manufacturer of cooking oil wants to improve its revenue. How would you figure out how big the domestic market is [not a back of envelope calculation; assume y week———— whom would you talk to?]?ou had a week7)Constantly breaking down. The government is fighting over how to fix and fund it. The t rain drivers’ union says it will go on strike unless the government guarantees that there w ill be no layoffs. What steps would you take to "fix" the problem?8)How would you increase recruitment and retention in the military?(9)BCG gave me a lot of data to sift through to determine which demographic of cell phone users it should target to increase revenues.2nd Round(Nov 2004)：1)A cleaning product supply company's profits and revenues have been falling, but market s hare has remained the same. What's going on? (Charts and graphs given)2)Our client owns 120 hotels. He has left the management of the properties to a manageme nt company. Since 2001 they haven't broken even though occupancy rates averaged 80 per cent. - Charts given3)A music company is bringing out a CD for a new artist. How would you market and pri ce, knowing that you'd like to charge a premium for the cd?Final Round (Nov. 2002)1)Y ou are consulting to the manufacturer of airplane engines——> > regional and low cost main engines: for wide body planes and narrow body planes ——airlines, which are growing, use the narrow body planes). The client is considering enteri ng the airplane leasing market, because one of its competitors (GE) is already there, and t he client hypothesizes that GE's presence in leasing helps its engine sales. What do you t ell him?2)Last year, lawsuits cost corporations $200 billion compared with $70 billion in 1990. How would you advise a roundtable of CEOs to attack tort reform?3)The U.S. Post Office lost millions last year. How would you advise the new CEO to turn the Post Office around?4)We have been hired by a Mexican company that has a dominant position in all of its ma rkets but one: ketchup. Although its ketchup sales have been increasing, its market share i s stagnant (10%) and its profit margin remains below that of its competitors. What do yo u think might be happening? What would you suggest the client do in order to increase market share and profits?A small pharmaceutical research company is about to start clinical trials for a new and pr omising molecule. The trial process has three phases, with different associated costs and p robabilities of success: Costs (million) Pr. Success- Phase 1 $10 .40- Phase 2 $5 .2- Phase 3 $80 .105If the process is successful and the new drug is introduced in the market, it would genera te total income flows of $300 million.+ Draw a graph showing the income stream for the next ten years (assume that full adop tion is reached in year 7)+ The pharmaceutical company is looking for a buyer. How much should it ask for? Booz1st Round1)Our client is a magazine publisher. They are considering a new pricing program where th e price for subscriptions would increase every year. Evaluate how such a decision would i mpact their business. Would you advise they do it?Bain1st Round (Nov. 2003)1)isher of children’s fiction in the industry. SpublisherOur client is Apple Publishing, the largest publeven years ago the CEO became concerned that childhood literacy rates were low and dec ided to make a difference.He entered the telemetry textbook market. He thinks they are the best now, but hasn’t be en rewarded. Seven years later he has 70 million dollars in sales and 20 million dollars in losses. They are less than 5% of the market, but the CEO wants to stay in the market, how can he do it?2)Our client produces 2-inch wrenches. They sell to Home Depot and also to auto-mechanic s directly. If you were a store manager at Home Depot, how many varieties of wrenches would you display to sell and at what price points? How are the Home Depot wrench bu yers different from the auto mechanics? If you wanted to provide discounts to the auto m echanics, which of them would you target and why? What information would you want fr om them first?3)University town has a population of 40,000 students. Currently there are nine restaurants. You're client is thinking about opening up the tenth. Is this a good idea and should she o pen up a fast food or a specialty restaurant?4)A major airline is thinking about going head to head with the discount airlines by offerin g "cheap" fares. Does this make sense? Estimate the size of the European "discount" airli ne market.5)Your client sells coffee on the five Japanese Bullet trains (high speed trains). Estimate the size of the market. How would you advise them to increase sales?6)Our client, a private equity firm, is considering an investment in a manufacturer of digital inkjet printers (printing large billboards). The manufacturer wants to enter the screen prin ting market (printing signs and point-of purchase posters, e.g. for supermarket sales). How big is the screen printing market? Which particular segment is the most attractive?7)Estimate the market size of printers in Hong Kong. A U.S.-based PC manufacturer now w ants to get into the printer market. Assess the opportunity.8)We have been hired by a global wealth management company that has 2 divisions: asset management and private banking. Our asset management profits have been decreasing, and our private banking profits have been increasing. We need to help our client determine s trategy to increase all his profits.9)We have been hired by the Board of a company that is loosing money. The Board has a sked us to determine whether any of this loss can be attributed to the Leer jet that the m anagement team uses.10)We have been hired by a company that has just finished making the Millennium Eye, a l arge Ferris wheel that will be placed in the middle of London. Our client wants to know how big the market is and how much we should charge per ticket.A.T. Kearney1st Round (Oct. 2003)1) The CFO of a top 3 retailer wants you to evaluate the viability of developing exclusive contracts with distributors. The three questions you should address are:1. Pro's and Con's of pursuing exclusive contracts2. Identify the categories that should be explored for exclusive contracts3. How would you operationalize these contracts?2) Case setup (facts offered by interviewer):Your client is a U.S. based oil refinery. The refinery has a single location and is a small to medium-sized refinery. Your client, although profitable, believes it is lagging behind th e competition and could improve. Y ou are brought in as part of a joint consultant-client t eam that will review overall operations and make recommendations on ways to improve th e bottom line. Y ou have been assigned to work with the maintenance division. The maint enance department’s primary objective is to prevent equipment failure and to repair equip ment when it does fail.Understanding of its organization is important.It consists of three primary areas: nine assets areas, one central maintenance area and one group of contractors. The first two areas are employees of the client, the third an extern al source of labor. An asset is a physical area of the plant that contains various pieces of equipment (pumps, heat exchangers, etc.). There are nine assets. Each asset has a Mainte nance Supervisor who is responsible for all maintenance to be performed in his/her asset. Working for the Maintenance Supervisor in each asset is, on average, eleven “craftsmen”. The craftsmen are the actual workers that perform the maintenance. The craftsmen are uni onized and divide into twelve different craft designations (e.g. electricians, pipefitters, weld ers, etc.). Each craft designation has a defined set of skills they are qualified to perform. They are not allowed to perform skills outside of their defined craft, or help in the perfor mance of activities involving skills beyond their craft. Collectively the twelve different cra fts can perform any maintenance job that might arise at the refinery. The maintenance sup ervisor and his/her assigned craftsmen are “hardwired” to their asset. That is, they work o nly on equipment in their given asset.Central maintenance is a centralized pool of Maintenance Supervisors and Craftsmen, who are dispatched to support the different assets during times of high workload. They are e mployees of your client and fit the description contained in the above Asset explanation. The only difference is that they may work in any of the different assets as determined by workload. There are a total of 11 Maintenance Supervisors and 100 Craftsmen that comp rise Central Maintenance Contractors are a group of outside Supervisors and Craftsmen wh o support your client during times of high workload. They also are capable of performing any maintenance job that may arise, but differ from your client’s Craftsmen in that they divide the collective skills