How to Crack Case Competitions ?

- E x p e r i e n c e f r o m P G P 2 s
 Agenda for the day

❑ Introduction to case competitions

❑ Approaching the problem statement and research

❑ Depth and breadth of analysis

❑ Delivering the presentation

INTRODUCTION TO
CASE COMPETITIONS
Competitions - National & International
Case Competitions

National level International level

Institute level Corporate level

 Why case competitions ?
National - institute National - corporate International

Practical exposure Medium High Medium

Time commitment Medium High High

Strength of
Medium High High
Resume Point

PPI opportunity Low High Low

New networks Medium High High

 Planning for case competitions
August to December is the time when most of the top-notch corporate case competitions
are held; institute level competitions are spread across the year

Ideal time to build points for resume and to get a shot at PPI; last year, students from IIMB
got PPI from Microsoft, PwC, Mondelez, Loreal, KPMG, ITC , Amazon etc.

As a novice, you can first start with institute level competitions (IIMA, IIMB, IIMC, XLRI,
ISB, IIML etc.) held at National level

For most of the competitions, you will get emails from the PlaceCom; however, there may be
others for which you may have to source

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 How to choose your team?

Interested to Commitment Domain Expertise

problem solve

Diverse skills Rapport Devil’s advocate

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 Suggested Do’s & Don’ts
• Do not register for a lot of competitions; ideally max 2 case competitions per month

• State your expectations with the team very clearly upfront – about time commitment

• Connect with past winners (from any institute) to understand the approach, PPT guidelines etc.

• Do not wait for last couple of days to solve the case; start brainstorming initially to get everyone on board

• Email the organizing team initially or midway to clarify any doubts (however trivial)

• Keeping the same team will help in rapport, time management etc; trade off is learning

• Refer IIMB’s Instagram handle to get winners list

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 Most Competitive B-School in the Country

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 APPROACHING
THE PROBLEM STATEMENT
AND RESEARCH

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 Types of case competitions

Idea based Case study based Others (Majorly Fin based)

❑ Ask is more specific ❑ Expected structure is fixed

❑ Open ended
❑ Higher focus on ❑ Focus is on thoroughness &
❑ Focus on creativity comprehensiveness
comprehensiveness
❑ Multiple submission rounds ❑ Multiple rounds
❑ Different problem statements
usually
for different rounds ❑ Quant heavy – valuations etc.

Fest comps
 Problem statements vary in multiple aspects
Open Ended Highly Specific
Overall problem
statement

“Identify an emerging “Identify a lucrative D2C “Identify a potential “Shifting market & consumption trends.
market trend to capitalize opportunity for HUL. acquisition target and analyse Identify attractive segments - Propose
on; provide end to end plan Propose GTM strategy and synergies. Propose an packaging, channel & marketing strategy.
of implementation & Analyse financial acquisition and integration Competitive benchmarking.
solution” feasibility” plan” Propose innovative activation ideas”

Data on the
Very Limited Data Data Heavy Case
case

Case outlook No specific Outlook Specific Outlook

(Sustainability / Innovation / etc.)
 Basic process and approach to case comps

Analyse & Breakdown Discuss & Discuss,

Research Prep & present
problem statement Divide Evaluate & Do

❑ Identify the ❑ Identify potential ❑ Research on ❑ Discuss takeaways ❑ Prepare slides &
problems/ pain research areas and solutions from research excel
points to be divide into modules
addressed ❑ Collect data ❑ Evaluate solutions ❑ Think about Q&A
❑ Divide research work • Feasibility (Very important,
❑ Study the context ❑ Validate • Scalability often the deciding
❑ Brainstorm potential hypothesised • Sustainability factor)
❑ Brainstorm & think solutions solutions
about potential ❑ Decide on final things ❑ Rehearse the
causes/ reasons to include presentation with
time limits
❑ Identify constraints – ❑ Divide work on
budget, boundaries deliverables ❑ Rock the
etc. presentation!
❑ Brainstorm loopholes,
risks, weaknesses
 Research Approach & Methodology

