The Strategists League

FAQs
Experience strategic thinking as you
solve real-life business problems

Don your thinking hats and unravel a

strategy conundrum

For the Qualification Round, interested teams need to submit a 4 to 5 slider with the following
information

Which of the 3 friends will you support and why Max 1 slide

Who are the team members of your team and why are you the right team to help the person you have chosen
(above) Max 1 slide

Is there a problem at all or are we hearing the moans and groans arising from the pressures of business as
usual? and Why? What is the problem? Max 1 slide

Outline a few interesting thoughts that you are thinking about right now about how to approach the problem
at hand Note that this may change over time - Max 1 slide

For Round 1, teams that clear the Qualification round (these teams will be intimated within a
few days of submitting their 4-5 sliders for the Qualification round) should keep the following
points in mind -

We expect Clarity of thought about the problem / opportunity & its implications

The 3 friends want ideas on how the areas identified above can be solved / leveraged

Teams need to crystallize their unique way of thinking about what cross industry examples / learning / parallels
can be brought to play

Recommendations that are practical & can be implemented to realize business value. And what is sustainable
long term.

This is not a study report. The intent is to able to deliver the value that emerges from their thinking

We expect teams to indulge in thought experiments & play out what may happen in real life

We dont want the teams to submit a ceteris paribus solution. Again the focus is on translating clarity of
thought and "strategizing" into superior performance that can be implemented.

There is no limit on the number of slides that you submit, but remember that the communication should be
clear

FAQs
General FAQs applicable to all Industries
1. Is there a limit on the number of slides for Round 1 and later? Any standard template?

Max 4 slides and no standard template. But do remember that Alco, Kavi and their teams of strategy
professionals have other jobs too. Quantity is not a reflection of quality. Be cognizant of the time limit
of in person presentations too.
2. Will the missing email from Prof. Srini be found and shared with us anytime soon?

May or may not. You have other options of clarifying your doubts and bouncing off your approach with
the three friends and their strategy teams. You may have figured out by now that Prof. Srini is an
eccentric guy and what he thinks of next is known only to him!
3. Will the teams get to see the other teams presentations at Round 1? Since you are giving the option of
changing the presentation within 1 week of Round 1, our ideas could be copied.

No. Round 1 will be one on one with the teams. Not until Round 3 will there be a common event hosting
all the presentations. Prof. Srini has requested this because he says that he does not want the
submissions to start looking like each other. Focus on being innovative not on what the other team is
thinking. Also, the 3 friends are apprehensive that some of you will go on to work for their competitors
and they want to minimize the risk of the big idea being transported to theirs.
4. How will you ensure there are at least two teams for each industry per campus? Will the student council
decide? Will I be forced to change my choice?

We leave that for your student council to decide. In case there is a single team for any of the three
industries, we may not consider it.
5. Is there a probability of more than one entry per campus for the same industry if you find them good?

Strive to be the best team on your campus. At this stage we would want to go for only one
6. What if I have some clarifications about the problem and solution at this stage?

We have given you the option of reaching out to the three friends, their strategy teams and Prof. Srini.
Reach out to them within the guidelines laid out
7. Will I be reimbursed if I want to use a paid industry report? Can I use data available only to me?

No. Use publically available reports/data only. Data source has to be mentioned. In case you have
insights to a particular company (through your summer internship/projects) refrain from using them
unless explicit permissions are obtained.
8. Is there a standard flow of the presentation that we should follow starting with problem definition,
hypothesis, data analysis and then recommendations?

Be creative. We are not prescribing any flow or approach. Your solution has to be innovative. The three
friends and their strategy teams could recommend different approaches. Presentations will be judged
on their innovative thinking, quality and comprehensiveness. Also, be sure that you identify the
problem correctly. As Prof. Srini likes to say, dont spend time arranging the deck-chairs on the Titanic!!
9. What are the specific dates and timelines for the different rounds and results

Will be communicated soon.

10. How many total campuses

Why should you care? Focus on the strength of your own solution. But, if you must know, the number
is ~10.

