Case Frameworks

interviews cheat sheet

 Profitability framework

Volume Useful revenue

segmentation
• By product type
Revenues • By distribution channel

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• By geography
Price per • By customer type
unit

Profits

Fixed Fixed costs examples:

costs • Rent
• Staff overhead
Costs Volume • Loan interest

Variable Variable costs examples:

costs • Raw materials
• Delivery
Cost / • Commission
unit • Direct labour
 4Ps framework

Product Price Promotion Place

• Customer need • Perceived value for • Marketing • Possible channel

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fulfilled customer messages (E.g.: physical,
• Usage (who, • Competitor prices • Media type (E.g.: website, etc.)
where, how, etc.) • Customer price TV, Facebook, etc.) • Customer
• Good vs. service sensitivity • Best time to expectation

• Product lifecycle • Production cost promote (E.g.: • Requirement for a

(new vs. mature) Halloween) sales team?
• Etc.
• Substitutes • Competitors’ • Competitor’s
strategies strategies
• Etc.
• Etc. • Etc.
 Porter’s 5 forces

Customers bargaining Suppliers bargaining

Threat of substitutes
power power

• Customer • Supplier concentration • Potential new

concentration (E.g.: top (E.g.: top 3 as % substitutes
3 as % revenues) revenues) • Ease of substitution

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• Price sensitivity • Cost of switching from • Evolution of customer
• Information availability one supplier to another propensity to substitute
• Supplier differentiation

Threat of new entrants Existing rivals

• Regulation • Number of competitors

authorisations required and market share
• Capital requirements • Similarity between
• Economies of scale products

• Network effects • Financial health of

competitors
 3Cs framework

Customers Competition Company

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• Customer demographics
(E.g.: age, sex, income, etc.)
• Customer needs
• Customer segments size
and growth rates
• Customer willingness to
pay and price sensitivity
• Competitors’ value
proposition and brand
• Competitors’ market share
and growth
• Competitors’ financial
health
• Product offering
• Profitability
• Core competencies
• Unique selling point
• Financial performance and
resources
 Market entry framework

Market Client capabilities Financials Entry strategy

• Market size • Differences • Current financial • Ideal timing of

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• Product types between client’s situation of the market entry
current and new client • Do a test in a
• Market profitability market • Cost to enter new region first?
• Competition • Is it the client’s first market
intensity • Build own
new market entry? • Ongoing costs company, buy
• Market regulation • Have other once market competitor or do
companies entered JV?
entered already? • Expected revenues • Control from head
and ROI office or
decentralise?
 Pricing framework

Cost-based Value-based Competitor-based Overall strategy

• Fixed costs • Price of next best • Available • Pricing strategy

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• Variable costs alternative to substitutes from objective? High
product offered competition profitability, win
• Number of units market share, etc.
sold annually • Features that • Price of these
makes product substitutes • Cross-sell/ upsell
• Profitability better than next opportunities to
targeted • Value of our
best alternative product vs. take into account
• Value of these substitutes • Possibility to sell
features different versions
of the same
product?
 Merger and acquisition framework

The market The target The buyer Synergies and risks

• Are both • Current / future • Acquisition • Value of individual

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companies in the financial position rationale: and combined
same market? of the target undervaluation, entities
• Market size and • Important assets control or • Cost synergies
growth and capabilities synergies
• Revenue synergies
• Market profitability owned by target • Acquisition
financing • Biggest risks of
• Competition • Quality of target’s failure
intensity management team • Does buyer have
• Culture of target experience with
• Market regulation other acquisitions?
company vs. buyer
• Right time to make
acquisition?
Warning

Do NOT reuse existing

frameworks in your
interviews
Warning

Your interviewer will

recognise them and
penalise you
Warning

Learn to put your own

frameworks together
instead
Structured training

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