| Course | D263 Frameworks for Strategic Decision-Making |
|---|---|
| Task | Task 1 |
| Paper type | Problem and opportunity analysis |
| Length | About 1,000 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 |
| School | Western Governors University (WGU) |
| Program | MS Management and Leadership |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for D263 Task 1
Why the Sofas Come Back: Root Cause Analysis of a Composite Furniture Maker's Online Returns and an Evaluation of a Refurbish-and-Resell Opportunity
Student Name
School of Business, Western Governors University
D263: Frameworks for Strategic Decision-Making, Task 1
Course Instructor
Month Day, Year
Why the Sofas Come Back: Root Cause Analysis of a Composite Furniture Maker's Online Returns and an Evaluation of a Refurbish-and-Resell Opportunity
The Company
Hollow Oak Furniture, a composite company in North Carolina, designs and manufactures upholstered sofas, chairs and ottomans sold mainly online, with two showrooms. Revenue grew from $38 million to $61 million in four years as online sales expanded. Profit did not keep pace. Operating margin fell from 11% to 6%, and the largest single reason was returns: 14% of online orders are now returned, compared with 5% for showroom sales. Each returned sofa costs Hollow Oak about $420 in two-way freight, inspection and handling, and most cannot be sold as new. At the same time, customer surveys and social media show growing interest in durable, repairable and secondhand furniture, and several competitors have begun marketing sustainability.
The Internal Problem and Its Root Causes
The visible problem is a high return rate. Treating it as the problem would lead to solutions such as stricter return policies, which could reduce returns but also sales. Root cause analysis looks beneath the symptom. The five whys technique, developed in Toyota's production system, asks why a problem occurs and then asks why of each answer until a cause that can be acted on is reached (Ohno, 1988).
Why are sofas returned? Return reason codes show that 61% of returns cite color or size not as expected, 22% damage in transit and 17% comfort. Why is color or size not as expected? Customers compare the delivered sofa with product photos taken in a bright studio and with dimensions they struggle to picture in their homes. Why do photos mislead? The company photographs every fabric in the same studio lighting and offers only four photos per product, with no images in real rooms. Why was it done this way? When online sales grew quickly, the photo process designed for the showroom catalog was reused rather than redesigned for customers who cannot see the product. Why was the damage rate high? Packaging was designed for delivery by the company's own trucks to showrooms, not for parcel carriers handling individual orders.
The analysis points to two root causes the company controls: product presentation designed for a different channel, and packaging designed for a different delivery method. Both are process problems created by rapid growth, not customer behavior.
Addressing the Internal Problem
Three actions follow from the causes: photograph every product in real rooms under natural light, with a person for scale and augmented reality previews on the website; mail free fabric swatches automatically with every order over $1,000 before production begins; and redesign packaging with corner protection and tested drop performance for parcel shipping. The company estimates these steps could bring online returns down to about 8% within a year, saving roughly $1.1 million annually. Progress would be tracked monthly by return reason code, so the company can see whether each fix is working: returns for color or size should fall first as photos and swatches improve, and damage returns should fall once the new packaging passes drop tests. Customer service agents, who hear the reasons directly, will review the reason codes with the e-commerce team each month to catch new patterns early. These fixes also improve the experience of customers who never return anything, because better photos and swatches make buying a sofa online less of a gamble.
The External Opportunity
Returns also create an opportunity. Hollow Oak currently sells returned sofas to a liquidator for about 15% of their retail price. Instead, it could launch a refurbish-and-resell program, repairing and cleaning returned and trade-in furniture in its own factory and selling it through a certified pre-owned section of its website and showrooms, with a warranty. The program could extend to buying back older Hollow Oak pieces from customers for store credit.
The opportunity fits the idea of conscious capitalism, in which a business pursues a higher purpose and creates value for all its stakeholders, customers, employees, suppliers, communities and the environment, not only shareholders (Mackey & Sisodia, 2013). It also reflects creating shared value, a strategy in which companies find business opportunities in social and environmental problems, generating economic value in a way that also produces value for society (Porter & Kramer, 2011).
Evaluating the Opportunity
Fit: Hollow Oak already has upholsterers, a factory and a reputation for durable frames, capabilities that a pure online retailer lacks. Market: customer surveys show interest in lower-priced pieces from a trusted brand, and certified pre-owned furniture could attract younger buyers who cannot afford new sofas at $2,400. Economics: refurbished sofas could sell for about 55% of the original price, compared with 15% from liquidators, and a buy-back program would bring customers back to the brand. Social value: keeping sofas out of landfills reduces waste, and the program could create skilled jobs in the factory.
