KPMG E-TRAY EXERCISE

ANSWERS

Page 1 of 36
 SUMMARY OF ETRAY EXERCISE SCENARIO

STRUCTURE OF TASK 1
The exercise has been designed so that candidates start with an initial
set of messages and then are sent further messages to their inbox as
they respond to these messages.

The messages are grouped together into 'decision trees', which relate to
certain broad issues in the scenario. Each decision tree consists of
three levels of messages. The first level message is presented to
candidates at the start of the exercise. Candidates must decide on the most
appropriate response from the 4 different options. Once they have
responded to this message, there is then a short delay, after which the
second level message arrives in their inbox. When they respond to this
message, there is then another short delay before the third level
message arrives.

In total, Task 1 consists of 8 decision trees, which all run concurrently during the
task. When the exercise begins, candidates therefore have 8 e-mails in their inbox,
each of which is the first level message for one of the decision trees.

SCENARIO SUMMARY
The scenario places the candidate in the position of a Trainee Business
Advisor working for an advisory company providing (1) Financial and Business
Services, (2) Marketing Services and (3) Human Resources Advisory Services.

Due to the illness of another advisor in the London office, the candidate
has been transferred from the Nottingham office to London and asked to
take over this advisor's projects to ensure they continue to run smoothly.

The candidate is due to travel down to London the next day, however their
new line manager has asked them to spend some time today dealing with
some urgent client issues. The candidate has agreed to do this in the two
hours they have spare in the morning, before they go to a client meeting for
the rest of the day.
During the exercise, the candidate is asked to deal with a number of issues,
mostly relating to three main client projects: Wales Credit Card, Pluto travel
and HMV multimedia.

Page 2 of 36
FULL MESSAGE CONTENT FOR TASK 1

The message item content is provided on the following pages,

grouped by issue. For each message, the following information is
provided:
• The competency assessed by the message and decision required
• From name
• Subject of the e-mail
• E-mail message
• The four options for how the candidate could respond to the message, along with
the score for that option (from 5 = Very good response to 0=Poor response).

Page 3 of 36
 Issue A - Message I

From: Jackie O'Toole (Manager)

Subject: Wales competitor reward schemes

Sent: 30/07 08:26

Message: Irsa Khan, I've just found out you are replacing Tom Eve - look forward to
meeting you when you come down to the London office tomorrow.

Tom was due to come back to me yesterday with some feedback about the review of
the various competitor reward schemes we've been looking at for the Wales Credit Card
project (Activity 1.2 on the project plan) - he obviously didn't get to this before he was
taken ill. I'm meeting Mary Davison, Wales's Finance Manager, later today and I want to
give her some feedback on our findings so far.

As you're taking over Tom's work, could you please look through the 'Summary
of Competitors' document that Tom had produced (you'll find it in the Reference
Information Attachment) and give me an indication of the key themes which are
common to all of the competitors that have been reviewed? Thanks,

Jackie

Option 1: All the cards offer reward points for card purchases on petrol, and
cash back schemes at rates of 0.9% or higher.
Option 2: All the cards offer a cash back scheme for card purchases up to at
least £10,000, and run a reward point scheme.
Option 3: All the cards offer an annual cash back scheme, and also all
provide reward points for supermarket purchases.
Option 4: All the cards offer reward points for card purchases made on
supermarket purchases and petrol.
Attachments: None

Page 4 of 36
Issue A - Message 2

From: Mary Davison (Wales Credit Card)

Subject: Credit Card competitor analysis
Message:
Dear Irsa Khan,
I just spoke briefly with Jackie O'Toole, who indicated you are taking over Tom Eve's
position on our project, working on the review of the reward
schemes offered by the other credit card providers identified as being
Wales's key competitors.
I've got a meeting later today with the Wales Management Team in which I need
to give a brief overview regarding Cocoa Card, which I gather offers by far the best cash
back rate of the four competitors and therefore seems to be the main competitor we
need to focus on. If you have any information about Cocoa's reward schemes,
could you please forward these to me so I can review this before the meeting?
Best regards,
Mary Davison
Finance Manager, Wales Credit Card
Option 1: Reply to Mary indicating you will give her a call first thing
tomorrow morning to go through all the information you have
about the Cocoa Card in detail.
Option 2: Reply to Mary confirming that the Cocoa Card is the main
competitor that Wales should focus on.
Option 3: Forward all the information you have regarding Cocoa Card to
Mary.
Option 4: Forward the full competitor reward schemes document and
suggest that she looks at the information on the other competitors
too.
Attachments: None

Page 5 of 36
Issue A - Message 3

From: Jackie O'Toole

Subject: RE: Wales competitor reward schemes
Message:
Irsa Khan,
Thanks for the information about the key themes you identified across the four
credit cards identified as the main competitors to Wales.
I've just remembered that Tom was also going to carry out a quick analysis of the
monetary value of the reward point schemes offered by the competitor cards. As Wales
currently offer reward points themselves on card purchases made only on supermarket
goods and holidays, they want to focus on these two areas for this analysis.
Wales have recently produced figures regarding the typical annual spend for their customers
on supermarket goods and holidays:
Annual spend on supermarket goods per card holder = £2,000

Annual spend on holidays per card holder = £500

Using these typical spending figures above and the reward point scheme figures outlined
in the attachment to the credit card competitor document stored in the Reference
Information Attachment, could you work out which of the four competitor credit cards
would provide the highest level of reward in terms of monetary value and let me know?
Thanks,
Jackie
Option 1: Indicate that the Cocoa Card would provide the highest level of
reward.

