著名咨询公司近年面试案例

著名咨询公司近年面试案例

RecentCases著名咨询公司近年面试案例 RecentCasesBelowaresamplequestionsthathavebeenaskedbytop-tierconsultingfirmsduringthepasttworecruitingseasons.(TheFirmsthatqualifiedthetwocriteria,top50Companies&hasofficeinchina,whichareMckinsey,BCG,Bain,Monitor,Deloitte,Mercer(management,Olive,HR),A.T.Kearney,Accenture,IBMConsulting,RolandBerger,McKinsey1stRound:1) We arebackinthe80s,andDaewoowantstoentertheItalianmarket.Theyapproachyouandsaythattheywanttosell100,000carsafteroneyear.Whatdoyoutellthem?2) Asteelproducingcompanywantstocutcosts.Itcurrentlyoperates2largemillsat75%capacityandfoursmallonesat100%capacity.Itisexperiencingprofitabilityissues.Whatactionwouldyourecommendittakes?3)Ourclientisaretailbrokerage.Wehaveseenourcustomerbasedeclineoverthepast18months.Whythishappeningisandwhatcanwedoaboutit?4)Theclientownsminesthatproducehighandlowgradeoreandprocessesitintoanalloythatisthensoldasanadditivetostrengthensteel(solddirectlytosteelmanufacturers).Anewforeigncompetitorhasshownupinthemarketandthecompanyislosingprofits.Ageneralmanagerofoneoftheprocessingplantsaskswhatheshoulddotomaintainprofits.5) The pastfewyearsaHealthInsuranceCompanyhasbeengrowingatarateofabout15%ayear.Thispastyearitonlygrewby1%.Costsarerising12%eachyear.Whatistheproblemandwhatshouldthecompanydo?6) CompanyXisachemicalmanufacturer. TheymakeaproductthatisverysimilartoCompanyY’sproduct.CompanyXandYaredirectcompetitorsinmanygeographicmarkets,buteachalsohasuniqueareasinwhichthesalesforcesdonotfacedirectcompetition.CompanyXbuysCompanyY.Howdoyouintegratethesalesforces?YouareworkingforaBraziliansodamanufacturerthatisexperiencingdecliningprofitsoverthelasttwoyears.Whyisthisoccurring?[competitionfromgenerics]Whatisthesizeofthemarketforcannedcola?Whatarethecompany'soptionsforimprovingprofitability?Whatarethepossibleeffectsofachangeinthecola'sprice?8)Ourclientisamid-WesternHMO.Theyhave300doctorsand300,000subscribers.Theyhandlemostlycheckupsandroutinevisits.TheHMOoutsourcesspecificcasestolocalspecialists.OverthelasttwoyearstheHMOhasseentheirprofitsdecrease.They'vecalledusintofindoutwhy.2ndRoundAEuropeanironminingcompanyboughtapieceoflandinAustraliawithahighcontentofiron.Shouldtheyproceedwithextractionoftheoreornot?/2) APCmanufacturerwantstoaddanewlineofpocketPCs.Shouldtheydoit?WhatdoyoutelltheCEO?3) Ahealthandfitnesscenter,achainofgyms,likeBally'sisconsideringbuildingmoretenniscourts.Thecostofthelanddevelopmentis2.5millionfor10tenniscourtspergym.Determineifthegymwouldbreakeveniftheychargedanadditionalfeeof$7pergame.4) OurclientisBurgerKing.Theirgrowthhasbeenslowerthanexpected.Theywanttoknowwhy?Andestimateformethesizeofthehamburgermarket.5)Tellmetheannualrevenuesofacompanyyou'refollowing?6)Thelawhasrecentlychanged.Consumerscannowswitchcellcompaniesandkeeptheirphonenumbers.Whataretheeffectsofthislegislation?Whatisthecostofthislegislation?7) Ahealthcarecompanythatsellstoindividualsandsmallbusinesseshasseengrowthinthelast5years,butthislastyeartherehasbeenadecline.Whatisgoingon?Whatsortofincentivesystemdowehaveandwhatkindcanwecreate?(Therewereanumberofgraphsandchartsthatthestudenthadtoreview8) YouandyourcolleaguesareMcKinseypartnerstryingtodecidewhichnonprofittohelp.Yourgoalsaredoublingtheirrevenueandimprovingtheirmanagement.Eachparticipanthasinformationtheothersdon'thave.Whichoneshouldyoupick?