CASE

COMPETITIONS
THE ULTIMATE GUIDEBOOK

2024
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This booklet represents the collaborative effort of the entire IFSA LSR team. We extend our
heartfelt appreciation to the following individuals for their unwavering support and cooperation
which have been instrumental in crafting this comprehensive resource. This booklet draws from
a wealth of successful strategies, innovative solutions, and effective presentation techniques that
have proven triumphant in various prestigious case competitions. By compiling these insights, we
aim to provide students with a robust toolkit for tackling complex business problems, developing
compelling recommendations, and delivering persuasive presentations.

Written by:

1. Aanya Maheshwari
2. Akshata Kalyanaraman
3. Apoorva Jain
4. Asmi Chawla
5. Bhavya Agarwal
6. Dhaani Sood
7. Jiya Agarwal
8. Mishka Narang
9. Pakhi Priya
10. Rupali Bhalla
11. Sana Gupta
12. Sanya Rao
13. Unnati Hirwani

Designed by:

1. Aditi Gagrani
2. Gitan Chopra
3. Gunjan Arora
4. Navya Garg
5. Pakhi Priya
6. Saumya Gupta
7. Shreyanshi Khowal
8. Tamanna Sharma
9. Vaishnavi

IFSA-LSR
 INDEX

CHAPTER PAGE NO.

Introduction to Case Competitions 1

Where to find Case Competitions 3

Types of Case Competitions 4

Basic Frameworks 9

Reading and Researching 19

Making the Ideal Team 23

What is required in a presentation 25

How to deal with Financials 27

Presentation making tips 31

Pitch + How to deal with Q/As 40

IFSA-LSR
 INTRODUCTION TO CASE COMPETITIONS

PURPOSE & SCOPE

Problem-Solving Strategy Team-Work

Equips participants with skills such as real-world problem-solving, strategic

analysis, and teamwork under pressure.

These competitions revolve around specific, complex business cases—

whether related to marketing, finance, or other fields—that participants
must analyze and present solutions for within a limited timeframe.

They are generally organized by universities, corporations, and professional

associations.

REAL-WORLD SIMULATION

Interdisciplinary Practical Real-Time

The competitive environment imitates the realities of the business world,

providing participants with valuable knowledge regarding the robustness of
decision-making and strategic planning.

The assigned work involves assembling interdisciplinary teams of people

with varying experiences and areas of expertise, which helps garner a
practical point of view.

FAR-REACHING BENEFITS

Articulation Analysis Growth

Case competitions are popular not just for their academic value but also for
their capacity to develop strategic planning skills and critical thinking
necessary for success in today's competitive environment.

Participants are compelled to articulate their findings concisely and

convincingly while conveying complex ideas with clarity, contributing
holistically to their personal development.

IF S A -LSR IN T R ODUCTION T O C A S E C O MP E T I T I O N S page 01

02
 BASIC FRAMEWORKS AND MATRICES

WHAT THEY ENTAIL AND WHERE TO USE THEM

FRAMEWORKS
Frameworks are structured approaches to analyzing problems. They typically consist of a set of steps or
questions that guide the analysis process.

MATRICES
Matrices are visual tools used to organize and analyze information. They are typically used to compare and
contrast different options or alternatives.

GOVERNANCE ADMINISTRATION

LEGITIMACY
AND SUPPORT

OPERATIONAL
CAPACITY

EXAMPLE

BENEFITS OF USING FRAMEWORKS AND MATRICES

1 BREAK DOWN COMPLEX PROBLEMS

Frameworks and matrices help break down complex problems into smaller, more manageable
parts. This makes them easier to analyze.

2
STRUCTURED APPROACH
By providing a structured approach to analysis, frameworks and matrices can help identify the
most critical issues and focus areas.

3 IDENTIFY PATTERNS AND RELATIONSHIPS

Frameworks and matrices can help identify patterns, relationships, and opportunities that may not
be immediately apparent.

4 COMMUNICATE COMPLEX INFORMATION

Frameworks and matrices can be used to communicate complex information in a clear and
concise manner.

IF S A -LSR B A S IC FRAMEW O R K S A N D M AT R I C E S page 07

THE BCG GROWTH-SHARE MATRIX
Entails plotting on a graph a company’s products to help the company decide what it should keep,
sell, or invest more in. It has 4 quadrants across 2 axes. Each business is assigned to a category to
help analyse the costs & benefits.

STAR QUESTION MARK

Invest in these as they have high future Invest or discard, depending on their chances of

potential. becoming stars.

CASH COW PETS

Milk these for cash to get reinvested. Liquidate, divest, or reposition these.

?
LANCÔME
High
PARIS L’ORÉAL
ARMANI MEN EXPERT
beauty
Market growth rate

MAYBELLINE
NEW YORK
KÉRASTASE
GARNI eR
Low PARIS

High Low

Relative market size

BCG Matrix Example of L‘Oréal

Where to use: brand marketing and product management based on the growth potential and market
position of different products. However specifically, it is of use in marketing-related cases.

