Consulting Frameworks

De-mystifying the Ordeal of the Case Interview

Bill Blackwell JGSM Consulting Club November 6, 2001

Agenda
What is a case interview? How should I manage a case interview? What are some frameworks that I can

use in a case interview? How should I determine what competitive response is appropriate?

What is a Case Interview?

Case interviews are built around a problem
The first task will be to find the problem The second task will be to develop a solution

The format can be either a full or mini case

Full cases last between 45 minutes to over an hour Mini-cases are typically less than 15 minutes

The goals of the case and the depth of

analysis depend on the format

All case interviews are designed to test your ability to solve problems in a structured fashion.

Why do Companies use Cases?

Case interviews provide a way to evaluate a

persons reasoning skills in a time-effective manner

The focus of a case interview is analysis under time pressure can you solve a problem under the gun A candidate can demonstrate an incredible depth of knowledge in a very short time based upon his or her analysis

Cases provide an opportunity to give the candidate

the elevator test Case interviews give an indication to the candidates ability to pass the DTW test

Case interviews are used mostly because everybody else uses them!

Where do Cases Come From?

Cases are typically problems the consultant has

worked on and/or finds interesting

Youve just been called into the CEOs office of a midsize manufacturer of steel pipe in Pittsburgh Phil Condit calls you on the phone and would like your opinion about a new plane Boeing is considering building

Cases may be disguised much like many

business school cases Cases can also be made-up, on the spot, off your resume!!

Cases are not meant to test your knowledge of an industry !

Manage the Interview

First and foremost, relax!!
Case interviews test poise and composure as well as horsepower Would you pass the senior executive test?

Take notes!
Keep track of where you are and where you are going Keep a record so that you have something with which to practice

Keep track of time!

You have a limited timeframe and must use it to your advantage Use dead time to your advantage silence is not the enemy

Manage the Interviewer

Do not be afraid to ask questions
The set-up will rarely give you enough information to even begin to analyze the case Ask reasoned, structured questions that benefit your analysis do not ask for basic data Make your assumptions reasonable and explicit tell your interviewer what you are assuming, why you are assuming it and ask if it is reasonable

Use your notes interactively

Interviewers judge what you write as well as what you say A diagram can save you a tremendous amount of time

The questions you ask are as important as the answers you give they are an insight into your analytical process

Frameworks Drive Analysis

Frameworks provide a ready-made structure
Knowing these frameworks thoroughly gives you a baseline from where you can start any analysis Applying basic frameworks buys you time to sort your way through a complex case

Interviewers are already familiar with most

frameworks
Most frameworks are well-known because they are useful in real life interviewers will use them on a daily basis Creating your own framework can be incredibly effective but only if the framework itself is incredibly effective

The surest way to get dinged during a case interview is to shotgun your analysis

Types of Frameworks
Economic frameworks Supply & Demand Profitability Cost Structure: Variable Costs, Fixed Costs, Marginal Costs (& Marginal Revenue) Operating Leverage Elasticity Industry-level frameworks 3-Cs Value Chain/Supply Chain Porters Five Forces Porters Generic Strategies

Types of Frameworks (contd)

Firm-level frameworks Growth-Share Matrix Marketing Frameworks: STP, 4-Ps, 5-Ms Core Competencies SWOT Stakeholder Analysis Other frameworks
Organizational Models Political Strategy Macroeconomics Matrices

Economic Frameworks
80% of all consulting cases will deal
Supply & Demand Profitability Demand Elasticity

with basic economics in some fashion

Basic economic principles also

underpin many other frameworks

Porters Five Forces looks a lot like the parameters for a demand curve 3-Cs, 4-Ps, Value Chain, etc. are all based on one or more economic relationships

Supply & Demand

Consumer Surplus
Su d an em D
M a r k e t- C le a r in g Q u a n t it y

P
Market-Clearing Price

Producer Surplus

pp l

The market-clearing price and quantity is determined by the

intersection of demand curve and the supply curve Surpluses are determined by how much consumers and producers would have paid/charged versus what the market price

Profitability

= P Q - [ ( V C Q ) + F C ]
R evenue C o s ts

Profits are defined as total revenue minus total

cost Changes in revenue are due to a change in quantity, price or both Total cost is the sum of variable plus fixed costs
Variable costs vary directly with quantity Fixed costs are set for a given period

If a firm has become unprofitable, try to determine what has happened to price, quantity and costs!

