| Topic Name: |
Failure ... to ace the cases ... |
| Message Name: |
my cases so far |
| Date Posted: |
01/04/2002 |
| In Reply To: |
I've got a BS and MS in engineering and am also looking to get into strat consulting. I've heard a lot about the case interview and some basics about what it entails. At first I thought, being an engineering consultant, that my innate problem solving skills would be enough for me to work a case problem well. However, I've been hearing more and more, from seemingly intelligent people, that the case interview is a killer.
Having taken tons of math classes myself, it surprises me that someone with a PhD in applied math lacked structure in their solutions. It surprises me but I've been hearing about more and more difficulties that people are having with the case.
In my industry, there is a very well accepted design practice called Performance-Based Design where we essentially throw out all "accepted" practices, all conventional rhetoric and all prescriptive regulations. We start with a clean slate and just apply sound engineering principles and common sense in order to meet the client's goal. I figured my experience with this design practice would give me all the structure and analytical tools necessary to do well in a case interview. I'm beginning to think that I've overestimated myself.
Shot_down, I don't suppose you could give me an example of the problems that you were presented with in some of your case interviews? If this is inappropriate of me to ask then I apologize. If you'd prefer you could email me at wayman28@hotmail.com
Thanks. |
| Message: |
Wayman28, I don't think it is inappropriate to discuss my case experiences since the world is a big place (not much change that a reader will run into the same interviewers with the same cases). So, here goes. I've run into the following 7 case questions:
1. A bank wants to sell more insurance policies. How do we advice?
["Answer": push insurances on existing banking customers]
2. A telecom provider considers buying technology to provide fancier wap facilities, should they?
["A": yes, this produces many new customers on the existing network]
3. A big do it yourself chain considers introducing a 10% discount card for loyal customers, is this a good plan?
["A": no, hard to offset the loss in revenue. Introduce it in the off season only.]
4. A speciality liquor brewer is suffering declining sales, how do we value this brewer?
["A": market is dying => value is sum of npv cash flows]
5. What is the optimum used car age for least annual costs?
["A": optimum strategy: abandon car when cost of repair > cost of replacement]
6. A telecom provider is losing sales, how can we boost sales?
["A": spit out entire revenue equation with all levers]
7. A fmcg chain wants to increase European profits, how should they proceed?
["A": production is fragmented over Europe => reduce number of factories.]
As you know the "answers" are not that important, it is how you work through the case that matters (i.e., you should do better than I did...). Btw, thanx for the reply. I hope to discuss cases some more in this thread.
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