BtE case competition Toolbox
About the Toolbox
Although the Toolbox is a collection of very
useful guidelines and frameworks it must be
noted by the reader that these are meant to
assist in the case solving process.
Much of the content in the Toolbox are meant to
serve as a foundation for non-experienced case
solvers, thus the Toolbox does not contain a
certain right way to solve a case. It does
however contain a lot of useful tips and tricks.
One cannot make a winning formula, but by
reading through this collection of frameworks
and guidelines the team might be one step
closer to win Beat the Elite.
- Enjoy.
2013
Disclaimer
This Toolbox is a collection of useful tips, tools,
advices and frameworks that have proven useful
for several different case solvers and winners in
the past. The Beat the Elite Toolbox is developed
by past case team members and winners and
therefore all material rights belongs to CBS Case
Competition. Beat the Elite Toolbox by CBS
Case Competition is licensed under a:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
If you like the content of this toolbox please refer
to our website: www.casecompetition.com/bte
and make the receiver aware of the original
source and owners.
2
 BtE case competition Toolbox

Introduction Content
•  Problem solving: •  Problem solving pp 4-8
This section describes how to structure the
problem solving part of your solution. •  Presentation pp 9-24
•  Presentation: •  Practicalities pp 25-27
How to set up your presentation and make
sure that the end product looks nice, neat •  Additional reading pp 28
and professional.
•  Practicalities:
This section describes some of the things
that can be done before the case launch, as
well as some insiders tips from previous
participants.
•  Additional reading:
External sources and readings.

2013 3
 Problem Solving

Introduction Content
Structuring of the problem solving process is very •  Hypothesis-driven problem solving
important. The teams are only given 24 hours to
solve a complex problem and hence a systematic •  MECE approach
approach will help prioritize and structure the task at
hand. This section is about exactly how to do that. •  Issue tree
Hypothesis-driven problem solving:
This section describes one the most time efficient •  Sanity check
ways to attack a problem.
MECE approach:
The MECE approach is widely used within the
management consulting industry and for a good
reason; This framework ensures that the whole
problem solution space is tested.
Issue tree:
Issue trees are often combined with the MECE
approach in order to prioritize and break down the
problem.
Sanity check:
This section describes the importance of doing a
sanity check.

2013 4
 Hypothesis-driven problem solving
Stating initial Confirm or refute Formation of next
Description hypothesis
Research, analysis
step hypothesis
Hypothesis-driven problem solving is, and conclusion
as the name states, all about forming New
a hypothesis and then testing whether hypothesis /
one is right or wrong about the initial
final
hypothesis. Data
conclusion
As an example look at the figure on
the right. This example describes the No additional profit can
hypothesis that changing the quality Confirm be found by changing
of the product will lead to an increase hypothesis quality.
in the price and thus the profitability of
the product sold. Analysis or or
Hypothesis
First the initial hypothesis is stated, conclusion
this is then followed by an analysis
which can lead to either confirming or Refute
refuting the initial hypothesis. After hypothesis
this, a series of new hypothesis can New
then be formed, here are two
Analysis hypothesis /
examples:
final
Do not look for profit by changing
conclusion
quality since the analysis shows that
neither in- or decreasing quality will
change profitability. Increasing quality of Looking at price After analysis we Reducing quality by
Or check if reduction of quality the product by 5-10% sensitivity, consumer refute the hypothesis. 20% will lead to 5%
instead will lead to increased will lead to a 2% demand, capital Increasing quality will increase in volume and
profitability. increase in profit pr. investments needed not increase profit pr. 10% increase in price
item. and uptake rates, item. pr. item.

2013 5
 MECE
Description A non-MECE issue tree
MECE stands for Mutually Exclusive Total possible solution space
and Collectively Exhaustive and is a
tool commonly used within the
management consulting industry. The Sub-issue #1 Sub-issue #4
framework makes it easier to break
complex problems down into smaller,
more simple problems. If the
Sub-issue #3
”breakdown” is MECE the team Sub-issue #2
ensures that all the sub-issues
collectively exhaust the total solution
space (no grey area is left uncovered)
and that the sub-issues are mutually
exclusive (no sub-issues are A MECE issue tree
overlapping) as seen on the right.
By structuring a problem this way the Total possible solution space
team ensures that they do not miss Sub-issue #1 Sub-issue #4
any possible solution options. It will
also be possible to distribute the work
among the team members without
duplication of any work, thus the
limited time will be used more Sub-issue #2 Sub-issue #3
efficiently.