Risks: refurbished products could cannibalize new sales, which would be managed by limiting the pre-owned range and pricing it clearly below new; quality problems could damage the brand, managed by a strict inspection standard and warranty; and the program adds operational complexity, managed by starting small.
Recommendation
Hollow Oak should address the internal problem first, because fixing presentation and packaging reduces waste and cost at the source. In parallel, it should pilot the refurbish-and-resell program for six months with returned sofas only, sold through one showroom and a website section, and measure recovery value, sales of new products to pre-owned buyers and customer reviews. If recovery value exceeds 45% of original price and new sales are not reduced, the company should add a buy-back program in the second year.
Conclusion
Root cause analysis shows that Hollow Oak's returns come from processes designed for a different channel, not from customers, and those processes can be fixed. The returns that remain are an opportunity: a refurbish-and-resell program fits the company's capabilities, creates value for customers and the environment and recovers more of each returned product's value. Addressing both makes the company more profitable and more consistent with what its customers increasingly want.
References
Mackey, J., & Sisodia, R. (2013). Conscious capitalism: Liberating the heroic spirit of business. Harvard Business Review Press.
Ohno, T. (1988). Toyota production system: Beyond large-scale production. Productivity Press.
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1/2), 62-77.
What the D263 Task 1 instructions ask
The first D263 task asks you to analyze an internal problem and an external opportunity for an organization. You will usually describe the organization, identify a problem and its root causes with a named technique, propose actions, identify an opportunity, evaluate it with criteria and recommend a course of action. Evaluators look for causes found with a structured tool rather than guessed, actions aimed at those causes, an opportunity evaluated against stated criteria such as fit, market and risk, and a recommendation that sets priorities. Treating the symptom as the problem, such as tightening the return policy when the cause is misleading photographs, misses what the task measures. Using the same organization for both parts shows how problems and opportunities can be connected.
How this D263 Task 1 example is built
The analysis opens with the company, its products and why its sales channel changed. The problem section separates the visible symptom from the causes found by asking why repeatedly and by reviewing return reasons, customer comments and delivery records. Each cause is stated as a process that can be changed. Three actions follow, each tied to a cause. The opportunity section explains how returned sofas could be refurbished by the company's own upholsterers and resold. The evaluation takes each criterion in turn and gives evidence. The recommendation fixes the internal problem first while testing the opportunity on a small scale. The conclusion restates that the returns come from processes built for a different channel, not from customers.
Where the D263 Task 1 rubric puts the marks
D263 Task 1 aspects are rated competent, approaching competence or not evident. An organization aspect asks for relevant context. A problem aspect rewards a clear statement of the internal issue. A root cause aspect looks for a named technique applied with evidence. An action aspect wants steps that address the causes. An opportunity aspect asks for an external opening described clearly. Another aspect checks that the opportunity is judged against stated criteria such as fit, demand and risk. A recommendation aspect wants priorities set and justified. Evaluators notice when causes are processes the organization controls, and they expect the decision frameworks used to be cited. Evidence from the company's own records makes the analysis credible. A root cause that points at people rather than a process usually lands at approaching competence.
D263 Task 1 help: what sends it back
D263 papers lose marks when the root cause analysis stops at the first answer. Keep asking why until you reach a process the company can change. The technique may be named but not shown, so walk through its steps. Actions sometimes address symptoms, so tie each to a cause. The opportunity can be evaluated with enthusiasm rather than criteria; state the criteria first and apply each with evidence. The recommendation may try to do everything at once, when evaluators want priorities and sequence. Last, keep the organization's capabilities in view, since an opportunity that fits what the company already does well is more credible than one that requires new skills.
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D263 Task 1 questions, answered
Must D263 Task 1 use the five whys?
Not necessarily. Use a root cause technique your instructions allow, like repeated why questions or a cause-and-effect diagram. The sample asks why repeatedly and checks each answer against return records.
Is the D263 furniture maker real?
No. Hollow Oak Furniture and its returns are invented to show the method. Your paper should use an organization you know or one your course supplies, with evidence for each cause.
What makes an opportunity strategic in D263?
It fits the organization's capabilities, meets real demand and can be pursued at acceptable cost and risk. The sample judges the refurbish-and-resell line on each of these criteria.
Should D263 fix the problem or pursue the opportunity first?
The sample fixes the internal problem first, because reducing returns lowers cost at the source, while testing the opportunity on a small scale in parallel. Explain your order of priority with the criteria you set.
Where can I find a free D263 Task 1 sample paper?
The sofa returns analysis is laid out in full above, root causes and opportunity evaluation included. Name your organization and problem, and a first custom D263 paper is written free.