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47 case interview examples (from McKinsey, BCG, Bain, etc.)

One of the best ways to prepare for   case interviews  at firms like McKinsey, BCG, or Bain, is by studying case interview examples. 

There are a lot of free sample cases out there, but it's really hard to know where to start. So in this article, we have listed all the best free case examples available, in one place.

The below list of resources includes interactive case interview samples provided by consulting firms, video case interview demonstrations, case books, and materials developed by the team here at IGotAnOffer. Let's continue to the list.

• McKinsey examples
• BCG examples
• Bain examples
• Deloitte examples
• Other firms' examples
• Case books from consulting clubs
• Case interview preparation

Click here to practise 1-on-1 with MBB ex-interviewers

1. mckinsey case interview examples.

• Beautify case interview (McKinsey website)
• Diconsa case interview (McKinsey website)
• Electro-light case interview (McKinsey website)
• GlobaPharm case interview (McKinsey website)
• National Education case interview (McKinsey website)
• Talbot Trucks case interview (McKinsey website)
• Shops Corporation case interview (McKinsey website)
• Conservation Forever case interview (McKinsey website)
• McKinsey case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• McKinsey live case interview extract (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

2. BCG case interview examples

• Foods Inc and GenCo case samples  (BCG website)
• Chateau Boomerang written case interview  (BCG website)
• BCG case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• Written cases guide (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG live case interview with notes (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview with ex-BCG associate director - Public sector case (by IGotAnOffer)
• BCG mock case interview: Revenue problem case (by IGotAnOffer) - See below

3. Bain case interview examples

• CoffeeCo practice case (Bain website)
• FashionCo practice case (Bain website)
• Associate Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Consultant mock interview video (Bain website)
• Written case interview tips (Bain website)
• Bain case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)
• Digital transformation case with ex-Bain consultant
• Bain case mock interview with ex-Bain manager (below)

4. Deloitte case interview examples

• Engagement Strategy practice case (Deloitte website)
• Recreation Unlimited practice case (Deloitte website)
• Strategic Vision practice case (Deloitte website)
• Retail Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Finance Strategy practice case  (Deloitte website)
• Talent Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Enterprise Resource Management practice case (Deloitte website)
• Footloose written case  (by Deloitte)
• Deloitte case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

5. Accenture case interview examples

• Case interview workbook (by Accenture)
• Accenture case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

6. OC&C case interview examples

• Leisure Club case example (by OC&C)
• Imported Spirits case example (by OC&C)

7. Oliver Wyman case interview examples

• Wumbleworld case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Aqualine case sample (Oliver Wyman website)
• Oliver Wyman case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

8. A.T. Kearney case interview examples

• Promotion planning case question (A.T. Kearney website)
• Consulting case book and examples (by A.T. Kearney)
• AT Kearney case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

9. Strategy& / PWC case interview examples

• Presentation overview with sample questions (by Strategy& / PWC)
• Strategy& / PWC case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

10. L.E.K. Consulting case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough   (L.E.K. website)
• Market sizing case example video walkthrough  (L.E.K. website)

11. Roland Berger case interview examples

• Transit oriented development case webinar part 1  (Roland Berger website)
• Transit oriented development case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 1   (Roland Berger website)
• 3D printed hip implants case webinar part 2   (Roland Berger website)
• Roland Berger case interview guide   (by IGotAnOffer)

12. Capital One case interview examples

• Case interview example video walkthrough  (Capital One website)
• Capital One case interview guide (by IGotAnOffer)

12. EY Parthenon case interview examples

• Candidate-led case example with feedback (by IGotAnOffer)

14. Consulting clubs case interview examples

• Berkeley case book (2006)
• Columbia case book (2006)
• Darden case book (2012)
• Darden case book (2018)
• Duke case book (2010)
• Duke case book (2014)
• ESADE case book (2011)
• Goizueta case book (2006)
• Illinois case book (2015)
• LBS case book (2006)
• MIT case book (2001)
• Notre Dame case book (2017)
• Ross case book (2010)
• Wharton case book (2010)

Practice with experts

Using case interview examples is a key part of your interview preparation, but it isn’t enough.

At some point you’ll want to practise with friends or family who can give some useful feedback. However, if you really want the best possible preparation for your case interview, you'll also want to work with ex-consultants who have experience running interviews at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc.

If you know anyone who fits that description, fantastic! But for most of us, it's tough to find the right connections to make this happen. And it might also be difficult to practice multiple hours with that person unless you know them really well.

Here's the good news. We've already made the connections for you. We’ve created a coaching service where you can do mock case interviews 1-on-1 with ex-interviewers from MBB firms . Start scheduling sessions today!

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Market sizing case interviews: seven steps to nail them

Management consulting firms and other employers sometimes use market sizing questions – also known as estimation questions – as a standalone interview format to assess candidates on a wide range of problem-solving dimensions.

In a market sizing interview, you might be asked to estimate figures such as:

• the revenue of a sandwich store
• the number of ATMs in Beijing
• the size of the market for lattes in the US
• the number of newspapers sold in Spain

Often, sizing a market is also part of solving a case interview question.

Given the prevalence of these questions, the ability to size a market or estimate a number successfully is an essential part of the toolkit for any candidate interviewing for a strategy role.

In this article, we share the seven steps that will help you nail any market sizing question.

1. Clarify the problem

The first thing to do is to clarify both the question and the scope of the answer. After all, you don’t want to start sizing the wrong market.

Make sure that you confirm the key parameters of the question, such as:

• whether the answer needs to be in units or currency
• what the relevant time frame is
• what type of product is in question

If the question is “What is the number of takeaway coffees purchased per day in the UK?”, you might want to clarify whether you should only look at takeaway coffees bought from a store or whether you should take vending machine coffees into account.

2. Choose a top-down or bottom-up approach

Market sizing questions can be solved using either a top-down or bottom-up approach.

The top-down approach

The top-down approach involves starting with large, macro numbers and working your way down to smaller figures. For example:

• Begin with the population of the relevant country.
• Identify some segments based on age.
• Estimate the propensity of each age group to buy the product in question.
• Make some assumptions about how frequently these people make purchases.

In the takeaway coffee example, this may mean starting with the overall population, estimating the percentage of coffee drinkers, and then estimating the number likely to buy takeaway coffees.

The bottom-up approach

The bottom-up approach involves starting with small numbers and working your work up to larger figures. For example:

• Begin by considering how many vendors there are in any given locality.
• Estimate the sales that go through each vendor.
• Scale that up to the population at large.

In the takeaway coffee example, you might estimate the number of coffees bought per coffee shop, then the number of coffee shops per town, and then multiply that figure by the number of towns in the country.

You may have a personal preference for using either a top-down or bottom-up approach. Usually, either can work.

3. Set up your structure

Once you’ve chosen your approach, you need to structure it. This involves figuring out the formula or equation that’s going to get you to your final number, and representing it in a logic tree.

Here, you need to strike the right balance between complexity and accuracy. A common mistake is to create a highly complex formula that captures every minute variable. This is a pointless effort, as your result will rely on your own assumptions, and will therefore only be an approximate answer. You should therefore ignore any variable that doesn’t make a significant difference.

On the other hand, another common mistake is to be overly simplistic. This usually results in candidates missing important drivers and ending up in the wrong ballpark.

So how could you get to the number of takeaway coffees bought from a store every day in the UK? Here’s an example of what this approach could look like:

Once you’ve set up your structure, be sure to share it with your interviewer before you start performing your calculations.

4. Use segmentation

It’s likely that your structure will require you to make assumptions about some numbers. Your best guess is likely to be roughly right in some cases. In others, it’s likely to be significantly off the mark, and this is when segmentation can help.

By breaking down the number that you’re trying to estimate into several segments and then making an estimate for each segment, you’ll get to a more accurate number.

In the coffee example, when you come to estimate the number of takeaway coffees purchased per person per day, you could segment the market into three types of coffee drinkers:

• Those who love a daily takeaway coffee
• Those who buy a takeaway coffee once a week
• Those who prefer to make coffee at home

You could then assign a percentage of the population to each segment and calculate a weighted average.

5. Make the right assumptions

In any given market sizing question, you’ll need to make assumptions about certain figures, such as population sizes, the number of households, and the average number of children per family. Your interviewer will typically give you some information that’s relevant to the case. However, beyond this, you’ll need to make assumptions and apply your own judgment.

If your assumptions are too far off the mark, you’re unlikely to reach a sensible answer and may even look a bit silly in front of the interviewer. If you want to avoid this, there are some key facts you should learn as part of your interview preparation. These include:

• populations of key countries
• average life expectancy
• the average number of people per household
• median income
• GDP growth rate
• inflation rate
• the base interest rate

Rounding these figures is perfectly fine – just make sure they’re in the ballpark of logic and sense!

In the coffee question, you might volunteer that the UK population is roughly 60 million and then estimate that 75% of the population is in the age range for buying takeaway coffee.

6. Get the calculations right

As with any type of case question, a firm grasp of a few core mathematical principles is vital for getting the calculations right in a market sizing question.

You must be able to handle basic operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, including long division – on paper. You must also be able to solve math problems using key concepts such as fractions, percentages, compounding, weighted averages, probability, and algebra.

Case interviews require candidates to demonstrate only a high school level of math skills. However, with no calculators allowed and an interviewer looking over their shoulder, many people find this aspect of the interview challenging.

The good news is that mental arithmetic is one of the case interview skills you can practice alone as part of your preparation, using drills. These are interactive exercises that pose rapid-fire questions and then provide instant feedback. Our Interview Prep Course includes a comprehensive set of these drills.

It also includes a dedicated Case Math Course with 21 video lectures that cover the following areas in detail:

• The four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
• The key math concepts you’ll need to master, such as fractions, percentages and weighted averages
• ‘Pro-tips’ for doing well in case math, including keeping track of zeros and simplifying calculations
• Business math concepts such as cash flow, investments and valuations

7. Sanity-check your answer

When you reach an answer, be sure to check whether it makes sense and that your final number is neither too large nor too small. Do this by comparing it to other figures you know.

In the takeaway coffee question, would it be reasonable to say that 100 million coffees are purchased every day in the UK if there are only 60 million people in the country?

If your solution doesn’t look right, you may have miscalculated or made a wrong assumption, so review your approach and correct any mistakes before sharing your answer with your interviewer.

How to practice market sizing questions

It’s vital to prepare thoroughly for every aspect of interviewing at a top consulting firm. You’ll find several market sizing practice questions with answers in our Case Library . Included as part of our Interview Prep Course , the library contains over 100 cases, which span a range of sectors, functions and question types.

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Hacking the Case Interview

Market entry case interviews are one of the most common types of cases you’ll see in consulting interviews. They are also known as go to market case interviews. There is a very good chance you will see at least one market entry case in your upcoming interviews, especially in first-round interviews.

The good news is that market entry cases are fairly straight forward and predictable. Once you’ve done a few market entry cases, you’ll be able to solve any market entry case that comes your way.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• Three types of market entry case interviews
• The five steps to solve a market entry case interview
• The perfect market entry framework
• A market entry case example
• Recommended market entry case interview resources

If you’re looking for a step-by-step shortcut to learn case interviews quickly, enroll in our case interview course . These insider strategies from a former Bain interviewer helped 30,000+ land consulting offers while saving hundreds of hours of prep time.

Three Types of Market Entry Case Interviews

A market can be broadly defined as the group of consumers that are interested in a particular product or service. There are three different types of market entry cases / go to market cases:  

• Entering a new geography
• Targeting a new customer segment
• Entering a new product or service category

In the first type of market entry case, the company is not launching a new product . Instead, the company is trying to sell an existing product to customers in new countries.

Example:  Uber  is a peer-to-peer ride-hailing company based in the United States. They are considering expanding their operations into Thailand. Should they enter? 

In the second type of market entry case, the company is also not launching a new product. Instead, the company is trying to sell a version of an existing product to a new customer segment. Customers can be segmented by a variety of different factors such as age, gender, needs, or preferences.

Example: Salesforce is a software company that provides customer relationship management tools. They primarily sell to large enterprises. Salesforce is considering expanding their customer base by also targeting small- and medium-sized businesses. Should they do this?

In the third and final type of market entry case, the company is looking to launch an entirely new product or service category.

Example: Coca-Cola is a large beverage corporation that produces soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit juices, teas, and other beverages. They are considering entering the vodka market. Should they enter?

The Five Steps to Solve a Market Entry Case Interview

Step One: Understand why the company wants to enter the market

The first step to solve any market entry case / go to market case is to understand why the company is looking to enter the new market. The four most common reasons are:

• The company wants to increase profit
• The company wants to increase revenues
• The company wants to invest in a fast-growing market
• The company wants to gain access to new customers

Only when you understand why the company is looking to enter the market will you have the context needed to properly assess whether or not they should enter.

Step Two: Quantify the specific target or goal

Now that you understand why the company wants to enter the market, identify what the specific target or goal is.

For example, if the company wants to increase revenues, how much of a revenue increase are they targeting? By what time frame are they looking to achieve this revenue increase by?

If the company wants to invest in a fast-growing market, what return on investment are they targeting? In how many years are they hoping to achieve this level of return by?

By quantifying the target or goal, you can more easily make the case for entering or not entering the market. If the company can achieve their goal, you would recommend entering the market. Conversely, If the company cannot reach their target, you would recommend not entering the market.

Step Three: Develop a market entry framework and work through the case

With the overall target or goal of the market entry in mind, you will now move onto gathering data and information to build support for your recommendation.

The most efficient way to do this is by using a market entry framework to structure all of the important questions you will need to answer.

We’ll go over the perfect market entry framework in the next section of the article, but there are four major areas of your framework:

Market attractiveness : Is this an attractive market to enter?

Competitive landscape : How strong are competitors and how easy is it to capture meaningful market share?

Company capabilities : Does the company have the capabilities to successfully enter the market?

