Cases, also known as case studies, are business problems that a candidate is presented with during a case interview at a management consultancy. The challenge is to solve it under pressure and in a structured way.
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Bain Final Round Case - Streaming Services [NEW]
Our client is a large American music company with a 40% market share and $20 billion in revenue. During the last holiday season, the client released fewer new tracks onto music streaming services compared to the year before. We would like you to figure out what could be causing this and possible solutions to the problem.
Bain 1st Round Case – AirService [NEW]
Our client today is AirService – a service provider for a number of airlines and airports. Their management recently realized a decrease in profits that is linked to increasing costs.Accordingly, they have engaged our firm to help address this issue. How would you approach this problem?
Options Evaluation: Profitability of Brewing Company Startup
Your client is Alistair, a brew master from the east coast of the United States. He has developed a beer recipe he believes will revolutionize the beer drinking experience in the US. Alistair was able to convince his family and friends to invest in his business idea after letting them taste a sample of his new beer. With the investment money, Alistair founded the Allstar Brewing Company (ABC) and bought himself a mothballed brownfield brewery. This was already one year ago and Alistair has been working on perfecting his recipe since, but he has yet to produce a barrel of beer from the acquired production site. In the meantime, ABC has been approached by two other companies that both submitted a respective offer. Alistair seeks your help in determining the best course of action.
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MBB Case - Sierra Springs
Our client is Sierra Springs, a top 3 spring water producer in the U.S. The company owns the entire bottled-water production supply chain, including water sourcing, production of water-based products, bottling and packaging and distribution to retail outlets. Sierra Springs also leads its own brand design, marketing and sales efforts.Sierra Springs has several brands across still and sparkling water drinks, 3 large bottling plants throughout the country and distribution agreements with most major retailers. Sierra Springs is evaluating the launch of a new product, a flavored sparkling bottled water called Berry Fizz. The company’s Chief Marketing Office has asked us to help analyze the major factors surrounding the launch of Berry Fizz and its own internal capabilities to support the effort.
Car Convenience (McKinsey 1st & 2nd round)
CLIENT OBJECTIVEOur client is Convenio, a US based company that operates a number of micro convenience stores and vending machines throughout the country. Convenio is considering the launch of a new product to enable convenience in passenger transportation and is seeking McKinsey’s help to determine whether or not that’s a good idea to grow their convenience business.BACKGROUND INFORMATIONConvenio’s new value proposition is a mobile convenience store that is installed in the middle console of taxis, or private cars for ridesharing, called 'Moove'. It's a transparent box that is typically stocked with small snack items, such as chewing gums, chocolate bars, cooled drinks, but also non-food items such as personal hygiene products or phone chargers. The customer purchases an item by scanning a QR code, selecting the item, and completing the transaction via the Moove platform online. The driver then receives a confirmation and hands the article to the rider, earning a commission with each sale. Drivers will carry limited stock of products in their trunk and re-stock in selected locations through Convenio’s existing supply chain network. The CEO of the company is seeking McKinsey’s help in determining the attractiveness to pursue this business in the US.
Market Sizing WITH SOLUTION - Coffee Shop Revenue
Estimate the daily revenue of your nearest coffee shop.Clarifying information:You can pick any coffee shop of your choiceWe would like a “typical” day (i.e. weekday)All revenue (all purchases)
Winter Wall Revival: Advising Knight’s Watch Municipality on Public Sector Strategy
Your client is the Knight’s Watch Municipality. Their governor, John Snow, has engaged you, explaining that an evil army composed of White Walkers plans to destroy all of Westeros. He tells you that the Northern Kingdom is the only fortress capable of stopping this force. However, the wall is severely damaged from previous battles. Governor Snow needs our help determining what steps to take in repairing the wall before the White Walkers arrive.
Pedal Pals' Financial Fitness Challenge: Cost Optimization Consultancy
Pedal Pals is an interactive fitness platform with millions of members, offering connected, technology-enabled fitness classes that utilize its proprietary hardware, the Pedal Pal stationary bicycle. Pedal Pals generates strong recurring revenue from its members, who pay subscription fees to access Pedal Pal's Connected Fitness products. Additionally, they have strong sales of the hardware product. Pedal Pals has an admired brand for high quality and sustainability. Recently the company has been challenged by a large, activist investor. The activist investor is citing the plummeting stock price impacting shareholder returns. The activist has attributed the issue directly to poor cost control throughout Pedal Pals. Pedal Pals CEO has hired your organization to determine how to manage its cost issue.