IFSA-LSR T H E BCG GROW T H - S H A R E M AT R I X page 14

 HOW TO STRUCTURE RESEARCH
Issue Tree Framework:
These entail visual diagrams wherein the purpose is to get down to the root cause of any problem. To do
so, the main problem is broken down into branches, and these branches are further subdivided into
several others. This process is repeated through many levels until the root causes are isolated and
identified. It is great if these issue trees follow the MECE (mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive)
approach.

1.

2.

WHERE TO USE
It is versatile and adaptable to various cases. For example:
1. In market entry, it helps to analyze factors such as market demand, competitive landscape, regulatory
environment.
2. In profitability, it can help dissect cost and revenue structures.
3. In marketing strategy-related cases, it can help break down customer segmentation, pricing strategies,
distribution channels.

I FISFAS -AL-SLRS R B A S I CH O
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 TYPES OF ISSUE TREES

PROBLEM-BASED TREES

Here, the aim is to determine the root cause of the problem, by breaking down the overarching issue
into smaller branches. The goal is to find out ‘why’ it's occurring.

SOLUTION-BASED TREES

Here, the aim is to determine recommendations for solving any problem, or rather focus on the ‘how’
to fix the issue at hand.

I FISFAS -AL-SLRS R T Y P ES OF ISSUE T R E E S page 17

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 PRESENTATION STRUCTURE
An effective presentation structure is in fact a game changer when it comes to the ability to deliver
content and ideas in a discrete yet engaging format.
Creating an effective presentation involves organizing your content in a clear and logical manner, one in
which coherence and professionalism are not compromised with the engaging display of content, one that
reinforces perspectives and clarity in audience interactions.

EXCECUTIVE ANALYSIS (1 SLIDE)

This is the elevator pitch where you briefly introduce the

client, their problem, and your recommended solution.
This section offers a succinct summary of the main
problems and suggested solutions, presenting the most
crucial information clearly and briefly.

Tip: You can leverage pre-designed layouts with

clear headings and bullet points. Also, insert an
impactful image to make it appealing to the
audience.

SITUATION ANALYSIS (2-3 SLIDES)

First, you need to set the context by analyzing the client's current situation. One can mention the following
components:

Industry Trends:
Discuss relevant trends (such as headwinds and
tailwinds) that affect the client’s business using charts or
graphs. In case of an analysis presented for a company,
discuss the business model, current pitfalls being faced,
USP, etc.

Tip: You can use MS Excel’s recommended

charts and leverage the built-in feature of
creating custom charts in MS Office.

Market Analysis:
Market Analysis:
Then focus on the target market with visuals like market segmentation charts. One can also guesstimate
the market size (TAM, SAM, SOM) in case adequate data is not available.

Competitive Landscape:
After that analyze competitors using a SWOT matrix or other.

IFSA-LSR P R E SENTATION S T R U C T U R E page 22

PRESENTATION STRUCTURE

Tip: For Canva, You can use pre-designed SWOT matrix templates. In MS PowerPoint, you can create
tables with clear sections for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You can also use other
frameworks as specified such as Porter’s 5 Forces for deep risk analysis, etc. You can also use a
positioning map.

Financial Performance:
Review the financials with clear charts or graphs showing revenue, profitability, and cost structure.

Tip: Try to utilize and incorporate lots of pie charts, bar graphs, or line graphs to showcase the financial
data.

PROBLEM DEFINITION (1 SLIDE)

Try to devote one or more slides to clearly define the core issue that the client faces, supported by data
and evidence.

Tip: Try to incorporate the use of primary and

secondary data, improvement modalities (in case
of a particular product/service), how the problem
has affected the business and its various
stakeholders, quotations from articles that
reflect the existence of such a problem (in case
of B-Plans use tweet references or customer
reviews/statements) and causation factors of the
problems to arrive at your suggested solution.

SOLUTION OPTIONS (2-3 SLIDES)

After you have defined the problem, you need to

present the potential solutions with their pros and
cons. Also define the target market (using user
personas), back them with up data and rationale
(such as industry trends/growth drivers in line with
the demography, geography, resources in hand, and
socio-cultural sentiment of the target audience), and
a working mechanism for implementation.

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PRESENTATION STRUCTURE
Utilize icons or checkmarks (such as pie charts, and heatmaps) for visual clarity. Explain why it
best addresses the concerned client's problem.

Tip: You can use a heatmap to show the degree of impact (impact and profitability on the X-Y axis
respectively) or to conduct a feasibility analysis of the solution by plotting the importance of a feature
to the company and the consumer on either axis respectively.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (1 SLIDE)

Outline a pragmatic and feasible plan for executing

the solution.

Tip: You can create a timeline with clear action

steps leveraging existing Canva templates for
doing so, resource requirements, and
allocation details, You can also utilize tables or
bullet points for a more structured approach.

CONCLUSION

Include an analysis of how the recommended

solutions create an impact, based on market
share, EBIT margins, revenue, social media
analytics (in case of a digital marketing strategy),
NPV, and other impact assessment metrics (can be
related to ESG for social impact cases).

