School Travel

EY Case Study Prompt

In this case a UK Private Equity firm is interested in acquiring a UK based school travel company. The company focuses on Residential Activity Trips in the UK which involves some school teachers bringing groups of UK school students (Primary or Secondary School level) on trips to sites around the UK (typically coastal locations) for between 1 and 5 days.

The trips occur during term time on the basis that they satisfy the curriculum either through field trips for Science or Geography and more especially through personal development of the students.

The children enjoy numerous fun activities on site such as wall climbing and underground cave orienteering all of which help develop leadership, teamwork and confidence skills.

The sites can be defined as fit for purpose with dorm style accommodation while they also provide 3 healthy, but basic, meals a day. (For the basis of this case we are only interested in UK students going to UK sites).

The Private Equity Firm have been told by management that their annual £18m revenue represents a ~15% share of the UK market.

What framework would you use to validate this?

Case Study Overview

In this EY-Parthenon case study, the client is a PE firm in the UK that is asking you to do some due diligence on a potential acquisition. In an M&A case like this, remember that the different types of buyers (financial and corporate) have different goals in mind. Let’s jump into the case.

You can solve the EY case study by applying the M&A Framework – but don’t rely too heavily on the basic frameworks. Consulting firms want to see you create a custom framework for the problem at hand, whether in a case interview, or on the job.

This EY case study is a good final-round case to practice with. There are no math diagrams in the case.

EY Interview Tips

Want to impress in your EY-Parthenon interview? EY-Parthenon prizes flexibility in its case interview candidates. Demonstrate that you are able to think on your feet and adjust quickly to unexpected questions or data.

In this EY case study, focus on your communication throughout the case. Is it clear and polished? This will be imperative, especially in a final round interview.

For focused interview help, book time with an expert coach today.