11. Will even PGP-1 students be given an offer to join Accenture?

Yes. But, please remember that we are talking of PPIs not PPOs. And for the PGP-1s, obviously, this will
apply next year.
12. How many winners at the end of Round 3? Will it be just 1 team? What will the awards be like?

Only one team would be the winner in each Industry segment and all team members will be given PPIs.
There will also be prizes for the winning team. Note that this will not a cash reward i.e. we will not be
handing out cash or cheques. We will probably go in for gift vouchers etc. Here again, focus on being the
best
13. Contact details of the three friends and their strategy teams?

Will be shared soon

14. Are we to assume that India is the geography under consideration for all three industries?

Yes, but remember India is not insulated from the world and it is for you to decipher whether the
challenges in India are different from those at a global level
15. What will happen in the case of a tie in the final round?

The tied teams will split the prize money and both team members will get PPIs
16. Can one team choose to submit their solutions for more than one industries?

No. The 3 friends have discussed this point amongst themselves and feel that one team will not be able
to do justice to more than one industries. The same logic also holds for team members i.e. a single person
cannot choose to be part of more than one teams
17. The information given in the case is vague. Should we solution for the industry at large or narrow the
problem for the company

The case asks you to assume the company youre consulting for is the #2/3 player. The solution should
help the company go for #1. Also, bear in mind that you need to spend some time and energy in thinking
through what is the actual problem that you are trying to solve. During conversations the 3 friends went
through a laundry list of their problems Not all of these are strategic problems. Some of these may be
day to day operational problems as well.
18. Theres a possibility some teams will have more information than others. Is that fair?

True, but lifes not really fair, is it?

19. Does the solution need to address ALL the problems stated by the three friends?

A single solution rarely addresses all problems. Pick the issues you want to address wisely and
prioritize!
20. Are we necessarily looking for a solution within the CG, Pharma and Auto industries?

If you feel other industries can address the consumer need that the three friends are, then you could
look outside. But these cross industry learnings should ultimately be applicable to the Industry that you
have chosen
21. This is all very confusing

Most issues are. The challenge is to define your question and then solve for it. Remember Happiness
can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light.
22. What is the short cut to success?

The focus is on leveraging Digital disruptive concepts to change the current paradigm of doing business,
the company needs a long term sustainable solution to inch / arrive at #1, think long term, think
sustainable, think disruptive.

23. What do we use for case data?

Alco/Kavi/ Nosers strategy team will guide you but it is for you to fish out the data to make your case
stick. Remember these team s are used to churning out well tested growth based models. A novel
innovative business model approach will wake them up, so thinking out of the box will be rewarded.
Also note that each of the friends strategy team will not want to share a lot of confidential information
with you.
24. Can our business models disrupt the industry?

We are happy for you if your concepts help you land an interview with a VC fund but remember the
disruption you cause should not sink our company, the stated objective of the case in our company emerging as the #1 player!
25. Why is the focus only on Auto, CGS & Pharma? Are these the industries for which Accenture is hiring?

The choice of industries is indicative and is not reflective of our recruitment strategy
26. Do I/we need to have a background in one of the industries to be selected?

No, that is not a prerequisite. It is your teams approach and solutioning that will determine success.
27. Is it necessary to focus on digital as a theme?

That is for you to decide remember that it is important to be relevant. It is also important think of an
innovative, unique, sustainable and scalable solution to become the #1 player
28. Can we challenge some of the statements made in the case which we believe are judgments?

Yes, if that is a part of the solution that you want to present. Remember that you need to put forth your
point of view in 4 slides so prioritize and pick your issues wisely.
CGS FAQs
29. Are we looking at consumer durables here as these typically have products connected with the internet?

A: Not necessarily, there are enough and more examples of companies with products that have no
technology in them but digital plays an important role in the experience they provide. Also Noser is a
PE guy, his focus in on making portfolio investments more valuable and convince buyers to pay a high
value.
30. Which consumer goods industry is this?

