sammy KEYES

Its autumn in Santa Martina, CaliforniaPresidential election season at William Rose Junior High.The usual campaign tactics are taking placethe school is covered with posters and banners, and the candidates are busy handing out buttons and candy to sway the votes their way. But some strange happenings are going on at the same time. Hundreds of balloons suddenly appear in the cafeteria with the cryptic message Revolution! written on them. Lipstick messages screaming RESPECT! are scrawled across mirrors in the bathrooms. And, oddly, tube socks are being forced down toilets and into sinks, creating oods and leading to student panic. Enter Ofcer Gilbert Borsch of the Santa Martina Police Department. Ofcer Borsch is called in to investigate the vandalism and to gure out who has been wreaking such havoc at William Rose Junior High. Here, in its entirety, is his casebook. The following pages contain the information he compiles from the matteran incident report, an evidence log, and several transcripts of interviews with key witnesses. or are they suspects? Unfortunately (or, fortunately) for Ofcer Borsch, seventh-grade super sleuth Sammy Keyes stumbles across this casebook, and solves the crime before he gets a chance to do the same.
Get on the case! Can you unravel this crime? Do you have what it takes to be Sammy Keyes? Read on. and see if you can solve the mystery!

CASEBOOK

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SANTA MARTINA POLICE DEPARTMENT
Incident Report Case # 00-895 Dates: Wednesday, October 13 and Friday, October 15 Location: William Rose Junior High School Reported by: Joseph Caan, Vice Principal Responding Ofcer: Gilbert Borsch Description of Incident: Assorted acts of vandalism/public nuisance. FRIDAY: 1. Toilets in three student bathrooms clogged and overowing due to attempted ushing of socks. 2. Bathroom sinks similarly blocked up with socks and taps left on resulting in minor ooding. 3. Mirrors in all student bathrooms defaced with writing in lipstick. WEDNESDAY: 1. Fire alarm pulled by student, Tenille Toolee, in response to loud noise of popping balloons. 2. Excessive litter on school campus caused by said balloons.

Evidence Log

Item # 00-895-1 Poster, created by school, slogan: Rock the Vote Item # 00-895-2 Poster, created by student Brenda Washington. Slogan: Speak Up! Act Out! Vote for Brenda Washington for president Item # 00-895-3 Poster, created by student Brenda Washington. Slogan: Title 9 wasnt about getting new cheerleading uniforms! Vote for Brenda Washington to put an end to misogynism in school-funded sports! Item # 00-895-4 Poster, created by student Dan Brodon. Slogan: Dan, Dan, Hes Our Man. Item # 00-895-5 Poster, created by student Dan Brodon. Slogan: Surfs Up with Danny-o! Item # 00-895-6 Poster, created by student Dan Brodon. Slogan: Dan Can Do Item # 00-895-7 Poster, created by student Jessica St. James. Slogan: Ill Speak for You! Vote for Jessica!
Item # 00-895-8 Poster, created by student Jessica St. James. Slogan: Communication is Key! Vote for Jessica! Item # 00-895-9 Index card. Creator unknown. Slogan on the front: Who are you? And on the reverse: I really want to know! Item # 00-895-10 Balloon (red) with Revolution? written in black marker. Paper message inside balloon: All right! Creator unknown. Item # 00-895-11 Photograph of the bathroom near the library of William Rose Jr. High. Writing on mirror: RESPECTnd out what it means to me Item # 00-895-tube socks.
Transcription of Police Interview
Interview recorded October 15, at William Rose Jr. High. Vice Principal Joseph Caan (known as JC) and Ofcer G. Borsch (known as GB) present. GB: So, Joe, whats been going on here? Its pretty early in the year for this kind of stuff. JC: [snorts] I know, I know. I wouldnt normally call in the police over student pranks, but the school board voted in this new zero tolerance policy and theres been enough damage here this week to constitute vandalism, I think. GB: Why dont you tell me from the beginning? JC: Yeah, OK. Well. Its election season for the studentsposters everywhere, banners, slogans, kids trying to outdo each other with buttons and free candy. The usual nightmare. Coach Vince is the faculty advisor for student governmenthe could tell you more about it. Mostly its been the regular stuff this year. Jessica for President. Vote for Dan or hell kick your can. But theres been some different stunts too. GB: Such as?

JC: On Monday, every locker had a card stuck on it that said Who are you? and then on the back it said I really want to know. No signature, so we dont know who did it. Then on Wednesday, there were balloons all over the cafeteria at lunchI mean hundreds of em They all said Revolution? on them and there was a piece of paper inside that said All right! GB: Do you have any of this stuff still? The posters or the balloons? JC: Oh, yeah, sure. Ill get it all together for you.Course the kids popped the balloons. You should have heard the noisehundreds of balloons, all popping at once is loud. GB: And thats when someone pulled the re alarm? JC: Yeah, jeez. This seventh grader, Tenille Toolee, not the sharpest tool in the shed, you know? She hears all the popping and thinks its a bomb, so she pulls the alarm and runs screaming through the halls. The nurse practically had to sedate her. So I shrugged it off, you know? Didnt seem malicious, just dumb. GB: But now youre not sure? JC: Well, I dont know. This morning theres
lipstick messages on all the bathroom mirrors. And then after lunch theres socks stuffed in the sinks and the toilets in three different bathrooms and water ooding everywhere. The water seeped down through the oors, too, so weve got damage to the ceilings below. And were going to have to call in a plumber to dredge the socks out of the toilets. So were looking at some pretty serious damage all told. GB: Yeah, I get that. When do you think these things got done? Whats security like around here? JC: Security. Well, the ofces and classrooms get locked when theres no teacher in them. But the campus is open early and latekids are in and out all over, for sports, after school stuff, breakfast clubs. Theres always supposed to be a faculty advisor around, and Ciscos always here GB: Cisco? JC: The building maintenance supervisor. GB: OK. And no one saw the signs being left or a hundred balloons being brought in? JC: No. Its all anyone can talk about in the teachers lounge, but none of the faculty seems to know anything. It kills me to say it, but it wouldnt have been that hard for someone to
have done this stuff either really early in the morning or really late at night. GB: But the socks down the toiletsthat must have been done during the day. JC: Yeah. I got word about the ooding around 1:30 so someone must have blocked up the bathrooms at the end of lunch or during the period after. GB: OK. Ill go talk to Coach Vince rst. Then your custodian. Then the girl who pulled the alarm. Anyone else I should be talking to, you think? JC: Its all tied to the election somehowCoach Vince can tell you more about the kids running and he might have an idea who our mystery candidate is. The only troublemakers I know of so far this year are Samantha Keyes and Heather Acostabut their beef seems more personal. And I dont see either of them as the student government type. GB: Keyes? JC: You know her? GB: Nosy kid? Kind of a smart mouth? JC: Yeah. Want to talk to her, too? GB: Heck no. But maybe I should.

