咨询业面试必看 case interview 及其经典案例分析
咨询面试系列(3)：A.T. Kearney案例分析-2.
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 cookiesPrivate label cookies emerged five years agoTwo 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 yearsThe 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 cookiesA second major player, that makes both branded cookies and supplies cookies for privatelabelersA 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 outfor 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 gatheredpertaining 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 spon se to this, your client’s main competitorentered 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 whichwill 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 wa s 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 r esult 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 inu tilizing 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 operationUtilize all existing excess capacityGain maximum product knowledge as quickly as possibleUnderstand low cost positions on product ingredients and mixReview process improvement/ manufacturing efficiency opportunitiesUndertake 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 retailersJoint advertising and promotions❑Explore deals with mass merchandisers to enter private labels (remember, mass merchandisers presently sell no private labelIf 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 strategyInvest in brand image to support premium priceMake it difficult to copy product: innovate wisely through product advances, smart product line extensions, frequent changes to the productManage 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 availableCustomers 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?。
咨询公司-caseinterview8大类型
咨询公司-caseinterview8大类型面试案例主要有以下8种类型，或者是其中2-3种的叠加。
Falling Profits Case这个类型的案例需要你挖掘分析出导致企业利润下降的可能因素。
考察的是面试者的分析能力，深入洞察事务的能力, 熟悉金融工具，交流能力及相关行业知识相关分析工具有：Market assessment, BCG matrix, product mix assessment.New Product Introduction这个类型的案例是要求你推荐一种新产品引进的策略。
考察的是面试者的分析能力，对品牌管理及供应链的理解程度，交流能力及相关行业知识。
相关分析工具有：4p理论，市场分析，竞争者分析，product portfolio assessmentEntering a New Market这个类型的案例需要你分析出加公司是否应该进入一个新的市场，是否需要发展一种新产品或新服务。
（通常新产品或服务在某种程度上与公司已有业务相关）。
考察的是面试者的分析能力，对市场、供应链动态的理解、交流能力及相关行业知识相关分析工具有：Market assessment, product portfolio analysisEntering a New Geographic Market这个类型的案例需要你分析企业是否应该将业务拓展到新的国家或地区。
此类问题考察的是面试者的分析能力，对国际市场动态、当地通货情况、供应链动态的理解，及交流能力与相关行业知识相关分析工具有: Market assessment, supply chain analysis, competitor analysisWhere to Locate a New Facility ("Site Selection Case")这个类型的案例需要你评估一下，公司应该在哪里添置新的工厂或设备，有时也需要你分析出公司的整体运营是否需要重新规划和部署。