Financial implications : Will the company achieve its financial goals or targets from entering the market?

Step Four: Consider the market entry strategy OR consider alternatives to entering the market

Your market entry framework will help you investigate different areas in the case to develop a hypothesis for whether the company should enter the market.

What you do next will be determined by whether you are leaning towards recommending entering the market or recommending not entering the market.

If you are leaning towards recommending entering the market…

Think through what the right market entry strategy would be. You should think through three different questions:

• When should the company enter the market?
• At what speed should the company enter the market?
• How should the company enter the market?

When should the company enter the market? Should they enter right away to get a first-mover advantage? Or should they wait to see how competitors enter the market and learn from their mistakes.

At what speed should the company enter the market? Should they target the entire market immediately? Or should they target a smaller subgroup to test their product first?

Finally, you should consider how the company should enter the market. There are three different ways to enter a market:

• Developing the capabilities internally
• Partnering or forming a joint venture
• Acquiring an existing company

Each of these strategies has their own advantages and disadvantages.

The main advantage of entering the market from scratch by developing capabilities internally is that the company has full control over the strategy and operations. The disadvantages are that this requires significant capital and investment costs, the company may not have all of the capabilities needed to be successful, and market entry will likely be slower than the other strategies.

The advantages of a partnership or joint venture are that there are much lower capital and investment costs and market entry will likely be faster than entering the market from scratch. The disadvantages of this strategy are that it requires working with the partner effectively and that this strategy does not give the company full control over the strategy and operations.

The advantages of acquiring an existing company are that it is a faster way of entering the market compared to the other strategies and that the company has a high level of control over the strategy and operations. The disadvantages are that acquisitions are expensive and it can be challenging to fully integrate an acquired company effectively.

If you are leaning towards recommending NOT entering the market…

Explore the other alternative options the company has. Is there another potentially attractive market that the company should enter instead? Are there other projects or investments that the company should pursue?

Remember that there is always an opportunity cost for each investment a company makes. If you are recommending that the company should not enter the market, what is the next best alternative?

Step Five: Deliver a recommendation and propose next steps

By this time in the case, you should have explored all of the major areas and questions needed to make a firm recommendation.

State your recommendation and then provide three reasons that support it. Conclude by proposing potential next steps.

Here are some potential areas to include for next steps:

• Areas of your framework you have not explored yet
• Open questions that have not been answered
• Information or data that would make you feel more confident in your recommendation

The Perfect Market Entry Framework

A market entry framework, or go to market framework, breaks down the complex question of whether or not the company should enter the market into smaller, more manageable questions.

You should always try to create a framework that is tailored to the specific case you are solving for. Do not rely on using memorized frameworks.

However, for market entry cases, there are four major things you should probably include in your framework.

1. Market attractiveness

For this area of your framework, the overall question you are trying to answer is whether the market that the company is looking to enter is attractive.

There are a number of different factors you can look at to assess the market attractiveness:

• What is the market size?
• What is the market growth rate?
• What are average profit margins in the market?
• How strong are substitutes?
• How strong is supplier power?
• How strong is buyer power?
• How high are barriers to entry?
• Are there other macroeconomic, geopolitical, or social factors to consider?

If you don’t have a strong business background, it may be helpful to review Porter’s Five Forces to better understand the five forces that determine the attractiveness of a market.

These five forces (supplier power, buyer power, substitutes, threat of new entrants, competitive rivalry) are already incorporated in this market entry framework.

2. Competitive landscape

For this area of your framework, the overall question you are trying to answer is how competitive the market is and how easy is it to capture meaningful market share.

The market can be attractive, but if it is extremely difficult to capture market share, then entering the market may not be a great idea.

There are a number of different factors you should consider in assessing the competitive landscape:  

• How many players are in the market?
• How much market share does each player have?
• Do players have competitive advantages?
• Do players have meaningful differentiation from one another?

3. Company capabilities

For this area of your framework, the overall question you are trying to answer is whether the company has the capabilities to successfully enter the market.

The market can be attractive and competition can be weak, but if the company does not have the right capabilities, they will not be able to successfully compete in the market.

There are a number of different factors you should consider in assessing the company’s capabilities:

• Does the company have significant capability gaps?
• Can the company leverage synergies with existing capabilities?
• Is the company in a favorable financial position to enter the market?
• Does the company have the right distribution channels?
• Does the company have the right relationships with suppliers?

4. Financial implications

The last area of your framework covers the financial implications of entering the market. The overall question you are trying to answer is whether the company will meet its financial targets or goals by entering the market.

Depending on what the specific goal of the market entry is, you may need to look into the following questions:

• What are the expected costs of entering the market?
• What are the expected revenues of entering the market?
• What are the expected profits from entering the market?
• How long will it take to break even?
• What is the expected return on investment?

Market Entry Case Example

Let’s put our strategy and framework for market entry cases into practice by going through an example of a market entry case.

Market entry case example:  Facebook  is an online social media and social networking service with $70B in annual revenue, $20B in annual profit, and roughly 2.5 billion users. They are looking to continue growing at a fast pace and are considering entering the global smartphone market. Should they enter?

Let’s go through the five steps we outlined above on how to solve a market entry case or go to market case.

In this case, we are told that Facebook is looking to enter the global smartphone market in order to continue growing. However, it is unclear what they are trying to grow. Is it revenues, profits, number of users, or something else?

We need to ask the interviewer a clarifying questions so that we can understand why Facebook wants to enter the smartphone market.

Question: Is Facebook specifically looking to grow revenues, profits, or number of users?

Answer: Facebook wants to grow profits.

Now that we understand that Facebook is looking to enter the smartphone market to grow profits, we need to quantify what their specific target or goal is.

Again, we’ll ask a question to the interviewer to get this information.

Question: Is there a particular financial goal or metric that Facebook is trying to reach within a specified time frame?

Answer: Facebook is looking to grow annual profits by $10 billion over the next year.

With this specific goal in mind, we need to structure a framework that will help us solve the case. We can use market attractiveness, competitive landscape, company capabilities, and financial implications as our four broad framework areas.

Then, we’ll need to identify and select the most important and relevant questions to explore in each of these areas. One potential framework could look like the following:

Let’s say that you gather the following data and information as you explore different areas of your framework:

• The global smartphone market size is $800 billion, which is large compared to Facebook’s annual revenues of $70 billion
• Facebook would need a 20% market share to break even
• The top six smartphone players have 80% market share, which implies high barriers to entry and fierce competition
• The top two smartphone players each have 20% market share
• There are limited synergies Facebook can leverage with its existing capabilities

At this point, we are leaning towards recommending that Facebook should not enter the market.

It is unlikely that Facebook will be able to grow annual profits by $10 billion over the next year. They already need 20% market share just to break even, which would tie them with the top two largest smartphone manufacturers.

Therefore, we should consider the alternative options Facebook has. Is there another market that may be worth entering? Are there other projects or investments that the company should pursue?

Thinking through potential markets, we think that Facebook is best suited to enter markets that can leverage its online platform. Potential markets may include the online travel booking market or the online gaming market.

Now it is time to summarize all of the work we have done so far into a clear and concise recommendation. One potential recommendation may look like the following:

I recommend that Facebook should not enter the global smartphone market for the following three reasons.

One, although the market size is massive at $800B, the smartphone market is highly concentrated. The top six players have 80% of the global market share. This implies that competition is fierce.

Two, Facebook would need to capture a 20% market share to break even. For comparison, the top two smartphone market leaders have 20% market share each. Therefore, this target does not seem feasible.

Three, barriers to entry are high and Facebook will likely not be able to overcome them. Facebook has minimal experience in producing hardware and they have no distribution channels with smartphone retailers.

All of these reasons strongly suggest that Facebook will not achieve its target profit growth of $10 billion over the next year. For next steps, we can look into other adjacent markets, such as the online travel booking and online gaming markets. These markets may be more attractive and feasible for Facebook to pursue growth in.

More market entry examples and practice

We've included two additional market entry practice case interviews below. Follow along with the video to get more market entry case interview practice.

For more practice, check out our article on 23 MBA consulting casebooks with 700+ free practice cases .

In addition to market entry case interviews, we also have additional step-by-step guides to: profitability case interviews , growth strategy case interviews , M&A case interviews , pricing case interviews , operations case interviews , marketing case interviews , and private equity case interviews .

Recommended Consulting Interview Resources

Here are the resources we recommend to land your dream consulting job:

For help landing consulting interviews

• Resume Review & Editing : Transform your resume into one that will get you multiple consulting interviews

For help passing case interviews

• Comprehensive Case Interview Course (our #1 recommendation): The only resource you need. Whether you have no business background, rusty math skills, or are short on time, this step-by-step course will transform you into a top 1% caser that lands multiple consulting offers.
• Case Interview Coaching : Personalized, one-on-one coaching with a former Bain interviewer.
• Hacking the Case Interview Book   (available on Amazon): Perfect for beginners that are short on time. Transform yourself from a stressed-out case interview newbie to a confident intermediate in under a week. Some readers finish this book in a day and can already tackle tough cases.
• The Ultimate Case Interview Workbook (available on Amazon): Perfect for intermediates struggling with frameworks, case math, or generating business insights. No need to find a case partner – these drills, practice problems, and full-length cases can all be done by yourself.

For help passing consulting behavioral & fit interviews

• Behavioral & Fit Interview Course : Be prepared for 98% of behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours. We'll teach you exactly how to draft answers that will impress your interviewer.

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Profitability Cases

Profitability cases – how to approach one of the most common case types in consulting interviews.

There are several common case types that occur in case interviews for management consulting roles. Profitability cases are some of the most frequent ones. These cases require a structured approach , analytical thinking, and a deep understanding of business fundamentals. Let’s take a look at what profitability cases actually are and how you can approach them successfully. 

Profitability Cases – The Number 1 Reason for Most Consulting Projects

One of the most common reasons why firms instruct consulting firms with their projects is that they struggle with their profitability. As a consultant you will have to diagnose the underlying issues, come up with potential solutions and recommend actions to improve profitability. 

As a candidate in a case interview, the task is pretty much the same, but on a smaller scale. The good news is: Once you have understood the basic structure of profitability cases, you can solve them no matter the industry or concrete business scenario. The underlying concept is always the same and not very difficult. 

Profitability issues always stem from falling revenues , rising costs , or both . It is as simple as that. Your task will be two-fold: Perform a structured and quantitative analysis of the data to isolate the problem, and then find a promising solution. In most cases, you can use the profitability framework to structure the problem, but make sure to not blindly apply it, but really understand the problem at hand and make adjustments as needed in the concrete business scenario. 

The Profitability Framework – A Basic Tool to Structure Your Profitability Case 

The Profitability Framework is a fundamental tool for approaching profitability cases. It is basically an issue tree that breaks down profitability into its key components: revenues and costs.

In the first place, this equation is pretty straightforward and not complicated at all. Next, it is your task to understand each side of the equation and identify the cause for declining profitability. There could be three reasons : 

• Revenues have been declining. 
• Costs have been increasing. 
• Revenues have been declining and costs have been increasing.  (Always make sure to remember this option. It happens pretty easily that candidates identify either revenue or cost issues as the problem, completely focus on one side of the issue tree and forget to zoom out again, take a look at the big picture and consider the other side of the equation as well.) 

So, the first question to get an answer to is “Have revenues been declining?”, “Have costs been increasing?”, or “Have revenues been declining and costs been increasing? And if so, which one is the bigger problem?”. Whenever you get the information that something has changed: Quantify it! Ask by how much and in what time period. Depending on the answer, you will know on which side of your profitability tree you need to start your analysis. Always start with the most relevant driver ( Pareto Principle ). 

💡 Pro Tip: When trying to find out where to start your analysis, keep in mind to communicate like a consultant. A Bainie would not go to the client and bluntly ask “Have your revenues been declining?”, but rather formulate a question like “How have your revenues been developing over the past five years?”. It may be possible that your interviewer will then share an exhibit with you that not only contains revenue information, but also valuable insights on product lines, geographies or other relevant data, which you can use throughout the case.   

Scenario 1: Revenues have been declining.

Let’s assume, the profitability problem stems from declining revenues. There are many potential reasons for this and you need to find out which one applies in order to come up with a solution. Most important for your analysis is to stay structured at all times. 

1. Understand how the business makes revenue.

To structure your analysis of declining revenues, you need to understand the business model of the company you advise. So basically answer the questions: 

• How does this company make revenue?
• What does the revenue consist of?
• Which component of the revenue has been declining? 

Understanding your client’s business model is absolutely crucial for your revenue analysis. Only when you know which products the company sells and which customers it serves, will you be able to give solid advice on how to solve profitability problems. 

2. Break down the revenue into its single components.

Once you have understood the general business model of your client, you can go on and break down the revenue into its components. Depending on the business model of the company, the equation can differ. 

Let’s take a look at some examples depending on different industries: 

Manufacturing and Retail Industry

Revenue = Number of Units Sold × Selling Price per Unit Number of Units Sold: The total quantity of products manufactured or sold to customers. Selling Price per Unit: The price at which each unit of product is sold to distributors, retailers or customers.

Subscription-Based Services (e.g., Streaming Services, Software as a Service

Revenue = Number of Subscribers × Monthly Subscription Fee Number of Subscribers: The total number of customers who subscribe to the service. Monthly Subscription Fee: The amount charged to each subscriber on a monthly basis.

E-commerce Industry

Revenue = Number of Transactions × Average Transaction Value Number of Transactions: The total number of orders placed by customers. Average Transaction Value: The average amount spent by customers per transaction.

Advertising Industry (e.g. Digital Advertising, Print Media

Revenue = Impressions or Clicks × Cost per Impression or Click Impressions or Clicks: The total number of times an ad is viewed or clicked by users. Cost per Impression or Click: The cost charged to advertisers for each impression or click generated.