Interview recorded October 15 at William Rose Jr. High. Robert Coach Vince (known as CV) and Ofcer G. Borsch present. GB: All right, uh, can I have your rst name for the record Mr. Vince? CV: Its Robertbut everyone calls me Coach. GB: Right. OK. Coach. So, Vice Principal Caan tells me youre the faculty advisor for student governmentcan you tell me how these elections are run? CV: Yeah, sure. Its pretty basic. Theres a president, vice president, treasurer, you know. Elections arent for another two weeks, but kidsmostly the president wannabesstart exing their muscles early. They put up posters, hand out iers with their platforms GB: Platforms? CV: Yeah, what they want to change about the school. GB: Any unusual platforms this year? Anyone suggesting radical changes? CV: Nah, same old story mostly. Better cafeteria food, looser rules about going off campus
during the day, that kind of thing. Brenda wants to abolish the cheerleading squadlike thatd ever happen. Jessica is a cheerleader and shes billing herself as the great communicator. Nice girl, but itd be OK with me if shed communicate a little less. And then Dans got some idea about starting a surng teamkids a real go-getter. One of our top ball players. Course a surf team would be an insurance nightmare for the school, so thats never gonna y. GB: What about these unsigned messages? CV: I dont know what to make of em. To run for ofce the kids have to sign up with me and Ive only got the three presidential candidates on my roster so farDan, Brenda, and Jessica. Technically kids have until the end of the day today to register, though. GB: So the campaign starts before everyone is signed up? CV: Well, not usually, but I extended the signup period this year because we only had three candidates and I hoped some more kids would scope out the competition and decide to get in the game. Its looking like a bad call on my part, though. Now some mystery candidates committing fouls left and right and I dont have any idea who it is.
GB: So you dont think one of the registered candidates is behind this? CV: I dont know. I dont see any of them pulling this kind of thing. I mean, it started off kind of clevereveryone was buzzing about the Who are you? cards. But now theyre stufng socks down toilets? Hows that gonna win any votes? And these three are all really motivated to win. [sound of door opening, conversation pauses] CV: Nolan? Boys voice: Uh, Ryan, sir. CV: Right, Ryan. Im in the middle of something here. R: [barely audible] Sorry. CV: Chess clubs meeting next doorthat what youre looking for? This is the Student Government room. R: [v. quietly] Right. What was I thinking? CV: OK then. Catch you later, sport. [sound of door closing] CV: Jeez. This is the third time this week hes walked into the wrong room. Mouse of a kid, huh? Couldnt buy him a backbone. [pause] Now his brother, Spence, thats a whole nother story. That boy is one hot shortstop. GB: Coach. Lets go back to the incidents. So

you think these stunts are some fourth students campaign? CV: [pause] Huh. Yeah, I was sure till you asked. GB: But now. CV: [pause] Its gotta be a campaign. What else would it be? Why else leave notes and balloons everywhere? GB: But no one else has talked to you about running? You dont know who it might be? CV: No, no one else has come in to see me. And Im here all the time. I mean, my door is always open.
Interview recorded October 15 at William Rose Jr. High. Student Dan Brodon (known as DB) and Ofcer G. Borsch present. GB: So, Dan, what can you tell me about todays disturbances? DB: Nothing. GB: You havent heard about the socks? DB: Oh yeah, sure. I just dont know who did it. GB: Any ideas? Does it seem like something anyone you know would do? DB: No way, man. GB: Well, whats your take on the elections so far? DB: Pretty intense, huh? GB: Could you be more specic here, Dan? DB: Well, I dont know. I mean, I just thought Id run, you know? Some of the guys dared me to, and I thought, ok, that could be a trip, so I signed up. But everyone else is so into it. GB: Why dont you tell me about the other students who are running? What do you know about Jessica St. James? DB: Jessica? Shes cool. Talks kind of a lot.
But friendly. Not like Brenda. GB: Brenda Washington? DB: Yeah. I mean, whats she so mad about? She seems so down on everything. And her posters? Does she think the cheerleaders shouldnt have new uniforms? Whatever, man. GB: OK. So what do you think about these unsigned messages? Who do you thinks behind them? DB: Well, at rst I thought Jessica left the who are you? cards. Shes always talking about communication so that seemed like her. But then those revolution balloons? That seemed more like something Brenda would say. And the lipstick respect signs. So maybe its her. Then again, Jessica would have the lipstick. Shes got like a whole cosmetics counter in her locker. GB: Youve looked in her locker? DB: No! Well, I mean, yeah, Ive seen inside. Her lockers near the library and I work there third period and shes always there when Im leaving.Its not like Im stalking her or anything. GB: I never said you were. [pause] OK, what about the socks? Do you think either of them could have done that? DB: Nah, thats harsh, even for Brenda. And I
dont get it, really. To quote a song like Revolutionyou know, if youre talking about destruction, you can count me out. But then to go and destroy stuff. Weird. [pause] Huh. GB: What? DB: Well, I just gured the same kid left the messages and stuffed the socks, you know. But I guess it could have been someone else. GB: You mean the socks might not have anything to do with the campaign? DB: Dude. Maybe not.

Interview recorded October 15 at William Rose Jr. High. Student Brenda Washington (known as BW) and Ofcer G. Borsch present. GB: OK Brenda. I see from the posters around the school that you are running for class president. BW: Yes I am. GB: Do you know who has been leaving the unsigned messages around school? BW: No. GB: No? Some people have said they thought it was you. BW: Me? Who said that? GB: So its not you? BW: Of course not. I would never put up signs and not sign my name. Who would vote for someone who doesnt have the guts to stand up and say what theyre about? People will always know where I stand. I think students need to be more vocalreally get involved in their communities and local governments, after all GB: So you dont think the messages were effective? BW: What? Oh. Well, there was a big stir of
course. But its all slogans and no substance. I think, well, I hope the students of this school are smarter than that. GB: What about the sloganswhat do you think they mean? BW: How do you mean? GB: Well, they arent the kind of slogans anyone else is using are they? BW: No. GB: So what do they mean? BW: Welltheyre songs, of course. GB: Songs? BW: Yeahyou know. The schools theme for elections is Rock the Vote, so all these unsigned messages are song lyrics. You didnt catch that? GB: [cough] Right, of course. What about the socks? How do they t in? BW: Sock it to me, I guess. GB: Excuse me? BW: You know. On the bathroom mirrors it said Respect And the backup singers in that song say sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me. I gured it was a reference to that. GB: So you think this student was socking it to the school and the teachers? BW: I guess. GB: Not a great campaign strategy, though.
BW: No. But some people are more interested in causing a commotion than in actually doing the work and using the system to make real changes and real progress GB: Uh huh. So who do you think might do something like that? BW: I dont know. GB: What about the other candidates? BW: Dan and Jessica? No way on Dan. The campaigns way too creative for him. I mean, hes nice enough I guess, and maybe even a leader in his jockish way, but an intellectual athlete, he is not. Jessicas your typical cheerleader. Popular. Impossibly perky. I cant really see her destroying school property, though. Why risk rocking her little world? No, I think someone else is running the mystery campaign. GB: OK, so think, who might it be? BW: I dont know. Someone pretty self destructive, though. I mean, people were really hyped up about the messages. Why would someone sabotage themselves like that?