Option 2: Indicate that the Broadband Card would provide the highest
level of reward.
Option 3: Indicate that the Ameba Card would provide the highest level of
reward.
Option 4: Indicate that the UltraCard would provide the highest level of
reward.
Attachments: None

Page 6 of 36
Issue B - Message 1
From: Luke Rooney
Subject: HMV multimedia Project - Stage 2
Sent: 30/07 08:28
Message:
Hi Irsa Khan
Tom Eve recently asked me to carry out a review of the HMV multimedia
project to assess advisor utilization on the project to date.
I am still in the process of completing this but while I was reviewing the Stage 1 & 2 project
plan I noticed that one of the tasks due to be undertaken before an interim
review meeting with the client early next week has not yet been completed.
As far as I can see, task 2.2 involves the analysis of available customer satisfaction data,
carrying out an industry comparison and identifying key issues prior to task 2.4 (Interim review
meeting with client). Based on the information in the resource planner and project plan it looks
like Tom was scheduled to do this work himself but there are others with
experience in business process analysis that have worked on the HMV project that may
be able to help. I know I'm not a business advisor, but I did some statistical analysis in my
previous role and would be more than happy to help if there is anything I can do.
Please let me know who should carry out the task and the timeframes for completion and I will
update the resource planner and HMV project plan accordingly.
Luke

Option 1: Indicate that you will make this your top priority and action
immediately for completion by the end of Thursday.
Option 2: Indicate that you will take on this task and will complete this by the
end of the week.
Option 3: Indicate that you will delegate the task to Sion Wilson as she will
have time to do this and has experience in business process analysis.
Option 4: Thank Luke for his offer of assistance and ask him to complete the analysis.
Attachments: None

Page 7 of 36
Issue B - Message 2

From: Maggie Oven

Subject: HMV multimedia - Client deadline
Message:
Dear Irsa Khan
In Tom Eve's absence I have been monitoring his inbox (as not all clients have yet been
informed of his illness). An email has just arrived from Harrison Mike (see attached) that
seems to be quite urgent. Just to let you know, Harrison is the Director of Operations
for HMV multimedia.
I know that you have only just taken over Tom's responsibilities so I thought it might be
useful to give you some background details before you respond to Harrison. As you can
see from the attached email Tom had agreed to forward some information to
Harrison so that he could prepare a presentation in advance of HMV's next board
meeting. Tom did complete a first draft of the information but the document has not
been proof read. Now it appears that the HMV board meeting has been brought forward
by one week to next Monday and Harrison is chasing for the information he requires. I
know that Harrison can be a little brusque and quite demanding at times but Tom and he
have a very good relationship. He was here a few weeks ago for a client meeting and
mentioned several times that he has a lot of respect for Tom and the way he has managed
the HMV project. I know that he has been particularly impressed by Tom's high quality
standards and the consistently reliable information he has provided.
The document is fairly small and really only needs a final grammar, spelling and calculation
check which could easily be done in an hour. I have checked with Vijay Patel & Sion
Wilson but due to client commitments neither of them will be available to proof the document.
Could you make contact with Harrison and let him know when he can expect the information.
Maggie

Option 1: Send the requested information to Harrison immediately

Option 2: Forward the information to Harrison explaining that it is a draft
copy and may contain some errors.
Option 3: Explain to Harrison that the information needs to undergo a final
content check and on completion will be forwarded to him by noon tomorrow.
Option 4: Advise Harrison that the information is not yet available for
circulation and will be forwarded by 7th August as originally
agreed.
Attachments: Harrison Mike e-mail

Page 8 of 36
 Attachment to Issue B - Message 2

To: Tom Eve

From: Harrison Mike (HMV multimedia)
Sent: Tuesday 30 July 08:05
Subject: Operational Performance Data

Hi Tom
Hope you are well. I know that you were not looking very
well last time we met.
How's that information coming along that you promised me?
The Chairman is heading off for a spot of leave later this
month so they have brought forward the HMV board
meeting to next Monday. I know that we originally agreed
that you would forward the data to me by Wednesday, 7,
August but I'm afraid I will need it earlier.
Could you get it to me in the next few days, ideally by
today if possible? I'd like to get a head start on the
presentation, as I'm very keen to push forward with the
ideas we discussed at our last meeting.
Harrison

Page 9 of 36
Issue B - Message 3

From: George Booth (HMV multimedia)

Subject: Invoicing error F

Message:
Dear Irsa Khan

I have just been told of Tom's illness by one of your team who advised me that you
would be taking over the management of the HMV project.

Last week I received an email from Tom (see attached) explaining the reason behind an
invoicing error for stages 1.1 to 1.4 of the Operational Practices and Procedure Review.
This is just a quick note to confirm that the revised invoice value is now in line with the
original stage 1 estimate. I must admit that I am still not clear on the supporting
calculations that back up the invoice and am concerned that the situation could arise
again in the future but at least we are back on track as far as the project budget is
concerned.
Please pass my thanks to the project team for responding so promptly to my initial
enquiry and do pass Tom my very best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Regards
George Booth

Option 1: Forward the correspondence to Luke Rooney for filing

Option 2: Telephone George to clarify any issues that still may be of concern
to her

Option 3: Acknowledge George's email and reassure her that the problem
will not occur again.

