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Acknowledgements
No words can express our gratitude to Viraj Sawhney and Utsav Baijal from McKinsey & Company
who spent a ton of time getting our resumes right and ensuring that we are well prepared for the
case interviews, personal questions, job related questions, etc. The class of 2005 truly appreciates
your efforts.
Our heartfelt thanks to Ajit for his successful efforts at shaking us up once in a while and setting
targets for us which helped us focus during time of extreme chaos. We would like to thank everyone
at CAS, Placom for their constant efforts to get us started for a great career ahead.
Last but not least we would like to thank our seniors who have helped us at numerous points in
time during the year addressing our concerns right from buying of laptops to taking the right
courses and closer to placements making sure we put our best foot in the interview room.
Foreword
The ISB Consulting Guide is the result of untiring efforts by some of the Class of 2005
students (whose names are listed below). This is the first edition of the guide and the
Class of 2005 students would like the tradition to be carried forward by the future batches
and make the coming editions of this publication a rich source of information for all
consulting aspirants.
Jaisooraj Jayaraj
President Consulting Club
Aman Thakur
Anant Atal
Aseem Gupta
Ganesh Srinivasan
Gaurav Katyal
Gaurav Paliwal
Mallika Gupta
Mukul Goel
Neeraj Bandhu
Priya Mathur
Ramanjaneya Sharaph
Ramesh Jha
Ritesh Tripathi
Rohit Bhatla
Sachin Bhalla
Shikha Gera
Shrinivas Chellappa
Sridhar Ganesan
Sujit Modi
Sumit Dhar
Tarandeep Ahuja
Tarun Joshi
Varun Laul
Vikram Kapur
Vipul Agarwal
Vishal Sharma
Vishal Suri
Vivek Venugopal
Table of Contents
How to use this Interview Guide ............................................................................................. -7A.
B.
C.
McKinsey & Company .............................................................................................. -15Case question 1: Indian Tire manufacturer .....................................................................-17Case question 2: Aircraft Maintenance hub ...................................................................-17Case question 3: Spare parts .........................................................................................-19Case question 4: Accounting software for SMEs ............................................................-20Case question 5: E-tailing supply clhain ..........................................................................-21Case question 6: Industrial Boiler manufacturer ............................................................-22Case question 7: Watch company ....................................................................................-22Case question 8: Office equipment manufacturer ..........................................................-23Case question 9: Estimation case beer cases ...............................................................-24Case question 10: Investment corpus ..............................................................................-24Case question 11: Bank ATM .........................................................................................-24Case question 12: Steel manufacturer ............................................................................-24Case question 13: Coffee cups .......................................................................................-24Case question 14: Office equipment Part deux ..............................................................-25Case question 15: Telecom company software systems ..................................................-25Case question 16: Bill Gates kills Linux .........................................................................-26Case question 17: Estimation question- Broadband access ...........................................-26Case question 18: Estimation Question Windows OS ...............................................-27Case question 19: Jet Airways ........................................................................................-27Case question 20: Defense Minister of India .................................................................-27Case question 21: Estimation question- Brick Consumption .........................................-27Case question 22: Increasing efficiency in the Power Sector ..........................................-28Case question 23: Capacity expansion decision ..............................................................-28Case question 24: Broadband industry in India ..............................................................-29Case question 25: If you were the Finance Minister of India ........................................-29Case question 26: Banking sector in India ......................................................................-30Case question 27: Steel manufacturer sales ....................................................................-30Case question 28: Retail Bank branches ........................................................................-30-
D.
Boston Consulting Group .............................................................................................-31Case question 1: Cement Company Sale......................................................................-32Case question 2: Telecom operator in Indonesia............................................................-36Case question 3: Three-wheeler manufacturer................................................................-39Case question 4: Small Bank profitability.........................................................................-43Case question 5: Painting Price Estimation......................................................................-44Case question 6: Paint manufacturer...............................................................................-45Case question 7: Eye drops Strategy.................................................................................-46Case question 8: Fan Manufacturer................................................................................-47SOME GENERAL TIPS FOR BCG Interviews............................................................-48-
E.
AT Kearney ..................................................................................................................-48Case question 1: Beverage manufacturer .......................................................................-49Case question 2: Airport at Hyderabad ..........................................................................-49Case question 3: Auto manufacturer .............................................................................-50Case question 4: Estimation case ..................................................................................-50Case question 5: Maruti Udyog ......................................................................................-51Case question 6: Consumer durables .............................................................................-52Case question 7: Commercial Bank ...............................................................................-52Case question 8: Truck manufacturer .............................................................................-52Case question 9: White Goods manufacturer ..................................................................-52Case question 10: ATM transactions Estimation case .................................................-53Case question 11: Cement MNC ....................................................................................-53Case question 12: Estimation Weight of airplane .......................................................-53Case question 13: Estimation Credit Cards .................................................................-53Case question 14: Courier company ..............................................................................-53Case question 15: Airline Business Model ...................................................................-53Case question 16: Airline New venture ......................................................................-53Case question 17: PSU Bank ..........................................................................................-53Case question 18: Australian furniture company ............................................................-53Case question 19: LNG .................................................................................................-54Case question 20: Ticketing agent ...................................................................................-54Case question 21: Estimation case - Glass Bottles ........................................................-54Case question 22: International airport at Bodh Gaya ...................................................-54Case question 23: Cement manufacturer cost control ...................................................-55Case question 24: Consumer Electronics Marketing .....................................................-55Case question 25: Mallika Sherawat ...............................................................................-56Case question 26: How to rejuvenate a television serial? ...............................................-56Case question 27: Australian White Goods manufacturer .............................................-57Case question 28: Krishna as a consultant for the Kauravas .........................................-57Case question 29: CEO Management policies ................. .............................................-57Specific questions asked by ATK ..................................................................................-58-
F.
Marakon Associates ...................................................................................................-59HR interview ..................................................................................................................-60Case interview ...............................................................................................................-60Case question 1 .............................................................................................................-60Important Note ...............................................................................................................-61-
G.
Accenture ......................................................................................................................-62Case question 1: Sales Team motivation ........................................................................-63Case question 2: Sales Incentive plan ............................................................................-63Case question 3: Company division comparison ............................................................-63Case question 4: Cement branding .................................................................................-63Case question 5: FMCG price war .................................................................................-63Case question 6: Retail ...................................................................................................-63Case question 7: Spice Manufacturer .............................................................................-63Case question 8: FMCG Growth ...................................................................................-63Interview questions asked by Accenture .........................................................................-645
H.
Tata Strategic Management Group ................. ........................................................-65Round 1 .................. ......................................................................................................-66Case Question 1: Conglomerate divestment ................. ................................................-66-
I.
J.
K.
Personal & Behavioral Interview Questions ................. ..........................................-71Background .....................................................................................................................-72Self Description ................. ..........................................................................................-72Goals .............................................................................................................................-72Values ................ ..........................................................................................................-72Previous Bosses ................. ...........................................................................................-73Management / Leadership Style ................. ..................................................................-73Strengths / Weaknesses and Skills ................. ...............................................................-73Interpersonal Skills ................. ......................................................................................-74Education .......................................................................................................................-74Extra- Curricular ............................................................................................................-74Job / Company / Industry ..............................................................................................-74Location ........................................................................................................................-75General ................. ........................................................................................................-75Consulting .....................................................................................................................-75Marketing ..........................................................................................................................-77Corporate Finance (Investment Banking) .......................................................................-77Sales And Trading ...........................................................................................................-78Strategic Planning & Corporate Finance ................. ......................................................-78Miscellaneous ..................................................................................................................-78Questions to Ask the Company .....................................................................................-79Industry ...........................................................................................................................-79Career Opportunities / Path / Training .........................................................................-80Culture ...........................................................................................................................-80Sample Behavioral Interview Questions Asked by Employers ................. ....................-80Leadership .....................................................................................................................-80Motivation ................. ...................................................................................................-80Planning and Organization ............................................................................................-81Decision-Making ............................................................................................................-81Communication .............................................................................................................-81Interpersonal Skills ........................................................................................................-81Initiative ................. ......................................................................................................-81Teamwork ........................................................................................................................-82-
L.
Kotler
Competitive strategy frameworks e.g Porter etc
Micro economics
Macro economics
Operations management
Operations strategy\ Supply chain management
Accounting
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As far as consulting jobs are concerned, I got shortlisted in all the consulting firms. Some of the
reasons which I could find were:
1. Goods academic record
2. Very relevant work experience. Consulting firms value operational work experience
and I had worked for 3 years in a factory. Further, I had valuable experience in New
Business development.
3. Decent co-curricular. Both, McKinsey and BCG quoted my interest in dramatics as
one of the factors.
Interview:
A typical interview in consulting consists of personal questions and a case. The first thing
which I did was to form a group which was interested in consulting jobs. We made a point to
meet twice a week with the following agenda:
1. Sector analysis each person was responsible to gather data for a few sectors
2. Divide into sub-group of 2 and solve two cases
3. Discuss and develop frameworks for cases
4. Conduct personal interviews
The group was formed in the fifth term and met religiously twice a week. Discipline and effort
by all members are key requisites in this period.
The shortlists are out in the sixth term. Then it is necessary to find a partner who is also in the
list. One should have one-to-one intensive sessions in all the four areas discussed above. I and
Ganesh formed a team and between ourselves we solved more than 50 cases, conducted atleast
10 interview sessions and discussed the important industry sectors. I believe that this is most
crucial part of ones preparation and one should really spend time in brushing up the courses,
practicing personal questions and solving the cases. We even recorded few sessions to watch
our reactions and idiosyncrasies in an interview session.
Overall:
I would attribute my selection in BCG to hard work and luck. The learning in the group and
then with my partner gave me the confidence that I know what is expected out of me. Further,
since I got shortlisted in all consulting firms, I learnt from my mistakes in the various rounds.
Hence, when I went for BCG, I knew what was expected out of me. After that, it is luck.
Fortunately, I held my nerves and didnt make any fatal mistakes.
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Consulting FAQ
B. CONSULTING FAQ
Fourth term is very busy; I would start preparing in 5th term
You would never find free time at ISB. Find time now.
What are consulting companies looking for?
Leadership, well rounded personality, peak in life (i.e. you should be too good in one thing), your
past experience, team spirit, Knowledge, ability to structure your thoughts, good communication
skills, confidence
Vault and Wetfeet guides
You can access these guides at http://library/E_Resources/E_Resources.html
There are guides on building resume, preparing interviews, company profile, work profile of a
consultant etc. Reading through some of these guides is a nice way to get started with your job
preparation.
