Interview Introduction

● Firm handshake, Eye Contact, Pleasant smile, and say “It’s great to be here”.

Questions about you (These should be well thought out, and memorized in advance)

● They may ask about examples of leadership, about your relationship building style,
questions on your resume, goals that you set for yourself and were successful in
meeting.
● They are looking for confident, comfortable demeanor, with great communication skills,
leadership ability, ability to be a team player, energy, drive, aspiration, ethics.
● Interviewers remember stories and accomplishments more than common
answers. You want to get labeled as “that guy”.

Have you ever failed at anything?

Talk about a failure, what you learned from it, and how you turned it into a success afterwards.
Don’t talk about anything that would make the interviewer uneasy or uncomfortable. Do not talk
about academic failures.

With which other firms are you interviewing?

Don’t lie, tell them the truth, but tell them why they are your first priority, and what makes their
consulting firm better than the rest.

With which other industries are you interviewing?

It’s okay to tell the truth and mention skills that are overlapping between both. But again, be sure
to highlight why consulting is your first priority.

Why consulting?

You should have prepared this answer thoroughly beforehand. Look the interviewer in the eye, if
you look away, it’s game over. Have several good reasons, and make sure the answer is of an
appropriate length. Your voice should carry sincerity and enthusiasm.

Be prepared for a random easy math question.

Keep your calm.

During the first part of the interview, you’re being judged whether you’d be a good person to
keep around. “The airport test”.

Showcase your energy, sense of humor, and maturity.

Do you have any questions for us?

Research the company and industry beforehand thoroughly, to be able to ask interesting
questions. Talk to alumni who have worked in the company beforehand.

Google the interviewer beforehand, look at what articles they’ve written/ issues they are
involved. Do not ask a question who’s answer could’ve been found easily on the internet.
Ask something that’s genuinely interesting and hope the interviewer gets excited to talk about it.

Attend company information meetings.

Arrive 20-30 minutes beforehand, and try to introduce yourselves the company people. Ask for
their business cards as well and remember to send up a follow up email.

Visit websites like glassdoor, read up sources like Wall street journal on the company, to
have a good set of questions prepared for them. Show that you’ve done your homework.

Why should I hire you?

Start off with the reason that simply because you want to be a consultant. Then bring up the
reasons you prepared for “why consulting”. Let them know you’re a low risk hire. You’re aware
about the kind of “consultant lifestyle” and want to enthusiastically be a part of it.

Students receive job offers in consulting for 4 reasons:

1) They show they are committed to consulting.

2) They demonstrate success oriented behavior
3) Good analytical skills when answering case questions.
4) Create a positive presence and defend their thoughts without being defensive.

Be ready to analyze charts as well.

Telephonic interviews

Remember that you are “your voice”. Be confident, clear and enthusiastic. Do not use a
“calculator”.

For skype interviews

Dress like a regular in person interview. Also be aware of your background.

For group case interviews

Build relationships, empathy and teamwork with your group members. Build a discussion on top
of their points rather than taking it off on a tangent with your own agenda.

Stress Interviews

Do not fill silences with irrelevant conversations.

Interview may tell you right away why you’re wrong. If you feel compelled by their argument,
there is no shame in admitting you were wrong. However if you don’t feel persuaded, let them
know you are sticking with your original answer. Defend without being defensive.

Do not take anything personally.

Do not be flustered
Stay confident.
Watch what you say.
Roll with the punches.

Sound confident even when you are uncertain.

Commonly asked consulting interview questions

• Tell me about yourself.

• What are you doing here?
• Why consulting?
• Why did you pick your school?
• What do you think consultants do?
• What do you know about this job and our firm?
• Why would you choose our firm over our competitors?
• How are your quantitative skills?
• What percentage is 7 of 63?
• Tell me of a time you showed leadership skills.
• Tell me about a time you were a team player.
• Give me an example of a time you influenced or persuaded a group.
• Tell me about a recent crisis you handled.
• Have you ever failed at anything?
• Tell me about a time you took the initiative to start something.
• What type of work do you like to do best?
• With which other firms are you interviewing?
• Which other industries are you looking into?
• What accomplishments have given you the greatest satisfaction?
• What experiences/skills do you think are particularly transferable to our
organization?
• Why should I hire you?

