著名商學(xué)院案例手冊(cè) Case book Michigan

1、the university of michigan business schoolconsulting clubconsulting interview preparation bookbased on materials provided by:at kearneybooz-allen hamiltonmckinsey and companyand theoffice of career developmentconsultingconsultinguniversity of michiganconsulting club1999 editionsection 1 - introducti

2、on.5overview.5maximizing your return.5section 2 overview of the consulting industry.7what is consulting?.7why do companies hire consultants?.7consulting project types .7trends.9the structure of consulting firms.10compensation.11lifestyle.11section 3 consulting articles.13the management consulting in

3、dustry.13segmentation .13trends.15reflections on first-year recruiting.18why consulting? .18knowing the firms.18preparing for the case interview.20second-year recruiting: looking for the long-term.22investigating consulting firms.22the recruiting process.23the decision-making process.24career paths.

4、24remuneration .25is consulting the right field for you?.27the options .27the skills in demand.28landing the job you want .29recommended resources .30section 4 - overview of cases.32section 5 - different types of cases.34section 6 - frameworks for cases.35additional models.36the four cs.36economics.

5、374ps.39value disciplines.39porters five forces.40star diagram/organizational analysis.41the bcg growth-share matrix .42value chain.42generic strategies (porter).43 consulting club interview preparation book 1999 editionpage 2 of 118consultingconsultinguniversity of michiganconsulting clubstrategic

6、types (miles & snow).44other key concepts.45section 7 - dos and donts.48section 8 - how to prepare for the consulting interviews? .50section 9 - general interview questions.51section 10 - sample cases.52case no. 1 china products division.52issue.52possible solutions.52case no. 2 healthcare compa

7、ny.55issue.55possible solution:.55case no. 3 electronic joint venture.56issue.56possible solutions: .56case no. 4 television cable company.58issue.58possible solutions.58case no. 5 magazine sunday supplement.60issue.60possible solutions.60case no. 6 american express charge card.62issue.62possible so

8、lutions.62case no. 7 television cable company.63issue.63possible solutions.63case no. 8 credit card division of bank.65issue.65possible solutions.65case no. 9 movie rental business.67issue.67possible solutions.67case no. 10 auto service stores.69issue.69possible solutions.69case no. 11 sports franch

9、ise.71issue.71possible solution.71case no. 12 - durable goods distribution case.72issues .72possible solutions.72case no. 13 - business forms case.73issue.73possible solution.73case no. 14 - “high-end” pots & pans company case.74issue.74 consulting club interview preparation book 1999 editionpag

10、e 3 of 118consultingconsultinguniversity of michiganconsulting clubpossible solutions.74case no. 15 - paper products manufacturer case.76issue.76case no. 16 - pianos.77issue.77possible solutions.77case no. 17 - coke vs. rc value chain.79issue.79possible solutions.79case no. 18 - fertilizer.81possibl

11、e solution.81case no. 19 - airplane manufacturer.82issue.82possible answers.82case no. 20 - mysterious audiocassette market.83issue.83possible solutions.83case no. 21 - windmill.84issue.84possible solutions.84case no. 22 - bank of luke.85issue.85possible solutions.86case no. 23 - candy company.87iss

12、ue.87possible solution.87case no. 24 - skyscraper.88issue.88possible solution.88case no. 25 - consulting firm (i).89issue.89possible answers.89case no. 26 - cosmetic company in europe.90issue.90case no. 27 - semiconductors.92issue.92possible solutions.92case no. 28 - airline industry.93issue.93possi

13、ble solutions.93case no. 29 - oil tanker.94issue.94possible solutions.94case no. 30 - fertilizer.95issue.95case no. 31 - retail advertising pricing.96issue.96possible solutions.96case no. 32 - automobile industry.97issue.97 consulting club interview preparation book 1999 editionpage 4 of 118consulti

14、ngconsultinguniversity of michiganconsulting clubpossible solutions.97case no. 33 - scientific industry.98issue.98possible solutions.98case no. 34 - aluminum industry.100issue.100possible solutions.100case no. 35 - meat packing industry.101issue.101possible solutions.101case no. 36 - piano tuners.10

15、2issue.102case no. 37 - consulting firm strategy.103issue.103case no. 38 - corn feed company.106issue.106possible solutions.106case no. 39 - selective binding case.107issue.107possible solutions.107case no. 40 video games.110issue.110possible solutions.110case no. 41 - steam boiler hoses.112issue.11

16、2possible solutions.112case no. 42 - merger candidate in chemical industry.114issue.114possible solutions.114case no. 43 - machine-loading case.116issue.116possible solutions.116 consulting club interview preparation book 1999 editionpage 5 of 118consultingconsultinguniversity of michiganconsulting