About using frameworks
I personally did not follow any frameworks. I believe that by Jan u will have done enough
cases during course work that you should have some sought of structure in your mind.
And these case interviews is all about structure and approach. Also, the cases are inevitably
real world situations and do not perfectly fit into the frameworks.
But knowledge of the way these frameworks work can help you for instance, it is
useful to know how to estimate the size of some market, etc.
General knowledge/ Current affairs
Am a strong a believer that there is no substitute for general knowledge in these case
interviews. For instance, in my McK interviews I had cases from power sector, banking,
cable television & broadband, e-commerce and commodity pricing varied and diverse.
So you can prepare for as many cases as you like, but there cannot be a substitute for
whats happening out there is the real world!
Grades
What McK looks for is atleast one or two things that are truly outstanding in your CV.
That could be rank/ grades, national level swimming champ or an army major, etc.
More than grades, you need to have knowledge of subjects else you would find it hard to
solve cases. So please please study and understand your subjects, even if you are not
focusing on getting grades.
Questions to ask interviewers
Extremely crucial to have some insightful questions for interviewers. If you can ask the
interviewer some questions based on their field of expertise, nothing like it. Also, have
some questions which go well beyond the normal something like The consulting industry
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is susceptible to downturns and business cycles just like any other industry. What is McK
doing to make it less susceptible to these business cycles some new products/ services?
Also, prepare several questions because interviewers have a knack of asking what
else. And you do not want to miss out on the opportunity to have a conversation with
these people.
Do not let the question die down or become a monologue ask some follow up questions
based on his response show ur curiosity and keenness to have a meaningful conversation.
You would sometime have to give 5-6 interviews and would run out of questions.
Knowledge about the company and the person interviewing can help you think on your
feet and come up with intelligent questions to ask. Try to ask questions based on any
new thing you noticed in the course of your interview.
Personal questions
McK interviews are not usually known for very long personal interviews. But you be
prepared to wow the interviewer with your response to some standard questions like
Why consulting? Why McK? Etc. rather than stutter when the moment finally comes.
Be extremely clear and crisp with why you have chosen such a career path. There should
some consistent thinking that has finally led you to a career in consulting. Consulting
should not appear as a one-off shot in the dark that you are taking, but a well thought out
and focused plan at your end.
Collecting gyaan on McK
I suggest that you put a google alert for McKinsey that will keep you updated on what
is happening within McK assignments it is doing, etc.
Go through the website very well. See wht are the qualities they are looking for basically
do your homework well and come across as someone who has done his/ her work.
Also go through the career guides these are available on the LRC intranet.
Is ELP important
Doing ELP is not a necessary requirement. However, you can use ELP as a showcase of your
leadership potential, your creative abilities and your knowledge of the industry.
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16
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Candidate : Okay . I would set-up a facility where the total cost of maintenance in minimized
rather than just the cost incurred at the hangar. The main running costs that we will need to keep
track are the labor cost, the cost of replacement parts, the cost of getting the planes in and flying
them out. As far as capital expenses are concerned, there is the cost of setting up the maintenance
center the land, any license fees, etc. The other costs are the labor costs, costs of running the
supply chain for the replacement parts and costs of getting the airplanes in and out. Are the
regulations for setting up these facilities?
Interviewer : Lets say that the regulations are the same across all locations and is not going to
drive your decision making.
Candidate : Okay in that case, Ill start by comparing the resources required. The first thing that
comes to my mind is the land required. If there is going to be a complete overhaul then we will
need quite a lot of open land in the airport. I would think that India would have an advantage here
as compared to a small city like Singapore. I am not sure about airports like Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
Interviewer : As it turns out, airports in Singapore are much bigger than airports in India and
there is no comparison between an airport in Dubai and Bombay. The Dubai airport is several
times the size of the Bombay airport. So the free space available for Indian airports is quite less as
compared to the other locations.
Candidate : Thats interesting. What drives the size of airports? Is it mostly legacy of the past in
terms of say having built airports when the air traffic was not very high now the airports dont
have enough? In any case I would advise the client to look at the upcoming airports as well. I
know for sure that Bangalore is going to get a new airport and some others are being expanded. So
it is possible that airport size constraint can be removed in the near future. But I am not too sure
about this. This is likely to a factor in the long term.
Interviewer : What else would you consider?
Candidate : For other competencies, there is the manpower required. If the airlines that are going
to be serviced are similar to the ones already present then there is skill available in the market.
The only aspect that the client has to be careful about is that a lot of the staff employed in civil
aviation is likely to be unionized. Another aspect is the cost of jet fuel from India and other
locations. Due to high customs duty, the cost of jet fuel is likely to be high in India. This will
impact the cost of flying the planes out of the base. This has to be balanced with the savings in
the labor cost.
Candidate : Another aspect I will like to explore is the cost of spare parts transportation. I would
think that the spare parts required for maintenance are not manufactured in Asia.
Interviewer : Yes that is true. But, the transportation costs for the spares are equivalent across all
locations mainly because the quantities transported are quite low and an effective spares inventory
system can be set up irrespective of location.
Candidate : That reinforces the point for me that there is a high level of labor content in this type
of work and hence India still looks to be promising apart from the airport size bottleneck.
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Candidate : To summarize, I would advise the client to take a decision based on the availability
of airport space in new airports in India and work out the total cost of maintenance based on the
getting the flights in, refueling and then sending them out. An analysis of this would lead him to
the correct decision.
Case question 3: Spare parts
There is a supplier of Diesel Generator spare parts. There are frequent shortages of critical parts.
What would you do?
This was again a supply chain case. He wanted me to ask the right questions. We explored things
like forecasting, lead times etc. But the main point was that there are two kinds of parts, critical
parts (required for breakdowns), and maintenance parts. Another way of characterizing them is as
slow moving and fast moving parts. It was necessary to maintain enough inventory for the breakdown
parts.
Candidate : I think it is tiering of parts as fast moving and slow moving would help us design an
appropriate system. Easily worn out parts such as belts, etc are likely to be fast moving but parts
such as pistons, etc are likely to be slow moving.
Interviewer : Can you draw me a 2x2 that can help the supply chain manager make a decision as
to the kind of supply chain he should employ.
High Cost
Candidate : (After taking a minute to think, I came up with the following 2 x 2. Also I was
thinking as to what how the supply chain should be for each of the quadrants.
III
Fast Moving
Low Cost
Slow Moving
IV
II
Candidate : For Quad 1 parts Slow moving and Low cost the supply chain is very simple. You
can afford to carry some inventory as they are low cost but you dont need to stock too much as
they are slow moving. Hence to ease pressure on the systems it might be beneficial to have a
periodic review of inventory say once a quarter and re-order upto a certain level. For Quad 2 parts
i.e. Low cost and fast moving we need a traditional Re-order based supply chain with an economic
order quantity and re-order point.
For Quad 3 parts stocking in inventory will be costly. These parts are likely to be the critical parts
which are required after a breakdown. Hence there should be a direct link from the dealer who
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requests the spare parts to the production factory. This will ensure that the response is quick and
keep the downtime of the equipment to a minimum.
If costly parts are fast moving then is a huge opportunity in the form of spares revenues but I
think the reason for having Quad 4 parts is that the quality is not great and which means this
information should be used as opportunities for quality improvement. Hence ideally I think there
should be no Quad 4 parts.
I asked the interviewer whether I should get into pricing aspects for each of the quadrants. The
interviewer said it was not necessary.
Case question 4: Accounting software for SMEs
A developer of desktop accounting software for the SME market is thinking of entering the
Indian market. Can you help him make the decision?
This started out as an estimation case. I structured the problem of estimating the annual market
for accounting software for SMEs in the following manner:
Number of SMEs Number of SMEs who own computers Frequency of upgrade or replacement
of software Gives Yearly market
I also suggested an alternate structuring in way of dividing SMEs into which sector they are in
and then estimate the number of SMEs who will be having desktops in these sectors. The interviewer
asked me to stick to the first structure.
He gave the following figures:
SMEs = 3 million
Number of SMEs who own computers = 1 million (I was not sure whether this information can
be obtained from public sources but he gave me the figure anyway. If pushed I would have said
that the numbers can be obtained from sales break-up of PC manufacturers.)
Frequency of upgrade = 3 years
I also said that new SMEs will be getting added every year and some SMEs will be closed down.
New SMEs (with computers) added = 250,000
Hence market = 333,333 + 250,000 = 583,333 approximately 600,000
Important variable in the Indian market is the level of piracy Interviewer said it was 90%
Then market reduces to 60,000 units Thats a really small market for an overseas player but
knowing that the marginal cost of production for software is very low it might still make sense to
enter the Indian market. Let me explore a few other areas as well. Now I wanted to do a 3C
analysis:
Asked basic questions about competition in the market: 90% held by one company .. 10%
fragmented.
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What are the important things for SMEs? Is it ease of use, training, cost, etc? What is the order of
importance?
He said cost, training and ease of use were important in that order. I started probing about the
product and comparing it with the competition. I asked since the company wants to enter the
market with a strong competitor with a new product it should have some new features or
functionality.
I asked whether the clients product had any features on the aspects above that made it better
than the incumbent companys product. I was told that there were no major differences in the
software.
I also explored the distribution aspect required for the software. Since the software was sold to
SMEs a widely spread distribution network was important. The client did not have that and this
was a major barrier to entry more so because the purchase habits of the SMEs was to involve the
dealer, get his opinion and then purchase the software.
The interviewer now asked me how the client can overcome all these barriers quickly. Through a
process of discussion, we came to the conclusion that the client has to acquire the competitor to
gain quick access to the market. The interviewer did not want me to go into the mechanics of the
acquisition part but he asked me what else we were buying when acquiring the competitor. I gave
the standard answers about distribution, knowledge about Indian market/ consumer, customers.
Finally when pushed I also said future customers as 90% of the public using pirated software are
theoretically customers of the competitor and will have to switch to the legal copy because
organizations like Nasscom/ BSA had started cracking down on piracy.
Case question 5: E-tailing supply chain
Our client wants to setup an e-tailing business which basically involves Indians or other people in
the US gifting items such as books, clothes and also perishable goods through the internet. How
would you estimate the market for the client and advise him as to the supply chain that is right for
this business.