Questions you should look up before the interview.

1. What type of consulting does the firm do?

2. In what industries does the firm specialize?
3. How big is the firm? How many domestic and international offices does the company have?
How many professionals are in the firm?
4. What kinds of training programs does the firm offer?
5. What type of work does an associate consultant do?
6. How much client contact does a consultant have the first year?
7. Does the firm have a mentor program?
8. How often do first-years sleep in their own beds? What’s their travel schedule
like?
9. How many hours make up a typical work day?
10. How is a case team picked?
11. How often are consultants reviewed?
12. How many consultants does the firm expect to hire this year?
13. How does that compare to last year?
14. Where do consultants go when they leave the firm?
15. Is it possible to transfer to other offices, even international offices?

The Case Commandments

1) Listen to the question (Pay close attention to last word)

2) Take notes
3) Summarize the question
4) Verify the objectives (If the objective seems apparent, ask if there are any other
underlying objectives)
5) Ask clarifying questions (Try to convert the question into a conversation)
6) Organize your answer (Identify and label your case, then lay out a structure)
7) Hold that thought for “One Alligator” (Think out loud but think before you speak)
8) Manage your time (Don’t get bogged down in the little details, answer from a macro level
and move on)
9) Work the numbers (Demonstrate what you’re thinking quantitatively)
10) Be coachable (If you get stuck, better to ask for help than wasting time)
11) Be creative and brainstorm
12) Exude enthusiasm and positive attitude
13) Bring closure and summarize (Make a recommendation based on your 2-3 key points)

Types of case questions

1) Market Sizing Question

2) Factor Questions
 3) Business Case Question

Market Sizing Question

● Your answer should be based on logic and assumptions.

● You can always say “I’m not that familiar with this market, so if my assumptions are off,
please correct me.”
● However, don't make assumptions out of the air.
● If they rattle off a string of initials, industry jargon or slang, and you’re not sure what they
mean, ask. You don’t lose any points for asking clarifying questions.
● Memorize key numbers about your country.
● As you are given the question, write everything down. First layout the structure, then put
in the numbers. This will make you go through your logic 2 times.
● Ask questions only if you don’t understand the questions or terminology.
● Take advantage of grouping assumptions together. (“The 20 percent takes into account
X, Y, and Z”).

Some Population Based Questions.

Q) How many smartphones were sold in the US last year?

● Make assumptions and break down the population down by generations.
● Determine the number of cell phones in each generation.
● Calculate the number or percentage of smartphones out of each generation’s
number of cell phones.
● You might want to make a chart?
Q) How many gas stations are there in the US?

Some Household Based Questions

Q) How many digital movies are downloaded each year in the US?
● Determine the US population and break it down by households.
● Estimate the number of households with internet access.
● Eliminate categories of households that wouldn’t download movies.
● Make assumptions about the number of movies downloaded, either rented or purchased
each week and multiply by 50 weeks.
Q) How many garden hoses were sold last year in the US?
● Determine the U.S. population and break it down by household.
● Estimate the number of households in the suburbs and in rural areas.
● Calculate the number of those households that have a yard and are in need of a
garden hose.
● Add in businesses that use garden hoses to get a total.
● Estimate the life of a garden hose.
Worldwide Market Sizing

Approach: Pick 1 country, determine it’s market size and extrapolate out.

Q) What is the worldwide market size for bulletproof auto glass?

Preposterous Questions

Have a sense of humor while solving this problems, ask questions, make lots of assumptions,
attack logically.