It becomes obvious that there is no one-size-fits-all-solution for a revenue analysis. You need to adjust your approach according to the client’s business model and needs. 

3. Analyze the single components of the revenue model.

Once you have a clear picture of what the revenue of your client is composed of, you can go on with your analysis by focusing on the component of the equation that appears to be the problem. For example, if your client is a manufacturer with declining revenues, you should find out if the number of units sold has been decreasing or the selling price per unit has been lowered (or a combination of both).

If the number of units sold has decreased, you go on with a further analysis on the reasons behind. These can be manifold, so make sure to stay structured and use segmentation to get to the root cause of the problem.

The segmentation you use needs to be customized to the case at hand. Make sure to let your interviewer know your thoughts and guide him or her through the case. That way, you will usually get valuable hints on which direction to go. 

Examples for segmentations are: 

• Product segmentation: Product types? Price ranges? Packaging sizes? 
• Customer segmentation: Small / medium-sized / large businesses? Age groups? Sex? Income groups? 
• Market segmentation: Geographies? Industry verticals? 
• Channel segmentation: Distribution channels? 

If you’ve found the biggest driver of the problem, you oftentimes have to switch to a more qualitative framework (for example the 4 Cs ) to find the underlying root cause. For example: when you have less revenue, but the price is the same and units sold dropped, you have to find out why. Is there a new competitor on the market? Do you have quality problems, or did you just stop a marketing initiative that you ran for years prior to this drop?  

The same procedure applies if pricing seems to be the issue for declining revenues. “Let’s increase prices” might be an easy recommendation to give, but most likely too easy to be valuable. It is crucial to understand first, why prices have decreased and again, the reasons might be diverse. Make sure to use a structured approach in order to pinpoint the exact problem. 

Possible reasons and forces for decreasing prices may be: 

• Increased Supply: Overproduction or excess inventory can lead to discounted pricing to clear out stock.
• Competitive Pricing: Aggressive pricing strategies by competitors can force companies to lower prices to remain competitive.
• Price Sensitivity of Customers: Changes in customer price sensitivity and purchasing behavior can influence demand and pricing strategies.
• Market Saturation: Increased competition and market saturation can lead to price wars and downward pressure on prices.
• Economic Conditions: Economic downturns or recessions can impact consumer purchasing power and demand for products.
• Exchange Rates: Fluctuations in exchange rates can affect import/export prices and overall cost structure.

It may not be surprising that when looking out for the reasons of the client’s revenue problem, staying structured is most important. Come up with solid hypotheses and validate or neglect them in the dialogue with your interviewer and based on the data that will be provided to you throughout the conversation. This requires flexibility and spontaneity, so learning frameworks by heart will not help you here. It is important to internalize the way of thinking a consultant uses and solve cases with peers to put it into practice. 

👉 To find like-minded candidates for mock interviews, take a look at our Meeting Board and simply accept one of the open invitations.  

4. Recommend actions to get revenues back on track.

Once you have successfully narrowed down the problem, there is one last thing for you to do: Come up with actions that get your profitability back on track. Most likely these will be actions to improve your revenues (also increasing the total value of your business), but there is a slight chance that at this point of your case, you may have to take a look at the big picture again and consider cost cutting measures as well. 

Whatever you do, don’t get too excited before you have crossed the finish line. Even at this final stage of your case interview, one thing is absolutely crucial. You might have guessed it: Structure! 

Don’t come up with a random list of possible solutions. Prioritize them based on their impact and categorize them, for instance by short-term or long-term actions or according to the difficulty of implementation. 

Last but not least, remember to communicate your outcome of the analysis answer-first. Start with what the client should do and then go on with the reasons behind. 

Scenario 2: Costs have been increasing. 

If revenues have been flat or increasing, but profitability is going down, your client might have a cost problem. The task for you as a consultant (or candidate in a case interview) is the same as for scenario 1: Identify the cause(s) and come up with recommendations to solve the problem. Use a structured approach for your analysis and communicate clearly what you are doing while working through your case. 

1. Understand the business model and general cost structure of your client. 

Before you can start to analyze the cost issue(s) of your client in detail, you need to understand what the business is actually doing and which business model is behind. The question of how the company makes money and which industry it is in, already implies which cost structure may be behind. For example, a service company will most likely have labor costs as its main cost driver while a manufacturing company will most likely have high spendings on raw materials. So, before you dig deeper into the cost structure of your client, get a better understanding of its business model first. 

2. Break down the costs into its single components.

To start off with your cost analysis, you need to develop a structured approach first. Segment your costs into different categories (and remember the MECE principle while doing so). A common way to break down the costs is to differentiate between fixed and variable costs . Fixed costs do not vary with production or sales volume while variable costs change in proportion to the sold goods or services. 

3. Analyze the single components of your cost structure. 

Once you know which component of your total costs has increased, you can go one step further down your issue tree and focus on that component first. But always remember to stay structured and segment as you go on identifying the root cause of your profitability issue. 

If your fixed costs appear to be the problem, you would go on by separating different cost categories (e.g. rent or lease expenses, salaries, utilities etc.) and taking a closer look at each one of them. Based on the business you are advising, you should make educated guesses on which cost categories may be the most relevant ones and start with these ones first. Let your interviewer know your thoughts and he or she will guide you in the right direction. 

If your variable costs appear to be the problem, you would go on with splitting these costs into its components. The equation is the following:

Variable Costs = Number of Units  × Cost per Unit  Number of Units is the total quantity of units produced or sold. Cost per Unit is the cost incurred to produce one unit of product, excluding fixed costs.

Remember to adjust the equation to the business model of your client. Which units are we talking about? Which kind of cost per unit do we need to consider? The equation might look different depending on whether your client is a manufacturer or service company, so it is important to internalize these basic approaches and adjust them flexibly to your case. 

Once the composure of the variable costs is clear, you will go on by analyzing either side of the equation. Start with the one that seems to be more relevant first. Let your interviewer know why you would want to focus on that and receive feedback if you are on the right track. 

At this point, you will most likely be able to quantify the cause of your rising costs and need to get more qualitative in the identification of possible reasons. Don’t make random guesses, but think before you speak and stay structured. For example, you could start off by differentiating internal or external reasons. If the problem seems to be internal, you could go on by working through the value chain. It is important that each of your steps follows a comprehensible logic. 

Your procedure highly depends on the case you were given and there is no standard framework that will help you out at this point. But don’t worry: With a good amount of practice, you can develop the mindset of a consultant and significantly improve your performance. We recommend at least 10-15 mock interviews with peers before the final day, so check out our Meeting Board and schedule meetings with like-minded candidates. 

4. Recommend actions to improve profitability

As a last step, identify actions that help your client get its profitability back on track. If rising costs are your main issue, cost cutting measures may seem obvious. However, there may be cases where rising costs are your main problem, but there is not much you can do about it (e.g. if the prices for necessary raw materials increase due to climate changes), so remember to keep the big picture in mind , zoom out and do not forget that measures to increase revenues might also be a good solution to your profitability issue. 

Categorize, structure and prioritize your recommendations. What are the most important measures and why? Make sure to communicate the outcome of your analysis and the corresponding recommendations clearly. You have made it this far, so stay concentrated until the end of the case and leave a lasting impression.

Scenario 3: Revenues have been decreasing and costs have been increasing. 

This is the worst scenario your client could possibly face. Profitability is going down, because revenues have been decreasing and costs have been increasing. How can you approach this case in a case interview? 

It is actually quite simple. First, you need to understand which one is the bigger problem or the problem you have more scope of action to address: Decreasing revenues or increasing costs. Focus on that problem first and follow the procedure you have learned in scenario 1 and 2. If you notice, you are going down the wrong path, go up your issue tree again and take the other branch. Not validating your initial hypothesis is always fine as long as you communicate it clearly to your interview and stay structured in everything you do. 

Profitability Case Example 

Let’s take a look at a profitability case example just like the ones you might encounter in your case interview: 

Your client is a chewing gum manufacturer. The CEO of the manufacturing company is concerned because her company is experiencing declining profitability. Please investigate the reasons for the decline and give suggestions for improvement.

👉 Do you want to solve the case yourself? Find it here .

1. Clarify the problem

Start off by making sure you have understood the question correctly. A good way to do so restating the problem: “Just so we are on the same page, our main objective is to determine the reasons behind the decline in profitability for a chewing gum manufacturer and provide recommendations to improve the profitability of the business, is that correct?”

You can then go on and ask further questions to better understand the structure of the company and industry. What is the size of the company? Which kind of chewing gum do they sell? Who are the customers? What is the price of the product and how does it compare with competitors? Who are the key players in the industry?

Ask what you need to know to understand the situation of the customer and take notes. Summarize your findings, collect feedback from the interviewer if you have understood everything correctly and go on with the preparation of your structure. 

2. Prepare your structure

“Thank you, may I take a minute to prepare my structure?” 

Based on the term “declining profitability” in the case prompt (“falling sales” or “rising costs” can also be hints), it is valid to assume a profitability case and work the corresponding framework as a basis for your structure. But be careful: Don’t jump to conclusions too fast and make sure in step 1 that you have really understood the situation of your client and prepare a structure that is customized for it. Off-the-shelve-frameworks are never a good idea - neither in case interviews nor in the real consulting world. 

Here, we do have a profitability case that can be analyzed by using the profitability equation to isolate and quantify the problem: 

When profits go down, you either have a decline in revenue, rising costs, or both. The best way to find the root cause is to sketch the problem as an issue tree . Start with the more promising part, for instance, revenues - because the market is highly competitive . Obviously, you would share that thought with your interviewer and be on the lookout for hints. For example: “I am going to look at revenues first, since in a competitive market like the market for chewing gums, I’d expect this to be a big driver.”

You can further break down the profit tree like below:

Now you can start with one of the branches. Let's take the revenue side.

Try to start with the branch of the tree that also has the biggest impact on the case solution. Share your hypothesis with the interviewer and watch out for hints if you are on the right track.

3. Analyze the revenue side

To understand the revenue side of the chewing gum manufacturer, segment the revenue streams. You can ask the interviewer whether you can segment the revenues into its component parts. If the interviewer prompts you to do the segmentation, you can think about different customer segments (small business / large business, etc., age group, sex, etc…), product lines, or regions (South America, Asia, etc.). This segmentation will help you isolate the root of the problem. You'll be able to develop better and more targeted analyzes.

To help the chewing gum manufacturer improve her profitability, you may ask: “What are the revenue sources?”. The interviewer tells you that all revenue comes from two products: Flavored and non-flavored chewing gums. At this point, you might want to know the development of sales over the past couple of years. “How have sales figures developed over the years for both products?” She shares the following diagram with you:

It now becomes clear that revenue is not the problem because it has grown steadily in recent years. Therefore, it must be costs that rose significantly, leading to a drop in profitability.

4. Analyze the cost side

Now explore the cost side. You know that costs can be broken down into fixed and variable costs . You can then inquire about the breakdown of costs: "Please tell me about the direct/indirect cost split for the products.” The interviewer hands you the following graph:

As we know that there are two different product lines, it is advisable to calculate their margins to check if there is a more profitable product line. 

“I'd like to calculate the margins for both products; do you have information on the different prices and costs for each of them?” The interviewer hands you the following graph:

You calculate the margin for both products based on the following formula:

The exact calculation then looks like this: 

The root cause of the profitability problem becomes clear: “Analysis show that the product whose sales have increased (flavored chewing gum) is also the one with lower margins due to the added flavor. Therefore, total profit margins have decreased while sales have increased.”

5. Close the profitability case

After you have determined the root cause, you must develop a good logical solution  (e.g., developing a competitive response , starting a marketing initiative, etc.)

It is important to stay structured even if you think you have reached the final stage. Therefore, categorize your approaches, for instance on a timeline:

• Negotiate with current suppliers.
• Look for other suppliers (form partnerships or buy greater amounts with batch discounts).
• Vertical integration.
• Release new products with better margins (e.g., low-calorie flavor gum or tooth cleaning gum).
• The client could also increase the price of the flavored gum, risking decreasing sales if customers do not see any added value with the price rise (high price sensitivity ).

Key Takeaways - 7 Tips to Ace Your Profitability Case with Confidence

Profitability problems are frequent in consulting case interviews and nothing to worry about. We have summarized the 7 most important tips to keep in mind when solving profitability cases:  

• Understanding the business model of your client and adjusting your approach according to the company’s needs is crucial to success. The standard profitability framework can be a good base to structure your case, but needs to be customized individually. 
• Profitability equals revenues minus costs . Use this profit formula to build an issue tree and tackle down the root cause of your problem (but don’t forget about tip 1). 
• Quantify your problem and look for trends. Locate the biggest driver of your profitability issue and prioritize it in your analysis. 
• Combine quantitative and qualitative analysis to not only identify facts, but also understand the reasons behind. 
• Keep the big picture in mind when recommending actions to improve the client’s profitability. The most obvious may not always be the most sustainable and best solution in the long run. 
• Stay structured in everything you do and make sure you communicate your thoughts clearly to the interviewer. This applies to all cases and is the most important skill to master prior to your interviews (and the actual consulting job as well). 
• Practice makes perfect: Solve one or two profitability cases on your own and then make sure to connect with peers and practice together. There is no better way to not only get into the habit of thinking like a consultant, but communicating like one as well. You will receive valuable feedback and improve your abilities much faster than with self-study only. Find plenty of case partners on our interactive Meeting Board and get started now! 

You Are Looking for More Profitability Cases to Practice with? 

Check out our recommended resources or browse the Case Library for all cases on this topic. 

👉 Company Case by Bain & Company: BeautyCo – Where Did the Profits Go?

👉 Expert Case by Ian (incl. video solution): Hot Wheels  

👉 PrepLounge Case: Fashion mail order

Questions on This Article

Excise tax to be dealt properly, elaborate on the total profit margin.