2013 6
 A MECE issue tree
Description Overall
problem
MECE Form solution
hypothesis
The issue tree deconstructs an issue
into its sub-issues and the sub-issues
Brand    
into its sub-issues and so forth.
percep;on  
A complete issue tree makes
identification of possible solutions Price  /   Quality  
easier and guides the problem solving item  
process.
In this example an issue tree is Other  
Revenue  
constructed around a profit problem in
a company, so in order to know how Updated  exis;ng  
to fix the profit problem, a MECE Exis;ng   products  
issue tree can be constructed. Profit   customers  
The overall issue is profit. On the next Expand  product  
level, profit is deconstructed into Volume   porIolio   Export  to  
revenue and cost. Please note that China?  
revenue and cost are the only drivers
Increase   New  markets  
of profit and they are not overlapping -
customer   Export  to  
henceforth the issue tree is MECE at
base   Brazil?  
this level. Fixed   New  segments  
Looking at revenue this is cost  
deconstructed into ”price / item” and
”volume,” again this is two MECE Cost  
elements of revenue.
Variable  
This issue tree is MECE but all
branches are not fully developed. costs  

Note: No issue tree is the only right way to structure a problem but many are wrong, which is why making it MECE must be top priority.
2013 7
 Sanity check
Description
Early on in the process it is important to do a
sanity check of your solution. As seen in the
figure, the sanity check is supposed to make
sure that the proposed solution is both Creativity
creative, has sound analysis to back it up, is
feasible and has impact. If all these four
elements are in place the team could have a
winning solution.
The sanity check is also a good opportunity
for the team to stop working, take a step back
and ask the question: ”Is this solution
something that the company might actually
consider?”
Impact Winning Analysis
Again, there is not one way to get it right, but solution
many ways to get it wrong. An example of a
creative, but non-feasible solution, could be to
open a store on Mars. An example of a
solution that have all elements but creativity,
could be to optimize all current operations by
2%.
Neither solution are winning solutions due to
their complete lack of one of the four
elements. So make sure that at least these Feasibility
four are somewhat present.

2013 8
 Presentation

Description Content
This section entails everything you need in order to
convey your solution in a compelling and convincing •  Storyline pp 10-15
way.
There are two major parts of a good storyline:
–  Structure of content
1.  Structure of content – telling the right things. –  Structure of argumentation
2.  Structure of argumentation – telling it the right
way. –  Inductive vs. Deductive
If you have these two elements you have a good
storyline. reasoning
–  Putting it all together
This section first describes and exemplifies a logical
way to structure the content of your presentation. •  The executive slide pp 16
That is which analysis and finding to present in
which order. •  Powerpoint do’s
Then, this section describes the two most used
argumentation structures, the inductive and the and don’ts pp 17-24
deductive which is then exemplified.
Lastly, in the final part of this section everything is
put together in an example of a good case solution
storyline.

2013 9
 How to structure your content in a logical way

Description The four major elements

An often used structure of the content in the Setting the Identify Solution Impact
presentation is based upon what the reader stage problem
expects to come next. •  Arg. 1
On the right is an example of how to structure •  Arg. 2
the different parts of your solution. This flow •  …
ensures that the structure of the solution is
easy to follow for the reader/listener. These
four parts are based upon what you are
telling the reader, as seen on the right.
First the overall situation of the company is
presented.
Then, the implication (problem) of that
situation is identified.
In the third part of the story, the solution to the Logic of structure - we are telling you…
problem is presented. In the solution part it is
also vital to present the arguments as to why
3: What is our solution
the team has settled on that particular 1: Where are we now?
to the problem?
solution.
Lastly, the impact of the solution should be 2: Why is this a problem and 4: What is the impact
presented. what is the problem? of our solution?

