For information and reference only – not to be submitted as your own work. This extract shows one way to structure a DBC502 answer; your own submission must be written in your own words.
This extract follows the structure of the DBC502 Business Decision Making Project (NZ Diploma in Business, Cornerstone Education). It is shortened: a full submission would develop each point further and use two sources for every tool. You can browse similar briefs in our solved assignment questions library, and the task-by-task explanation is in our guide on how to approach the DBC502 project.
Task 1: Decision-making tools and change
Chosen scenario. A small Queenstown tour operator moves its booking process from phone calls and email to an online booking platform (a digital transformation).
Tool 1: Force Field Analysis
Description. Force Field Analysis lists the forces driving a change and those restraining it, then scores them so managers can strengthen the first and weaken the second (Lewin, 1951). It is the practical tool behind Lewin’s view of change as a balance of forces (Burnes, 2004).
Application. The scores below are illustrative.
| Driving forces (score 1-5) | Restraining forces (score 1-5) |
|---|---|
| Customers expect to book online at any hour (5) | Staff are used to phone bookings and worry about role loss (4) |
| Fewer double bookings and data entry errors (4) | Subscription and set-up cost for a small business (3) |
| Booking data supports seasonal promotions (3) | Older customers who prefer to ring (2) |
Driving forces total 12 and restraining forces 9, so the change is viable if the staff concern is addressed first, for example through paid training before launch.
Tool 2: SWOT analysis
Description. SWOT sorts internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats into one frame to support a decision (Helms & Nixon, 2010). Its main limit is that the lists are often descriptive rather than prioritised (Gürel & Tat, 2017).
Application. Strengths: loyal repeat customers and a small, flexible team. Weaknesses: manual records and no booking history. Opportunities: direct online sales and fewer commissions paid to resellers. Threats: larger operators with polished websites and the risk of an outage on a peak day.
Evaluation and justification. For this change, Force Field Analysis is the more effective tool. SWOT shows where the business stands, but it does not show what will help or block the move itself. In this scenario the main risk is staff acceptance, and only Force Field Analysis scores that risk and points to an action (training). A SWOT would have listed “manual records” as a weakness without saying how to overcome resistance to replacing them.
Task 2: Decision-making tools and innovation
Chosen scenario. The same operator adds a new half-day cultural experience for winter visitors (new product development).
Tool 3: Decision matrix
Description. A decision matrix scores each option against weighted criteria and totals the results, so the choice is explicit and defensible (Pugh, 1991; Cross, 2008).
Application. Three product ideas were scored from 1 to 5 against weighted criteria (illustrative scores).
| Criterion (weight) | Guided cultural walk | Food and wine tasting | Evening stargazing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter demand (3) | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Set-up cost (2) | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Fits current staff skills (2) | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Weighted total | 12+10+8 = 30 | 15+6+4 = 25 | 9+8+6 = 23 |
Tool 4: Cost-benefit analysis
Description. Cost-benefit analysis compares expected costs and benefits in money terms, adjusting for timing, to judge whether an investment is worthwhile (Boardman et al., 2018; New Zealand Treasury, 2015).
Application. For the cultural walk, estimated costs include guide training, permits and marketing. Estimated benefits are ticket revenue over the winter season. If benefits exceed costs within one season, the product is worth launching; if not, it should be piloted on weekends only.
Evaluation and justification. The decision matrix is more effective here because the operator is choosing between several ideas, and the matrix compares them side by side. Cost-benefit analysis only becomes useful once one idea is chosen, and it relies on revenue forecasts that a new product does not yet have. The matrix selected the cultural walk; a cost-benefit check can then confirm it.
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Task 3: Change plans for the ten-person tourism operator
The plans use Kotter’s (1996) eight-step model, adapted for informal delivery as the owner requested: short weekly huddles, a small pilot and open feedback. Each plan can be used by all four teams (customer service, accounts, management, operations), whose headcount will double.