required into five designations rather than twelve. Thus, the cra ftsmen of the contractor are capable of performing a broader set of skills. They, like your client’s craftsmen, don’t perform skills outside of their defined craft but do allow differe nt craft designations to help each other. There are an average of 7 contractor Maintenance Supervisors and 140 contractor Craftsmen at the refinery on any given day. Question:What opportunities exist to increase profits?What recommendations can you make to capture savings related to the identified opportuni ties?What is the cost savings associated with your recommendations?Suggested solutions:The first question involves identifying opportunities to improve profits. The candidate must start with either revenues or costs. Although one could make the argument that maintena nce supports revenue by maximizing the operating time of the refinery equipment, mainten ance should be seen to be a support function. Thus, it is more appropriate to focus on co sts and cost reduction. The following questions will help the candidate gain insight into c ost reduction opportunities.How does the maintenance department track its costs?If the candidate phrases the question about material or overhead costs, the interviewer wo uld inform the candidate that detailed reviewed showed no major opportunities. The candid ate would be steered toward labor costs and given the following tables regarding maintena nce labor costs for the past year. To support understanding of the following tables, Turnar ound work is long term preventive maintenance (e.g. complete rebuilding of a boiler) that may be performed once every few years. All other work (short term emergency repairs, small scale preventive maintenance, other routine work, etc.) fits into the category of Dail y work。
case+in+point+中文版
fb€AIDEA TOGAEAimEA殍跛/Z^IDEA/〃四工略a IDEA|L€Ayfefi^lDEA[AlWa)EAIDEA也noAmen Df A InMMfflL《Case in point》中文&c o nc e r n s=1.前言 (4)2.序言 (5)3.g (7)+介绍 (7)+关于“你”的问题 (7)+为什么选择咨询？ (9)+可能会问到的一些数学问题： (9)+案例问题 (9)+你的问题 (9)+最后的重中之重：我为什么要聘用你？ (10)4.案例问题 (11)+案例问题的考察目的 (11)+对案例问题要做的准备工作 (11)+案列准则： (12)+案例问题的类型 (13)+书面的案例问题和测试： (20)慎用术语和行话 (21)巧妙地问一些开放式的问题 (22)思路卡壳怎么办 (22)5.艾威案例系统 (22)最好的案例反思 (22)四个先行步骤 (23)十二个案例场景 (24)艾威案例系统一览 (32)6.WM工期结构框架 (35)5C和4P (35)5C (36)4P (36)波士顿矩阵 (36)+迈克尔.波特的五力分析模型/行业结构分析 (38)+价值链 (39)+7S架构 (39)+损益表 (39)+需要牢记的假设情景 (40)+商务案例建议 (41)+亚里士多德的框架蜘 (42)7.案例实践 (42)+生发良药 (42)+平价经纪商的竞争 (46)+世界航天公司 (48)+北美航空 (50)+红色火箭体育用品公司 (53)+牛仔兄弟的高品质冰激凌 (55)+击球员就位 (57)+日本电子产品制造商 (59)+东方培训网络公司 (61)+爆米花城市 (62)+钢铁侠 (64)+铲雪工作 (66)+牙买加电池企业 (67)+百威案例 (70)+百事公司 (72)+燃油效率 (73)+B ull M oose金融服务公司 (74)+纽约歌剧院 (76)+披萨屋 (78)+德克萨斯明星市场 (82)+巴西碳酸饮料生产商 (84)+了解尿布 (86)+萨凡纳•简的洗衣店 (87)+YELLOTSTUFF化学制品公司 (88)+WIVY调频电台 (89)+毁灭之路 (91)+高速铁路 (92)+酒水的螺旋盖 (93)+星巴克 (94)+天然气公司 (95)+公用电话 (96)+电子零售商 (97)+不附带答案的案例问题 (99)8.室友蹒导 (100)9.最后的分析 (101)10.专业术语 (101)1.前言时至今日.咨询圈中人团队再有一个月的时间就成立一年了.这快一年的时间里.C1A的小伙伴们一起为圈中人不计回报地付出着。
咨询公司case分析方法25页
Case interview分析工具/框架来源：张旭的日志最近在准备CASE INTERVIEW，刚接触这个，对里面涉及到的FRAMEWORK和STRATEGY非常不熟悉，偶获珍宝，与诸君共享。
顺便攒RP！！案例面试分析工具/框架一．Business Strategy1．市场进入类行业分析（波特5力，市场趋势，市场规模，市场份额，市场壁垒等）公司宏观环境（人口，经济，自然，技术，政治），公司微观环境（公司，供应商，市场中介，顾客，竞争对手，大众）3C（Competitor, Consumer, Company/Capabilities）Cost-revenue固定成本，可变成本收入怎么计算？时间序列估计，可比公司估计市场细分很重要，niche marketA. 地理细分B. 人口细分（年龄及生命周期阶段细分，性别细分，收入细分）C. 心理细分（社会阶层，生活方式，个性特征）D. 行为细分（购买时机-柯达，利益细分-牙膏，用户状况，使用率，忠诚度）2．行业分析类市场（市场规模，市场细分，产品需求/趋势分析，客户需求）竞争（竞争对手的经济情况，产品差异化，市场整合度，产业集中度）顾客/供应商关系（谈判能力，替代者，评估垂直整合）进入/离开的障碍（评估公司进入/离开。
对新加入者的反应，经济规模，预测学习曲线，研究政府调控）资金金融（主要金融资金来源，产业风险因素，可变成本/固定成本）风险预测与防范3．新产品引入类营销调研产品？价格？即4P4C (Customer, Competition, Cost, Capabilities)市场促销，分校渠道（渠道选择，库存，运输，仓储）STP和4P（Product, Price, Place, Promotion）产品生命周期二．Business Operation1．市场容量扩张（竞争对手，消费者，自己实力）2．利润改善型Revenue, Cost分析，到底是销售额下降造成，还是成本上升造成如果销售额下降，看4P了（是价格过高？产品质量问题？分校渠道问题？还是promotion的efficacy有问题？）如果成本上升，看固定成本or可变成本是否有问题？（固定成本过高，设备是否老化，需要关闭生产线、厂房，降低管理者工资等，可变成本过高，看原材料价格是否上升，有没有降低的可能，switch suppliers? 还是人员工资过高，需要裁员等）成本结构是否合理，产能利用率如何（闲置率）3. 推销任何一种产品/服务4P，3c4. 定价以成本为基础的定价成本加成定价，以目标利润（盈亏平衡定价）以价值为基础定价以竞争为基础定价三．Market Sizing/Estimation市场趋势，市场规模，市场份额，市场壁垒等市场集中度市场驱动因素（价格，服务，质量，外观）关键成功要素KSF四．M&A类整合原因（synergy, scale, management impulse, Tax consideration, Diversification, Breakup Value）5C（Character, Capacity, Capital,Conditions, Competitive Advantage）类型：horizontal, vertical, congeneric, conglomerate估值方法：DFC，Market Multiple( EBITDA，P/E，P/B)DFC：Pro Forma Cash Flow Statement，Discount RateHostile VS Friendly takeovers所有咨询公司面试可能用到的分析结构Advanced concepts & frameworksMBAs and other candidates with business background, take note - interviewers will expect you to have a more detailed take on y our case than an undergraduate would have. Here are some common ly used case concepts.Net present valuePerhaps the most important type of decision company managers mu st make on a daily basis is whether to undertake a proposed inv estment. For example, should the company buy a certain piece of equipment? Build a particular factory? Invest in a new project? These types of decisions are called capital budgeting decision s. The consultant makes such decisions by calculating the net present value of each proposed investment and making only those investments that have positive net present values.Example: Hernandez is the CFO of Western Manufacturing Corp., a n automobile manufacturer. The company is considering opening a new factory in Ohio that will require an initial investment of $1 million. The company forecasts that the factory will genera te after-tax cash flows of $100,000 in Year 1, $200,000 in Year 2, $400,000 in Year 3, and $400,000 in Year 4. At the end of Y ear 4, the company would then sell the factory for $200,000. Th e company uses a discount rate of 12 percent. Hernandez must de termine whether the company should go ahead and build the facto ry. To make this decision, Hernandez must calculate the net pre sent value of the investment. The cash flows associated with th e factory are as follows:Hernandez then calculates the NPV of the factory as follows:Since the factory has a negative net present value, Hernandez c orrectly decides that the factory should not be built.The net present value ruleNote from the example above that once the consultant has figured out the NPV of a proposed investment, she then decides whethe r to undertake the investment by applying the net present value rule:Make only those investments that have a positive net present va lue.As long as the consultant follows this rule, she can be confide nt that each investment is making a positive net contribution t o the company.The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)In the above example, we assumed a given discount rate. However, part of a consultant's job is to determine an appropriate disc ount rate (r) to use when calculating net present values. The d iscount rate may vary depending on the investment.BetaThe first step in arriving at an appropriate discount rate for a given investment is determining the investments riskiness. Th e market risk of an investment is measured by its "beta" (?), w hich measures riskiness when compared to the market as a whole. An investment with a beta of 1 has the same riskiness as the m arket as a whole (so, for example, when the market moves down 1 0 percent, the value of the investment will on average fall 10percent as well). An investment with beta of 2 will be twice as risky as the market (so when the market falls 10 percent, the value of the investment will on average fall 20 percent). CAPMOnce the consultant has determined the beta of a proposed inves tment, he can use the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) to cal culate the appropriate discount rate (r):The risk-free rate of return is the return the company could re ceive by making a risk-free investment (for example, by investi ng in U.S. Treasury bills). The market rate of return is the re turn the company could receive by investing in a well-diversifi ed portfolio of stocks (for example, S&P 500).Example: Shen, Inc., a coal producer, is considering investing in a new venture that would manufacture and market carbon filte rs. Shen's chief financial officer, Apelbaum, wants to calculat e the NPV of the proposed venture in order to determine whether the company should make the investment. After studying the ris kiness of the proposed venture, Apelbaum determines that the be ta of the investment is 1.5. A U.S. Treasury note of comparable maturity currently yields 7 percent, while the return on the S&P 500 stock index is 12 percent. Therefore, the discount rate Apelbaum will use when calculating the NPV of the investment wi ll be:Although this is an overly simplified discussion of how consult ants calculate discount rate to use in their cash-flow analysis, it does give you an overview of how consultants incorporate th e notion of an investment's market to select the appropriate di scount rate.Porter's Five ForcesDeveloped by Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter i n his book Competitive Strategy, the Porter's Five Forces frame work helps determine the attractiveness of an industry. Before any company expands into new markets, divests product lines, ac quires new businesses, or sells divisions, it should ask itself, "Is the industry we're entering or exiting attractive?" By usi ng Porter's Five Forces, a company can begin to develop a thoug htful answer. Consultants frequently utilize Porter's Five Forc es as a starting point to help companies evaluate industry attr activeness.Take, for example, entry into the copy store market (like Kinko 's). How attractive is the copy store market?Potential entrants: What is the threat of new entrants into the market? Copy stores are not very expensive to open - you can c onceivably open a copy store with one copier and one employee. Therefore, barriers to entry are low, so there's a high risk of potential new entrants.Buyer power: How much bargaining power do buyers have? Copy sto re customers are relatively price sensitive. Between the choice of a copy store that charges 5 cents a copy and a store that c harges 6 cents a copy, buyers will usually head for the cheaper store. Because copy stores are common, buyers have the leverag e to bargain with copy store owners on large print jobs, threat ening to take their business elsewhere. The only mitigating fac tors are location and hours. On the other hand, price is not th e only factor. Copy stores that are willing to stay open 24 hou rs may be able to charge a premium, and customers may simply pa tronize the copy store closest to them if other locations are r elatively inconvenient.Supplier power: How much bargaining power do suppliers have? Wh ile paper prices may be on the rise, copier prices continue to fall. The skill level employees need to operate a copy shop (for basic services, like copying, collating, etc.) are relatively low as well, meaning that employees will have little bargainin g power. Suppliers in this situation have low bargaining power.Threat of substitutes: What is the risk of substitution? For ba sic copying jobs, more people now possess color printers at hom e. Additionally, fax machines have the capability to fulfill co py functions as well. Large companies will normally have their own copying facilities. However, for large-scale projects, most individuals and employees at small companies will still use th e services of a copy shop. The Internet is a potential threat t o copy stores as well, because some documents that formerly wou ld be distributed in hard copy will now be posted on the Web or sent through e-mail. However, for the time being, there is sti ll relatively strong demand for copy store services. Competition: Competition within the industry appears to be inte nse. Stores often compete on price, and are willing to "underbi d" one another to win printing contracts. Stores continue to ad d new features to compete as well, such as expanding hours to 2 4-hour service and offering free delivery.From this analysis, you can ascertain that copy stores are something of a commodity market. Consumers are very price-sensitive, copy stores are inexpensive to set up, and the market is relat ively easily entered by competitors. Advances in technology may reduce the size of the copy store market. Value-added services, such as late hours, convenient locations, or additional servic es such as creating calendars or stickers, may help copy stores differentiate themselves. But overall, the copy store industry does not appear to be an attractive one.As dot-coms come under fire, one case question we've heard incr easingly is "How would you create barriers to entry as an Inter net Startup?"Product life cycle curveIf you're considering a product case, figure out how "mature" y our product or service isStrategy tool/framework chartHere's one way to think about the choice between being the lowe st-cost provider or carving out a higher-end market niche - wha t consultants call differentiation.The Four PsThis is a useful framework for evaluating marketing cases. It c an be applied to both products and services. The Four Ps consis t of:PriceThe price a firm sets for its product/service can be a strategi c advantage. For example, it can be predatory (set very low to undercut the competition), or it can be set slightly above mark et average to convey a "premium" image. Consider how pricing is being used in the context of the case presented to you. ProductThe product (or service) may provide strategic advantage if it is the only product/service that satisfies a particular interse ction of customer needs. Or it may simply be an extension of al ready existing products, and therefore not much of a benefit. T ry to tease out the value of the product in the marketplace bas ed on the case details you have been given.Position/PlaceThe physical location of a product/service can provide an advan tage if it is superior to its competition, if it is easier or m ore convenient for people to consume, or if it makes the consum er more aware of the product/service over its competition. In t he context of a business case, you may want to determine the placement of the product or service compared to its competition. PromotionWith so much noise in today's consumer (and business to busines s) marketplace, it is difficult for any one product/service to stand out in a category. Promotional activity (including advert ising, discounting to consumers and suppliers, celebrity appear ances, etc.) can be used to create or maintain consumer awarene ss, open new markets, or target a specific competitor. You may want to suggest a promotional strategy in the context of the ca se you are presented relative to the promotional activity of ot her competing products/services.The Four CsThe Four Cs are especially useful for analyzing new product int roductions and for industry analysis.CustomersHow is the market segmented?What are the purchase criteria that customers use?CompetitionWhat is the market share of the clients?What is its market position?What is its strategy?What is its cost position?Does he/she have any market advantages?CostWhat kind of economies of scale does the client have?What is the client's experience curve?Will increased production lower cost?CapabilitiesWhat resources can the client draw from?How is the client organized?What is the production system?The Five CsThis framework is mostly applied to financial cases and to comp anies (although it can be applied to individuals). You may empl oy it in other situations if you think it is appropriate. CharacterEvaluate the dedication, track record, and overall consumer per ception of the company. Are there any legal actions pending aga inst the company? If so, for what reason? Is the company progre ssive about its waste disposal, quality of life for its employees, and charitable contributions? What sort of impact would thi s have on the case you are evaluating?CapacityIf you are dealing with a manufacturing entity, are its factori es at, above, or below capacity, and for what reasons? Are ther e plans to add new plants, improve the technology in existing p lants, or close underperforming plants? What about production o verseas?CapitalWhat is the company's cost of capital relative to its competito rs? How healthy are its cash flows, revenues, and debt load rel ative to its competition?ConditionsWhat is the current business climate the company (and its indus try) faces? What is the short- and long-term growth potential i n the industry? How is the market characterized? Is it emerging or mature? These questions can assist you in evaluating the fa cts of the case against the environment that the company/indust ry inhabits.Competitive AdvantageThis is the unique edge a company possesses over its competitors. It can be an unparalleled set of business processes, the abi lity to produce a product/service at a lower cost, charge a mar ket premium, or any number of other assets that create an advan tage over other market players. Whatever the case, these advant ages are usually defensible and not easily copied.In evaluating business cases using the Five Cs framework, you s hould look for those unique qualities that a company possesses and identify any that meet the criteria mentioned above. You ma y suggest that the company leverage its competitive advantage m ore aggressively or recommend alternatives if that company has no discernible advantage.Value Chain AnalysisThis approach involves assessing a company's overall business p rocesses and identifying where that company actually adds value to a product or service. The total margin of profit will be th e value of the product or service to buyers, less the cost of i ts production, as determined by the value chain.In most cases, a competitive advantage is only temporary for ma ny of today's products/services. Being