Case Study Prompt
A corn feed company has eight manufacturing plants located in the Midwest. These plants service the entire United States. Their plant in Ohio needs refurbishing. The company has four possible options:
-
- Refurbish the existing plant
- Build a larger plant at the current location
- Build a similar size plant at a new location
- Build a larger plant at a new location
Which is the best option for this plant?
Case Study Overview
Your client is a corn feed company that is facing a crossroads decision about one of their main plants that needs to be refurbished. You have been hired to look at all the options, dig deep into cost and profitability and come up with a suggested course of action.
Are you preparing for a first round Strategy& interview? This sample case interview will help you get you on track. The Profitability Framework will help solve this case study, but we suggest adding your own business acumen to come up with a framework that will solve the specific problem your client has approached you with.
There are no math exhibits in this case. The qualitative difficulty is 2 out of 4, which makes this a beginner company case study you would typically see in a first round interview.
Strategy& Interview Tips
What does Strategy& look for in its case interview candidates? A pension for Innovation and creatively solving problems.
It’s essential to make sure you are comfortable working outside basic frameworks to come up with a creative solution for this sample case interview.
To fully prepare, focus on a couple of things:
- Time yourself as you present the case (2min to build structure and 2min to present it; 2min each for a brainstorming question; 2min for final recommendation)
- Focus on finding one key area you can improve upon for next time.
For out-loud practice with an expert, book an hour with an ex-MBB coach. Check out our case library for more sample case interviews.
There is no substitute for quality case prep
Access 500+ consulting cases (including answers) that represent 25+ firm styles and 4 levels of difficulty - all for one low price.
Consulting Case Library
- 550+ online cases and PSTs (with full solutions)
- Covers 25+ firms
- Market Study Cases, Profitability Cases, Human Capital cases, and more!
- Includes thousands of math, structure, and brainstorming drills!
- See sample case
Already purchased the Case Library? You'll probably need to log in to your account first.