【留学生找工作】咨询面试官示范caseinterview完美答案,还是自古套路得人心啊
【留学生找工作】咨询面试官示范caseinterview完美答案，还是自古套路得人心啊“在美国，每个人在工作岗位上就像是一个零件一样，每天很多时候都是在做重复的工作，而Consulting的不同之处就在于每天都在做不同的事情，因为每一个公司有自己不同的问题，即使是相同行业的公司做的东西也不一致，这也是咨询行业吸引人的地方。
”除了行业光环之外，过去一年，许多顶尖咨询公司的收入平均增长了7-13%！！！想分分钟进Consulting拿高薪，做高管，当都市丽人，你必须要闯过的就是CaseInterview这一关。
但还是有无数向往咨询公司的小伙伴前赴后继地“牺牲”在CaseInterview的战场上。
“我已经花一个周末整整四十八小时的时间修改我的简历了！为什么还不够好？”“我已经花一个月的时间每天申请实习了，为什么一点成效都没有？”“我已经在接到面试通知时立马开始准备，练习了一个礼拜，为什么还不够？”三个字：练少了！为什么同样的学校背景，别人能拿到更好的Offer？因为他们准备求职的时间不是几天、几个礼拜、而是“几年”。
一般拿到ConsultingOffer的人至少练了50个case。
甚至有70个的，有上百个的。
杀猪杀屁股，各有各的杀法。
但大量的练习绝对是必不可少的。
做前两个case的时候会紧张，后来就慢慢好了，做了大约30个，解决case找到答案已经不是问题。
三大经典Case思路解析CaseInterview怎样练习？各个Case案例有什么特点和思路？MarketSizingGuesstimates，这种问题也常被称作MarketSizing，即需要在没有什么细节提供给你的情况下估计一个市场的大小，你不需要得出一个正确答案，这里主要考察你如何把一个大问题分解成小问题来回答。
在这种问题中你需要有一些常识（比如纽约人口840.6万等）。
典型问题∙五年后加拿大无人机的市场有多大？∙纽约地铁一天的客运量？∙波士顿有多少棵树？∙美国每年消耗多少只啤酒瓶？...这些都是典型的关于MarketSizing的问题解题思路1.从供给角度还是需求角度切入市场由供给端与需求端构成，所以一般MarketSizing问题从这两端分析都有相应的思路，但是有些市场的供求明显不平衡，某一方会受到限制，比如问一个机场一天高峰时期客流量有多少，这个问题从供给端来思考就会更加合理2.从目标问题开始，将其分解成组成部分咨询很核心的一个思维就是把一个大问题breakdown成很多小问题，从而发现问题，各个击破。
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.。
咨询面试系列(2)：A[1].T. Kearney案例分析
![咨询面试系列(2)：A[1].T. Kearney案例分析](https://img.taocdn.com/s3/m/49ac0a1ba8114431b90dd8a7.png)
Firm: A.T. KearneyCase Number:Case setup (facts offered by interviewer):❑Your client is a manufacturer of bicycles❑They have been in business for 25 years❑They 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 children❑Profits 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 margi ns for 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/unit❑What 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 $400MM❑W hat 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?No❑Have there been any major price changes in your client’s racing product? Or in its main competitor’s ra cing product?No❑Have 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 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 a nd discount stores?Effectively none. This attempt to sell through these distributors has failed❑How 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.❑Ho w 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 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 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 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 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. (Unfor tunately, he’s right!!)