[whatcriteriatouse,etc.9) Our clientisatravelagencyinNYCwhichemploys25people.Theyhaveseentheircommissionscutfrom10%to8%.Theyarewonderingwhatstrategytheyshouldadopttoincreasetheirprofits,andwhatelsetheyshoulddotoremainprofitableandgrowtheirbusiness?10)"First,Iwouldsaythatglobally,thecaseshadabitofadifferentfelttothemthanmanyIhadworkedon.Allthreewerebusinesscases,however,intwoofthethree,therewaslessopportunitytostructurethecases—thequestioners—askedspecificquestionsaboutdatathattheypresentedtomeabitatatime—usuallyingraphicformat.Intwooutofmythreecases,thereweremultiplegraphsandchartsthatbuiltononeanother. Conclusionsdrawnfromthefirstgraphwereappliedtographspresentedlaterinthesameinterview.Also,whenIanalyzedthedata,IwasusuallygivenaratioorseriesofratiosthatIneededtocalculate.Atthebeginningofeachgraph/dataseries,theinterviewerwouldexplainthesignificanceofeachoftheratiosIwastocalculate.WhenIfinishedcalculatingthem,heaskedmetoexplainwhattheresultsmeant.Tobehonest,theratiosmayhavebeenquitecommon,buttheywerenewtome."3rdRound(Nov.2003)Assumingzerocosts.Whatarethefirstthreeindustriesthatwillappearinouterspace?It'sOctober2001,withthecurrentgloomyeconomy.Oneofthemostaffectedindustriesistheluxuryindustry:Peopletendtopostponebuyingluxurygoods,andeveniftheyhavethemoney,afterwhathappeneditisnottherighttimeforthemtobuysomethingwhichisunnecessary.Aclientapproachesourfirmandasksustoincreasehissales.Whatdowetellhim?BCG1stRound(Nov.2004):Ourclientisamid-sizedmanufacturerofindustrialbatteriesfortheaerospaceanddefenseindustry.Forexample,thecompany'sbatteriescanbefoundinvariousmilitarymissilesaswellasintheHubbleSpaceTelescope.Overthelastfewyears,thedefenseandaerospaceindustrieshavebeenflatordeclining,sotheclientislookingforhigh-growthindustriesthatmightbeabletomakeuseofitsbatterytechnology.Afterareviewofpossibleindustries,theclientwantsustolookatwhethertheycanenterthemarkettoprovidebatteriesforimplantablecardiacdefibrillators.Estimatethesizeofthemarketforimplantablecardiacdefibrillators,andthentellmehowyoumightgoabouthelpingtheclientdecidewhetherornotthisisagoodmarkettoenter.Ourclientsareaconsortiumof10commercialrealestatecompanies(2-3bigcompanies,4-5mid-sizedcompanies,and1-2smallcompanies)thatcollectivelyown350-400buildingsindowntownareasofcitiesalloverthecountry.Together,theyspend$1billion/yearonallofthenon-sexyaspectsofowningcommercialrealestate:cleaningandgeneralmaintenance,plumbingandelectricalrepair,etc.Theyhavecometogethertoexplorethepossibilityofsettingupa"buyingpool"torealizecostreductionbyachievingeconomiesofscaleinpurchasingproductsandcontractingforservicestoconductthisgeneralmaintenance.This"buyingpool"willcost$40million(one-timefixedcost)tosetupandwillcost$10million/yeartomaintain.Isthisagoodidea?Whatkindofinformationdoyouneedtoknowtohelpyourclientsdecideifthisisagoodidea?3)Theclientisafour-yearmusicuniversityinBostonthatspecializesinclassicalmusicforpre-professionalstudents.Theuniversityisunderperforminginthreekeyareaswhencomparedtoitsbiggestcompetitor.Theareasare:applicationsperseat,high-qualityapplications,andacceptedapplicantsthatenroll.Themissionoftheuniversityistoincreasethenumberofhigh-qualitystudents.4) The industryistheYellowPages.Whatisthebusiness?Whatdotheydoformoney?Whatistheirprofit?Asmallagrichemicalcompanywantstotripleitsrevenueby2005.Whataresomeofitsoptions,andhowwouldyouevaluatethoseoptions?6)AVietnamesemanufacturerofcookingoilwantstoimproveitsrevenue.Howwouldyoufigureouthowbigthedomesticmarketis[notabackofenvelopecalculation;assumeyouhadaweek——whomwouldyoutalkto?]