PROFILE:

Name: Shrirang Chilapur

Company: Accenture Strategy India Business
Graduation Branch: Mechanical Engineer
Graduation College: R V College of Engineering, Bangalore
Work Experience: Reliance Industries Limited Petrochemicals
Duration: 11 Months
Resume Spikes 1: International Internships
Resume spikes 2: Academics and PORs
Summers Firm: Accenture Strategy

Interview 1
(The interview was a market entry problem with real names of the players, so
some industry knowledge was essential. The interviewer was a consultant at the
firm. It went on for 45 minutes)
The interview starts with pleasantries, the tension of day zero, etc.
Interviewer: Lets start with the case. What do you know about the civil aviation
industry in India?
Candidate: The civil aviation industry in India is one of the largest in the world,
probably the third or fourth largest market. The modernisation of airports, the
increase in business and corporates, travel preferences moving towards air
travel, and the advent of low cost carriers has led to the boom of this industry.
Interviewer: Can you think of a couple of key business drivers in this industry?
Candidate: On top of my mind, hassle free booking of tickets, availability of
tickets on all common sites, providing good passenger experience, competitive
rates, connectivity between cities, adherence to schedule, etc.
Interviewer: You spoke about the advent of low cost carriers in India. Can you tell
me how it has changed the industry?
Candidate: Before 2000s, we had few players, like Deccan and Jet, and a couple
of other local carriers. Most of them were expensive to travel with, and flying was
for the elite. After that, players like Kingfisher, Indigo, SpiceJet have come in and
are providing services at highly competitive prices.
Interviewer: How do they do that?
Candidate: As per my knowledge, these are the reasons:

Ease of regulations have decreased costs to enter the market compared

to pre 2000s
Cost savings on frills food is paid for separately, baggage costs
separately, cramming up more seats leading to lesser leg space, etc.
Availability of aircraft renting options many investment banks are
getting into this. This reduces capital investment needed. I think
Kingfisher has mostly rented aircraft.

Interviewer: Does Kingfisher fall into the cost saving category?

Candidate: No. It falls under the premium category. They differentiate based on
service provided, and their prices are higher.

Interviewer: What categories of players are there in the market?

Candidate: Please allow me to think for a minute.
(Doodled with a price vs. service 2x2, that looked somewhat like this) and
explained the positioning of each airline briefly

Interviewer: Are you aware of the latest entrants in the airline industry?
Candidate: Yes. Tatas Vistara and AirAsia are planning to enter (they were in
induction phase at that time)
Interviewer: Supposing the Tata group is your client. How would you advise them
to enter the market?
Candidate: (After thinking through for a minutes time) I would like to analyse the
Company, the industry, the competitors in that segment and the customer
segment it wants to target to start with.
Interviewer: We have spoken about the industry. Please elaborate on the rest.
Candidate: OK. Firstly, the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines bring together the
best capabilities.
Here I knew some facts of the Tata group and how it has excelled in most of the
businesses it has ventured into, the synergies of the group companies and its
inspiration to come in the aviation industry. However, I did not know much about
SIA, so I requested the interviewer to help me out, which he did. I then
elaborated on how the two companies could have synergies.
Interviewer: What strategy do you suggest to tackle competitors and gain
customers?
Candidate: I have heard that Vistara wants to enter the premium segment. Is
that true?
Interviewer: Yes.
Candidate: In that case, the only competitors are Jet and Air India (KF is no more
a player). Shall I go ahead?
Interviewer: Yes.
Candidate: Let us look at the services Jet offers and the customers it caters to.
Jet charges higher prices, but it offers a premium flying experience. It gives free

meals, offers quicker check-in times, has Indias best frequent flyer program
called Jet-Privilege, and it has a very good footprint. It attracts the business
traveller and the wealthy traveller. People look at travelling in Jet as a special
experience (compared to the service of Indigo and SpiceJet).
So Vistara will be catering to almost the same customer segment. Hence,
providing all of the above will be just the first step in building the brand. (I then
provided a few additional ideas the carrier could offer, which the interviewer
seemed to like)
Interviewer: I like your ideas. But do you think it will be enough? Tata has always
been associated with lower prices. How about reducing the prices to the level of
Indigo/SpiceJet?
Candidate: I think lowering the prices will have the following effects:

Financial burden on the firm, immediately after it launches. It is

manageable as Tata has deep pockets, but not sustainable in the long run
Users may get confused with Tatas offering (premium or not-premium)
The price point in the minds of consumers will get set at that level for
Vistara. So if they increase it later, it may have a negative effect and
reduce customers.

Interviewer: So what do you suggest?

Candidate: Start off with promotional offers so that the actual prices are visible
and the consumers know that it is discount and that the actual prices are similar
to Jet and Air India. Sway them with all-round excellent service. Give offers to fly
again. (Add 2-3 more minutes of suggestions)
Interviewer: Ok that was a great interview. As a personal opinion, do you think
that Vistara will do well?
Candidate: With the current price war and increasing fuel and airport costs,
almost no player is making profits, except probably jet. If anyone has the deep
pockets to enter the industry, it is the Tatas. Even then, I dont see them making
any profits for the first few years.
Interviewer: OK thank you.
(Interview 2 was with a Partner on the crude oil market; the case was on a public
sector firms future expansion strategy: expanding in India vs. expanding
abroad. This was asked because of my experience in the oil industry)
(Overall takeaways: Industry knowledge is very important, at least to an extent
where you can have a decent discussion. Prepare for this in groups. Especially
know your relevant industries (the ones you have an undergraduate degree in,
or worked in) like the back of your hand. Always ask questions when you
assume. Let the interviewer know if you dont know a particular piece of info, its
not a crime. He will gladly provide the relevant information. Structuring your
answer is as important as the answer itself. It helps you get brownie points,
especially if your answer is slightly out of track)