CASE PREPARATION SESSION

(C) Team Disha

What is a Case Interview?

Introduces you to and tests you on a business problem

Gauges your ability to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity

Tests logical approach to problem and comfort with data

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What is the Interviewer looking for?
Structured approach

Logic and rational assumptions

Comfort with numbers

Clear articulation

Thinking on the feet and creativity

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How to Approach a Case?

• Always clarify the problem – ask questions – be clear on what you are solving for

• Break down the problem into smaller pieces : Be MECE ! – Mutually Exclusive and
Collective Exhaustive

• Make it an interactive process – think out loud, and ask questions

• Don’t force fit frameworks – follow first principles approach

(C) Team Disha

Profitability Case

A movie theater has experienced a recent decline in profits. Help them

find out the reason

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Step 1: Clarify the problem statement and
context
A movie theater
1) Questions about the movie theater
• Is it a single screen or multiplex? - multiplex
• Where is it located ? – which city/inside a mall/ near residential spaces
• What are the other offerings? – a food and beverage counter

has experienced a recent decline

2) Since when have profits been declining – last 6 months

Questions about competition (industry and market landscape) and the customers
• How many other movie halls in a given radius
• Any other theatres, etc. nearby
• Demographics

Strike the balance. Don’t overdo this by asking 20 questions in one go. Use best judgement to ask only pertinent
questions in a structured fashion
(C) Team Disha
Step 2: Break down the problem – Structure
• It is a good practice to lay out your approach upfront
Step 2: Break down the problem – Structure
Profits

Revenue Costs
Step 2: Break down the problem – Structure
• It is a good practice to lay out your approach upfront

• Think out loud – make it an interactive process – don’t be too involved in the
structure

• Read frameworks – helps you understand various possibilities – Do NOT force fit
them
Step 2: Break down the problem – Structure
Profits

Revenue Costs

Movie Tickets Other sources

Step 3: Eliminate non-key issues - Analyze
• After breaking down the problem at each level, next step is to identify which
level to explore further:

• Walk the interviewer through your thinking

• Identify key issues (for ex. In this case - ask whether theatre has witnessed
decline in revenue through movie tickets or other sources – dive further
accordingly)

Thus, at each level – build hypothesis, state them and ask questions to refine
them
Step 2: Break down the problem – Structure
Profits

Revenue Costs

Procurement
Movie Tickets Other sources Operating Marketing
of movies

No. of tickets Total no. of Proportion who Avg.

sold people visit food counter bill/customer

Screen
No. of screens Occupancy Price
capacity
Rent Utilities Staff salary

Peak Non Peak

(Weekends) (Weekdays)
Step 4: Conclude
• Summarize the entire discussion

• Keep this crisp

• Difference between summary and synthesis

Food for thought?

Fauji Dhaba profits have been declining. Help the owner !