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Comments about the suggested solution

Electric Mobility
Edited on Mar 06, 2020
1 Answer
1.3 k Views
Marie
Proficient
asked on Mar 06, 2020
Looking for experienced partners preparing for top tier firms

Hi all,

Just a few thoughts on the solution of this case :) :

Q1 : It seems to me that the suggested answer to question 1 is not fully MECE. What about a structure really structured around : current car owners VS non car owners, among each category identifying non "e-vehicle interested" and "e-vehicle interested", with then dominant interest drivers : price, conveniance, eco-friendliness

Conclusion : Here there is not really any clear cut recommandation, but a synthesis of different options. Isn't it more adviseable to pick a strategy and back it up with 2/3 specific arguments that have been coming across the case, even if the overall analysis has not been fully performed in the case ?

What do you think ?

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Anonymous updated the answer on Mar 06, 2020

Dear Marie-Eve,

Some input on my side on the two points you mentioned

Q1: The case question is very open ended, so I think all the categories suggested in the solution are potential ways to segment the market. However, should I have to estimate the potential market size for our company I would also consider car owners vs. non car-owners, then, as you suggested, looking into each of the two categories and for example estimate:

- for car owners how many of them are in the income range that can afford our electric car, then how many of these would be willing to switch to electric, how many of these are interested in our type of car (i.e. is our car an electric SUV or Luxory or something else). Then based on the average life span of a car in the US you can estimate how many of current car owners that are potentially interested in our car would buy a new car in a year.

- for the non-owner you would make a similar reasoning probably taking into considerations that some of theme would never buy a car (too old/too young, not interested, not having a license, etc)

Conclusion: here some observations

1) In general, you do need to pick one path to solve a case. However, at the beginning of the case you should clearly specify why you decid to pick a specific path. For example (may not really apply to the specific case, but just to give an idea od the type of sentences you should use :-) ): " I think that in order to estimate the market for e-vehicles in the upcoming X years I should consider both current car owners and non-car owners, but for the sake of this case I think it is safe enough to only consider car owners because..."

2) When it comes to drawing final strategic conclusions at the end of the case you can say that based on the analysis you have just performed you would advise the company to undertake a certain action. However, you should also mention that there is a number of other factors that weren't analyzed during the resolution of the case, but that should be taken into consideration in a real project work and that could possibly impact the strategic advise you give to the client.

The interviewer wants to see if you are able to think beyond the sometimes straightforward solution of the case and take into considerations the complexities that arise during real projects. But do not be stuck in complexities! It is good to mention them, but still you need to pick a path to solve the case.

Hope this answers your question!

(edited)

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Marie on Mar 06, 2020

Thank you very much, this is very helpful !

Marie on Mar 08, 2020

Regarding the final conclusion, my point was that the final conclusion suggested here is " There are different ways to start the mass-production" with pros and cons of each solution. I was wondering if it is not better to advice the client on one specific solution, saying e.g. "after considering the 4 different solutions W, X, Y, Z for mass production, we advice our client to opt for solution X because : // pros of X, // significant cons for W,Y and Z". Any thoughts on that? :)

Anonymous on Mar 09, 2020

Yep. So, if you look at the Short Solution of the case it does recommend one solution (i.e. producing by itself in the US) and in the conclusion you have some arguments supporting the recommendation. However, you should also mention other possibilities (i.e. the ones that, based on existing evidence, you would not recommend, but that still exist)

Alana on May 09, 2022

From all my research so far, I would have expected a little more data to be able to make concrete recommendations. Section 2 on Manufacturing seems particularly arbitrary, as we have no data on the number of competent manufacturers, cost per unit, time etc - nothing that allows a comparison between buying capacity or building, or between US/abroad. The conclusions appear based off of broad assumptions or prior knowledge of vehicle manufacturing market (relative costs, skills in US vs abroad) and not from what was provided in the case. I am curious if anyone has experienced a case like this with McKinsey Interviews?

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