Option 4: Explain the underlying rationale for the figures to George in an

email
Attachments: Invoicing e-mail chain

Page 10 of 36
Attachment to Issue B - Message 3

To: George Booth (HMV multimedia)

From: Tom Eve
Sent: Wednesday 24 July
Subject: FLT: Invoicing discrepancy

Dear George
Thank you for your email regarding a discrepancy
between our recent invoice (Ref: CM5862 dated 17 July)
and our original budget for stages 1.1-1.4 of the
Operational Practices and Procedures review.
I have now looked into this situation and, after
speaking with our project accountant, I am able to
report that invoice CM5862 contains
a calculation error and will immediately be re-issued
for the correct amount. It was this error that inflated
the total amount invoiced to you, resulting in the
significant discrepancy against the budgeted amount
for the relevant project stages.
Please accept my sincerest apologies for this error.
This occurrence was due to an accounting systems
error, which resulted in a miscalculation of advisor days
worked on the project & administration allowances
applicable. I am happy to report however that the
rechargeable expenses included on this invoice have
been double-checked and are correct.
I will arrange for a revised invoice to be forwarded to
you ASAP with supporting calculations. If you have any
questions or require any further information regarding
this revised invoice please do not hesitate to contact
me.
Please accept my apologies again for any inconvenience
this accounting error has caused you.
Best wishes,
Tom Eve

Page 11 of 36
-------Original Message-------
From: George Booth
Sent: 22 July
To: Tom Eve
Subject: Invoicing discrepancy
Dear Tom
I have just received your invoice for completion
of the first few stages of the Operational Practices
Review project and am staggered to find that this
invoice is over 35% above your original budget
for this stage of the work. I cannot make any
sense of the backup to the invoice, which bears no
resemblance to the original supporting
calculations provided to us.
Although I understand that your original budget
was only an estimate and it was possible that some
divergence may occur I would expect to be
informed in advance of any possible overspend
and provided with some justification for this.
Please look into this situation immediately. I
will need further information before I crake any
report to the board but I am sure that they will be
very unhappy about this significant overspend
on the project and will want to investigate the
matter further.

George Booth
Finance Director
HMV multimedia

Page 12 of 36
Issue C -Message 1

From: Rich Prince

Subject: Pluto financial performance

Sent: 30/07 08:34

Message:
Irsa Khan,
I'm one of the business advisors in London - I gather you're covering Tom Eve's
position with immediate effect. I've been working on Stage 2 of the Pluto travel project with
Tom, conducting an analysis of the different booking mediums (shops, telephone and
internet). This work looks like it will take longer than expected, so I think this may
mean we have to delay the production of the interim report (Task 2.2) by a couple
more days than Tom had anticipated.
Tom was reviewing the financial performance across the four regions where Pluto shops
are based. I need this information before I can begin making recommendations in this area.
Tom was reviewing the financial performance of the shops in each of the regions and was
going to identify the region that is the cause of most concern. This region will then be the
first area of focus for downsizing the number of shops. I think Tom has made some notes
on this that should be in the Client Projects folder.
I'm meant to be feeding back to Jean Daley on this later today in preparation for a client
meeting, so would you be able to go over this quickly now and give me your initial view of the
most problematic region? I wouldn't normally ask since you've only just taken over,
but I'm really busy getting the rest of the recommendations ready so if you could look this
over that would be really helpful. I think Tom said he just needed to go over the revenue
figures for each region, so I've attached the financial results for the four regions for
you.
Cheers,
Rob.
Option 1: Indicate the South East region is the most problematic and is the
area to focus on.
Option 2: Indicate the Midlands region is the most problematic and area is
the area to focus on.
Option 3: Indicate the North region is the most problematic and area is the
area to focus on.
Option 4: Indicate the South West region is the most problematic and area is
the area to focus on.
Attachments: Pluto regional performance

Page 13 of 36
Attachment to Issue C - Message I

Pluto travel Regional Financial Performance (January - June)

Actual Budget
£000s £000s
Gross revenue
North 2,200 2,150
Midlands 1,400 1,100
South-East 2,500 2,700
South-West 2,100 2,500
TOTAL REVENUE 8,200 8450

Operating costs
North 1,600 1,650
Midlands 900 950
South-East 2,600 2,200
South-West 1,950 1,800
TOTAL COSTS 6,800 6,500

Page 14 of 36
Issue C - Message 2

From: Rich Prince

Subject: RE: Pluto financial performance
Message:
Cheers Irsa Khan, that's really helpful now we know which region to focus on.
I don't want to be a pain, but Jean Daley has just asked me whether it would be possible for
us to carry out some further analysis now that we've decided on the region, so she can
report this back to Pluto when she has the client meeting.
In this region, there are four branches that Pluto has already marked as
possibilities for closure (I've attached the financial performance for these branches
for the first half of the year). Jean just wants an initial, very quick recommendation of the
two branches that are the most obvious candidates for closure, based on their
performance against budget. Could you take a quick look and let me know what your
recommendation and I'll pass this onto her.
Rob.
Option 1: Recommend that Branches 2 and 4 should be considered for
closure, based on the figures.
Option 2: Recommend that Branches 2 and 3 should be considered for
closure, based on the figures.

