A business case interview is a job cross-examination that involves framing questions in the form of a case study and allowing a job applicant to analyze the situation and present answers. The business case interview involves the interviewer giving the applicant a challenge, situation, or a question and providing an opportunity for the interviewee to ask questions for clarifications before responding to the case situation. Often, the business case interview is a business challenge that the interviewer has encountered in real life. Business case interviews aim at evaluating the applicant’s analytical ability and problem-solving skills among other qualities.
HealthyYou is a company that specializes in outsourcing grocery and fruits from different parts of California, packaging, and selling them to consumers across the state. The company aims at providing healthy foods that help in minimizing the risk of lifestyle diseases among California residents. HealthyYou operates by taking orders from retail clients and making delivery at their grocery outlet for consumers to purchase from the retailers. However, the company has realized that the retail outlets sell their products along with other related products and do not necessarily adhere to the agreed terms concerning packaging. Consequently, the company has been selling directly to its consumers as it has opened several outlets across the state for the last six months.
Currently, HealthyYou is the leading grocery store market in California. However, the company is facing significant competition from other companies who, despite selling similar products, have diversified selling and marketing approaches. The leading competitors, Alpha Company and Green Company, have specialized in online selling portfolios that have enhanced their consumer base and increased their revenue and market growth. The use of online marketing and selling platforms promote customer convenience and reduce overheads related to large offices and workforce. Besides, the selling method is likely to increase revenues due to increased customer numbers. Because of reliance on growing technological innovations and people’s reliance on mobile devices, computers, and the internet, Alpha Company and Green Company are attracting a greater percentage of the grocery market in California. HealthyYou is worried that it might lose its market share to its competitors; thus, it is considering whether it should adopt the online-based grocery shopping platform that involves grocery delivery to consumers in the California area.
Should HealthyYou maintain the traditional market and continue running the grocery stores in the California area? If so, how can it maintain its competitiveness in the market without compromising its products? Second, should HealthyYou adopt online-based shopping and delivery services for its products? If so, how and what concerns should the company have? If not, how can it protect its market share that is being endangered by the emerging online-based market? Assuming that HealthyYou chooses to enter the Internet market, how would the profitability margins look like considering the likely cost implications? Would the new venture affect the company’s suppliers and staffing levels? Supposing the company chooses the traditional shopping approach, how would it build brand awareness and maintain its brand name?
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