How did we get to 90c?

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28 Case Interview Examples for Consulting Interview Prep (2024)

• Last Updated January, 2024

Rebecca Smith-Allen

Former McKinsey Engagement Manager

How to Use Case Interview Examples

Video Case Interview Example: Questions & Answers

Tips for Acing Your Case

Free Case Interview Examples (Consulting Firms)

Free Case Interview Examples (Consulting Clubs)

Practice is the key to passing your consulting interviews. To practice, you’ll need some examples of case interview questions and answers to work with.

We’ve got links to loads of them below.

In addition, we have:

• Tips on how to use case interview examples to prepare for your consulting interviews,
• A video case interview example with My Consulting Offer founder Davis Nguyen, and
• Insight into the difference between average and exceptional answers to case interview questions.

Get ready to dive deep into structuring your analysis of business problems, identifying the key issues, and recommending solutions!

Keep reading to find out how to use case interview examples to ace your case.

How to Use Case Interview Examples to Ace Your Case

1. start your case interview preparation early..

You’ll need to practice dozens of case interview examples to get good enough to receive an offer from one of the top consulting firms. This is not something you can cram the night before an interview.

Start as soon as possible.

2. Don’t Read Straight through Sample Case Interview Examples or Passively Watch Videos.

Some people think that the best way to improve their chances of passing a case interview is by reading as many cases interview examples as they can.

This is like reading about how to play tennis but never picking up a racket. To get better at tennis, for example, you need to actually pick up a ball and be active. The same applies to your interview preparation.

Stop and think at each step in the case interview question. Come up with your own answer and say it out loud. Practice driving each part of the case interview example yourself.

• How would you structure your analysis of the problem?
• What questions would you ask the interviewer?
• How would you set up the case math problem?
• What recommendation would you make to the client?

After you’ve developed your answer, compare it to the suggested answer for the case.

What did you get right?

How did your answer and the case interview example answer differ?

Are there things you miss consistently across multiple case interview examples?

The answers to these  case interview examples can look simple when you just read through them, but it’s not easy to come up with all the key aspects of the solution on your own.

Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.

3. Find Partners to Practice Case Interviews with.

Teamwork is an important part of consulting work, so get ready for it now. Find a case interview practice partner, preferably someone else who’s applying to jobs in the management consulting industry because they’ll know more about what recruiters are looking for.

Practicing cases with a partner provides the opportunity to get feedback from someone else on what you’re doing well and what you need to improve. Additionally, you’ll learn a lot by watching how your partner solves sample case studies.

Look for aspects of their approach that are effective as well as what they could do better. Working with a partner will make your consulting interview practice feel more real.

Similar to how you need a tennis partner to feel what is like to play tennis, you need a case partner to experience what a case interview is like.

4. Master the 4 Parts of the Case Interview.

In our article on Case Interview Prep , we discussed the 4 parts of the case interview: the opening, structure, analysis, and conclusion. As you practice with consulting case interview examples, practice each of these 4 parts to ensure you’re strong at them all.

5. Avoid Case Burnout.

A case zombie is someone who’s grown tired of casing from doing too much of it. Their answers feel rehearsed, not conversational. 

They may seem bored, not engaged in solving the problem. They’ll be less creative in their solutions. They certainly won’t pass the airport test!

Avoid becoming a case zombie by practicing smarter, not harder.

Video: Case Interview Examples – Questions & Answers

In the following case interview example, Davis Nguyen, founder of My Consulting Offer solves McKinsey’s SuperSoda case.  The video is broken into 4 parts of the case interview.

Remember, don’t just watch the video. Stop the video and provide your own answer before listening to Davis’s  answer to the case question.

Step 1: Case Interview Example Opening – Ensure you understand the client and the problem you’ll be solving in the case.

Step 2: case interview example structure – break the problem down into smaller parts. make sure you cover all key case issues., step 3: case interview example analysis – ask questions, gathering information from graphs and charts provided by the interviewer, do case math, and provide insight into the client’s business problem based on what you learn., step 4: case interview example recommendation – develop a rational recommendation for the client based on all you’ve learned throughout the case interview., tips for acing your consulting case interviews – the difference between average & exceptional, case interview opening.

The opening is a great point to ask “dumb” questions because, at this point, you’re not expected to know much about the client and their business. 

Here your goal is to understand the client, their business, and what a successful project will look like.

Don’t shy away from asking for clarification on things that will help you better understand the business problem and solve it. For example, if you don’t know how life insurance works and the case is about life insurance, then ask.

After ensuring you understand the client and their problem, the next thing to ask about is key metrics of success. 

For example, the client may want to find new avenues for growth. Are they looking for a 5% increase in revenue or to double their business?

Finding out what success looks like in the client’s eyes will ensure you work to deliver a solution that meets their expectations, not one that’s underwhelming.

After you find out what success looks like, ask further probing questions to better understand the client, their business, and any constraints on solving the case.

Examples of Relevant Questions to ask Your Interviewer 

Examples of relevant questions about the client might include the geography they operate in or the sector of their industry they are strongest in. 

Examples of relevant questions about their business might include what products or services are most profitable or most important to their customers. 

Examples of relevant questions about the problem might include whether there are any costs that can’t be cut or what the maximum amount the client is able to invest in developing a new product. 

Asking these types of questions up front will give you a better context for solving the client’s problem and make it more likely that you will solve the case interview.

Case Interview Structure

You’ll need a framework to make sure your analysis covers all key aspects of the consulting case. 

You can use one of the many standard Case Interview Frameworks we’ve outlined , but top interviewees develop their own framework for analyzing the case interview question. 

Their frameworks may include pieces of one or more of the standard frameworks but are tailored to the particular business problem they’re discussing. 

Good frameworks are hypothesis-driven, that is to say they can be tested similar to the science experiment, so that the answer is either a “yes” or “no.” For example, examining your bank account to see, “if I have $400 for a ticket” is an example.

Second, good frameworks cover all topics relevant to the answer. For example, if the client is opening up a new hotel in a foreign country, checking out the existing competition should be part of the framework.

As you study more about interactive case interviews and practice them you’ll develop a sense for what factors are relevant or not relevant to the case at hand.

Finally, a good structure will be  MECE  or mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive.

This means the framework will break down the market or population being analyzed into segments that include every part of the whole (collectively exhaustive), and each segment of the market or member of the population will show up in one and only one category without overlap (mutually exclusive). 

For example, if you divide the target market for a retail product into segments by age, these segments would be MECE:

•  10-19,
• 40-49, etc.

The categories 15-25, 20-30, 27-35 would not be MECE because people could be counted twice. 

Case Interview Analysis

In the analysis phase of your case interview example, you’ll ask questions to get the information you need to solve the client’s business problem. Your questions will likely lead you to one of the 4 types of analysis that are common in consulting interviews: market sizing, brainstorming, quantitative reasoning (case math), or reading exhibits. 

No matter which of these types of analysis comes up, there’s a 4-step method that ensures you can crack the case. 

This 4-step method is:

• Ask for data,
•  Interpret the data,
•  Provide insight, and 
• Outline next steps. 

The data you ask for will depend on the case interview question you’re solving. For example, if the question is about profitability, you’ll need to know about the client’s finances: dig into revenues and costs. 

For example, if you find that the client’s revenues are flat while their costs have been rising, you’ll know that the problem is in the cost structure and that you’ll need to examine costs more closely.

Next, provide insight. As you examine costs further, you’ll find out why they’ve grown faster than revenues. 

This insight will naturally lead to the next steps. What does the client need to do to get costs under control and fix their profitability problem? 

You may need to go through this 4-step method a couple of times, focusing on different aspects of the client’s business problem. 

Once you’ve examined and developed insight into all key aspects of the problem, your next step will be to conclude the interview with a recommendation for the client.

Case Interview Conclusion

At this point, you’ve hopefully cracked the case and are ready to present your recommendations to the client (your interviewer). 

The best way to do this is to use the 5R approach:

• Recap – restate the business problem you’ve analyzed. In consulting this is done because a CEO might have hired 5 McKinsey teams and can’t remember which one you are on. 
• Recommendations – Provide the solution your analysis led to. We lead with the recommendation because it is the most important piece of information. Stating it first and clearly puts everyone on the same page.
• Reasons – Summarize the key facts and insights that lead you to your recommendations. 
• Risks – Outline any risks the client should be aware of as they implement your recommendations. No recommendation has a 100% probability of success. Clients need to be aware of business risks in the same way patients need to understand the side effects of drugs.
• Retaining the client – Provide next steps for how you can help the client ensure success. As consultants, we are paid for helping our clients. If there is a natural extension of the work as the client implements the team’s recommendations, we should tell them how we can provide further assistance (and ultimately make money for your firm). 

While most candidates will address their recommendations and possibly the reasons for their recommendations, few will hit all these points. 

In particular, outlining risks and further ways you can help the client will differentiate you from other candidates and help you to advance  to the second round of interviews or get the offer.

Free Online Case Interview Examples from 7 Top Consulting Firms

Now that you’re familiar with how you should use case interview examples and what differentiates an average answer from an exceptional one, you need sample questions to practice with.

Below, we provide links to dozens to help you hone your business problem-solving skills.

1. McKinsey Case Interview Examples

Disconsa – Help a not-for-profit develop better financial-service offerings for remote Mexican communities.

Electro-Light – Help a beverage manufacturer prepare for a new product launch.

GlobalPharm – Help a pharmaceutical industry client manage with its merger and acquisitions strategy.

Transforming a National Education System – Help a country’s education ministry develop a new strategy for educating the country’s children. 

2. BCG Case Interview Examples

Climate Challenge – Help a global consumer goods company reduce its environmental impact.

Driving Revenue Growth at a Healthcare Company – Help a medical devices and services company to increase revenues following an acquisition. (The same one that is highlighted above in our example)

3. Bain Case Interview Examples

Coffee Shop Co. – Help a friend decide whether they should open a coffee shop.

F ashionCo. – Help a fashion company understand why its revenues have been going down.

Private Equitas – Help a private equity company maximize its investment in a portfolio company.

4. Deloitte Case Interview Examples

Footloose  – Help a footwear company improve their market share in the boots category.

Recreation Unlimited – Help a global apparel and sportswear company improve its digital customer experience and its revenue.

Agency V – Help a large federal agency recover from a front-page scandal that sparked investigations and congressional hearings.

Federal Benefits Provider – Help a federal agency that provides benefits to millions of U.S. citizens prepare for a major expansion of its mandate.

5. AT Kearney Case Interview Examples

Promotion Planning – Help a national grocery and drug store chain improve its product promotion strategy.

6. PWC Case Interview Examples

Modernizing a Hotel’s Loyalty Platform – Help simplify and modernize the platform, providing customers with immediate access to their data.

Green Energy – Help an energy company transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Nonprofit Impact – Help a community organization respond to client needs during the pandemic.

Love at First Byte – Help a data management client comply with new regulations.

Prioritizing Ethics and Integrity – Help a software company leverage data analytics to comply with regulations.

7. Accenture Case Interview Examples

Sustainability – Help drive sustainability for an auto manufacturer.

IT integration strategy – Driving merger integration by linking technology systems.

We have more on how to Accenture Case Interviews in our article.

8. Capital One Case Interview Examples

Ice Cream Corporation – Help the president of Ice Cream Corporation grow profits.

9. Oliver Wyman Case Interview Examples

Wumbleworld – Help a China-based theme park operator identify the reasons for declining profits and develop options for reversing the trend.

Aqualine – Help a manufacturer of small power boats determine why its sales growth has slowed and identify opportunities to boost sales.

10. LEK Case Interview Examples

Theater chain – Help a large theater chain identify revenue growth opportunities.

Free Online Case Interview Examples from Consulting Clubs

Need more case interview examples? Here are links to MBA case books compiled by INSEAD, Harvard, Wharton, Darden, and several other business schools.

Recent Consulting Case Interview Examples

• Darden School Of Business 2021-2022 Casebook
• NYU Stern MCA 2020-2021 Casebook
• The Duke MBA Consulting Club Casebook 2021-2022
• Notre Dame Casebook 2022
• Kellogg Consulting Club 2020 Casebook
• FMS Consulting Casebook 2021-22
• INSEAD Consulting Club Casebook 2021
• IIMC Consulting Casebook 2021-22
• UCLA Case Book 2019 – 2020
• Columbia Business School 2021 Casebook
• IIM Lucknow Casebook 2022
• Cornell MBA Johnson Consulting Club Casebook 2020-2021
• Darden School Of Business 2020-2021 Casebook

Older Consulting Case Interview Examples

• 2019 Berkeley Haas School of Business Consulting Club Interview Preparation Guide and Case Interview Examples
• The Duke MBA Consulting Club Casebook 2018-2019
• 2017-2018 McCombs University of Texas at Austin Consulting Case Interview Examples
• Columbia Business School Management Consulting Association Case Interview Examples 2017
• Duke Fuqua School of Business MBA Consulting Case Interview Examples 2016-2017
• NYU Stern MBA MCA Case Interview Examples: 2017
• UCLA Anderson School of Management Consulting Association Case Interview Examples 2015-2015
• Darden Consulting Club Case Interview Examples: 2014-2015
• Yale Life Sciences Consulting Case Interview Examples 2014
• ESADE MBA Consulting Club Case Interview Examples 2014
• Darden Consulting Case Interview Examples: 2012-2013 Edition
• Kellogg Consulting Club Case Interview Examples and Interview Guide: 2012 Edition

Even More Consulting Case Interview Examples

• The Cornell Consulting Club Interview Interview Examples
• Harvard Business School Management Consulting Club Case Interview Examples
• The MIT Sloan School of Management Consulting Club Case Interview Examples and Interview Guide – October 2001
• The Berkeley MBA Haas Consulting Club 2006 Case Interview Examples
• London Business School – The 2006 Consulting Club Case Interview Examples 
• Columbia Business School Management Consulting Association Case Interview Examples – 2006
• Torch the Case – The NYU Stern Consulting Case Interview Examples – 2007 edition 
• Michigan – the Ross School of Business Consulting Club 2010 Case Interview Examples
• Wharton Case Interview Examples by the Wharton Consulting Club – December 2010
• The Duke MBA Consulting Club Case Interview Examples – 2010-2011
• Case Interview Examples by the ESADE MBA Consulting Club 2011  
• INSEAD Consulting Club Handbook and Case Interview Examples – 2011

Still have questions?