Cost Structure
Fixed costs are costs that must be incurred

regardless of production level

Lease payments Advertising Salaries (?)

Variable costs vary directly with quantity sold

Typically, variable costs are driven by direct labor and direct materials costs Depreciation is not part of economic variable cost

Marginal cost is the cost of producing one more

unit
It is the derivative of the variable cost equation The supply curve is the aggregation of the marginal cost curves of all market-participating firms

Operating Leverage
TC
Lo w p Le er ve atin ra g ge O
ing perat e O High everag L

Operating leverage is the ratio of fixed costs versus variable costs Firms with high operating leverage tend to be in industries that require

massive economies of scale

Operating leverage is a form of risk High operating leverage requires high volumes for profitability

Elasticity = dQ P = % Q dP Q % P
If elasticity is less than one, then demand

is inelastic

Inelastic demand implies that total revenue will increase with an increase in price

If elasticity is greater than one, then

demand is elastic

Elastic demand indicates that total revenue will increase with a decrease in price

Elasticity (contd)
Inifinitely Inelastic

In fin ite ly E la s tic

Infinitely elastic demand means that no firm has

pricing power, i.e. it is a commodity product Infinitely inelastic demand means that the you are selling something you ought not to be selling

Industry-Level Frameworks
Industry-level frameworks are typically used

to get a view of the competitive landscape If the case is a profitability problem, this is where you begin to search for why something has happened Be very careful about spending too much time on industry-level frameworks, they can take a tremendous amount of time that you will otherwise need solving the problem

Customers, Competitors & Company

Customers Who are the customers? What do they want?

Competitors Who is the competition? What have they don

Company Has the company changed? What is its position

The 3-Cs will be intimately familiar to most

interviewers you will not differentiate your analysis by using it You may differentiate your analysis by not using it!
A 3-Cs analysis is quick and effective it should be used first when you need to examine an industry

Value Chain & Supply Chain

In b o u n d L o g is t ic s P r o d u c tio n L o g is tic s O u tb o u n d L o g is tic s
S u p p o r t in g F u n c t io n s A c c o u n t in g H u m a n R e s o u rc e s In fo r m a tio n T e c h n o lo g y

S a le s & M a r k e t in g

S e r v ic e

Use a value chain or supply chain analysis

when examining an industrys depth The emphasis of VC/SC analysis is the physical flow of goods and money Alternate framework: inbound logistics, production logistics & sales logistics

Porters Five Forces

S u p p lie r Pow er

T h re a t o f S u b s titu te s

In d u s tr y R iv a lr y

T h re a t o f N e w E n tra n ts

B uyer Pow er

A sixth force, complementary products, can be added to better describe industry dynamics

When to Use Which?

3-Cs: Customers, Competitors, Company

A full Five Forces analysis is expansive, choose alternate frameworks whenever possible!

n ah C eu a V i l ah C y ppuS l

Porters Five Forces

Porters Generic Strategies

Broad Market
Cost Leadershi p

Focused Market

Mass market, Regional economies of player, little scale dominate market power Constant cycle of innovation Niche technology product

Generic strategies are effective as signposts in a full

case, or as the entire analysis in a mini-case A firms generic strategy can shift over time

Feature Leadershi p

Firm-Level Frameworks
Firm-level frameworks are useful two-

fold:
To identify issues within a company To structure potential solutions to a firms problems

Firm-level frameworks: Growth-share matrix Marketing mix frameworks Core competencies SWOT Stakeholder analysis