Option 3: Recommend that Branches 1 and 3 should be considered for

closure, based on the figures.
Option 4: Recommend that Branches 1 and 5 should be considered for
closure, based on the figures.
Attachments: Pluto branches

Page 15 of 36
Attachment to Issue C - Message 2

Pluto travel - Branch revenue January to June

Actual (£000s) Budget (£000s)

Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jan-Mar Apr-Jun
Branch
1 109 149 120 130
2 89 143 90 155
3 98 122 100 140
4 102 135 100 145
5 102 110 95 112
296 414 310 435

Page 16 of 36
Issue C - Message 3
From: Chloe Goode

Subject: Press article

Message:
Hi Irsa Khan,
Sion Wilson told me you're taking over from Tom Eve - look forward to seeing you when
you come down to London. I saw some information yesterday on the Financial News
Weekly web site that I thought might be of interest - I've attached a copy with this mail.
Thanks
Chloe
Option 1: Forward the article to Josh Cold, as he is the client account
manager, copying in Maria Petta from Marketing Advisory Services.

Option 2: Forward the article to Roger Prutton, asking for his thoughts on
this.
Option 3: Forward the article to Rich Prince, as it may be useful for the work
he is doing for Pluto, copying in Jean Daley.
Option 4: Thank Chloe for the article and indicate you will keep hold of this
for reference, as it may be useful in the Pluto project.
Attachments: Press article

Page 17 of 36
Attachments to Issue C - Message 3

http:IMvww.financialnev,sweeldy.comlheadlines

Travel sector reeling after profit falls

July 29th:
By Beverly Smith, Retail & Leisure Correspondent
Following downbeat profit announcements for the first half of the year from rivals
Farraday and Pluto travel, leading travel agency Blue Sky Holidays
have lowered its third quarter revenue projections and said its bookings for the remainder of the third quarter are
expected to be down 10% on last year's performance.

Blue Sky Holidays, the Manchester-based discount travel company, which had been making a strong comeback over
the last year following a difficult period for holiday companies, said that it is seeing "a significant decrease in forward-
travel bookings, driven primarily by reduced customer demand and an increase in refunds on existing
reservations".

Farraday recently reported lower than expected results over the first 6 months of the year and
Pluto travel have also indicated that bookings have dropped below the projected levels during
the last three months.

Boss Dexter, Chief Executive of Farraday, stated in a report last week that "the travel
sector has seen a trend this year of customers increasingly turning to Internet
booking as the established medium for purchasing holidays, and this has had an
impact on the number of holidays booked 'over the counter' at our shops."
A spokesman for Pluto travel has also indicated the fall in performance has largely
been due to a reduction in over the counter holiday booking and said
yesterday: "The current profit projections have led Pluto travel to conduct a
major review of existing business processes and financial strategy. It is also clear to us
that advertising and brand positioning will play an increasingly important part in
the crowded travel sector market. As a result, we are intending to put considerable
investment into a major brand overhaul and new advertising approaches for the
beginning of next year."
Indications are that Blue Sky Holidays are likely to follow suit an industry source has
suggested that they are considering a number of new advertising strategies,
including an extensive television campaign.

Page 18 of 36
Issue D - Message 1
From: Maggie Oven
Subject: Wales information
Sent: 30/07 08:35
Message:
Irsa Khan,
Last week, Tom Eve was trying to get hold of some information on Wales's current card
debt figures from Keith Burrow, the financial analyst he's been dealing with. I'm worried
that Keith hasn't provided this information yet as Tom seemed to think he would need this
for early this week to do some further work.
I know Tom has apparently mentioned he has had quite a bit of difficulty getting some
information from Keith - he never seems to be able to reach him on the phone, so he has
to use e-mail but has often had to wait several days to get the stuff he needs.
I know it was important we got this information at some point this week, so I
thought I'd better let you know now so you can deal with this. I did try calling
Keith yesterday on Tom's behalf but he hasn't called me back.
Maggie.
Option 1:E-mail Keith Burrow to tell him that if he doesn't send through the
information required today, you will have to inform Mary
Davison.
Option 2:E-mail Keith Burrow requesting the information again, copying in
Mary Davison and Jackie O'Toole.
Option 3:E-mail Mary Davison explaining the situation and Keith
Burrow's attitude.
Option 4:E-mail Jackie O'Toole asking him to take up the matter, as he is
the project manager.
Attachments: None

Page 19 of 36
Issue D - Message 2

From: Jackie O'Toole

Subject: Wales project - proposed Stage 4
Message:
Irsa Khan,
Once the three agreed stages of the Wales project are completed, Mary Davison has
confirmed that they would like us to propose a revised card authorization and
security transaction process for them based on our recommendations from Stage 3 (risk
assessment). They have emphasized that they need to get this done as quickly as possible
and would like us to do this work in the last two weeks in August.
Tom Eve and I talked about this last week and he had spent some time outlining
what the activities for this stage would be and making some estimates in terms of
the person-days that would be required to deliver this. Could you take a look at Tom's
notes around this (attached to this mail) and give me an estimation of when you think this
stage could be completed by, on the basis that we start this work on Monday 19th August?
Cheers,
Jackie.