❑Is the workforce unionized?Yes❑What 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 repair❑Describe 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 equipment manufacturer’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 t he 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 name Issues 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’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.。
把手教你做Case Interview
把手教你做Case Interview（一）：Market Sizing 案例详解2015-06-16etesian Etesian亦莘Etesian亦莘etesian对咨询行业外部科普，为咨询新人解惑，与咨询顾问探讨与交流。
想象一下，你走进某高大上咨询公司面试室。
刚坐下，面试官就拿起手边的星巴克咖啡，问：“请你告诉我，楼下的Starbucks一天要卖掉多少杯咖啡？”——这就是最典型的market sizing问题。
从Pretalk到par面，Market Sizing 经常出现于各大咨询公司的各轮面试中。
简单来说，Market Sizing需要面试人估算某个领域的总数，可能是中国加油站的总数，可能是上海一共有多少台iphone，也可能是北京地铁一天要消耗掉多少张地铁票。
接下来，我会配合一个实例，一步一步呈现如何解决market sizing问题。
问题：中国一年会卖掉多少烟雾报警器？（请先思考一分钟）好，一分钟时间到，是不是什么都没想出来？没关系，第一次遇到过这类问题的同学觉得慌乱是正常的。
烟雾报警器在生活中也不常见，还涉及到专业领域的知识。
那么，应该如何思考呢？烟雾报警器的销量等价于购买量，换句话说，如果能够知道一年烟雾报警器的需求量，就可以知道销量。
哪些场景情况下会安装报警器呢？无疑就是房屋装修。
那么，说起房屋装修，首先进入你脑海的词有哪些？住宅，商业地产，毛坯，翻修……整理下思路，可以概括为以下两类：1.新房装修（分住宅和商用）2.老房翻修（分住宅和商用）不过等等，是不是还少什么东西？报警器的销量只会覆盖这些新安装的吗？旧报警器报废换新是不是没考虑？所以，正确的逻辑架构应该是这样的：到这里，基本架构清晰了，我们需要做的就是逐层分解，直到最细，就可以算出我们要的数字了。
从“新房新装需求量”开始分解，该如何下手呢？这里就需要大胆的假设了：烟雾报警器的安装一定会符合某项标准，并且很有可能是按照房屋面积进行安装。
咨询case study 案例及解析
咨询case study 案例及解析摘要：一、案例概述二、案例分析1.问题阐述2.解决方案3.分析与评价三、可读性与实用性提升策略1.叙述方式2.结构优化3.语言表达四、总结与建议正文：【一、案例概述】在当今社会，咨询case study（案例及解析）愈发受到人们的关注。
本文将详细解析一个具有代表性的案例，并从中提炼出有价值的经验教训，以供读者参考。
【二、案例分析】1.问题阐述在这个案例中，我们关注到一个企业面临的一系列问题。
这些问题包括市场竞争加剧、业绩下滑、员工流失率高等。
为了摆脱困境，企业决定寻求外部咨询师的帮助。
2.解决方案咨询师在了解企业现状后，提出了一套完善的解决方案。
主要包括：（1）优化企业内部管理机制，提高工作效率；（2）调整市场战略，明确目标客户群体；（3）加强员工培训，提高员工满意度。
3.分析与评价从解决方案的实施效果来看，企业业绩得到了明显提升。
这表明，咨询师的方案具有针对性和实用性。
同时，我们也应注意到，企业在解决这些问题过程中所付出的努力和投入。
【三、可读性与实用性提升策略】1.叙述方式为了提高文章的可读性，本文在叙述方式上采用了生动、形象的语言。
在描述案例过程中，注重细节描绘，让读者更容易产生共鸣。
2.结构优化在文章结构上，我们遵循了逻辑清晰的原则。
从问题阐述、解决方案到分析与评价，每个环节都有条不紊地进行，使读者能够更好地理解案例的全貌。
3.语言表达在语言表达上，我们力求简洁明了，避免冗余。
同时，注重语言的优美和韵律，让读者在阅读过程中感受到愉悦。
【四、总结与建议】通过对这个咨询case study的解析，我们可以得出以下结论：1.企业应重视案例研究，从中汲取经验教训，以应对现实中的困境；2.选择合适的解决方案，必须充分考虑企业的实际情况；3.加强内部管理，提高员工满意度，是企业持续发展的关键。
此外，我们还建议企业在遇到问题时，勇于寻求外部帮助，结合专业咨询师的指导，制定出更具针对性的解决方案。
咨询case study 案例及解析
咨询case study 案例及解析咨询案例分析：提高团队绩效的关键因素在现代商业环境中，提高团队绩效是许多组织和企业所追求的目标。
一个高效的团队能够提升工作效率、增强创新能力，并为组织带来可观的经济回报。
本文将通过一个咨询案例来讨论如何解决一个团队绩效不佳的问题。
案例描述：某公司的一个部门团队处于低迷状态，工作效率低下，项目延期频繁，质量不稳定。
该团队由各个专业背景的成员组成，包括工程师、设计师和市场专家。
公司希望通过咨询来找到改善团队绩效的方法。
解析：1. 团队目标明确化：首要任务是确保团队成员清楚了解项目的整体目标，并明白各自贡献如何对整个团队产生影响。
这可以通过定期团队会议、目标设定和项目沟通来实现。
2. 促进有效沟通：有效的沟通是团队成功的关键。
为了加强团队内外的沟通，应建立一个共享信息的平台，如内部社交媒体或团队专用的沟通工具。
