Business Decision Analytics: A case study research report

The research brief Decision-making is a daily practice that governs the operational activities in an organisation. The managers and relevant stakeholders are ever mandated to provide appropriate solutions to various challenges that affect the firms, which are either short term or long term.

Running head: BUSINESS DECISION ANALYTICS 1
Business Decision Analytics
A case study research report
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Business Decision Analytics: A case study research report
The research brief
Decision-making is a daily practice that governs the operational activities in an
organisation. The managers and relevant stakeholders are ever mandated to provide appropriate
solutions to various challenges that affect the firms, which are either short term or long term.
However, problems that require fast and accurate decisions have been reported to put the
management under pressure since there is limited time to carry out consultations before
delivering arrangements to the challenges (Aven & Zio, 2014). Therefore, such incidences have
led to the formation of decision-making groups in most companies that are responsible for giving
guidance and directions to the managing directors in critical issues that determine the
performance of companies in terms of market shares, their sustainability, as well as growth and
development (Aven, 2016).
Kaner (2014) demonstrated that group decisions are far much better than individual
choices due to the broad range of divergent views that give a critical evaluation of the problem
before delegating appropriate decisions. Furthermore, the authors argued that group decisions are
making processes exhibit census, which contributes to providing insightful judgments to the
question under examination. Biases are also minimised and eliminated with the use of group
decisions contrary to individual based decision-making processes. Another aspect of group
decision making is the ability to share information among the group members who take into
account a broader scope of data since the members could contribute unique expertise and
knowledge (Smith, 2014). Concisely, the ability to share information increases understanding,
clarification of issues, and facilitate movement towards a collective decision.
Aims of the study

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The case study research aimed to select and synthesise the advantages of deploying
decision-making tools in reflecting to decision-making styles that are pertinent in determining
the respective levels of intuition and rationality. Additionally, the study aims to compare,
contrast, and critically evaluate the data sources that influence the range of decision making in
the business context as well as the examination of systems and techniques for engaging team
decisions for enhancing sustainable outcomes in a firm (McHugh et al., 2016). Furthermore, the
study would examine emerging technologies and tools that facilitate accurate and reliable
decisions.
Scope of the study
The study entailed the formation of a four-member team for selection of decision-making
tools and techniques that can be utilised by a firm in making fast and diverse decisions
concerning different aspects of a firm. Additionally, the team was expected to apply the decision-
making techniques for interpretation of a range of data analytics for challenges facing the
selected firm, evaluate the chosen techniques for effective decision making in the company, and
engage the team in the visual presentation of the findings. Moreover, the research was keen on
team selection where the diversity was expected about gender, personality, ethnicity, work
experiences, decision-making preferences and technical skills among others. The selected
company for the case study research was the Dexus which is a real investment company in
Australia. The company with an asset value of $28.9 billion manages and directly invests in high
quality Australian industrial and office properties as well as managing of retail, healthcare
properties, industrial and office properties. The main reason for selecting the Dexus for the study
was due to a broad scope of investment decisions that the company is prone to for its sustainable
growth and acquisition of market shares.

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Key Research questions
The main research questions for the study are.
1. How does the application of decision-making tools influence the overall effectiveness of
decisions?
2. Are the team decisions more effective compared to individual decision making?
3. Does the use of data analytics techniques influence decision-making outcomes?
Team introduction and summary of team diversity
The selection of the team members that are mandated in making decisions is the primary
step of effective decisions making. Cox and Bobrowski (2016) alluded that a diverse group is
likely to make informed decisions compared to that with minimal diversity. Concisely, the author
claimed that team diversity should range from the level of expertise, working experience,
demographic, in essence, gender, ethnicity, personality, and the education level among others.
Therefore, the four-member team included an equal number of male and female members which
was led by one of the males with a female as his assistant. Concisely, the members had different
levels of studies including those pursuing masters, a doctorate, and one undergraduate student.
All the members were from different ethnicities.
Literature review
Many scholars have dedicated their studies towards the significance of team formation in
workplaces and decision-making. For instance, Adnan, Daud, Alias and Razali (2017) elaborated
that through teamwork, the coordination of activities is enhanced which promotes productivity
among the individual members. The authors further acknowledged that the same ideology could
be applied to team decisions, which entitle the members to cooperate with the others for arriving
at effective choices. Furthermore, teamwork promotes the sharing of information that is obtained

