案例面試真題

1:Help!OurProfitMarginsareYouaretheconsultanttoacompanythatproduceslargehouseholdappliances.Overthepastthreeyears,profitmarginshavefallen20percentandmarketsharehastumbledto15percentofthemarketfrom25percent.Whatisthesourceofthecompany'sproblems?Thisisanexampleofthetypeofquestionanundergraduatestudent(oranMBAstudentinanearlyinterviewround)mightreceive.Theinterviewerhasdoneyouthefavorofdefiningtheproblem-yourclientisinsomethingofaslump!Thisdialogueillustrateshowyou,theperspicaciouscandidate,mightdrilldownintothecoreofthewoesbesettingthefirm.You:Howwouldyoucharacterizethecurrentmarketplacefortheseproducts?Emerging?Mature?Interviewer:Theproductlineisconsideredmature.You:Howwouldyoucharacterizeyourmanufacturingprocessrelativetoyourcompetition?(You'relookingtoseeifthecompanyhasastrategicadvantage.)Interviewer:CanyoubemoreYou:Doyoubenefitfromanadvantageintechnology,economiesofscale,exchangerates,orothermanufacturingelementoveryourcompetition?Interviewer:Wehavenotupdatedourmanufacturingprocesssince1988.WemanufactureourproductsexclusivelyintheUnitedStates.Asoneoftheoldestmanufacturersoftheseproducts,wehaveareliablecustomerbaseandagoodreputation.Asforprice,weareoneofthelower-pricedinthemarket,thoughnotthelowest.You:DoanyofyourcompetitorsmanufactureInterviewer:OurnumberonecompetitorproducesallofitsappliancesinIndonesia.(Here'syourclue-manufacturingoutsidethecountrysignificantlylowerscosts.)You:Itprobablysufficestosaythatsomeofyourdeclineinprofitcanbeattributedtotheincreasedcostsyouarefacingrelativetooldermanufacturingtechniquesandhighercostsassociatedwithmanufacturingdomestically.Thisisespeciallytoxicinamaturemarketwhereconsumersaremostlyawareoftheproductcategoryandtheproductmaybeconsideredacommodity.(Acommoditymarketplaceisoneinwhichcustomersmaketheirpurchasingdecisionslargelyonprice.Forexample,toiletpaperislargelyacommoditymarket,whereconsumersbuywhatever'sonsale.)2:Cost-savingsanalysisforfoodservicescompanyCost-savingsanalysisforfoodservicescompanyInthiscase,wewillprovideyouwithinformationregardingaclientsituationandaskyouquestionsregardingthecaseissues.Afteryousubmityouranswer,we'llprovideadetailedBainanswerthatyoucancomparewithyourideas.Remember,incaseinterviewsthereisno"rightanswer":interviewerslookforproblem-solvingskills,creativityandcommonsense.Youwillnotbeabletoskipquestionsinthisonlinecase,sotakeyourtimeandhavefun!QuestionTheclientAlargefastfoodchainhashiredBaintoimprovethecompany’sprofitability.You’reabouttohaveaninitialbrainstormingsessionwithyourteamaroundyourclient’soptions,andyouwanttocollectyourthoughtsfirst.Howwouldyoubegintotackleyourclient’sprofitabilityproblem?Youranswer:BainrecommendedYourinterviewerwantstoknowthatyouhaveastructureinmind.Anappropriatestructureforthiscasewouldbetheprofitequation.Besuretostatethattoyourinterviewer.For"Profitis:totalrevenue–totalWhereRevenue=Price*QuantityandCosts=FixedCosts+Quantity*(VariableInorderforthecompanytoimproveitsprofitability,managementneedstoincreaserevenuesand/ordecreasecosts.Sotobegintacklingmyclient’sprofitproblemIamgoingtolookatthesetwosidesoftheCouldtheclientincreaseprices?HowwouldcustomersCouldtheclientsellmoremeals,eitheratexistingbranchesorthroughopeningnewArethereothercreativewaystogrowrevenue(enterintolarge-scalecateringcontracts,forCouldtheclientdecreaseourfixedcostsbysellingsomeofourbranchesorrealCouldtheclientreducethequantityofproductstheybuy,suchasingredientsfortheirHowelsecouldtheyreducetheirQuestionAtyourcaseteammeeting,yourmanagerinformstheteamthecustomerispricesensitive,themarketisfairlysaturated,andthatthefixedcostsareprettystable.ThusBainandtheclientagreethattheteamshouldfocusonloweringvariablecosts.Specificallytheclientwantstoreducetheirspendingonpurchaseditems(itemstheclientbuysfromothersandthenusesorofferstotheircustomers,likethemeatinthehamburgersortheketchuppackets).Withoutknowingmuchmoreaboutthesituation,whatwouldyousuggestaresomewaystodoso?Whichideasseemthemostattractiveandwhy?analysethesupplierofpurchaseditemstoseeifthereexistthespacetoreducethepurchaseingcost.Thencontactingseveralsimilarsuppliers,andgetthereasonablepriceofrawmaterialsBainrecommendedPurchasedgoodsinthisbusinessfallprimarilyinto2categories:foodandpackaging.Variablecostsareafunctionof:priceandvolume.Therefore,theclientneedstoreducevolumespurchasedornegotiatelowerprices.Wecouldnegotiatelowerfoodpriceswithoursuppliers(consolidateourpurchasing,Wecouldlookforcheaperingredients.Thissoundsriskybecauseitcouldlowerthequalityofthefoodthatwesell.Wecouldreducethevolumeused.Forthesamereason,thissoundsriskybecauseitwouldchangeourrecipes,oneofourcompetitiveadvantagesinproducingwinningrecipes.WecouldnegotiatelowerpriceswithoursuppliersorlookforcheaperWecouldreducethevolumeMostattractiveideasare:negotiatinglowerfoodpricesorpackagingprices,lookingforcheaperpackagingmaterials,orreducingthevolumeused.QuestionAtthispointinthebrainstormingsession,theVPaddsthattwoyearsago,thecompanylaunchedaprogramtocentralizepurchasingandsuccessfullynegotiatedmuchlowerprices.Therefore,itiscriticaltodetermineifyoucouldreducethevolumeofgoodsthattheclientpurchases.Howcouldyoureducethevolumeofpurchasedgoods?BainrecommendedSomegoodcreativeanswershereinclude(butareinnowaylimitedCantheclientchangetheshapeorsizeoffoodCantheclientpackagingforfamiliesbeCantheclientreducetheweightofthepackagingwhilestillprotectingtheCantheclientreduceotherqualitiesofthepackagingincludingdegreeofcolororlogoprevalencewithoutsacrificingtheirbrand?Cantheclientlockbathroomssothatnon-customersdonotwastetoiletpaperandCantheclientchargeforextraCantheclientreducethesizeornumberofnapkinstheyQuestionBainfocusesoncomponentsthatmakeuplargeportionsofacompany’scosts:reductionsintheseareaswillhavethelargestimpactonaclient’soverallcosts.Bain’sphilosophyistoalwaysfocusonwherethevalueis.Atfirstglance,napkinswouldnotappeartofallwithinthiscategorybecausetheyaresolowcost.Butthereisanewnapkindispensingtechnologyonthemarketthatyouhaveheardaboutandthinkcouldsavetheclientsomemoney.Youdecidetoinvestigate.Onewaytoreducevolumeistoreducehowmanynapkinsacustomertakes.Customersinfastfoodchainsoftentakemanymorenapkinsthanareneededforthemeal,oractivelyhoardthemtotakehome.Oneactionsomechainshavetakentocombatthisistoswitchtheirnapkindispensersfromsmallmetaldispensers(fromwhichyoupullnapkinsoutinbunches)tolargerplasticdispensers(fromwhichyoupullnapkinsoneatatime,likeareverseKleenexbox).Thesedispensersareproducedbymajorpapermanufacturers.Let’sassumeyourchaincametoyouwiththefollowingHowmuchmoneycouldwesaveperyearintheUSfromusingthenewtypeofnapkindispenserinallrestaurants?Whatinformationwouldyouliketoknowfromthecompany?(Donottakeintoaccounttheofthedispensersfornumberofcustomersperday,theaveragepaperusageperBainrecommendedKeyinformationthatwouldbenecessaryNumberofNumberofcustomervisitsperstoreperNumberofnapkinsusedpercustomerNumberofnapkinsusedpercustomerafterthePriceperQuestionAsyoutalkthroughthedatapointsthatyouwouldneedtogatherwithyourcolleagues,youlearnfromafellowACwhoworkedforalocalrestaurantthatacaseof6000napkinscosthisclient$28.Thus,areasonablepricepernapkinisabout$0.005.ConductyourestimatesasifyourclientissimilartoMcDonald'sintermsofthenumberofYourmanagercallsyouforaquickestimationofthemarketsizebeforegettingtheactualdatafromyourclient.Usecreativeapproachestohypothesizevaluesforeachoftheabovepiecesofinformationandthencalculatetheestimatedsavings.BainrecommendedTheinterviewerisnotlookingforyoutoknowthevaluesofeachofthesebuckets,howeveritisimportantforyoutomakereasonableestimatesandbeabletodefendyouranswer.Wereyourestimatesnearthese,ordidyouatleasttakesimilarapproaches?NumberofActualanswer:~12,000McDonald'sintheUS.Oneestimationapproach:Thinkofyourhometown:HowmanyMcDonald'sarethereforthenumberofpeople?AssumethereisaMcDonald'sforevery20-25,000Americans,withapopulationof~275millionpeopleintheUS,thatwouldbe11-13,750McDonald's.OtherEstimatetheentirefastfoodmarketandthenestimateMcDonald'sEstimatetheareacoveredperMcDonald'sacrosstheUnitedNote:Withthisapproach,becarefultoaccountforpopulationdifferencesbetween10squaremilesofNYCand10squaremilesofUtah.NumberofcustomersperrestaurantperActualanswer:Fastfoodrestaurantsexpectaround1,500customersaday.Oneestimationapproach:Assumethe20,000peopleperMcDonald'svisitanaverageoftwiceamonth,that's24timesayearpercustomeror480,000visits/365days=1,315customersperday.OtherOnemighttakethisastepfurtherduringacaseinterviewandattempttosegmentthesecustomers.Forexample,onemightassume50%oftherestaurantscustomersaredrive-throughand25%oftheremainingtaketheirfood"togo."Drive-throughcustomersdonottake,butaregivennapkins."Togo"customersmaybemorelikelyto"hoardnapkins"astheycannotgobacktothecounterformore.Note:Thiswouldinfluencepotentialanswerstothenextquestion-butfornow,assumeyoudidnottakethisstepandallcustomersarethesame.NumberofnapkinsusedpercustomerperActualanswer:Fivenapkinswitholddispensersandtwonapkinswithprohibitivedispensersforasavingsofthreenapkinspercustomer.OneestimationDuringacaseinterviewyouwouldmostlikelyjustusepersonalexperiencehere-howmanynapkinsdoyoutakeorseeotherstakewhenyou'reatafastfoodrestaurant?OtherBainwouldsendpeopletothechaintowatchnapkintakingbehaviororcallfastfoodrestaurantswithbothkindsofdispenserstofindouthowmanynapkinstheygothroughaday.