first to market, having a unique formula or configuration, or having exclusivity in a m arket were once long-term defensible strategies. But today, businesses are globally connected by lightning-fast communications and knowledge-sharing systems and manufacturing technologies a re getting better and faster at reacting to and anticipating ma rket conditions. Thus these advantages are only fleeting or may not exist at all.Value Chain Analysis attempts to identify a competitive advanta ge by deconstructing the various "changes" a company's business processes perform on a set of raw materials or other inputs. M ost can be easily copied by other competitors, but there is usu ally a unique subset that represents the "value-added" qualitie s only the company under scrutiny possesses. This set is that c ompany's competitive advantage, or "value chain." Sometimes thi s set can be copied, but a unique set of circumstances may stil l allow the company in question to perform them at a lower cost, charge a premium in the market, or retain higher market share than its competitors.In the context of a business case, you can use this framework t o identify a company's overall business processes set and then determine if one or more of the processes are defensible compet itive advantages.For example, a manufacturer of fruit juice might have the follo wing value chain elements:•Research and development (Will mango really taste good with cl oudberry juice?)•Cost of goods sold (How much does it cost to manufactu re the f ruit juice? Is there a frost in Florida that drives up the cost s of oranges? Is the currency crisis in Indonesia making papaya very cheap? Are per-volume purchases lower than, for example, those of Tropicana?)•Packaging and shipping (How much doe s that new banana-shaped c ontainer cost? Are many bottles lost in transit? What are the f ixed costs of shipping?)•Manufacturing (How much do those juice pulpers cost? How often do factories need to be reengineered?)•Labor (How many employees do we have? Where are they located? Are they unionized?)•Distribution (Where are the distribution centers? Where are th e products distributed?)•Advertising (Billboards, TV, magazines?)•Margin (How profitable is the juice company?)For more detailed information on this type of analysis, you may want to consider the authoritative text on competitive strateg y: Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries an d Competitors, by Michael E. Porter.Core competencies"Core competencies" is the idea that each firm has a limited nu mber of things it is very good at (that is, its core competence or competencies).When restructuring or reengineering, one of the starting points for a company should be identifying its core competencies. A f irm should define its core competencies broadly in order to be flexible enough to adapt to changes in the marketplace. (For in stance, when Xerox defined itself as a "document company," rath er than a maker of copy machines, it was able to take advantage of the more lucrative business of document handling and outsou rcing for major corporations, as well as of the market for fax machines, scanners, and other document-handling equipment.) Companies should seriously consider selling/spinning off busine ss units that are not part of their "core" business. For instan ce, Pepsi recently spun off its restaurant operations after it concluded that its expertise was in manufacturing and marketing beverages, not in managing restaurants.Benchmarking and "best practices"A commonly used concept in consulting (especially in operationsand implementation engagements) is "benchmarking." Benchmarkin g basically means researching what other companies in the indus try are doing (usually in order to evaluate whether your client is operating efficiently or to identify areas where the client can cut costs). For example, if a mail-order company wants to reduce its order-processing costs, it would want to compare its order processing costs with those of other mail-order companie s, breaking down its costs for each part of the process (includ ing order-taking and shipping) and comparing them with industry averages. It can then pinpoint those areas where its costs are higher than average for the industry.A related concept is "best practices": once you've benchmarked what other companies are doing, you want to focus on those comp anies that have particular low costs or which otherwise operate particularly well. What are they doing right (i.e., what are t heir "best practices")? And how can our client (in the case) em ulate or copy what they're doing? Remember to look outside your client's particular industry, if necessary, to find the best p ractices for a particular process or operation.The 2x2 matrixThe 2x2 matrix is a good framework to use any time you have twofactors that, when combined, yield different outcomes. A very rudimentary example would be what happens when you turn on your bathroom faucets, as follows:A more business-appropriate example would involve acquiring a c ompany. Let?s say a company is interested in understanding the difficulty of acquiring or building a distribution center and i t is considering financing this decision with either stock or d ebt. The potential outcomes might look like this:The BCG MatrixThe BCG Matrix, named after the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), is perhaps the most famous 2x2 matrix. The matrix measures a co mpany's relative market share on the horizontal axis and its gr owth rate on the vertical axis.M&A cases: Determining the value of an acquisitionCase interviews aren't just for consultants. Mergers & acquisit ion cases are wildly popular at investment banks. Here's how toanalyze a potential acquisition.Value Drivers (M&A) FrameworkIn order to understand value, we need to understand the three p rimary value drivers:The value components can be further broken out into specific "v alue drivers":M&A Cases: Data Gathering and AnalysisMarket Analysis Tools•Competitive position framework•Relative value versus competitors to customer through supply chain•Product life cycle•Supply and demand analysis- Industry capacity- Industry utilization- Demand drivers- Regressions•Segmentation analysis•Porter's Five Forces•Experience curves•Trends and outlook•Key success factorsTarget Analysis Tools•Business system - comparison with competitors •Market share (over time and by segment)•Capacity (growth and utilization of)•Customer's key purchase criteria and relative performa nce•Financial history•Sales and profitability by segment•Cash flow analysis•Margin and expense structure•Relative cost position•Cost benchmarkingYour data gathering strategy will vary depending on industry:A framework cautionAll the frameworks detailed above are widely used, and most U.S.business schools teach them as part of their core curriculums. Your interviewers will instantly recognize when you are applyi ng them, since they are already familiar with the techniques. W hile this is OK, consider that you are trying to demonstrate yo ur unique analytical and deductive reasoning skills that set yo u apart from other candidates. You must be creative and origina l in analyzing case questions. Use these frameworks sparingly. (Another note: No interviewer will be impressed if you proudly proclaim, "I'm going to apply Porters Five Forces now." Apply f rameworks without identifying them.)希望以上资料对你有所帮助，附励志名言3条：1、要接受自己行动所带来的责任而非自己成就所带来的荣耀。
咨询面试系列案例分析
Firm: A.T. KearneyCase Number:Case setup (facts offered by interviewer):❑Your client is a U.S. based manufacturer of branded cookies (cookies that carry the name of the manufacturer)❑Recently private label cookies (those carrying the name of the retailer) have emerged and threatened branded cookies➢Private label cookies emerged five years ago➢Two and one-half years ago they made up 10% of the overall cookie market (brand being the other 90%)➢Today they make up approximately 20% of the overall cookie market (i.e., there has been a steady, linear increase of private label portion of the overall cookie market during the past five years)➢The overall cookie market has been relatively flat over the past five years❑Private label cookies are made by the same manufacturers who make branded cookies, they are just sold under the name of the retailer❑There are essentially three major competitors to consider:➢Your client, who makes only branded cookies➢ A second major player, that makes both branded cookies and supplies cookies for private labelers➢ A collection of small outfits, that make both branded cookies and supply private labelers❑Distribution occurs primarily through one of two types of outlets:➢Grocery outlets: all grocers sell branded cookies, most also carry their own private label cookies. This represents approximately 90% of total cookie salesMass merchandisers (ex. Walmart, Sam’s, etc.): sell only branded cookiesQuestion:❑How large would you estimate the overall U.S. cookie market to be in terms of $?