AbstractEmil Vicale, president of BBC (BBC) Design Group, used rapid prototyping technologyto build wax or plastic three-dimensional prototypes of his clients' designs. But this sametechnology can be used to custom manufacture dolls. Shortly after September 11, 2001,Vicale Corporation, BBC's parent company, purchased an e-commerce toy company. Vicale'sfirst action figure was made to honor the heroes who emerged from that event. Using RPT,he crafted a doll with the head of George W. Bush and the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger.Other figures followed. This case is about a design firm that used exploratory research todefine a niche in the action-figure business. www.herobuilders.com(RPT)The ScenariowithUsedpermission ofPamelaS.Schindler ©2004.Emil Vicale,president ofHeroBuilders.comCorporation,thinksentrepreneurial.His industrialdesigncompany, BBCDesign Group.hasbeenoperating formore than 20years. Onecornerstone ofhis designbusiness is aninnovativetechnologycalledcasesHeroBuilders.comdesigner to go from 3-D computer model to 3-D plastic or wax prototype in amatter of hours rather than the days, weeks, or months that prototypes usingsubtraction technology (carving) from wood, metal, or clay might take.As part of a growth strategy implemented shortly after September 11,2001, Vicale finalized the purchase of an e-commerce toy company,ToyBuilders.com. This was his first venture into the manufacture of toys,although his design firm had done developmental work for toy companies inthe past. Vicale made his first doll to honor an admired hero of 9/11. "The OurHero doll (resembling George Bush) turned out great, but I basically did it forme," shared Vicale. Over time, Vicale added to his personal collection ofadmired men with The Ally doll (resembling Great Britain's prime ministerTony Blair) and the American Mayor doll (resembling Rudolf Gulliani, thenmayor of New York City). HeroBuilders.com creates each doll by assemblinga custom head (created with the rapid prototyping technology fromphotographs) on to a buff, one-size-fits-all action figure body. As morefriends and acquaintances saw the dolls in Vicale's office, requests increasedfor similar dolls for their own collections or as gifts."I'd been making dolls on my personal time. And the individual requestsbecame too much," claimed Vicale. He decided to research the potential forthe actionfigure business. Starting with the Internet, Vicale found dozens ofcompanies were involved worldwide, some big and some small. "Hasbro wasthe biggest player, but there were numerous others," described Vicale. Thenhe took his research to the retail environment. "In the toy store, action figurestake up the most aisle space, second only to electronic games. And young girlshave an action-figure section, too."The exploratory research findings stimulated Vicale's interest. It was thisevidencerapidprototyping(RPT). RPTallowsaBusiness Research Methods, 14e/Schindler HeroBuilders.comof the magnitude of the action-figure business, combined with a genuine respect andadmiration for the heroes of 9/11 that led to the launch of an e-commerce business tosell dolls based on modern day heroes. To cover all the bases, Vicale did consult alawyer about using the likenesses of living heroes, especially about using the likenessof a sitting president. The lawyer assured him that presidential likenesses were usedfor numerous commercial ventures, including the sale of newspapers and magazines.The rapid prototyping capabilities make custom doll manufacturing possible. The business is alsoin a position to make dolls from photographs of everyday heroes in the lives of everyday people.What HeroBuilders.com hadn't anticipated was the media attention that discovery of the dollswould create. "Our sales of the figures at the time [less than 10,000 units] didn't warrant the mediaattention we received," explained Vicale. "But one story led to another, then to television. We wereunprepared." After receiving numerous requests for villain dolls, HeroBuilders.com introduceddolls patterned after Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.Discussion1 Which of the four types of studies are presented in this case.2 Using the criteria in Exhibit 2-1, evaluate the research thatHeroBuilders.com conducted prior to launching its hero and villainaction figure business.3 What issues, other than those Vicale chose to evaluate, would youhave included in your research plan for HeroBuilders.com?Sources"Bin Laden doll outsells Tony Blair toy," Guardian Unlimited, April 16, 2002 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,685463,00.html)Emil Vicale, President, HeroBuilders.com Corporation, interviewed April 26, 2002."Printer turns 2-D images into 3-D Objects," How Stuff Works, July 26, 2000, (http://howstuffworks.com/news-item115.htm)"Rapid Prototyping," Battell, April 26, 2002 (http://www.battell.org/specialprograms/advancedmaterials/polymer/rapidp.pdf)Toymaker Sells Bush, Bin Laden Dolls," Excite.com, April 19, 2002 (http://news.excite.com/article/id/42932%7Coddly enought%7C04-19-2002::13:40%7creuters.html)Business Research Methods, 14e/Schindler