A: Could be FMCG or FMCD. Within these it could range from traditional FMCG goods to mobile phones
to refrigerators to apparel as these fit in our definition of consumer goods.
31. What are the students solving for?

A: Noser is a PE guy. For him to create value for his investments and find buyers for his exits he needs
to integrate a digital business model into the traditional business. Examples of companies/ brands that
have done this well in the consumer goods space are Nespresso (Nestle), Dollar Shave Club
(subscription model for shaving equipment), Nike (fitness apps integrated with products), Pressed
Juicer (subscription for Juices) etc. In the durables space exclusive availability of Motorola on Flipkart,
lucky draw/ limited sales for One Plus One etc. [need more ideas here]
32. The case talks about back-end issues, heavy investments, costs of doing business, a flippant consumer,
competition, online sales channels etc. Which problems should the students address?

A: These problems are not relevant to all industries, however depending on the industry/ product
category the teams choose one or more problems might become relevant. For examples investments in
manufacturing might be relevant to a durable manufacturers, online sales channels and Chinese
competition relevant for a mobile player like Samsung, backlash from traditional trade for apparel.
The teams should define the question they are solving, contextualize the issues (basis available data)
and we can determine basis our expertise whether the problems are relevant for the industry

33. What is a digital business model?

A: Any business model that is using digital (user experience through the internet e-commerce, lead
generation, advocacy/ sharing, information gathering or dissemination etc.) as a significant element of
the business model. E.g.
Nespresso over 50% sales comes through online orders. Traditionally coffee is sold through
retailers
Nike fitness sensors integrated into products and connected to the phone and social media.
Traditionally fitness tracking and shoes/ clothes were different industries
Pressed Juicer/ Dollar Shave Club online subscription based revenue model. Traditionally juice
and shaving equipment is bought in retail as single units/ bulk packs
Motorola/ One Plus One/ Xiomi India phones available only through Flipkart. Traditionally
phones are also sold through physical retailers
Apparel 50% of growth for Puma is coming from online channels
Non-CGS Netflix online repository of video content available only for streaming. Traditionally
movies were bought as DVDs in stores or viewed on TV channels
Non-CGS iTunes digital music available for download and listening on Apple devices
Non-CGS Uber mobile app to connect an available taxi and passenger real time and provide a cashless
payment system
Auto FAQs
34. Are we talking about a premium car-maker or economy car maker? Is it an entirely Indian entity or an
international car maker with presence in India?

The only entirely Indian car maker has shut shop already. Assume that there is no international work
that you can leverage and that the Indian market is unique. If your solution is a function of category of
cars, feel free to make an assumption
35. Is the Auto OEM a Passenger Vehicle or Commercial Vehicle OEM or both?

You should assume that this OEM is a Passenger Car manufacturer. Bear in mind that this includes cars
and SUVs as well.
36. The #2 Player in cars is not an Indian Auto company, are we to make assumptions on the player in real life?

A: The case says that Alcos company was the #2 player in its industry; please assume that you are
working for a current Top 5 player in the Industry with aspirations of being #1 in the Industry
37. How friendly is Alcos team on these calls are they forthcoming?

A: Alcos strategy team have limited patience but are very excitable and are used to answering questions
rather directly, this is your chance to make them confide in you, ask the right questions get the right
answers!
38. What is the expectation of a solution in 4 slides do we need to cover essentials such as Business models,
Cash flows, NPV of projects?

A: The case is fictional, and you have available to you data from the public realm please use your
discretion in finding a solution to jump start your company (Hint: A Solution without numbers will be
difficult to digest for Alcos shareholders, please do not put Alco in a tight spot he will not take kindly to
you!). Also bear in mind that presenting 4 synthesis slides of output may in actual practice require
you to put in more work than preparing 100 transactional slides
Pharma FAQs
39. Is it safe to assume that the Pharma company is a generic Pharma company and not branded formulations?
How about OTC drugs?

There are enough hints in the case study. Ignore OTC.

Copyright 2014 Accenture

All rights reserved.
Accenture, its logo, and
High Performance Delivered
are trademarks of Accenture.