Option 1: Suggest the end of Thursday 22th August as a completion date

for this stag e.

Option 2: Suggest the end of Friday 23th August as a completion date for
this stage.
Option 3: Suggest the end of Monday 26th August as a completion date
for this stage.

Option 4: Suggest the end of Saturday 31 August as a completion date for

this stage.
Attachments: Wales Stage 4 notes

Page 20 of 36
Attachments to Issue D - Message 2

Outline of tasks for proposed Stage 4 of Wales Credit

Card project (Tom Eve, Tuesday 23 July)
Wales have indicated that, following completion of Stages 1 to 3, they would like us to make a
proposal regarding the redesign of their current customer authorization security
system as Stage 4 of the project.
I've put together an outline of the tasks and activities for this stage, with an indication of the
number of person-days that would be involved in delivering each task. As Wales
have suggested they would like to get this done within a couple of weeks, following
completion of Stages 1 to 3, I would suggest that the best approach would be to have
two people working solidly on this stage of the project at the same time as each
other (so two person-days work could be completed in one day). The activities would be:

4.1 Analysis of security checks and design of information flow process during
customer transaction (2 to 4 person-days: complexity of the authorization
process means this is likely to be at the top-end of this estimate).

4.2 System modelling (2 person-days).

4.3 Quantification of performance/security benefits over current system (2 person-

days).

4.4 Draft detailed final specification (2 person-days).

Some of the tasks are dependent on Wales providing information to us, so the
timescales for this work will rely on their Financial Analyst passing the correct
requested data to us promptly. If there are concerns about this then we could think
about adding around 20% more person-days on the project to give us some
contingency.

Page 21 of 36
Issue D - Message 3

From: Jackie O'Toole

Subject: RE: Wales project - proposed Stage 4
Message:
Irsa Khan,
Thanks for giving me your estimate of when this work could be completed. For the
work in this stage, I want to have two business advisors who are ideally at Level 3 in the
Employee Skills Matrix in both Business Process Analysis and Risk Management (although
could manage with an advisor at Level 2 in one of these areas if absolutely necessary).
I know you won't be able to work on this stage due to other ongoing projects, so could you
identify who would have sufficient experience and are available to work on this from
19th August (e.g. not currently booked on other client projects at this time)?
Thanks,
Jackie

Option 1: Suggest that Joe Big and Stephen Lark could work on this stage of
the Wales project.
Option 2: Suggest that Vijay Patel and Stephen Lark could work on this
stage of the Wales project.
Option 3: Suggest that Jimmy Moore and Tony Henry could work on this
phase of the project.
Option 4: Suggest that Vijay Patel and Tony Henry could work on this
phase of the project.

Attachments: None

Page 22 of 36
Issue E - Message I

From: Jackie O'Toole

Subject: Wales project Stage 3
Sent: 30/07 08:40
Message:
Irsa Khan,
Tom Eve was preparing an update for me about Stage 3 of the Wales Credit Card work. I
would like you take a look at Tom's progress notes, which should be stored in the Client
Projects folder, and confirm to me how we are progressing against the project plan.
The cost estimate I originally provided to Mary Davison at Wales for this stage was
£23,100. As I'm meeting her later today, could you let me know if you think the final report
for this stage (Task 3.6) will be completed as scheduled and whether the costs for this stage
are likely to exceed the cost estimate?
Many thanks for this - I know you must be really busy!
Thanks,
Jackie

Option 1: Indicate Stage 3 of the project is on track to be delivered ahead of

the scheduled delivery date and should fall £2,000
below the cost estimate.
Option 2: Indicate Stage 3 of the project will be ready on the scheduled
delivery date and in total should cost £21,100.
Option 3: Inform Jackie that Stage 3 looks likely to be delivered later than
the target delivery date but should fall £2,000 below the cost
estimate.
Option 4: Alert Jackie that Stage 3 looks likely to be a delivered later than
the target delivery date and will exceed the cost estimate by
£1,400.
Attachments: None

Page 23 of 36
Issue E -_Message 2

From: Som Ali

Subject: Error in Wales competitor data

Message:
Hi Irsa Khan,
I've just been reviewing the high-level Wales competitor performance report that Tom Eve
and I were working on, which was sent to Wales on 15th July.

While I was going back over some figures, I found an error in the data used. For one of
the
original competitors we analyzed - Avanti Credit Card - out of date figures were entered
regarding the revenue generated from interest on customer card debt. This means that
our revenue projections for the next year for Avanti were reported as being lower than
they should have been. If the up to date figures had been entered, our projections of
their revenue for the next year would have been around 20% higher than we actually
reported in the document sent to Wales.
I'm not too sure what to do about this so I thought I'd better inform you so you can decide
what to do - I'm worried this could be quite embarrassing for KPMG. As you may know, for
the more detailed competitor review report, we've now focused all our subsequent
research work on the four credit cards that Wales agreed were their main competitors
from the initial report. The Avanti credit card hasn't been included as one of these
competitors, but should have been according to the up to date correct figures.
What do you think - should we keep quiet about this mistake as Wales have seen the
competitor performance report and didn't pick up on the error so maybe it's OK?