17、clubsection 1 - introductionoverviewon behalf of the 1999-2000 university of michigan consulting club, we would like to welcome to the university of michigan business school. we are sure that if you are not feeling overwhelmed already, you will be after flipping through this book! we would like to r

18、eassure you by pointing out that every year hundreds of students successfully scale the recruiting curve and obtain rewarding careers in the consulting industry. we believe that the consulting industry offers unparalleled opportunities and rewards for intelligent and creative professionals. perhaps

19、more than any profession, consulting offers individuals the opportunity to chose from any number of rewarding areas of expertise while working in a team based environment. as the business world transforms itself to meet the needs of the next century, consultants will be needed more than ever to prov

20、ide expertise and guidance to industry leaders with the difficult decisions that they face. maximizing your returnas with any process, there is a learning curve to recruiting. this book is an attempt to consolidate the information you will need to begin your job search. as such, it should be utilize

21、d as both a ground zero starting point and as a reference manual. when you realize that you need to pursue more information on an issue, we hope you will use the book to point you in the right direction. we would also like to point out what this guide should not be used for. this guide is not a subs

22、titute for the hours of practice needed to learn how to crack a case. just as we could not hope to write a book to teach you how to ride a bicycle successfully, this book will not provide you with the experiences to master the case interview. being able to nail a case interview comes through practic

23、e and perseverance. while we hope that this guide will shave several hours off the process, there is no substitution for having a few actual practice cases under your belt. therefore, we would encourage you to seek out other mbas to practice with and/or to use the office of career development.we sho

24、uld also note that recruiting is a multifaceted process. while the interview stage is perhaps the most critical of all components, you should not neglect the other steps in the process. to maximize your chances of landing the dream job, you should thoroughly research the firms that you are intereste

25、d in, send cover letters to those firms and make follow up calls with those representatives. remember that the interview comes near the end of the recruiting process, not the beginning. through the recruiting process you will interact with a number of outstanding consultants, develop lasting bonds w

26、ith your peers, and learn a great deal about yourself. as much as we would all like to skip recruiting and get right to the offer, most first-year (and second-year) students find that there is tremendous value in the process. as with most things in life, your attitude will make you or break you. the

27、 decision to approach recruiting as a personal challenge rather than a tedious chore is perhaps the most crucial step in your preparation.take the time now to read this book and then sit down and determine your plan of action. identify the areas on which you personally need to focus the most. rememb

28、er that you are interviewing consulting club interview preparation book 1999 editionpage 6 of 118consultingconsultinguniversity of michiganconsulting clubfor positions that require sharp analytical skills and true business savvy - use these distinctive traits to strategize your career launch!with al

29、l of that said, please take a deep breath, relax and get ready to show the world what a university of michigan mba student can do!on behalf of all of the officers of the consulting club, we wish you the best of luck in the upcoming academic year, your job search and in your future career.benben kort

30、langkortlangpresidenttoddtodd vanvan toltolvice presidentnicknick harlingharlingofficer, case educationtushartushar narsananarsanaofficer, case competitionmattmatt lindsaylindsayofficer, firm relationscarmencarmen salehsalehofficer, eveningrobertrobert mooremooreofficer, technologyandrewandrew beauc

31、hampbeauchamptreasurer consulting club interview preparation book 1999 editionpage 7 of 118consultingconsultinguniversity of michiganconsulting clubsection 2 overview of the consulting industrywhat is consulting?by the university of chicago graduate school of business management consulting group:1in

32、 this section, we will provide an overview of the profession, the types of consulting, projects, and how consulting firms are structured.understanding each firms approach to consulting services is extremely important to landing a job that is why corporate presentations can be so valuable, provided t

33、hat you come with specific questions you would like answered. why do companies hire consultants?there are several reasons that firms hire consultants:1. to obtain an objective viewpoint regarding a given business problem or issue. consultants are relatively unaffected by a companys politics or the w

34、ay in which business was conducted in the past, so the consulting firm delivers what is perceived as an objective analysis. this perspective can be important for motivating employees to change.2. to utilize the specific expertise of the consulting firm. for example, the consulting firm may offer an

35、industry authority to which the client would like access. additionally, the consulting firm may have done similar projects in the past for comparable companies.3. to obtain information about where the company stands in an industry. consulting firms often develop benchmark data on the performance of

36、industry average and best-in-class companies in order to provide expert advice regarding performance improvements.4. to provide resources to address a specific problem. often, clients simply do not have enough time or resources to devise solutions to certain problems. consulting firms can avoid the

37、day-to-day distractions that the clients managers cannot. further, consultants may offer labor power to coordinate and execute an implementation.consulting project typesgenerally, consulting firms classify their services into of three categories: strategy, business process reengineering (or simply r

38、eengineering) and specific services. these categories are not mutually exclusive and the distinctions can easily blur. in effect, there are as many different types of consulting projects as there are business problems. we will try to explain each of these types in some detail, but keep in mind that

