Written exercise from an international City law firm assessment centre (2025)
I was given a three page case study through a portal called High Q (with log-in details and set-up instructions given at the beginning of the interview). The first page of the case study was a brief, outlining that I was on the board of directors for a tech company, and that I was to write a memo to the managing director of the company.
The remaining two pages gave me facts about the company’s existing products, a brief analysis of competitor behaviour, and problems with the new product that is to be launched. I then had to cover questions including:
I had 1 hour to both read the case study, and write the memo as per the brief, which was a fairly relaxed timeframe given the amount of content covered. My memo included an executive summary outlining my recommendation, followed by two paragraphs highlighting two issues, a paragraph on the benefits, and ended with a paragraph on next steps and a suitable close.
My written answer (I received an offer after submitting this)
Hello Jamie,
I am writing this memo to provide some clarity on how HomePulse fits into Tech Nova Innovations' (TNI) wider portfolio, an analysis of potential issues with the new product, and what I think are the best next steps for us as a company.
Based on my research, I would like to recommend that we do launch the HomePulse Watch. However, I would like to propose that the launch date is delayed; ideally this would mean allowing for a timeframe of between six months and one year (based upon the technical resolution of current issues with the product).
This is because the HomePulse is quite underdeveloped at the moment, and if we want to ensure that the product is as successful as our previous launch of the SmartHome Hub, then some key improvements need to be made before being able to effectively compete on the market.
I was able to appreciate a number of issues arising from the trials of HomePulse. The first of which is the safety risk of battery overheating. 19% of units were affected by this issue, which is a relatively large proportion of trial units, and this has led to hospitalised customers. In 2022, a failure of similar sorts resulted in an Apple Watch exploding and sending the user into the emergency room. If such were to occur with HomePulse, then TNI would be open to civil lawsuits and the company's brand would be detrimentally impacted.
Another issue is the functionality of the watch itself: 15% of users reported connectivity issues, 10% of users reported issues with touch screen sensitivity, and 8% reported issues with the health monitoring features. Customers will not purchase a product at £350 (£100 more than the SmartHome Hub itself) if all these features are so prone to error. In the UK, there is already a pandemic-fuelled cost of living crisis, and a saturation of expensive technology products on the market, so customers simply have no reason to make such an expensive purchase unless the product will deliver exceptionally well. So the fact that the HomePulse is nearly twice as inaccurate as the SmartHome Hub was prior to launch is a poor indicator of future success.
Aside from these issues, the product concept is an effective way to combat the growing market share of competitors like HomeSync Pro. By having consumers purchase both the SmartHome Hub and HomePulse Watch, they are more integrated into TNI's portfolio of products, and are more likely to be repeat purchasers in the future. A similar concept applies with Epsom's sale of printers and ink, leading to an effective market domination.
In terms of further actions, I recommend that TNI focuses on resolving the battery overheating issues by exploring the use of different types of batteries (keeping in mind the recent growth in lithium battery fires). Additionally, the functionality issues need to be resolved as soon as possible, which might extend to the longer timeframe I stipulated at the beginning of the email. And another step that might be considered is pricing strategy, and whether the profit margins of the HomePulse Watch can be slightly pulled back in order to make the product more attractive on the market.
I hope this helps with your meeting and deciding whether to proceed with the launch of HomePulse in the near future. Please feel free to ask for further clarifications on any of the points raised in this email.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
[Redacted]
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