Interview recorded October 15 at William Rose Jr. High. Student Tenille Toolee (known as TT) and Ofcer G. Borsch present. GB: Now Tenille, you know its a serious thing to pull a re alarm, dont you? TT: I know, I know, I know. God. Everyone keeps saying that like I dont know. But I was really scared. GB: OK, why dont you tell me what happened. TT: Well, I was in the hall outside the cafeteria. And Im practically alone because Im late. And I hear this noise coming from inside. Its not too loud at rst but then it gets louder and louder and louder! BANG, BANG, BANG! You know? And then I hear someone scream, so I scream cause I dont know whats going on. And theres banging and shrieking and its so loud. And I say is it a bomb? And one of the other kids in the hall says, Yes Tenille, its a bomb. And so I pulled the alarm and ran. GB: Who told you it was a bomb? TT: I dont know! I was crouched down on the oor with my hands over my eyes! I mean, I didnt want to get my face all cut up with ying
shrapnel or anythingI mean, I thought it was a bomb! But I swear I heard someone say that. GB: Can you at least tell me if it was a girl or boys voice? TT: A girl. GB: And the voice sounded serious to you? Not sarcastic? TT: Absolutely it was serious! Or I thought so then! Sure, today its easy to say that they must have been joking. But with all that noise and all that yelling? Im telling you, youd have pulled the alarm too. GB: [coughing] Yeah. OK, Tenille. TT: And now today with the bathrooms? I think I was right to be scared.theres some psycho around. GB: What do you know about the bathrooms? TT: I know my shoes are ruined! I mean I opened the door to the girls room next to the library and all this water comes rushing out, and some grody old gym sock. It actually touched my skin! So then I have to go all the way around to the one near the cafeteria and Jessica says that bathrooms ooded too! GB: Did you go into either bathroom? See any of the damage? TT: No, there was running water all over the
place and I had to go! I ran all the way to the girls locker room. GB: When was this Tenille? TT: In the middle of fth period. Well, it was the end of fth period by the time I got back to class. Mr. Pence was really pissed that I was gone so long. I dont even think he believed me about the oods. GB: Well, Im sure he does now. TT: I doubt it. No one ever believes me.

Interview recorded October 15 at William Rose Jr. High. Student Jessica St. James (known as JS) and Ofcer G. Borsch present. GB: So tell me Jessica JS: Oh! I am so glad you are here, Ofcer. I mean, the whole school is in shock, you know? And I, for one, am really glad to have a police presence here in the school. I know I want these crazy stunts to stop. Its really wrecking the whole election process. GB: Right, OK. Tell me about the campaign so far. JS: Well I know I would be, like, honored to be president? But whoever did this obviously has no respect for the school at all. GB: And do you have any idea who might have done this? JS: Well, not really. GB: But you suspect something? JS: No.but you cant help but look around, you know? And pretty soon everyone starts to look suspicious. GB: Uh huh. Why dont you tell me about the other candidates. JS: Dan and Brenda? Dans a nice guy. Or I
thought he was a nice guy. But lately I get the feeling hes following me. Hes always there, you know? Just over my shoulder? Looking in my locker? And I started wondering if he was spying on metrying to nd out about my campaign. Dan seems real laid back, but I think hes more competitive than he lets on. GB: And Brenda? JS: She scares me, a little. Not that shes violent or anything, but shes always so angry. I mean, who could say what someone like that might do? Shes always kind of yelling at people. But my Dad? He always says you catch more ies with honeyand he was president when he was in schoolso thats the kind of campaign Ive been trying to run. You know, sweet? And upbeat? But then these anonymous messages kept appearing and they were all anyone could talk about. I mean, everyone was trying to gure out who left them and saying how cool they were. And people were going around school singing the songs they quoted. And Im like, hello? Doesnt anyone want to hear what I have to say? Doesnt anyone want to talk to a candidate whos for sure running? But then I remembered something else my dad always says. That if you really want something you should be
willing to go the extra mile to get it? So thats what I decided to do. GB: What? JS: Huh? GB: You decided to do what to go the extra mile? JS: Oh! I, well, my main theme has been communication, you know? So I decided to communicate more. Im, um, going to talk to.every student in this school. Yeah, if thats what it takes to convince people that I am the best candidate for president GB: OK, Jessica. I think were getting off track here. Do you have any idea who vandalized the bathrooms? Have you heard any speculation from your classmates? JS: No! All Ill Ive heard all day are people singing Respect. I mean its been, sock it to me, sock it to me over and over in the halls. GB: So you think the socks are tied to that song and the message on the mirrors? JS: Well, yeah! I mean they spelled out sock it to me on the oor in the bathroom, how much clearer can you get? GB: Right. I havent had a full description of the scene yet. Tell me more about the state of the bathroom.

JS: Well, like I said, there were socks on the oor spelling out sock it to me. And all the toilets were clogged. And the drains in the sinks were stuffed with socks and water was overowing everywhere. It was a real mess. I mean the water was practically up to my ankles! GB: And when was this? JS: Fifth period. GB: And where were you supposed to be during fth period? JS: I have a free period? So I was in the library. GB: Uh huh. Another student said they saw you at the girls room by the cafeteria. Why were you over there? JS: Oh right. Well, I was studying in the library. But then I realized I forgot a book that I needed? So I had to go back to my locker to get it? GB: Did you see anyone else wandering around in the halls? JS: No, nobody. GB: So what did you do then? JS: When? GB: After you found a ood in the bathroom. JS: Oh, right. Well there was water everywhere so I went to try to nd Cisco? But I
couldnt? And then the bell rang and I had to go back to my locker and get my books for my next class. And when I got there there were a ton of people in the bathroom, so I gured someone else had reported the ood. So I went to sixth period. And then I got called down to the ofce, but that was to talk to you so I guess you know that, huh?
Interview recorded October 15 at William Rose Jr. High. Building Maintenance Supervisor Cisco Diaz (known as CD), student Ryan Gillot (known as RG), and Ofcer G. Borsch present. GB: Mr. DiazI was hoping you could tell me some details about these incidents. CD: Yes, sir. What do you need to know? GB: Well, youre around before and after schooldid you see anyone putting up those cards or hauling balloons around? Did you see anyone here at a time that seemed funny? CD: No, I didnt see anybody putting up signs. But its a big campus. And kids are in and out at all hours, between sports and morning clubs. [unidentied voice]: Cisco? Is that you? You got a secondoh, excuse me. CD: Hi, Ryan. Im talking to the ofcer right now, but GB: No, its ok. Ryan. Why dont you tell me what you think about these election stunts? Ive only talked to students who are candidates at this point.
RG: Yeah. Well Im not running. GB: No.but youve seen everyones posters and the anonymous messages, right? RG: Yes. GB: So, what are people saying? Who do you think left the messages? Who might have vandalized the bathrooms? RG: I dont know who wrecked the bathrooms. I mean, why would someone ush socks? GB: Well, some people think its because of the song, Respect, that was on the mirrors, and the lyrics, sock it to me. They think the vandal was socking it to the school. RG: But that doesnt make any sense. In the song, sock it to me means that the singer wants other people to respect her. It doesnt mean shes out to get anyone. Theyre twisting around what the person who left the message was trying to say. GB: So you dont think the same person wrote the message and stuffed the socks? RG: No, its not the same person! I mean, it doesnt make any sense. Not to me anyway. [pause] I gotta go. Can I go? GB: OK, Ryan. CD: Ill see you next week, Ryan. Well talk then.

RG: Yeah. Bye. CD: Thats a nice boy, that Ryan. GB: He seemed pretty worked up.Do you think he knows more than he was saying? CD: Ryan? No, hes a good boy. His brothers away on an exchange program and hes a little lost this year. Maybe a little over-emotional. Ive been encouraging him to put himself out there moreto let the other kids see how great he is. I thought I had him convinced to run for student government, but I guess he changed his mind. GB: Hmm. So, tell me about the state of the bathrooms today. CD: Well, there were lipstick messages in nearly all the bathrooms this morning. Those were easy enough to clean up. Then three bathrooms had the sock problems. Socks down the toilets. Socks plugging up all the sinks. Socks strewn all over the oor. Now the socks in the sinks just pulled out. But all the water did some damage to the oors and the ceilings on the rooms below the bathrooms. And the socks down the toilets caused a bit of damage. Weve snaked out quite a few, but theyre still not ushing right, so there must be more. GB: What kind of socks were they?
CD: Theres piles of them in the bathrooms, you can have a look. But theyre just regular old gym socks. Actually, they probably are old gym socks out of lost and found. GB: You said that there were socks on the oorwere they spelling out a message? CD: Not that I saw. But they were practically oating when I got there. GB: And when was that? CD: Towards the end of fth period. 1:30 maybe? GB: OK. So, do you have any theories? Any thoughts about the kids in the campaign? CD: They all seem like nice kids to me. GB: Could you be a little more specic? CD: Well, Dans a good kid. He seems too laid back to be involved in anything like this. Brendas a real activist. GB: Other people have said shes angry. CD: Angry? No, sir, I wouldnt say that. I think if she had something to say, shed just say itnot leave anonymous messages. GB: And what about Jessica? CD: Well, I dont know her very well. I mostly see her with her cheerleading friends. But she always looks happy. Id say she really liked school, so I dont know why shed do something like this.
GB: Well is there anyone who seems disgruntled enough to do something like this? CD: No one that I know, sir. GB: And yet someone did it. [sigh] I guess Ill have to come back on Monday and talk to some more kids.
Give up? To learn the identity of the vandal, Go to: http://www.randomhouse.com/kids

BIG RED CASE BOOK

JOHNSON SCHOOL CONSULTING CLUB
2003 The Johnson School Consulting Club

Page 1

UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
Type of case: Estimation How many people work for the post office?

SOLUTION STRUCTURE

This is a pure estimation case. What matters is the way you get to an answer, not necessarily the answer itself. As the interviewee is working through the problem they should make it abundantly clear what their assumptions are. To test the interviewee, you could always ask, Why did you make that assumption? or What is your reasoning for that assumption? It can be tackled many ways but here is an example of one way it could be done: Assumptions: There are four kinds of employees: drivers, tellers, admin., and sorters. The air transport side is mostly composed of private carriers. Of all the zip codes possible (99,999), all are allocated to an area and used. (round to 100,000) Every zip code has one post office. Every post office serves the same number of entities. There is an average of three windows (tellers), three sorters, and four letter carriers attached to each zip code. (10 employees) Add on 10% for the admin and intrastate drivers.
Do the math: (100,000 x 10) x 1.1 = 1,100,000 people work for the post office In reality: 890,000 people work for the post office. There are 38,000 post offices and 234,000 letter carriers.

Page 2

SHORTSTOP TO FIRST
Type of case: Estimation In professional baseball, how long does it take for a baseball to travel from the shortstop to first base?
Assumptions: The bases are 90 feet apart. The distance from shortstop to first base is about 120 feet. A major league pitcher can throw about 90-95 mph. A major league shortstop can throw about 80 mph.
The key is to be able to convert miles per hour to feet per second. 80mph to feet/hour: 5280 feet/mile: (80 x 5280) = 422,400 feet/hour Convert units: 60 minutes per hour, 60 seconds per minute = 3600 seconds/hour (422,400/3600) = 117 feet/second 120 feet from shortstop to first base, thrown at 117 feet per second = (120/117) = just over a second (1.02 seconds). Dont be afraid to round off these large numbers 5000 feet/mile x 80 = 400,seconds/minute: 400,000/4000 = 100 ft/second 120/100=just over a second
Its much easier this way. Theyre not looking to see if you have calculator for a brain, they want to see your logic and ability to convert.

Page 3

M&M CASE
Type of case: Estimation How many M&Ms of each color go into a 3-ounce bag?