2013 10
 How to structure a strong logical argument
throughout your presentation

Description Inductive method:

Flow of argument
Having secured that the structure of the
content in the presentation is good, the
1.  Tell your recommendation/solution up front
team must also make sure that the in the presentation. Solution
storyline follows a strong logical
argument. That is, how to structure the
four elements. This means that it should
be easy for the reader to follow the 2.  Then, in the following section tell why you Argument
logical flow of why the next slide looks recommend what you do.
like it does. E.g. setting the stage: ”the
companies revenue is stalling due to
maturity in market” à the next slide
indentifies the problem of the situation. Deductive method:

Flow of argument
Broadly speaking there are two 1.  First, show all your analysis and conclusions. Argument
possibilities for how to build the logical
argumentation of a good storyline. A good
story in a solution almost always follows
either the inductive or the deductive 2.  Then, in the end serve your final Solution
method. recommendation for the company based on
the results of your analysis.
Note:
While the deductive method can be really powerful if used correctly, it is recommended that the team uses the inductive storylining. The reason being
that if using the deductive reasoning, the team must be absolutely sure that the reader will agree on the results and the logic of the argumentation or
else the complete argument for the solution could fall apart. The inductive also has the advantage that it follows the logic of: First tell them what your
going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what you told them.

2013 11
 Example of the inductive storyline
We recommend that…
•  The company should expand their business to China… Note:
•  …By first targeting the coastal region… This box is
basically what to
•  …And pack items in smaller packages…
tell on the
•  …Resulting in a net turnover growth of USD 1bn in 2015 executive slide

…because… (supportive analysis and conclusions)

•  Reasons for going to China
1.  Because the market potential is huge.
2.  The growth is strong.
3.  Current markets are mature.
4.  There are certain risks but they are limited.
5.  We will be able to boost revenue by USD
1bn by moving into China.
6.  Which is more than other considered
possibilities.
•  Why to target the coastal region
1.  Large share of population.
2.  Fastest growing region.
3.  Highest share of net wealth people.
•  Reasons to consider product
modifications
1.  Cultural differences make Chinese
consumers seek different value
propositions.
2.  Small is beautiful in China.
3.  Current consumer trends support ”smaller”.
•  Financial analysis of revenue
growth by 2015
•  Wrap up

2013 12
 Example of the deductive storyline
Looking at… (analysis and conclusions)
1.  The market potentials 1.  Cultural differences
2.  The growth rates –  Value propositions needed
3.  Current markets potential –  Spending patterns
4.  Risks involved –  Consumer trends
5.  Revenue possibilities in different markets Ø  Packaging in smaller bundles is
Ø  China comes up as the most needed
lucrative market
Ø  Financial analysis of revenue
1.  Distribution of population and their net wealth
growth by 2015
2.  Growth across Chinese regions
Ø  The coastal area is where the
Chinese expansion should start Ø  Wrap up

…leads us to recommend that…

•  The company should expand their business to China…
Note:
•  …By first targeting the coastal region… Again, this box is
•  …While consider product modifications… similar to the content of
•  …Resulting in a net turnover growth of USD 1bn in 2015 the executive slide.

2013 13
 Another example of the inductive storyline

Description Which new market should the company expand to?

One can see how this
structure is closely linked to
the MECE framework. In fact Expand to china
a good logical structure will realizing a USD 1bn
almost always follow from a revenue growth
correctly constructed MECE
tree.
In the figure on the right it is
shown how one argument Chinese market Current markets Other markets
builds upon the underlying
arguments.
•  First the solution and its
impact is told. Market size & Market size & Market size &
growht Risk analysis Roll out plan Financial impact growth growth
•  Then on level 2 the
possible markets are
presented.
•  On level 3 the different Region
feasibility Risk analysis
analysis are presented.
The Chinese outperformed
taking market size, risk
Product
analysis, impact and ease portfolio &
of implementation into channels
account.
•  Finally, on level 4 the roll
out plan is justified. Consumer
behavior

2013 14
 Putting it all together: Telling a story during the
progression of the presentation
Key focus areas:
•  Logic of progression through the presentation should be easy to follow.
•  By reading only the headers, the reader should be able to understand case solution. See the example below.