Additional info given on asking some questions:
The portal is specifically targeted at NRIs. The supply chain component is very crucial the gifts
to be delivered are procured in India itself. There are two types of vendors 1) those that procure
gifts and supply across India; and 2) vendors located in individual cities and deliver only within
the city in which they are located.
Asked some more questions: end result was that there is 100% penetration of this service among
NRIs.
When do NRIs send gifts to India? 2 broad classes: Festivals and One-off events (birthdays, etc)
My stand lets focus on festivals since we have a critical mass of demand during these times.
On average, NRI would send gifts on how many occasions? 3 (Diwali, new year, one regional
festival) Types of gifts sent: Categorised into electronics, perishables, garments.
Can get the gross margin for each category of products and estimate the revenue potential.
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Next cost if logistics costs. Key is to identify that this cost will depend on weight, volume and
distance. Also, for non-perishables, u can follow a hub and spoke system for delivery. For perishables,
u need to have hubs in each major city.
Based on data, u can estimate avg volume and distance traveled by a parcel. Compute costs and
then arrive at the net margin.
Interviewer was not interested in numbers but in the approach. The critical point in this case was
to recognize that demand would peak during festival time periods and hence it was very very
important for the e-tailer to tie-up with courier companies to deliver goods during these periods.
Case question 6: Industrial Boiler manufacturer
There is a medium sized Boiler manufacturer operating in India. Evaluate whether it is possible to
grow 3-4x (revenue) over the next 5 years
ET of PEST + 3C / 4P; Ultimately, reasons : 1. Engineers over-designing the boilers due to
regulations; 2. Saturated market and increased competition. Remedy : 1. Acquire boiler
manufacturers abroad. (Manufacturing in China, and exporting boilers from India were incorrect
remedies)
Key is to arrive at the following concept:
a. Two sources of competitive advantage Differentiation and Cost Leadership
b. The product is essentially a commodity and there is no story of differentiation visible.
c. Thus can the company build a story based on cost leadership or not.
d. Since its profitability is lower than competitors, it is able to reinvest much smaller amounts
than competition into R&D for cost reduction.
e. Thus growth is highly unlikely
Case question 7: Watch company
Your client is a watch company which is a domestic market leader. Revenue has been flat for the
last three years. Senior management has appointed you to develop a strategy to double topline in
5 years. Provide specific recommendations
The following are the key points one should arrive at / discuss over the case interaction
Size of Company Rs 500 crore, present in 50 cities
Size of Total market 1000 crore
Three segments in the market: High, Medium and Low
High
Medium
Low
Price Range
Rs 4000 + (Tissot, Omega etc)
Priced at Rs500 4000
Less than 500
(intense competition from Chinese players)
Growth Rate
100%
0-5%
50-75%
Market Share
10%
70%
20%
Our company derives all its revenue from the mid segment
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Alternate Approach:
1. Wanted to start with a population figure for each continent. Since I did not know that, I
said let us assume that 80-20 rule holds true for coffee drinkers. So, 80% of coffee
drinkers come from just US and Europe.
2. Estimated the population of these countries to X.
3. Then said we can divide the population into three parts:
a. Kids or those under 14 (Dont drink coffee)
b. Adults from 15 65 (Drink coffee)
c. Old Aged People who are 65 and above (Dont drink coffee)
4. Adults further segmented into
a. Heavy Drinkers: These would be people like software developers. Estimated them to
be around 10% of population. They drink 6 cups a day.
b. Moderate Drinkers: These would be people who start their day with a cup of coffee
and would probably have another cup at work. 2 cups per day
c. Light Drinkers: Probably have coffee once a week or so.
5. Used these numbers and percentages to calculate the number of cups.
6. Was then asked by the interviewer about the amount (weight) of coffee produced in the
world.
7. Used the data about cups used to calculate production. The interviewer then asked me
whether the real production would be above or below my calculation.
Case question 14: Office equipment Part deux
An office equipment company is seeing a sudden loss in market share. Cause, Remedy?
Approach : 3 C/ 4P will be ideal. However, main thing to remember here : What is meant by
office equipment? it was a photo-copier / fax company in this case. Cause : Japanese
manufacturers entered the market with a mid-end product a segment that was left unattended
by our client. The company launched a product of their own in this segment, but in great haste
and without removing all flaws " leading to further erosion of credibility and loss in share.
Remedy " Get out of this segment
Case question 15: Telecom company software systems
You are a consultant to a telecom company and they have three different billing packages, two
different CRM packages, five different provisioning systems and so on. As a result, they find it
hard to keep up with changing needs of the company. As a consultant what would you advise
them? This case was asked for the BTO (Business Technology Operations) position.
Suggested Solution :
I built my answer around the following points:
1. First I wondered aloud why such a situation might have arisen. The reason given was
that the company had been growing aggressively in the past and had just patched on
these systems.
2. I then tried to identify what were the problems being created by this heterogeneous IT
system and the ways of solving these problems. Presented two solutions for solving this
problem:
25
a. In the near term, reduce the number of interface points. Ensure each of these systems
talks to each other. For this I suggested using middleware (Tibco Software, etc.)
b. In the long run, think of a way of building a standardized infrastructure. This would
mean identifying and running one billing package, one CRM package, one provisioning
system.
3. For both I gave reasons and advantages of doing so. I ended by summarizing ways in
which company could avoid getting into such a mess again.
Case question 16: Bill Gates kills Linux
You are Bill Gates and your job is to kill Linux. How will you go about doing this?
Suggested Solution :
I had mentioned Open Source Software as an area of interest in my CV. The interviewer initially
made some small talk about ESRs Cathedral and the Bazaar and Free for All. Then he popped
this question. I was slightly lucky with this one as I had personally often wondered how Bill Gates
could crush the Linux threat.
Approach : There were so many things I could say here, so took a moment to think clearly and
organize my thoughts logically. Built my answer around the following points:
1 Identified various parties in the Open Source eco-system. This included Users, Developers,
Companies directly connected to OSS (e.g. Redhat), Companies supporting OSS (e.g.
IBM), Evangelists etc.
2 Identified their motivations and reasons for using Linux. The group I concentrated most
on was students who use Linux. Since they later go on to corporate world and recommend
Linux because they are comfortable with it, I suggested Microsoft should target them
specially. I did a similar analysis of other groups.
3 One of the things I identified was that companies use Linux because it is packaged into
easy to use form by people like Redhat. Since Linux is open-sourced, any one can create
a Linux distribution.
4 So if Microsoft can come out with its own version of Linux with a very intuitive and easy
to use GUI and great interoperability with MS products, it can kill Redhat, Debian, Suse
and other Linux companies. Once it does that, it will effectively set back the whole OSS
movement.
5 When pushed into greater detail by the interviewer, proposed MS use the concept of
mavens from Tipping Point. Also MS prepare something for power users.
Case question 17: Estimation question- Broadband access
Estimate the number of people having broadband access in India in today.
As a follow-up I was asked the following: Estimate what will be the number of broadband users
in India, 5 years from now.
Here I took into account that mobile users 5 years from now might have broadband access. So
instead of starting the calculation with computer penetration, I took Computer + Mobile Phone
penetration figures.
26
1.
2.
3.
4.
These companies need to focus on selling to the senior management rather than the IT
department heads.
Hire foreign nationals that have work experience in specific sectors and leverage their
contacts for projects
Increase onsite presence by buying smaller companies
Identify niches where their skills are competitive. For example a Patni computer should
focus on a vertical where it can compete with the best.
Help smaller companies in Europe and US with their IT strategies specially in the area of
enterprise solutions
2.
I was asked about my interest in Sci-Fiction and Fantasy. I had put this as one of my
hobbies on my CV. When I talked about the concept of Heros Journey, the interviewer
asked me about the person who came up with the concept of Heros Journey. Explored
Star Wars, Mythology and Fantasy for some time. Was asked to correlate my interest in
MBA Education with my interest in Science Fiction.
3.
Had a small discussion about the books I had read recently. After hearing about the
books I had read, the interviewer even suggested one which I might enjoy.
28
29
[You need to have some strong view points on some critical sectors of the economy and then be
able to present a strong case for it]
Case Question 26: Banking sector in India
Your client is a European Bank wanting to make an entry into the banking industry in India.
Evaluate this proposition for your client.
My approach : Take an avg Class A city in India Mumbai. No of HH what is the avg banking
services being availed by each HH (housing, car loan, durables, others) Estimated the spread
Tried to compute the potential market.
Prashants approach : What is the estimated growth rate for each banking service what is the
penetration now prepare a 2x2 will find that the growth rate is very high and penetration very
low. Hence, attractive.
Case Question 27: Steel manufacturer sales
A steel manufacturer is having trouble with his sales department. They are either not able to
commit to FG supply or when they can, they are not able to keep the promise. Explain??
Approach : The broad structure that I put onto the problem was to analyse the following four
links:
In bound logistics, Manufacturing, outbound logistics and sales/distribution. I then explored the
standard parameters like variety, lead time, throughput, efficiency etc.
Case Question 28: Retail Bank branches
Case question : A big international retail bank has just received a go ahead from RBI to open up
8 branches in India. Where should it locate these eight branches?
Approach : Based on Type of bank (premium, mass), competition in the city (Branches per unit
population), presence of high net worth individuals (Population etc)
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32
33
Ramesh: I have tried to rank these expenses in order of magnitude. I would like to discuss
power and fuel, transportation and marketing expenses with you and try to find
out any synergies between A and B. Does this approach make sense?
(Here, I am thinking aloud and let the interviewer know my though process. Also, I am asking him whether this
approach is right or wrong. So, if I am totally off the track, then he can bring me back.)
Vikram : Okay, so how will you find the synergies in power and fuel?
Ramesh : Well, lets take power first. The synergies can occur in the various forms. Operational
synergies occur when there is reduction in power generation cost because of sharing of
resources.
Sourcing synergies: The raw material cost for power generation (essentially coal) decreases because
of increased bargaining power of A in purchasing power.
Vikram : So, how will you find the synergy?
Ramesh : Well, are there are operational advantages if the two companies merge. I mean can we
have common power generation process for the two companies.
Vikram : No, the two companies are essentially separate and require independent power
Ramesh : Can A negotiate better prices with the raw material suppliers since there is bigger
requirement.
Vikram : What would you look at?
Ramesh : Well, I would look at the rates of power for the two locations.
Vikram : It so happens that A has much lower unit rate that B.
Ramesh : Interesting, why is that A has lower cost? Do they have the same method of power
generation? What is nature of power plant for both factories?