If you still have questions on case interview examples, leave them in the comments below. We’ll ask our My Consulting Offer coaches and get back to you with answers.

We have tons of other articles to help you get an offer from one of the top consulting firms. Check out our pages on:

• Case Interview Math
• Case Interview Types
• Case Interview Formulas
• Market Sizing Questions

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Market-sizing & Guesstimate Questions: How to Nail Them!

In a case interview, guesstimate and market-sizing questions are two of the most common types questions of question in a case interview .

Guesstimate questions ask you to guess/estimate a random number/quantitative variable. Market-sizing questions are a subset of guesstimates where you’ll be asked to guess the market size of a certain product.

This article will help you nail down a perfect answer for these questions. 

Why Guesstimates and Market Sizing?

The majority of day-to-day consulting work is answering these two question types. That’s why almost all case interviews include them, to test your fit as a consultant.

Guesstimate questions help you plan a project ahead and optimize resources. 

"How much time should be spent on a certain task? Where can the data for this certain thing be found? If not, what is a reasonable, realistic estimate? How long would it take my team members to do X?"

Getting a right estimation for questions like these can save you and your clients tons of man-hour. It’ll also keep a project more well-organized and professional looking in front of clients.

Market-sizing questions help you convince clients . Whenever you propose your solutions to clients, e.g. we should expand into this market, or we need to acquire Monster Energy, C-level executives will always fact-check you.

They’ll ask about the total addressable market of that segment, or the market share of Monster Energy. If the data isn’t available, you must show them a guesstimated market size answer, demonstrating the large amount of research you put into the decision.

How to answer guesstimate and market-sizing questions

Watch more: Guesstimate and market-sizing questions is not that hard  

The most important thing to note is that you must answer these questions like a real consultant would. 

Your interviewer only cares about the process that led you to produce the result. It does not matter if the number is a little bit off, as long as it makes sense.  Even if you do know the exact number, do not jump straight to the result. 

Below is the five-step process for a perfect answer to guesstimate and market-sizing questions. 

We will look at these steps through a sample market-sizing question: “ What is the smartphone market size in Germany?”.

Step 1: Clarify the problem

After receiving the question from the interviewer, always begin by recapping the information and clarifying all vague terms in the question . If you do this right, you’ll know which data you need to guess and which to ask the interviewer. 

Getting a segmentation right can divide your problem into a smaller set of calculation, creating an ultimate formula to calculate the final answer. 

Here is our recommendation of factors to clarify:

Unit Of Measurement: What kind of units will you use to quantify the final answer (like tons, pound, unit, people, USD, etc.)?

Timeframe: What is the timeframe used for the question (day, week, month, year)? E.g. Calculate market size for a year or a quarter?

Distribution channels: If the question asks about a commercial product, what are its distribution channels (Online, offline, retailer, wholesaler)?

Customers: Who will be the main target audience/demographic (B2B, B2C, etc.)

When clarifying, try to be as close-ended as possible to control the narrative of the question. For example: 

“I can’t help but notice some unclear terms in the question, so I’ll clarify it with four assumptions:

A smartphone is a phone exclusively using a touchscreen, i.e without a physical keyboard

The unit of measurement is the number of smartphones sold to end consumers

The timeframe used is annual

The question concerns the German market size at present

So, are we on the same page on this?”

Most of the time, interviewers don’t have a specific goal in mind, so they tend to say ‘yes’, to your proposal. They just need to see where your thinking process is going. However, remember to always align your answer with the interviewer (to double-check and show courtesy).

Step 2. Time out and break down the problem

After clarifying the question, always ask for some time out . Even if you know the goal number (e.g. you performed market research for smartphones in Germany before), you still need time to organize your thoughts into a presentation.

Use the time out to break down the problem into clearly defined MECE portions. You can use issue trees for simple questions or tables for more complex data sets.

Only use them to create a barebone formula for your answer (like Usage = Population * Use rate). Do NOT try to make any calculations or estimations at this stage. You’ll present your calculations in front of the interviewer.

For example:

“For this question, we can calculate the “number of smartphones sold to end consumers” by estimating four data points:

The size of the German population

The percentage of mobile phone owners within the German population.

The percentage of smartphone owners within German mobile phone owners.

The average lifespan of smartphones in Germany.

Since this is a fairly straightforward analysis, I will be using a simple issue tree to illustrate. The necessary data points will lie at the bottom of the issue tree.”

Step 3. Estimate each piece

Now, you will get to work out and guess the specific number for all of the above data points.

You must demonstrate this step right after step 2, to keep the time-out period short and engage with the interviewer.

You should:

Round up the numbers/estimates to the dozens or easy to calculate numbers (divisible by 10, 5, etc.)

Base the estimation on experience or common facts to avoid absurd errors

“Here are some quick guesstimates for the German smartphone market, using the four previous data points:

Germany’s population is 80 million (double check with the interviewer if you are unsure)

The percentage of mobile phone owners is 80% (assuming German life expectancy is 80, the population is evenly distributed across age groups and they own mobile phones from age 15)

The percentage of smartphone owners is 95% (assuming only 5% own mobile phone owners choose a “keyboard phone” since Germany is a developed country)

The average lifespan of smartphones in Germany is 2.5 years (so the average consumer “uses” 0.4 phones every year)”

Do not push yourself too hard to get a perfect number, as the main thing that will be assessed is your approach to the problem. If you meet any unfamiliar data point (outside of your area), you can always ask for this from the interviewer.

Step 4. Calculate

During the case interview and most consulting work, calculations must be made quickly and on the spot. 

If you estimate your data correctly, this step will be slightly easier to get through. That is why you need to present all your calculations to the interviewer to demonstrate your mental math skills.

Here are the calculations for the example:

Germany’s population: 80 million

The number of mobile phone owners: 80 million x 80% = 64 million

The number of smartphone owners: 64 million x 95% = 60 million

Total annual unit sales of smartphones in Germany: 60 million x 0.4 = 24 million

In reality, 22.9 million smartphones were sold in Germany in 2020. 24 million is a relatively close answer. However, most of the time, the accuracy of your answer can fluctuate more widely.

This is a totally acceptable fact and will not affect your performance much (though a close answer would be much appreciated). In real consulting work, there is always an acceptable margin of error, as long as your number is not too absurd.

Step 5: Sanity check the result 

There is no quick way around this. All your answers and numbers must be realistic and seem sensible in an everyday context. 

Any absurd errors will show that you have no common sense in certain areas, which is a huge red flag. 

For instance, even though Germany is a developed nation, it is NOT okay to say 100% of its citizens have mobile phones. This number does not account for people who cannot use mobile phones, like kids and elders, or who live in remote regions where a smartphone cannot be used effectively and therefore do not buy one.

Therefore, you must perform regular re-cap of your answers and go back into your issue trees to correct your mistake right away. It will show the interviewer that you can still control the case.

Guesstimate and market-sizing questions – Tips and tricks

You can follow the five tips below to further enhance your performance with guesstimate and market-sizing questions.

Tip 1: Ask close-ended clarification questions

This one is already mentioned above. However, many make this mistake in the case interview by being too open and, therefore, lose control of the narrative and make the question a lot more harder. 

For the given sample question about smartphones in Germany, here are a few questions you may ask:

What can be counted as a smartphone?

What is the unit of measurement?

What is the timeframe to measure the market size?

At which point in time is the market size measured? 

These questions are quite open-ended and the interviewer can surprise you with unwanted, difficult information. For instance, when you ask ‘ What is the timeframe to measure the market size?’ , they may answer “It would be in five-year increments” . 

The question now become a lot harder than when you set the timeframe yourself, for example “ the German market size at present ” . This will hide away the ‘no’ option and nudge the interviewer into agreeing with you. 

Of course, they could still go out of their way to disagree with you if they wish to ask for a certain situation (e.g., the market size over 5-year periods). However, this is very rare as the interviewers must also consider that they only have a limited amount of time and brainpower for each candidate. 

Tip 2: Make defendable, fact-based estimations

Base your estimations on facts and logic to make them more defendable and sensible in front of others.

First of all, always follow up your estimates with a short explanation and hypothetical conditions . C onsulting is a fact-based industry , and accountability is a desirable trait. As such, the interviewer will likely question you on your estimations, so always have valid reasons to defend them.

For example, when estimating the percentage of mobile phone owners over the German population:

"The percentage of mobile phone owners is 80% (assuming German life expectancy is 80, the population is evenly distributed across age groups and they own mobile phones from age 15)”.

Of course the real Germany’s demographic distribution is completely different, but it is not necessary for our estimation.

In addition, make estimations that are based on logic and sensible real-life observation . If you have worked with a certain industry and have a good memory about the data sources, do not be afraid to cite them. 

For example, if you need the average life-span of a smartphone, do not say “10 years” just because you are still using an iPhone 5 from 10 years ago. 

2.5 years, on the other hand, can be derived from daily observations; I can also cite Morgan Stanley on the average smartphone being replaced every 2.75 years in 2019. After that, you can reason that Germans may replace phones more frequently, considering their high income.

Your estimation can be wrong, but do not be too wrong. Do not guess that Germany’s population is 150 million, when in fact it is only around 80 million. 

When you are unfamiliar with a certain figure and cannot make an estimate, you can always double-check and ask the interviewer. If both you and the interviewer do not know the correct number (though highly unlikely), then you can be wrong together.

Tip 3: Round up the numbers for easy calculations

Do your brain a favor, and round the numbers for easier calculations.

Ideally, you would alternate between rounding up and rounding down so the offsets will cancel each other out and minimize your margin of error. You can read more about rounding in consulting math here .

Notice in the example how I chose the rounded, easy number: 80 million instead of 83 million; 80% instead of 81.25%; 60 million instead of 61 million.

Tip 4: Solve the problem with explicit visual aids

Try drawing an issue tree or a table, and point to it as you speak. Without visual aids, it is easy to lose track amidst a network of data and estimations. 

Besides, if you do not draw your issue tree/table out, you will appear less organized. This is not good in a case interview.

An issue tree is best used for simple questions that can be quickly sub-divided into ONE level of details. 

For instance, with the sample “smartphone in Germany” question, it’s best to use an issue tree as you only need data points for the population of Germany.

For more complex questions, you need to use tables , like when the interviewer asks for “smartphone usage in Europe”. 

For this, you need to calculate figures for multiple countries/regions, so an issue tree will be hard to demonstrate. You can look at the below table as an example. 

You can find many more killer tips and techniques in my deep-dive video within the Guesstimate and market-sizing Questions sections of the Case Interview E2E Secrets Program .

Tip 5: Perform regular sanity checks

Regularly check if your numbers are sound – logically, factually, and mathematically. 

Go back and recap your answer after each step, from clarification, estimations to calculation. Double-check all the assumptions you make, e.g “Are there any other terms that need clarifying?”, “Is my break-down of the problem and issue tree MECE?”, “Do all the numbers sound sensible?”.

Between all the confusing data, estimations, and the difficult process of breaking down the problem, it’s easy to make mistakes. Your common sense should ring its alarm bell if it takes 10 years for Germans to replace their smartphones, or if “60 million x 0.4 = 40 million”.

Guesstimate and market-sizing questions – Cheat sheets

“How do I break this down?” and “What is the right number?” are two biggest questions in answering guesstimate and market-sizing questions.

You can make these questions easier by building two cheat sheets – one for common segmentations, and the other for common data. I can give you a general guideline on how to do it – you can make much better ones yourself.

Common segmentation methods

There are four easy segmentation methods to break down problems in market-sizing and guesstimating : Geographical segmentation, Demographic segmentation, Behavioral segmentation, Replacement and growth

You can list the specific common segmentations in each type (e.g: high income, middle income, low income) on a ready-to-use sheet, but you should understand the principle of each type to be more flexible in case interviews.

The correct segmentation method can point you in the right direction and avoid costly mistakes that invalidate your entire issue tree. Your accuracy in this part mostly depends on your business and background knowledge. Be sure to apply some common sense into your number to avoid making any absurd errors.

Note that there is more than one correct way to break down a problem. Choose the easiest one or the one you are most familiar with.

Geographical segmentation

Geographical segmentation works great at the higher levels of your issue tree or as labels in your tables.

You can describe them on a three-level geographic scale as follow:

Local area/Domestic region/National

Country/Continent/International

However, not all questions require geographical segmentation. For our Germany smartphone sample question, the regional differences will not contribute much to our answer, so we will not use this segmentation method.

But if the question is about “smartphone usage in Europe”, since this is a large and complex region, we can divide it into Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern Europe for easier estimation. 

Demographic segmentation

Demographic segmentation is best used to work out the necessary data points of your answer. You can describe the target demographic in your question along multiple metrics, such as age, gender, income, family status, education, etc.

The specific metrics you choose will depend on your knowledge on the topic and how each metric relates to the final answer. 

For example, when describing smartphone usage, its best to segment them into age group. However, when it comes to car ownership or jewelry purchases, you might want to use income level segmentation.

Nonetheless, to keep the issue tree and calculation simple, use one (two at most) metric to describe the demographic. 

For example, I only used age in the above example as it is the most relevant determiner to owning a smartphone – once you’ve reached late teens, you’ll most likely buy one regardless of other demographic factors.

