【正文】 ss of market share (., new market positioning, cost reduction programs, vertical integration strategy, etc.) 21 169。 20xx Accenture All Rights Reserved. “The Parade of Facts” Cases These cases are relatively rare because of the amount of time necessary to present the case description, but can also be one of the more challenging types of questions. You will be given more information than you need in the case description, and one of your key tasks is determining which facts are relevant to the client’s business problem. Consultants are often faced with a deluge of details, and the ability to sort out the crux of a problem is a key skill for which firms are looking. While most of our process steps are similar to ―The Great Unknown,‖ how we understand the central issue and probe for insight differs: Potential Methodology: ? Problem Understanding: – Pause for a moment and consider the central problem. Which of these facts are totally irrelevant? Eliminate them for now. Which facts are definitely related to the problem? Ask questions about facts that appear relevant. Probe for additional facts that the interviewer may have. 22 169。 20xx Accenture All Rights Reserved. “The Parade of Facts” Case Example Interview Example: ? Client is a leading food pany that wants to develop a fresh prepared meal business ? Trend among consumers is toward fresher food with no artificial preservatives or coloring ? Consumers are currently purchasing $ billion of frozen meals trend is toward more upscale products ? A fresh meal plate bining a protein, vegetable and starch is delicately arranged in a sealed plastic dome package ? Nitrogen gas flushing is used to extend shelf life ? Product is currently in limited consumer test at $ to $ per meal ? Shelf life of product is 14 days product will spoil in 21 days potentially causing food poisoning ? Client wants to know if they can make money in this business ? Client wants to know if the market is big how will they keep petition out ? Client wants a consultant to assist in building business case 23 169。 20xx Accenture All Rights Reserved. “The Parade of Facts” Case Example (Cont’d) Potential Methodology: ? Key Problem: Profitability of Business and Size of Market ? Problem Understanding: – Ask about consumer test. What prices are consumers responding to? Are there any items spoiling on the shelf? – What is the petitive structure of this market currently? – What are the ponents of the pany’s cost structure? ? Structure Analysis: – What is the breakeven point for the firm? ? Determine Gross Margin per Unit ? Determine fixed costs ? Divide to find breakeven – Estimate the size of the market (a case within a case.) – Determine the market share they will need to breakeven. ? Develop Remendations: – Discuss the petitive structure of the market. Can the firm realistically achieve the breakeven market share? 24 169。 20xx Accenture All Rights Reserved. ―The Back of the Envelope‖ questions are very different from other types of cases in that they are primarily numerically driven. You will be asked to estimate the number of some everyday item in society. The interviewer is not looking for a random guess, but rather a structured thought process to get to a numerical answer. These types of questions not only test your fort level with numbers, but also force you to create your own framework to develop a numerical answer. There are often several different ways to approach these problems, and all of them are correct as long as they are internally consistent and holistically structured to arrive at a logical answer. ? Problem Understanding: – Rather than asking probing questions, take a moment to think about the steps you would need to take to get to an answer. What assumptions will you have to make along the way? ? Framework Development and Numerical Analysis: – Walk the interviewer stepbystep through your framework, calculating the numbers for him as you go. You will need to begin with some assumption about the population (of people, objects, etc.) and will need to make other assumptions at certain points throughout the case. Don’t be afraid to make too many assumptions, but be certain that they are needed and that you can explain why you are making that assumption. Often, you will hit a ―dead end‖ in your thinking. If you find yourself in a situation where you don’t know how to proceed, you should back up several steps in your analysis (make sure you municate this to the interviewer) and pursue an alternative path. “The Back of the Envelope” Cases 25 169。 20xx Accenture All Rights Reserved. “The Back of the Envelope” Case Example Interview Example: ? Estimate the total number of dry cleaner in Philadelphia Potential Methodology: ? Assume there are two million people in Philadelphia ? Estimate the size of market by segmenting the population – Assume the population consists of 25% adult men, 25% adult women, and 50% children – Assume children have no dry cleaning and only 25% of adults use dry cleaning – Estimate the average number of ―units‖ of clothing each man and woman brings weekly to the cleaners. For this case, assume that 3 shirts/blouses and 1 suit are brought to the cleaners each week – Thus the total size of the market (per week) is on