玛氏面试案例分析培训 Case interview

• Organizational skills
Is the candidate good at organizing the information provided? Is the candidate good at developing a framework for analyzing the information? Is the candidate stating assumptions clearly?
Minimal skill sets a
consultant uses daily
Case interviews evaluate far more than a candidate’s functional and technical skills
Skill
• Interpersonal skills
• Retail placement — aisle-end displays
• New media?
• Value pricing/ “Every Day Low Price”
• Premium pricing • Price discrimination
How effective is this product’s marketing campaign?
MARS CASE STUDY TRAINING
The Case Interview
Why case interviews ?
Snapshots of Consulting Engagements
Simulate a “typical” situation between a client and a consultant
• Examine company profitability by segment — How much do they purchase? — At what price?
Competitors
• Identify major competitors — Traditional — Unexpected substitutes
Key Questions
Is the candidate relaxed and confident?
• Communication skills
Is the candidate engaging? Is the candidate a good listener? Is the candidate asking insightful, clarifying questions?
• Buyers’ propensity to switch
Value Chain
Suppliers
Design and Engineering
Manufacturing Marketing
Sales
Distribution
Service
•Cost •Quality •Cycle Time •Technology
• Estimate thБайду номын сангаас competitor’s cost structure
• Understand trends in cost structures
Customers
• Segment the company’s customer base — New/existing — Loyal/ switchers
• Capital equipment
• Land • Buildings
+ ) Variable
• Labor • Materials • Energy
The “Four Cs”
Market Positioning of XYZ Company
Costs
• Break down the company’s cost structure — Fixed — Variable
• Competitor’s pricing
) ( Quantity —
Fixed
• Customer segmentation — New/existing — Loyal/ switchers
• Channel restrictions or temporary disturbances
• Changing consumer demands
power” • Affinity marketing —
“cool people drink XX”
• Retail store • Warehouse store,
Sam’s Club • Mail order • Internet/electronic
distribution
• Newspaper versus TV versus radio ads
• Impact of channel strategies on market positioning
The “Four Ps”
Product
Place (Distribution)
Promotion
Price
• What are the product’s differentiating attributes?
Porter’s Five Forces
Barriers To Entry
• Economies of scale • Capital costs • Cost advantage of existing
competitors • Barriers to exit • Patents
Supplier Power
Recruiters look for three primary characteristics
Assess if the candidate has
aptitude for
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•Value Engineer. •Research •Development Timetable •Investment hurdle •Prototyping
•Costs (Labor, •Research
overhead, WIP, •Price elasticity
Capacity)
•Promotion
• Number and size of competitors
• Industry growth rate • Product differentiation factors • Industry margins/pricing
Buyer Power
• Significance of the purchase relative to cost structure
• Strategic thinking skills
Is the candidate comfortable discussing the multifunctional aspects of the case? Is the candidate examining the organizational and cultural issues as well as the functional and strategic? Is the candidate approaching the problem at the right level of detail?
structure
network
•Satisfaction
•Retention/attrition •Delivery/batch levels
levels
sizes
•Volume vs. profit
Financial Analysis
• Estimate Future Cash Flow – Revenues - Costs
•Logistics
•Inventory turns •Enabling
•Agency systems •Level of support technology
vs. in-house •Logistics network •Labor
•Commission •Structure of requirements
• Why does the consumer purchase this product?
• How is the product distributed to consumers?
• What new methods of distribution are coming available?
• What advertising medium is used to sell the product?
• Number and size of suppliers • Switching costs/product
differentiation • Availability of substitutes • Possibility of forward
integration
Market Rivalry
• What is the most effective method of “getting the word out”?
• How is this product priced?
• How are its competitors priced?
• Unique packaging • “Superior cleaning
Brain Teasers
• Know Some Basic Statistics – US Population: 250 mm – Households: 100 mm – Employed: 60% – Married: 60% – Ave Income: 30k per year – Income Distribution: $0-25k: 30%, $25-75K: 55%, $75k+:15% – Education: High School - 75%, Bachelors degree - 20% (Note: All figures are estimates)
The Cost-Revenue Model
Profit
Revenue
Cost
( Price
X
• Price discrimination
• Changes in pricing structure
• Viability of pricing over time
• Discounts or couponing
• Creativity skills
Is the candidate thinking creatively?
• Analytical skills
Is the candidate demonstrating analytical horsepower?
TYPES OF CASE INTERVIEWS AND FRAMEWORKS
• Switching costs • Purchase volume • Threat of backward
integration
Substitutes
• Relative price/value of the substitute compared to industry’s product
• Cost of switching to substitute
•Process
•Channels
(Throughput,
general flow,
economies of
scale, yield, best
practice, utilization,
asset base,
technology)
•Size of sale force •Margins
•Response time
• Estimate Discount Rates – Look at comparables
• Attain Net Present Value (NPV) – Discount future cash flows at appropriate discount rate
• Consider Other Synergies – Reasons for go ahead despite negative NPV
• What are the competitor’s strengths and weaknesses — Profits — Costs
• Investigate market share
Channels
• Identify relative channel leverage — Sources of advantage — Sustainability