Case Interviews

Front 1

First 5 steps to case interview

Back 1

1) Summarize the question and info
2) Verify the question
3) Ask clarifying questions
4) Lay out structure
5) State your hypothesis

Front 2

Key Case Types

Back 2

1) Profit and loss
2) Entering a new market (M&A, new product, new business)
3) Pricing
4) Growth
5) Strategy by numbers

Front 3

Profit and Loss steps

Back 3

1) Economic assumptions
2) Company information
3) Market analysis

Front 4

Company Information

Back 4

-Revenues, profits, trends
-Customer segmentation
-Products and production capacity
-Distribution trends
-Brand strength
-Revenue streams and costs

Front 5

Market Analysis

Back 5

-Size, growth rate, and trends
-Competitors (major players and market share)
-Changes in industry (New players, Mergers, New technology)
-Product differences
-Customer segmentation
-Barriers to entry (regulation, capital requirements, distribution channels, proprietary technology)
-Drivers (brand, size, technology)
-Margins

Front 6

Market Entry methods

Back 6

1) Start from scratch
2) Joint Venture
3) Acquisition

Front 7

Supplier Analysis

Back 7

-How many?
-Product availability?
-What is going on in their market?

Front 8

M&A: Why buy?

Back 8

-Market Access
-Diversify holdings
-Preempt competition
-Taxes
-Synergies (cost savings, cultural integration, distribution channel expansion)
-Shareholder value

Front 9

Acquisition costs

Back 9

-Fair price?
-Is it profitable?
-Can we afford it? How do we pay?
-Reintegration costs?

Front 10

Due diligence & Market risks

Back 10

-What shape is the economy in?
-Who is the market leader?
-How secure is the market?
-Industry overall/technology risks
-Margins
-Competitive response?

Front 11

Exit Strategy

Back 11

-Hold for how long?
-Break up acquisition and sell off pieces

Front 12

Developing a new product

Back 12

-What is special about it?
-IP protection (patents, copyrights)
-Similar products / substitutions
-Advantages/disadvantages
-Product fit

Front 13

New Product Market strategy

Back 13

-Cannibalization?
-Fit with existing products
-How will it expand our customer base?
-Competitive response?

Front 14

Pricing strategies

Back 14

-Competitive analysis (competitor prices, substitutes, customer buying habits)
-Cost-based pricing (COGS, breakeven, how much margin)
-Price-based costing (what are customers willing to pay)
-Company objectives (market share, profits)

Front 15

Competitive response

Back 15

-Acquire competitor in same market
-Merge
-Copy competitor
-Hire competitor's top management
-Marketing and PR campaign

Front 16

Barriers to entry

Back 16

-Regulation
-Capital requirements
-Distribution channels
-Proprietary technology