ProfitWizardry: Maximizing Hogwarts University's Magical Margins
Your client is Hogwarts University. Their President, Dr. Albus Dumbledore, is concerned with the university’s profitability and needs your help in determining the best course of action.
Market Sizing WITH SOLUTION - Number of Taxis
An entrepreneur has come to you looking to disrupt the taxi industry in NYC. They are interested in determining the number of taxis in Manhattan, in order to understand how large their fleet would need to be to compete. How would you go about determining how many taxis exist in Manhattan?If the candidate asks, you may clarify the following:This is pre ride-hailing technologyThat we are looking for total taxis NOT taxis at any given time. We would like an estimate of the size of the fleetManhattan is 1 of 5 boroughs in NYC====================NOTE==========================Please make sure to check the video URL solution to get a full explanation and walkthrough of how to solve this market sizing example.This is one of over a half dozen market sizing examples I have created for you to practice.https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/market-sizing-with-solution-coffee-shop-revenue-318
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Bain Final Round: Pharmacy Delivery Entry
Our client is a pharmacy in Dubai - called NewWave Pharmacy. This pharmacy wants to start a new & unique delivery service and want to understand if it is a good idea or not? If yes, then how should they price it? And how should they start it?
MBB - Climate Change Operations - Part 2
Note: If you have not already done so, first work through the 1st part of this case: https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/mbb-climate-change-operations-285This case is designed to show you how a case can evolve/change based on new information. The first half of this case is the same, but diverges once data and $s are provided.PromptA mid-sized manufacturing company is concerned about the potential impacts of climate change on its operations. The company has a number of factories located in coastal regions that are vulnerable to flooding and other weather-related events, and it is concerned about the potential financial and reputational risks associated with these events. The company's leadership team has asked your consulting firm to help them understand the risks they face and develop a plan to mitigate those risks.Clarifying InformationOur client’s objective is to maintain long-term profitabilityOur client’s factories are located throughout the US
BCG + Bain - Vets2U - Healthcare Based Case WITH VIDEO SOLUTION
Our client, Vets2U, a well-established organization that runs ten Mobile Veterinary Clinics (MVC) in the US, has witnessed a concerning trend of stagnant revenues of $100M over the past few years. In light of this issue, the CEO of Vets2U has brought us in with the goal of increasing revenues by 25%.
Based on Bain 1st Round Case (2023): Last Mile Delivery
A startup company specializing in last mile delivery with drones is determined to reach $20M in revenue while also becoming profitable. The company's innovation lies in leveraging drone technology to revolutionize the logistics sector, specifically focusing on last-mile delivery, which accounts for a significant portion of shipping costs. However, the firm has to overcome numerous challenges including technological, regulatory, and logistical issues associated with both urban and rural environments.As the next strategic step, the company is considering pilot launches in two different environments - city and suburb - and is uncertain about which option to choose. You have been engaged to evaluate these options, considering the profitability, revenue potential, and strategic implications of each, and provide a recommendation to the company's leadership team.
McKinsey Digital / BCG Platinion: Oil & Gas Upstream Technology
[PLEASE NOTE: This is a technically difficult case and should only be completed by those coming in as a Technology specialist, i.e. recruiting for McKinsey Digital, BCG Platinion, etc.]Our client is a multinational oil and gas company. While they are vertically integrated and have upstream, midstream, and downstream divisions, they have recently been experiencing competitivity issues in the upstream gas division, which brings in $1B in profits annually.Our client’s upstream division has offices in Australia and Indonesia. Their work is highly dependent on their IT systems, as they have to constantly monitor wells and pipes (pressure, hydrocarbon count, fluid makeup, etc.)The upstream division has two large legacies of IT systems that are primarily used for downstream operations but have been modified for upstream purposes.These systems are managed by a central team in the US which is responsible for all IT issues across the business. They triage issues/enhancements and then manage development teams in India and Finland who complete the work.
