I need to improve the quant part of my case cracking. Suggestions on the casebooks I could use or other tips? Thanks! :)

Inflation is an economic phenomenon that almost all of us have experienced at some point – and not just at the grocery store. Simply put, inflation means that the prices of goods and services rise, and your money becomes less valuable. For example, if you can buy something for 10 euros today, you might be able to buy less of it in a few months with the same amount. 😅But how does inflation actually happen? It usually results from an imbalance between supply and demand. A common cause is demand-pull inflation: when the demand for goods and services exceeds the supply, companies can raise their prices because they know that customers are still willing to pay more.Another frequent cause is cost-push inflation. When companies face rising production costs – for example, due to higher wages or increased raw material prices – they often raise their prices to cover those additional expenses.How Do Central Banks Fight Inflation?Central banks try to control inflation through various monetary policy measures. One approach is to raise the interest rates. This means that loans become more expensive and fewer people can afford them, which reduces demand and may help stabilize prices. Another measure is to reduce the money supply, limiting the availability of money – this is also intended to help stabilize the price level. The Impact of Inflation on Consulting FirmsInflation presents a real challenge for the consulting industry, with both negative and positive impacts. On one hand, rising prices for raw materials, energy, and wages can increase production costs for companies, which may reduce demand for consulting services. During times of economic uncertainty, many companies want to cut back on their spending.On the other hand, there are also opportunities: In times of economic difficulty, companies often seek external help to adapt to changing market conditions. Consulting firms that offer smart solutions for cost reduction and efficiency improvement might see an increase in demand for their services. ConclusionTo sum up, inflation presents both challenges and opportunities for consultants. The extent to which inflation impacts the industry depends on many factors, including the type of inflation and the ability of consulting firms to respond flexibly to the situation. In times of uncertainty, it’s crucial for consulting firms to stay agile and provide the right strategies to help their clients navigate through turbulent times. 📊 

Questions about market size are frequently asked in case interviews in consulting because they require a blend of logic, mathematics, and common sense. They can be asked as standalone questions or as part of a larger case. Applicants who are familiar with market sizing questions can really perform here. What Are Market Sizing Cases?If you're applying to top consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, you're unlikely to escape a market estimation case. Market sizing cases are considered "back-of-the-envelope" calculations because they can be done on the back of an envelope. Despite the name, it's not just about estimating market sizes; other estimations may also be asked for.For example, if you're discussing a British clothing retailer's growth strategy, you could calculate on an envelope how large the online clothing market is and what percentage of the market the retailer already penetrates. If you perform these calculations quickly, the conversation with the client stays fluid, leaving a good impression.You can receive the question about market size as a standalone case (although this is less common) or as part of a more comprehensive problem, such as market entry. The good news: There's no right or wrong answer when it comes to the question of market size. The interviewer is less concerned about the specific number you come up with for the market than the approach you took to arrive at that number. Why Are Market Sizing Cases Commonly Used in Consulting Interviews?Market Sizing Cases are used to test your quantitative and logical abilities. The interviewer wants to ascertain whether you work well with numbers and if you can make informed assumptions and deal with ambiguities. Questions about market size aren't just about the size of markets; they also involve other types of estimations, such as the number of golf balls in a jumbo jet. As you may have noticed, math is crucial in tackling these questions since you don't have a calculator to rely on. Most importantly, you need to be comfortable dealing with large numbers like millions and billions as well as percentages. More on that later. How Do You Best Approach Market Sizing Cases?Now that we understand the theory behind Market Sizing Cases and their relevance to your case interview, let's take a closer look at the process.Segmentation – The Key to Market Sizing CasesIf you've done some reading on case interviews before delving into market sizing questions, you might have come across areas where segmentation is necessary. Segmenting data is a crucial skill you must master as both a candidate in a case interview and in your later career as a consultant. Segmentation generally refers to dividing a larger whole into smaller parts or segments. The principle you need to understand to do this correctly is the MECE principle.MECE stands for "mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive." Simply put, segmenting a group of data according to the MECE principle means forming subgroups that do not overlap but collectively cover the entirety of the data, meaning no data is missing. An example useful for market sizing questions is dividing a country's population into age groups (as different age groups often behave differently).Below is a breakdown into Group 1 in the age range 0 to 14, Group 2 in the age range 15 to 64, and Group 3 for everyone over 65: Note that none of the groups overlap, so no age is counted twice, but also no age is overlooked. Now that the population is correctly segmented, we can treat each group differently. If we had divided the population of the United Kingdom into the aforementioned groups, we could estimate clothing expenditures per person in these groups in online retail. Common sense suggests that expenditures per person in the 0-14 age group are lower than in the 15-64 age group. We can justify this estimation by noting that the majority of 0-14-year-olds do not purchase their clothing online.