The Strategy Pathfinder, 3rd Edition

Appendices

Practice Cases for Job Interviews

Students often approach us asking for cases that might prepare them for job interviews. Any of the cases in this book can be used for that purpose. However, the cases at the end of each chapter are generally tailored towards that chapter’s content, and so remove a lot of real world complexity. In an interview situation, participants are likely to receive less well-defined cases that test their ability to (1) detect the strategic issue(s), (2) analyse the issue(s), (3) come up with a workable, practical way forwards and perhaps (4) think of ways to reconceive the original problem.

The following cases recognise that strategy problems rarely fit neatly into one or even two analytical categories. Part of the skill of the strategist is being able to discern relevant tools, techniques and concepts from different strategy categories with which to makes sense of complex problems and, critically, to understand how these may interact in order to provide a holistic solution(s). The following integrative cases are designed to test readers’ ability to discern different strategic issues within a single case and to attempt to find ways in which multiple analytical techniques may be integrated in order to provide well rounded strategic solutions.

Turkish Delight: Into Africa?

During September, the CEO and owner of Turkish Delight, a small travel ...