Hi all,
I came across this case and formed a structure that is quite different from the sample answer. My proposed structure is to talk about ideas that we can analyse. The sample answer seems to immediately talk about the solutions. Would appreciate your advice whether we should analyse the issue OR propose solutions? Thanks!
Gist of the Case
Company X specializes in a product. There is a potential new entrant to the market.
Our client is concerned about losing market share.
What are the main areas that you would look at in order to help our client?
My answer
There are 4 areas that I would like to analyse.
Customer Needs
- Understand whether customer needs have changed and if so, explore if we can better target their needs.
- Are customers price sensitivity? We may want to relook at our pricing strategy.
Competitive Landscape
- Do the new entrant or existing competitors have any competitive advantage?
- Can we acquire a competitor to increase market share?
Product
- How can we improve the quality of the product?
- Can we create complementary products to increase revenue and entice customers to stay with us?
Company Capabilities
- What are the gaps in our capabilities that we can improve on?
- What is our expertise? Perhaps we can focus on that.
- Should we review our operational capabilities and relook at our cost structure, to be more price-competitive?
Sample answer
Raise barriers to entry
- Acquire critical technology or patents
- Lower prices in the short-term
Keep existing customers
- Strengthen existing relationships with customers
- Establish longer-term contracts
- Increase quality of product
Attract new customers
- Acquire a competitor
- Increase marketing efforts