Vikram : Well, A has a captive power generation plant but B buys power from grid.
Ramesh : Are these two companies located near to each other.
Vikram : Why?
Ramesh : You said that company A has captive power generation unit. So, I was looking at the
feasibility of transferring the extra power generated at A to B and thus save costs.
Vikram : No, the two companies are located 400 kilometres apart.
Ramesh : Then would it not be very difficult for A to send power to B. I mean, huge capital
investment is required to establish power transmission between A and B.
Vikram : Well, no actually. A can sell the excess power to the grid and the same grid can provide
it to B at another location.
Ramesh : Thats very interesting. So, even if grid makes money out of brokerage, overall there
would be reduction is cost.
Vikram : Yes. What else would you look at?
Ramesh : Let me summarize whatever we discussed about power till now. A has a captive power
generating unit while B buys from grid. So, A has much lower unit rate that B. So, if A
can transfer power to B, then there is synergy.
Vikram : So, what else would you look at?
Ramesh : What is the capacity of power generating unit at A.
Vikram : Good, the power unit in A is running at 80% capacity.
Ramesh : Well, then A should sell the unutilized capacity to grid for B and B should buy the
remaining requirement from alternative sources. So, the synergies come out of
1. Using the captive plant to provide power to B
2. Negotiating better rates from RM suppliers and services.
34
Vikram : Okay, now from the P&L how would you find the value of the standalone B to A?
What data would you look at and from where would you get the data?
Ramesh : I will look at P&L and the balance sheet to value B. More specifically, I will look at Net
Income and remove all extraordinary incomes and extraordinary expenses. I will first
add back non cash expenses like depreciation and amortization. Then I will deduct the
cash outflow due to change in operating working capital and capital expenditures. I
also deduct if any payments that has to be made to debt holders (in terms of principal)
and to the preferred dividend holders. The final number will give me the free cash flow
to the equity holders.
Vikram : The working capital change and the Capex is zero.
(Here I did the calculations for a single year as per the P&L and Balance sheet and found out the FCFE)
Ramesh : What is typical period of NPV analysis for client A?
Vikram : You tell me.
Ramesh : I think that period of 10 years is enough? One should take till that period when the
cash flows have become stable and predictable. Now, I need to find the cost of capital.
Vikram : Well, it so happens that the company B is already having stable profits and the cost of
equity for A is 10%. The company B is not growing.
Ramesh : In that case I will find the value of the perpetuity. It is cash flow divided by 10%.
Vikram : Well, this wraps up the case. In a typical M&A assignments, people forget to take into
account the loss that a company will suffer if the merger is unsuccessful. You also did
the same mistake, though to your credit you realized it very quickly. The real fun in an
M&A is when the value of merger to your competition is higher that the value to you.
In that case C will always be willing to pay more. Then the real challenge is how to
reduce the value of merger for company C and increase the value of merger for company A.
Well Ramesh, do you have any question for me?
(In a typical BCG interview, the interviewer wraps the case by talking about the actual business context. I asked
the question about BCG not being too much into government projects. And how it handles the negative publicity
which sometimes comes with doing government projects)
Vishals Case
I was interviewed by Vikram in my second round and was asked this same cement M&A case. In
my case, P&L was not discussed in as much as in Rameshs case. Rather I was asked what would
be the transportation benefits of the merger (Essentially he put 2 points on a paper as the factory
locations of A&B, and said that customers of both A & B are located all across on the paper) The
answer is to draw 2 circles around the factory locations and continue to increase the size of the
circles until all customers are covered. The locations which comes inside the circle of A will be
served by that factory A and similarly for factory B. The customers that come under both the
circles which be served by that factory that is closer. I did not mention this circles logic, but gave
a similar explanation.
Then he asked what could be the reasons because of which such arrangement might not work?
I gave him 2 reasons
1. Quality of cement produced in one factory might not be same as that of in the other
factory
2. There might be capacity constraints in either of the factories
He was satisfied by these answers.
35
Vikram went back to acquisition valuation and asked me how much money will A and C will be
willing to pay. I gave him following answer A = Va + Vab + Vb
C = Vc + Vbc + Vb
where
Vab - value of synergy for A
Vbc - value of synergy for C
Vb Value of B standalone
Va Loss to A if C acquires B
Vc Loss to C if A acquires B
He asked what can you do for company A, if value C (Vc + Vbc + Vb) comes out more than A
(Va + Vab + Vb)
I told him that I will sell off some of my assets or something similar such that value of Vc
decreases but does not reduce Vab for me. He was happy with this answer; essentially he was just
checking if I will consider doing something to our company to reduce acquisition value for C.
I had mentioned in my resume that I read books so he asked me about my favorite books. I told,
I like Ayn Rand and there was some discussion on the fact that even though I like Hank Rearden,
I am a social person .
Interview 2
Taken by Seema (She is working for last 4 years. She is a project leader at BCG)
Personal questions:
1. Can you describe instances when you showed leadership?
2. Can you describe one recent incident when you took initiative?
Case question 2: Telecom operator in Indonesia
Your client is a telecom operator in Indonesia. He is both into mobile telephony as well as fixed
line long distance. Client has recently acquired another mobile service provider, but all the benefits
of acquisition have not yet been realized. Indonesian mobile market is in some way quite similar
to Indian market. Recently, two new players have entered the mobile telephony and have introduced
CDMA at a very low price point. Your client is very worried about the new competition. You as a
consultant have to advise him about what to do. Should he not do anything, do something (then
what?)?
(I first asked certain clarifications, like is the client GSM or CDMA operator, etc. Then I asked for time to
collect my thoughts)
Ramesh : I will like to approach this issue by looking at the following aspects. First I would look
at customer segments in telecom, their size and growth rates. What are the needs of the
various customer segments? Then, I would look at the competition in GSM and
competition in CDMA technology in Indonesia. I would try to analyze the threat by
looking at the strengths of the competition to serve the customer needs and the strengths
of our client to handle the threats.
36
(Here, it may seem that I have applied the typical 4 C company, customer, competition and capabilities. The
important point is to tailor it to the case in question. 3 C or 4 C is a powerful framework but should be only kept
at the back of mind. When you are putting your structure in front of interviewer, make sure that it is original,
relevant to the case in hand and crisp yet comprehensive)
Seema : Okay, this seems fine. So, from where you want to start.
Ramesh : Can you give me the different segments of customers and their size and growth.
Seema : Well, the customers are divided into three classes, broadly on their income. The higher
class, middle class and lower middle class.
Ramesh : Can you tell me the attributes which they look at in mobile telephony?
(After a discussion on the customer size and behaviour, the following characteristics were identified)
Lower Middle Class
Middle Class
Upper Class
Size (% of
population)
40-45%
40-45%
10-15%
Growth
at rate of
population
Low
Local mobility
at rate of
population
Low
Primarily
local mobility
but appreciately
Roaming (25% of
this segment)
Is quality
conscious
Price conscious
at rate of
population
High
Penetration
Mobility
Quality
Not bothered
Price
Very conscious
Ramesh : Okay, I have got a fair idea of the customers. I would like to look at the competitive
scenario and find the major competitors in the GSM and CDMA technology
Seema : Well, in GSM, your client has 30% market share. The highest market share is by another
firm at 40%. The rest is divided among smaller players, each having between 5-10%.
Ramesh : So, the market is basically dominated by two players. Hence, GSM market would be
affected by decision by the client and the top player. The remaining are too small to
affect the market.
Seema : Ya, this seems to be true. Yet, one of the small player is a big industrial house which
has recently entered GSM market. He has the capability to invest heavily.
Ramesh : This means that even in GSM market, the client though having a good market share
cannot be complacent about it. Can you tell me about CDMA market?
Seema : In CDMA there are only two players. They have entered the market only recently and
are giving very low tariff plans.
Ramesh : Since, they have lowered their prices, they should be able to attract customers. Are
they successful in doing so?
Seema : No, they have not been very successful in getting new customers.
Ramesh : This is interesting. Why is the customer not taking this offer? Is there any limitation of
technology, is the service poor, or are the customers not aware of the new entrants.
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Seema : Well, you did identify some of the problems that these CDMA operators are facing.
They are
1. Limited mobility (offers mobility only within city, no roaming)
2. Poor distribution and service network
3. Complex tariff plans.
Ramesh : Except the first problem which is a technological constraint, the other problems are
normally associated with any new market entrant. As the operators will get expertise
these problems will disappear. Further, limited mobility is a constraint only for upper
class customers.
So, the problem is really serious. Can you tell me more about these operators. Their
background. This will tell me the how much willing they are to be in the market.
Seema : This is an interesting question. One of the two players is an industrial conglomerate. It
wants to enter the business as it is an emerging business with possible future benefits.
The second player is actually the largest player in the GSM market.
Ramesh : This is very interesting. While, I can understand the motivation of the first player, why
would a GSM player give CDMA technology at a cheaper rate and essentially cannibalize
its own customers. Has the client tried to find any reason for this?
Seema : Well, it did. This player is a joint venture between government and a multinational. The
multinational feared that government would hive off the highly profitable mobile
telephony business and the multinational would be stuck with only fixed line telephony.
So, it wanted to hedge the risk by coming in another line of business.
Ramesh : This does not seem to be a very plausible reason. What if the government hives off the
CDMA too. Then also the multinational would be left with fixed line. Does the company
want to enter the CDMA because it has done an analysis by which the revenue lost per
customer in GSM is made up by the increase CDMA customers.
Seema : Not really. The GSM market itself is growing. This kind of strategy would be applicable
once the market is mature and company wants to expand the market through price
reductions.
Ramesh : Ya, I can see what you mean. Today, the company is cannibalizing its existing customers.
Lets take the reason of entry to be to hedge the risk.
I have got the broad understanding of the case and now I would like to put forward my
recommendations.
Seema : Okay.
Ramesh : The threat to the client is a real one. Even though the CDMA service is bad, the
problems are temporary and would vanish as the scale and experience improves. Hence,
client certainly needs to do something. It should protect its upper income base by
differentiating on the basis of brand and service. Superior customer service is the key
to retention. In the middle segment it should again try to reduce the defection rate by
providing better service and branding. Since, 25% of the middle income customers
appreciate the need for roaming, these are the ones which the company can retain with
minimal effort. As for the remaining middle income and lower segment, the client
should look at methods to reduce price. It can do so by being more cost effective.