?7)Constantlybreakingdown.Thegovernmentisfightingoverhowtofixandfundit.Thetraindrivers’unionsaysitwillgoonstrikeunlessthegovernmentguaranteesthattherewillbenolayoffs.Whatstepswouldyoutaketo"fix"theproblem?8)Howwouldyouincreaserecruitmentandretentioninthemilitary?(9)BCGgavemealotofdatatosiftthroughtodeterminewhichdemographicofcellphoneusersitshouldtargettoincreaserevenues.2ndRound(Nov2004)：Acleaningproductsupplycompany'sprofitsandrevenueshavebeenfalling,butmarketsharehasremainedthesame.What'sgoingon?(Chartsandgraphsgiven)Ourclientowns120hotels.Hehasleftthemanagementofthepropertiestoamanagementcompany.Since2001theyhaven'tbrokeneventhoughoccupancyratesaveraged80percent.-Chartsgiven3) AmusiccompanyisbringingoutaCDforanewartist.Howwouldyoumarketandprice,knowingthatyou'dliketochargeapremiumforthecd?FinalRound(Nov.2002)1) Youareconsultingtothemanufacturerofairplaneenginesmainengines:forwidebodyplanesandnarrowbodyplanes ——>regionalandlowcostairlines,whicharegrowing,usethenarrowbodyplanes).Theclientisconsideringenteringtheairplaneleasingmarket,becauseoneofitscompetitors(GE)isalreadythere,andtheclienthypothesizesthatGE'spresenceinleasinghelpsitsenginesales.Whatdoyoutellhim?2)Lastyear,lawsuitscostcorporations$200billioncomparedwith$70billionin1990.HowwouldyouadvisearoundtableofCEOstoattacktortreform?3)TheU.S.PostOfficelostmillionslastyear.HowwouldyouadvisethenewCEOtoturnthePostOfficearound?4) WehavebeenhiredbyaMexicancompanythathasadominantpositioninallofitsmarketsbutone:ketchup.Althoughitsketchupsaleshavebeenincreasing,itsmarketshareisstagnant(10%)anditsprofitmarginremainsbelowthatofitscompetitors.Whatdoyouthinkmightbehappening?Whatwouldyousuggesttheclientdoinordertoincreasemarketshareandprofits?Asmallpharmaceuticalresearchcompanyisabouttostartclinicaltrialsforanewandpromisingmolecule.Thetrialprocesshasthreephases,withdifferentassociatedcostsandprobabilitiesofsuccess:Costs(million)Pr.SuccessPhase1$10.40Phase2$5.2Phase3$80.105Iftheprocessissuccessfulandthenewdrugisintroducedinthemarket,itwouldgeneratetotalincomeflowsof$300million.Drawagraphshowingtheincomestreamforthenexttenyears(assumethatfulladoptionisreachedinyear7)Thepharmaceuticalcompanyislookingforabuyer.Howmuchshoulditaskfor?Booz1stRound1) Our clientisamagazinepublisher.Theyareconsideringanewpricingprogramwherethepriceforsubscriptionswouldincreaseeveryyear.Evaluatehowsuchadecisionwouldimpacttheirbusiness.Wouldyouadvisetheydoit?Bain1stRound(Nov.2003)1) OurclientisApplePublishing,thelargestpublisherofchildren ’sfictionintheindustry.SevenyearsagotheCEObecameconcernedthatchildhoodliteracyrateswerelowanddecidedtomakeadifference. Heenteredthetelemetrytextbookmarket.Hethinkstheyarethebestnow,buthasn ’tbeenrewarded.Sevenyearslaterhehas70milliondollarsinsalesand20milliondollarsinlosses.Theyarelessthan5%ofthemarket,buttheCEOwantstostayinthemarket,howcanhedoit?Ourclientproduces2-inchwrenches.TheyselltoHomeDepotandalsotoauto-mechanicsdirectly.IfyouwereastoremanageratHomeDepot,howmanyvarietiesofwrencheswouldyoudisplaytosellandatwhatpricepoints?HowaretheHomeDepotwrenchbuyersdifferentfromtheautomechanics?Ifyouwantedtoprovidediscountstotheautomechanics,whichofthemwouldyoutargetandwhy?Whatinformationwouldyouwantfromthemfirst?Universitytownhasapopulationof40,000students.Currentlythereareninerestaurants.You'reclientisthinkingaboutopeningupthetenth.Isthisagoodideaandshouldsheopenupafastfoodoraspecialtyrestaurant?Amajorairlineisthinkingaboutgoingheadtoheadwiththediscountairlinesbyoffering"cheap"fares.Doesthismakesense?EstimatethesizeoftheEuropean"discount"airlinemarket.5) YourclientsellscoffeeonthefiveJapaneseBullettrains(highspeedtrains).Estimatethesizeofthemarket.Howwouldyouadvisethemtoincreasesales?6) Ourclient,aprivateequityfirm,isconsideringaninvestmentinamanufacturerofdigitalinkjetprinters(printinglargebillboards).Themanufacturerwantstoenterthescreenprintingmarket(printingsignsandpoint-ofpurchaseposters,e.g.forsupermarketsales).Howbigisthescreenprintingmarket?Whichparticularsegmentisthemostattractive?EstimatethemarketsizeofprintersinHongKong.AU.S.-basedPCmanufacturernowwantstogetintotheprintermarket.Assesstheopportunity.8) Wehavebeenhiredbyaglobalwealthmanagementcompanythathas2divisions:assetmanagementandprivatebanking.Ourassetmanagementprofitshavebeendecreasing,andourprivatebankingprofitshavebeenincreasing.Weneedtohelpourclientdeterminestrategytoincreaseallhisprofits.9) WehavebeenhiredbytheBoardofacompanythatisloosingmoney.TheBoardhasaskedustodeterminewhetheranyofthislosscanbeattributedtotheLeerjetthatthemanagementteamuses.10) WehavebeenhiredbyacompanythathasjustfinishedmakingtheMillenniumEye,alargeFerriswheelthatwillbeplacedinthemiddleofLondon.Ourclientwantstoknowhowbigthemarketisandhowmuchweshouldchargeperticket.A.T.Kearney1stRound(Oct.2003)1)TheCFOofatop3retailerwantsyoutoevaluatetheviabilityofdevelopingexclusivecontractswithdistributors.Thethreequestionsyoushouldaddressare:1.Pro'sandCon'sofpursuingexclusivecontracts2.Identifythecategoriesthatshouldbeexploredforexclusivecontracts3.Howwouldyouoperationalizethesecontracts?2)Casesetup(factsofferedbyinterviewer):YourclientisaU.S.basedoilrefinery.Therefineryhasasinglelocationandisasmalltomedium-sizedrefinery.Yourclient,althoughprofitable,believesitislaggingbehindthecompetitionandcouldimprove.Youarebroughtinaspartofajointconsultant-clientteamthatwillreviewoveralloperationsandmakerecommendationsonwaystoimprovethebottomline.Youhavebeenassignedtoworkwiththemaintenancedivision.Themaintenancedepartmentprimaryobjectiveistopreventequipmentfailureandtorepairequipmentwhenitdoesfail.Understandingofitsorganizationisimportant.Itconsistsofthreeprimaryareas:nineassetsareas,onecentralmaintenanceareaandonegroupofcontractors.Thefirsttwoareasareemployeesoftheclient,thethirdanexternalsourceoflabor.Anassetisaphysicalareaoftheplantthatcontainsvariouspiecesofequipment(pumps,heatexchangers,etc.).Therearenineassets.EachassethasaMaintenanceSupervisorwhoisresponsibleforallmaintenancetobeperformedinhis/herasset.WorkingfortheMaintenanceSupervisorineachassetis,onaverage,eleven “craftsmencraftsmenaretheactualworkersthatperformthemaintenance.Thecraftsmenareunionizedand

