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What are most important formulas / KPIs / ratios in profitability cases /market entry / growth

KPI ratios
New answer on Jul 27, 2023
3 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Oct 09, 2018

Dear community,

I would like to know which common ratios you would defintely recommend in order to make relevant judgements in certain case structures?

For example Proft Margin Ratio (Margin % = (Revenue per unit - costs per unit) / Revenue per unit)) which can then be further analzed in Old Margin vs. New Margin in profitablity cases. Which other ratios / KPIs would you recommend are useful to know for certain case strctures? (e.g. CAGR, ROI, IRR. )

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Clara
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Content Creator
replied on Jul 27, 2023
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Precisely for the high amount of questions (1) asked by my coachees and students and (2) present in this Q&A, I created the “Economic and Financial concepts for MBB interviews”, recently published in PrepLounge’s shop (https://www.preplounge.com/en/shop/prep-guide/economic_and_financial_concepts_for_mbb_interviews).

After +5 years of candidate coaching and university teaching, and after having seen hundreds of cases, I realized that the economic-related knowledge needed to master case interviews is not much, and not complex. However, you need to know where to focus! Hence, I created the guide that I wish I could have had, summarizing the most important economic and financial concepts needed to solve consulting cases, combining key concepts theorical reviews and a hands-on methodology with examples and ad-hoc practice cases.

It focuses on 4 core topics, divided in chapters (each of them ranked in scale of importance, to help you maximize your time in short preparations):

  • Economic concepts: Profitability equation, Break even, Valuation methods (economic, market and asset), Payback period, NPV and IRR, + 3 practice cases to put it all together in a practical way. 
  • Financial concepts: Balance sheet, Income statement/P&L and Performance ratios (based on sales and based on investment), +1 practice case
  • Market structure & pricing: Market types, Perfect competition markets (demand and supply), Willingness to pay, Pricing approaches, Market segmentation and Price elasticity of demand, +1 practice case
  • Marketing and Customer Acquisition: Sales funnel, Key marketing metrics (CAC and CLV) and Churn, +1 practice case

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Anonymous replied on Jul 31, 2020

Dear A,

Actually, you've already mention the basic ones. To make you lesi full I would add the following:

• Break-even Calculation = Fixed Cost / Contribution Margin; Fixed Cost / (Price – Variable Cost)

• Debt Ratio = Total Debt / Total Assets

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio = Total Debt / Total Equity

• Four Cs (marketing from a customer’s point of view): Convenience, Cost to the user, Communication, Customer needs and wants

• Four Ps (starting or expanding a business): Product, Price, Place, PromotionGross Profit = Sales – Cost of Goods Sold
Gross Profit Margin = Gross Profit / Total Revenue

• Profit = Total Revenue – Total Costs
• Return on Assets = Net Income / Total Assets
• Return on Equity = Net Income / Shareholder’s Equity
• Return on Investment = Net Income / Initial Investment
• SWOT Analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, ThreatsTotals Costs = Fixed Costs + Variable Costs
• Total Revenue = Price x Volume

Hope it helps,

Best,

André

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Vlad
Expert
replied on Oct 09, 2018
McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / Harvard Business School

Hi,

Basically, you've listed the basic ones.

There is a number of industry-specific ones like ARPU or Revenue per sqm. I recommend downloading the annual reports for investors of the top companies in each industry (retail, cpg, banking, etc) and check the metrics and KPIs they are using. It will answer all your questions.

Best

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Clara gave the best answer

Clara

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