Since, it has avenues for cost reduction from the recent acquisition; it should bring in
the operational and product synergies. The client need not reduce price to the
competitors level, by supporting it with branding and better customer service. What
the price points should be depend on the demand elasticity of the customers. We would
need more research to arrive at the optimum tariff plans.
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Seema : You did your case well. Your recommendations are in line with what we recommended.
We asked the client to focus on branding and service. As far as the acquired mobile
operator, we advised the client to start a low cost brand which would compete with the
CDMA offerings. Since, the cost structure of GSM and CDMA technology is same;
the low cost brand would be fighting the new competitors while the flagship band will
be strengthened. Do you have any questions for me?
(I asked her about the various stages of consulting career at BCG and what qualities are expected out of a BCG
consultant at each stage)
Vishals Case
I was asked the same case by Seema, it was my 4th and last interview. My discussion on the case
was for shorter duration. She wanted to check if I can take a comprehensive view of the problem
and come up with recommendations.
Also in the middle of the case, she gave me information that our clients have acquired another
GSM company. This acquired company is smaller in size to our clients company and is present in
most of the smaller towns and cities. Since they have just recently acquired the company, IT and
operational integration of the 2 companies is still not down. So currently they are operating them
as 2 independent divisions.
Most of my recommendations were similar to what Ramesh mentioned. Then she asked me, if I
can do something with this acquired company.
I was able to take the hint and recommend that they should use the acquired company to float a
low cost brand to compete against the CDMA competition and keep its current brand to higher
segment. She was essentially looking for this recommendation and she later explained that this
was what they actually recommended to their actual clients.
I asked her about a typical day in BCG and how work is done in team by giving any example.
Round 2:
Interview 1
Taken by Abhinav
Personal Questions:
1. Tell me about yourself.
Case question 3: Three-wheeler manufacturer
Your client is a three wheeler manufacturing company. The vehicle is used to carry loads. The
profitability is falling since two years. The client has asked for advice from you.
(Again, reiterate the case so that you have understood the case well. Then ask for time and prepare the structure
for analysis)
Ramesh : I will structure this analysis in the following manner. First I would try to understand
more about the product the load carrying three wheeler. Then, I would look at the
39
customers and understand their needs. I would like to know how competition products
differ from the clients product. Finally, I would look at the revenue and cost side and
try to understand what is pulling down the profitability
Abhinav : Why dont we discuss the competition first?
(This meant that the interviewer is more interested in discussing the clients product vis--vis the competition.
Hence, there is a clue that competition is offering better value that client.)
Ramesh : Okay. Can you tell me how players are in this segment of three wheeler and what are
the market shares?
Abhinav : Well, there is only one more player in the market. The clients share is 70% and the
competitions share is 30%.
Ramesh : If there are only two players then whatever share the client is losing is being captured
by the competition. I would like to understand why this is happening. For this I would
like to compare the two products.
Abhinav : How would you do so?
Ramesh : First, I would like to compare against the technical attributes. Then, I would like to
understand the differences in consumer awareness and perception of the product. Finally,
I would compare them on the level of after sales service that they provide.
Abhinav : Okay. The two products are similar on every technical attribute. They have the same
fuel efficiency, load carrying capacity, etc.
Ramesh : Then is there are any difference in brand awareness and perception.
Abhinav : Actually, your clients brand is more well known as this brand has been available for
many years.
Ramesh : So, the clients brand and competitions brand are similar in technical attributes. In
brand awareness the clients is better. Is customers perception of the service quality
also the same.
Abhinav : No, the consumers find the competitions service better.
Ramesh : Hmm. That is interesting. I would like to discuss this further as service quality is
important for any consumer. Especially when the consumer carries load on the threewheeler and hence loses money when the vehicle has been sent for service.
Abhinav : So, how would you like to like to proceed?
Ramesh : I would like to discuss this from a consumers point of view. I also have a motorbike
and I have taken it to service centre for servicing. So, I would just break down the
whole process into simpler steps and try to find how the client and competition differ
at each step.
Ramesh:
1. So, first I need to search for a suitable service centre. Hence, the location and the number
of service centres are important for me. More convenient the location is and more are
the numbers, easier it is for a vehicle driver/owner to bring it to a service centre.
2. Then, once I reach the service centre I need to register my vehicle with the manager of
the centre. Whatever problems the vehicle has is noted down
3. Then, the mechanic comes and takes me to the vehicle. There he inspects the vehicle
and confirms that there are no other problems with the vehicle.
4. Then, I leave for the day and return back in the evening
5. Now, the mechanic again takes me to the vehicle and explains what he has done. I may
do a test drive to confirm that the problem is solved.
40
6. Then I go the manager for completing the paper work. Also, I go to the accounts department
of the service centre to pay for the spare parts and servicing (if it is not within the free
service period).
7. Finally, I take the vehicle out.
Abhinav : Excellent. So, what are the areas in service would you look at?
Ramesh : Hence, I would look at the following areas:
1. Location
2. Number of service centres
3. Quality of customer service (friendliness, helpfulness, etc)
4. Quality of servicing (expertise, knowledge of vehicles)
5. Cycle time (time taken to repair)
6. Amount of paperwork (ease of executing the entire process)
7. Payments
So, can you tell me in which attributes is the client different from the competition.
Abhinav : The competitor has better locations and more number of service centres. While your
client has gone for cost cutting and his service centres are located at city outskirts. The
vehicles are very simple and hence there is no difference in quality of service.
Friendliness, etc are similar. As for cycle time, for the competitor is low since he has
employed more number of mechanics. Finally, the cost of spares of the competitors is
lower than that of the clients.
Ramesh : This explains some of the reasons for the decrease in clients share. Client has to look
at cost-benefit trade-off in deciding the number of service centres and location of
service centres. While better locations and more numbers cost more, it also provides
better service and hence increased customer satisfaction and thus more sales. Now, if
one looks at the cycle time, the clients time is high because it has not employed as
many as that the competitor has done. What is interesting is that the spares cost for the
client is higher.
Abhinav : Why do you think this is so, even though the client has market share?
Ramesh : Let us look at the heads that constitute the spares part cost. It would be material cost,
manufacturing cost, depreciation, overheads, sales and marketing expenses,
transportation cost and R&D costs. In what respects do the costs differ between the
two players.
Abhinav : Well, the parts are quite similar in design and specifications. Further, both the firms
outsource the parts from third part vendors. The R&D costs are also similar.
Ramesh : Well, then the costs would be procurement costs, inventory costs, transportation cost.
Abhinav : The competitor has lower procurement costs that the clients. How is this possible?
Ramesh : This is quite interesting. Is the competitor able to bulk order and hence get the economies
of scale? Is the clients supply chain as efficient as the competitors?
Abhinav : Yes, both have similar supply chains and both get parts from large number of players.
Think why the suppliers would be willing to supply at a lower cost to the clients
competitor.
Ramesh : Well, let us look at this issue from the suppliers perspective.
Abhinav : Okay.
Ramesh : Well, any supplier would be concerned about the cost of the production and the future
business potential. So, he will be willing to price lower if his cost of doing business
with the clients competitor is lower or he perceives more strategic benefits from the
competitor.
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will you
Additional question raised during the case interview How would he go about realizing that price
in the market.
44
Approach : Background : The painter has been painting in India for 15 years and has developed
a good reputation. His paintings are landscape / portrait paintings. Painting has not been a source
of livelihood for him and he hasnt sold any paintings till date.
Benchmarking: A relatively new painter like Jatin Das can get Rs 2 lakhs for his paintings. Ila
Menon gets about Rs 40-50 lakhs for her paintings and M F Hussain gets Rs 100 lakhs for his
paintings. Reached a conclusion that the painter would want to get about Rs 30 lakhs for his
paintings.
Obtaining that price from the market : There are 2 ways in which you can obtain a higher sales
price for a theatre ticket either there is a scarcity of tickets or there is good star cast. Similarly,
in the present case, to adopt the scarcity approach to realize a higher sales price for the paintings.
Three stepped approach for this purpose:
(i) Increasing price by association - Give a free painting to a close friend who will hang it
next to an M F Hussain painting. This will increase the perceived value of the painters painting.
So now the price increases from Rs 2 lakhs to Rs 10 lakhs.
(ii) Scarcity After 1 year, have only one painting which is a master piece and has obtained
rave reviews. However, dont want to sell. So now the price increases to Rs 20 lakhs.
(iii) Perceived benefits What are the benefits that a rich person gets from his collection of
paintings. It isnt the resale value. Its the prestige, show and appreciation from the others that
he gets from society. After 1 more year, the painter can ask his close friend or agents to highlight
this fact from an existing painting owner during an exhibition which will increase the price of
his paintings to Rs 30 lakhs.
Additional point given by interviewer during feedback The value of the painting can also be
increased by controlling supply if all the painters form a cartel.
Case question 6: Paint manufacturer
You have been approached by the CEO of Berger Paints for increasing its market share from 15%
to 25%. Their past attempts have failed. What are your recommendations for increasing the market
share.
Approach : Segment the market by type of customer low end, medium and high end.
Determine the trend in the industry and for each segment.
Need to analyze buyer behavior to decide the strategy to be adopted for advising the company.
Info : Dealer discounts have not worked in the past.
The company has currently been catering to the needs of the lower and middle end of the market
which is more price sensitive.
The growing segment has been the higher end segment which is not that price sensitive.
The buying decision for the higher end segment is taken based on the recommendation of the
architects.
45
Recommendations:
a) The salesmen should meet with the architects and other people who influence the buying
decision
b) Advertise the product quality so that it appeals to the higher end customers. Focus on
changing the perception of the product quality and the variety available since this is of
importance to these customers.
c) Also improve the product quality and increase the variety available so it meets the needs
of the high end customers.
Provide for resources for this purpose.
Vishal First Round Interviews (My 2nd round interview are covered along with Rameshs
case explanations)
1st Interview : My first interview was with Alpesh, in BCG for 8 years
Personal Questions
With which animal or plant do you relate the most in terms of similar characteristics? And why?
(You can choose more than one)
I chose Tiger and Fox. Dont ask why, I gave some explanation. His purpose was to ask some
personal question for which I had not prepared and see the reaction.
Case question 7: Eye drops Strategy
Your client has done R & D for 10 years and has discovered a wonder eye drops which if you use
once a week, the eye sights will work perfectly normal i.e. no need for spectacles. You have to
devise marketing and pricing strategy for them? Competitors are atleast 2 years behind in their
R&D for similar product.