❑How large of a threat do you believe the trend in private label cookie sales to be to your client?Based on your assessment, what is an appropriate strategy for your client to follow?Suggested solutions:❑The first question, estimating the size of the U.S. cookie market, has no right or wrong answer.It is a test of a candidate’s ability to make reasonable assumptions and work quickly with numbers on an “order of magnitude” level. One acceptable response would be to estimate the number of U.S. households, estimate household consumption over some period of time, estimate the average cost of a bag of cookies, and project out for one year. In this case, after an estimate has been made, the candidate would be told to assume the market size is $1Billion to simplify any future calculations. As stated in the upfront information, the market is assumed to have been flat for the past five years.❑The second question is more involved. It involves determining to what extent your client is threatened by the increasing percent of the overall cookie market represented by private label sales. To better answer this question information should be gathered pertaining to what is driving the demand for private label cookies, to what extent this has already affected your client’s sales, a nd what the likelihood is for the trend to continue. The following arequestions and answers that would be provided in an interview scenario.❑What are the sales trends for the client over the past five years?❑Your client’s sales have been flat at $600M fo r the time frame of five to two and one-half years ago. Over the past two and one-half years, sales have decreased steadily down to a present level of $560MM.❑How has market share of the private label segment been split over the past five years between you r client’s main competitor and the other smaller players?❑The smaller players combined had 100% of the private label subsegment five years ago.Two and one-half years ago your client’s main competitor began supplying private labelers.Today, this main competitor owns 40% of the private label subsegment, the smaller players own the remaining 60%❑How has market share of the branded segment been split over the past five years?❑Your client held 60% of this segment five years ago, 67% two and one-half years ago and 70% today. Its main competitor held 30% five years ago, 25% two and one-half years ago and 23% today. The combined smaller players owned 10% five years ago, 8% two and one-half years ago and 7% today.❑Analsis of the above information tells a very important story. The private label segment was launched five years ago by the smaller players. As private label first cut into the branded segment, it came at the expense of your client’s main competitor and the smaller players, not your client. In response to this, your client’s main competitor entered into the private label segment two and one-half years ago. This further hurt their own sales and those of the smaller players, but also began to hurt your client’s sales. Additional information is required to understand what is driving the demand for private label cookies❑How does the quality of a private label cookie compare to that of a branded cookie?❑Consumer studies have shown that there is a noticeable difference in taste, texture and quality in favor of the branded cookies❑At the manufacturing level, what is the difference in cost of production and price between branded and private label products?It costs approximately $1.50 to manufacture a bag of private label cookies which will sell for$2.00 to retailers. It costs approximately $2.00 to manufacture a bag of branded cookies which will sell for $2.75.❑How do the same numbers translate at the retail level?❑ A retailer, paying $2.00 for private label cookies can sell that product for $2.50. The $2.75 bag of branded cookies can be sold for $3.50.❑The key finding is that from a cost-price-margin perspective it is advantageous for both the manufacturers and the retailers, with all else equal, to sell a bag of branded cookies. Other factors must be contributing to the demand for private label cookies. Think about the incentives at each level in the chain (manufacturer, retailer, consumer). The following questions can help fill indetails❑Have any of the manufacturers been able to gain additional shelf space for branded products by supplying grocers with private label products?❑No❑Has their been excess capacity at your client, its main competitor or the smaller competitors that has been used up through the manufacturing of private label products?There was some e xcess capacity at the smaller competitors and your client’s main competitor (your client is unsure as to how much).. There is little excess capacity anywhere in the industry today..❑Has your client’s relationship with its retailers suffered as a result of it not supplying private label products?❑Not noticeably❑Are grocery stores using private labels in other food categories?❑Yes, there has been a major push by grocery stores to populate shelves with private labels❑Is competition increasing or decreasing among grocers?❑Generally increasing. Grocer chains are expanding and the number of grocers to be found servinga given area has generally increased over the past five years❑What general macroeconomic trends have occurred over the past five years?❑The economy has been slowing over the past five years. There is concern about recession❑The above information begins to expose a clearer story. A number of factors have contributed to the emergence of the private label segment: manufacturer’s interest in utilizing ex cess capacity, grocer’s desire to sell products with their name on it (they may believe this creates returncustomers in an increasing competitive environment), consumers concerns about a troubledeconomy (price vs. quality tradeoffs).❑At this point the candidate would be encouraged to state what they believe the magniturde of the private label threat to be to the client. There is no right answer. One can argue either way.❑If the threat is seen as high, the likely recommendation is for your client to begin supplying private label products. The candidate should recognize that in competing in the private label segment, the basis of competition is primarily cost. At the same time, the client’s branded product should be protected. The following tactics might prove appropriate:❑Seek to wring costs out of all phases of the operation➢Utilize all existing excess capacity➢Gain maximum product knowledge as quickly as possible➢Understand low cost positions on product ingredients and mix➢Review process improvement/ manufacturing efficiency opportunities➢Undertake overhead reduction efforts(Any of these points could be discussed in great detail)❑Ensure there is no customer confusion between private label offering and branded product❑Seek partnering agreements with retailers➢Joint advertising and promotions❑Explore deals with mass merchandisers to enter private labels (remember, mass merchandisers presently sell no private label)❑If the threat is seen as low, the likely recommendation is for your client to stay with branded cookies only. The candidate should recognize that in competing in the branded segment the basis of competition is one of differentiation. Additionally, your client should do all it can to halt or reverse the momentum of the private label segment. The following tactics might prove useful:❑Pursue a maximum differentiation strategy➢Invest in brand image to support premium price➢Make it difficult to copy product: innovate wisely through product advances, smart product line extensions, frequent changes to the product➢Manage price gap: explore price increases where appropriate( Again, any of these points could be discussed in great detail)❑Explore exclusive partnering with mass merchandisers❑Consider alternative distribution channels❑Seek partnering agreements with grocers regarding branded products❑Educate grocers as available➢Customers who buy private labels are the most price sensitive. They also tend to be the least loyal customers and spend less per store visit.Grocers financial stake in private label products extends beyond the product margins. There is lost profit from branded products that could occupy the same shelf space, advertising costs of the private label products, etc.Key takeaways:This case has no right or wrong answer. It forces the candida te to take a stand in a “grey” situation and defend it. It also provides a large amount of data upfront which the candidate must quickly sort through and determine what is important and what is not. The key is to understand the story behind the data. How did the private label segment emerge? What is driving it? How has it affected manufacturers, retailers and consumers?备注说明，非正文，实际使用可删除如下部分。