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

20 M&Ms make up a 3 ounce bag There are six colors of M&Ms: yellow, red, green, blue, brown, orange They all cost the same to produce Research indicates that customers have no preferences of color. Color is added on at the end of the mfr process They are mixed in the same ratio that they are produced Capacity of adding color: 3 tanks hold the 3 primary colors: yellow, red, blue 1 remaining tank used to mix colors to prepare: green, brown, orange Each of the 4 tanks has equal capacity. The 1 mixing tank pulls yellow, red, and blue as needed from the same supply
that fills the three primary tanks. They only refill the primary tanks when all three have emptied.
Tanks are allowed to run out before they refill for batch control purposes Proportion to mix brown: 2/3 yellow, 1/6 red, 1/6 blue Proportion to mix green: yellow, blue Proportion to mix orange: yellow, red
This case is designed to get you into a manufacturing state of mind. The idea is that you will burn through yellow faster than any other color since it is needed the most. Therefore, there should technically be more red and blue M&Ms in every bag. They will still be produced after the supply of yellow has run out, stopping production of yellow, green, orange, and brown.

Page 4

Students are learning to game the system, and are maximizing the expense reimbursement system (VC increasing). Regional players out west are growing, sapping market share (revenues declining) Recommendation: Change the reimbursement formulas: tighten controls, consider a stipend-based system. The western market is fragmented: many steps available to increase presence: list and weigh pros and cons.

Page 19

DEPARTMENT STORE
Type of case: Source: Product Costing / Profitability Bain (final round)
Our client is a large department store chain. The CEO knows that mens dress shirts are much less profitable than the rest of his product lines. He believes that if they were evaluated on a fully loaded basis that they would in fact be unprofitable. He is considering taking action to correct this problem. What would you want to know to determine whether or not the CEO is correct? What corrective action would you recommend? Interviewer Instructions: Share the information on the table below (share all of it at once, in written form if you like) only when some information in it is requested. Interviewee should ask about SG&A or for detail on other allocated costs and then receive the entire table. If interviewee asks for clarification on the phrase fully loaded, respond with including all costs associated with the product. Mens Dress Shirts $1,000 25% ? ? $Mens Department $5,000 35% $400 $300 $1,000 1500
Sales Gross Margin SG&A Operating Costs Inventory Square footage allocated to product or department
Additional Information: SG&A includes floor sales staff costs as well as promotional and advertising costs. Operating Cost mainly comprises cost of maintaining and stocking inventory. The store can be thought of as similar to Nordstroms or Macys. Debrief The information in the table was shared (in form of PowerPoint slide) only after a specific request was made for elements of the table. Goal is to logically allocate costs and then determine appropriate action. Essentially, it is a cost accounting problem. Good deal of leeway given logical arguments in allocating and suggested actions. Operating Costs - These relate to inventory. Could argue that number of styles/sizes should require more than the department norm. However, inventory as % of sales is 15% as opposed to 20% for the department. Maybe we allocate less instead if we use this metric. Real data is probably more sound approach. SG&A Promotions and sales. May argue that shirts are promoted more or less than other items. My preference was that they are not features in ads (usually suits and shoes instead).

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May consider dress shirts a necessity purchase that drives traffic and thus sales of complementary items (t-shirts, ties). Also, sales time for dress shirts likely less than that of suits and shoes. This leads to a lower percentage allocation of SG&A. CEO should perhaps reassess. Suggested action should recognize importance of dress shirts in the value proposition for a department store. You cannot afford to not have them in your offering. Also should pick up on complementary relationship among shirts, suits, ties, etc. Be sure not to deduct inventory as a cost. This is a balance sheet item. Sales per square foot is an important measure for retailers and should be mentioned. This measure reflects opportunity costs of offering one product on your shelf instead of another. Recommended actions could include private label, vendor change, move up or down scale, promote more or less,.

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REGIONAL TRUCKING COMPANY
Type of case: Profitability
A regional trucking company has hired you because they are slowly losing money. Why are they losing money and how do you fix the problem?
Located in North Carolina and serving a few large markets (NY, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Chicago) They ship two types of items: specialty furniture and commodity items The furniture trucking market: Loyal clients High profit for the trucking company The commodity market: No loyalty Losing money to compete eroding your clients profit margin Sales force: located in major markets to drum up business (typically commodity orders) Competition is increasing as a few large national trucking companies have entered their market. Logistics of delivery Furniture shipments are generally one way, i.e. they dont have any furniture to haul back from their delivery points and must return empty if they want to ship furniture exclusively (way too expensive to run a truck empty) The sales force finds stuff (typically commodity items) to backhaul to utilize the empty truck space They could lease the empty space to a national carrier but they are the competitors and the revenue is lower than their current commodity trucking business

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PARCEL DELIVERY

Type of case: Strategy

The client is the largest package delivery service in Canada. During the past 30 years, the firm has established a network that allows it to deliver parcels to "every address in Canada". Until last year, competition had been non-existent and profits were very strong. Starting about 15 months ago, a new company began parcel pickup and delivery to three (and only three) Canadian cities - Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Although overall parcel traffic has declined by only 10% for our client, profits have declined by almost 30% from last year's number. Outline your hypothesis for the alarming decline in profitability. Explain what analytical measures you would use to diagnose the problem and where you would gather the data necessary to perform the diagnosis. What approach would you offer to our client for the restoration of reasonable profits and what strategy would you employ to prevent further deterioration of profits?
The new entrant has a fleet of older semi-trailer trucks that run between the three cities.
Our client has a very new fleet (more efficient) that services all of Canada. The client's fleet mix has been optimized such that efficiency and capacity utilization are high considering the network of locations covered. The new entrant charges approximately 50% less than our client for delivery between the three cities that they cover. Our client and the new entrant charge by the lb-mile. One pound carried one mile is a lbmile

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Start off with a profitability analysis to pinpoint where the problem lies. Then, use the 3 Cs to see what about the market is causing the problem. Finally, take a look at the costs of this industry: does one of these firms have an inherent advantage? Are certain customers better off than others? This is a complex case, so take your time and keep digging.
The new entrant has initiated service in the three markets where economies of scale are present. Because a large number of packages move between these three cities, larger trucks and efficient distribution centers make such limited service very profitable. A more important facet of this case is how the interviewee reaches this conclusion. He/she should use a cost measure like $/lb-mile to explain that the major city routes have always subsidized delivery to smaller cities and towns. Realize also that our delivery to all addresses in Canada is a tremendous advantage to our client. Businesses that ship to customers outside of the major cities cannot afford to lose our service. Employ a new pricing strategy that will increase charges for rural delivery. Note that this may invite the new entrant to begin rural delivery. Develop long-term contracts with major business clients who use our rural delivery capability. Offer a flat delivery rate only when the business agrees to use our client for rural and city delivery. Search for synergies with other companies that also deliver to rural areas (this client actually paired with several grocery/beverage/snack delivery companies in the most rural areas).