Behavioral segmentation

This one segments the market based on the customers’ actions. There are many types of behavioral segmentation in marketing, but it all revolves around how customers interact with a product. 

Using the correct behavioral segmentation can help make your calculation more accurate. They can dive down into the specifics of the demographic groups, and help you seek out some hidden trends.

If you look back at my example, you can see two behavioral segments there: mobile phone users are divided into smartphone users and keyboard-phone users. Because, in general, not everybody is into smartphone and some still use old-school ones.

Replacement and growth

If the market size does not change significantly, replacement is useful to estimate potential sales from existing customers, for products with predictable lifespans, such as FMCGs, digital devices, motorbikes, and cars.

However, if the market size grows significantly (positive or negative) within the question timeframe, you need to calculate that growth separate from replacement.

In my smartphone example, if the interviewer asked me to calculate the market size in 2030 with 5% consistent growth, I would need to add a 60% total growth to 24 million, for a final 38 million units per year.

Common data points cheat sheet

From the previous section, we can see that segmentation methods inform how our answer is structured, and each constitute a different element contributing to the final result. 

Nonetheless, you will notice that 2 types of data that come up repeatedly:

Population numbers

Demographic factors (life expectancy, age structure, income segments, education, etc.)

On a geographical basis, those two data types often appear on three scales:

Your own locality (on a national or domestic regional scale)

Major country groups/continental regions

So when practicing for guesstimates and market-sizing questions, try to perfect how you segment and guesstimate these types of data. Then, compile the common data points into a cheat sheet to memorize and use in your case interview.

Here’s an example cheat sheet I drafted in a few minutes for illustrative purposes:

Do your research based on those criteria, and you’ll soon have a much more detailed data cheat sheet!

Guesstimate and market-sizing question example

We will apply all the tips and techniques above to solve another example, from start to finish.

Take your time and work on an answer of your own, following the 5 steps as well as the tips and tricks I gave you.

You can also make the best out of each example by “twisting” the definitions, effectively creating new questions to practice.

EXERCISE: How much Earl Grey tea is drunk by British people in a typical afternoon?

Earl Grey tea is any tea marketed as such, regardless of the ingredients.

British people consist of inhabitants across all 4 municipalities of the UK.

The consumption is measured in cups (as in tea cups).

A typical afternoon will be between 1.pm and 5.pm

NOTE: This is an example of close-ended clarification. Don’t ask questions like “Which region’s population count as British people?” You may be asked to calculate the figure for the entire Commonwealth.

Break down the problem

The answer depends on three determinants:

The total population of the UK

The number of tea cups drunk by an average British person in a typical afternoon

The chance of a tea cup being Earl Grey.

Since there’s no significant difference in tea consumption habits between, let’s say, Scotland and England, you don’t need to break down the geographical region further. You just need to break down the behavior of tea consumption based on tea brands.

Solve each piece

The basis of each estimation is in brackets:

The UK has a population of 65 million. (the correct number is around 66-67 million)

Each afternoon the average British drink 1 cup of tea. (based on the afternoon-tea party, where people usually eat snack and drink tea, the cup is quite big, and tea is a caffeinated drink that should not be consumed too much)

The chance of the tea being Earl Grey is 10%. (Earl Grey is among top 5 popular teas, which together may take up 50% of all tea in the UK)

Remember to always back your estimation up with a list of hypothesis and reasonings, and round up the number so calculation is easier.

Consolidate the pieces

Each afternoon, British people drink 65 million cups of tea. (65 million people x 1 cup)

Among them, 6.5 million cups are Earl Grey. (65 million cups x 10%)

=> Answer: in a typical afternoon, British people drink 6.5 million cups of Earl Grey tea.

Presenting the answer – Interview script

You know the steps, the tips and you already have your cheat sheet in mind. However, case interviews are not just about content, but also presentation! How do you present an answer to a guesstimate and market-sizing question in a truly consulting-like way and impress your interviewer?

In the Prospective Candidate Starter Pack , I’ve prepared an interview script using various tips and techniques tailored for this specific kind of question, along with a full set of free materials to prepare for a consulting career!

Want to learn even more advanced tips and tricks of guesstimate and market-sizing questions, or explore the secrets of consulting case interviews?

Subscribe to our Case Interview E2E Secrets Program and its Guesstimate and market-sizing Questions package to join countless other successful candidates!

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All About Consulting Case Studies [+Tips & Example]

Table of Contents

What are consulting case studies, what is the purpose of consulting case studies.

• How to Analyze Consulting Case Studies 
• Tips for Crafting a Strong Consulting Case Study 

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Consulting Case Study Interpretation

Why is data so important in consulting case studies .

• How to Present Your Findings from Consulting Case Studies 

Example Deloitte Case Study

Consulting case studies are real-life examples of consulting projects that have been completed by consulting firms. These studies are used to showcase the expertise and problem-solving abilities of the consulting firm, as well as to provide potential clients with an understanding of the type of work that the firm can deliver. Consulting case studies typically detail the challenge that the client was facing, the approach taken by the consulting firm to address the challenge, and the outcomes and results achieved as a result of the project.

Consulting case studies are a valuable tool used by professionals in the consulting industry to showcase their expertise and problem-solving skills. These case studies typically outline a specific business challenge or issue that a client faced, and detail how the consulting firm addressed and resolved the problem. By presenting real-world examples of their work, consulting firms are able to demonstrate their capabilities to potential clients and establish credibility in the industry.

The purpose of consulting case studies is twofold. Firstly, they serve as a means for consulting firms to highlight their success stories and showcase their ability to deliver results for clients. By detailing the specific steps taken to address a particular issue, consulting firms can illustrate their problem-solving process and demonstrate the value they bring to their clients. This can be especially valuable for potential clients who are evaluating different consulting firms and looking for evidence of past success.

Secondly, consulting case studies can also serve as a learning tool for professionals in the consulting industry. By studying successful case studies, consultants can gain insights into different problem-solving approaches, strategies, and best practices. This can help them improve their own consulting skills and better understand how to approach similar challenges in the future. Overall, consulting case studies play a crucial role in showcasing the expertise of consulting firms, attracting new clients, and promoting continuous learning and improvement within the industry.

How to Analyze Consulting Case Studies 

Analyzing Consulting Case Studies involves breaking down the problem statement, identifying key challenges, understanding the approach taken by the consulting firm, evaluating the effectiveness of the solutions proposed, and assessing the overall impact of the project. By closely examining the details of each case study, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of the consulting process and learn valuable lessons that can be applied to their own projects.

In order to effectively analyze Consulting Case Studies, it is important to ask critical questions such as:

• What were the main challenges faced by the client?
• What approach did the consulting firm take to address these challenges?
• What were the key findings and recommendations made by the consulting team?
• What were the outcomes of the project in terms of financial impact, operational improvements, or strategic benefits?
• What lessons can be learned from this case study that can be applied to future consulting projects?

By answering these questions and thoroughly examining the details presented in Consulting Case Studies, individuals can gain valuable insights into the consulting process and learn how to approach similar challenges in their own work. 

Tips for Crafting a Strong Consulting Case Study 

Case studies are a valuable tool for consultants to showcase their expertise and experience. By presenting a detailed analysis of a client project, consultants can demonstrate their problem-solving skills and the results they have achieved. To create a strong consulting case study, there are several tips to keep in mind.

First and foremost, it is important to choose a relevant and compelling client project to focus on. Selecting a project that highlights your expertise and showcases your ability to deliver results will help to capture the attention of potential clients. Additionally, be sure to include specific details about the client’s goals, challenges, and the solutions you implemented. Providing this context will help readers understand the complexity of the project and the impact of your work.

In addition to outlining the project details, it is important to highlight the results and outcomes of your work. Quantifying the impact of your solutions with specific metrics and data will provide concrete evidence of your success. This information can help potential clients understand the tangible benefits of working with you and can help establish your credibility as a consultant. By following these tips and creating a well-crafted case study, consultants can effectively showcase their skills and attract new clients. 

Tips for Writing a Compelling Case Study Narrative

Crafting a compelling case study narrative is essential for capturing the attention of your audience and effectively communicating the value of your work. When writing your case study, it is important to create a clear and engaging narrative that highlights the problem-solving process and the impact of your solutions. Start by outlining the client’s goals and challenges, and then explain how you approached the project and developed a strategic solution.

To keep readers engaged, consider incorporating storytelling elements into your case study. By providing a narrative structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end, you can create a compelling story that draws readers in and keeps them interested. Additionally, be sure to use clear and concise language to explain complex concepts and technical details in a way that is accessible to a wide audience.

Furthermore, don’t forget to include quotes or testimonials from the client to add credibility and perspective to your case study. Hearing directly from the client about their experience working with you can help reinforce the effectiveness of your solutions and build trust with potential clients. By following these tips for writing a compelling case study narrative, consultants can effectively communicate the value of their work and attract new clients. 

Tips for Designing an Engaging Case Study Layout

In addition to crafting a strong case study narrative, the design of your case study is also crucial for capturing and holding the attention of your audience. An engaging layout can help to visually communicate the key points of your case study and make it easier for readers to digest the information. When designing your case study, consider using a clean and professional layout with clear headings, bullet points, and visuals to break up the text and highlight important information.

Incorporating visual elements such as charts, graphs, and images can help to illustrate your key points and make the content more engaging and easy to understand. Including before-and-after comparisons or visual representations of the project’s impact can provide a powerful visual representation of your work. Additionally, be sure to use a consistent color scheme and typography to create a cohesive and visually appealing design.

Furthermore, consider including call-to-action buttons or contact information at the end of your case study to encourage readers to take the next step and reach out to learn more. By designing an engaging case study layout that complements your narrative, consultants can effectively showcase their work and attract new clients.

Consulting case studies are a crucial part of the interview process for landing a job in the consulting industry. In order to succeed, it’s important to avoid common mistakes in interpreting these case studies. 

One common mistake is jumping to conclusions without fully understanding the problem at hand. It’s important to take the time to thoroughly analyze the case study and ask clarifying questions if needed. Another mistake is not structuring your analysis in a logical and organized way. This can make it difficult for the interviewer to follow your thought process and ultimately lead to a weaker performance. 

Additionally, failing to prioritize your analysis can result in spending too much time on less important aspects of the case study. It’s crucial to identify the most critical issues and address them first in order to demonstrate your problem-solving skills effectively. Finally, overlooking the importance of communication skills can also be a mistake. Clearly articulating your analysis and insights is just as important as the analysis itself. 

Overall, by avoiding these common mistakes in consulting case study interpretation, you can increase your chances of success in the interview process and ultimately secure the job of your dreams.

• Jumping to conclusions without fully understanding the problem 
• Not structuring analysis in a logical and organized way 
• Failing to prioritize analysis 
• Overlooking the importance of communication skills

In the world of consulting, data plays a crucial role in shaping case studies and providing valuable insights for clients. When analyzing a business problem or opportunity, consultants rely on data to understand the current state of affairs, identify trends, and make informed recommendations. By collecting and analyzing data, consultants can uncover hidden patterns, correlations, and insights that can lead to more effective solutions.

Data also serves as a foundation for evidence-based decision-making in consulting. When presenting a case study to a client, consultants must back up their recommendations with solid data and analysis. This not only lends credibility to their findings but also helps clients understand the rationale behind the proposed solutions. Without data, recommendations may be perceived as subjective opinions rather than well-supported conclusions.

Data allows consultants to measure the impact of their recommendations and track progress over time. By setting clear metrics and key performance indicators, consultants can monitor the success of their interventions and make adjustments as needed. This data-driven approach helps ensure that consulting projects deliver tangible results and drive long-term value for clients. Ultimately, data is the cornerstone of consulting case studies, providing the evidence and insight needed to drive effective decision-making and create meaningful impact for clients. 

How Data Improves Decision-Making in Consulting Case Studies

One of the key benefits of using data in consulting case studies is its ability to improve decision-making processes. By analyzing data, consultants can identify key opportunities and challenges, assess the potential impact of different strategies, and make informed decisions that lead to better outcomes for clients. Data provides a solid foundation for decision-making, enabling consultants to avoid relying on gut instincts or personal biases.

Moreover, data-driven decision-making in consulting case studies helps mitigate risks and uncertainties. By examining historical data, market trends, and industry benchmarks, consultants can anticipate potential obstacles and develop contingency plans to address them. This proactive approach not only minimizes the likelihood of unexpected setbacks but also increases the likelihood of success for consulting projects.

Data also empowers consultants to test hypotheses, validate assumptions, and explore alternative scenarios in their case studies. By leveraging data analytics tools and techniques, consultants can conduct robust analyses that uncover valuable insights and inform strategic decisions. This iterative process of data-driven decision-making allows consultants to refine their recommendations, optimize their strategies, and deliver greater value to their clients. Ultimately, data enhances the quality of decision-making in consulting case studies, leading to more effective solutions and positive outcomes for clients.

How to Present Your Findings from Consulting Case Studies 

Consulting case studies are a valuable tool for showcasing your expertise and problem-solving skills to potential clients. When it comes to presenting your findings from these case studies, it is important to approach the task with both clarity and creativity. 

One effective way to present your findings is to start by clearly outlining the problem or challenge that you were tasked with addressing. This sets the stage for the rest of your presentation and helps your audience understand the context of your work. Next, explain your approach to solving the problem, including any research or analysis you conducted. This shows your audience that your findings are backed up by solid data and evidence. 

After presenting your approach, it is important to showcase the results of your work. This could include metrics such as improved efficiency or increased revenue, as well as any qualitative feedback from the client. Highlighting the positive outcomes of your consulting work helps to build credibility and demonstrate the value you provide to clients. Finally, conclude your presentation by summarizing the key takeaways from the case study and reiterating how your skills and expertise can benefit potential clients in similar situations. By following these steps, you can effectively present your findings from consulting case studies in a compelling and convincing way to get more clients . 

