【正文】 re four grams short, for example, you39。re expected to use a pen and notepad to work through your calculations). These guesstimates may also involve elements of creativity and problem solving. For example, when posed the question How much change would you find on the floor of a mall? you might want to ask Is there a fountain in the mall? Let39。s objectives. Because consumer trends are fickle, and technological innovation can quickly transform an industry, brand strategy should in general not be too farsighted. A fiveyear plan is a good, safe way to promise the need for longterm strategy with the pitfalls predicting future strategy inevitably brings. Interviewers may present you with objectives at the start of the case. If they don39。 Gamble and General Mills. To climb to such lofty heights, brand managers (sometimes known as marketing managers) undergo rigorous interviews that often involve case questions. Brand cases vary in breadth and specificity some may be about promotions, some about pricing, others about longterm strategy. takes a look at one type of brand case: the Brand Launch. SAMPLE QUESTION: If our pany were looking to introduce a carpet cleaner to our line of products, how would you go about developing a business plan? In general, interviewers are interested in what kinds of questions you ask, and your understanding of market forces. Here, the interviewer is looking for an answer that describes the process you would use in developing a business plan, not asking for a business plan itself. The interviewer may be pleasantly surprised if you happen to know the size of the carpet cleaner market but they certainly don39。t give into the impulse to simply work with those balls. In this weighing, you39。s earnings per share rise, fall, or stay the same?Company A39。s cash flows, tell your interviewer you would use the Capital Asset Pricing Model (or CAPM). (In a nutshell, CAPM says that the proper discount rate to use is the riskfree interest rate adjusted upwards to reflect this particular pany39。 Has the firm already done any research into the issue? s role. 4. Make no assumptions! As a case interviewee, you should never make any assumptions. You should assume the persona of an actual consultant trying to learn about an assignment. It might seem obvious that there is no preexisting work plan (because if there was, why would this be a case interview?) but you should ask. You should also ask if the pany has encountered a similar problem, or what other panies in the field have done when faced by similar problems. Your interviewer may not release that information but will be impressed that you asked these sensible questions. Some good basic professional questions to ask, which apply to most cases: re new to the industry, you want to ensure that you will perform work that is representative of a fulltime associate. * How many people are typically given permanent job offers? And ask for percentages too. This shows you39。re a witty or especially cool individual when it es to personality. Among the characteristics highest on their list are teamwork and innovation. They may not ask whether you are a team player, or creative doesn39。t need to perform telemunications functions. You: What are our expenses connected with the card? Interviewer: We must pay 15 cents for every minute we sell. We also have to pay $ as a startup cost for the card and card systems. You: What are our marketing expenses? Interviewer: We normally use slips of paper that are attached to the backs of our credit card payment envelopes. We sometimes also send customers a direct mailing in a separate envelope. Or we can have telemarketers call selected customers. You: What39。s the cost of each of these marketing techniques, and what is their response rate? Interviewer: Telemarketers have a 2 percent response rate, and cost $ per call. Direct mailings cost us 40 cents per mailing and have a percent rate of response. Our payment attachments have a rate of response, but only cost us 5 cents each. You: I39。t mean you shouldn39。re interested in opportunities after graduation at the firm, and allows you to plan your strategic options. Some firms, like Goldman Sachs, are known for giving offers to a small proportion of the summer class. You may want to try better odds at another firm. * Will I be able to rotate between departments? Again, the more you know about the pany, the better you will be able to determine which department interests you most, or whether you want to work at the firm at all. If there39。 Who hired us? If so, what were its findings?5. Maintain eye contact. Always maintain direct eye contact during the case interview. Eye contact is critical when answering case questions it demonstrates confidence and authority. Remember that in consulting you may find yourself in front of 20 executives at a major corporation presenting a strategy you were briefed on only a halfhour ago. And then you have to answer questions! So you can see why business case interviewing is so important to consulting it is a direct parallel to the environment consultants must face every day.Finance Interview QuestionsWith Wall Street salaries skyrocketing, investmentbanking jobs are as hot as ever. This means it39。s market risk or beta.) Finally, you should also mention other methods of valuing a pany, including looking at parables, that is, how other similar panies were valued recently as a multiple of their sales, net ine, or some other measure. 2. Walk me through the major line items on a Cash Flow statement.A question to test your accounting skills. The answer: First the Beginning Cash Balance, then Cash from Operations, then Cash from Investing Activities, then Cash from Financing Activities, and finally the Ending Cash Balance. 3. What is EBITDA? Also known as cash flow, EBITDA is Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. 4. Say you knew a pany39。s earn