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AMERICAN EXPRESS
Type of case: Strategy American Express (Amex) is a consumer services company providing a variety of services to its cardholders. Its primary service is its well-known charge card, that enables members (i.e., cardholders) to purchase goods and services from millions of merchants that accept the card. Unlike other credit cards, cardholders are required to pay off their accrued balances each month, and interest is not charged. Recently, Amex has faced strong competition from new credit cards entering the market. They have considered dropping the $55 annual fee. What are the economics of such a decision, and should they drop the fee or not?
Determine how American Express makes money. Evaluate the pros and cons of dropping the annual fee. Explore options for replacement revenue. Make a recommendation.
Revenue Drivers: $55 x the number of members (could round to $50 for simpler math). Q: How many people have the American Express Card? A: What is your best estimate? The number of cardholders is approximately 14 million (you can round to either 10 or 20 to simplify the math). No additional revenues from consumers, since balances are paid monthly. (Amex doesnt enforce late fees) 1% merchant fees for all transactions from merchants honoring the Amex card. Est. annual transactions are $1,000.00 per cardholder. ($1,000 x 1% x 10mm = $100 million) Issues to be addressed: If the annual; fee is dropped, Amex loses $55 x number of cardholders. Amex would have to generate new or additional revenues to overcome the loss of annual-fee revenue.

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Using a conservative estimate, lost revenue will be 10mm x 55 = $550 million. Q: Will consumer spending increase sufficiently to generate merchant-transaction revenue? A: Not likely, since cardholders must still pay-off balances at the end of the month. Therefore, must increase number of cardholders to increase merchant-transaction revenue.
Q: Is it possible to sufficiently increase the number of cardholders? A: How would YOU estimate this? The average annual transaction revenues are $1,000 x 1% = $10 per member. Therefore, the number of new customers required to overcome the revenue loss would be 550mm/10 = 55 million Now, is it possible for Amex to gain 55 million new members this year? Not likely, is it! Also possible to raise transaction fees: more revenues, but must address consequences for vendor relations. Q: Does Amex enforce late fees? A: No, but most credit cards charge $20 - $25 for late payments. Should Amex charge interest and allow card-members to hold a balance? Would the new revenues from interest offset losses from dropping the annual fee? Depends on rate of interest and average balance. Q: What is the average APR and average monthly balance? A: You tell me. (use 15% and $500) If average balance = $500 at ~10% APR = $50 per member x 10 million members = $500 million annually. Recommendations Based on economic analysis, dont drop the fee. It is difficult to replace the lost revenue. While some options exist (i.e., charging interest on balances) the consequences should be explored. Amex could issue an interest-driven credit card under a new brand name (in fact, Amex did so with the Optima card).

The client specifically inquires about the economics of ending the annual fee. Good answers should focus on this issue, and should provide recommendations based on the analysis. Good

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answers should explore the issue of rival credit cards entering the market, how their product offering is similar or different from the American Express card, and the strengths and weaknesses of American Expresss position. Alternative revenues should be explored. One option is charging interest and allowing cardholders to hold a balance. Answers should address how this would this affect the AMEX brand, i.e., the consequences of becoming a just another ordinary credit card. Another is enforcing late fees, or raising merchant fees. The consequences of these should be addressed also. Outstanding answers should additionally explore the effects of competition among credit cards for revenues, and recommend how Amex could increase revenues without dropping the $55 fee. For example, comment on the quality of new members acquired, since competition is forcing many credit card companies to issue cards to riskier consumers.

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STANDARD OIL COMPANY IN 1950
The year is 1950. You are Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (now known as ExxonMobil), a company that excels in the refining and marketing of petroleum products. The success of your company depends, in part, on your ability to maintain adequate levels of petroleum supply. Following national energy shortages experienced during WWII, it is clear to your company that securing a source of foreign oil is key to maintaining your supply, and hence your market share. You have been approached, separately, by two other petroleum companies to enter into joint ventures. One company, Gulf, is interested in establishing drilling rights to a large field located in the small Arabian-peninsula nation of Kuwait. They have offered you a large stake in the venture. A second oil company, Royal Dutch/Shell, has offered you an equally large stake in a venture to establish drilling rights to a large field located on the border of Iran and Iraq. You do not have the resources to enter into both ventures. Which one do you choose and why?
To some of the interviewees questions, reply with Explain how the answer to your question would determine which partner is preferable. Some variables and information to consider when comparing Kuwait vs. Iraq Political stability and risk (domestic politics) both areas, as of 1950, are unstable states. Kuwaits government is currently more stable, but the head of state is very old. Political stability and risk (International) -- Kuwait does not have as many border disputes as Iraq, and both have a tradition of working with foreign developers. Kuwait invited developers into the country around 1912. Legal/Regulatory environment: Legal risk due to market instability (legal foundation to enforce contracts and protect investments) both areas have good legal systems, but law is dependent on the stability of the government. Risk is considerable. Few regulations exist in either country. Socio-cultural environment are skilled workers available or will they be imported? In both countries, skilled labor is unavailable. Both countries are in favor of foreign oil development,

Note to interviewer: Play the role of CEO be VERY American. The heart of the problem is that the American managers assigned abroad were unprepared to adequately deal with different business environments. This includes language barriers, cultural differences affecting business practices, and managing a diverse multi-national staff. Further, the local company managers hired had tremendous experience in their home countries, but have never worked in the U.S., and know little about your client. This resulted in tensions, misunderstandings, and mismanagement. This is the source of the trouble; the other problems are symptoms. Answer each question the interviewee asks accordingly.

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BIG RED CASE BOOK Company Information
Excellent supply chain logistics enables this company to compete with P&G, Colgate, etc in US. Internal training program enables managers to learn and prepare their system, prior to taking the helm. The regional managers were area managers in the US regions, and all performed above expectations in the US; this was the basis for their transfer abroad. The country managers are local hires; experience in other local industries, none with this firm.
Europe Currently operating in 4 European countries (Belgium, Holland, England, and Luxembourg) only operations outside N. America. (All staff speak English.) Original entry completed by buying existing leading brand in Benelux. Distribution is typical for similar products (no problems here).
Southeast Asia Person who runs operations used to run Chicago/Midwest area so skills are solid. Hired local people with many years industry experience, none with this firm. In Hong Kong, 3 GMs have quit; others threaten to quit. Problems with labor (strikes), shipping delays, distribution complications, missing inventory. Positioning: products are premium products, lower priced than other products (irrelevant to performance). South America Person who runs operations used to run New England area, so skills are solid. Hired local people with many years industry experience; none with this firm. Problems with labor (strikes), shipping delays, distribution complications, and missing inventory. Positioning: products are premium products, lower priced than other products (irrelevant to performance)
Identify the factors that may affect a product launch / new market entry and operations