Growth-Share Matrix
Questio n Mark HighGrowth Star Cash Cow

Growth Rate

LowGrowth Dog

Market Share The growth-share matrix shows the desirability of a business unit in the corporate portfolio Stars are tomorrows cash cows Dogs and question marks require analysis as to whether or not they should be kept (nurtured) or sold
1970 The Boston Consulting Group

Marketing Frameworks
Marketing frameworks allow you to analyze

what is going on in the marketplace that may be impacting a firm

STP find the right market segment 4-Ps serve the market effectively 5-Ms reach the target market and influence them

Marketing frameworks ask these questions: Has anything changed with the customers tastes? How do customers perceive the product? Are there new products that have entered the marketplace?

STP: Finding the Correct Market

Segmenting Identify distinctions between customers Targeting Identify the target group or groups

Positioning Alter the product to appeal to the target mark

STP rarely comes up in a consulting case

interview, but will come up during marketing case interviews It is not necessary to go through STP to use the core idea: is the product relevant to the marketplace? Have consumers tastes changed?

4-Ps: Marketing a Product

Product What are the relevant product attributes? Price What is the products absolute & relative price? Place What are the products distribution channels? Promotion How is the product being sold/marketed?
A 4-P analysis will be required in both consulting

cases and marketing cases very frequently! The only long-run sustainable advantage in marketing is to have a superior product New products typically have a trial boost to sales before the product settles in to its long-run market share

5-Ms: Marketing Campaigns

Mission What is the goal of the marketing campaign? Message What is being said about the product? Media Where is the message being communicated? Money How much is being spent?

Measurement How do you measure success vs. the goals

A consulting case will almost never get to this level

of detail for a marketing-type case marketing interviews might Measurement is the easiest to forget and the most critical you must measure success somehow!

Core Competencies
A firms core competencies are the functions

at which a company excels A firms competitive advantage should arise out of its core competencies, but the two are not synonymous!
Think of a competitive advantage as answering the question what provides the firms major sustaining force in the market? Core competencies answer the question, How is competitive advantage maintained?

Core competencies can be thought of as a

firms knowledge capital what is the sum of what the firm knows that is valuable

Core Competencies (contd)

Existing Market
Existing New Competency Competenc y

New Market How can the firm re-deploy its competencies? What new skills are required for the markets of the future?

How can the firm improve its position in the marketplace?

What must the firm do to acquire new competencies?

Firms must constantly re-evaluate whether

their core competencies remain relevant in the market For firms to grow, they must expand their knowledge into new markets and new skills

SWOT is NOT Strategy

Strengths What are the firms strengths? Weaknesses What are the firms weaknesses?

Opportunities What opportunities are present in the mark

Threats What might threaten the firms position in the mark

SWOT is a presentation framework it is not an

analytical framework SWOT is best used as a short-cut framework to illustrate obvious issues in a mini-case SWOT is generally a waste of time in a full case

Stakeholder Analysis
M anagem ent

Local P o litic ia n s

N a tio n a l C o n s titu e n c ie s

E m p lo y e e s

The F ir m

Local C o m m u n ity

C u s to m e rs

V e n d o rs

S h a r e h o ld e r s

Other Frameworks
First-year MBAs will typically not get case

interviews that deal with these subjects, but they are fair game for second-year MBAs Organization frameworks identify the steps necessary to implement changes in an organization Political frameworks are used to develop strategies for dealing with organizations that are not profit motivated Macroeconomic frameworks are useful if you must work through a tough global case
The Government of Costa Rica wants you to define & implement an industrial policy for them

McKinseys 7-S Model

Strategy What is the firm trying to accomplish?

Structure What organization form best suits the firms goal Staffing What type of staff does the firm require? Style What management style does the firm utilize?

Skills Does the firms employees have the skills required?