$0.005pernapkin*3napkins*1500customers*365daysperyear*12,000restaurants$98.6MdollarssavedinnapkinQuestionDoesthisestimatesoundHowwouldyougoaboutfeelingcomfortablewiththisfigureandpressurecheckingyourWhatwouldyouwanttoflagforyourmanagerasfactorsthatmightsignificantlyaltertheBainrecommendedTocheckthemagnitudeoftheoverallnumbersomeoptionsLookingatacomparablecompany’soperatingincometoseewhatpercentageoftheexpensenapkinsaccountfor.FindoutwhatyourclientcurrentlyspendsperrestaurantperyearonKeepinmindthatwithacompanyofthissizeanysmallchangesinassumptionswillsignificantlyalteryouranswer.Somethingstoflagforyourmanager:Thechainyouworkforprobablygetsasignificantlybetterdealonnapkinpricingduetothemagnitudeoftheirorders(incontrasttothesingle-locationrestaurantnapkinpriceestimateyoureceived)Upto50%ofcustomersaredrive-throughandtheirnapkinbehaviorshouldnotThiswouldreducethesavingsbyuptoThethreenapkinreductionestimateneedsrefining.PerhapsapilotprogramwouldneedtobedonetoseeifthedispensersreallyhavethedesiredeffectQuestionAssumeyouwouldneed10dispensersperstoreforatotalof120,000dispensers.Alsonotethatnapkinsinthesedispenserscostmoreatapriceof$.01pernapkin(rememberitisthepapercompaniesthatmakethenewdispensers).Atwhatpriceperdispenserwouldtheinvestmentnotbeworthdoing?Youranswer:Bainrecommended120,000*costofdispenser+2napkins*.$01pernapkin*1,500customers*365days*12,000stores=5napkins*.005pernapkin*1,500customers*365days*12,000stores120,000*costofdispenser=ThemostyouwouldbewillingtopayperdispenserwouldbeNote:InanactualcaseinterviewyoucanuseroundnumberestimatessothatmentalmathisQuestionTheactualcostofthesedispensersisaroundCanyouseeanyotherfactorsyourclientshouldconsiderbeforemakingaWhatotheradvantagesanddisadvantagesmighttherebetothisswitch?(Impactoncostsandcustomers.)HowmightyouevaluatetheimpactoftheextraneousBainrecommendedSomepotentialideasFewernapkinsusedperdayleadstolessrestockingwhichmaymeanbettercustomerserviceorlowerlaborcost.Betterrelationshipwithpapermanufacturer(potentialforbetterWiththenewdispenserlockingyouintoapaperprovideryoumaylosebuyerpower.Thereisthepotentialforadditionalnapkinpriceincreasesinthefuture.Customerreaction:Willacustomerfindthistobepoorservice?Whatifheorsheneedstograbahandfulofnapkinsafteraspill?ManagementwillneedtonegotiateacontractthatincludeslimitsonfutureBainwillneedtodocustomerresearchandpilotprogramstoevaluatecustomerAndmany,manymore!Asyoucansee,thekeystoagoodcaseinterviewarelogicalassumptions,creativethinking,andbasicquantitativeability.Taketimetothinkthroughproblemsandshareyourthoughtprocesswithyourinterviewerandyouwilldogreat.Duringyourcaseinterview,youmaybeaskedtomakeestimatesorsolveaproblem.You'llfindtwoexamplesbelowthatwillhelpyouthinkthroughtheprocessofarrivingatreasonableestimates.Thethirdquestionisabrainteaser—aremindertothinkcreativelywhentacklinganycaseinterviewproblem.Q:HowmanypayphonesarethereontheislandofA:AlogicalplacetobeginyouranalysismightbetoballparkthenumberofpayphonesonManhattanstreetcorners.IfyouthinkofNewYorkCityasagridofstreets,youmightguessitisabout300streetslong(northtosouth)bytenstreetswide(easttowest),soithasapproximately3,000intersections.Youmightthenassumethereisonepayphoneforeverytwointersections,foratotalofabout1,500payphones.Ifyou’refeelingreallycreative,youmightsubtractthenumberofintersectionsthatare“invalidated”becausetheyfallintheareaofCentralPark.SayCentralParkistenblockslongbytwoblockswide,or20intersections.Usingyourone-pay-phone-for-every-two-intersectionsassumption,youwouldwanttosubtracttenpayphonesfromtheoriginal1,500.Youmightthenaddtothe1,490thenumberofpayphonesthatmightbefoundinrestaurants,hotels,schools,hospitals,andoffice-buildinglobbies.Q:Howmanyhotel-sizedbottlesofshampooandconditionerareproducedeachyeararoundtheA:Youmightbeginbyassumingthathotel-sizedbottlesareproducedfortwopurposesTosupplyhotelsandupscaleToprovidesamplesforgiftpacks,salons,andsoYouwouldthenwanttostartbyestimatingthenumberofhotelsandmotelsaroundtheworldthatoffertheproductstotheirguests.Onewayofestimatingthenumberofhotelsistoassumethathotelsarefoundpredominantlyinmajorcitiesandresorts.Figurethatthereare2,000majorcitiesandresortsaroundtheworld,anaverageoftenforeachoftheworld’sapproximately200countries.Assumethateachcityaverages20hotelsthatofferbottledhairproductstotheirguests.Multiplying20by2,000givesyou40,000hotelsaroundtheworldthatrequireshampooand/orconditionerfortheirguests.Tounderstandhowmanybottlesofshampooandconditionerthe40,000hotelsrequire,younowneedtoestimatethetotalnumberofuseseachhotelonaveragerepresents.Youcanarriveatthatnumberthroughthefollowingcalculation:assumethatthereare100roomsineachhotel,andthatthoseroomsareoccupied50percentofthetime.Multiplying40,000by100by0.5by365(don’tforgetthenumberofdaysintheyear!)givesyouapproximately750million.However,itisprobablyreasonabletoassumethatagueststayingforlongerthanadaywillnotuseawholeshampoobottleeveryday.Ifyouassumethatanaverageofoneshampoobottleisusedforeverytwooccupieddaysinagivenroom,youcannowdivideyour750millionestimateinhalfto375million.Togettothenumberofbottlesofconditioner,estimatearatiobetweentheuseofshampooandtheuseofconditioner.Sincemanyofusdonotconditioneverytimeweshampoo,youmightassumethattheratiois2:1.Dividing375millioninhalfgivesyouapproximately190million.Yourconclusionwouldthenbethat375millionbottlesofshampooand190millionbottlesofconditionerarerequiredforhoteluseeveryyear.Toestimatethetotalmarketsize,youcanprobablymakethingseasyonyourselfbyassumingthatthenumberproducedforsamplepurposesisasmallpercentageofthetotal,saytenpercent.Combiningyourtwomarketswouldgiveyouapproximately400millionbottlesofshampooand210millionbottlesofconditioner.Finally,youmightwantto“realitycheck”yourtotalfigure.Assuming610millionbottlesareproducedandsoldeachyearatanaveragepriceof25centseach,theworldwidemarketforminiaturebottlesofshampooandconditionerisabout$150million.Doesthatsoundreasonable?Q:Youareinaroomwiththreelightswitches,eachofwhichcontrolsoneofthreelightbulbsinthenextroom.Yourtaskistodeterminewhichswitchcontrolswhichbulb.Alllightsareoff.Yourconstraintsare:youmayflickonlytwoswitchesandyoumayentertheroomwiththelightbulbsonlyonce.Howwouldyousetaboutdeterminingwhichswitchcontrolswhichbulb?A:Tosolvethisriddleyoumustdosomeout-of-the-boxthinking.Thebestwaytodeterminewhichlightbulbiswhichistoflickoneswitchon,waitforfiveminutesandflickitoff.Thenflickoneoftheremainingtwoswitchesonandleavetheotheroff.Whenyouentertheroomwiththebulbs,youcandeterminewhichswitchcontrolswhichofthetwolightsthatareoffbyfeelingtoseewhichofthebulbsishot(fromhavingburnedforfiveminutes).Othercreativesolutionsinvolvepushingtheconstraintsofthegame.Youmightaskiftheroomyou’reinhasaphone,soyoucouldcallsomebodytohelpyou.Youmightaskiftheroomshaveaconnectingwindow.Youmightassumeyoucanleavethefirstroomanumberoftimes,andthereforegoout,buyadrill,andboreaholethroughthewallsoyoucanseewhichlightbulbisconnectedtowhichswitch.Or,youmightbuyamirrorandplaceitstrategicallyoutsidethedoortoguideyou.Remember,youarelimitedonlybyyour4FamousSkinCareWhiteningProductsinCaseBackground:Youaretheproductmanageratfamousskincare'swhiteningdivisionandyouareaskedtowhethertolaunchtheproductinChinaKeyWhat'sthesizeoftheskincaremarketinChina?AndgrowthWhat'sthesizeofthewhiteningproduceinchina'smarket?AndgrowthWhataretheconsumerbehaviorWhoarethecompetitorsandhowhasmarketshareCanfamousskincareoperateprofitably?Makelocalvs.import?OptionsandHypothesis:Consumergoodsdemandpattern(correlateswellwithincome)-seehowwellthiscanbeusedtoprojectfuturedemands4Pofmarketinginanalyzingcompetitors-andseewhattheyhaveProfitabilitymodeltoseetheeconomicsimpactofthedifferentoptionsDataRequirementTotalsizeofskincaremarketandgrowthTotalsizeofwhiteningproductsandgrowthMarketsharebycompetitorandhistoricalmarketConsumerbehaviorRegulationsonforeigncompanyinvestmentinProfitabilitymodelformakelocalvs.importDataCollectionandAnalysis:Afteryoucollectthedata,thenyoucanlookathowyourquestionsareChina'sskincaremarketisworthover$10Billion,withwhiteningproductaccoutingfor40%ofit.Therearecurrently6majorcompetitors-withonlyoneclearmarketleader.Consumersareextremelyreceptivetonewskinproductsandcustomerloyaltycanbeestablishedwhentheproductsreallydeliveredtheresults.Evenatahighpremium,customersarewillingtopayforitBasedonprofitablitymodel-theimportmodelismorefeasibleduringthefirst5years-thenwhendemandreallypicksup,themake-localmodelwouldbemoreprofitable5Famousshoemaker'sdecitiontochangesupplierCaseBackground:Youarethepurchasingmanageratfamousshoemakerandu'velearnedreportsofunfairwageratesatoneofyourkeysupplier.Youneedtodecidewhetheryoushoulddiscontinueyourrelationshipwiththissupplier.KeyWhatisthelaborratesthatarecurrentlypaidtotheemployees?