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BIG RED CASE BOOK External factors economics (is Europe different?)
Internal Factors staff skills & training (what is different in Europe) Identify problems: look at (1) product positioning, (2) distribution, (3) target segment needs, (4) promotional activities, (5) personnel Determine the source of problems Provide recommendations

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SCAN AIR
Type of Case: Strategy Company: McKinsey Your Client is Scan Air, a mid size Scandinavian airline. The airline has 100 aircraft, 22,000 employees worldwide, a strong cash flow and nearly zero debt. The airline focuses on buseinss passengers. The current CEO is leaving. Most flights fly into or out of a single hub in Scandinavia. Most flights have flights connecting in central Europe and N. America with Asia. Scan Air has previously ignored the trend toward global alliances. Situation: Profits are eroding. Scan Air wants to get in shape quickly. They want to maintain their previous situation, fend off competition, and decrease their cost base. What things do you want to look at? Scan Air is currently not engaged in alliances with other airlines and the CEO wants recommendations on what they should consider when determining if they should enter into one. Scan Air has entered into negotiations with a potential alliance partner. What will be the major issues you think they will discuss? The new CEO wants to announce that Scan Air will achieve a 10% profit margin before tax. What load factor per flight is required to achieve this goal? Is this ratio achievable? You are having a team meeting with the CEO. What do you plan to say? Information to give Load factor = # of passengers / # of seats Average flight = 1000 miles Seats per plane = 200 Fixed cost per plane per flight = $20,000 Earn $0.25 per passenger per flight mile Cost / mile = $0.10 per seat (filled or not)
Question 1: Question 2: Question 3: Question 4: Question 5: Information:
Information if asked Current load factor = 75%

Answer 1:

Profit = Revenue Costs Revenue = Pricing * Volume Pricing o Business Pricing last minute, frequent flyers, pay higher prices o Vacation Pricing purchased in advance, fly on holidays, price sensitive Volume o New cities o New times Page 62

BIG RED CASE BOOK o o

JOHNSON SCHOOL CONSULTING CLUB Investigate plane utilization and capacity Alliances
Costs = Variable Costs + Fixed Costs Fixed Costs o Gates o Airplanes o Maintenance Out source Sell out Rent Variable Costs o Fuel (Hedge?) o Labor Unionized Hiring & Pay differences o Ticket booking o Food etc. Answer 2: How will an alliance help Scan Air? Improve ability to attract and retain customers Reduce costs Reduce competition, compete better Will partner fit with Scan Air? Image, service, systems

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Consecos expertise was in smaller and more rapid acquisitions and this acquisition wasnt something they could handle. Problems with the acquisition target: o From the last bullet in the additional data section it is obvious that Green Tree was at a difficult situation before the acquisition and wasnt a good target for acquisition. The market adjusted Consecos share price to reflect these misalignments. What to do now (after a year)? o Investigate the financial state of Green Tree after a year (it is evident it wasnt good). o If Green Tree continues to be in distress suggest dumping it. Conclusion o Green Tree continued to suffer big loses and dragged Consico with it o After several years Conseco was unlisted from the S&P. Additional questions o What was Consecos management thinking? o Where was Consecos board of directors?

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INSURE ME!
Type of case: Strategy Company: BCG Description: Insure me is a Global Financial Services company at the insurance business. Recently, the CEO of the company was fired and took with him all of the 10 employees of the companys private funding division, which was his pet project. No one that is left in the company knows what is going on in that division, and there is no reporting system to rely on (the CEO took all of the data with him). How would you go about managing this division? Additional data: The company is operating in the US and Europe. The company provides car, life and other type of insurance. The company is one of the 4 leading players at its market with over $1B of annual revenues. The private funding division is type of a VC. We have a data sheet (see appendix) which list 4 of the divisions current investment. These 4 investments are only around 20% of the number of investments but form 80% of their value. Solution Structure: Identify the companys business and core competency. Identify the assets under the division management. Identify any financial and strategic synergies between the divisions assets and the company. Analyze ways to leverage the division and its assets moving forward. Solution Analysis: As mentioned the companys core competency is in the insurance field. As could be observed from the appendix two assets are not complimentary to the companys business. From the remaining ones one is forecasted to lose money next year. As such there is one company it make sense to keep and the other are not a real asset to the company. Recommendations: Keep the company with the strategic fit that makes money and try to sell the others (for a good deal). For the one that makes sense try to increase the companys holding in it. The company with the fit will serve both to hedge the bets and in order to keep the finger on the pulse of the new market needs. As for the division, try to find what would be needed (funds, time, efforts, HR etc.) in order to bring it to an operational mode. Find what are the estimated operation costs. If it makes sense from the financial aspect you might want to keep this division as it hedge your bets.

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Determine a decision rule. Identify the key factors for consideration. Investigate the pros and cons of these factors. Make a recommendation.
Good answers should uncover: Advantages of turnkey: more $, more customers. Disadvantages: requires greater capacity, would not smooth operational cycle (demand is highly variable), large investment in inventory is financially unfeasible (payback would only occur over time), MPL lacks scale. Identify steps to mitigate demand issues. Increasing in capacity is a step function, not linear. Discuss issue of resources (skilled labor).

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SENATOR HARRY REID
Type of case: Marketing Harry Reid (D-NV) is an incumbent United States Senator from Nevada running for reelection. In 1994, Reid easily won re-election. Despite his seniority and solid record of accomplishments, he is in trouble this November. Why? Hes hired you to analyze the situation. His opponent is two-term Republican Congressman John Ensign, from Las Vegas.
Politicsin a perverse senseis marketing. This is a marketing case. The 4Ps is a good place to start. Examine 4 Ps Discover what is different this election from last election Present analysis and recommendations
Product and Positioning Key differences: ideological, age, appeal to voters (i.e., charisma), target base Reid = well-known and respected, his personality is all business, his record is moderate-liberal Best known for fighting nuclear power and waste dumps in Nevada, environmentalist Ensign = young, brash, religious-right conservative, recently divorced, charismatic No established legislative record, a Newt Gingrich disciple Place For both candidates, distribution of product is promotions. Promotions Both candidates send constituent mail statewide, campaign mail statewide, and broadcast statewide radio and television commercials, campaign events, debates Price Not relevant the price is qualitative for the sides that lose: both sides stand much to gain or lose from electoral victory. Reid enjoys a slight fund-raising edge.