Tip: You can also utilize KPIs (Key Performance

Indicators) to determine the impact such as
CCR (Customer Conversion Rate), CAC
(Customer Acquisition Cost), ROI (Return on
Investment), Average Revenue per Customer
(ARPC), and/or industry-specific KPIs.

PRESENTATION STRUCTURE
IFSA-LSR P R E SENTATION S T R U C T U R E page 25
 HOW TO DEAL WITH FINANCIALS

SOURCES OF DATA

Consulting based Research behind the paywall

provides simplified and provides insightful data,

especially on market size and
citable data in one place
competition in industries

Government based
provides insightful gov. data, but
could be complex to comprehend

You need to be comfortable with financial modeling In Excel after gathering the data.

Future projections based on this data need to be added, therefore you often need to find the
market size and CAGR, say at least 5 years in the future (to show the feasibility of the solution).

GUESSTIMATES

Market sizing Cost Estimation Feasibility

We can use guesstimates We can use guesstimates Guesstimates can be

to arrive at an to estimate the potential used to quickly
approximate estimate costs quickly. determine the feasibility
when there exists a need of the solution.
for analyzing the size of a
potential market.

IFSA-LSR H O W TO DEAL W I T H F I N A N C I AL S page 29

 8.
NECESSARY FINANCIAL ASPECTS

NET PRESENT VALUE (NPV) REVENUE STREAMS

Net present value (NPV) is the difference Revenue streams are the various sources
between the present value of cash from which a business earns money from
inflows and the present value of cash the sale of goods or the provision of
outflows over a period of time. services. Calculate this through your
revenue projections.

Click here for the video. Click here for the video.

INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN (IRR) BREAKEVEN ANALYSIS

Internal rate of return is a metric used in Break-even analysis in economics, business,
financial analysis to estimate the and cost accounting refers to the point at
profitability of potential investments. IRR is which total costs and total revenue are equal.
a discount rate that makes the net present A break-even point analysis is used to
value (NPV) of all cash flows equal to zero determine the number of units or dollars of
in a discounted cash flow analysis. IRR revenue needed to cover total costs (fixed and
calculations rely on the same formula as variable costs).
NPV does.

Click here for the video .

Click here for the video.

POTENTIAL AND COMPARATIVE REVENUE ANALYSIS

It’s a deliberate, detailed, and well-researched report that indicates revenue for all activities. This
analysis needs to be shown in the deck to compare the revenue streams before and after the strategy
implementation.
Click on this to learn more.

SCORING MODEL MARKET PENETRATION

A scoring model is a tool you use For marketing-based cases, you

to assign a comparative value to need to incorporate this analysis
one or more projects or tasks. In in the solution deck. You can add
the problem statement, you can social media analytics for digital
incorporate this and use this marketing campaigns, and total
model to compare the different serviceable market identification
parameters in situations before for product/service through
and after the strategy guesstimate.
implementation.
Click here to know more. Click here to know more.

IFSA-LSR N E C ESSARY FINA N C I A L A S P E C T S page 30

NECESSARY FINANCIAL ASPECTS

CAGR (COMPOUND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE)

The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is the annualized average rate of revenue growth
between two given years, assuming growth takes place at an exponentially compounded rate.
Its formula is given by:

Here is an example that showcases how to apply the formula.

PROBLEM: We want to calculate the final value of the tea industry 5 years from now, starting with
the current market size of $ 690 billion and a CAGR of 4.5%

Therefore, the estimated market size of the tea industry after 5 years is approximately
$852.06 billion.

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NECESSARY FINANCIAL ASPECTS

REVERSE CALCULATION OF INITIAL AMOUNT USING CAGR

Its formula is given by:

Now, let’s look at reverse calculation to arrive at the initial value using an
example.

PROBLEM: The bamboo toothbrush industry is projected to have a CAGR of 15% for the next 10
years. If the market size of the industry 10 years later is estimated to be $50 million, then
determine the current market size.

Therefore, the estimated market size of the bamboo toothbrush industry based on the
given information is $14.3 million approximately.

IFSA-LSR PNREECS E N T A TFINA

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 8.
OVERALL PRESENTATION DESIGN

VISUALS & GRAPHICS

GENERAL TIPS

1 Font and size must be consistent throughout.

Some preferred fonts are Calibri, Verdana,
and Helvetica.
5 Ensure that slide number, sources, and
team logo are present on every slide.

2 Alignment of text must be proper and easy to

understand. 6 Minimize the use of animations.

3 It is always helpful to use brand colours.

7 Graphs and icons are essential.

4 If you are using a light background, you must

use a dark font (and vice versa). 8 Ensure that a flow is created through the PPT.

THE IDEAL
FLOW:

CONTEXT

Graphs and icons ANALYSIS

are essential
DATA

SUPPORT

SOLUTION

RISKS

VISUALS & GRAPHICS

VISUALS AND GRAPHICS
Add breadcrumbs:

Breadcrumbs refer to a chronological

representation of all the topics at the
bottom of the screen. This should be
mentioned on every slide with the point
that the slide is related to highlighted so
that it catches the audience’s eye.

Put the logo of the company on the right.

IFSA-LSR O V E RALL PRES E N T A T I O N D E SI G N page 35