Bain + BCG Hot Wheels - Part 2 WITH VIDEO SOLUTION
Our client is Korean Car Parts (KCP), a multi-national original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of car parts based in Korea. They've recently seen a decline in profits and have brought us in to understand how to address this falling profitability.=================================================To get a deep-dive explanation of the case leadership behind this case, please read this article: Candidate-Led Cases: What to Expect With Example CasesThis case is part two of a series. The goal of this series is to demonstrate how an identical case prompt (and corresponding framework) could lead to multiple different outcomes. The goal is to train you to adjust to case information in an agile and adaptable way.The 1st part of the series can be found here: Case - BCG Hot Wheels With Video Solution
Element Mobile expands into refurbished phones (MBB 2nd round)
Our client, Element Mobile (EM), is the largest German telecommunications provider, with an impressive supply chain comprised of dozens of suppliers, six distribution centres, and hundreds of stores. EM offers a variety of products to its 20 million customers, including sim cards, broadband, phones, and accessories, through its two sales channels, e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores. Recently, Element Mobile noticed a decline in the sale of their device bundles. These bundles include a SIM and a phone, which are paid for in 24 equal monthly instalments. Since SIM plans are typically purchased as part of a device bundle, and accessories and broadband packages are usually sold as add-ons, the decline in device bundles has a significant impact on our entire business.The CEO of Element Mobile believes that this decline is due to a combination of market and consumer preferences, including the reduced discretionary income of consumers and a longer device ownership trend for environmental reasons. The CEO believes that one potential solution to their declining demand is to invest in a phone refurbishing facility that would allow them to offer affordable used devices as part of their phone packages. Such recycling programmes involve the collection, refurbishment, technical inspection, and repackaging of devices.
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MBB first round - Soy Technologies
Our client, Soy Technologies specializes in soy production and processing.The client harvests their soybean crops and processes the soybeans to extract the protein and create soybean meals that are later used for animal feed.Since the demand for soy protein has been steadily increasing in recent years, our client has been looking at more profitable alternatives to create different soybean products, but our client is unsure about the next steps since they would have to entirely change the current processing operations.The alternatives that our client is currently considering are:Producing soy milk which requires 45% of the extracted protein.Producing soy concentrate which requires 70% of the extracted protein.Producing soy isolate which requires 90% of the extracted protein.Our team has been asked to assist them in deciding which option would be best.
MBB Second Round - CodeWave employee turnover challenge
Assume our client is CodeWave, a large software development firm headquartered in Silicon Valley. The company has a solid reputation in the tech industry and has been in operation for over 15 years. Codewave currently employs approximately 3,000 people and has rapidly expanded in recent years. Recently, the company has had difficulty retaining software engineers. Over the last year, the turnover rate for software engineers has risen dramatically, with CodeWave having to fill approximately 200 vacant positions. Simultaneously, the HR department has noticed a significant increase in the average time to fill roles, which now stands at 80 days (the time it takes from when the position becomes available to when a new person is employed and begins working). The CEO of CodeWave requested that we assist the Head of HR in determining the root causes of this trend and identifying ways to reverse it.
TrendWardrobe
Our client is TrendWardrobe (TW), a clothing retailer in the US. It offers a wide range of fashionable clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. TW operates 200 stores across the top 50 cities in the US. These stores are typically spacious and situated in suburban areas. Additionally, TW has a robust online presence through its website, trendwardrobe.com. However, in the past two years, TW has experienced declining revenue compared to its competitors.A thorough analysis conducted by the strategy team at TrendWardrobe has revealed a significant decrease in customer visits. This indicates a decline in the number of unique shoppers visiting TW stores or making online purchases. Recognizing the need to reverse this trend and drive revenue growth, TrendWardrobe is exploring various measures to boost its performance over the next two years. The challenge for TrendWardrobe is to identify strategies and initiatives that will accelerate revenue growth and enable the company to regain its competitive position. By implementing effective measures, TrendWardrobe aims to attract more customers, increase sales, and catch up with its competitors in the clothing retail industry.
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Consulting interviews are among the most competitive and difficult job interviews that exist. Interviewers use cases as an indicator to test whether you have what it takes to become a successful consultant. In order to pass, you need to ace the case interview part. And in order to ace the case interview part, you need to be well-prepared. Thus, practicing cases is one of the most important aspects of interview preparation in consulting. During different rounds of interviews you will have to solve cases again and again to prove your structured and analytical thinking as well as your communication skills.
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