’s”.Thedivideintotwelvedifferentcraftdesignations(e.g.electricians,pipefitters,welders,etc.).Eachcraftdesignationhasadefinedsetofskillstheyarequalifiedtoperform.Theyarenotallowedtoperformskillsoutsideoftheirdefinedcraft,orhelpintheperformanceofactivitiesinvolvingskillsbeyondtheircraft.Collectivelythetwelvedifferentcraftscanperformanymaintenancejobthatmightariseattherefinery.Themaintenancesupervisorandhis/herassignedcraftsmenare“hardwired”totheirasset.Thatis,theyworkonlyonequipmentintheirgivenasset.CentralmaintenanceisacentralizedpoolofMaintenanceSupervisorsandCraftsmen,whoaredispatchedtosupportthedifferentassetsduringtimesofhighworkload.TheyareemployeesofyourclientandfitthedescriptioncontainedintheaboveAssetexplanation.Theonlydifferenceisthattheymayworkinanyofthedifferentassetsasdeterminedbyworkload.Thereareatotalof11MaintenanceSupervisorsand100CraftsmenthatcompriseCentralMaintenanceContractorsareagroupofoutsideSupervisorsandCraftsmenwhosupportyourclientduringtimesofhighworkload.Theyalsoarecapableofperforminganymaintenancejobthatmayarise,butdifferfromyourclient’sCraftsmeninthattheydividethecollectiveskillsrequiredintofivedesignationsratherthantwelve.Thus,thecraftsmenofthecontractorarecapableofperformingabroadersetofskills.They,likeyourclient’scraftsmen,don’tperformskillsoutsideoftheirdefinedcraftbutdoallowdifferentcraftdesignationstohelpeachother.Thereareanaverageof7contractorMaintenanceSupervisorsand140contractorCraftsmenattherefineryonanygivenday.Question: Whatopportunitiesexisttoincreaseprofits?Whatrecommendationscanyoumaketocapturesavingsrelatedtotheidentifiedopportunities?Whatisthecostsavingsassociatedwithyourrecommendations?Suggestedsolutions:Thefirstquestioninvolvesidentifyingopportunitiestoimproveprofits.Thecandidatemuststartwitheitherrevenuesorcosts.Althoughonecouldmaketheargumentthatmaintenancesupportsrevenuebymaximizingtheoperatingtimeoftherefineryequipment,maintenanceshouldbeseentobeasupportfunction.Thus,itismoreappropriatetofocusoncostsandcostreduction.Thefollowingquestionswillhelpthecandidategaininsightintocostreductionopportunities.Howdoesthemaintenancedepartmenttrackitscosts?Ifthecandidatephrasesthequestionaboutmaterialoroverheadcosts,theinterviewerwouldinformthecandidatethatdetailedreviewedshowednomajoropportunities.Thecandidatewouldbesteeredtowardlaborcostsandgiventhefollowingtablesregardingmaintenancelaborcostsforthepastyear.Tosupportunderstandingofthefollowingtables,Turnaroundworkislongtermpreventivemaintenance(pleterebuildingofaboiler)thatmaybeperformedonceeveryfewyears.Allotherwork(shorttermemergencyrepairs,smallscalepreventivemaintenance,otherroutinework,etc.)fitsintothecategoryofDailyworkCraftsmenDailyworkTurnaroundTotalClient$8MM$2MM$10MMContractor$5MM$9MM$14MMTotal$13MM$11MM$24MMSupervisor TotalClient $1MMContractor $ 0.5MMTotal $ 1.5MMSincetheCraftsmentablerepresentsalargerdollaramountthantheSupervisortable,itislogicaltopursuecostsavingsopportunitiesinthisareafirst.WhatistheutilizationofCraftsmenintheassets?Incentralmaintenance?Andforcontractors?Assumeeachareaisutilized100%ofthetime,50weeksperyear,40hoursperweek.Howdoesthelaborcostofcraftsmen($24MM)onarefinery-sizedbasis(i.e., $cost/perbarrelofcrudeoilprocessed)comparewithindustryaverages?Consultingyourindustrydatabaseshowsthatcostsappeartobeabout20%abovetheaverageofpeerrefineries.Thisisanimportantquestiontodetermineifthereisaproblemwithcosts(don ’tassumethereistheclientmaybeperformingbetterthanindustryaverage!)Isthereanyparticularreasonwhyturnaroundworkissoheavilyskewedtowardcontractors?Turnaroundworktendstobemorecyclical.Anexternalworkforceisusedtoabsorbsomeofthisadditionalwork.KeepinmindthatbothclientandcontractorCraftsmenarecapableofperforminganymaintenancejobattheplant.Afterfurtheranalysisofthetablesthekeyfactthatshouldbecomeappearoddisthelargedifferenceinthecostperunitoflaborbetweenyourclient’sCraftsmenandtheoutsidecontractor’sCraftsmen.Oftencandidateswillaskforthehourlywageratesofthesetwogroups.Thereissufficientdatatocalculatethesenumbers.Thecalculationis:Annualcostofclientcraftsmen=$10MM/(11Craftsmen/assetx9assets+100CraftsmeninCentralmaintenance)=$50,000/yearAnnualcostofcontractorcraftsmen=$14MM/140contractorCraftsmen=$100,000/yearAgain,thisdifferenceshouldprovokeaseriesofquestionstounderstandthedifference.Isthereanydifferenceintheworkperformedbytheclientandcontractorcraftsmen?No,otherthanthedifferentlevelsofTurnaroundworkvs.Dailyworkperformedasnotedintheprevioustable.Bothgroupsarecapableofdoinganyjobwithroughlyequallevelsofquality.IsthereanydifferenceinefficiencybetweenthetwogroupsofCraftsmen?Thecandidatewouldatthispointbeaskedhowtheywouldmeasurethis.Afterreachinganunderstandingofthedifficultyinvolvedinmeasuringtheefficiencyofaworkforce(especiallyaunionizedworkforce),thecandidatewouldbetoldthatthroughaseriesofinterviewswithmaintenancesupervisors,thereisaconsensusthatcontractorCraftsmenareroughlytwiceasproductiveasclientcraftsmen.Thisisacriticalpointinthecase.Thecandidatemustrecognizethatinthepresentenvironmenttheclientislargelyindifferentaboutunitsoflabor.Youcanhaveaclientworkerwhoishalfasefficientoracontractorworkerwhoistwiceasexpensive.Thekeynowistodetermineiftherearewaystocreateanopportunitywheretheclientwouldnolongerbeindifferent.Whatiscausingtheinefficienciesassociatedwiththeclient ’slabor?Again,thecandidatewouldbeencouragedtooffertheirownideas.AftersomediscussionthecandidatewouldbetoldthatmanyoftheMaintenanceSupervisorscomplainendlesslyaboutrestrictionsplacedonthembytheexistingunionlaborcontractandthetightnessofcraftdesignations.Theinterviewerwouldprobetoensurethecandidateunderstandswhythepresentcraftdesignationcreatestheinefficiencies.Essentiallyworkistoofinelydivided.Itmakesplanningandsupervisionextremelycumbersome.Asanexample,ifoneofsixcraftsrequiredtoperformajobisabsentorlate,theentirejobmustshutdown,ascraftdesignationsarenotallowedtosupportothercraftdesignations.Isitpossibletochangetheexistingunioncontract?Thepresentlaborcontractisathreeyearcontractthatisduetoberenegotiated/renewedinsixmonths.Willtheunionresistchangestotheexistingcontract?Indeed!!Atthispoint,thecandidateshouldrecognizeamajor(albeitdifficult)opportunitytoreducelaborcosts.Theclientwouldessentiallyliketohaveitsownemployeeslookandfunctionlikeitscontractors,butcontinuetogetpaidatpresentrates.Inreality,managementwillneedtomakewageconcessionsinordertochangepresentworkpractices.However,throughplannednegotiationsascenariocanbecreatedwhichpresentsafavorableopportunityforyourclienttobeginto