39、it is impossible to describe the full spectrum of consulting services in this guide.1 this article was obtained from the 1997-1998 resource guide prepared by the management consulting group of the university of chicago. please note that portions of the article that were only applicable to the gradua

40、te school of business (at the university of chicago) have not been included for the convenience of the reader. consulting club interview preparation book 1999 editionpage 8 of 118consultingconsultinguniversity of michiganconsulting clubregardless of project type, client involvement is extremely impo

41、rtant to the eventual success of any project. firms follow very different approaches to involving client personnel. for example, some firms require a certain amount of full-time client resources dedicated to the project. others require only sporadic assistance for portions of the project, such as fi

42、nancial analysis or engineering problems. in some cases, client personnel become an integral part of the consulting project.strategy consultingstrategy is the most difficult type of project to explain, because it means different things to different firms. generally, a strategy project involves a lif

43、e cycle crossroads for the client. for example, determining if the client should expand its product line or focus on existing products, or deciding what services the company should provide ten years from now are examples of strategic projects. a strategy consulting engagement will typically involve

44、the highest levels of the clients organization, since responsibility for the direction of the company lies there.most consulting firms will use a five forces-style or value chain analysis (both from michael porters book competitive strategy) to evaluate all strategic options available to a firm and

45、determine a suggested or potential course of action. this would include a detailed financial projection of the different scenarios. after recommending a given strategy, the project would either conclude or lead to an implementation phase.implementation is a major issue among consultants today. consu

46、ltants who permit the client to implement a solution believe that success will be realized when the client is forced to take ownership of the solution. on the other hand, other consultants argue that, because their firm was instrumental in developing the solution, they ought to assist the client in

47、implementing the solution. there is a definite trend in the consulting industry toward having consultants assist in implementation. in fact, more often than ever, consultants are being judged by clients on their ability to implement change.business process reengineeringthe term reengineering has bee

48、n popular since hammer and champys book reengineering the corporation became a best seller. there is nothing mystical about the term - it simply means taking an objective look at the way in which a business is run. for example, through benchmarking against similar companies, a firm may decide that i

49、t takes too long to fill customers orders. a consultant would then analyze the individual steps of the order fulfillment process and determine ways to cut time, increase quality, enhance customer satisfaction, etc. a revised process is determined and then proposed to the client. reengineering engage

50、ments more often include an implementation phase in a project than do strategy engagements. some recent literature suggests that reengineering is losing favor and that certain firms are distancing themselves from the term, if not the practice.specific services consulting club interview preparation b

51、ook 1999 editionpage 9 of 118consultingconsultinguniversity of michiganconsulting clubanother component of the consulting industry concerns itself with specific tasks and expertise needed by clients. although the various issues relevant to this type of consulting are innumerable, a few specific area

52、s are currently prominent:technology and systems consultingsystems consulting is chiefly concerned with giving clients advice about the ideal configuration of their information systems, new architectures, the introduction of client-server computing, and software and hardware purchases.human resource

53、s consultinghuman resources (hr) consultants help firms make compensation decisions and offer insights on benefit packages, pension funding, workplace diversity, and employee development. executive compensation is a hot topic in hr consulting.litigation consultingthese consultants work with law firm

54、s to plan case strategies, provide economic analysis, and develop courtroom tactics and/or evidentiary presentations.financial consultingfinance consultants provide guidance to corporations and money managers in the areas of securities pricing, economic forecasts, and strategies for creating shareho

55、lder value.other industry-specific servicesmany niche firms fall into this category. for example, in the healthcare consulting field, consultants are often asked to justify the need to build a new hospital (a feasibility study). the financial backers of the new hospital would rely on the consultants

56、 findings before proceeding with construction.trendsgrowth - major consulting firms have been boasting double-digit rates of growth.overseas expansion - much of the growth in the consulting industry has been international, with firms competing to build a client base in various countries.range of ser

57、vices - many firms have moved toward offering a broader range of services (e.g., strategy through implementation). mergers and expansions are fueling this trend. consulting club interview preparation book 1999 editionpage 10 of 118consultingconsultinguniversity of michiganconsulting clubdecreasing g

58、rowth of strategy consulting after the restructuring, downsizing, and reengineering phase of the 80s and early 90s, strategic projects have developed around continued growth and expansion overseas.the structure of consulting firmsmost firms will have very few job classifications. titles vary by firm

59、, but the responsibilities are generally similar. the following are the basic classifications and job descriptions:business analystthese positions are not held by mbas, but rather by the most capable individuals right out of top undergraduate programs. the business analyst position is typically held

60、 for 1-3 years between undergraduate and graduate school. the analysts responsibilities range from research and data gathering to functioning on a level equal to post-mba consultants.associate / senior consultantentry-level for mbas. the associate is usually given the role of information gatherer. this will