Som

Option 1: E-mail Mary Davison immediately to explain the error in the

report, as she is the Wales Finance Manager.
Option 2: E-mail Jackie O'Toole straight away outlining the problem and
asking him how he wants to approach this.
Option 3: Tell Som not to mention the problem, in case the relationship
with such a key client is damaged. Admitting the mistake may also
create unprofessional image for KPMG.
Option 4: Tell So that the Avanti credit card will need to be included in
the more detailed competitor review report currently being
prepared.
Attachments: None

Page 24 of 36
Issue E: Message 3
From: Som Ali

Subject: Wales request

Message:
Hi Irsa Khan,
Sorry to keep bothering you, but I have a problem with the risk assessment work I'm doing
on Wales's current card authorisation process for Tom Eve. Mary Davison (the
Wales Finance Manager) has just sent me a message asking me to include an extra piece
of analysis about legal risks in card authorisation security.
Wales are expecting me to send an interim report on this work over to them by the end of
the working day tomorrow, and I'm already working flat out trying to get this ready in time as
it is. I've asked around the office to see if anyone else can help me out with this but, as
you know, everyone in London is really busy at the moment so no one has the time to
help.
The only other option I can think of is to copy a piece of work we did a few years ago, for
another credit card firm. The legal issues will probably be quite similar and this is the only way
I will be able to include this in time for the deadline.
Thanks,
Som Ali.
Option 1: Call Mary Davison and explain it is not necessary to include
this analysis in the report.

Option 2: Call Mary Davison explaining politely that Som won't have
time to include this analysis in the report.

Option 3: Tell Som to use the previous legal case study, as this is the only
practical way to meet the client's expectations in time.
Option 4: Call Mary Davison and say that Som can incorporate this
additional analysis, but it would mean a delay in the delivery of the
report.
Attachments: None

Page 25 of 36
Issue F - Message 1

From: Maggie Oven

Subject: Real Skills Community Broking Project
Sent: 30/07 08:48
Message:
Hi Irsa Khan
I have just received an email from Jo Button at Real Skills relating to some community
broking work Tom has committed to undertaking. I appreciate that you may need some
background information on this work, as I don't think that Tom had a chance to open a
project file.
Tom recently gained senior management agreement to complete a community broking
project with Real Skills, a voluntary organisation offering training in business and financial
skills for teenagers from disabled backgrounds. As part of our community broking
program me for this year, the London office has agreed to invite three Real Skills students
to undertake a 2-week period of work experience with us. Tom has been organising this
and was in the process of arranging for each student to shadow one of our business
advisors during their 2 weeks with the team. Unfortunately I don't know how far he got
before he was taken ill.
Jo Button of Real Skills made contact with me, as she has been unable to get hold of
Tom. She would like to confirm that we are able to proceed on the timescales initially
suggested by Tom, indicating that the London office would be ready to welcome students
in the next few weeks.
Could you please make contact with Jo and let her know how you wish
to proceed with project.
Many thanks
Maggie

Option 1: Inform Jo that Tom Eve has been suddenly taken ill and it won't
be possible to run the work experience project until his return.

Option 2: Inform Jo that you will be happy to take Tom's place in organizing
the project and that it can proceed as agreed

Option 3: Inform Jo that Tom Eve is ill and that the work experience will
have to be cancelled. Apologize to Jo for any inconvenience
caused.

Option 4: Inform Jo that you will be happy to take Tom's place in organizing
the project but that you will need to review the timescales discussed.
Attachments: None

Page 26 of 36
Issue F - Message 2

From: Boss Camp - Senior Business Advisor (Nottingham)

Subject: Stitch Retail Clothing
Message:
Dear Irsa Khan

I have just been told that you have been transferred to the London office with effect from
tomorrow morning. I must admit that this seems a bit sudden but understand that one of
the London office's advisers has been taken ill and instead of transferring next month you
have been drafted in immediately. Naturally I hope that the move to London goes well but
before you disappear permanently I would like to get your assistance on one of the
Nottingham based projects you have been working on.
I have recently taken over the project management of Stitch Retail Clothing. The client
notified me this morning that they have spotted some errors in the figures you recently
sent to them relating to supplier costs. I have taken a look at this work and there are
some mistakes in your calculations. Although the figures are not out by much they will need
to be corrected, as they are to be included in the final programme of cost reductions that
are due to be sent to the client in a couple of weeks.

As you were responsible for this part of the project I would appreciate it if you could
spend a bit of time reviewing and correcting this work. It should only take an afternoon to
go through. I have spoken with Stephanie Lawler, a Nottingham colleague who has also
been involved with aspects of the Stitch project. Although she indicated that she would
be able to complete the work she explained that it would take her over a day to check
the calculations, as she is not familiar with the data.
Please let me know if you will be able to assist with the matter.
Boss
Senior Business Advisor

KPMG Business Services (Nottingham Office)

Option 1: Inform Boss that you are sorry you will not have any time to do this
work as you will be very busy over the next few weeks and
request that he ask Stephanie to help.

Option 2: Explain to Boss that you have now transferred to the London
office so he will need to get a member of the
Nottingham team to complete the work.