此外，举办定期的团队会议或工作坊也能帮助提升团队协作和理解。
3. 培训和发展：提供成员培训和发展机会，以增强其专业技能和知识。
专业培训可以帮助团队成员掌握新技术、工具或方法，从而提高工作效率和质量。
4. 鼓励团队协作：通过鼓励团队成员之间的合作和知识共享，可以提高整个团队的绩效。
可以使用团队项目来鼓励合作和集体努力，并确保奖励机制能够公平激励团队成员。
5. 反馈和评估：定期评估团队绩效，并提供个体和团队层面的反馈。
这可以帮助团队识别问题和改进的机会，建立学习型团队。
总结：通过制定明确的团队目标、促进有效沟通、提供培训和发展机会、鼓励团队协作以及提供及时的反馈和评估，可以改善团队绩效。
以上所述的方法在实践中已被证实有效，可以根据具体情况进行调整。
咨询专家可以根据不同的企业和团队需求提供量身定制的解决方案，从而帮助企业实现高效团队管理和卓越绩效。
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。
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.)。
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.。
咨询case study 案例及解析
咨询case study 案例及解析
摘要：
一、案例背景
二、咨询过程
三、案例解析
四、结论与启示
正文：
【案例背景】
本文将通过一个实际案例，阐述咨询case study在解决问题中的应用。
该案例涉及到一家企业在市场拓展过程中遇到的困境，以及咨询顾问如何帮助企业走出困境的过程。
【咨询过程】
某企业在拓展市场时，发现自己的产品在竞争中处于劣势地位，市场份额不断下滑。
为了解决这一问题，企业决定寻求专业咨询公司的帮助。
咨询公司首先对企业进行了全面的诊断，分析了企业的内外部环境，找出企业在市场定位、产品策略、销售渠道等方面存在的问题。
【案例解析】
针对诊断出的问题，咨询公司提出了以下解决方案：
1.调整市场定位，将企业从低端市场向中高端市场转型；
2.优化产品策略，提高产品质量和附加值，打造品牌优势；
3.改进销售渠道，从传统的经销商模式向线上线下相结合的多元化渠道转
型。
【结论与启示】
在咨询公司的帮助下，该企业成功地实现了市场转型，市场份额逐渐回升，盈利能力也得到了显著提高。
此案例给我们的启示是，企业在面临市场困境时，应积极寻求外部专业力量的帮助，通过科学的方法论和系统的解决方案，往往能够实现逆袭，重振市场地位。
咨询公司面试案例_咨询入门系列(5)：咨询案例分析a[1]
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精心整理Firm: A.T. KearneyCase Number: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 the competition and could improve❑review overall operations and make the bottom line❑❑The❑Understanding of its three group of contractors. The first theassetresponsible for all maintenance to befor the Maintenance Supervisor in eachdesignations (e.g. electricians,They are not allowed to perform skillsinvolving 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. Thereare a total of 11 Maintenance Supervisors and 100 Craftsmen that comprise Central MaintenanceContractors 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 averagethe refinery on any given day.Question:❑❑What recommendations can you to the identified opportunities?❑Suggested solutions:make thehelp the candidate gain insight into ❑the opportunities. The candidate would be steered toward(e.g. performed once every few years. All other work (shortSince the Craftsmen table represents a larger dollar amount than the Supervisor table, it is logical to 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?20%❑Often calculate❑No, previous❑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 clientis 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 craft designation create the inefficiencies. Essentially work is too finely divided. It makes planning and supervision extremelycumbersome. 