In McKinsey case interviews, the interviewer will guide you through the case with a series of questions that will allow you to display a full range of problem-solving skills. Below is a series of questions and potential answers that will give you an idea of what a typical case discussion might be like.
QUESTION 1
What factors should the team consider when evaluating whether GlobaPharm should acquire BioFuture?
Helpful hints
Take time to organize your thoughts before answering. This tells the interviewer that you think about the problem in a logical way.
Develop overall approach before diving into details.
Reveal answer
A good answer would include the following:
The value of BioFuture’s drug pipeline, number of drugs currently in development, quality of drugs (likelihood of success), potential revenues and profits
BioFuture’s R&D capabilities (future drug pipeline), scientific talent, intellectual property (for example, patents, proprietary processes or know-how for biologicals research), and buildings, equipment, and other items that allow BioFuture’s R&D to operate.
BioFuture’s marketing or sales capabilities. Especially how promotional messages will be delivered, for example, relationships with key opinion leaders that can promote biologicals; key opinion leaders can come from the academic arena, like prominent medical school professors, or from the public arena, like heads of regulatory bodies or prominent telejournalists.
Acquisition price.
A very good answer might also include multiple additional key factors GlobaPharm should consider:
BioFuture’s existing partnerships or other relationships with pharmacos.
GlobaPharm’s capability gaps in biologicals, R&D, sales and marketing, etc.
GlobaPharm’s alternatives to this acquisition. Alternative companies GlobaPharm could acquire. Other strategies for entering biological segment, for example, entering partnerships rather than acquiring, and pursuing other strategies than entering the biological segment