Factor Questions

● Usually start with “What factors influence…”, “What key issues would you consider
when…”
● Johnson and Johnson: What factors would you consider when developing a new
● drug?
● Coach: Coach is thinking about getting into the apparel market. What does it need
to be thinking about?
● Taco Bell: Marketing is suggesting that we add french fries to the menu. What are
● some of the key issues to consider?
● Amazon: We are thinking of putting a new distribution center somewhere in the
Midwest. Where would you put it and why?

For the Amazon question, the factors would be:

1) The cost of land
2) Is an educated workforce available?
3) Is the state business friendly?
4) Is the location well connected to highways and railways?
5) What is the cost of living?

● American Express® is facing stiff competition from a host of new credit cards that
have no annual fee and low interest rates. In response, American Express is
considering dropping its $50 annual fee. What are the economics of dropping the
$50 fee? (This is a popular case and one that has repeatedly turned up in interviews.) Nine out
of ten students think this case is about competition. They focus their
answer on strategy and alternatives to dropping the fee. The first part of this
question is not relevant. The real question is “What are the economics of dropping
the $50 fee?”
In order to answer this question, you need to ask three questions:
• How many card members does Amex have?
• What is the average amount that each card member spends annually?
• What are Amex’s revenue streams?
Amex has 10 million card members. Amex card members average $2,000 a year
in purchases. Amex makes 2 percent from each purchase.
Amex Revenues: 10 million customers paying a $50 annual fee equals $500
million. Each member spends $2,000 x 2 percent = $40 a year x 10 million
customers = $400 million. Total revenues then = $900 million, with 55 percent of
that figure coming from fees.
Would card members spend more money if they didn’t have to pay the annual fee?
Amex card members would have to more than double their purchases to make up
for the loss in fee revenues. It seems unlikely that they would go from spending
$2,000 a year to spending $4,000 a year because of a dropped $50 fee. Even a
modest bump in new members couldn’t make up the difference.
How many new customers would Amex have to secure in order to make up the
$500 million difference? Amex would have to more than double its card members
from 10 million to about 25 million in a short period – say, two years. Is that
feasible? It took Amex 25 years to reach the 10 million customer base it currently
has. So doubling it in two years seems unrealistic.
My advice to Amex is to keep its fee in place.
That’s it. That’s the answer. The interviewer doesn’t want to hear about reducing
the fee to $25 or turning Amex into a credit card. This is a straightforward
question. Listen to the question.

● DuPont has just invented a lightweight, super-absorbent, biodegradable material

that would be perfect for disposable diapers. Estimate the size of the diaper
market and tell me whether Dupont should enter this market and if so, how?

In case of a written case, where you are handed a 80 page document that you have
to read discuss in 30 mins, read the executive summary first, and spend time
analyzing the exhibits.

Scenario : You are shown into a conference room where three other candidates
join you. The group is given a written case and 60 minutes to design a
presentation. There is a computer in the room, but the only program on the
computer is PowerPoint. The recruiter sits in the corner of the room and watches
the dynamics unfold. Who becomes the leader and how did they become the
leader? Did it happen naturally or was it forced upon the group? Who does the
quant stuff? Who does the PowerPoint design? Are there discussions, arguments
or fistfights? When your team is ready to present, two other consultants join in and
your “team” presents the case. The only requirement is that each of you speaks for
five minutes.
Now one, two, or all of you might get called back for the next round. While you
act as part of a team during the presentation of the case, you are each judged
individually.
How do you become a leader in a situation like that? I’ve found that the best way
 to take charge is to assign positions. Say, “Who is the finance geek?” or “Who
knows PowerPoint really well?” Allocate positions based on strengths. The
downside is that you get stuck with whatever’s left, but remember the recruiter is
watching and you have already made a big impression.

Mistakes to avoid in an interview

1) The Fallon / Colbert syndrome : A five-minute monologue will do more to hurt

your career than any of the other mistakes.Turn the question into a conversation.
2) What was the question again? Candidates are always answering the wrong
question because they don’t take the time to identify what the interviewer is really
asking.
3) Explosion of the mouth : Slow down
4) Digression city : You go off on a tangent because it’s easy, you’re on a roll, and it
provides you with a false sense of security
5) The bull in the consulting china shop : Don’t use terms that you don’t fully
understand.
6) Asking open-ended questions : Better to make assumptions than to ask open
ended questions to the interviewer.
7) Silence : You get about 40 seconds before the “awkward” clock starts ticking.
8) If you get stuck: No shame in asking for help. Though don’t ask ask for help more
than once.