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 orderto 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$24MM/1.20 = $20MM, a $4MM savings.A second, and(they’re one-equivalent contractors. Thus, you are immediately couldbe taken one step further by assuming you would wantcontractor supervisors). As noted earlier, in to theKey takeaways:This case requires the candidate to quickly digest a quickly check some ratios to uncover the basic problem (the must thenother points.。
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。
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。
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。
咨询公司面试案例分析指南_咨询面试系列(3)：a[]
![咨询公司面试案例分析指南_咨询面试系列(3)：a[]](https://img.taocdn.com/s3/m/4636209b6bd97f192279e9c5.png)
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 supplyprivate 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 toldto 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, 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 playersown 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 $2.75bag 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 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?There w as 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 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 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 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. I t 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?。
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(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。
因此，一个互动性很强，和实际联系很紧以及要求分析能力较高的Case Interview可以很好的衡量面试者的这些素质。
(3) Case Interview考察哪些能力和素质²领导能力咨询师常常需要独立工作，并且带领团队和客户去达成共同的目标，因此领导力对于一个成功的咨询师来说是很重要的。
在面试当中，你需要通过主动掌握整个面试，有信心的提问题来表现你的领导力。
²分析能力咨询业的核心就是分析－根据事实提出假设，把数据break down，然后形成一套分析框架，并且最后得出结论和建议。
在面试过程当中，你需要通过有效，有目的性的提问等来反映你的分析能力。
²Presentation Skill一旦咨询师对案例进行了完备的分析并且想好了相应的策略，他们就需要把他们的发现和建议展现给整个案例小组和他们的客户。
因此，这个能力对咨询工作也是十分关键的。
所以在面试当中，宁愿说慢一点，花点时间思考，也不要结结巴巴的做陈词。
²精力咨询公司往往希望他们的咨询师能够在10小时的飞机之后依然精力充沛的出现在客户面前。
所以有力的握手，真诚的笑容，自信的眼神以及整洁的外表都是他们所看重的。
²冷静在Case Interview中，面试官有时会刻意营造一种很tough的氛围，比如不断challenge你，或者不断否定你的回答，这不代表你做的不好，而是他们在故意考察你能够面对压力冷静思考。
要知道：当咨询师面对客户的时候，面对压力而冷静的发现问题以及思考是很重要的素质。
(4) Case Interview的类型以及特点Case Interview一般分成三类，guesstimates, Business Cases和brainteasers。
下面就这三类分别介绍一下。
²Guesstimates这种问题也常被称作market sizing，就是需要你在没有什么细节提供给你的时候估计一个市场的大小，比如：请估计北京中关村家乐福一天的客流量。
和所有的Case Interview一样，你不需要得出一个正确的答案，关键是考察你如何把一个大的问题分解成小的问题来回答。
在这种问题中你需要有一些常识（比如北京的人口1000万等）。
²Business Cases最常见的Business Case Interview是面试官给你描述一个案例背景，然后问你该如何分析这个问题。
