案例面试真题

1:Help!OurProfitMarginsareYouaretheconsultanttoacompanythatproduceslargehouseholdappliances.Overthepastthreeyears,profitmarginshavefallen20percentandmarketsharehastumbledto15percentofthemarketfrom25percent.Whatisthesourceofthecompany'sproblems?Thisisanexampleofthetypeofquestionanundergraduatestudent(oranMBAstudentinanearlyinterviewround)mightreceive.Theinterviewerhasdoneyouthefavorofdefiningtheproblem-yourclientisinsomethingofaslump!Thisdialogueillustrateshowyou,theperspicaciouscandidate,mightdrilldownintothecoreofthewoesbesettingthefirm.You:Howwouldyoucharacterizethecurrentmarketplacefortheseproducts?Emerging?Mature?Interviewer:Theproductlineisconsideredmature.You:Howwouldyoucharacterizeyourmanufacturingprocessrelativetoyourcompetition?(You'relookingtoseeifthecompanyhasastrategicadvantage.)Interviewer:CanyoubemoreYou:Doyoubenefitfromanadvantageintechnology,economiesofscale,exchangerates,orothermanufacturingelementoveryourcompetition?Interviewer:Wehavenotupdatedourmanufacturingprocesssince1988.WemanufactureourproductsexclusivelyintheUnitedStates.Asoneoftheoldestmanufacturersoftheseproducts,wehaveareliablecustomerbaseandagoodreputation.Asforprice,weareoneofthelower-pricedinthemarket,thoughnotthelowest.You:DoanyofyourcompetitorsmanufactureInterviewer:OurnumberonecompetitorproducesallofitsappliancesinIndonesia.(Here'syourclue-manufacturingoutsidethecountrysignificantlylowerscosts.)You:Itprobablysufficestosaythatsomeofyourdeclineinprofitcanbeattributedtotheincreasedcostsyouarefacingrelativetooldermanufacturingtechniquesandhighercostsassociatedwithmanufacturingdomestically.Thisisespeciallytoxicinamaturemarketwhereconsumersaremostlyawareoftheproductcategoryandtheproductmaybeconsideredacommodity.(Acommoditymarketplaceisoneinwhichcustomersmaketheirpurchasingdecisionslargelyonprice.Forexample,toiletpaperislargelyacommoditymarket,whereconsumersbuywhatever'sonsale.)2:Cost-savingsanalysisforfoodservicescompanyCost-savingsanalysisforfoodservicescompanyInthiscase,wewillprovideyouwithinformationregardingaclientsituationandaskyouquestionsregardingthecaseissues.Afteryousubmityouranswer,we'llprovideadetailedBainanswerthatyoucancomparewithyourideas.Remember,incaseinterviewsthereisno"rightanswer":interviewerslookforproblem-solvingskills,creativityandcommonsense.Youwillnotbeabletoskipquestionsinthisonlinecase,sotakeyourtimeandhavefun!QuestionTheclientAlargefastfoodchainhashiredBaintoimprovethecompany’sprofitability.You’reabouttohaveaninitialbrainstormingsessionwithyourteamaroundyourclient’soptions,andyouwanttocollectyourthoughtsfirst.Howwouldyoubegintotackleyourclient’sprofitabilityproblem?Youranswer:BainrecommendedYourinterviewerwantstoknowthatyouhaveastructureinmind.Anappropriatestructureforthiscasewouldbetheprofitequation.Besuretostatethattoyourinterviewer.For"Profitis:totalrevenue–totalWhereRevenue=Price*QuantityandCosts=FixedCosts+Quantity*(VariableInorderforthecompanytoimproveitsprofitability,managementneedstoincreaserevenuesand/ordecreasecosts.Sotobegintacklingmyclient’sprofitproblemIamgoingtolookatthesetwosidesoftheCouldtheclientincreaseprices?HowwouldcustomersCouldtheclientsellmoremeals,eitheratexistingbranchesorthroughopeningnewArethereothercreativewaystogrowrevenue(enterintolarge-scalecateringcontracts,forCouldtheclientdecreaseourfixedcostsbysellingsomeofourbranchesorrealCouldtheclientreducethequantityofproductstheybuy,suchasingredientsfortheirHowelsecouldtheyreducetheirQuestionAtyourcaseteammeeting,yourmanagerinformstheteamthecustomerispricesensitive,themarketisfairlysaturated,andthatthefixedcostsareprettystable.ThusBainandtheclientagreethattheteamshouldfocusonloweringvariablecosts.Specificallytheclientwantstoreducetheirspendingonpurchaseditems(itemstheclientbuysfromothersandthenusesorofferstotheircustomers,likethemeatinthehamburgersortheketchuppackets).Withoutknowingmuchmoreaboutthesituation,whatwouldyousuggestaresomewaystodoso?Whichideasseemthemostattractiveandwhy?analysethesupplierofpurchaseditemstoseeifthereexistthespacetoreducethepurchaseingcost.Thencontactingseveralsimilarsuppliers,andgetthereasonablepriceofrawmaterialsBainrecommendedPurchasedgoodsinthisbusinessfallprimarilyinto2categories:foodandpackaging.Variablecostsareafunctionof:priceandvolume.Therefore,theclientneedstoreducevolumespurchasedornegotiatelowerprices.Wecouldnegotiatelowerfoodpriceswithoursuppliers(consolidateourpurchasing,Wecouldlookforcheaperingredients.Thissoundsriskybecauseitcouldlowerthequalityofthefoodthatwesell.Wecouldreducethevolumeused.Forthesamereason,thissoundsriskybecauseitwouldchangeourrecipes,oneofourcompetitiveadvantagesinproducingwinningrecipes.WecouldnegotiatelowerpriceswithoursuppliersorlookforcheaperWecouldreducethevolumeMostattractiveideasare:negotiatinglowerfoodpricesorpackagingprices,lookingforcheaperpackagingmaterials,orreducingthevolumeused.QuestionAtthispointinthebrainstormingsession,theVPaddsthattwoyearsago,thecompanylaunchedaprogramtocentralizepurchasingandsuccessfullynegotiatedmuchlowerprices.Therefore,itiscriticaltodetermineifyoucouldreducethevolumeofgoodsthattheclientpurchases.Howcouldyoureducethevolumeofpurchasedgoods?BainrecommendedSomegoodcreativeanswershereinclude(butareinnowaylimitedCantheclientchangetheshapeorsizeoffoodCantheclientpackagingforfamiliesbeCantheclientreducetheweightofthepackagingwhilestillprotectingtheCantheclientreduceotherqualitiesofthepackagingincludingdegreeofcolororlogoprevalencewithoutsacrificingtheirbrand?Cantheclientlockbathroomssothatnon-customersdonotwastetoiletpaperandCantheclientchargeforextraCantheclientreducethesizeornumberofnapkinstheyQuestionBainfocusesoncomponentsthatmakeuplargeportionsofacompany’scosts:reductionsintheseareaswillhavethelargestimpactonaclient’soverallcosts.Bain’sphilosophyistoalwaysfocusonwherethevalueis.Atfirstglance,napkinswouldnotappeartofallwithinthiscategorybecausetheyaresolowcost.Butthereisanewnapkindispensingtechnologyonthemarketthatyouhaveheardaboutandthinkcouldsavetheclientsomemoney.Youdecidetoinvestigate.Onewaytoreducevolumeistoreducehowmanynapkinsacustomertakes.Customersinfastfoodchainsoftentakemanymorenapkinsthanareneededforthemeal,oractivelyhoardthemtotakehome.Oneactionsomechainshavetakentocombatthisistoswitchtheirnapkindispensersfromsmallmetaldispensers(fromwhichyoupullnapkinsoutinbunches)tolargerplasticdispensers(fromwhichyoupullnapkinsoneatatime,likeareverseKleenexbox).Thesedispensersareproducedbymajorpapermanufacturers.Let’sassumeyourchaincametoyouwiththefollowingHowmuchmoneycouldwesaveperyearintheUSfromusingthenewtypeofnapkindispenserinallrestaurants?Whatinformationwouldyouliketoknowfromthecompany?