Idea Box: Draw an idea box on the first page of your notes, if anything pops into your head,
write it down.

Recommendations: Always end your answer with a yes, or a no to the problem. Follow it up by
your recommendations. If you are asked to give a final summary, take 30 seconds and state the
problem, your answer and 2-3 of your top recommendations. If the interviewer doesn’t agree,
listen to them, and see if you are convinced with them or not. Defend without being defensive.
No shame in admitting you’re wrong either.

Try showing your notes to the interviewer, to keep them engaged as a team player rather than
an interviewer.

Case Journal: Maintain a journal with all the cases your practice. They should have the
problem, the solution, and most importantly, things that you didn’t think of.
THE IVY CASE SYSTEM

A framework is a structure that helps you organize your thoughts and analyze the
case in a logical manner. The difference between a framework and a system is that the
framework is really a tool, while a system is a process. Instead of memorizing seven individual
frameworks and then trying to decide which to apply, you learn a system, which already has the
tools built in.

The first five steps.

1) Summarize the question

2) Verify the objectives
3) Ask clarifying questions
4) Label the case and lay out your structure
5) State your hypothesis

#If the interviewer tells you that the stock price jumped from $15 to $18, don’t say “It jumped
from $15 to $18.” Don’t say “It jumped $3.” Tell the interviewer that it jumped 20 percent. This is
the way that consultants and senior managers think, and it’s how they want you to think.

#“One objective is to raise profits. Are there any other objectives that I should know
About?” If there is an additional objective, you may need to break the case in two and tackle one
objective at a time.

#You ask clarifying questions for three reasons: to get additional information, to show the
interviewer that you’re not shy about asking questions, and to turn the case into a
conversation. The key is to ask broad, open-ended questions that help you narrow
the information at the start.

#A structure is – given the limited information you have – what would you analyze, and in which
order, to solve this problem? You want to make sure that your structure is MECE, or Mutually
Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive. Once you draw your structure, turn your notes toward the
interviewer and walk him through your thought process.

#Consulting firms care about a hypothesis. They would like you to state a hypothesis within the
first few minutes of the case, usually after you lay out your structure. For example, if you get a
profit and loss case, you might say, “My hypothesis is that profits have fallen because costs
have risen.” That is something you can try to prove as you move through the case. If you
disprove it, you’ll want to update your hypothesis as you proceed through the case.
***Very Important Questions to Ask*** (CORE SET OF QUESTIONS)

About the company:

1) Profit/Revenue Trends? Is it publicly traded or private?

2) Customer Segmentation?
3) What products or services does the company offer and what are the
costs and margins associated with each product? Have there been any recent
changes in the product mix?
4) Does the company have the ability to expand? Are they running at full capacity right
now?
5) How strong is its brand? Is it a market leader or has the brand faded?
6) How are the products and services currently distributed? Usually the more distribution
channels the better. So how can the company expand its channels?
7) What constitutes success for the client?

About the market:

1) Market size, growth rate, and trends? How is the company growing compared to the
industry?
2) Where is the market in it’s lifecycle? (Emerging, Mature, Declining?)
3) Industry drivers? Is it brand, price, content, size, economics, technology geopolitical
events, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, or distribution
channels?
4) Customer Segmentation? Which is the company going after?
5) Have there been any major changes within the industry, such as new players, mergers,
new technology, or new regulations?
6) What are the major distribution channels within this industry?
7) Who are the major players, and what is their market share?
8) How do the companies differentiate their product/services?
9) What are the barriers to entry/exit?