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BIG RED CASE BOOK Segmentation
Reid target segment is traditional Democratic base: elderly voters, environmentalists, minorities, educational community, blue-collar workers, women, urban voters in Las Vegas and Carson City Ensign target segment is conservative base: new-right Christians, suburban families, wealthy individuals, anti-government activists, developers, ranchers, miners. VOTER SEGMENT (not equal 100%) Population Nevada Elderly New Retirees (new arrivals) Women Men Suburban Urban Rural Blue Collar White Collar Minority Democrats Republicans Other Liberal Conservative 1994 2.5 million 24% 16% 52% 48% 22% 49% 29% 15% 17% 07% 31% 32% 37% 21% 40% 2000 3.9 million 20% 24% 51% 49% 39% 40% 21% 19% 21% 04% 30% 35% 35% 19% 45%

Tell me about promotions Brand awareness was built through sponsorship of beach volleyball tournaments. There are no other promotions. All signs, including follow-up market research, indicate this has been successful.
How have they been doing? The 5% market share goal was reached, but estimates projected at least 7%. They sell out of their product at each location the product is available. In fact, the product sells very well. The firm is very profitable, but could be more so if sales attained projected levels.
This tests your detective abilities. The answer is small and specific can you find it? Use the 4 Ps, and dont give up so easily. Ask, what are the conditions necessary for high sales? (1) There must be buyers for the product, (2) the price must be right, (3) the product must be available. In this case, the product was not available so people were not buying it. Solution? Make it available. Problem solved. The key to this problem is distribution. Remember that this is a profitable firm. Their problem is not economics, segmentation, competition, price, promotions, or the product its distribution. Specifically, it is the delivery schedule of the product. The product sells out at each location, but it is some time before the shelves are re-filled. An easy solution is to re-fill and check the bungalows more frequently. Future considerations may entail a look at promotions and greater distribution, but for now the client is only interested in one problem: meeting projected sales volume.

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Laboratory Testing Hepatitis C
Type of case: Misc. Company: McKinsey A hospital is your client. The hospital has the following testing information: Information: Two types of testing Specificity Have false negatives and few false positives. Sensitivity Have some false positives but never want false negative Hepatitis C test In the US / current population 10% has Hepatitis C 90% doesnt have it Sensitivity test Has it Test Percent + + 90% + 10% 60% + 40% Question 1: Question 2: Answer 1: Method 1: If a test result is positive, what is the probability that the patient actually has Hepatitis C? Doctors dont want to tell patients that they are only 20% certain so what else can doctors do to increase their certainty? Use Bayes Theorem 60% - 54% / (-) 90% / (-) \ (+) / 40% - 36% 100% \ 90% - 9% \ (+) / (+) 10% \ (-) 10% - 1% 60% - 54% / (-) 55% / (-) \ (+) / 40% - 36% 100% \ 90% - 9% \ (+) / (+) 45% \ (-) 10% - 1%

9% / (9%=36%) = 9/45 = 20%

Method 2:

9% / 45% = 20%

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Answer 2: Run multiple tests expensive Look for other related symptoms good physical Take a complete medical history family history, risk factors

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ADDITIONAL CASE QUESTIONS
By now, you are an expert. Its your turn to fill in the solutions; none are provided here. As you will find out in interviews, not all case questions have answers, but all require structured and reasonable logic. Enjoy!

LIGHT BEER IN THE UK

Why is there no light beer in the U.K.?

GOLF BALLS IN THE US

How many golf balls are sold in the U.S.?

NBC LOGO

NBC is considering using its peacock logo on a collection of new products. They have hired you to estimate a value for the logo. How would you go about estimating this value? They do not want you to actually come up with new product ideas, only estimate the logo's value.
CONSULTING ENGAGEMENT ROADBLOCK
You are entering a client engagement as a team manager for your firm. Four consultants have already been working on this engagement for several months. The client's program manager is quitting the firm for "personal reasons" and you will be taking over for her. You sense that she is quitting because of her frustration with her boss, but she will not admit to this. What she does tell you is that she thinks her boss does not believe this project will yield results and has been a "roadblock" to the reengineering process. How should you proceed? Should you alter the teams?

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GREETING CARD COMPANY
A greeting card company has four different functional areas along its production chain: idea generation, development, manufacturing, and sales. Idea generation comes up with new ideas for cards and development turns them into designs used by manufacturing. The company has been too slow to get new cards to market. Why?

OIL & GAS COMPANY

You are part of the consulting firm's strategy team that develops an approach for the implementation team to follow. You have been hired by an oil and gas company president. His company has three functional areas: upstream, downstream and midstream. Midstream is a misnomer.they actually provide services to the upstream and downstream areas (and don't sit between them in the product flow). The president feels that the midstream area is inept and wants you to find out why.

BANKS REAL ESTATE DIVISION
The real estate credit division of a bank wants to increase their revenues--how can they do this without increasing their risk and without alienating customers?

LOST IN A SUPERMARKET

You are trapped in a supermarket and you don't know how long you will be there before someone comes to let you out. Water and air are no problem. How do you determine how many weeks you can survive with the amount of food in the Store?

GAS STATIONS ON I-95

What is the number of gas stations between New York City and Miami on I-95?
ELECTRIC UTILITY CUSTOMERS
You are an electric utilities company and some of your best customers are leaving. What can you do?

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CHEMICAL INDUSTRY PROFITABILITY
A chemical company's profits have been falling recently. How would you advise the company to improve profits?
ELECTRIC UTILITY DEREGULATION
A New England electric company is facing competition due to deregulation in their industry. Soon, the carrier (wires) business will be separate from the generation (power plant) business. Any company generating electricity will soon be able to sell in their market. What should the company do?
FAR EAST STRATEGIC OPERATING PLANS
A multinational oil company has called you in to prepare a five-year strategic plan for its Far East operations. How will you go about preparing it and what actions would you suggest?

AIRCRAFT PURCHASES

A major airline wants to purchase aircraft for its Tokyo hub. How many should it purchase?
AIRLINE INDUSTRY INVESTMENT
Why do airline companies batter each other over prices despite poor profits? Would you invest in this industry?

LOSING YOUR NOODLE

You are the product manager for a noodle product company. You have two major product lines: cup products and block products. Your product lines are losing money. What should you do?

VALUING ACQUISITIONS

Our client is considering diversifying into the insurance business. How would you go about valuing an acquisition in the insurance industry?

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STAFF PRODUCTIVITY CONCERNS
The productivity of the sales & trading staff of an investment bank is much less than that of the competition. How would you go about improving it?