Introduction
As it is another new recruitment period for some top tier consulting company in Indonesia, people constantly ask me about how to approach case studies problem. They always unconvinced when I introduce my secret technique (5C&4P) as it seems very simple. But, as the discussion goes, I always delighted at time I saw they start running after got acquainted with this method.
3C (Product Mix)
3C (Product Mix) is a concept developed by Kenichi Ohmae, a former partner of McKinsey & Company consulting firm. 3C view the problem from the view point of the company, customer, and competitor. This framework is useful to build a strong foundation on our problem. At least we know what’s the general condition of the company, how the customer react lately, and what’s our position regarding our competitor. For you guys who interested on 3C concept, you can read it further from “further reading” section below.
4P (Marketing Mix)
4P (Marketing Mix) is a concept developed by Neil Borden and simplified by E. Jerome McCarthy. 4P view problem from the view point of Product, Pricing, Place, and Promotion. This framework is useful to attack the problem tied with selling when the foundation (covered by 3C) is clear. For you guys who interested on 4P concept, you can read it further from “further reading” section below.
5C
While 3C is good to cover the basic information needed, 4P is not strong enough to cover general problem likely to be asked. This is the time when 5C (as it is my secret technique) play the role. 5C is an extended version of 3C (which is rarely used, let alone be known). 5C is composed of company, customer, competitor, Collaborator, and Context. 5C strengthen the power of 3C, and together with 4P, they can deliver great result on your case problem. For you guys who interested on 5C concept, you can read it further on “Situation analysis” from “further reading” section below.
Conclusion
It is very hard to nail the case without a good framework, yet we can’t nail the case by framework only. It is the balance that’s important. 5C-4P is a good start to improvise and tweak your own method along the way.
Further Study
3C’s Model. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3C%27s_Model
Marketing mix. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_mix
Kenichi Ohmae. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenichi_Ohmae
Situation Analysis. Net MBA. http://www.netmba.com/marketing/situation/
My thinking 