The Four Key Case Scenarios

1) Profit and Loss

2) Entering a new market
3) Pricing
4) Growth and increasing sales.
Profit & Loss Scenarios

1) Profit = Revenue - Costs

2) E (P = R - C) M where E = economy of the nation and M = market. Look if the problem is
industry wide or company specific. Thus, start off by spelling your take on the economy.
3) If company is retailer: look at consumer confidence, disposable income, unemployment
rate, and maybe gas prices.
4) If company is manufacturer: look at how the dollar is doing against other currencies,
interest rates, gas prices, and maybe commodities.
5) So go into the interview with some key economic factors memorized, such as
unemployment rate, disposable income, consumer confidence, interest rates, the dollar’s
strength in the currency market, and gas prices.
6) M stands for Market. Ask about industry trends and competitors to determine whether
they are facing the same problems as the client.
7) Review the revenue streams. “What are the major revenue streams, and how have they
changed over time?”
8) Then, when you get to costs, “What are the major costs, both fixed and variable, and
how have they changed over time?”
9) Price and volume are interdependent.
10) Ask for a moment to write down your thoughts. Start with : Revenue Based Strategies,
Cost Based Strategies.
11) Dividing ideas into short-term and long-term solutions is also desirable, particularly if
there is a time constraint to raising profits.

Some Questions to think about/ask the interviewer

1) What are the major revenue streams, and what percentage of the total revenue does
each stream represent?
2) Does anything seem unusual in the balance of percentages?
3) Have the percentages changed lately? If so, why?
4) Any major shifts in costs?
5) Do any costs seem out of line?
6) If we benchmarked our costs against our competitors’ costs, what would we find?

With new products, make sure you ask about the advantages and disadvantages.
Everyone forgets to ask about the disadvantages, but disadvantages can drive the
case more than the advantages.
Entering a New Market

● Entering a new market questions can be as straightforward as the one above, or they
can involve mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, starting a new business, or the
development of a new product.
● It’s not just, “Do we enter?”, but also “How do we enter and what are the advantages,
disadvantages of each strategy?”
● Always ask “Why does the company want to enter this market?”
● Start off with the core questions list about the company, and try to get to know if the
same things will apply in the new market. For example, if the customer segmentation will
remain the same etc.?
● Ask the core questions about the market.
● There are 4 major ways to enter a market:
1) Start from scratch and grow organically.
2) Acquire an existing player from within the industry.
3) Form a joint venture / strategic alliance with another player with a similar interest.
What can each side bring to the venture?
4) Outsourcing.
● Analyze the pros and cons of each strategy.
● Many questions about entering a new market are also merger and acquisition
questions. The two most important factors about a merger are whether it increases
shareholder value and whether the two cultures will mesh well.
● Always make your final recommendation with a definite yes or no, along with reasons.
● If the buyer is a private equity firm, ask, “Why does the PE firm want to buy the
company? What else does it own? And what does it plan to do with it (Hold, flip, or break
apart)?
● Also ask what other products does the company sell.? The decision needs to make good
business sense.

Some questions to ask about the target company and industry.

1) What kind of shape is the target company in?

2) How secure are its markets, customers, and suppliers?
3) How is the industry doing overall? And how is the company doing compared with the
industry? Is it a leader in the field?
4) What are the margins like? Are high volume- low margin, or low volume-high margin.?
5) How will competitors respond?
6) Are there any legal reasons why we can’t or shouldn’t acquire the target company?
7) Are there technology risks?
Pricing Strategy

1) Step 1 is to investigate the company using our core set of questions.

Additionally learn, what are the objectives: profits, market share, or brand
positioning? Also, is the company in charge of its pricing strategies or is it
reacting to suppliers, the market and competitors?
Example: iPad - Profit margins, Samsung Galaxy - Market Share.
2) Step 2: Investigate the product. How does it compare with competition? Is there
a supply and demand issue? Are there any substitutes or alternatives?
3) Step 3 is to determine a pricing strategy. There are 3 main pricing strategies:
i) Competitive Analysis
ii) Cost based Analysis
iii) Price based Costing
In short, when solving a pricing problem, you need to look at all these strategies
and see where, or if, they intersect.