Problem

Answer/ Approach first Research first

❑ Prepare the outline of the ❑ Research on the problem statement &

presentation and deliverables requirement
• Majorly secondary
❑ Do focused research based on the
plan and outline ❑ Finalize content and prepare outline
based on data available
❑ Better suited for case based
competitions & cases with abundant ❑ Better suited for open ended idea
data based cases & cases with limited data
availability
 Research Sources
Annual reports
Databases & investor
you can access presentations

Market Research Reports Broker Analyst Reports YouTube Videos of recorded Macroeconomic Reports by
by consulting Firms from Trendlyne industry forums Global / Govt. Institutions

Secondary
Research

E.g., Speaking with

Interviews with E.g., Speaking with E.g. Speaking with
Subject matter Distributors / social media
experts
industry experts for
Customers
customers to identify Influencers influencers on
Stakeholders insights on trends pain points
marketing reach
 DEPTH AND BREADTH
OF ANALYSIS

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 Depth and Breadth of Analysis
Open Ended Idea Case Studies Finance

❖ Research First Approach ❖ Answer-first Approach ❖ Answer-first Approach

❖ Identify important trends ❖ May have multiple questions or a ❖ If possible, keep multiple ideas in
single objective discussion

❖ Generally multiple problems in one ❖ Context setting not necessarily

statement - breakdown trends are important ❖ Feasibility analysis and technical
knowledge - differentiate
❖ Answer each question but weave a
❖ Zone in on an Idea story

❖ Back with numbers – keep them

❖ Feasibility Analysis – Frameworks ❖ Feasibility Analysis – Frameworks readable (charts)

❖ Generally small submission – ❖ Large submission – in-depth and ❖ Remember ultimately it is about the
focused coverage on Idea broad analysis operational solution not just
numbers
Source: Team analysis; ForbesLife 2021, How Luxury Brands Plan To Reconnect With Local Consumers In Post-Covid 2021, DaxueConsulting, Gucci Strategy in China
 Major Difference in Approach
Open Ended Idea Case Studies

➢ Problem breakdown by primary & secondary research

➢ Idea brief ➢Analyze the Industry

➢ Value proposition ➢Analyze the case statement

➢ Implementation ➢ Primary & secondary research (highly critical)

➢ Timeline ➢Idea

➢ Target segment ➢Remaining similar to idea based

➢ Challenges ➢Way Forward

➢ Financial Viability

➢ Benchmarking

➢ Risk Mitigation plan (Avoid, Accept, Mitigate & transfer)

 Frameworks at Various Stages

Industry Analysis Firm Specific Idea/Solution

➢ SWOT Analysis ➢Value Proposition

➢ Competitive Benchmarking ➢KPI Impact Analysis

➢Porter’s General ➢ Perceptual Map

➢ RICE Framework
Broad
Narrow

Cost Leadership Differentiation

 Frameworks at Various Stages

Customer / Market Pricing Distribution

➢ Customer Persona ➢Pricing Strategies – ➢Value Chain

➢ AARRR Framework (Penetration, Skimming etc.) ➢First Mile – mid Mile – Last Mile

➢ STP Framework ➢ Unit Economics ➢ Centralized vs Distributed Model

A
Acquisition

B
Engagement

C
Retention

D
Referral

Revenue
 Financial Analysis
Existing Idea / Startup

➢ Discounted Cash Flow Evaluation

➢ Breakeven
➢ Comparable analysis Increase in marketing cost 5-7%
➢ Unit Economics Increase in admin cost 2-3%
➢ Historical Transaction
➢ Cost Benefit Analysis
➢ Balance Sheet / Income statement: Vertical, Horizontal, etc.
Increase in engagement 50%

Increase in #Sales 10%

Group Valuation (€ Bn)
105.2 Overall Benefit
7.3 Kering Obtained ~7-8% 1.08X

3.4 • Decrease in X
Kering + Ferragamo
markup by ~1-2%
94.4 • Increase in #sales
by about 10%

Synergy
 DELIVERING THE
PRESENTATION

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 Structuring the presentation
Methodology & Implementation &
Setting the context Identifying the root cause Proposing solutions
Key metrics Feasibility

❑Demonstrate your ❑Demonstrate your ❑Propose ❑Test the practicality

understanding of the understanding of the recommendations for or feasibility of the
problem context problem the problem/situation proposed solutions

❑Include an overview ❑Include an overview ❑Substantiate stand by ❑Include next steps or

of the industry in of the industry in explaining the logic of considerations for the
question (Size, growth, question (Size, growth, the recommendation management to tackle
trends, etc.) trends, etc.) (how arrived at it) the situation

❑Might include an ❑Might include an ❑Might use short term ❑Might use priority
understanding of the understanding of the vs long term or based logic or
target company target company defensive vs attacking implementation
(business & operating (business & operating classification for making roadmap for multiple
model, finances, etc.) model, finances, etc.) a better pitch phases of change
 Differentiating your presentation!
Use action–oriented
slide titles to exhibit
execution mindset
03
Include a one-liner summary of each
slide to summarize key takeaway &
reinforce understanding Keep the theme and
structure of presentation
04
consistent for unified
messaging
05

Start with executive Summarizing

what’s Try to highlight primary
summary to build an Strong Single and
Start important
Whole
research in the form of
expectation in the
02 delivery commentary by key
reader’s mind 06
stakeholders
Showing effort
Brief smartly
overview

Use catchy Link your

infographics or annexure slides /
pictures to make 01 Efficient use of time 07
excel backups for
the user interested Reader in referring to source easy reference
interest analysis
in reading
 Presenting in the finals
Density of slides

High Animation is key; remember to Divide slides into – Priority 1,2,3;

summarize before moving on to focus on important slides;
next slide animation is very important

Walk through all slides and

Short presentation – walk
content; can skip some slides in
through all slides and content;
case time is less; minimal
animation is minimal
animation
Low

Low Number of slides High

 Basic Guidelines
All team members must present almost equally; may use different styles

Do not depend on script reading – evident for judges; improvise as much as possible

Do not over animate – difficult to keep track for the presenter and distracting for jury

Practice the presentations at least 2-3 times before the D-Day with timer for each member

Q&A by default to belong to the concerned slide presenter; keep cues for passing question

Smile throughout the presentation; keep some light moments to ease and connect

Pause and summarize in 1-2 lines during connector / divider/ summary slides

IIM B, B.Com (Hons.), Hindu College
SIDDHANTH BAGARIA
BCG, Bain & Co.
Siddhanth is a Commerce graduate
from Hindu College, DU. He has a
keen interest in finance and modern
day start-ups. Prior to joining IIM
Bangalore he worked as a
management consultant at Bain &
Co. (BCN) for 24 months with a
specialization in Private Equity due-
diligences. He interned with BCG for
his summers.
siddhanth.bagaria21@iimb.ac.in
Feel free to reach out!
IIM B, B.Tech (Civil), IIT BHU
ANVESHIKA PANDEY
Blackstone, GS
Anveshika is an Engineering
graduate from IITBHU. She has keen
interest in PE /VC space. Prior to
joining IIM Bangalore she worked as
a Risk Strat at Goldman Sachs for 2
years in equity derivatives. She
holds keen interest in latest
development in the finance and
business world She interned with
Blackstone Advisors for her
summers.
anveshika.pandey21@iimb.ac.in
IIM B, CA, CPA US, CFAL1, M.Com
KRISHNA WADHWA
Barclays, KPMG
Krishna Wadhwa is a qualified CA
and US Certified Public Accountant.
He specializes in 360° finance and
business advisory.. Prior to joining
IIM Bangalore, he worked with
KPMG for 48 months in
management consulting & statutory
audit domains. He interned at
Barclays Investment Bank for his
summers
krishna.wadhwa21@iimb.ac.in
IIMB, B.E.(Hons.) BITS Pilani
BHUVANESH VASUDEVAN
Multiples PE, Credit Suisse IB
Bhuvanesh is an Engineering
graduate from BITS Pilani. Prior to
joining IIM Bangalore, he worked
with Credit Suisse as part of their
India Coverage team for 20 months.
He has a keen interest in finance
and business strategy. He interned
at Multiples Private Equity for the
summers.
bhuvanesh.vasudevan21@iimb.ac.in