Executive slide Home market is weak… …So other revenue …China is the most
We recommend the company •  We see weak growth sources are needed… promising market…
to expand their business to •  Increased competition 1.  Brazil •  High growth
China and gain USD 1bn in •  Weak spending due to 2.  Russia •  Large market
revenue because home financial crisis 3.  India •  Weak customer loyalty
markets are under pressure. 4.  China •  Resistance towards
Ø  China is the best option western brands

…Although Chinese
customers are different…
•  Resistance towards
western brands due to
1.  Reason 1
2.  Reason 2
…They can be won by …And will make further So while still taking risks
adapting product… expansion possible. into account…
•  Given consumer behaviour, •  Start in major cities •  Risk 1
best way to enter is: •  Expand to coastal region •  Risk 2
1.  Enter •  500 stores by 2015 •  Risk 3
2.  Adapt Ø  How to mitigate risks
3.  Expand

…Our solution will grow Wrap up Note:

topline by USD 1bn Tell them what you told This presentation is not a
them.
solution for how you need to
USD  1  bn  
structure (or design) your
presentation, but only meant as
2020   an illustrative example.

2013 15
 The executive slide
Description
It is recommended to put an executive slide in the beginning of your presentation, since this supports the inductive
reasoning.
The executive slide should…
–  Make the reader able to understand your solution and why you have reached your conclusions.
–  Be the introductory slide for the presentation presented to the judges, should the team reach the finals.
–  Tell the same story as all the headlines of the presentation.

Example A Example B
Executive slide Executive slide
[Setting the stage]
Setting Identify Solution Impact
What is the current situation for the firm?
the stage problem
•  Arg. 1
[Identify the problems(s) or opportunity]
•  Arg. 2
•  …
[Propose solution]
•  Argument 1
•  Argument 2
•  …

[Discuss impact/implications]
Financial and strategic impact

2013 16
 Powerpoint do’s & don’ts
Introduction Overview
This following sub-section is a collection of do’s •  Notation on graphs pp 18
and don’ts regarding the visual setup of your •  Key takeaway in header pp 19
slides. Since you only have 10 slides, it is vital •  One message pr. slide pp 20
that nothing is lost in translation, meaning do not
succumb to the usual Powerpoint mistakes. •  Less is more in graphs pp 21
•  Less is more in effects pp 22
The following examples are not an exhaustive
list of all powerpoint mistakes but a collection of •  Supporting the message pp 23
some of the most common mistakes that can •  Illustrate instead of excessive
easily be avoided. use of bullets pp 24
By making sure that your slides look more like
the ”do”-examples and less like the ”don’t”-
examples you increase the possibility for the
reader to understand the slides as it was
intentionally meant to be understood.
On the right you will find a list of the following
slides.

2013 17
 Remember notations on your graphs

Do Don’t

600   600  
500   500  
400   400  
M  DKK  

300   300  
200   200  
100   52,6   100  
41   2   -­‐2   52,6   41  
-­‐20   -­‐10  
0   0   -­‐20   2   -­‐2   -­‐10  
2007   2008   2009   2010   2011   2012   2007   2008   2009   2010   2011   2012  
-­‐100   -­‐100  
År  
Revenue   EBITDA  

Source: Annual report 2012

Note: Only include data labels if they are needed to prove your point.
Also remember to include your source in the bottom of the slide. This adds credibility to your presentation.

2013 18
 Make sure to put the key takeaway from your slides
in the header

Do Don’t
Case Company has faced stagnating revenue growth and Recent financial development
swindling margins since financial crisis in 2009

600   600   526  

500   500   410  
400   400  
270  
M  DKK  

M  DKK  
300   300  
180   170  
200   200   123  
100   100  
52,6   41  
0   0   -­‐20   2   -­‐2   -­‐10  
2007   2008   2009   2010   2011   2012   2007   2008   2009   2010   2011   2012  
-­‐100   -­‐100  
År   År  

Revenue   EBITDA   Revenue   EBITDA  

2013 19
 Tell only one key message pr slide

Do Don’t
CaseCompany has not recovered from financial crisis and CaseCompany has important revenue drivers, but it has resulted in poor post-
crisis growth and cost savings initiatives from previous strategy plan will not be
current plan will not meet 2015 turnover target able to satisfy shareholder expectations of USD 1 bn in turnover by 2015

Profit  

Recent performance Turnover forecast

Cost  
•  Driver  1  
•  Driver  2  
2015 Target •  Driver  3  
Revenue  
•  Driver1  
•  Driver2  

Cost  saving  ini;a;ves  from  ”2015-­‐Plan”  

•  Reduce  overhead  by  10%  
•  Divest  subsidiary1  
•  Procurement  Savings  Plan  
•  Tager:  50M  DKK  
•  Outsource  of  produc;on  to  India  

