Case Study Consult the Consultant Series
The purpose of this event Is for you, as a potential future consultant, to gain some Insight and experience of the consulting world and a taste of what you may encounter In a case study interview situation with a management consultancy firm During the day you will be assessed by a selection of consultants who have kindly even up their time to assist you in this exercise and to aid your future career progression.
On the day itself, you will be working In groups with fellow students from the MBA and Specialist Masters variants; a case study has been written which enables all members of the group to play a part In discussion, negotiation and decision making. There is no single right answer to the case study, rather it will be up toy to develop a range of intelligent scenarios.
As such, you are not being assessed on the correctness of your ideas (although some scenarios will be more realistic than others) UT rather on your approach to finding solutions, strategic thinking, ability to synthesis knowledge In a complex environment, consideration of all aspects of a decision, ability to Justify the strategies you recommend, awareness of multiple perspectives, and your ability to persuade and influence the client. Throughout the day, you will be expected to think strategically, think creatively and to think on your feet.
Your ability to work as a team will be important. In consulting, confidence is important?if one of your team Is not participating this will reflect on the whole roof, so all members of your team should be encouraged by other group members to take part.
Please enjoy this exercise, maximize your learning opportunities, and make the most of opportunities to network and receive feedback from our guests. We are sure you will Join the Carelessly team in thanking the consultants for giving up their time to share valuable insights and perspectives.
Consult the Consultant Series: Case Study Saturday | 19 January 2013! Case study developed by Matt Stocker Ltd In partnership with Warwick Business School Welcome Page 2 of 9 You are to imagine that you work for a firm of management consultants that is cooking to secure a project with a company called Good to Go. Good to Go is a fictional company but the market in which it is set is real life and current. A natural confectionery and snack company, Good to Go retails primarily in the UK and has had some success in Europe.
Moving forward, the Senior Management Team are seeking objective expertise and support in developing their approach to internationalization and have therefore approached your firm on the basis of a trusted recommendation.
They have not worked with you before but have been particularly impressed with your thought leadership and expertise in the area of international strategy. You have a good relationship with Good to Go’s Sales ; Marketing Director and have already had a meeting in which the Director shared their own perspective on Good to Go’s current situation.
Product sketches and findings from this meeting are detailed in subsequent pages. To reach a final decision on your work together, the Senior Management Team must agree that they are happy to hire you. An agreed set of objectives will also need to be determined for your project.
On Saturday, you will therefore be meeting with other members of the Senior Management Team to together outline the objectives of your work. It will be p to you to tease out what the Directors want and what the business needs to achieve, both within the scope of your project and for the business internationally.
It is likely that you will need to help the Directors to clarify their own thinking and understanding. At the end of the day, it will be up to you to ensure that the objectives you set together make strategic sense and are realistically achievable within your role as a consultant. Missed objectives may mean missed opportunities for your firm but it is also unwise to over promise and under deliver! Good to Go knows and likes your firm, so you haven’t got anything to prove. That said, Saturdays meeting will determine whether you win the work.
All market information (with the exception of details of Good to Go itself) is freely available online today, so you may wish to impress the Directors with a little background research. Showing them you are confident in your knowledge and secure in your abilities will be important. Similarly, if you can help them to create an effective set of objectives that will deliver real value and return on investment for their business, they should Jump at the chance to hire you. Take the discussion in the wrong direction however and hey may have second thoughts! Listen carefully, ask intelligent questions and don’t make assumptions.
Explore different avenues but don’t get side-tracked. Work together as a team and you will be fine.
The meeting is short but play it right and you should be able to walk away with a lucrative contract and a winning set of objectives. Good luck! Developed by Matt Stocker Ltd in partnership with Warwick Business School Page 3 of 9 INTRODUCING GOOD TO GO Good to Go, a natural confectionery and snack company, was founded in 2007 by three friends who spotted an opportunity in a growing market. With backgrounds in food, branding, and fitness, the founders are now Managing Director, Sales ; Marketing Director and R Director respectively.
