Bain Casebook Consulting Case Interview Book贝恩咨询案例面试

CASEBOOK
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Case Interview Workshop
Photo Case Study: Background
• Situation
-Our client, a photography company, currently
makes money by selling film and photo paper
• Complication
-They have experienced declining profits over
the past five years and have hired Bain to
figure out what is wrong
BOS Case Interview Wkshop 2004 - Dartmouth 2

What should our client do?
• Background
-We have determined that our client’s declining profitability due
to volume declines resulting from digital substitution
-As a result, the client is now considering a few new business
ideas to enter digital photography
• Potential Action
-Our client has been approached by Kmart in order to place
“kiosks” within each of their stores
-Kiosks are self-serve stations that allow users to print their
digital photos on the client’s paper
How do we evaluate the attractiveness of this opportunity?

Step 1: Set-up a framework to tackle the question and communicate
it to the interviewer
Size the Market Opportunity Calculate Breakeven Demand
Make a Final Recommendation
Attack each piece one at a time

Size the Market Opportunity
Step 2: Estimate the potential demand for digital prints per year
within a single Kmart store as an example
Top Down Bottom Up
• Start with large number (e.g. total • Start with small number (e.g.
relevant population) and number of K-mart customers per
progressively narrow down day) and progressively scale up
 Exact numbers and order of steps are not important

 Make assumptions that are reasonable
 Once you finish the calculations, step away and ask
yourself, “Does this number make sense?”
 If not, go back and refine your original assumptions
Size the Market Opportunity
Top Down Bottom Up

• 1M people in Boston • How many people go to a single
- *10% are Kmart customers= 100K Kmart per year?
- *10% of customers go to Kmart to - 2500 customers per day
do photo finishing = 10K - *400 days/yr = 1M visits per year
- *5% of these customers use a • How many digital prints will this
digital camera = 500 people
translate into?
- *average person prints 100 digital
- Average customer goes to Kmart ten
photos per year = 50K prints
times a year (1M/10) = 100K unique
customers
- *10% of customers go to Kmart to
do photo finishing = 10K
- *5% of these customers use a digital
camera = 500 people
- *average person prints 100 digital
photos per year = 50K prints
The potential demand for digital prints

in a single Kmart store is 50,000
Size the Market Opportunity Calculate Breakeven Demand
Make a Final Recommendation

Calculate Breakeven Demand
Key Inputs
- Average price per digital print is $0.50
- Cost per kiosk is $1,000 (assume no other fixed costs)
- Average cost per digital print is $0.10
Calculations
- Breakeven: Revenue = Cost
0.5*Q = 1,000+ (0.1*Q)
0.4*Q = 1,000
Q = 2,500 prints
The client would have to believe that it could sell

at least 2,500 prints in order to take this action
Final Recommendation
Client Should Pursue if:
Market Opportunity > Breakeven Demand
50,000 > 2,500
Our client should place digital print

kiosks in each Kmart Store

Ace The Case
• Discussion
-Not a cross examination
• Frameworks
-Structure your answer, but don’t rely on a
framework that may not be relevant
• Relax and be yourself

-We want to get to know you

What does Bain look for?
Structured Reasoning Professionalism

Strong Analysis
Approach & Logic & Engagement
 Understand the  Synthesize  Identify and  Enthusiasm

question being and filter data prioritize key and interest in
asked provided by issues as they the question
interviewer arise
 Develop an  Comfort with  “Sanity  General

approach to numbers and check” – Does understanding
answering the ability to make the answer of the firm and
question reasonable make sense? consulting
assumptions
 Always draw  Ability to use  Mature and

final conclusion the original confident
relating approach and demeanor
discussion to logic to sort
initial problem out a problem

Key Tips For Success
• Listen carefully and make sure to answer the

question you were asked to evaluate
• If confused, ask for clarification. It will be hard to
succeed on the case if you don’t understand the facts
• Structure, structure, structure. Use it, it will help you
• Make sure you get to an answer
• Always provide logical back-up to your answers, the
thought process is much more important than the
actual answer
• React to verbal and physical cues from your
interviewer – Remember, the interviewer wants you
to succeed on the case
• Be yourself – the interviewer wants to get to know
you
• Relax, and have fun

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CASEBOOK

BOS Case Interview Wkshop 2004 - Dartmouth 2

How do we evaluate the attractiveness of this opportunity?

Size the Market Opportunity Calculate Breakeven Demand

Make a Final Recommendation

Attack each piece one at a time

BOS Case Interview Wkshop 2004 - Dartmouth 4

Top Down Bottom Up

 Exact numbers and order of steps are not important

Top Down Bottom Up

The potential demand for digital prints

Size the Market Opportunity Calculate Breakeven Demand

Make a Final Recommendation

BOS Case Interview Wkshop 2004 - Dartmouth 7

- Average cost per digital print is $0.10

The client would have to believe that it could sell

Client Should Pursue if:

Market Opportunity > Breakeven Demand

50,000 > 2,500

Our client should place digital print

BOS Case Interview Wkshop 2004 - Dartmouth 9

• Relax and be yourself

BOS Case Interview Wkshop 2004 - Dartmouth 10

Structured Reasoning Professionalism

 Understand the  Synthesize  Identify and  Enthusiasm

 Develop an  Comfort with  “Sanity  General

 Always draw  Ability to use  Mature and

BOS Case Interview Wkshop 2004 - Dartmouth 11

• Listen carefully and make sure to answer the

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