MBA PRESENTATION

This is a generic business case study presentation template for business students

Agenda

• Problem & solution
• Executive summary
• Brief history
• Industry analysis
• Company analysis
• Alternatives
• Implementation

Problem & Solution

• Frame the “problem statement” as a question.
• Put your recommended solution on this slide.
• You’ll sometimes see the solution presented at the endof a presentation, but at the beginning is better.

  Why?

• Putting the solution right after the problem makes youconfirm that your solution actually addresses theproblem at hand.
• No surprises. If the audience knows your solution offthe top, the rest of the deck should walk through howyou came to that decision; it’s easier for them to followyour line of reasoning.

Executive Summary

The executive summary is a single slide that contains thekey points from the rest of the presentation. The idea is anexecutive who doesn’t have time to sit through your wholepresentation can look at this, understand the problem,what’s driving the problem, your solution and why it willwork. Do this slide last, always.

• Problem facing your company, our proposed solution
• Market data backs up our solution (cite briefly)
• Competitors are all doing X
• This is because the industry is doing Y
• We need to catch up to X, we need to excel at Y
• If we do this, we can expect this outcome
• Here is how we do it

BRIEF HISTORY

Business Key Points

• This is a “state of current affairs” slide. It sets up how thecompany has been doing. The next slide (key challenge)highlights why this needs to change.
• Bullet points on this slide highlight key points about thecompany that are relevant to the business challenge athand.
• Don’t fill with irrelevant information. Remember in mostMBA case scenarios, you are the consultant, and you’representing to the board.

  You don’t need to tell the boardwhat they know about their business.

Key Challenge

• This slide should show a major challenge the company isfacing.
• Use a chart to show the key challenge, which could bemany things. Examples:
• That they’re underperforming compared to competitors
• They’re losing market share
• Industry is consolidating
• The market has changed because of X
• There are many things which could be a key challenge.
• Pick the main one, then communicate the challengesuccinctly.

INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

This Section

The industry analysis section should highlight trends in theindustry that:

• Put pressure on the company in question
• Have created the challenge you’re solving
• Are disrupting or sustaining the industry
• Use standard industry analysis frameworks (PEST,strategy canvas, Porter’s five forces and genericstrategies, etc.

  ) whichever are relevant to your case.

• Use also charts, graphs and quotes
• Examples on the next two slides can be used, or otherframeworks, as needed for your specific case.
• Delete this slide for your actual work

Macro-Environmental Analysis

Financial Performance

A simple-to-read slide (or two) with how the company isperforming against its competitors (remember this is theindustry section)

• Use industry benchmarks
• Can get information from company reports or Reuters,Google Finance, etc.
• Don’t overwhelm them with numbers– only put numbersin that you’ll speak about and that matter to thechallenge
• Use graphs and charts to bring order and increasereadability

COMPANY ANALYSIS

The company analysis section should show where thecompany is setup to meet the challenge and where they’renot.

• Use standard industry analysis frameworks that apply toyour situation (SWOT, product life cycle, value chain,resources and capabilities, financial ratios, AnsoffMatrix, etc.)
• Use also charts, graphs and quotes
• I’ve included some examples on the next few slides offrameworks you could use, but there are many manymore. Use what makes sense for the case you’re doing.
• Again, delete this slide for your actual work

Key Success Factors

This is a simple framework from the book ContemporaryStrategy Analysis by Robert M.

Grant. You don’t need touse it, but it’s one way to show key success factors in theproblem you’re solving.The data in the cells are example only to illustrate how theframework can be used. Replace the information for yourown case.

SWOT

ALTERNATIVES (OPTIONS)

The alternatives section should demonstrate you did yourhomework. You looked at three (always three!) possiblesolutions and you picked the best one.

Alternatives should follow the mutually exclusive andcollectively exhaustive (MECE) principle.Always list the solution that you came up with third, as itwill then be top of mind when you present yourimplementation plan.

Key Issues / Decision Criteria

• Recap the key challenge
• List additional key issues that fall under this challenge
• The key issues become your decision criteria (otherwiseyou’re not solving the issues)

Key Issues and Related

SolutionsA chart with checkmarks shows at-a-glace which optionbest solves the key issues / decision criteria.

Communication Plan

RECAP

Use this slide to quickly recap yoursolution– don’t go over the problem again.Highlighting the positive outcomes is goodas you just talked about risks, so reinforcingwhy your solution is the best one is a goodtactic at this point.