咨询公司面试案例咨询入门系列咨询案例分析精编WORD版
咨询公司面试案例咨询入门系列咨询案例分析精编W O R D版IBM system office room 【A0816H-A0912AAAHH-GX8Q8-GNTHHJ8】Firm: A.T. KearneyCase Number:Case setup (facts offered by interviewer):Your client is a U.S. based oil refineryThe refinery has a single location and is a small to medium-sized refineryYour client, although profitable, believes it is lagging behind the competition and could improve You are brought in as part of a joint consultant-client team that will review overall operations and make recommendations on ways to improve the bottom lineYou have been assigned to work with the maintenance divisionThe maintenance department’s primary objective is to prevent equipment failure and to repair equipment when it does failUnderstanding of its organization is important. It consists of three primary areas: nine assets areas, one central maintenance area and one group of contractors. The first two areas areemployees of the client, the third an external source of labor.An asset is a physical area of the plant that contains various pieces of equipment (pumps, heat exchangers, etc.). There are nine assets. Each asset has a Maintenance Supervisor who isresponsible for all maintenance to be performed in his/her asset. Working for the MaintenanceSupervisor in each asset is, on average, eleven “craftsmen”. The craftsmen are the actual workers that perform the maintenance. The craftsmen are unionized and divide into twelve different craft designations (e.g. electricians, pipefitters, welders, etc.). Each craft designation has a defined set of skills they are qualified to perform. They are not allowed to perform skills outside of their defined craft, or help in the performance of activities involving skills beyond their craft. Collectively the twelve different crafts can perform any maintenance job that might arise at the refinery. The maintenance supervisor and his/her assigned craftsmen are “hardwired” to their asset. That is, they work only on equipment in their given asset.Central maintenance is a centralized pool of Maintenance Supervisors and Craftsmen, who are dispatched to support the different assets during times of high workload. They are employees of your client and fit the description contained in the above Asset explanation. The only difference is that they may work in any of the different assets as determined by workload. There are a total of 11 Maintenance Supervisors and 100 Craftsmen that comprise Central Maintenance Contractors are a group of outside Supervisors and Craftsmen who support your client during times of high workload. They also are capable of performing any maintenance job that may arise, but differ from your client’s Craftsmen in that they divide the collective skills required into five designations rather than twelve. Thus, the craftsmen of the contractor are capable of performing a broader set of skills. They, like your client’s craftsmen, don’t perform skills outside of their defined craft but do allow different craft designations to help each other. There are an average of 7 contractor Maintenance Supervisors and 140 contractor Craftsmen at the refinery on any given day.Question:What opportunities exist to increase profits?What recommendations can you make to capture savings related to the identified opportunities?What are the cost savings associated with your recommendations?Suggested solutions:The first question involves identifying opportunities to improve profits. The candidate must start with either revenues or costs. Although one could make the argument that maintenance supports revenue by maximizing the operating time of the refinery equipment, maintenance should be seen to be a support function. Thus, it is more appropriate to focus on costs and cost reduction. The following questions will help the candidate gain insight into cost reduction opportunities.How does the maintenance department track its costs?If the candidate phrases the question about material or overhead costs, the interviewer would inform the candidate that detailed reviewed showed no major opportunities. The candidate would be steered toward labor costs and given the following tables regarding maintenance labor costs for the past year.To support understanding of the following tables, Turnaround work is long term preventive maintenance (e.g. complete rebuilding of a boiler) that may be performed once every few years.All other work (short term emergency repairs, small scale preventive maintenance, other routine work, etc.) fits into the category of Daily workCraftsmen Daily work Turnaround TotalClient$ 8MM$ 2MM$ 10MMContractor$ 5MM$ 9MM$ 14MMTotal$ 13MM$ 11MM$ 24MMSupervisor TotalClient$ 1MMContractor$ 0.5MMTotal$ 1.5MM pursue cost savings opportunities in this area first.What is the utilization of Craftsmen in the assets? In central maintenance? And for contractors?Assume each area is utilized 100% of the time, 50 weeks per year, 40 hours per week.How does the labor cost of craftsmen ($24MM) on a refinery-sized basis (i.e., $cost / per barrel of crude oil processed) compare with industry averages?Consulting your industry data base shows that costs appear to be about 20% above the average of peer refineries.This is an important question to determine if there is a problem with costs (don’t assume there is, the client may be performing better than industry average!)Is there any particular reason why turnaround work is so heavily skewed toward contractors?Turnaround work tends to be more cyclical. An external workforce is used to absorb some of this additional work. Keep in mind that both client and contractor Craftsmen are capable of performing any maintenance job at the plant.After further analysis of the tables the key fact that should become appear odd is the large difference in the cost per u nit of labor between your client’s Craftsmen and the outside contractor’s Craftsmen. Often candidates will ask for the hourly wage rates of these two groups. There is sufficient data to calculate these numbers. The calculation is:Annual cost of client craftsmen = $10MM/ ( 11 Craftsmen/asset x 9 assets + 100Craftsmen inCentral maintenance)= $50,000 / yearAnnual cost of contractor craftsmen = $ 14 MM/ 140 contractor Craftsmen= $100,000 / yearAgain, this difference should provoke a series of questions to understand the difference.Is there any difference in the work performed by the client and contractor craftsmen?No, other than the different levels of Turnaround work vs. Daily work performed as noted in the previous table. Both groups are capable of doing any job with roughly equal levels of quality.Is there any difference in efficiency between the two groups of Craftsmen?The candidate would at this point be asked how they would measure this.After reaching an understanding of the difficulty involved in measuring the efficiency of aworkforce (especially a unionized workforce), the candidate would be told that through a series of interviews with maintenance supervisors, there is a consensus that contractor Craftsmen are roughly twice as productive as client craftsmen.This is a critical point in the case. The candidate must recognize that in the present environment the client is largely indifferent about units of labor. You can have a client worker who is half as efficient or a contractor worker who is twice as expensive. The key now is to determine if there are ways to create an opportunity where the client would no longer be indifferent.What is causing the inefficiencies associated with the client’s labor?Again, the candidate would be encouraged to offer their own ideas.After some discussion the candidate would be told that many of the Maintenance Supervisors complain endlessly about restrictions placed on them by the existing union labor contract and the tightness of craft designations.The interviewer would probe to ensure the candidate understands why the present craftdesignation create the inefficiencies. Essentially work is too finely divided. It makes planning and supervision extremely cumbersome. As an example, if one of six crafts required to perform a job is absent or late, the entire job must shut down, as craft designations are not allowed to support other craft designations.Is it possible to change the existing union contract?The present labor contract is a three year contract that is due to be renegotiated/renewed in six months.Will the union resist changes to the existing contract?Indeed!!At this point, the candidate should recognize a major (albeight difficult) opportunity to reduce labor costs. The client would essentially like to have its own employees look and function like its contractors, but continue to get paid at present rates. In reality, management will need to make wage concessions in order to change present work practices. However, through planned negotiations a scenario can be created which presents a favorable opportunity for your client to