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GBS GCC Case Competition Tips PDF
GBS GCC Case Competition Tips PDF
March 2015
Aakash Parlecha
Goizueta Consulting Club
Table of Contents
1.
2. Analysis
a. Resources
b. Frameworks
c. Analytical Tools
3. Storyboarding
a. PowerPoint Tips
b. Chart & Data Tips
Understanding where you are in the cycle can help you prioritize tasks
Workstreams, although effective, can often create silos and barriers for each team member. Make sure to constantly
communicate ideas and make everyone involved with major decisions. Cross-workstream communication can sometimes
generate the best ideas.
Structure &
Analyze
Understand
Key activities
Skills
required
Listen
Breakdown issues
Confirm understanding
Prioritize issues
Perform calculations
Identify options
Recommend
Analyze impact of
options
Synthesize analytical
process
Identify potential
risks
Reach conclusion
Present
recommendations
Communication
Structuring
Quantitative
Communication
General business
knowledge
Problem solving
Communication
Analytical
Analytical
Evaluate
Options
Team, Team,
Team
Dont just
partner with
friends, find
people who
have skillsets
you dont
Diversity
matters a lot
Build Rapport
Go out to get
drinks/dinner
together as a
team before
the case starts
Understand
each others
personality
Read Case
Individually
Organically
develop ideas
No collusion!
Summarize Case
with Team
Restate major
points
Align on
clients issues
What do you
need to
explore
options and
come to a
smart
recommendati
on?
Discuss each
of your ideas
Organize the
Case
Develop
specific
workstreams
Find data
Build slides
Communicate!
Divide and
conquer
Articulate
Solution
Finalize deck
Practice
speaking
points!
There is more to cases than just running numbers; leverage your team!
Complete a free online Myers-Briggs personality assessment before meeting with your team members to stimulate
discussion around strengths and how to divide up labor. Understanding each others work preferences is vital.
Extraversion
Talk, talk, think
Develop ideas by
discussing out loud
Value sharing thoughts
(expressive)
Introversion
Think, think, talk
Develop ideas alone
through reflection
Value
privacy/boundaries
(contained)
Feeling
Values (internal
compass)
Treat everyone
individually
I agree or I disagree
(personal)
Sensing
Intuition
Perceiving
Open ended, flexible
Motivated by
pressure/bursts of
energy
Play while you work
Analysis
Finding the right resources and relevant data is crucial for your analysis
Leverage the Goizueta Library databases to find reliable, accurate, and relevant information for your analysis.
Familiarize yourself with these databases before the competition to know where to get what.
Reviewing case interview books can also be useful prior to the competition
These books have been found to be the most useful over the years.
Case in Point
Pros: Good case examples
Cons: Process and
methodology is infamous
Where to find: Amazon
10
Thinking through every relevant aspect and taking deep dives is key
Look at a problem from a variety of angles and sift through to the ones that are most relevant in finding a solution.
Develop workstreams accordingly.
Strategy
Think through the firms overall business strategy as you consider the case at hand
Try to remember that the final recommendation has to be in line with overall strategy
Process
What are the key processes that need to be executed once the recommendation is implemented?
Think though potential governance, capability/maturity issues related to processes
People
What are the key skills required? What are the roles and responsibilities and how do they map
against the existing skill set?
What are the possible organizational structures that could work in this setting?
Technology
What are the tools and technologies required to run the processes efficiently? What are the
existing systems that we could leverage?
Performance
Management
What are the key business drivers and relevant metrics? Are all these metrics quantifiable and
measurable?
Location
This perspective is not always relevant, but you need to think through the location and facility
options, especially for call centers and other shared service centers
11
Frameworks can help drive analysis, structure thoughts, and convey ideas
Entering A New Market
Industry Analysis
1. Current market
a. Size
b. Growth rate
c. Customer segmentation
2. Does it make sense to enter?
a. Major players, market share, strengths & weaknesses
b. Product differentiation
c. Barriers to entry & exit
3. Entering
a. Start from scratch
Cost benefit
b. Acquisition
analysis of each
c. Joint venture
1. Current market
a. Life cycle (emerging, mature or declining)
b. Performance (growing or declining)
c. Clients position within industry
d. Major players and their market share
e. Industry changes (new players, technology, regulations)
f. Drivers (brand, size, technology)
g. Profitability & Margins
2. Suppliers
a. How many?
b. Product availability
c. What going on in their market?