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after substantial researches by the members to the allocated area of jurisdiction before presenting
it to the members. Sharing of data is a healthy practice that drives the workers towards the
achievement of goals and objectives of the company due to the accurate decisions that come
along with the knowledge and the know-how of attending to various issues (Xiao, Zhang, and
Basadur, 2016). Through teamwork, the members stand a better chance of accessing vital
information at the right time that is pertinent to the accomplishment of various tasks that could
determine the prosperity of the organisation.
Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart and Wright (2017) in their studies of effective business
decisions ascertained that team decision enhance the division of responsibilities among the
members. The scholars argued that the act of sharing responsibilities promotes commitment
towards the challenges facing an organisation, which in turn facilitates in-depth research for
information gathering before making the decisions. In his studies, he defended that the group
decisions are likely to be based on evidence due to the broader range of consultation and
information gathering that incorporates the use of case studies as well as raw data collection.
Additionally, the division of tasks among the members encourages the use of data analytics in
through the application of various decision-making tools such as the evaluation of the
weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats an organisation could be facing in a process
known as SWOT analysis (Bull et al., 2016).
On the other hand, Schouten, van den Hooff, and Feldberg (2016) appreciated that the
team decisions could result in better outcomes through bringing to bear broader perspective
ranges. The authors argued that by delegation the decision-making process to a group, a
company could make effective use of knowledge and skills of its workers. The scholar claimed
that engaging the employees would promote their motivation through the provision of

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opportunities for participating in decisions, which is viewed as a voice in something meaningful
at the firm. That could pose positive effects on job satisfaction, organisational commitment, job
performance, and individual motivation (Robescu and Iancu, 2016).
Moreover, group decisions that involve employees directly affect how their work is
accomplished. In his studies, Frisk and Bannister (2017) in their studies claimed alluded that in
many quality control practices, team decisions provide opportunities for employees to discuss
and select the ways and approaches for improving how they produce goods or deliver services.
The researcher ascertained that the self-managed teams have a broader scope of responsibilities
for making decisions that involve how the work is organised, scheduled, and assigned.
Concisely, through group decisions, the management could be able to identify the weaknesses
and strengths of employee performance, which helps in awarding them the proper support they
need for addressing their challenges.
In multi-agency companies, such as the Dexus organisation, it has been evidenced that
group decisions are pivotal for addressing the major decisions (Dexus, 2018). This is achieved
through boards whose members are appointed or nominated based on diverse aspects including
gender, professional expertise, and ethnicity among others. After the appointment, the managing
director reports to the board as the central decision-making panel that monitors the progress and
performance of the organisation. On the other hand, the committee is expected to deploy data
analytics where the company is the primary source of information. The annual reports used as the
major source of data are backed up with raw data from the employees and the clients which are
cornerstones for making recommendations that are inclined to improvements. For active
participation in team decisions, the members must have the necessary skills and experiences that

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help in grasping issues, analysing the alternatives, and the ability to determine the most
appropriate option for selection.
Eulau (2017) acknowledged that approaches such as the Quaker model could be deployed
in building consensus as it emphasises listening among the members. The approach refrains the
members from speaking twice until all the members have given their views and opinions thus
neutralising the dominating personalities among the members. Additionally, the Quaker model
relies on a single person as a facilitator who moderates the discussion flows according to an
empathetic process. Through articulating the emerging consensus, Wu, and Kou (2016) depicted
that the members could be clear on the decisions as it emerges since their views have been taken
into account. The approach can be summarised in the following consensus flow diagram.
Figure 1: consensus flow diagram

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Another formal approach for the decisions is the consensus-oriented decision making
(CODM) model which follows the strategies such as framing the topic, open discussion,
identification of the underlying concerns, collaborative proposal building, selecting a direction,
synthesising final proposal, and closure according to Woltjer (2017). The author alluded that the
CODM model is significant in outlining the process of how suggestions could collaboratively be
built with the full participation of all the stakeholders while enabling flexible format based on the
primary values of consensus decision making.
Use of data analytics
Data analytics entail the practices of data mining, which involve sorting through large
sets of data for identification of trends, patterns, and relationships such as the customer
behaviour, and future events through business intelligence tools (Sivarajah, Kamal, Irani, and
Weerakkody, 2017). Therefore, the use of data analytics in decision-making depicts the use of
data sources to give evidence-based opinions and views concerning the identified challenge and
problems. Concisely, data analytics is reliable for the presentation of informed decisions that are
derived from the visual presentation of trends, patterns, and forecasts among others. The Dexus
real estate organisation can utilise the use of data analytics in decision making to achieve desired
outcomes that are inclined to improving the investment plans of the company and the
management of resources (Dexus, 2018).
Source of data
The secondary sources of data that was utilised in making decisions were the annual
reports of the company’s performance that were freely available on the organisation’s website
for access. The annual reports included the financial statements that defined the performance in
the market.