begin to replace outside contractors with its own Craftsmen.There are several ways to address the third question of the case, the actual savings that might be achieved. One quick method is to assume that these changes would bring maintenance costs back in line with industry average. Utilizing the cost benchmark mentioned earlier, one could assume costs could be reduced to $24MM/1.20 = $20MM, a $4MM savings.A second, and more detailed, method would be to take the extreme scenario where the client’s Craftsmen is paid its present rate, but is made as efficient as the contractor’s Craftsmen. In this case, you begin with the present level of 200 client craftsmen who are functioning as 100 equivalent contractor Craftsmen (they’re one-half as efficient). By improving their efficiency, you are effectively “creating” 100 equivalent contractors. Thus, you are immediately able to replace 100 contractors and save $10MM. This could be taken one step further by assuming you would want to replace all contractors. This would save an additional $2.5MM ($4MM existing contractor expense - $2MM required to hire additional client craftsmen + $0.5MM in contractor supervisors). As noted earlier, in reality, this approach would require wage concessions to the union, so actual savings may be something significantly less.Key takeaways:This case requires the candidate to quickly digest a large amount of organizational issues and then quickly check some ratios to uncover the basic problem (the client workforce is inefficient). Creativity must then be used to structure a recommendation that would create a more favorable situation for the client. As in other cases, acceptable solutions need not follow the exact method above nor cover all of the above points.。
咨询公司面试案例分析指南咨询面试
Firm: A.T. KearneyCase Number:Case setup (facts offered by interviewer):Your client is a manufacturer of bicyclesThey have been in business for 25 yearsThey manufacturer and sell three categories of bicycles:Racing bikes: High end, high performance bikes for sophisticated cyclistsMainstream bikes: Durable, but not overly complicated bikes for everyday ridersChildren’s bikes: Smaller, simpler versions of their mainstream bikes for childrenProfits at your client have decreased over the past five yearsQuestion:What is driving the decline in overall profits?What recommendations might correct the situation?Suggested solutions:The first question is to determine what has caused overall profits to decrease. To accomplish this the candidate must first understand what has transpired in each of the three product categories over thepast five years during which profitability has slipped. The following are questions and answers that would be provided in an interview scenario.What are the client’s margins f or a bicycle in each of the three segments?Racing: Cost = $600/unit, Profit=$300/unitMainstream: Cost = $250/unit, Profit = $75/unitChildren’s: Cost = $ 200/unit, Profit = $50/unitWhat has happened to the market size of each of the three segments over the past five years?Racing: Has remained constant at its present size of $300MMMainstream: Has increased at 2% growth rate per year to its present size of $1.0BChildren’s: Has increased at 3% growth rate per year to its present size of $400MMWhat has happened to our client’s market share in each of these segments?Racing: Market share has decreased from 60% to 30%Mainstream: Market share has increased from 0% to 5%Children’s: Market share has increased from 0% to 3%Who are the client’s major competitor’s in each market segment? What has happened to their market share in each segment over the past five years?Racing: There is one main competitor and a host of small firms. Your main competitor hasincreased market share from 30% to 50%Mainstream: There exist many, large competitors, none of which holds more than 10% of the marketChildren’s: As in the mainstream segment, there are many competitors, none with more than 10% of the marketThe above information provides enough information to put together a picture of why profits have decreased over the past five years : Your client, with a commanding position in a flat market segment (racing), expanded into new segments (mainstream and children’s). As this occurred, market share decreased dramatically in the most lucrative segment (racing), creating an unfavorable mix.The extent to which profits have decreased can be deduced from some quick math : profits have slipped from $60MM five years ago (=60% x $300MM x 33% racing margin) to $44MM today ( = (30% x $300MM x 33% racing margin) + (5% x $1B x 23% mainstream margin) + (3% x $400MM x 20% children’s margin)).The dramatic decrease in market share in the racing segment is at this point still unexplained. Questions that would help formulate an explanation include:Have there been any major changes in product quality in your client’s racing product? Or in its main competitor’s racing product?NoHave there been any major price changes in your client’s racing product? Or in its main competitor’s racing prod uct?NoHave there been any major changes in distribution outlets for your client’s racing product? Or for its main competitor’s racing product?Yes. Previously your client and its main competitor in the racing segment sold exclusively through small, specialty dealers. This remains unchanged for the competition. Your client, however, began to sell its racing bikes through mass distributors and discount stores (the distribution outlets for mainstream and children’s bikes) as it entered the mainstream an d children’s segment.How do the mass distributors and discount stores price the racing bikes relative to the specialty stores?Prices at these stores tend to be 15 to 20% less.What percent of your client’s racing sales occur in mass distributors and disc ount stores? Effectively none. This attempt to sell through these distributors has failedHow has the decision to sell through mass distributor’s and discount stores affected the image of the client’s racing product?No studies have been done.How has the decision to sell through mass distributor’s and discount stores affected your client’s relationship with the specialty outlets?Again, no formal analysis has been performed.Although some analysis and/or survey should be performed to answer more conclusively the last two questions, a possible story can be put together. There has been no appreciable change in either quality or price (or any other tangible factor) of your client’s racing product relative to its competition. It is not the product that is the problem, but rather its image. As your client came out with lower end, mainstream and children’s products and began to push their racing segment through mass distributors and discount outlets, their reputation was compromised. Additionally, the presence of the racing products in the discount outlets has put your historic racing distributor (the specialty shops) in a precarious position. The specialty shops must now lower price to compete, thereby cutting their own profits. Instead, they are likely to push t he competition’s product. Remember, your client has no direct salesforce at the retail outlets. The specialty shops essentially serve as your client’s sales force.The above analysis offers an explanation of what has affected the top side of the profitability problem. Still to be examined is the cost, or bottom side, of the profitability issue. Questions to uncover cost issues would include:How does the client account for its costs?The client has a single manufacturing and assembly plant. They have separate lines in this facility to produce racing, mainstream and children’s products. They divide their costs into thefollowing categories: labor, material and overhead. Overall costs have been increasing at a fairly hefty rate of 10% per year.What is the current breakdown of costs along these categories for each product segment? Racing: Labor = 30%, Material = 40%, Overhead = 30%Mainstream: Labor = 25%, Material = 40%, Overhead = 35%Children’s: Labor = 25%, Material = 40%, Overhead = 35%How has this mix of expenses changed over the past five years?In all segments, labor is an increasing percentage of the costs.Does the basic approach to manufacturing (i.e. the mix of labor and technology) reflect that of its competition?Your client tells you that there is a continuing movement to automate and utilize technology to improve efficiency throughout the industry, but it is his/her opinion that their approach, maintaining the “human touch”, is what differentiates them from the competition. (Unfortunately, he’s right!!)Is the workforce unionized?YesWhat is the average age of the workforce?52 and climbing. There is very little turnover in the workforce.What is the present throughput rating? How has it changed over the past five years?Presently the plant is producing at about 80% of capacity. This has been decreasing