3. Future
a. Are players entering or leaving the market?
b. Mergers and acquisitions?
c. Barriers to entry & exit?
d. Substitutes?
12
Frameworks can help drive analysis, structure thoughts, and convey ideas (contd.)
Mergers & Acquisitions
1.
1. Product
a. Whats special or proprietary about the product?
b. Is the product patented?
c. Are there substitutions or similar products?
d. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this new
product?
e. How does the new product fit in with the rest of our
product line?
2. Market strategy
a. How does this affect our existing product line?
b. Are we cannibalizing one of our existing products?
c. Are we replacing an existing product?
d. How will this expand our customer base and increase our
sales?
e. What will be the competitive response?
f. Barriers to entry?
g. Who are the major players and their market shares?
3. Customers
a. Who are our customers?
b. How can we best reach them?
c. Can we reach them through the Internet?
d. How can we ensure that we retain them?
4. Finance
a. How is the project being funded?
b. What is the best allocation of funds?
c. Can we support the debt if interest rates change and the
economy sours?
2.
3.
4.
ii.
Cultural integration
iii. Distribution channel expansion
f. Shareholder value
Acquisition costs
a. Fair price? Is it profitable?
b. Can we afford it? How to pay for it?
c. Reintegration costs
d. What if the economy sours?
Due diligence/risks
a. What shape is the economy in?
b. A market leader?
c. How secure are markets, their customers and suppliers?
d. Industry overall/technology risks
e. Margins
f. Competitive response
Exit strategy
a. Hold for how long?
b. Break it up and sell off its parts
13
Frameworks can help drive analysis, structure thoughts, and convey ideas (contd.)
Pricing Strategies
Growth Strategies
14
Frameworks can help drive analysis, structure thoughts, and convey ideas (contd.)
Starting a New Business
Competitive Response
1. Management
a. What is the management team like?
b. What are its core competencies?
c. Have they worked together before?
d. Is there an advisory board?
2. Market and strategic plans
a. Assess competition and their market shares
b. How do their goods compare to ours?
c. Any barriers to entry?
d. What will the competitive response be?
3. Distribution channels
4. Products
a. What is the product or technology?
b. What is the competitive edge?
c. What are the disadvantages of this product?
d. Is the technology proprietary?
5. Customers
a. Who are our customers?
b. How can we best reach them? Can we reach them on the
internet?
c. How can we ensure that we retain them?
6. Finance
a. How is the project being funded?
b. What is the best allocation of funds?
c. Can we support the debt?
1. Competitive analysis
a. Competitors new products
b. Whats changed?
c. Have they picked up market share?
2. Responses
a. Acquire the competitor
b. Merge with the competitor
c. Copy the competitor
d. Hire the competitors management
e. Increase our own profile with P.R. campaign
15
Frameworks can help drive analysis, structure thoughts, and convey ideas (contd.)
Increasing Sales
Reducing Costs
1. Environment
a. How are we growing relative to the industry?
b. What has our market share done lately?
c. Have we gone out and asked customers what they want
from us?
d. Are our prices in line with our competitors?
e. What have our competitors done in marketing and
product development?
2. Increase sales strategies
a. Increase volume
b. Increase amount of each sale
c. Increase prices
d. Create seasonal balance
1.
2.
3.
4.
16
Frameworks can help drive analysis, structure thoughts, and convey ideas (contd.)
Improving the Bottom Line: Profits
Turnarounds
1. Revenue
a. What are the revenue streams?
b. What percentage of the total revenue does each stream
represent?
c. Does anything seem unusual in the balance of
percentages?
d. Have the percentages changed lately? If so, why?
