Aluminum Cans

Accenture Case Study Prompt

An aluminum can manufacturer has discovered a way of improving its manufacturing process. As a result, its manufacturing cost has reduced from $0.89 to $0.79 cents.

How can the manufacturer best exploit this cost advantage?

• The firm can either use a penetration or skimming pricing strategy.
• Consider the impact of either strategy on the company and its competitors.
• Also, do not forget to think about any substitutes for aluminum cans.

What are the factors you would consider when advising this client?

Case Overview

In this Accenture case study, your client has hired you to advise it on how to profit from a new cost advantage coming from an improved manufacturing process.

Utilize the Market Study framework to solve this case, but don’t get boxed into the basic framework. The best case interview candidates set themselves apart by showing that they don’t only rely on the basic frameworks, but can create a custom framework based on a blend of frameworks and their own business acumen.

There are no math diagrams in this case. The case has a qualitative difficulty score of 2 out of 4, and is comparable to a second round Accenture interview.

Accenture Interview Tips

Accenture case interviews are largely situational (‘what would you do in XXX scenario?’), so the firm is looking for your situational response.

Structured answers are the way to go to impress your interviewer.

In this Accenture case study, time yourself as you go through the case – push yourself to hit the recommended time allotments per section (2min for structure, 5min for math, 2min for brainstorming, and 2min for conclusion).

Book an hour of out-loud practice with an ex-MBB coach.