Tips for Creating Engaging Visuals for Your Consulting Presentations 

Visual aids can be a powerful tool for enhancing your consulting presentations and capturing the attention of your audience. When creating visuals for your presentations, it is important to keep a few key tips in mind to ensure that they are engaging and effective. 

One important tip is to keep your visuals simple and easy to understand. Avoid cluttering your slides with too much information or complex graphics, as this can overwhelm your audience and distract from your main points. Instead, use clean and clear visuals that help to reinforce your message and make it easier for your audience to follow along. 

Another tip is to use a variety of visual formats to keep your audience engaged. This could include charts, graphs, images, and even videos. By mixing up the types of visuals you use, you can create a dynamic and interesting presentation that holds the attention of your audience. Additionally, remember to use visual aids to enhance your verbal presentation, rather than replace it. Your visuals should complement your spoken content and help to reinforce your key points. By incorporating these tips into your consulting presentations, you can create engaging visual aids that help to bring your findings to life and make a lasting impression on your audience.

Deloitte published a great case study for a footwear company. In 2013, a competitor, Badger, launched a successful line of affordable work boots, prompting Duraflex, another footwear company, to rethink their strategy. With limited resources, Duraflex needed to decide whether to focus on competing in the work boot market or strengthening their position in casual boots.

Duraflex sought help from a top consulting firm in January 2014. The consultants conducted research to provide valuable insights for decision-making. They started by conducting a survey with 500 consumers in six key regions. Additionally, they analyzed Duraflex’s internal costs and pricing for both their work and casual boot lines. The analysis revealed that Duraflex was positioned at the premium end of the market for both types of boots.

This case study showcases how consulting firms like Deloitte can provide essential data and analysis to help companies make informed decisions about their business strategies. It’s worth reading as it gives a glimpse into how consulting firms work and the impact they can have on a company’s success.

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S T R E E T OF W A L L S

Consulting case study types.

In the previous chapter , we described some well-known frameworks for evaluating companies and industries—frameworks that are important in Management Consulting Case Studies, and can broadly be applied to many different types of Consulting Business Situation Cases . We also described a number of analytical techniques that frequently come up in Business Situation Cases. In this chapter we’ll take a deeper look into common types of Business Situation Cases, evaluating the core concepts in them and the methodologies for approaching them (using ideas from the frameworks from the previous chapter to help us organize our approach, and the analytical techniques from the previous chapter to help us drive to an answer).

Each of these Case Study categories occurs very frequently in Management Consulting Case Study interviews, so you should be familiar with the basic issues that tend to occur over and over when they come up. In short, you should practice each of these Case types multiple times until you feel confident that you could a new Case of this type in a live interview.

Here are the eight primary types of Business Situation Case Studies as we see them:

Profitability Optimization

Pricing optimization, industry landscape & competitor dynamics, new product or project, growth plan/strategy, market entry or expansion, merger/acquisition/joint venture, start-up/early-stage venture.

Note that in most situations, a given Case will lend itself to several different categories. In the discussion below, we will attempt to enumerate the different combinations of Case Study situations that tend to occur together in the same Case.

In both good and bad economies, companies continually seek to optimize their Revenue model and their Cost structure.  The goal, ultimately, is for the company to use Invested Capital as efficiently as possible.

The two core components of a Profitability Optimization case are a Cost Assessment and a Revenue Assessment. Sometimes, only one of the two will be required for the Case. Note that Profitability Optimization situations often arise as part of a Case Study of another type—for example, in a Case Study involving pressures from competitors or substitute products, you may need to assess and optimize the Company’s Cost structure to determine it is competitive. Or, it could be that the case revolves around the Company’s Cost structure optimization, the job candidate may need to perform some qualitative analysis of the competitor or supplier landscape.  As you can see, a variation on Profitability Optimization can arise as part of many different Business Situation Cases.

Whenever Profitability Optimization is a key issue, the interviewer will usually highlight that profitability has been declining (or is projected to decline) and the Case will involve identifying the sources of the decline and potentially how to reverse or obviate it.

Example Case Situations

• The client is a low-cost airline based in Singapore, serving 24 destinations in the Southeast Asian market.  The Airline’s profitability was strong until 2010 and has since seen a declining trend and is now only just barely profitable.  The CEO would like you to determine what is causing the profitability decline and suggest a strategy to reverse this trend.
• The client is a market-leading, niche ski equipment manufacturer based in Colorado. Profitability has remained steady but the CEO has noticed from reading industry annual reports that two publicly-listed competing ski equipment manufacturers have meaningfully higher profit margins and have also been increasing their top line (Revenue). The CEO would like to understand the drivers of these differences.

Note that both of these Cases would involve some degree of Market Landscape/Competitor Dynamics analysis in addition to Profitability Optimization.

Core Concepts and Structure

Scenario: The client has determined that profitability margins have been (or are projected to be declining) and has requested that you analyze the causes of this decline and put forth recommendations to reverse it.

Expense Analysis

• Gather current expense breakdown and historical expense breakdown (this question alone will only help to get you towards the key focus area, as the interviewer will only have so much information).
• Identify the “bang” areas (this is Consultant lingo for expense areas that account for a large percent of the total).
• Analyze the key Fixed and Variable expense components and identify any meaningful changes in expense areas.
• Fixed Expenses might include overhead, fixed equipment expenses or depreciation, distribution, rent, and/or interest
• Variable Expenses might include raw materials, labor, sales, and/or distribution costs
• Request information on competitor Cost structures from the interviewer to see where the company’s Cost structure may be inefficient.
• Assess whether any expense areas could be cut with minimal or no impact on sales.

Revenue/Sales Analysis

• Gather as detailed of information as possible on current sales volumes and pricing and historical volumes and pricing. Use this information to determine growth rates.
• Identify the “bang” areas (consultant lingo for revenue streams that account for a large percent of the total, and/or a large percentage of the growth in the total).
• Analyze the key product areas and identify any meaningful changes in volumes and prices.
• Request information on competitor Revenue models (volume and pricing) from the interviewer to see where the company is potentially missing profitable business activity.
• Assess whether any changes could be made to improve overall Revenue or Revenue per unit sold.
• Pricing change suggestions/analysis (e.g., factors behind price elasticity; see Pricing Optimization Case descriptions below)
• Volume assessment and ways to improve volumes
• Identify changing customer desires/demands and respond accordingly.
• Invest in and/or reformulate marketing strategy.
• Expand distribution channels.
• Expand sales force or customer service.
• Expand production capacity.
• Expand product/service portfolio (see New Product or Project, Growth Plan/Strategy, and Market Entry or Expansion Case descriptions below).
• Make an acquisition or enter into a joint venture.
• Assess which products/divisions might have the largest growth opportunities and allocate investments accordingly.
• What would customers be willing to pay if Facebook shifted to a subscription model (we heard that this Case was conducted by the San Francisco office of a major Consulting firm recently, though the client being analyzed was not Facebook)?
• A long-stay hotel chain would like to maximize profitability by determining the optimal pricing for different lengths of stays and types of rooms.
• An online movie-streaming company is seeking to select the optimal price mix for its product offering in order to maximize profitability.

Like Profitability Optimization, this is a type of Case Study in which many of the other Case Study types might be relevant (for example, Industry Landscape, Competitor Dynamics, Growth Plan/Strategy, etc.)

Scenario: The client is deciding how to set prices so as to maximize profitability.

• Competitor/substitute pricing is the key element here—particularly if there is no major differentiation or benefit to the client’s products relative to substitutes.
• Price of substitute products/services
• Is the product sufficiently different to justify a higher price? (This points to the threat of substitutes.)
• Customer loyalty/lock-in (as an example: many lower-priced colas have failed to successfully compete against Coca-Cola due to consumer brand loyalty)
• Remember to ask about: Price Elasticity, Price Elasticity, Price Elasticity!
• Interviewers will often give you sufficient information to assess the impact on volume with a price adjustment and expect you to make the calculation.
• The higher the absolute value of Demand Elasticity (i.e., the more volume decreases when prices increase), the more likely it is that a price reduction would be beneficial. Likewise, the lower the absolute value of Demand Elasticity (i.e., volume barely decreases when prices increase), the more likely it is that a price increase would be beneficial.
• Expense-driven pricing analysis
• What is the fully-loaded cost for the client to produce the product or offer the service? How does this compare to the price?
• How does client’s fully-loaded cost compare with competitor pricing?
• Note: In situations in which the client’s cost is higher than the competitor price , it is usually a good recommendation to exit this product or service unless it can be demonstrated that:
• There is a clear path to reduce client production costs, or
• The competitor price is temporary and unsustainable.
• Customer-driven pricing analysis
• How much would customers be willing to pay for this product?  (You are not expected to be able to answer such questions, but ideas on how you might approach such questions are important—for example, running a survey, looking at applicable Case examples, looking at pricing structures for comparable products, etc.)
• What is the current state of demand and supply for the product or service (for example: would an increase in the number of orange juice manufacturers and orange tree groves be putting significant pressure on orange juice prices)?
• What are the alternatives for the customer and the relevant prices? I.e., is the threat of substitutes substantial or can it be mitigated?
• A client is a large nutrition, health & wellness Company and is considering divesting its non-core infant foods subsidiary in order to free up capital to invest in higher growing industries.  The CEO would like you to assess the industry landscape of the infant foods business in Western Europe.
• A client is a global financial services firm that is considering allocating more resources to the facilitation of electronic fund transfers globally.  The CEO wants to better understand the market landscape and develop a strategic plan to increase the Company’s share of the market.

Scenario: The client wants you to understand and assess an industry (this often overlaps with Market Entry, New Product or Project, or Growth Plan/Strategy Cases, described in more detail below).  Usually, the goal is to assess the characteristics of an industry and to determine whether or not it is an attractive industry to enter, to ramp up, or potentially to exit.

• Market/Industry Landscape
• Current market size
• Projected market growth
• Customer mix (a.k.a. Customer Segmentation )
• Industry-wide profitability
• Mergers & Acquisitions activity in the industry
• Competitive Advantage/ Barriers to Entry
• Supply chain: who are the key suppliers to the industry? (Assess this only if relevant)
• Brand loyalty
• Technology, regulatory issues, or other key topics relevant to the market
• Competitor Dynamics
• Key competitors in the market and their strategies
• Current market shares and shares over time
• Used to derive Market Concentration (i.e., what portion of the market is served by the top 3/5/10 companies in the market?)
• Product/service differences among competitors
• Any recent moves/threats by a key player to the market or a new entrant?
• A client is a durable consumer equipment manufacturer attempting to develop a “green” washing machine that employs special technology, resulting in 60% less water use and cleaning 10% more effectively than standard washing machines.  The CEO would like help to determine the product’s market potential and the strategy to bring it to market.
• A client is a pharmaceutical company that is engaged in Research & Development on a drug that would both lower cholesterol and reduce obesity (i.e., help in significant weight loss).  The CEO would like to know whether this drug would gain traction, and if so, what is the potential market size and the optimal price for such a drug.

Once again, this is a type of Case Study where many of the other Case categories might be relevant (Industry Landscape, Competitor Dynamics, Growth Plan/Strategy, Market Entry or Expansion, etc.). Note that such cases could also involve decisions such as the purchase of a major information technology system (in this case, many of the acquisition concepts could be applied).  It could also involve the assessment of a new investment project, such as the development of a new major manufacturing or sales facility.

Scenario: The client is developing a new product and would like your assessment of the feasibility of this product. Would the product be profitable and beneficial in the marketplace?

• Product Snapshot (Less relevant for New Project cases)
• Will the client have any competitive advantage that prevents competitor entry (such as a patent or a way to lock in customers) once the client has unveiled the new product?
• How is the client’s product different from and/or better than competing products? What are the substitute products?
• Pros and cons of client product (for example, environmental and social considerations)
• Is there a risk that that the new product will cannibalize another of the client’s products?
• Customer Strategy (Less relevant for New Project cases)
• What is the appropriate customer mix to target? How does this affect profitability and marketing strategy?
• What are the distribution channels? Can the client use its existing distribution channels?
• What is the methodology/strategy to attract customers to try the product and potentially switch?
• What is the methodology/strategy to retain newly acquired customers?
• Market Entry Strategy (Mostly less relevant for New Project cases)
• Competitive advantages/ Barriers to Entry
• Approach to entering (Acquisition or enter organically?)
• Time/investment required to enter market
• Product pricing strategy
• Technology, regulatory or other risks to entering this market
• Market Landscape
• Future market growth
• Current customer and product mix
• Key competitors in the market, their strategy, Market Shares (current and historically over time), product differences and potential response to client’s actions
• Product/Project Funding
• Does the projected profit justify the required the Research and Development expenditure, the initial capital requirements, and any ongoing investment needs?
• What is the Opportunity Cost of the required funding?
• What is the required financing and how is the Research & Development being financed?
• Will the project result in Economies of Scale (i.e., cost reductions for increased production) elsewhere in the company? (Less relevant for New Product cases)
• The client is a German carpet manufacturer that has seen sales decline dramatically in its North American operation.  The client would like you to help it develop a strategic plan for sales growth in North America and to determine the root causes of the sales decline.
• The client is a surf apparel Company that has three stores on the West Coast of the United States and is looking to grow its store base significantly across the continent.  The CEO would like help designing a store rollout strategy across North America.

Yet again, this is a type of Case Study where many of the other Case categories might be relevant (Industry Landscape, Competitor Dynamics, New Product or Project, Market Entry or Expansion, etc.)

Scenario: The client is seeking to grow its business, whether it involves growing a certain product’s sales, growing in a certain geographical region, increasing total sales, etc.