Systems What measurement systems must be put in place Shared Values What is the firms culture like?
This is an extremely important framework, but will almost never show-up in a case interview

Kotters Change Management Model

Vision Create a compelling vision of the future Urgency Create a sense that action must occur soon

Leadership Ensure that there is clear leadership for chang

Coalition Create a coalition to spread change throughout the firm Empowerment Empower others to facilitate change

Communicate Communicate the needs & actions for change Success Create short-term successes to sustain momentum

Consolidate Consolidate improvements & identify future chang

Political Strategy
Identify Participant Stakes & Capabilities Reframe the Issue Develop a Coalition Adjust Issue Visibility Develop Grassroots Support

Stakeholder analysis is key you must identify where each participant falls on the issue and what they can bring to bear

Macroeconomics
GDP = C + I + G + X
GDP is the aggregate of:
Consumer spending Business investment Government spending (not transfer payments) Net exports

Net exports is the most volatile component

of national income and is the easiest one for most governments to target for manipulation
Cases with international components typically include foreign exchange (FX) issues watch out for them!

Competitive Responses
Analyze a companys options based upon the

threat level and possible resources brought to bear

Ad hoc matrices work well for this Be careful about making assumptions early if you assume a threat level early, this will be where it comes back to haunt you

Many business decisions do not have good

outcomes, only less bad ones

Look for responses that have natural stopping points Marketing can be used to send competitors signals Use the Prisoners Dilemma as a starting point for understanding your possibilities

Matrices
We have already demonstrated three

key matrices:

Porters Generic Strategies BCG Growth-Share Matrix Hamel/Prahalad Core Competency Matrix

Matrices are an excellent way to

illustrate a small number of potential scenarios or concepts

High impact vs. low impact High market share vs. low market share Broad market reach vs. limited market reach

Sample Matrices
You are the head of R&D for a large pharma company, and a new process has been created as a result of the work done to sequence the human genome

High Impact Low Impact Crash program to incorporate new Evaluate technology into relevance and existing switching costs processes Look for possible Watch to see if disposition or the technology outsourcing becomes relevant opportunities

Non-Core Business

Core Business

Sample Matrices (contd)

You are a brand manager for P&G in the Health & Beauty Aids category, and a competitor just introduced a new toothpaste that is gaining market share

High Market Share Identify if share loss is due to trials or switching; re-do Re-examine marketing mix market segmentation & potentially introduce competing product

Low Market Share Examine products benefits; identify potential line extension? Ignore it?

Different Target Market

Same Target Market

Prisoners Dilemma
Prisoners Dilemma is a game theory concept that tells a

tremendous story: why do sub-optimal outcomes occur? In a single-period model, the prisoners always defect

Prisoner 1 Dont Confess Confess

Dont Confess

Prisoner 2

Prisoner 1: 3 Prisoner 2: 3

Prisoner 1: 4 Prisoner 2: -5

Confess

Prisoner 1: -5 Prisoner 2: 4

Player 1: -3 Player 2: -3

All business problems are multi-period games you should always look for a sustainable answer, not the neutron bomb!

How to Choose the Right Framework

Choosing the right framework is mostly a

matter of practice

Know the core frameworks cold Practice mixing and matching frameworks with different types of cases

Pay attention to the problem description Pick through the noise to find the critical issues Do not get lost in the details all cases are essentially generic Once the critical issue is identified, the proper framework will generally select itself

Where to Find Additional Help

Consulting club member (talk to

Dymph!) Work with each other! Wetfeets Guide to Case Interviewing Company web sites Your professors

Suggested Reading List

Michael Porter On Competition C. K. Prahalad & Gary Hamel

Competing for the Future Hammer & Champy Reengineering the Corporation OShea & Madigan Dangerous Company Mickelthwait & Wooldridge The Witch Doctors

Re-Cap
You should now know: What a case interview is and is not How to manage a case interview What some of the major frameworks are for solving a case How to look for appropriate competitive responses Where to go to look to find additional help with case interviewing