The Management Consulting Association
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Transcript The Management Consulting Association
The Management Consulting
Association presents...
Intro to Case Interview
Frameworks
Today!! Tuesday
D301 from 12-1pm
The Management
Consulting Association
Intro to Case Interview
Frameworks
What Case Interviewers are looking
for
Analytical ability
Poise
Creativity
Communication skills
Logical thought process
Business acumen
NOT NECESSARILY LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION
What are frameworks?
A structured approach to break down a
case problem
A way to think about the facets of a
business decision
A tool to develop case interview
proficiency
How to use frameworks?
During your early practice interviews, use
frameworks to develop the discipline for
structuring a interview answer
Later, depart from the frameworks (avoid
mentioning them) to develop a comfort
level with structuring a framework on the
fly
Bottom line: You need to practice to do
this right
How not to use frameworks?
Saying, “Well, I’ll use the Porter’s 5 forces
to break this down...”
Worrying about finding the right
framework for the case - in every case,
several would work fine
Becoming panicked if you can’t remember
a framework - remember, structure is
the most important thing!
Structure Your Response - The golden
rule
Listen to question and ask any clarifying questions. Take notes.
Tell interviewer the areas you plan to investigate in 2-3 sentences
Proceed down line of inquiry in first area you think shows the most
promise - “First, I would like to get a better understand of their
customer base..”
Proceed to next area if deterred in questioning and/or you’ve
exhausted a subject. Telegraph your moves - “Next, I would like to
assess their competitive environment…”
Pull finding together at end of interview and state recommendations
(“Initial findings suggest… ; I recommend we do the following….”)
Pizarro Case Question Example
Question: How did the Spanish Conquistador Pizarro, with only 180
men, manage to defeat the Incan Empire which numbered in the
thousands…
Framework: “Like business, success in a military campaign is
dependent on many factors including training, resources, and
leadership. I would want to explore the following..
Compare the Pizarro’s leadership with the of the Incan ruler
Analyze the training of Pizzaro’s forces
Determine if Pizarro’s forces had any technological advantage over the
Incas
Let’s start with Leadership. “Who was the Inca ruler and how
would you characterize his leadership...”
Popular Frameworks
4 P’s of Marketing
Porter’s 5 Forces
Internal and External Factors
3 C’s - Company, Competition, Customer
Revenues vs Costs
Revenues vs. Costs
Useful for determining why a company is losing profitability
Revenues
have they changed, how?
Pricing pressure?, recession?, competition?
Costs
Fixed Costs - new investments, low capacity?
Variable Costs - raw materials costs (supplier
power), labor costs
4 P’s of Marketing
Useful for determining in company should enter a new
market or product category. Also, may help identify
cause of sales slowdown
Product
Price
Promotion
Placement
Porter’s 5 Forces
Useful for determining whether a company will be
competitive and profitable in the long run
Supplier Power
Buyer Power
Entry Barriers
Internal Rivalry
Substitutes
Internal Vs External
Useful for nearly all business problems
External Factors
Market - trends, segments, substitutes
Customers - demand, price sensitivity, loyalty
Competitors - how many, share, strengths
Internal Factors
Operations - how cost competitive and inefficient
Finance - are resources sufficient, profitability
Product - competitive advantage, differentiated
The 3 C’s
Useful for nearly all business problems
Company - marketing, operations,
strategy
Competition - industry structure (Porter’s
5), competitor positioning (low cost, high
quality)
Customer - segments, size, growth, price
elasticity
Closing
Learn the frameworks so they become
second nature
Practice and more practice to become
comfortable with the facets of a business
problem
Develop capacity to structure problem in
an appropriate manner to reach a solution