• Ways to increase number of units sold
• Optimize prices (See description of Pricing Optimization above)
• Increase share of wallet (fancy term used by Consultants to mean that the client captures more of a typical customer’s spending in a particular area than it previously did; analogous to Market Share )
• Determine which products/divisions have the largest growth opportunities and allocate investments accordingly
• Identify changing customer preferences/demands and respond accordingly
• Invest in and/or reformulate marketing strategy
• Investigate means and requirements to expand distribution channels
• Investigate means and requirements to expand capacity
• Investigate means and requirements to expand sales force / customer service
• Investigate means and requirements to expand product/service portfolio (see description of Market Entry or Expansion below)
• Make an acquisition or enter into a joint venture (see description of Merger/Acquisition/Joint Venture below)
• Always drive towards Profitable Growth : in any growth case, be sure to discuss this issue. Growing Revenue in and of itself is usually not a good outcome if the Costs of the growth exceed the Revenue, or if there were other growth opportunities that would have yielded a higher return on investment but are mutually exclusive (see Opportunity Cost).
• The client is an online yoga apparel retailer looking to enter the European market. The CEO would like help in formulating an entry strategy.
• A high-end watch manufacturer has developed a high quality watch called the “outdoors” watch in order to attract the wealthy, younger audience.  The CEO would like to develop a strategy to attract this customer segment.

This category of Case Study frequently overlaps with several other Case categories (Industry Landscape, Competitor Dynamics, New Product or Project, Growth Plan/Strategy, etc.)

Scenario: A client is seeking to expand or enter into a new market, whether it be a new geographical region or an additional customer segment.

• Competitive advantage/ Barriers to Entry
• Entry Strategy
• Approach to entering (acquisition or enter organically?)
• Customer mix/segmentation
• Your client is a European online white goods retailer that is considering acquiring a North American online furniture retailer.
• Your client is a U.S. specialty chemical producer that is considering acquiring a regional specialty chemical producer in Indonesia.

As you might expect by now, this is a type of case where many of the other case segments are relevant. In particular, Merger/Acquisition/JV activity often represents one method of implementing a Growth Plan/Strategy, a New Product or Project, or a Market Entry or Expansion.

Scenario: The client is considering either acquiring a company or entering into a Joint Venture, driven by many potential factors such as wanting to increase market share, widen product portfolio, take out a potential competitive threat, etc.

Important: For this Case type, you should ask questions as to why the Company is contemplating such an action . The responses to these questions can help steer you to the right analysis, as the responses will often indicate what the key considerations behind the acquisition/JV are from the client’s perspective. Thus you should perform a standard Merger/Acquisition/JV analysis as outlined below, but then generally pivot to the right framework for analyzing the business scenario from the aforementioned categories, depending on the situation.

• Evaluate price to acquire (use back-of-the-envelope Valuation techniques to consider whether the deal is reasonably priced, such as those based on Comparable Company Analysis or Precedent Transaction Analysis )
• Market position
• Customer Concentration and customer certainty
• Supplier relationships and supplier certainty
• Barriers to Entry
• Reputation and brand loyalty
• Product/regulatory/technology risks
• Pay-Back Period / Net Present Value / Internal Rate of Return based on current operations and growth estimates
• Add in Cost or Revenue improvements from Synergies (see below)
• Subtract out Integration and Restructuring expenses (also determine whether the project is feasible)
• Compare with similar projections if the Company were to endeavor to grow organically (required capital expenditures, cost of marketing strategy, etc.)
• Ability to combine or leverage joint distribution channels across products produced by acquirer or target
• Value of expending geographic/market reach
• Cost synergies (such as spreading overhead costs across a larger combined business or combining redundant IT systems)
• Strategic fit
• Cultural challenges
• Competitor response
• Plan to exit (if relevant—note that this will always be relevant for Private Equity firms)
• Plan to restructure the organization, if any, and how/why

While consulting firms rarely work for Start-up companies due to the high fees typically charged, there are increasingly Case Study questions that discuss start-ups. Some Consulting firms have even begun the practice of working for Start-up companies and receiving equity compensation from the Start-up in exchange for reduced cash Consulting fees.

Importantly, this topic is in many ways covered when thinking about a company entering a new market or developing a new product, although there are usually some additional issues to consider for a Start-up company. (Most of these additional issues fall into the “Business Plan” category for a Start-up company.) Additionally, there is generally significant overlap with the industry landscape section.

• Two real estate entrepreneurs are contemplating setting up a co-working space in downtown Chicago to attract the increasing number of young IT entrepreneurs in the area.  Discuss the key considerations for a business plan for such a venture.
• Siggi, a student from Iceland at Stanford University, has determined that there is an enormous opportunity for Icelandic-style yogurt in the North American market. He is in the process of securing funding to produce the yogurt on a farm in Oregon and would like input regarding the key considerations for the yogurt to be a success.

Situation: A potential client has launched a new company to develop a new product or technology that is expected to have positive yet disruptive consequences for a particular market or industry. The client would like your advice regarding specific issues in the company development or product rollout, and any thoughts regarding optimal company strategy.

• Competitive advantage/ Barriers to Entry (with a Start-up, this is a crucial piece of the analysis —can the Start-up enter the market successfully? Will the Start-up will have some sort of competitive advantage, whether it be proprietary technology or access to particular distribution channels?)
• Current market size (if the product a new concept, then you would typically be asked to assess the industry of a substitute product or service, or use relevant comparable products or services to estimate the potential market size for the new concept)
• Key competitors in the market, their strategy, current market shares and shares over time, product differences and potential response to entry
• Likely customers and customer mix (a.k.a. Customer Segmentation )
• Industry-wide profitability (to the extent applicable)
• Technology, regulatory issues, or other key topics relevant to the product or market
• Business Plan (the interviewer might ask you to compile a very simple business plan, after he or she gives you some information; key components are given here)
• Product/Service
• What is the product/service? What are pros and cons of this product/service? How does this compare to existing products on the market?
• What will be the competitive advantage and/or barriers to entry for a product of this type?
• Customers and Distribution
• Who are the target customers?
• What are the core distribution channels?
• What is the marketing plan?
• Financing/Profitability
• What are the initial funding requirements prior to cash flow Break-Even? How does this compare with expected future profitability?
• What are the projected Revenue and Costs for the next three years?
• Management and Oversight
• Management: experience and abilities
• Preliminary Investors: reputation, expertise, and ability to add legitimacy to the new enterprise (and potentially invest more in the company)
• Key Directors and Advisors

Being able to discuss the core aspects of analyzing a Start-up company highlights your ability to quickly answer questions about a new project or idea that may be thrown at you when you are with clients.

Additional Resources

There are a number of guides published and online that attempt to discuss different types of Consulting Case Study questions in a comprehensive and informative way. Our feeling is that most of them are not particularly helpful or are too expensive. There are two, however, that we have found to add quite of a bit of value as an “add-on” to the discussion above, and are therefore worth checking out. Please comment on this page or email us directly if you have a suggestion for an additional resource:

• INSEAD Consulting Club Handbook (see pp. 47-53 for discussion of different Case Study Types)
• Crack the Case System by David Ohrvall

Investigating One of Hong Kong's Largest Financial Scandals of The Past Decade - Convoy Global Holdings

February 15, 2024

Convoy Global Holdings Limited (“Convoy”) was one of the largest independent financial advisory firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In May 2017, a stock market activist published an article about the “Enigma Network”, which was a group of 50 Hong Kong listed companies including Convoy with significant overlap in ownership.

In June 2017, FTI Consulting was engaged by the company to conduct an independent investigation into allegations of management misfeasance and collusion, following one of the most drastic small-cap stock crashes in Hong Kong’s history. FTI Consulting completed an initial investigation within a period of four weeks. Our work uncovered evidence of a string of fraudulent transactions including suspected loan fraud, market manipulation, misappropriation of assets, together with capital raising and proprietary investment transactions that were designed to defraud shareholders.

FTI Consulting worked with our client to deploy a multi-disciplinary team to swiftly identify and collect data from a mix of hard copy and electronic financial and non-financial information management systems and transactional records. By combining these seemingly disparate data sources, we were able to use our proprietary analytics tools to conduct tailored fund tracing analysis to “follow the cash” through complex and convoluted routes and establish critical evidence as to when, how and by whom the company’s funds were handled and removed from the company. To further support our findings, the team carried out a wide array of accounting analysis covering over 30 corporate entities, investigative due diligence research of in excess of 200 investigation subjects and e-discovery of selected custodians for more than 3,300 GB of electronic data and 5.1 million user generated files and email correspondence to identify accomplices.

• Our findings were presented to the company, along with relevant regulatory authorities. This triggered one of the largest enforcement actions by the Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”) and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (“ICAC”), and the successful prosecution of several former executives in 2021.
• FTI Consulting supported ongoing litigations instigated by the company against former senior executives and 20 other defendants, seeking US$100+ million in damages for alleged misappropriated funds, assuming the responsibility for case assessment, evidence gathering, and e-discovery.
• In August 2018, FTI Consulting was retained by Convoy’s Independent Board Committee to conduct a comprehensive follow-up investigation.
• Our role expanded in late 2019 to advising the Board of Directors in enhancing the company’s corporate governance and internal control systems to meet Listing Rules obligations.
• FTI Consulting is still retained by the company to provide ongoing forensic investigation and litigation support.

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International market entry strategies for businesses.

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Salvador Ordorica is the CEO of The Spanish Group LLC , a first-class international translation service that translates over 90 languages.

In today's interconnected world, businesses are constantly seeking ways to broaden their horizons and enter new markets. Business leaders cannot deny the allure of international expansion, but they often encounter challenges and uncertainties on the path to success.

I’ve been running an international translation company that started operating in Irvine, California, and now we’ve entered into over 18 foreign countries. So, I will share what I’ve learned over the years, exploring the essential components of international market entry strategies, the pivotal role of cultural intelligence and some real-world case studies of companies that have triumphed on the international stage.

Market Entry Strategies

Before embarking on the journey of international expansion, businesses must first carefully assess their motivations and goals. Market entry is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor; rather, it demands a customized approach based on factors such as the industry, target market and available resources.

Are you looking to tap into new customer bases, reduce dependence on a single market or take advantage of cost-efficiency in other countries? Each objective requires a tailored market entry strategy.

1. Exporting

Exporting is a market entry strategy where a business sells its products or services to foreign customers. It typically involves shipping goods or delivering services across international borders, often through intermediaries or distributors. Exporting is a relatively low-risk option for entering international markets, as it allows companies to leverage their existing products or services without making significant investments in foreign operations.

2. Licensing And Franchising

Licensing allows businesses to grant foreign entities the right to use their intellectual property, such as trademarks or patents. Franchising involves replicating a successful business model in foreign markets. These options offer a quicker market entry but require careful management .

3. Joint Ventures And Partnerships

This strategy allows businesses to share the risks and costs associated with expanding into foreign markets. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement where both parties work together to achieve common goals while maintaining a degree of independence. However, successful execution requires careful negotiation, clear agreements and effective cooperation to navigate cultural differences and ensure the venture's success.

4. Acquisitions And Mergers

Market entry via acquisition or merger with foreign businesses offers speed and access to established customer bases and distribution networks. But it brings integration, cultural and stakeholder challenges. It's high-risk, high-reward, demanding thorough due diligence and post-acquisition management for international success.

5. Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries

This represents a market entry strategy where a company establishes complete ownership and control of its operations in a foreign market. In this approach, the business sets up a new entity or company in a foreign country, fully owned by the parent company. While this gives the parent company maximum autonomy and decision-making power, it also entails significant financial investment and higher risks. Wholly-owned subsidiaries are ideal when a business seeks tight control over operations, brand consistency and long-term market presence in the foreign market.

The Role Of Cultural Intelligence

In working with international markets, I've learned that one of the key challenges is navigating the cultural diversity of global markets.

Cultural intelligence , often referred to as cultural quotient (CQ), is the ability to understand and to be able to adapt to different cultural contexts effectively. In international business, cultural intelligence plays a pivotal role in the failure or success of market entry strategies.

• Understanding The Local Market

Cultural intelligence helps businesses understand the values, customs and preferences of the local population. Adapt services to resonate with locals to gain local market understanding, enhancing your success in market entry.

• Building Trust And Relationships

Establishing trust with local partners and customers is paramount. Hire local people to understand the culture of each place. This makes you prioritize cultural intelligence, respecting customs and etiquette, exemplified in successful partnerships worldwide.

• Effective Communication

Language barriers can be a significant hurdle in international business. Cultural intelligence involves effective communication strategies that transcend linguistic differences. To achieve this, prioritize cross-cultural training for your team, hire local experts and foster a culturally sensitive work environment.

• Adaptation And Innovation

Successful market entry often requires adapting products or services to meet local needs and preferences. Cultural intelligence implies innovation and adaptation in response to cultural insights.

To achieve a successful market entry through cultural intelligence as a company, I have focused on adapting services to local customs, languages and trends. Simultaneously, we encourage innovation in translation technology to maintain a competitive advantage across diverse markets.

Case Studies: Companies That Successfully Entered The International Market

Now, let's dive into some case studies, drawing inspiration from companies that have successfully entered international markets.

I think Apple's gradual but well-calculated entry into various international markets exemplifies "market entry success factors." Their localized approach to product launches and marketing is a masterclass in tailoring strategies to diverse audiences.

2. McDonald’s

We can see that McDonald's excels with franchising as a market entry strategy. Their ability to adapt their menu to local tastes while maintaining a consistent brand image is impressive.

3. Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola's global success underscores the significance of adapting to diverse drinking cultures. In the 1970s , the "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" campaign and the unforgettable jingle propelled international expansion. Coca-Cola maintained a consistent product while allowing room for cultural taste adjustments. Meticulous adaptation in advertising, promotions, distribution and pricing cemented its global triumph.

Today, international market entry is not just an option; it's a necessity for businesses seeking growth and sustainability. Expanding into international markets is a transformative experience that can propel a company to new heights. By leveraging the right strategies and a global mindset, businesses can unlock the door to global success and write their success stories in the international market.

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