(VC.themarketratesvs.int'lWhatarethereasonsfordiscrepancies(i.e.areemployeescompensatedinotheHowmuchdoesfanousshoebuyfromthissupplierandwhatwouldbetheimpactofswitchingtoanothersupplier?Whatisfamousshoemaker'sinternalpoliciesregardinglaborconditionsofsuppliers?Howwillthisactionimpactdifferentstakeholders?OptionsandEconomicsargument-lowestcostUniversality-ifyouwereplacedinthedifferentstakeholder'sshoe,wouldyoumakethesamedecisionandfeelfair?DataLaborwageratesforyoursupplier,itscompetitor,localmarketrates,int'kCompanypoliciesregardingsupplierlaborCostanalysisofswitchingsuppliersDataCollectionandAnalysis:Afteryoucollectthedata,thenyoucanlookathowyourquestionsareLaborratesappearstobemuchlowerthanint'lstandards.Butit'scomparabletolocalwagerates,theworkingconditionisalsonotcomparabletoint'lstandardagain,similartolocalworkingFamousshoemaker;scompanystatesthateachsuppliermustfairlycompensateitsworkersanditdoesn'tworkwithsuppliersthathaveabusivelaborpratices.Supplierdoesseemtooperatebelowint'lstandardEconomicsargumentsaysthereisnothingwrongthere-supplierlegallyoperatesandhasthelowestcost-hence,noneedtoswitchUniversality-feelsfairbecausethesupplierprovideslivelihoodtolocalcommunity,famousshoemakerenjoysagoodmarginandtheworkersgetafairwageintheirlocalcommunitycostofswitchingsupplierimpliesseveredisruptiontosupplyActionitem:Continuecommunicationwithsuppliertomakeensurenolaborstandardsare6MartketEntryreportcasebackground::德國某制鎳e,,300,代表是德國人,他覺得中國的空氣環(huán)境不好,所以一直沒把家人接過來,經常往返于中國和德國,以至于沒有更好的開展中國業(yè)務.現在德國總部決定任命你做首席代表,然后要求你寫一.A:那你能簡單介紹一下鎳這個產品嘛I:中國是一個缺鎳的國家,市場需求量比較大.鎳是一種金屬,用途比較廣,可以用于手機,眼鏡框,開關,燈泡絲等等.我可以告訴你的是,在中國對于鎳肯定是有很大的需求.現在總部需A:首先我會對中國市場進行調查,獲得信息并作一定的分析,然后結合公司自身的情況,提出I:那就從市場調查開始把,你會做些什么A:恩,你剛才告訴我中國對于鎳的需求很大而且很有潛力,那到底有大多有潛力,這是我從marketsize,marketgrowth,marketshare,以及宏觀環(huán)境的情況,比如政策限制阿.Player,marketshare,看一下foerignplayerlikeus,他們做的怎樣customer的情況,看看我們的客戶對于產品的需求以及購買因素獲得了這些信息后,capabilities,來提出我的建議.I:對阿,你獲得了這些信息后,report里面只寫這些,要給出你的建議,那你的建議是什么呢?業(yè)務模式是什么呢?A:可能出于試水的考慮,我會提出先不在中國生產產品,而是直接在中國銷售德國的成品.出于對中國市場不是十分熟悉,sell我們的產品.當然同時我們I:那你怎么來搞好在中國的銷售呢A首先我會改變中國的組織架構,representativeoffice,現在我打算改成以地域來分的組織架構來組織銷售隊伍.比如華東區(qū),華南區(qū),華北區(qū)等等.I:還有沒有別的方式來組織銷售A:還可以按照客戶來分把,比如眼鏡客戶銷售,手機客戶銷售,燈泡客戶銷售等等.或者按I:那你為什么會首先想到地域來分A笑),其實我也想到了按照其他方式來分,只不過首先說了按照地域來分,呵呵I:那然后那,你的報告就完了么A:還沒有,因為現在只是在中國銷售在德國制造的成品,這樣成本肯定會高,所以以后我:A:我覺得可能是原材料吧,以及運輸成本,而在本地制造的話這些成本肯定會降低I:你說對了一半,其實最顯而易見的成本差異就在于人力成本,中國的人力成本明顯低于德國的人力成本,當然還可能會牽涉到關稅,所以成本差異主要可能就在運輸,人力,關稅等等.好!那你如果打算在中國制造的話,你會考慮些什么?A:首先考慮選址吧,I:再往前一點呢A:采購,I笑)看來你很喜歡原材料阿,A:哦,那就是我前面提到的到底是自己造廠,localplayer合資I:如果是合資的話,你需要考慮些什么呢Apotential的JVPartnerlist,因為有一些國企公司非常愿意和國外的很強的制造商合作,來獲取國外先進的技術以及管理經驗.partnermarketpositioncompanyfinancialperformace(revenue,volume,debt,AR),接著我可能會考慮有沒有合資上的政策限制,partner的產品線是不是符合我的產品,partner的銷售,營銷網絡以及服務能力.