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Rationale for use
The rationale for using data analytics and the relevant source is due to its availability,
consistency, and reliability. The data found on the company’s website is very conversant with the
real-time challenges that could be facing the company since they were obtaining at the time of
impending possibilities of the problem. Besides, the fact that the data is for the company makes it
relevant to be used as a reference for making decisions as the past implications are considered in
determining the future of the company through decision making.
Analysis, interpretation, and presentation
The company invests
in office, car parks,
industrial, and
healthcare facilities
whose distribution is
visually presented below.
Office investments
'000 m2 A$m
Number of
Properties Lettable Area Car Park
Spaces Book Value Number of
Buildings
-
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
Total portfolio
Element
Figures

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Car parks
Industrial
Healthcare facilities
Discussion
From the analysis, the conducted a SWOT analysis to classify the findings and results of
the study into strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as a decision-making tool for
Number of
Properties Lettable Area Car Park Spaces Book Value Number of
Buildings
-
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
Investment in office spaces
Various aspects
Amount
Number of
Properties Lettable Area Car Park
Spaces Book Value Number of
Buildings
-
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1,000
various elements in car park investments
Aspects
Quantity
Number of
Properties Lettable Area Car Park Spaces Book Value Number of
Buildings
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
Industrial investment
Element of industrial investment
Quantity

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addressing the potential drop of the market shares of the company (Bull et al., 2016). The SWOT
decision-making tool performed by the group concerning the analysis and interpretation of the
data is shown in the diagram below.
Helpful Harmful
Internal
Strengths
Adequate parking spaces at the
properties.
Availability of significant
information concerning the real
estate investment.
Weaknesses
Lack of employee training in real estate
investment.
External
Opportunities
Adequate book value of amount per
square meter.
The interest of private investors that
facilitate funding of future projects.
High demand for parking spaces in the
real estate industry.
Threats
Stiff competition from the competitors.
Negative reputation of the firm among
the customers.
Minimum range of investment
properties.
Minimum number of buildings.
The decision-making team observed that within the investment properties, the company
was keen on investing in many packing spaces at the offices, industrial parks, and the healthcare
facilities. The team established the central challenge affecting the firm was the minimised range
of properties that were invested in which only included the industrial parks, healthcare facilities,
car parks and the office spaces. Through the Quaker approach of decision-making, the team was
able to give each member a chance to present their views concerning the various investments.
During the decision-making process, the moderator presented a discussion, or a challenge facing
the firm after which he allowed the members to give the proposal for the debate. The project then

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underwent an in-depth synthesis where the members gave their views and opinions after then the
consensus was held to determine the validity of the proposal through the vote.
During the consensus, the moderator allowed the team members to vote for the proposal
although he was relied upon for giving the deciding vote in case there was a tie. For the
suggestions that were voted against, concerns were raised where the agenda was subjected to the
discussion stage for the second time or was modified tested through consensus. If the raised
concerns failed to satisfy the majority of the group members, the proposal was rejected to give
way for other members’ suggestions. The process was iterated while sorting out the practical
recommendations that would solve the investment challenges of the company. Throughout the
process, the team relied on data analytics in giving inferences that were essential for formations
of proposals. When a motion was approved for scrutiny, analysis, and evaluation, the team leader
assigned the tasks based on the expertise required for addressing the issues which enabled the
members to carry out research using the available resources as well as making references to any
other relevant information before the next meeting was held. Additionally, the team leader also
ensured that timely communication is passed to the team members before the scheduled time as a
reminder of the meeting.
Recommendations
Group decision-making processes are depicted as slow approaches in making decisions.
However, team decisions are relied upon for critical investment decisions that call for evaluation
and in-depth synthesis of ideas and issues. From the analyses and the group discussions that
deployed the decision-making models, in essence, the SWOT analysis, Quaker model, and the
consensus-oriented decision making, the team was able to determine that the company was
facing external threats such as the stiff competition in the real estate sector. The group meetings

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for decision-making identified that most of their competitors were having a wide range of
properties compared to the Dexus Company. Additionally, the use of data analytics was crucial
in determining the significant strengths and opportunities of the organisation, which could be
utilised in addressing the weaknesses and the threats faced by the company. Therefore, the team
recommended that the company should welcome the investors who would be a significant source
of funding the organisation to increase the range of properties from the identified four to include
residential houses among others. The funding should also be used in increasing the number of
properties thus promoting the number of assets in the investment.
Significance of using D-M tools and team dynamics
The application of the decision-making tools in arriving at decisions is significant in
organisations. Using the tools ensured that the team members have adequate information that is
required for solving the problems (Yazdani, Zarate, Coulibaly, & Zavadskas, 2017). This was
ensured through the division of tasks that ensured every member is focused on the objectives and
the need for making informed decisions. Concisely, the decision-making tools provided a
framework that was followed in deciding the sources of data be used as well as the relevant
information to be obtained for evaluation and analysis. On the other hand, the team dynamics
helped in minimising the biases during the discussions whereby the different personalities and
the different work experiences enabled the members to give different ideas for evaluation and
synthesis before consensus.
Moreover, the diversity among the group members ensured a professional relationship is
maintained during the entire period of group meetings until the final meeting. A professional
relationship ensured that the members remained focused on the objectives of the study thus

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providing for diverse opinions and views. The team dynamics in terms of expertise ensured that
some members had knowledge and skills in data analytics, which helped the group to visualise
the data for easier understanding, and presentation, which was the basis of evaluation and
analysis (Song et al., 2017).
References
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Dexus. (2018). Financial Reports. Retrieved from Dexus:
https://www.dexus.com/investors/all-news-and-media/financial-results
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