I stated with Marketing Strategy and identified key competitors as Spec, eye contacts and eye
surgery. However, he was more interested in the pricing aspect so I left the strategy in between
and went to pricing.
In pricing, the broad idea he wanted to check was given different segments of people some willing
to pay more and some less, can I come up with multiple products, one eye drop diluted which has
to be applied daily and lower price, and another in concentrated form to be applied once a week
and priced higher. All these were backed by numbers, which he was providing me, like 10% of
total 100 million customers are willing to pay between 50 to 100, 20% between 200 to 400 etc.
Here, you have to show that you are comfortable with numbers and can show out of box thinking
like different brands at diff. price points and can come up with price points for each segment. Like
assuming one segment willingness to pay is between 200 to 250. The cost of manufacturing is 40
per person. So if I price at P,
Margin, M = P 40
Total population in that segment = Q
Number of people in this segment who will buy, N = Q (250 - P)/(250 200) if 200<P <= 250
Q
if P<= 200
0
if P > 250
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Profit = (P-40)N
So P will be such that, Profit is maximized.
Next point discussed was, how will these eye drops be distributed. I gave exhaustive list of all
alternatives like sell at hospitals, medical shops, optical shops etc. Postives and negatives of each
of these options were discussed.
I asked some questions on how is a project staffed and how much preparation does team do
before starting on a project?
2nd Interview : Taken by Neelam, in BCG for 6-7 years.
She straight away started on the case.
Case question 8: Fan Manufacturer
Our client is largest manufacturer of Fans. He wants to increase profitability of its company and
is especially looking for some recommendations for quick wins.
I made up some framework and started. She was not much keen on the high level strategy and
asked me to focus on supply chain. In parts she revealed that it is very difficult to increase sales in
terms of no of units sold and prices also cannot be increased.
At this point, I summarized that it means that to increase profits they have to make higher margins
per unit. (It is critical to think aloud)
Supply chain was
Selling Price
Margin
Manufacture
1000
Distribution
1180
180
Retailer
1200
20
Consumer
One can make out that distributor is take bulk of the margin. To increase margins, Company has
to decrease margin of distributor. She asked why will Distributor be willing to take the cut?
Answer is our company has lot of brand equity, so retailers want to keep our fans because of
higher demand and reputation. It gives lot of bargaining power and opportunity to cross sell to
distributors. Essentially, currently distributor are cashing on the brand equity of company so their
margins should be cut for our clients to make higher profits. Another reason, which I was not able
to think was since our product is fast moving it has less inventory holding cost for distributors.
Then there was some discussion on the incentive system of sales people, who push our products
to distributors on high discounts at period closing to show higher sales numbers.
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After the case, I asked has there been any instance where you felt that BCG has not been able to
provide right value for clients and what has been done in those cases?
SOME GENERAL TIPS FOR BCG Interviews:
More than anything, it is critical to think aloud, make sure interviewer is in loop about
what and why you are thinking. You should make sure to explain that you have understood
the question right.
Mostly in the case, interviewer has some specific points which he/she wants you to
consider or recommend. They will keep you driving towards that and continue to give
you hints.
Be ready to get into number crunching. Ask for numbers, if it is not a numbers case,
interviewer will tell you. But you should not leave an impression that you are hesitant on
dealing with numbers.
Be appreciative of their work when they are explaining the actual case summary or
answering any of your questions. It shows that you are interested in the job and can
appreciate & so will like the job.
Show from start that you are very easy going and will be comfortable in totally new env.
Do general chat in starting of interview, for ex. I started by saying in some interviews
that your office view is really nice or the location is good etc.
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AT Kearney
E. AT Kearney
Case question 1: Beverage manufacturer
Your client is a player in the non alcoholic beverage sector in Australia and New Zealand. Revenues
have been stagnant for the last two years. Your mandate is to provide specific recommendations
for growth and identify factors that will be necessary to conduct the analysis.
Internal
External
Key was to hit upon the 4 segments in the market and the distribution setup. An open ended
discussion ensued on which channel is better no specific outcome though!
Recommendations:
Geographic Expansion
Enter into Sports and Energy segment
M&A
Case question 2: Airport at Hyderabad
AP Government wishes to establish an international airport at Hyderabad. The investor consortium
has appointed you to identify the revenue potential for the project over a 10-15 year horizon.
Specifically, identify 5-10 revenue streams that you envisage for such a project.
Variations of the above question were asked:
a. The Delhi government is selling of major equity stake in the Delhi airport. A consortium
is getting together to decide whether they should buy it. How much should they bid for it.
b. A private equity firm is planning on taking stake in the new Hyderabad International
Airport. How should they go about estimating their revenue streams?
Approach : Try and estimate the costs involved in running it and the revenues.
Sources of revenue: Airport gift shops, advertising in and outside the airport and parking.
Major costs: Maintenance, electricity. Calculate present value
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Apart from revenues from the airlines, the key idea was to identify that there are two segments
which frequent airports Work related and Leisure related. Now what can we offer these people.
Landing fees Airlines based
Airline Counter Fees
F&B
Hotel / Accommodation
Shopping / Rent
Entertainment facilities
Tour operations
Advertising revenue from hoardings
Parking
Sport?!
Overall a very vague case
Case question 3: Auto manufacturer
An automobile manufacturer has stagnating revenue and wants to enter into another line of business.
What would you recommend to them as a consulting firm. Identify potential areas for revenue
diversification for the car manufacturer.
Car Finance
Rent-a-car
Second Hand Purchase and Sale
Insurance
Service Stations
Vehicle accessories
Utilize distribution network for cross selling other products
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Q3 Why has the used car market grown suddenly in the past 5 yrs ?
Various reasons could be
! Shift from unorganized to organized sector through entry of bigger players like Maruti
true value , Ford , Skoda etc.
! Higher vehicle population means a higher supply of cars in the used car market
! Cars have better quality now so even a 2-3 yr old car is in good shape
! Finance available even for used cars
Case question 6: Consumer durables
A consumer durables player who is already present in India wants to grow. Currently it has a 1 ton
and 1.5 ton air conditioner in the market. It is planning to introduce a 0.5 ton air conditioner. Can
you do a market sizing and suggest an entry strategy for this product?
Case question 7: Commercial Bank
There is a large Indian commercial Bank, but it is not growing. What would you do.
The key was to segment the customers into retail and corporate. The bank was large in corporate,
but small in retail. And the corporate sector was shrinking, while the retail sector was growing. So,
it had to focus on retail.
Next question was, how would you grow?
The options were either organically, or inorganically. You had to analyze both and inorganic method
was better. Next question, how would you identify a bank to acquire? You had to explore things
like complementary products, wide distribution, not too high valuation, similar culture etc.
Case question 8: Truck manufacturer
There is a manufacturer of Trucks. The customers are not happy because several times trucks are
not promised as available
There was a central warehouse and regional distributors. There was a weeks lead time form
warehouse to distributor, but if the particular model wasnt available, it took 2 months to make.
A standard supply chain case, where you had to explore various reasons like forecasting, lead
times, product segmentation.
The reason was lack of visibility and information flow across the supply chain. If the distributor
could know exactly when the truck would come, he could promise accurate delivery dates, and
customes wouldnt be disgruntled.
Case question 9: White Goods manufacturer
A white goods manufacturer (only washing machines) is observing that its profits are declining.
What would be your advice?
Approach:
Analyze using 3 Cs and 4 Ps frame works
It turned out that the manufacturer was making only washing machines but with
contemporary technology and a complete product range. The market share had been
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eaten up by aggressive Korean players who were using innovative marketing techniques.
The main point of the case was that the Koreans were producing a wide variety of white
goods which allowed them to offer attractive promotion schemes through bundling to
both consumers as well as dealers which the Indian producer could not replicate.
Finally the manufacturer has two choices, have a JV with a foreign partner for gaining
access to technology for other white goods or sell off .
Case question 10: ATM transactions Estimation case
Estimate the number of per day ATM transactions for a retail bank in India. (Explore the interviewer
in terms of number of branches, areas, profile of customers etc)
Case question 11: Cement MNC
Would you recommend a MNC to enter the cement market today?
Case question 12: Estimation Weight of airplane
You are on your way to meet the CEO of a very reputed airline. For your discussion purposes, you
wish to have an estimate of the weight of the airplane. Discuss how you would estimate it.
Case question 13: Estimation Credit Cards
An international financial services major wishes to enter the Indian retail banking industry and is
looking at the credit card market. Discuss how would you estimate the total market size for credit
cards.
Case question 14: Courier company
An international courier company has observed that the market for retail customers is very lucrative.
It is a high margin segment. Till now, its customers largely comprise of the corporates. In order to
increase its retail customer base, the courier company wants to determine the market size for
outbound couriers in India for the retail customers. How will you determine it?
Case question 15: Airline Business Model
An airline company does not charge a single penny from its customers. What would possibly be
the rationale behind its business model?
Case question 16: Airline New venture
I am a private investor. I want to start an airline. What factors should I look at before deciding?
Case question 17: PSU Bank
A Public sector bank is planning on being more aggressive in the home mortgage business. They
are interested in this sector because of the success of some of their competitors like ICICI. How
should they go about it?
Case question 18: Australian furniture company
An Australian company that rents furniture wants to set-up shop in India. What business model
will you recommend? What will be the drivers of such a business
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! For each mode estimate what percentage would shift to air travel , e.g. Ist AC and 2nd AC
train passengers are likely to shift to air travel
Q3 How will you decide whether the project is feasible or not ?
! Estimate the revenues
! Estimate the costs
! Calculate the operating profits
! Conduct a sensitivity analysis by looking at different scenarios from worst case to best
case and base your recommendation based on this analysis
Case question 23: Cement manufacturer cost control
A cement manufacturer wants to reduce costs. What do you recommend?
Approach : Info given subsequently was coal is the major cost. Domestic coal is cheaper but
there is a limit to the amount of coal that can be purchased domestically. Foreign coal constitutes
a good portion of the cost. The way to reduce costs is to reduce transport cost for foreign coal.
Another high cost item for cement manufacturer is logistics. Hence locations of raw materials,
plants, markets that the plant serves become very important. The Indian cement industry is also
very unique in that the cement is transported in packs rather than in bulk as it is done abroad. This
has a huge impact on transport costs because of the extra weight of the packaging and spoilage of
the cement due to exposure to moisture.
A third aspect I explored was pilferage. I asked how many times there was human intervention
during the transport.