我還會考慮股權的結構,Equityshare,partner的管理層是否能夠很好的接受西方的領先技術和管理經驗(managementfit),40幾歲I:非常好,那我們的討論就到這吧,Casesetup(factsofferedbyYourclientisamanufacturerofbicyclesTheyhavebeeninbusinessfor25TheymanufacturerandsellthreecategoriesofRacingbikes:Highend,highperformancebikesforsophisticatedcyclistsMainstreambikes:Durable,butnotoverlycomplicatedbikesforeverydayridersChildren’sbikes:Smaller,simplerversionsoftheirmainstreambikesforchildrenProfitsatyourclienthavedecreasedoverthepastfiveyearsWhatisdrivingthedeclineinoverallWhatrecommendationsmightcorrecttheSuggestedThefirstquestionistodeterminewhathascausedoverallprofitstodecrease.Toaccomplishthisthecandidatemustfirstunderstandwhathastranspiredineachofthethreeproductcategoriesoverthepastfiveyearsduringwhichprofitabilityhasslipped.Thefollowingarequestionsandanswersthatwouldbeprovidedinaninterviewscenario.Whataretheclient’smarginsforabicycleineachofthethreeRacing:Cost=$600/unit,Profit=$300/unit Cost=$250/unit,Profit=$75/unit Cost=$200/unit,Profit=$50/unitWhathashappenedtothemarketsizeofeachofthethreesegmentsoverthepastRacing:HasremainedconstantatitspresentsizeofMainstream:Hasincreasedat2%growthrateperyeartoitspresentsizeof$1.0BChildren’s:Hasincreasedat3%growthrateperyeartoitspresentsizeof$400MMWhathashappenedtoourclient’smarketshareineachoftheseRacing:Marketsharehasdecreasedfrom60%to30%Mainstream:Marketsharehasincreasedfrom0%to5%Children’s:Marketsharehasincreasedfrom0%to3%Whoaretheclient’smajorcompetitor’sineachmarketsegment?Whathashappenedtotheirmarketshareineachsegmentoverthepastfiveyears?Racing:Thereisonemaincompetitorandahostofsmallfirms.Yourmaincompetitorhasincreasedmarketsharefrom30%to50%Mainstream:Thereexistmany,largecompetitors,noneofwhichholdsmorethan10%oftheChildren’s:Asinthemainstreamsegment,therearemanycompetitors,nonewithmorethan10%ofthemarketTheaboveinformationprovidesenoughinformationtoputtogetherapictureofwhyprofitshavedecreasedoverthepastfiveyears:Yourclient,withacommandingpositioninaflatmarketsegment(racing),expandedintonewsegments(mainstreamandchildren’s).Asthisoccurred,marketsharedecreaseddramaticallyinthemostlucrativesegment(racing),creatinganunfavorablemix.Theextenttowhichprofitshavedecreasedcanbededucedfromsomequickmath:profitshaveslippedfrom$60MMfiveyearsago(=60%x$300MMx33%racingmargin)to$44MMtoday(=(30%x$300MMx33%racingmargin)+(5%x$1Bx23%mainstreammargin)+(3%x$400MMx20%children’sThedramaticdecreaseinmarketshareintheracingsegmentisatthispointstillunexplained.Questionsthatwouldhelpformulateanexplanationinclude:Havetherebeenanymajorchangesinproductqualityinyourclient’sracingproduct?Orinitsmaincompetitor’sracingproduct?Havetherebeenanymajorpricechangesinyourclient’sracingproduct?Orinitsmaincompetitor’sracingproduct?Havetherebeenanymajorchangesindistributionoutletsforyourclient’sracingOrforitsmaincompetitor’sracingYes.Previouslyyourclientanditsmaincompetitorintheracingsegmentsoldexclusivelythroughsmall,specialtydealers.Thisremainsunchangedforthecompetition.Yourclient,ho