Pricing questions become more difficult/interesting when you get a case about partition pricing
– meaning that you charge separately for things like delivery, shipping, installation, and
warranties, versus bundling everything into one price. If you run an airline, do you advertise
lower ticket prices and charge for baggage or do you advertise that bags fly free and charge a
higher ticket price? One solution might be to look at industry norms. “Do my competitors offer
free shipping?” If you don’t consider industry norms, you might very well be at a disadvantage
when people comparison shop.

Growth and Increasing Sales

Increasing sales or growing the company is not the same as increasing profits. Say you get an
increasing revenue case, and the interviewer wants you to raise revenues by 10 percent. A
good clarifying question would be, “By what rate have the revenues grown for the last three
years and do you have any forecasts?”

1) Learn about the company & it’s size. (Use core set of questions)
2) Learn about the industry? Is it growing? Is the client growing with the industry? And is
the client’s prices in line with industry prices?

Ways to increase volume:

1) Expand the number of distribution channels.
2) Increase product line through diversification of products or services
3) Analyze the segments of the business that have the highest future potential.
4) Invest in a marketing campaign.
5) Acquire a competitor (particularly if the question is about increasing market share).
6) Adjust prices
7) Create a seasonal balance. (Use the right assortment balance)
Another way for a company to grow is to find niches in developing industries with
high barriers to entry. There will be less competition and more notice if someone
is trying to enter.

Following is a quick review of key questions to ask and points to consider after
labeling the case.

Industry Analysis:
1) Investigate the industry overall
2) Where is it in its life cycle? (Emerging? Mature? Declining?)
3) How has the industry been performing (growing or declining) over the last one, two, five,
and ten years?
4) How have we been doing compared with the industry?
5) Who are the major players and what market share does each have? Who has the rest?
6) Has the industry seen any major changes lately? These might include new players, new
technology and increased regulation.
7) What drives the industry? Brand, products, size, economics, or technology?
8) Profitability. What are the margins?

Suppliers:
1) How many are there?
2) What is their product availability?
3) What’s going on in their market?
4) How is the supply chain? Are the companies that supply you getting what they need from
their suppliers?

The Future:
1) Are players entering or leaving the market?
2) Are any mergers or acquisitions going on?
3) Are there any barriers to entry or exit?
4) Substitutions, what alternatives are there?

Developing a New Product

Think about the product itself:

1) What’s special or proprietary about it?
2) Is the product patented? For how long?
3) Are there similar products out there? Are there substitutions?
4) What are the advantages and disadvantages of this new product?
5) How does this new product fit in with the rest of our product line?
6) Can our sales force sell it?
Think about the market strategy:
1) How does this strategy affect our existing product line?
2) Are we cannibalizing our own sales from an existing product?
3) Are we replacing an existing product?
4) How will this strategy expand our customer base and increase our sales?
5) What will the competitive response be?
6) If we are entering a new market, what are the barriers to entry?
7) Who are the major players and what are their respective market shares?

Think about customers:

1) Who are our customers and what is important to them?
2) How are they segmented?
3) How can we best reach them?
4) How can we ensure that we retain them?

Think about funding:

1) How is this product being funded? Does our company have the cash or are we taking on
debt? And can we support the debt under various economic conditions?
2) What is the best allocation of funds?

Consumer Adoption Rates

The interviewer may ask you,“What is the market size for this product and how many units can
we expect to sell the first year?” There are two things to keep in mind. First, it is very rare for a
new product, no matter good it is, to capture more than 10 percent of the market its first year. It
is more likely to be between 3 and 5 percent

Take into consideration the Rogers Adoption Curve.

Starting a new business

1) Who is our competition?

2) What market share does each competitor have?
3) How do competitor’s product/service differ from ours?
4) Are there any barriers to entry/exit?

After looking at these aspects, think about the company from a VC’s point of view, whether
you’d like to invest in this company or not.

Management

1) How experienced is the management team?