The interviewer closed the case after this. (I was lucky here because I had read the CRISINFAC
database on Cement companies. It really helped me to tackle this case.)
Case question 24: Consumer Electronics Marketing
There is a local consumer electronics manufacturer (say Onida/Texla TV) who has been a leader
in past but in the past few years have been witnessing declining profits. What should you do?
Possible Solutions of the case that was arrived at
We applied the conventional 3C & 4P framework. The finding were,
a. New competition has come into the country (say LG).
b. The decline in sales and profits have been observed in all the markets.
c. The Number of products that are manufactured by LG are huge. From cell phones to
Microwave.
d. LG invests in advertising of all these segments and is a giant company that is supported
by its profit centers abroad.
e. Estimation of the marketing budget of the two companies was done depending upon the
crude estimates of the number of homes in class A,B,C towns, the corresponding sales
and marketing budget in the same proportion to that of sales. The answer was something
like 15:1.
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f. The distribution was also in favor of LG as more products and more sales and more
revenue for them.
g. LG was also stronger in bargaining power with respect to distributors which was not the
same in case of local player (Onida).
h. Given the advertising was so huge and in so many segments under the same brand name,
the brand perception of LG was far better than as compared to Onida and when the
customer goes, he prefers LG even when the Onida may have the same characteristics.
i. Solution was increase spending on marketing but Onida doesnt have revenues to compete
with LG. So either get to the niche markets or get out of the business or get acquired.
Case question 25: Mallika Sherawat
How will you reposition Mallika Sherawat in Bollywood ?
Approach :
! Determine the present positioning through market research among Film directors , Film
Critics and Viewers
! Prepare a perceptual map indicating the axes ( in this case Acting ability (high low) and
perceived image ( conservative sex symbol )
! Indicate the present position on the map
! List down new possible positions: Wholesome entertainment movies, parallel cinema,
international projects.
! Plot the positions on the same map. Whole some entertainment is the most lucrative in
terms of box office returns so I marked it as the ideal position and prepared a route map
for achieving this position from the present position. Some of the ideas used were like
improving the acting ability through theatre performances, doing a couple of art movies
and at the same time improving social image through better PR.
Case question 26: How to rejuvenate a television serial?
A very interesting interview.. he said he wants to give me a case that is somewhat off the curve!
He asks me which TV serial do I watch. My response Frasier
Case is . Lets say Frasier ended last year and now u want to revive the serial. Frasier (the lead of
the serial) does not want to continue acting for the show, while Nyles (Frasiers brother) is keen on
continuing on the show. If you are the production manager, how will you revive the show?
Approach : Some initial suggestions syndication, memorabilia, etc.
Was fine with these solutions. But said lets say u want the show to continue more shoots basically.
Then what?
Change the context : So if Frasier episodes were concentrated in one city in US, change that.
Something like Nyles goes to China if u find from TAM data that Frasier is popular among
Chinese population.
Change the characters : Nyles father and Daffnys mom had a love affair. Create comical situation
by having them really hit it off together thereby complicating the scene for Nyles and Daffny.
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Expand the target audience : Let Nyles and Daffny have a baby twins or something. So now u
rope in some more audience for the show.
Was happy with the approach and Stopped it there.
Case question 27: Australian White Goods manufacturer
(Partner) : An Australian White Goods and Computer rental company wants to enter the Indian
Market attracted by the potential of the Indian middle class. What will your advice be?
Approach : This is a typical Market Entry Case and the analysis should include the typical factors.
My approach: Assumed that the objective of the company was to make profit and it was not
looking at the Indian Market for other strategic reasons broke the case into four questions:
What are the Revenue & Profit Potential in the Indian Market? In this estimation I was
provided with no numbers and thus I made assumptions about market segments according
to income profiles (and here my background in marketing at HLL helped since I knew
what the relative sizes of the Socio-Economic Classifications (SECs)). Also of importance
was the fact that I looked at the White Goods market separately and the Computer
Rentals market separately. Looking at urban and rural potentials individually came to the
conclusion that they should not enter the market based on household demand. Expanded
scope of the case by including commercial demand (again assumed numbers) and was
able to conclude that Computer Rentals for Commercial use merited attention.
What would be the Key Customer Segments and how would we target them? Key segments
were Urban lower-middle class, Rural rich but Credit Worthiness/Guarantees were a
concern
What would the Competition reaction be? (Assuming we still go ahead) other rental
agencies and the choice of buying new units under EMI option
What are our internal capabilities / resources? (Did nt have to spend too much time on
this)
Case question 28: Krishna as a consultant for the Kauravas
(Project Leader): If you are Krishna in the Mahabharat and were on the side of the Kauravas.
How would you plot the defeat of the Pandavas?
Approach: There is no framework per se for this kind of a case. I did the following:
Strategy to win the war: use Kaurava strengths to hit at Pandava weaknesses and protect
Kaurava weaknesses from Pandava strengths
A Strengths Weaknesses analysis for both sides (some knowledge of mythology helped)
Identified key people on both sides Bheeshma, Karna, Dronacharya (Kauravas) and
Draupadi, Yudhisthir and Abhimanyu (Pandavas). Established how they would influence
the course of the war and how could they be used.
Assumption: as Krishna could use no special powers
Final Layout of battle strategy in timelines (i.e. Day 1 - .., Day 2 - ..)
Case question 29: CEO Management policies(Managing Director)
Situational Case. You have completed a client assignment and have to present your
recommendations to the CEO (who is also the proprietor). However in your project report you
have highlighted that the problem lies with the CEOs management policies. How will you present
the recommendations to him?
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Approach : In the beginning I was asked whether I would want to present the solution at all, since
if I displeased the CEO the firm might not get paid. I asserted that as a consultant my loyalties lay
to the assignment and the problem first and hence after having put in time and effort I would want
to see my recommendations being implemented. I broke the question into two scenarios:
The CEO is an open minded person open to ideas and criticism. In that case discuss
the problem with him (one-to-one) and logically lead him to the same conclusion as us.
The CEO is conscious of his power and does not take criticism easily. Give him a report
carrying 4 options for the solution and ask him to read it before we discuss it the next
day. One of the options would contain a recommendation on how redesigning apex
management policies would enhance firm value. Other options would contain some minor
improvements. Next day in the meeting discuss the options one to one and sugar coat the
pill for the CEO.
In these cases I dont think there is a right answer, except that the interviewing Managing
Director is looking at your abilities to interact with the client in difficult situations and
whether you can hold your own.
Specific questions asked by ATK
1. (Managing Director): What industrial sectors are you interested in? (my answer: Banking
and Consumer Products). What are the factors driving the growth of retailing in India?
In light of this question and the fact that others faced the similar questions would be a
good idea to have a good understanding of a couple of sectors since ATK seems to
putting some stress on this. (Sectors ATK is strong in: Auto, Energy. Sectors ATK is
growing in: Financial Services, Consumer Products, Retail and Outsourcing. Hence it
may make sense to focus on one these. These sectors are also important from the
perspective of other consults)
2. After an assignment how would you build your relationship with the client such that you
can generate future business? (ATK seems to place some importance on testing Client
interaction in the final rounds of the interview and hence one needs to prepare accordingly)
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Marakon Associates
F. Marakon Associates
HR interview
Two parts: First very generic, where were you working earlier. What are the problems that company
is facing? Why? What are the solutions?
Second: Role play. You are a Marakon consultant. Sell Marakon to the CEO of your earlier
company.
Case interview
It was a long case. We had 15 minutes to read it and then were asked questions. It was a highly
quantitative case. The case was a 13 page PowerPoint presentation that covered the following:
A one page overview of the client
Twelve pages of exhibits containing graphs and tables
We were provided fifteen minutes to go through the document and were provided questions to
think about. At the end of fifteen minutes, the consultant returned and had a twenty five minute
discussion with us regarding the case. Because Marakon cases are long and difficult to replicate a
representative case has been given here. For more practice with Marakon type cases refer to
Kellogg 2003 Case book.
Case question 1
The client is an aluminum can manufacturer that has facilities in Europe and the US. It sells cans
to manufacturers of beer, soft drinks and other emerging beverages, both in the US and in Europe.
The manufacturer is facing declining profitability and wants to know what has gone wrong with
its strategy and what should it do in the future?
Information in the exhibits
This section is difficult to replicate since the information was lengthy and depicted in a way that
cannot be replicated. Also this information was heavily graph, table and figure based, which is
almost impossible to reproduce here. I have therefore included below the gist of the kind of
tables and graphs that were provided on the twelve pages:
1. Number of plants across multiple locations within the US and Europe, including capacity
available and utilized
2. Size and growth of customer segments (beer, soft drinks, other beverages) separately for
the US and Europe
3. Segment and market wise profitability graphs
4. Comparison of the company with its competitors (by market) on various attributes of
interest to consumers e.g. price, quality etc.
5. Information on the emergence of substitutes such as glass bottles and plastics and results
of consumer surveys outlining preferences for different types of packaging material
Discussion topics
The key take-outs from the exhibits were the following:
1. Beer was the largest market but was saturated and led to negative profits
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2. Soft drinks were more profitable and had a higher rate of growth
3. Other beverages was a very small market but was extremely profitable and had the highest
rate of growth
4. The US had two plants that were operating close to 100% capacity utilization while
Europe had five plants all of which were operating at about 67% capacity utilization
5. European sales were typically to the beer segment, while sales in the US were evenly
distributed across beer and soft drinks
6. While the company was ahead of competition across attributes of value to customers in
the US market, it lagged behind competition in Europe on the same parameters
7. Some consumers preferred the taste of beer from a glass bottle than that from a can
8. The share of non can packaging products was rising
9. The European market was more fragmented than the US market
The final solution themes were around the following areas:
1. Concentrate on the US market and reduce focus on Europe
2. Consider shutting down some European plants
3. Be the front runner in the emerging segment of other beverages
4. Reduce sales to beer bottlers and increase sales in the other segments
5. Focus on quality and other attributes that are of value to customers
Additional Questions
The discussion also involved testing basic computational ability with concepts like break-even
calculation and testing the viability of shifting to an additional form of packaging that is currently
used by competition. These took the form of two short numerical problems that were thrown at
the spur of the moment and that require the application of basic common sense. Nothing too
difficult to handle.
Important Note:
This case interview was very different from those of firms such as McKinsey and BCG. There
was voluminous data thrown at us that could be intimidating to begin with. The key is to quickly
get the gist out of the data and reach reasonable conclusions without being thrown away just
because of the sheer volume of numbers. Successfully solving such a case requires the ability to
quickly read varied graphs and figures and to get to the bottom of the issue that is being discussed.