(Donottakeintoaccounttheofthedispensersfornumberofcustomersperday,theaveragepaperusageperBainrecommendedKeyinformationthatwouldbenecessaryNumberofNumberofcustomervisitsperstoreperNumberofnapkinsusedpercustomerNumberofnapkinsusedpercustomerafterthePriceperQuestionAsyoutalkthroughthedatapointsthatyouwouldneedtogatherwithyourcolleagues,youlearnfromafellowACwhoworkedforalocalrestaurantthatacaseof6000napkinscosthisclient$28.Thus,areasonablepricepernapkinisabout$0.005.ConductyourestimatesasifyourclientissimilartoMcDonald'sintermsofthenumberofYourmanagercallsyouforaquickestimationofthemarketsizebeforegettingtheactualdatafromyourclient.Usecreativeapproachestohypothesizevaluesforeachoftheabovepiecesofinformationandthencalculatetheestimatedsavings.BainrecommendedTheinterviewerisnotlookingforyoutoknowthevaluesofeachofthesebuckets,howeveritisimportantforyoutomakereasonableestimatesandbeabletodefendyouranswer.Wereyourestimatesnearthese,ordidyouatleasttakesimilarapproaches?NumberofActualanswer:~12,000McDonald'sintheUS.Oneestimationapproach:Thinkofyourhometown:HowmanyMcDonald'sarethereforthenumberofpeople?AssumethereisaMcDonald'sforevery20-25,000Americans,withapopulationof~275millionpeopleintheUS,thatwouldbe11-13,750McDonald's.OtherEstimatetheentirefastfoodmarketandthenestimateMcDonald'sEstimatetheareacoveredperMcDonald'sacrosstheUnitedNote:Withthisapproach,becarefultoaccountforpopulationdifferencesbetween10squaremilesofNYCand10squaremilesofUtah.NumberofcustomersperrestaurantperActualanswer:Fastfoodrestaurantsexpectaround1,500customersaday.Oneestimationapproach:Assumethe20,000peopleperMcDonald'svisitanaverageoftwiceamonth,that's24timesayearpercustomeror480,000visits/365days=1,315customersperday.OtherOnemighttakethisastepfurtherduringacaseinterviewandattempttosegmentthesecustomers.Forexample,onemightassume50%oftherestaurantscustomersaredrive-throughand25%oftheremainingtaketheirfood"togo."Drive-throughcustomersdonottake,butaregivennapkins."Togo"customersmaybemorelikelyto"hoardnapkins"astheycannotgobacktothecounterformore.Note:Thiswouldinfluencepotentialanswerstothenextquestion-butfornow,assumeyoudidnottakethisstepandallcustomersarethesame.NumberofnapkinsusedpercustomerperActualanswer:Fivenapkinswitholddispensersandtwonapkinswithprohibitivedispensersforasavingsofthreenapkinspercustomer.OneestimationDuringacaseinterviewyouwouldmostlikelyjustusepersonalexperiencehere-howmanynapkinsdoyoutakeorseeotherstakewhenyou'reatafastfoodrestaurant?OtherBainwouldsendpeopletothechaintowatchnapkintakingbehaviororcallfastfoodrestaurantswithbothkindsofdispenserstofindouthowmanynapkinstheygothroughaday.$0.005pernapkin*3napkins*1500customers*365daysperyear*12,000restaurants$98.6MdollarssavedinnapkinQuestionDoesthisestimatesoundHowwouldyougoaboutfeelingcomfortablewiththisfigureandpressurecheckingyourWhatwouldyouwanttoflagforyourmanagerasfactorsthatmightsignificantlyaltertheBainrecommendedTocheckthemagnitudeoftheoverallnumbersomeoptionsLookingatacomparablecompany’soperatingincometoseewhatpercentageoftheexpensenapkinsaccountfor.FindoutwhatyourclientcurrentlyspendsperrestaurantperyearonKeepinmindthatwithacompanyofthissizeanysmallchangesinassumptionswillsignificantlyalteryouranswer.Somethingstoflagforyourmanager:Thechainyouworkforprobablygetsasignificantlybetterdealonnapkinpricingduetothemagnitudeoftheirorders(incontrasttothesingle-locationrestaurantnapkinpriceestimateyoureceived)Upto50%ofcustomersaredrive-throughandtheirnapkinbehaviorshouldnotThiswouldreducethesavingsbyuptoThethreenapkinreductionestimateneedsrefining.PerhapsapilotprogramwouldneedtobedonetoseeifthedispensersreallyhavethedesiredeffectQuestionAssumeyouwouldneed10dispensersperstoreforatotalof120,000dispensers.Alsonotethatnapkinsinthesedispenserscostmoreatapriceof$.01pernapkin(rememberitisthepapercompaniesthatmakethenewdispensers).Atwhatpriceperdispenserwouldtheinvestmentnotbeworthdoing?Youranswer:Bainrecommended120,000*costofdispenser+2napkins*.