steadily over the last several years.What is the typical reason for equipment shutdown?Emergency repairDescribe the preventive maintenance program in effect at the client’s facility?Preventive maintenance is performed informally based on the knowledge of senior technicians.How often has equipment been replaced? Is this consistent with the original equipmentmanufacturer’s recommendations?The client feels that most OEM recommendations are very conservative. They have followed a philosophy of maximizing the life of their equipment and have generally doubled OEMrecommendations.The above information is sufficient to add some understanding to the cost side of the equation. Your client has an aging workforce and plant that is behind the times in terms of technology and innovation. This has contributed to excessive breakdowns, decreased throughput, increased labor rates (wages increase with seniority) and greater labor hours (overtime to fix broken machines).In proposing recommendations to improve the client’s situation, there is no single correct approach. There are a number of approaches that might be explored and recommended. The following are some possibilities:Abandon the mainstream and children’s segment to recover leadership in the racing segment Issues to consider in this approach:How much of the racing segment is “recoverable”?What are the expected growth rates of each segment?How badly damaged is the relationship with the specialty outlets?Are there alternative outlets to the specialty shops such as internet sales?How will this move affect overall utilization of the operating facilities?Maintain the mainstream and children’s segment, but sell under a different nameIssues to consider in this approach:Is there demand among the mass and discount distributors for bicycles under their name?What additional advertising and promotions costs might be incurred?What are the expected growth rates of each segment?What is driving the b uying habits of the mainstream and children’s market?Reduce costs through automation and innovationIssues to be considered:What technological improvements are to be made?What are the required investments?What are the expected returns on those investments?How will these investments affect throughput?To which lines are these investments appropriate?Are the mainstream and children’s segments potentially “over-engineered”?What impact will this have on the required workforce levels?If layoffs are required to achieve the benefits, what impact will this have on labor relations? Reduce costs through establishing a formal preventive maintenance programIssues to be considered:What organizational changes will be required?What analysis will be performed to determine the appropriate amount of PM?What training is required of the workforce?What technical or system changes are required?How will the unionized workforce respond?Key takeaways:This case can prove to be lengthy and very involved. It is not expected that a candidate would cover all of the above topics, but rather work through selected topics in a logical fashion. It is important that the candidate pursue a solution that considers both revenue and cost issues to impact profit. Additionally, a conadidate’s ability to work comfortably with the quantitative side of this case is important. The above recommendations for improving profitability are just a few among many. The candidate may come with their own ideas.。
Case_Interview案例面试
Case_Interview案例面试案例面试（Case Interview）是一种常见的面试方式，特别在咨询、金融和科技行业中被广泛采用。
它通过模拟真实业务场景，考察应聘者的分析能力、解决问题的能力以及沟通能力。
本文将介绍案例面试的背景、常见类型以及一些应对策略。
一、案例面试背景案例面试起源于咨询行业，最早由波士顿咨询集团（BCG）在20世纪60年代引入。
随着时间的推移，案例面试逐渐成为各行业招聘中的重要环节。
这种面试方式主要考察应聘者的问题解决能力，因为在实际工作中，员工需要能够分析问题、找出关键因素并提出解决方案。
二、案例面试类型1. 市场调研案例：此类案例要求应聘者对市场进行调研，分析竞争对手、消费者需求以及市场趋势。
应聘者需要利用数据分析工具，收集和整理数据，并提出相应的市场策略。
2. 运营优化案例：这类案例要求应聘者分析企业的运营流程，找出潜在问题并提出改进方案。
应聘者需要具备流程优化和项目管理的知识，能够通过数据分析和业务理解找到问题的症结。
3. 财务分析案例：此类案例要求应聘者对财务数据进行分析，并提出相应的财务建议。
应聘者需要具备财务知识，能够理解财务报表和指标，并结合业务情况进行分析。
4. 战略规划案例：这类案例要求应聘者对企业的战略进行分析，并提出相应的战略规划。
应聘者需要具备战略思维和行业洞察力，能够分析企业内外部环境，并提出可行的战略方案。
三、应对策略1. 理清思路：在面对案例面试时，应聘者首先要理清思路，明确问题的关键点。
可以通过提问来澄清问题，确保自己对问题的理解准确。
2. 数据分析：案例面试通常会提供大量数据，应聘者需要具备数据分析的能力。
可以通过制作图表、计算指标等方式来对数据进行分析，并提炼出关键信息。
3. 结构化思维：在回答问题时，应聘者需要采用结构化思维，将问题拆解成多个子问题，并逐一解决。
这样可以使回答更有条理，也更容易找到解决问题的关键点。
4. 沟通表达：案例面试不仅考察应聘者的分析能力，还考察其沟通和表达能力。
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CASE IN POINT 咨询行业面试案例分析作者：Marc P. Cosentino目录1概述2面试2.1开场2.2关于你的问题2.3为什么选择咨询行业2.4可能出现的数学问题2.5案例题2.6由你提问2.7最给力的压轴题3案例题3.1案例题的目的3.2案例题的准备3.3案例题的步骤3.4案例题的种类3.5书面案例题和测试3.6激怒面试官3.7如果你思路卡住了3.8关于数学的困难4 Ivy案例系统4.1最给力的案例分析思路4.2最初的四个步骤4.3十二个案例情景4.4Ivy案例系统概观5分析工具和框架5.1 5C和4P5.2 BCG矩阵5.3 波特五力5.4价值链5.5 7S框架5.6现金流量表5.7应该记住的“如果”情境5.8商业案例贴士5.9亚里士多德框架6案例练习6.1 35个案例6.2案例类型6.3没有答案的案例题7给你室友的指南8最后的话9咨询术语1概述一个欧洲铁矿公司在澳洲买了一块富含铁矿的地。
他们应该开采吗？回答这个问题的时候，我要你告诉我每吨的成本、盈亏平衡点、利润率和对全球市场的影响。
咨询公司做的是出租脑袋的生意。
咨询顾问综合大量的陌生数据，剔除不相关的信息，构建一个针对特定客户的问题的对策，在位高权重的人面前做出兼具逻辑性和创造性的假定（比如矿业公司的大亨），通过这种方式来赚钱。
这就是为什么咨询公司那么注重案例分析——因为这让他们能够判断一个未来的咨询顾问（比如你）的案例展示有多少逻辑性和说服力。
在本质上，案例面试是一个角色扮演练习。
为了通过案例面试，你必须知道怎么去准备和表现。
这本书会帮助你做到这两点。
它会带你过一遍整个咨询面试流程，教你如何去做准备，告诉你咨询公司看重一个应聘者的什么，挖掘各种类型的案例题，向你介绍Ivy案例系统。
作为一个在哈佛十五年有余的职业导师，我已经帮助了超过八千名全国最优秀的学生准备咨询公司面试。
在此期间，学生们疯狂地记忆各种独立的框架并且焦头烂额地考虑运用哪个框架。
与此同时，咨询公司出的案例题越来越复杂。
过去的标准框架，尽管还有用，但已不够去解决这些复杂的案例。
我开发了Ivy案例系统来简化这一问题。
这个案例系统将会让你有一个印象深刻的入门（很长很长的停顿）并保证让你有条理有逻辑地得到答案。
一个框架和一个系统的区别在于框架是一个工具，而系统是一个嵌入了所有工具的过程。
Ivy案例系统是你能学到的最合理、全面的案例面试攻略。
记住，案例题像一个镜子一样帮助你在面试过程中学到东西。
这种工作是你想要的吗？你能在这种环境中学习成长吗？你必须问你自己：我喜欢解决问题吗？我喜欢这种类型的问题吗？案例题对你来说必须是有趣的。
最好的准备方法是坐下来，然后1.不跳过一页地读这本书；2.参加所有咨询公司或就业指导中心举办的案例面试培训；3.让你的经济学教授、室友、朋友帮你练习，打扰你知道的在咨询公司工作的人；4.重新不跳过一页的地读这本书。
看起来你跃跃欲试了……2面试放心吧，现实比你想象的更糟糕。
如果你能计算出让所有面试官都喜欢你，通过七到十轮案例面试，在面试中被选中的概率，那么你下学期的学费拿去买彩票好了。
但是你知道吗？你被录用并且茁壮成长的概率比你申请名牌大学的概率高。
所以忘记概率，集中注意力在你自己身上。
如果说人总有目光短浅的时候，那么现在就是这种时候。
但是面试官不知道你曾经……放心，他们不知道，我们也一定不会告诉他们。
你将历史清白地走入面试考场。
这一章将带你过一遍第一轮面试并告诉你如何妥当地准备每一步。
有些公司在第一轮面试设置两个背靠背的三十分钟面试。
在这种面试里，一个面试官花更多时间问你个人的问题然后给你一个短一点的案例题，另一个面试官花更少时间在你身上而更多时间在案例题上。
2.1开场被叫到名字后，你伸出黏糊糊的手，然后撒谎道：“真高兴能来到这里”。
这没什么，你第一次和恋人约会时就是这么干的。
（希望这次情况能好一点）陈词滥调时间：你永远没有第二次机会制造第一印象。
眼神交流、友好的微笑还有坚定的握手是至关重要的。
2.2关于你的问题面试的第一部分在于“认识你”。
麦肯锡把它叫做PEI(Personal Experience Interview)。
他们会在面试里让你陈述几个你影响或者说服一个群体的例子，你建立关系的风格，还有你为自己设定并且成功实现的目标。
面试官会问几个从你简历上发现的问题（你简历上的任何东西都是嘲弄的对象）他们想看什么：•自信和适宜的举止风格和强大的沟通能力（你是精神脆弱者吗？）•领导能力和主动性（别提你组织啤酒聚会的事）•作为团队成员的能力（你和别人合作融洽吗？）•干劲、抱负、道德信条（你有吗？）在这一部分面试中，你必须快速反应，不能陷入沉思。
接下来持续一个星期的案例面试有够你沉思的。
你必须事先问自己这些问题。
看看咨询行业最常见面试问题的清单（见下面）。
你可能不会被问到这里面的所有问题，但如果你抽时间写下答案或者列出答案要点，你将会被迫去想思考你已经很多年或者从未思考的问题。
那么，挖掘你经历的百宝箱，回忆值得回忆的经历和能够证实你能力的成就。
咨询业面试常见问题在面试前抽时间回答这些问题，到现场回答的时候，你会更精确和有重点。
•告诉我你的情况•你来这里做什么？•为什么选择咨询？•你为什么选择你的学校？•你认为咨询顾问是做什么的？•关于这份工作和我们公司，你知道些什么？•你为什么选择我们公司而不是我们的竞争对手？•你数学技能怎样？•六十三分之七是百分之几？•告诉我你表现领导能力的一次经历•告诉我你作为团队成员的一次经历•告诉我一个你说服一个群体的例子•告诉我你最近达成的一个目标•你曾经失败过吗？•告诉我你发挥主动性开始做某件事的一次经历•你喜欢做什么类型的工作？•你还在面试其他公司吗？•你还想进入其他什么行业？•什么样的成就给你最高的满足感？•你觉得自己有什么样的独特经历或者能力可以在我们公司中运用？•为什么我们要雇用你？面试官更容易记住故事和成就而不是一般的答案你不想被面试官记住吗？如果你告诉面试官你冲浪穿越英吉利海峡的迷人故事，面试当天结束时面试官在他的列表上看到你的名字，他会记得你是个冲浪者。
这时，他会记起你说的一切。
如果他看到你的名字然后想：“这个家伙是谁？”，那么你的申请就结束了。
该怎么回答呢？最容易犯错的三个面试问题是：•你曾经失败过吗？•你正在面试的其他咨询公司有哪些？•你还想进入其他哪些行业？你知道怎样真诚的回答这些问题吗？问题1：你曾经失败过吗？回答有！每个人都曾经在什么事情上失败过。
每个人都经常失败。
失败是你学习成长的方式。
应该做的：谈谈某一次失败经历和你从中学到的东西。
最好是，谈谈你为什么失败，从失败中学到什么，然后怎么由失败转向成功。
迈克尔乔丹是最佳例子。
他高中一年级无法加入校篮球队，但坚持使他最终成为了一个传奇。
带着你的动人故事去面试。
不该做的：不要谈个人的失败。
别提任何让面试官感到不舒服的事（比如，“我在父亲去世前一直没有好好孝敬他”或者“我被女朋友甩了”或者“我十七岁时跑得没有比警车快”）。
面试官不希望听到这些。
另一些面试官不愿听到的是学术上的失败。
有不计其数的哈佛学生在模拟面试中告诉我：“我选了一门高级课程，像狗一个拼命学，但还是失败了。
”“你这门课得分多少？”我会反问。
“B减。
”那不是失败。
如果你真的有一门课不及格，他们会知道的并且会问你为什么。
问题2：你正在面试的其他公司有哪些？告诉他们你正在面试其他咨询公司并没有问题。
竞争很激烈，如果你把所有的经历都放在一个公司上，你就是傻帽。
但是你必须告诉他们为什么他们公司是首选以及是什么让你觉得他们比其他公司更好。
咨询公司是有分等级的。
有一流、二流和三流公司。
但谁是几流是很主观的，别不好意思告诉面试官其他咨询公司和他们同个等级或者比他们高级。
问题3：你还想进入其他哪些行业？咨询行业有其他两个行业是兄弟行业。
面试咨询公司的时候，可以提及你正在寻找投行或者战略规划行业的职位。
这些职位也在寻找同样质量的应征者，要求具有类似的技能。
事实上，麦肯锡和波士顿最大的竞争对手正是高盛，不是别的公司。
2.3为什么选择咨询？面试官会问你为什么想成为一个咨询顾问。
记住，这很重要——不仅要迅速回答，而且必须看着面试官的眼睛回答。
如果你眼神流离，这表明你正在考虑这个问题。
这足以成为面试马上终止的理由。
你必须在面试之前对这个问题做充分的思考。
尽管我不希望你背诵你的答案，但我希望你记住要点。
这让你的回答有中心、有线索并且有适当的篇幅。
不要漫无边际的谈。
有一些不错的想要成为咨询顾问的理由并不够。
说的内容很重要，但更重要的是你说的方式。
你的语气必须是真诚的充满热情的。
十三个进入咨询行业的理由为了避免你不确定，下面是最受欢迎的十三个进入咨询行业理由。
1.你能够和非常聪明和善于沟通的人一起工作并向他们学习2.你能够在声望很高的环境里学到大量有市场竞争力的技能3.学无止境4.有机会接触到企业精英以及他们的思考、行为并分析他们遇到的问题5.有机会接触各种不同的行业6.你喜欢解决问题7.你喜欢团队工作8.你享受帮助组织提高效率9.能够同时做多个项目10.能够到处旅游11.能够提高你被顶尖商学院接受的机会12.这将成为你简历上靓丽的一页13.薪酬很高啊2.4可能出现的数学问题他们可能会考察你的数学技能。
可能通过问诸如“100除以7是多少？”或者“9是72的百分之几？”来考察。
这些问题不难，但可能会出乎你的意料。
你可能需要时间来切换大脑的频道。
注意：在第一部分的面试中，你正在被挑选中。
面试官在问自己他是否愿意和你一起工作。
你这个人很有趣吗？你令人愉快吗？你有幽默感吗？喜欢娱乐吗？更多人把这称为“机场测试”。
这个叫法源于“如果我和这个家伙一起被大雪困在水牛城（位于美国纽约州）机场九个小时，我会觉得怎样？我们会有很多话聊吗？还是必须假装睡着来避免和这个家伙说话？”面试官也在衡量你的成熟度，举止行为和沟通技巧，并考虑“如果我把这个家伙带到客户面前，我会觉得合适吗？”2.5案例题面试的第二部分是案例题。
它们占了很大的比重。
即使你通过了机场测试，表现得像Cary Grant（美国性格男演员）一样风度翩翩、口齿伶俐，但如果你在回答案例题时支支吾吾，你将立即出局。
我们将会在第三章深入谈案例题。
2.6由你提问面试的最后一部分要求事先做大量的关于这个行业和公司的调查。
在你的调查过程中，你必须寻找这些面试预备问题（见下面）的答案。
那些你找不到答案的问题就是你向面试官提出的好的问题。
但是，在你问你第一个问题之前，如果有什么重要的东西你想说但一直找不到机会说的，就应该在这时说出来。
只要这样说：“在我问第一个问题之前，有件事我想澄清一下……”在你离开面试的房间之前把它说出来。
如果你不这么做，你会在回家的路上一直咒骂自己，或者更糟的，你永远也不会知道是不是正好那件事成为决定你成败的关键。