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Case Interview Preparation

PRACTICE SESSION 10

The ADC Consulting Club

April 13th, 2017
Today’s Agenda
PEI: Tell me about yourself? – 15 minutes
Case scenario: Competitive response
 Name
 Current major (why is your research important …)
 Skills set, give examples (Leadership, initiative, teamwork, mentorship… )
 Interests

Personal Experience Interview

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF?

10 mins to think of response, 2 mins to verbalize

Competitive Response
A competitor is chosen to reduce the price of their product by $5?

Why do you think they would do this

 Bigger market share
 Change in pricing strategy from profit maximization to quantity
 Price war

How are they able to do this

 Long term goals
 Lower quality
 Lower costs by economies of scale / negotiating skills
 Change in distribution channels etc
Competitive Response
A competitor just introduced a new product?

Why do you think they would do this

 Bigger market share
 Change in technology, R&D

How are they able to do this

 Great research team, innovation
 Marketing skills
Framework
Product
Product

Competit The
The change,
change,
Reduced cost, new technology
or how and
and why
why

Impact
Impact On market share, growth, profit

Competitiv
e
Response
Follow
Acquire, merge, copy, poach
Compan competitor
competitor management
y Redefine
Marketing and distribution campaign,
niche
niche R&D
Cases
Columbia casebook 2002, pg 93 - 94:
Kellogg Casebook 2013 pg 99 – 104: A+ Airline Co.
 BREAK INTO PAIRS
P I C K W H O S TA R T S F I R S T

8
Interviewer: Read the question
 Listen to the question
 Take notes
 Summarize the question

 Make sure it is not verbatim

 It is spoken clearly
 It captures all the essential information

 Ask for clarification

 Clarification if asked should be meaningful
Concluding the Case
 Recap the objective
 Make the recommendation directly
 Use data to explain briefly why the recommendation was made
 Say how the recommendation will be carried out
› Give a timeline, if possible
 State any secondary implication
 Give any additional insight or future anticipated work
During the practice, did you
 Physically draw a framework from the first question?

 Write down the math?

 Speak through the math?

 determine who the competitors were easily?

How did it feel to speak out? Were you

› Coherent?
› Concise?
› Confident?