$01pernapkin*1,500customers*365days*12,000stores=5napkins*.005pernapkin*1,500customers*365days*12,000stores120,000*costofdispenser=ThemostyouwouldbewillingtopayperdispenserwouldbeNote:InanactualcaseinterviewyoucanuseroundnumberestimatessothatmentalmathisQuestionTheactualcostofthesedispensersisaroundCanyouseeanyotherfactorsyourclientshouldconsiderbeforemakingaWhatotheradvantagesanddisadvantagesmighttherebetothisswitch?(Impactoncostsandcustomers.)HowmightyouevaluatetheimpactoftheextraneousBainrecommendedSomepotentialideasFewernapkinsusedperdayleadstolessrestockingwhichmaymeanbettercustomerserviceorlowerlaborcost.Betterrelationshipwithpapermanufacturer(potentialforbetterWiththenewdispenserlockingyouintoapaperprovideryoumaylosebuyerpower.Thereisthepotentialforadditionalnapkinpriceincreasesinthefuture.Customerreaction:Willacustomerfindthistobepoorservice?Whatifheorsheneedstograbahandfulofnapkinsafteraspill?ManagementwillneedtonegotiateacontractthatincludeslimitsonfutureBainwillneedtodocustomerresearchandpilotprogramstoevaluatecustomerAndmany,manymore!Asyoucansee,thekeystoagoodcaseinterviewarelogicalassumptions,creativethinking,andbasicquantitativeability.Taketimetothinkthroughproblemsandshareyourthoughtprocesswithyourinterviewerandyouwilldogreat.Duringyourcaseinterview,youmaybeaskedtomakeestimatesorsolveaproblem.You'llfindtwoexamplesbelowthatwillhelpyouthinkthroughtheprocessofarrivingatreasonableestimates.Thethirdquestionisabrainteaser—aremindertothinkcreativelywhentacklinganycaseinterviewproblem.Q:HowmanypayphonesarethereontheislandofA:AlogicalplacetobeginyouranalysismightbetoballparkthenumberofpayphonesonManhattanstreetcorners.IfyouthinkofNewYorkCityasagridofstreets,youmightguessitisabout300streetslong(northtosouth)bytenstreetswide(easttowest),soithasapproximately3,000intersections.Youmightthenassumethereisonepayphoneforeverytwointersections,foratotalofabout1,500payphones.Ifyou’refeelingreallycreative,youmightsubtractthenumberofintersectionsthatare“invalidated”becausetheyfallintheareaofCentralPark.SayCentralParkistenblockslongbytwoblockswide,or20intersections.Usingyourone-pay-phone-for-every-two-intersectionsassumption,youwouldwanttosubtracttenpayphonesfromtheoriginal1,500.Youmightthenaddtothe1,490thenumberofpayphonesthatmightbefoundinrestaurants,hotels,schools,hospitals,andoffice-buildinglobbies.Q:Howmanyhotel-sizedbottlesofshampooandconditionerareproducedeachyeararoundtheA:Youmightbeginbyassumingthathotel-sizedbottlesareproducedfortwopurposesTosupplyhotelsandupscaleToprovidesamplesforgiftpacks,salons,andsoYouwouldthenwanttostartbyestimatingthenumberofhotelsandmotelsaroundtheworldthatoffertheproductstotheirguests.Onewayofestimatingthenumberofhotelsistoassumethathotelsarefoundpredominantlyinmajorcitiesandresorts.Figurethatthereare2,000majorcitiesandresortsaroundtheworld,anaverageoftenforeachoftheworld’sapproximately200countries.Assumethateachcityaverages20hotelsthatofferbottledhairproductstotheirguests.Multiplying20by2,000givesyou40,000hotelsaroundtheworldthatrequireshampooand/orconditionerfortheirguests.Tounderstandhowmanybottlesofshampooandconditionerthe40,000hotelsrequire,younowneedtoestimatethetotalnumberofuseseachhotelonaveragerepresents.Youcanarriveatthatnumberthroughthefollowingcalculation:assumethatthereare100roomsineachhotel,andthatthoseroomsareoccupied50percentofthetime.Multiplying40,000by100by0.5by365(don’tforgetthenumberofdaysintheyear!)givesyouapproximately750million.However,itisprobablyreasonabletoassumethatagueststayingforlongerthanadaywillnotuseawholeshampoobottleeveryday.Ifyouassumethatanaverageofoneshampoobottleisusedforeverytwooccupieddaysinagivenroom,youcannowdivideyour750millionestimateinhalfto375million.Togettothenumberofbottlesofconditioner,estimatearatiobetweentheuseofshampooandtheuseofconditioner.Sincemanyofusdonotconditioneverytimeweshampoo,youmightassumethattheratiois2:1.Dividing375millioninhalfgivesyouapproximately190million.Yourconclusionwouldthenbethat375millionbottlesofshampooand190millionbottlesofconditionerarerequiredforhoteluseeveryyear.Toestimatethetotalmarketsize,youcanprobablymakethingseasyonyourselfbyassumingthatthenumberproducedforsamplepurposesisasmallpercentageofthetotal,saytenpercent.Combiningyourtwomarketswouldgiveyouapproximately400millionbottlesofshampooand210millionbottlesofconditioner.Finally,youmightwantto“realitycheck”yourtotalfigure.Assuming610millionbottlesareproducedandsoldeachyearatanaveragepriceof25centseach,theworldwidemarketforminiaturebottlesofshampooandconditionerisabout$150million.Doesthatsoundreasonable?Q:Youareinaroomwiththreelightswitches,eachofwhichcontrolsoneofthreelightbulbsinthenextroom.Yourtaskistodeterminewhichswitchcontrolswhichbulb.Alllightsareoff.Yourconstraintsare:youmayflickonlytwoswitchesandyoumayentertheroomwiththelightbulbsonlyonce.Howwouldyousetaboutdeterminingwhichswitchcontrolswhichbulb?A:Tosolvethisriddleyoumustdosomeout-of-the-boxthinking.Thebestwaytodeterminewhichlightbulbiswhichistoflickoneswitchon,waitforfiveminutesandflickitoff.Thenflickoneoftheremainingtwoswitchesonandleavetheotheroff.Whenyouentertheroomwiththebulbs,youcandeterminewhichswitchcontrolswhichofthetwolightsthatareoffbyfeelingtoseewhichofthebulbsishot(fromhavingburnedforfiveminutes).Othercreativesolutionsinvolvepushingtheconstraintsofthegame.Youmightaskiftheroomyou’reinhasaphone,soyoucouldcallsomebodytohelpyou.Youmightaskiftheroomshaveaconnectingwindow.Youmightassumeyoucanleavethefirstroomanumberoftimes,andthereforegoout,buyadrill,andboreaholethroughthewallsoyoucanseewhichlightbulbisconnectedtowhichswitch.Or,youmightbuyamirrorandplaceitstrategicallyoutsidethedoortoguideyou.Remember,youarelimitedonlybyyour4FamousSkinCareWhiteningProductsinCaseBackground:Youaretheproductmanageratfamousskincare'swhiteningdivisionandyouareaskedtowhethertolaunchtheproductinChinaKeyWhat'sthesizeoftheskincaremarketinChina?AndgrowthWhat'sthesizeofthewhiteningproduceinchina'smarket?AndgrowthWhataretheconsumerbehaviorWhoarethecompetitorsandhowhasmarketshareCanfamousskincareoperateprofitably?Makelocalvs.import?OptionsandHypothesis:Consumergoodsdemandpattern(correlateswellwithincome)-seehowwellthiscanbeusedtoprojectfuturedemands4Pofmarketinginanalyzingcompetitors-andseewhattheyhaveProfitabilitymodeltoseetheeconomicsimpactofthedifferentoptionsDataRequirementTotalsizeofskincaremarketandgrowthTotalsizeofwhiteningproductsandgrowthMarketsharebycompetitorandhistoricalmarketConsumerbehaviorRegulationsonforeigncompanyinvestmentinProfitabilitymodelformakelocalvs.importDataCollectionandAnalysis:Afteryoucollectthedata,thenyoucanlookathowyourquestionsareChina'sskincaremarketisworthover$10Billion,withwhiteningproductaccoutingfor40%ofit.Therearecurrently6majorcompetitors-withonlyoneclearmarketleader.Consumersareextremelyreceptivetonewskinproductsandcustomerloyaltycanbeestablishedwhentheproductsreallydeliveredtheresults.Evenatahighpremium,customersarewillingtopayforitBasedonprofitablitymodel-theimportmodelismorefeasibleduringthefirst5years-thenwhendemandreallypicksup,themake-localmodelwouldbemoreprofitable5Famousshoemaker'sdecitiontochangesupplierCaseBackground:Youarethepurchasingmanageratfamousshoemakerandu'velearnedreportsofunfairwageratesatoneofyourkeysupplier.Youneedtodecidewhetheryoushoulddiscontinueyourrelationshipwiththissupplier.KeyWhatisthelaborratesthatarecurrentlypaidtotheemployees?(VC.themarketratesvs.int'lWhatarethereasonsfordiscrepancies(i.e.areemployeescompensatedinotheHowmuchdoesfanousshoebuyfromthissupplierandwhatwouldbetheimpactofswitchingtoanothersupplier?Whatisfamousshoemaker'sinternalpoliciesregardinglaborconditionsofsuppliers?Howwillthisactionimpactdifferentstakeholders?OptionsandEconomicsargument-lowestcostUniversality-ifyouwereplacedinthedifferentstakeholder'sshoe,wouldyoumakethesamedecisionandfeelfair?DataLaborwageratesforyoursupplier,itscompetitor,localmarketrates,int'kCompanypoliciesregardingsupplierlaborCostanalysisofswitchingsuppliersDataCollectionandAnalysis:Afteryoucollectthedata,thenyoucanlookathowyourquestionsareLaborratesappearstobemuchlowerthanint'lstandards.Butit'scomparabletolocalwagerates,theworkingconditionisalsonotcomparabletoint'lstandardagain,similartolocalworkingFamousshoemaker;scompanystatesthateachsuppliermustfairlycompensateitsworkersanditdoesn'tworkwithsuppliersthathaveabusivelaborpratices.Supplierdoesseemtooperatebelowint'lstandardEconomicsargumentsaysthereisnothingwrongthere-supplierlegallyoperatesandhasthelowestcost-hence,noneedtoswitchUniversality-feelsfairbecausethesupplierprovideslivelihoodtolocalcommunity,famousshoemakerenjoysagoodmarginandtheworkersgetafairwageintheirlocalcommunitycostofswitchingsupplierimpliesseveredisruptiontosupplyActionitem:Continuecommunicationwithsuppliertomakeensurenolaborstandardsare6MartketEntryreportcasebackground::德国某制镍e,,300,代表是德国人,他觉得中国的空气环境不好,所以一直没把家人接过来,经常往返于中国和德国,以至于没有更好的开展中国业务.现在德国总部决定任命你做首席代表,然后要求你写一.A:那你能简单介绍一下镍这个产品嘛I:中国是一个缺镍的国家,市场需求量比较大.镍是一种金属,用途比较广,可以用于手机,眼镜框,开关,灯泡丝等等.我可以告诉你的是,在中国对于镍肯定是有很大的需求.现在总部需A:首先我会对中国市场进行调查,获得信息并作一定的分析,然后结合公司自身的情况,提出I:那就从市场调查开始把,你会做些什么A:恩,你刚才告诉我中国对于镍的需求很大而且很有潜力,那到底有大多有潜力,这是我从marketsize,marketgrowth,marketshare,以及宏观环境的情况,比如政策限制阿.Player,marketshare,看一下foerignplayerlikeus,他们做的怎样customer的情况,看看我们的客户对于产品的需求以及购买因素获得了这些信息后,capabilities,来提出我的建议.I:对阿,你获得了这些信息后,report里面只写这些,要给出你的建议,那你的建议是什么呢?业务模式是什么呢?A:可能出于试水的考虑,我会提出先不在中国生产产品,而是直接在中国销售德国的成品.出于对中国市场不是十分熟悉,sell我们的产品.当然同时我们I:那你怎么来搞好在中国的销售呢A首先我会改变中国的组织架构,representativeoffice,现在我打算改成以地域来分的组织架构来组织销售队伍.比如华东区,华南区,华北区等等.I:还有没有别的方式来组织销售A:还可以按照客户来分把,比如眼镜客户销售,手机客户销售,灯泡客户销售等等.或者按I:那你为什么会首先想到地域来分A笑),其实我也想到了按照其他方式来分,只不过首先说了按照地域来分,呵呵I:那然后那,你的报告就完了么A:还没有,因为现在只是在中国销售在德国制造的成品,这样成本肯定会高,所以以后我:A:我觉得可能是原材料吧,以及运输成本,而在本地制造的话这些成本肯定会降低I:你说对了一半,其实最显而易见的成本差异就在于人力成本,中国的人力成本明显低于德国的人力成本,当然还可能会牵涉到关税,所以成本差异主要可能就在运输,人力,关税等等.