 2) What are it’s core competencies?
3) Have they worked together before?
4) Is there any advisory board?

Market & Strategic Plans

1) What will the competitor response be?

Distribution Channels

1) Which, and how many distribution channels can we rely on?

Products & Services

1) What is the product/service or technology?

2) What is the competitive edge?
3) What are the disadvantages?
4) Is the technology proprietary?

Customers

1) Who are the customers?

2) How can we best reach them?
3) How can we ensure that we retain them?

Finance

1) How is the project being funded?

2) What is the best allocation of funds?
3) Can we support the debt under various economic conditions?
Cost - driven pricing is the reason there is no american consumer electronics dominance, while
japanese manufacturers practiced price - driven costing.
IVY Case System at a Glance
Ways to Cut Costs.

Labor

1) Cross-Train Workers
2) Cut Overtime
3) Convert workers into owners
4) Contemplate layoffs

Production

1) Invest in technology
2) Outsource
3) Renegotiate with suppliers
4) Import parts

Finance

1) Have customers pay sooner

2) Refinance your debt
3) Sell Non essential assets
4) Hedge currency rates.

“If” Scenarios to remember

(Sales Scenarios)

1) If sales are flat and profits are taking a header, you need to examine both revenues
and costs. Always start with the revenue side first.
2) If sales are flat but market share remains relatively constant, that could indicate industry
sales are flat – and that your competitors are experiencing similar problems.
3) If your case involves a decline in sales problem, analyze these three things:
a) overall declining market demand(e.g., soda sales have dropped as bottled water
becomes the beverage of choice)
b) the possibility that the current marketplace is mature or your product obsolete
(e.g., vinyl records give way to CDs, which give way to digital)
c) loss of market share because of substitutions (e.g., video rentals have declined
because there are numerous substitutions vying for the leisure dollar, such as
dining out, movie attendance, pay-per-view, Direct TV, and the internet)

If sales and market share are increasing but profits are declining, then you should
investigate whether prices are dropping and/or costs are climbing. However, if
costs aren’t the issue, then you should investigate product mix and check to see
whether the margins have changed
(Profit Scenarios)

1) If profits are declining because of a drop in revenues, concentrate on marketing and

distribution issues.
2) If profits are declining because of rising expenses, though, then concentrate on
operational and financial issues – e.g., COGS (cost of goods sold), labor, rent, and
marketing costs.
3) If profits are declining, yet revenues have gone up, then review changes in costs, any
additional expenses, changes in prices, the product mix, changes in customer needs.

(Product Scenarios)

1) If a product is in its emerging growth stage, concentrate on R&D, competition, and

pricing.
2) If a product is in its growth stage, then emphasize marketing and competition.
3) If a product is in its mature stage, focus on manufacturing, costs, and competition.
4) If a product is in its declining stage, define niche market, analyze the competition’s play,
or think exit strategy.

(Pricing Scenarios)

If you lower prices, and then your volume shoots up, it means your employees are working over
time, and thus eventually your profits will suffer.

Prices are stable only when :

1) The growth rate for all competitors is approximately the same.
2) The prices are paralleling costs
3) The prices of all competitors are roughly of equal value.

The volume (the amount you produce) and the costs are easier to change than the industry
price levels, unless all parties change their prices together. Therefore it is beneficial to avoid
price wars, and all competitors will benefits by keeping prices high.

(General Tips)

1) How the internet affects the company should be in the back of your mind in every case.
2) How the economy affects the company should be in the back of your mind in every case.
3) How the competition - both internal to the industry and external (substitutions) affects the
company should be in the back of your mind in every case.
(Business Case Tips)

1) Take Graph paper with you.

2) Ask for numbers.
3) Practice your math.
4) Interact with the interviewer as much as possible (Make it a conversation)

Case Starts

“Here’s my problem. What do I do?” - Hypothesis or Interviewee driven.

“Here’s my problem. I want to you to determine market size, price, break-even, and profits.”
-These are interviewer-driven cases.