常见的背景有市场进入(market entry)，利润下降(profit decline)，行业分析(industry analysis)，销量下降(sales decline)等。
面试官往往不会提供很具体的信息，需要你不断的提出有针对性的问题来获得更多的有用的信息。
²Brainteasers这类问题往往是很刁钻的一些迷题或者数值估计题，主要考察的是你的创造力，以及面对压力下的问题分析能力和冷静。
一般来说，每一个45分钟的Case Interview要不会包含一个长的Business Case，要不会有两个Case，其中一个必然是guesstimate，另外的一个有可能是brainteaser，也有可能是一个短的Business Case。
2．面试技巧和Behavior Interview不同，Case Interview并不认为通过对你过去的了解能够对你未来的行为有一个很好的预测，相反，Case Interview的核心理念是让你在面试现场来体现你所具有的特长。
Behavior Interview和Case Interview的关系，就好比是大家平时成绩和考研的关系：有些人可以通过自己以往的很好的平时成绩保送，而有些人则需要考试来一次定江山。
Case Interview的难度往往很大，其原因在于在现场的面试过程当中，你会把你的大部分精力集中在分析问题，因此你的很多习惯，比如用词、小动作，以及面对困难时候的冷静以及胆量，都不可能顾及到。
因此在Case Interview的时候，一个真实的你就被完全展现在面试官的眼前。
在具体讨论各种技巧之前，我们首先需要强调一点：在Case Interview的时候面试官并不需要你得到一个正确的答案，他们更看重你的分析问题的能力和方法。
一个常见的情况就是：同一个Case，两个人出来后对答案发现他们给出了完全不同的结论，结果最后都进了下一轮甚至拿到了最后的offer。
而且有些时候，面试官在一个Case讨论到一定程度的时候提出换一个Case，这不一定意味着你分析的不好，很有可能是因为面试官觉得你分析的不错了想换一个Case再考察你的。
如前所述，咨询公司的Case Interview有三类：Business Cases, guesstimates和brainteasers。
对于这三类采用的方法和技巧还是比较不一样的，因此我们对三种类型的Case Interview分别进行分析：(1) Business Cases面试官在给你一个Business Case的时候一般只会做一个总体的介绍，就是告诉你这个案例发生的背景（比如时间，地点，产品，客户等），以及你需要解决的问题。
一般对于申请公司entry level职位的应聘者而言，案例一般就是以下的几类，而且也不会很复杂：销量下降(Sales Decline)，利润下降（Profit Decline），行业分析（Industry Analysis），方案评估（option evaluation）。
但是无论Case是什么，所采用的方法都是类似的。
我们把在Business Case Interview里面所有的技巧和主意事项归结为“MAFIA”法则：MinutiaAttentionFrameworkInteractionAnalysisØ M - Minutia（细节）在做Business Case的时候，为了把Case做的更完美，有许多的细节你是需要注意的，主要有下面的这些：²作笔记当面试官开始向你阐述这个案例的时候，一定要在纸上记录有关的信息，尤其是关键的背景资料和数据。
如果你因为没有记录再让面试官把案例重复一遍，这会是一件很尴尬的事情。
²千万不要做任何假设千万不要在面试官刚叙述完这个案例之后就假设可能的根本问题，这样会使得你的分析变得不全面，因此很容易错过一些关键信息。
即使你有着相关行业的实习，即使你觉得销量下降可能是因为广告不够或者其他原因，也要按逻辑步骤一步一步分析。
一定要记住：面试官看重的不是你能否很快的给出答案或者很有直觉的解决问题，而是看重你能否通过结构化的思路来分析问题。
假设你是客户，你是更信得过一个听完你的困境就告诉你解决方案的咨询师呢，还是一个通过结构化分析给出结论的咨询师？²保持eye contact在面试过程当中一定要保持和面试官的eye contact，尤其是在回答问题的时候，这是自信和权威的表现。
要知道，作为咨询师，你经常需要和公司的最高层进行交流，要让他们相信，你是作为权威在帮他们解决最棘手的问题的。
²不要急于开口面对一个案例，在面试官阐述完毕之后，先考虑一下，整理出来一个思路，再开始进行分析。
在整个过程当中，都要思考清楚了再问，宁愿问的问题少，但是每个都很关键，也不要问了一堆自己刚开口就后悔的问题。
这也是你冷静沉着的表现。
Ø A –Attention（专注）在Case Interview的时候，需要你对面试官提供的信息进行很迅速的梳理，把重要的信息提取出来进行集中分析最后得出结论，因此需要你十分集中精力的去接受，理解和分析你得到的信息。
在这一部分你尤其需要留意以下三个方面：²谨慎处理面试官提供的信息在面试的时候，不是所有面试官提供的信息都是对得出结论有用的。
毕竟，客户找咨询师的时候，他们并不知道自己面对的困难是出自于何处，因此他们会给咨询师提供很多的信息，需要咨询师从众多的信息中间提取出关键的信息以找出问题所在。
因此在Case Interview的时候，面试官也会提供给你足够的信息来考察你对于信息的处理能力。
应对的策略也比较简单：首先，不要因为觉得面试官提供了一个很可能是关键的信息就过于兴奋。
因为如果到头来发现这个并不是正确的方向，你的期望落差就会很大。
如果一个Case比较长，这样的信息有好几个，那你就很容易因为连续几次的期望落差影响心情。
其次，无偏好的把所有的信息当作有用的来处理，其实是最好的。
这样你就不会错过什么，很全面的对问题进行分析。
记住：面试官看重的是你的分析能力不是结果。
²对数据要十分留意在Case中几乎所有的数据都是有用的。