One panel had the following role play : You are a Marakon consultant. Sell Marakon to the
CEO of your earlier company
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Accenture
G. Accenture
Case question 1: Sales Team motivation
A FMCG Company has observed that the motivation of the sales team in a particular region is
very low resulting in low sales target achievement. What would be your advice?
Case question 2: Sales Incentive plan
2. Develop a sales incentive plan metrics for a territory executive in Chapra (Bihar) and Andheri
(Mumbai). What would be common factors and how would you factor the differences?
Case question 3: Company division comparison
A company has 2 units a 1000 crore unit and 200 crore unit, the 200 crore has been identified as
the growth driver, will the performance metrics for the two be the same?
Case question 4: Cement branding
There are two cement brands owned by the same promoters. In one company they have a high
stake and in the other one they have a lesser stake. Should they merge and make it one brand?
What are the issues that the company needs to address?
Case question 5: FMCG price war
There are 2 FMCG giants fighting on price. What do you think are the reasons and implications
for the consumers and the companies both. What are the value drivers in this industry?
Case question 6: Retail
Identify levers for cost reduction in retail industry
Case question 7: Spice Manufacturer
A spice manufacturer in India exports his product to US. US importers package the product and
sell it under US brand name. The manufacturer decides to enter the US market under Indian brand
name. What are the broad level elements you should look at while recommending your decisions?
Approach: Compare incremental costs versus incremental revenue. Also focus on marketing
(particularly positioning and distribution channel) and regulatory issues.
Case question 8: FMCG Growth
An FMCG company wants to increase its bottom line 5 times by 2010. What are the ways of
doing it?
Approach: It can be done organically or inorganically. Organically either by increasing revenue or
reducing costs. Revenue can be increased through changing product mix or reconsidering pricing
issues and so on..(Try to break the problem upto the atomistic levels) and what ever you say try
to justify it with an example. Like I said one can increase revenue by offering greater functionality
in the existing product. In FMCG product functionality, sounds rubbish?? I gave an example of Surf
excel. Earlier it was only surf. When competition heightened, company came out with surf excel
(with additional stain busters, functionality).
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64
Tata Strategic
Management Group
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Eicher Consulting
Group
68
J
Ernst & Young
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How long before you can make a contribution? In the past year, what have you been dissatisfied
about in your performance?
What major problem have you encountered and how did you deal with it?
Have you ever had any failures? What did you learn from them?
How do you feel about working in a structured environment?
Are you able to work on several assignments at once?
In what kind of work environment do you do your best work?
What kinds of tasks and responsibilities motivate you the most?
What has been your greatest challenge?
Interpersonal Skills
How competitive are you?
How do you work under pressure?
Give me an example of a time when you successfully worked within a team.
What types of people seem to rub you the wrong way?
Define cooperation.
What kinds of people do you enjoy working with?
What kinds of people frustrate you?
Have you ever managed a conflict? How?
Have you ever spoken before a group of people? How large?
With what kind of people do you like to work?
Education
Why did you decide to get an MBA?
Why ISB
What made you decide to major in____?
What have you learned at ISB that will help you on this job?
Do you hold any leadership positions?
What electives have you taken? Which did you enjoy the most?
What college classes did you like the least? Why?
Why didnt you attend (another school)?
How do you balance the different priorities MBA student life presents?
Did your grades accurately reflect your ability? Why/Why not?
Describe the course that has had the greatest impact on your thinking
Extra- Curricular
What extra-curricular school activities are you involved in?
What have you learned from your activities?
Were your extracurricular activities worth the time you put into them?
How did you become involved in your extracurricular activities?
What do you enjoy doing outside of work-in your free time?
What is your favorite book/movie/song/painting-or author/actor/singer/artist?
Which magazines/newspapers do you read regularly? Which books have you read recently?
Have you ever done volunteer activities?
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Imagine we are reviewing your performance at our firm after working with us for six months.
What do you think our evaluation would be?
Highlight your top achievements/accomplishments?
What has been your biggest setback?
With whom are you interviewing? How have you fared?
What is the most important thing that you have learned in the past year?
Give me an example of a situation in which you had a problem, how you identified the
problem, the methods you used to solve the problem and discuss the resolution. If given an
offer, how will you decide whether or not to accept it?
What was your typical day in your last job before XYZ B-school?
What was your greatest challenge at your last job?
What were some of the toughest decisions you had to make in that job?
And how did you arrive at your decision criteria?
What are the three most important events of your life?
What do you see as your greatest setback?
What do you see as your greatest accomplishment?
Give me an example of what you did when faced with a problem. How did you frame the
problem? Resolve it?
Why our firm?
What do you hope to gain by working for our firm?
Where in our firm do you see yourself ?
What do you bring to our firm?
Do you have any questions about our firm?
What are your career plans over the next five years? Next ten years?
What do you enjoy outside of work?
Are you willing to give them up for a demanding job?
Why did you decide to get an MBA? Why did you choose ISB?
Where else did you apply? Where were you accepted?
Describe a situation where you persuaded someone to do something.
Give me an example of a leadership position you have held?
Give me an example of where you applied your overall business skills?
What new goals have you established for yourself ?
Tell me about yourself.
How would your friends describe you?
Describe yourself to me as a candidate.
Tell me about one of the most interesting or challenging projects you have worked on in
business school.
What are two or three of the essential lessons you gained from your involvement in that
project? Perhaps in managing projects or expectations?
If you had the chance to work on a similar project again, how would you handle things
differently?
How do you think your role in that project prepared you for consulting?
Having worked in _______ industry, what can you say about the forces that are driving it
today?
If you were a CEO in that industry, what might be some of your critical concerns?
Do You Have Any Questions for Me?
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Tell me about a time when you put your foot in your mouth.
Describe a situation when you found yourself challenged. How did it work out?
Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone
to see things your way.
Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping
skills.
Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a
problem.
Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someones
opinion.
Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you
did not agree.
Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.
Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a
job done.
Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize
your tasks.
Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.
What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that
individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).
Tell me about a difficult decision youve made in the last year.
Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.
Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or coworker.
Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.
Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.
Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.
Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.
Please tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.
Describe a time when you set your sights too high
Describe a time when you set your sights too low
Questions to Ask the Company
What are your companys strengths and how do you capitalize on them?
What are your companies weaknesses and how are you dealing with them?
How have you strategically responded to the competition?
Where will the major sources of your business be in the next 5 years?
What challenges are facing this company? Do you think your company is reacting to them?
Do you have plans for expansion?
What are your growth projections for the next year?
Have you cut your staff in the last three years?
What is the largest single problem facing your staff/department right now?
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Industry
What changes do you anticipate in the industry?
What risks will your company face due to industry changes?
What legislation is pending that will affect your firm?
Career Opportunities / Path / Training
What are the best opportunities at your firm for new hires?
How is worker performance measured and reviewed?
Do you have a mentor program? How about formal training programs?
Why do people leave?
Why have you stayed with the company?
Describe my initial assignments?
If you hire me, what are the three most pressing issues you need resolved?
What kinds of assignments might I expect during the first six months on the job?
Are salary adjustments geared to the cost of living or job performance?
In what ways is a career with your company better than one with your competitors?
Please describe the duties of the job for me.
Does your company encourage further education?
How often are performance reviews given?
What is the usual promotional time frame?
Has there been much turnover in this job area?
Is there a lot of team/project work?
Where does this position fit into the organizational structure?
Do you fill positions from the outside or promote from within first?
What skills are especially important for someone in this position?
What qualities are you looking for in the candidate who fills this position?
Will I have the opportunity to work on special projects?
What is the next course of action? When should I expect to hear from you, or should I
contact you?
Culture
What is your companys management style?
How do you feel about creativity and individuality?
What do you like best about your job/company?
What characteristics do the achievers in this company seem to share?Sample Behavioral Interview
Sample Behavioral Interview Questions Asked by Employers
Below are questions designed to learn about an applicants behavior in the several categories.
Be ready for follow-up questions on any response that you give.
Leadership
1. Give an example of your ability to build motivation in your co-workers, classmates, and
even if on a volunteer committee.
2. What is the toughest group that you have had to get cooperation from? Describe how
you handled it. What was the outcome?
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3. Have you ever been a member of a group where two of the members did not work well
together? What did you do to get them to do so?
Motivation
1. Give an example of a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty.
2. Tell me about an important goal that you set in the past. Were you successful? Why?
3. Describe a situation when you were able to have a positive influence on the actions of
others.
4. How would you define success for someone in your chosen career?
Planning and Organization
1. What have you done in order to be effective with your organization and planning?
2. How do you schedule your time? Set priorities? How do you handle doing twenty things
at once?
3. What do you do when your time schedule or project plan is upset by unforeseen
circumstances? Give an example.
4. Describe how you develop a project teams goals and project plan?
Decision-Making
1. Give an example of a time when you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.
2. What was your most difficult decision in the last 6 months? What made it difficult?
3. What kind of decisions do you make rapidly? What kind takes more time? Give examples.
Communication
1. Tell me about a situation when you had to speak up (be assertive) in order to get a point
across that was important to you.
2. Describe the most significant written document, report or presentation which you had to
complete.
3. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with
another person, even when that individual may not have personally liked you.
4. Have you had to sell an idea to your co-workers, classmates or group? How did you do
it? Did they buy it?
Interpersonal Skills
1. Describe a situation in which you were able to effectively read another person and
guide your actions by your understanding of their needs and values.
2. What have you done in past situations to contribute toward a teamwork environment?
3. Describe a recent unpopular decision you made and what the result was.
4. Tell me about the most difficult or frustrating individual that youve ever had to work
with, and how you managed to work with them.
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Initiative
1. Give me an example of when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order
to get a job done.
2. Give me examples of projects/tasks you started on your own.
3. Give some instances in which you anticipated problems and were able to influence a new
direction.
Teamwork
1. Describe the types of teams youve been involved with. What were your roles?
2. Describe a team experience you found rewarding.
3. Describe a team experience you found disappointing. What would you have done to
prevent this?
4. Describe a time that you were challenged or put under pressure.
5. Tell me about a time when you took it upon yourself to accomplish a task on the job,
without being asked.
6. Which accomplishment on the job gave you more satisfaction than any other?
7. How would you handle it if a coworker (or subordinate) was not pulling his or her fair
share of the load?
8. What was a major obstacle you had to overcome?
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