2. Costs
a. ID major costs
b. Any major shifts in costs?
c. Do any costs seem out of line?
d. Benchmark costs against competitors
3. Volume
a. Expand into new areas
b. Increase sales force
c. Increase marketing
d. Reduce prices
e. Improve customer service
1. Gather information
a. Tell me about the company
b. Why is it failing? Bad products, management, economy?
c. Tell me about the industry?
d. Are our competitors facing the same problems?
e. Do we have access to capital?
f. Is it a public or privately-held company?
g. Learn as much as possible about the business and its
operations
2. Choose action
a. Review services, products and finances
b. Secure sufficient financing so your plan has a chance
c. Review talent and temperament of all employees, and get
rid of the deadwood
d. Determine short-term and long-term company goals
e. Devise a business plan
f. Visit clients, suppliers and distributors, and reassure them
g. Prioritize goals and get some small success under your
belt ASAP to build confidence
17
Frameworks can help drive analysis, structure thoughts, and convey ideas (contd.)
The 7 Elements to Building Strategic Foundation can help you think through relevant components.
18
Storyboarding
Building slides, when done properly, should be an art form not a chore
Take pride in building unique slides that stand out and not only add value, but create value for your audience and
client.
General Guidelines
Ghost out charts before you actually make them and run them by others; the more feedback you get early on, the more time youll
save in the long run!
In virtually all cases, one chart should contain one big message
The charts message should be comprehensible to a new reader within 15 seconds of looking at it
Footnote and source all your charts
20
21
Have I avoided
storyboarding
pitfalls?
2. Is the message of
each slide clear?
1.
4. Is there a logical
flow?
22
Does each slide link to the previous and next slides? (i.e. Does it have horizontal
logic?)
Do my graphics support the headers and story? (i.e. Is there vertical logic?)
Does each slide have a complete statement that captures the storynot just a
categoryif not as a header then as a sub-header?
23
2015
24
2018
2020
2022
2025
Quantify everything you can, and always show the financial impact of your
recommendations
Showing the potential impact of your strategy is key to telling the client why they should care.
Company Cost Savings
Full-time Salary
Additional Costs
Non-blind Cost
Government Tax Break
Blind Cost
2014
51,017 $
14,030
65,047
(15,000)
50,047
2015
52,803 $
14,521
67,323
(15,300)
52,023
2016
54,651 $
15,029
69,680
(15,606)
54,074
2017
56,563 $
15,555
72,118
(15,918)
56,200
2018
58,543
16,099
74,643
(16,236)
58,406
15,000
572
8,576,077 $
15,300
1,304
19,957,008 $
15,606
2,125
33,164,278 $
15,918
3,086
49,124,798 $
16,236
4,180
67,865,162
2016
24,970 $
12,604
37,573
2017
25,469 $
13,625
39,094
2018
25,978
14,728
40,707
178,687,324
Government Cost Savings
(15,300)
(15,606)
(15,918)
19,786
572
11,312,255 $
20,839
1,304
27,182,433 $
21,967
2,125
46,682,801 $
23,176
3,086
71,521,877 $
258,979,600
437,666,924
2015
24,480 $
11,659
36,139
(15,000)
25
2014
24,000 $
10,786
34,786
(16,236)
24,470
4,180
102,280,235
Market Maps
Profit Pools
Porters 5 Forces
Source: Adapted from Jeffrey Deneen, Partner at Bain & Co.; Personal Experience
26
BCG Matrix
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
Source: Adapted from Jeffrey Deneen, Partner at Bain & Co.; Personal Experience
27
ROS/RMS
Organizational Chart
7 S Model
Source: Adapted from Jeffrey Deneen, Partner at Bain & Co; Personal Experience
28
29
30
Good luck!
Slide Links
1.
2. Analysis
a. Resources
b. Frameworks
c. Analytical Tools
3. Storyboarding
a. PowerPoint Tips
b. Chart & Data Tips
32