Plan 1: Automating accounting and sales recording
| Step (Kotter, 1996) | Roles | Responsibilities | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Create urgency: show how manual entry slows invoicing as bookings grow | Owner; Accounts lead | Owner presents booking growth figures; Accounts lead lists error rates | Weeks 1-2 |
| 2. Form a guiding team and set a vision of one shared system | Owner; team leaders from each team | Choose software; define what each team needs from it | Weeks 2-4 |
| 3. Pilot with accounts and customer service; celebrate early wins | Accounts lead; Customer service lead | Run the pilot; gather staff feedback in weekly huddles | Weeks 5-10 |
| 4. Roll out to all teams and anchor in procedures | Operations manager; new staff | Update procedures; train new hires on the system from day one | Weeks 11-16 |
Plan 2: Seasonal promotions
| Step (Kotter, 1996) | Roles | Responsibilities | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Create urgency: map quiet and peak months | Owner; Operations manager | Review last year’s bookings by month | Weeks 1-2 |
| 2. Build a promotions team and vision for each target market (for example domestic families in winter) | Customer service lead with marketing interest; Accounts lead | Draft offers; cost each promotion | Weeks 2-5 |
| 3. Launch a short-term win: one pilot promotion | Customer service team | Publish offer; record bookings from each channel | Weeks 6-10 |
| 4. Review and embed: repeat each season | Management team | Compare results; schedule next season’s promotion | Ongoing, each quarter |
Task 4: Innovative customer service processes
4a. Process analysis
Process 1: Online booking system with automatic confirmation. Customers choose a date, pay a deposit and receive a confirmation email without staff involvement. Many NZ operators already use reservation platforms of this kind; MBIE (n.d.) publishes tourism data for operators.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Reduces phone workload as bookings grow | Subscription and commission costs |
| Fewer double bookings and errors | Some customers need help, so a phone option must stay |
Recommendation. Adopt it. The workload problem is volume, and this process removes the repetitive part.
Process 2: QR-code activity information. Printed QR codes at the office and on vouchers link to short pages with meeting points, what to bring and weather updates.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Answers common questions without staff time | Needs mobile signal, which can be patchy outside town |
| Cheap to update and print | Pages must be kept current or they cause confusion |
Recommendation. Adopt it, but assign one person to review the pages weekly.
4b. Enhancements and justification
| Process | Enhancement | Justification |
|---|---|---|
| Booking system | 1. Automatic reminder text 24 hours before the trip | Cuts no-shows, which protects revenue and guide scheduling |
| Booking system | 2. Post-trip review request with a rebooking offer | Turns a completed trip into repeat business at low cost |
| QR information | 1. Add a short video of the meeting point | Reduces late arrivals and calls from people who cannot find the site |
| QR information | 2. Offer pages in two more languages | Matches the operator’s international visitor mix |
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About the expert
Reviewed by Dr. Ethan Caldwell, Strategic Management & Business Analysis Specialist, University of Auckland, New Zealand. His profile covers strategic management and business analysis, including frameworks such as SWOT, PESTLE, Porter’s Five Forces and VRIO. See other business specialists on our management assignment help and diploma assignment help pages.
References
Boardman, A. E., Greenberg, D. H., Vining, A. R., & Weimer, D. L. (2018). Cost-benefit analysis: Concepts and practice (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Burnes, B. (2004). Kurt Lewin and the planned approach to change: A re-appraisal. Journal of Management Studies, 41(6), 977-1002.
Cross, N. (2008). Engineering design methods: Strategies for product design (4th ed.). Wiley.
Gürel, E., & Tat, M. (2017). SWOT analysis: A theoretical review. The Journal of International Social Research, 10(51), 994-1006.
Helms, M. M., & Nixon, J. (2010). Exploring SWOT analysis – where are we now? Journal of Strategy and Management, 3(3), 215-251.
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Harvard Business School Press.
Lewin, K. (1951). Field theory in social science: Selected theoretical papers. Harper & Row.
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. (n.d.). Tourism satellite account. https://teic.mbie.govt.nz/teiccategories/datareleases/tsa/
New Zealand Treasury. (2015). Guide to social cost benefit analysis. New Zealand Government.
Pugh, S. (1991). Total design: Integrated methods for successful product engineering. Addison-Wesley.
