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Anonymous A
on Jun 30, 2023
Global
Question about

II. Analysis - 2. What could be possible reasons? - a) Idea 1: Battery warranty

Hello everyone,

I did not get why we multiplied the failure rate by the replacement cost of battery, while in case of failure, 5000 EUR is the cost of replacement, not 1100 EUR.

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Andi
Coach
on Jul 01, 2023
BCG 1st & Final Round interviewer | Personalized prep with >95% success rate | 7yrs coaching | Experienced Hires

Hi there,

the company wants to cover the cost of such warranty. To do so, they calculate the Expected Cost, which is a function of 

  • the cost per such incident (= $5,000 replacement cost); AND 
  • the probability of such event happening (22%) 

Think about it like an insurance - if only 22 out of 100 cars typically face such battery problem, then I will not incur replacement cost for all cars but only for the 22 where it actually happens.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

on Jun 30, 2023
#1 rated McKinsey Coach | top MBB coach

Hi there!

To have a higher response rate here and also to get more out of the exercise, I'd recommend you give a first go to the answer yourself. Then we can chip in with feedback. 

Best,
Cristian

Pedro
Coach
on Jun 30, 2023
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Former Principal | 1.5h session | 30% discount 1st session

They are selling warranty, which is basically insurance. The cost of insurance is the cost of a negative event * probability of said event

So the replacement cost is 5000€. But they will only incur at that cost 22% of the time. 78% of the time their cost will be 0€.

This is why you multiply 22%*5000€. On average, across all of their vehicle base, they will have a cost of 22%*5000€ per insured vehicle.

Ian
Coach
on Jul 01, 2023
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

I'm super concerned by the fact that you've asked 3 questions on just 1 single case here.

(Please don't feel like you can't ask questions by the way!)

But it does sound like you could really use a reset in how you're approach math (learning how to figure it out yourself). 

Consider getting a coach. Check out rocketblocks (for math/charts/exhibits only). Review how you approach math (learn to take a step back, break it down, and figure it out yourself in order to maximize learning)

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