In recent years, natural ingredients, Free From products and clean labeling have all become increasingly important in the confectionery industry and three quarters of British consumers are reported to look for products without artificial additives. With a passion for health, wellbeing, sustainability and innovation, the founders felt they had something to offer the market. A study published by Southampton University in 2007 on the effect f artificial food colors on childhood behavior (colors now known as the ‘Southampton Six’) further persuaded the friends their venture was necessary.
Over time the founders’ ideas have evolved and Good to Go now manufactures three product ranges: Soft, gummy sweets in a range of flavors and fun shapes Nut, fruit and chocolate based snack bars Chocolate bars and other chocolates (such as buttons, drops, chocolate coated raisins and nuts) in a range of flavors Natural, sustainable ingredients are used for all products and all chocolate is Firetrap certified. Several products within each range are also free from dairy and elute. Innovative, sustainable packaging has been a key differentiator for the company and sustainability remains a key value within the organization.
Where possible, Good to Go believes that all packaging should be recyclable and innovative packaging techniques ensure they are primarily able to use cardboard and paper, with little to no plastic and foil being required. (See pages 5-7 for sketches). Although natural confectionery has traditionally been a niche product, Good to Go nonetheless targets the mainstream market, all the while refusing to compromise on their values.
From the outset, brand has been extremely important to them and they are keen to maintain their popular, quirky and fun image.
This strategy has led to success and Good to Go has achieved broad appeal across multiple segments; its broad product range has further encouraged a diverse customer base. Priced at the premium end of the market against competitors such as Divine and the Natural Confectionery Company, and modeled on brands such as Innocent Drinks, Good to Go primarily competes on three factors: Goodness AT tenet Ingredients Funkiness and attitude of their branding Design and innovation of their packaging Today it has a turnover fee million and a net profit of around 6% or El . 26 million.
Raw ingredients swallow more than the half the revenues and the margin taken by retailers is high; as such, margins are slim on all products.
Situation Page 4 of 9 Page 5 of 9 Page 6 of 9 Solution Page 7 of 9 MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE Senior Management Team Managing Director Sales & Marketing Director Operations Director Finance Director Founder Recruited 3 yr ago Non-executive Board Following advice from its PVC having originally been set up with a mix of private and venture capital funding, Good to Go quickly recruited a small non-executive board to revive additional experience, advice and oversight in support of the fast growing business.
The venture capital fund is also represented on the board by their Investment Manager. CURRENT SITUATION Good to Go retails primarily in the UK but has also achieved some success in the European market in countries such as Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands. To date, export has largely been reactive with the organization responding to opportunities as they’ve arisen. Success has been achieved solely on the basis of the I-J product range and brand and, although marketing efforts have en patchy, product and brand seem to have achieved European appeal.
In recent months, the directors have become aware of the British government’s efforts to boost I-J exports and feel it is important to further capitalist upon available opportunities. They are also aware that export provides an opportunity for Good to Go to Levers TTY Its rills Ana recognize ten company Is now Tattling Deanna several AT Its competitors in its internationalization efforts. Thus far, the sales and marketing team has been responsible for driving internationalization but it is now beginning to feel somewhat out of its depth.
Good to Go has recently been approached by an export agent who is keen to represent the company in Germany but staff are unsure about this opportunity. The sales and marketing team are also conscious that Good to Go is in the midst of negotiating deals with major I-J cinema and pub chains to be stocked as kiosk and bar snacks. The Operations Director has similarly voiced concerns about the impact of internationalization on the supply chain as management of international stock and deliveries significantly increases complexity.
At present, Good to Go has three factory units on one site, all running clean lines, in addition to a arouses. With 121 employees, the workforce is already stretched and at capacity. The Directors and non-exec Board have discussed these opportunities and concerns at length but, before they proceed further, feel it is important to obtain objective expertise and support. Moving Page 8 of 9 forward, they wish to become proactive in their internationalization approach and realize that current opportunities need to form part of a broader strategic plan.
Furthermore, strong personalities exist within the Board and opinions often differ? not only between the Board members themselves but also between the Board and he company’s Directors.
One of the Board members in particular has a bee in their bonnet about the BRICE countries and is extremely keen on India. The company currently has no specified budget for internationalization efforts. However, while cash flow can occasionally be tight, working capital is generally available and, dependent upon the internationalization strategy that is pursued, it is likely that funds can be found.