Option 3: Apologize to Boss and indicate that, with his agreement, you will
make these amendments by the end of next week.
Option 4: Agree with Boss that you are the best person to do the corrections
and tell him that you will look at the figures tomorrow as a matter of
priority

Attachments: None

Page 27 of 36
Issue F - Message 3

From: Bar Klein

Subject: Project Start-up - PDC Systems
Message:
Irsa Khan
As you may have heard, we have been commissioned to carry out some risk
assessment work for PDC Systems, a small IT development company based in
Southampton. This project is due to get underway over the next few weeks and in Tom
Eve's absence I assume that you will be able to meet his project commitments. Some time
ago, he agreed to take on responsibility for the day-to-day Accountability of this project, with
Chloe Goode carrying out most of the auditing work.
Several weeks ago Tom arranged a preliminary kick-off meeting with the client so that both
he and I could meet with the PDC Systems project representatives and draw up a detailed
project plan. This meeting is scheduled for 8.00am next Monday at PDC's offices in
Southampton. As we have an early start we will need to travel down to Southampton on
Sunday night and stay in a local hotel. Tom was going to make sure this was
organised but it doesn't look like he was able to get this done before being taken ill.
Of course I will be available to brief you on the project if you would like to discuss it prior to
our meeting. In the meantime, I would be grateful if you could ensure that train tickets are
arranged and overnight accommodation is booked in advance of the meeting.
Regards
Barry
Option 1: Reply to Barry, indicating that you will set up the travel
arrangements tomorrow and ask him if he could send you
some more information about the project.
Option 2: Forward this information to Chloe Goode asking her to organise
the travel arrangement for you immediately and send details to
yourself and Barry Klein
Option 3: Reply to Barry, politely explaining that you do not have time to
or anise this as you have a number of other urgent client priorities
Option 4: Forward this information to Luke Rooney asking him to set up the
travel arrangements and ask Barry if you could schedule a
meeting later this week to discuss the project.
Attachments: None

Page 28 of 36
Issue G - Message 1 _
From: Jean Dale
Subject: Pluto travel client meeting
Sent: 30/07 08:52
Message:
Irsa Khan,
I'm due to have a meeting with Roger Prutton and Jane Buchan at Pluto travel this
afternoon regarding Stage 4 of the project (Supply Chain Management review) and I
would also like to give them an update regarding how things are progressing with the
first three stages of the project.
I was due to see Tom Eve this morning so he could update me as I've been out of the
loop on this work as I've quite a few projects on the go... could you please look at any
notes he made on the project progress (should be in the Client Projects folder) and check
this against the project plan to see if there are any issues I need to be aware of?
Thanks
Jean

Option 1:
Call Jean to confirm that the project appears to be progressing
Satisfactorily against the deadlines.

Option 2:
Contact Jean to let her know you have some concerns about the
report document relating to Stage 3, and this stage
is behind schedule

Option 3:
Call Jean to explain your concerns about the data being supplied
for Stage 2 of the project and discuss how these can be
addressed with the client.

Option 4:
Contact Jean to indicate that Stage 2 could fall behind schedule
and you have concerns about delivering the final report for this
area.
Attachments: None

Page 29 of 36
Issue G - Message 2

From: Jean Dale

Subject: Pluto performance by medium analysis
Message:
Irsa Khan
Thanks for the information you just sent through on how the Pluto Project is going - I can
update the client on the situation at the meeting today.
I know we have been conducting some high-level analysis about the financial
performance for Pluto and they are keen to get some indication of the results from the
performance review of different booking mediums (shop, telephone and Internet booking).
Tom Eve was meant to be working on this last week, but it looks like he didn't manage to get
to this.
I have a load of data that Tom was going to use for this - I'd be grateful if you would be able
carry out a quick analysis, using the standard categorisation technique that we've used
before for travel agents (see the Reference Information Attachment) to classify how each
booking medium has been performing.
I've attached the information I seem to have to hand - can you first let me know
whether this is sufficient or if there is any other information you'll need to do this
performance categorisation and I can try and have a look for it.
Thanks,
Jean

Option 1:
Indicate you will need further data about the number of telephone
enquiries and Internet bookings.
Option 2:
Inform Jean the attachment contains all the data you need to carry
out the hi h-level analysis.
Option 3:
Indicate you will need further data about shop enquiries and
Internet bookings.
Option 4:
Indicate you need further data about telephone and Internet
enquiries.
Attachments: Booking data

Page 30 of 36
Attachment to Issue G - Message 2

Data supplied by Pluto travel (17`08/03)

(All figures for performance from January to June)

Business Information Notes

Pluto travel shops

Number of shops 45
Footfall rate 74 Footfall = number of people entering shops
per hour
Registered enquiries 109,333 Holiday searches conducted by travel
assistant
Number of actual bookings made 41,000
Total value of bookings (£s) £8,200,000
Customer satisfaction rating 93%

Telephone bookings
Total number of customer calls 88,000 Includes holiday searches and customer
complaints
Average length of call 7 minute-
No. of holiday bookings made 22,00/
Total value of bookings (£s) £11,000,000
Customer satisfaction rating 81'

Pluto web site

Web site hits 148,000 Refers to number of
visits to Pluto homepage
Average length of time spent on web site 12 minutes
Number of holiday searches 60.000 Active customer enquiries for holidays on
website
Total value of bookings (£s) £12,000,000
Customer satisfaction rating 85%.