Note: Due to the limitation of 10 slides pr solution it may prove neccesary to cram more information into every slide, but it is strongly recommended
to only deliver one key message per slide

2013 20
 Less is more when it comes to data presentation

Do Don’t

Revenue split into carrier type and region

Note: Design your graph so the reader quickly and easely can read it

2013 21
 Less is more when it comes to colours and effects

Do Don’t

Note: …and it looks unprofessional

2013 22
 Make sure only things that back up the message of
the slide is included

Do Don’t
Design for social change
requires three key initiatives

Structure new business models to diversify

withholding and manage assets

Gravitate to situation-oriented business

models

Find new eco-friendly consumer-oriented

byproducts

Note: Images should only be included if they help to make a point clearer. Here this is hardly the case, even on the left-hand slide the value-added
from the images is limited.

2013 23
 A ”figure” is worth a thousand bullets

Do Don’t

Note: Excessive use of bullets dilutes their purpose. A bullet point is a short concise point – don’t put 20 short concise point’s on one slide. Not only
is it tedious to read, it also hide the message of the slide.

2013 24
 Practicalities

Description Content:
This section describes some the most important •  Time management pp 26
practicalities that lies outside the actual problem
solving process and case solution. That being •  Quotes from the
said, the practicalities included and described in insiders pp 27
this section has a high probability of making the
24 hours of case solving easier. If ignored, there
is a high probability of making the case solving
hours more difficult.

Time management:
Due to the time pressure, a good plan will
ensure that the team makes the most of the
available time.
Quotes from the insiders:
This section includes some insiders’ tips for what
things the team would be like to have under
control before the actual case launch.

2013 25
 Draw up a time plan before the case launch

Description Example
The time plan does not have to be as specific as this one,
but a rough time plan will certainly prove helpful as it Develop  inital  hypothesis  
will help the team to not spend too much time on 2hr  checkup.    
unnecessary tasks. E.g. analysis of market irrelevant for Are  we  aligned?  

the case solution, spending too much time on date

search etc. Brain   Struc-­‐
Ini;al  data  research   Retest  hypethesis  
storm   turing   Develop  solu;on  
Also the team should note that the time plan will almost
certainly not be held, as unavoidable events will happen 10:00   11:00   12:00   13:00   14:00   15:00   16:00   17:00   18:00   19:00  
during the case solving. However, making a time plan
will keep reminding the team that time is precious and
spending it unwisely is not recommended.
2hr  checkup   2hr  checkup   Gather  slides   Final  version  
Lastly, this time plan is not the golden rule as to how to
allocate the 24 hours but only an example. The golden
rule that does persist is, the more specific the time plan, Sleep  
Buffer/
the more it will help throughout the process. Develop  solu;on  
rehearse  

20:00   21:00   22:00   23:00   24:00   01:00   02:00        08:00   09:00  

2013 26
 Quotes from the insiders

“
Practice makes perfect. It was so evident that the “ Remember to buy
more training cases we did, the better we got.
“ snacks, snacks,
snacks & more

“ “
snacks.

“
Know your data sources.
Having the best data available
It is very wise to save some time in the end for
iteration, going through every slide asking the
is a competitive advantage.
“ questions: What do we want to tell with this slide

“
and will the reader understand it.

“
My five cents on practicalities would definitely
be to assign team roles and know each others
relative strengths and weaknesses. Having the
“Set up the master slide before
the case launches. We wasted at
least 3 hrs. setting up and

“
discussion before the launch as well as a time

“
manager saved us time. agreeing on the layout.

2013 27
 Additional reading

Online
Here we have listed external sources and additional
reading that is also useful for the case solving team.
•  Choosing the right kind of chart:
http://extremepresentation.typepad.com/files/
choosing-a-good-chart-09.pdf
•  Previous cases:
http://www.casecompetition.com/case_solving/
previous_cases
Offline
•  How to structure your argument:
Barbera Minto – The pyramid principle
•  Presentation design advice:
Gary Reynolds – Presentation Zen
Nancy Duarte - Slideology

•  www.caseinterview.com

•  www.bcgperspectives.com

•  Data sources:
http://www.eiu.com/
http://research.thomsonib.com/

2013 28