好!那你如果打算在中国制造的话,你会考虑些什么?A:首先考虑选址吧,I:再往前一点呢A:采购,I笑)看来你很喜欢原材料阿,A:哦,那就是我前面提到的到底是自己造厂,localplayer合资I:如果是合资的话,你需要考虑些什么呢Apotential的JVPartnerlist,因为有一些国企公司非常愿意和国外的很强的制造商合作,来获取国外先进的技术以及管理经验.partnermarketpositioncompanyfinancialperformace(revenue,volume,debt,AR),接着我可能会考虑有没有合资上的政策限制,partner的产品线是不是符合我的产品,partner的销售,营销网络以及服务能力.我还会考虑股权的结构,Equityshare,partner的管理层是否能够很好的接受西方的领先技术和管理经验(managementfit),40几岁I:非常好,那我们的讨论就到这吧,Casesetup(factsofferedbyYourclientisamanufacturerofbicyclesTheyhavebeeninbusinessfor25TheymanufacturerandsellthreecategoriesofRacingbikes:Highend,highperformancebikesforsophisticatedcyclistsMainstreambikes:Durable,butnotoverlycomplicatedbikesforeverydayridersChildren’sbikes:Smaller,simplerversionsoftheirmainstreambikesforchildrenProfitsatyourclienthavedecreasedoverthepastfiveyearsWhatisdrivingthedeclineinoverallWhatrecommendationsmightcorrecttheSuggestedThefirstquestionistodeterminewhathascausedoverallprofitstodecrease.Toaccomplishthisthecandidatemustfirstunderstandwhathastranspiredineachofthethreeproductcategoriesoverthepastfiveyearsduringwhichprofitabilityhasslipped.Thefollowingarequestionsandanswersthatwouldbeprovidedinaninterviewscenario.Whataretheclient’smarginsforabicycleineachofthethreeRacing:Cost=$600/unit,Profit=$300/unit Cost=$250/unit,Profit=$75/unit Cost=$200/unit,Profit=$50/unitWhathashappenedtothemarketsizeofeachofthethreesegmentsoverthepastRacing:HasremainedconstantatitspresentsizeofMainstream:Hasincreasedat2%growthrateperyeartoitspresentsizeof$1.0BChildren’s:Hasincreasedat3%growthrateperyeartoitspresentsizeof$400MMWhathashappenedtoourclient’smarketshareineachoftheseRacing:Marketsharehasdecreasedfrom60%to30%Mainstream:Marketsharehasincreasedfrom0%to5%Children’s:Marketsharehasincreasedfrom0%to3%Whoaretheclient’smajorcompetitor’sineachmarketsegment?Whathashappenedtotheirmarketshareineachsegmentoverthepastfiveyears?Racing:Thereisonemaincompetitorandahostofsmallfirms.Yourmaincompetitorhasincreasedmarketsharefrom30%to50%Mainstream:Thereexistmany,largecompetitors,noneofwhichholdsmorethan10%oftheChildren’s:Asinthemainstreamsegment,therearemanycompetitors,nonewithmorethan10%ofthemarketTheaboveinformationprovidesenoughinformationtoputtogetherapictureofwhyprofitshavedecreasedoverthepastfiveyears:Yourclient,withacommandingpositioninaflatmarketsegment(racing),expandedintonewsegments(mainstreamandchildren’s).Asthisoccurred,marketsharedecreaseddramaticallyinthemostlucrativesegment(racing),creatinganunfavorablemix.Theextenttowhichprofitshavedecreasedcanbededucedfromsomequickmath:profitshaveslippedfrom$60MMfiveyearsago(=60%x$300MMx33%racingmargin)to$44MMtoday(=(30%x$300MMx33%racingmargin)+(5%x$1Bx23%mainstreammargin)+(3%x$400MMx20%children’sThedramaticdecreaseinmarketshareintheracingsegmentisatthispointstillunexplained.Questionsthatwouldhelpformulateanexplanationinclude:Havetherebeenanymajorchangesinproductqualityinyourclient’sracingproduct?Orinitsmaincompetitor’sracingproduct?Havetherebeenanymajorpricechangesinyourclient’sracingproduct?Orinitsmaincompetitor’sracingproduct?Havetherebeenanymajorchangesindistributionoutletsforyourclient’sracingOrforitsmaincompetitor’sracingYes.Previouslyyourclientanditsmaincompetitorintheracingsegmentsoldexclusivelythroughsmall,specialtydealers.Thisremainsunchangedforthecompetition.Yourclient,ho