Page 31 of 36
Issue G - Message 3

From: Jean Daley

Subject: RE: Pluto performance by medium analysis

Message:
Irsa Khan,
I've just found a more recent file containing the Pluto performance data for their
shops, telephone and Internet booking - this file will have everything you need to do this
high-level analysis of the different booking mediums.
Can you use these attached figures and apply the standard travel agency performance
categorization technique provided in the Reference Information Attachment? If you can
then let me know how each of the three booking mediums is performing and if there
are any concerns that would be great.
Thanks
Jean

Option 1: Good performance from Internet Booking, average performance

for other two booking mediums
Option 2: Good performance from Telephone Booking, average performance
for Internet Booking, poor performance for Shop Bookings
Option 3: All three booking mediums are performing at average levels
Option 4: Good performance from the Telephone and Internet Booking, poor
performance for Shop bookings
Attachments: Booking data - latest

Page 32 of 36
Attachment to Decision Tree 4, Level 3

Data supplied by Pluto travel (25/08)

(Performance data from January to June)

No. of enquiries No. of holidays Total value of

booked bookings (£s)
Pluto shops 109,333 27,333 8,200,000
Telephone booking 56 000 22,000 11,000,000
Internet booking 60,000 30,000 12,000,000

Page 33 of 36
Issue H - Message 1

From: Sion Wilson

Subject: HMV multimedia - Stage 2.5
Sent: 30/07 08:55
Message:
Hi Irsa Khan
As you can see from the HMV project plan I am scheduled to start Stage 2.5 of the project
this Friday. In advance of undertaking this stage Tom had agreed to give me an indication on
which customer satisfaction issues I should focus on and I was hoping you could do the
same.
HMV have historically based their approach on the findings of an industry wide survey
conducted annually by Dr Louisa Khan, an acknowledged e-commerce expert currently
teaching at the London Retail School. You can find an executive summary of her latest
research findings in the Reference Information Attachment. Tom agreed to review this
document and identify
the two most important issues currently affecting customer satisfaction levels in e-retailing.
Could you take a look at this document and let me know the two issues that I should focus
on.
Many thanks
Sion

Option 1: Rising operating costs and customer service

Option 2: Limited alternative delivery options and delivery delays
Option 3: Stable customer base and efficient order fulfilment
Option 4: Delivery delays and "hidden" additional costs
Attachments: None

Page 34 of 36
issue H - Message 2

From: Jack Williams (HMV multimedia)

Subject: Customer Loyalty Info
Message:
Hi Irsa Khan
I've just been told about Tom's illness and have been informed that you are taking on the
management of the HMV work.
I have been out of the office since the middle of last week for a series of key account
meetings so have been slightly out of touch with what is going on at the office. When I got
back in this morning my secretary reminded me that I had promised to send Tom some
information by lunchtime today on our customer loyalty scheme, as well as available
customer retention data. Tom emailed me about this some weeks ago and I did initially
agree to gather this information for him as he said he needed it so that one of your
colleagues could complete some analysis.

However, since then things have got a bit busy and I have not had time to pull this
information together. I know that you have got a project review meeting coming up some
time next week (I think it's Tuesday) and that you were going to report back on your
analysis of this data at that meeting. However, it will take at least 3-4 hours to collate and I
will not be able to send it immediately as I have a lot to catch up on now I am back in the
office. However, I should have an opportunity to get round to this at some point
tomorrow afternoon and hope to get it to you before lunch on Thursday.
Regards
Jack

Option 1: Send an immediate response to Jack emphasizing that the

information is urgently required today, copying Harrison Mike.

Option 2: Follow up Jack's email tomorrow morning as you don't want to

pressurize him too much and the information can wait.

Option 3: Follow up Jack's email by phone before you go to today's client

meeting, explaining the urgency of the situation.
Option 4: Wait for the information to be sent by Jack in due course as you
could attribute any delays on this task as being due to the late
delivery of information from Jack
Attachments: None

Page 35 of 36
Issue H - Message 3

From: Jean Daley

Subject: HMV Project Plan - Stage 3
Message:
Irsa Khan
As you may know, HMV multimedia has commissioned some further work from us
and Stage 3 will commence on the 5th of October.
Last week Tom Eve asked me to review his draft Stage 3 project plan. I have now
completed this and have noted that the tasks involved in stage 3.1 and 3.2 of the
plan will require fairly specialist delivery capability. We have a number of large-scale projects
at the moment and quite a few resourcing conflicts exist so I think it would be wise to
book the advisors with the necessary skills/experience immediately. I have checked
and all appropriate advisors are available to undertake the work. Outlined below are the
necessary skills and consulting days required:
•An advisor with skills in Risk Management at Level 3 or 4, required for 4 days.
•An advisor with skills in Competitor Analysis at Level 3, required for 3 days.
In his detailed cost breakdown Tom estimated that the advisor costs for stages 3.1
& 3.2 should not exceed £6,800. When you select suitable advisors please bear in mind
their day rates so that we can keep the costs as far under the budgeted amount as possible.
Let me know which advisors you have selected so that they can be
booked onto the project as soon as possible.
Thanks
Jean

Option 1: Indicate that Vijay Patel and Joe Big would be the best choices
to work on this stage.
Option 2: Indicate that Vijay Patel and Jackie O'Toole would be the best
choices to work on this stage.
Option 3: Indicate that Rich Prince and Jackie O'Toole would be the best
choices to work on this stage.
Option 4: Indicate that Joe Big and Sion Wilson would be the best
choices to work on this stage.
Attachments: None

Page 36 of 36