Question

>AbstractEmil Vicale, president of BBC (BBC) Design Group, used rapid prototyping technologyto build wax or plastic three-dimensional prototypes of his clients' designs. But this sametechnology can be used to custom manufacture dolls. Shortly after September 11, 2001,Vicale Corporation, BBC's parent company, purchased an e-commerce toy company. Vicale'sfirst action figure was made to honor the heroes who emerged from that event. Using RPT,he crafted a doll with the head of George W. Bush and the body of Arnold Schwarzenegger.Other figures followed. This case is about a design firm that used exploratory research todefine a niche in the action-figure business. www.herobuilders.com(RPT)>The ScenariowithUsedpermission ofPamelaS.Schindler ©2004.Emil Vicale,president ofHeroBuilders.comCorporation,thinksentrepreneurial.His industrialdesigncompany, BBCDesign Group.hasbeenoperating formore than 20years. Onecornerstone ofhis designbusiness is aninnovativetechnologycalled>casesHeroBuilders.comdesigner to go from 3-D computer model to 3-D plastic or wax prototype in amatter of hours rather than the days, weeks, or months that prototypes usingsubtraction technology (carving) from wood, metal, or clay might take.As part of a growth strategy implemented shortly after September 11,2001, Vicale finalized the purchase of an e-commerce toy company,ToyBuilders.com. This was his first venture into the manufacture of toys,although his design firm had done developmental work for toy companies inthe past. Vicale made his first doll to honor an admired hero of 9/11. &#34;The OurHero doll (resembling George Bush) turned out great, but I basically did it forme,&#34; shared Vicale. Over time, Vicale added to his personal collection ofadmired men with The Ally doll (resembling Great Britain's prime ministerTony Blair) and the American Mayor doll (resembling Rudolf Gulliani, thenmayor of New York City). HeroBuilders.com creates each doll by assemblinga custom head (created with the rapid prototyping technology fromphotographs) on to a buff, one-size-fits-all action figure body. As morefriends and acquaintances saw the dolls in Vicale's office, requests increasedfor similar dolls for their own collections or as gifts.&#34;I'd been making dolls on my personal time. And the individual requestsbecame too much,&#34; claimed Vicale. He decided to research the potential forthe actionfigure business. Starting with the Internet, Vicale found dozens ofcompanies were involved worldwide, some big and some small. &#34;Hasbro wasthe biggest player, but there were numerous others,&#34; described Vicale. Thenhe took his research to the retail environment. &#34;In the toy store, action figurestake up the most aisle space, second only to electronic games. And young girlshave an action-figure section, too.&#34;The exploratory research findings stimulated Vicale's interest. It was thisevidencerapidprototyping(RPT). RPTallowsaBusiness Research Methods, 14e/Schindler HeroBuilders.comof the magnitude of the action-figure business, combined with a genuine respect andadmiration for the heroes of 9/11 that led to the launch of an e-commerce business tosell dolls based on modern day heroes. To cover all the bases, Vicale did consult alawyer about using the likenesses of living heroes, especially about using the likenessof a sitting president. The lawyer assured him that presidential likenesses were usedfor numerous commercial ventures, including the sale of newspapers and magazines.The rapid prototyping capabilities make custom doll manufacturing possible. The business is alsoin a position to make dolls from photographs of everyday heroes in the lives of everyday people.What HeroBuilders.com hadn't anticipated was the media attention that discovery of the dollswould create. &#34;Our sales of the figures at the time [less than 10,000 units] didn't warrant the mediaattention we received,&#34; explained Vicale. &#34;But one story led to another, then to television. We wereunprepared.&#34; After receiving numerous requests for villain dolls, HeroBuilders.com introduceddolls patterned after Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.>Discussion1 Which of the four types of studies are presented in this case.2 Using the criteria in Exhibit 2-1, evaluate the research thatHeroBuilders.com conducted prior to launching its hero and villainaction figure business.3 What issues, other than those Vicale chose to evaluate, would youhave included in your research plan for HeroBuilders.com?>Sources&#34;Bin Laden doll outsells Tony Blair toy,&#34; Guardian Unlimited, April 16, 2002 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,685463,00.html)Emil Vicale, President, HeroBuilders.com Corporation, interviewed April 26, 2002.&#34;Printer turns 2-D images into 3-D Objects,&#34; How Stuff Works, July 26, 2000, (http://howstuffworks.com/news-item115.htm)&#34;Rapid Prototyping,&#34; Battell, April 26, 2002 (http://www.battell.org/specialprograms/advancedmaterials/polymer/rapidp.pdf)Toymaker Sells Bush, Bin Laden Dolls,&#34; Excite.com, April 19, 2002 (http://news.excite.com/article/id/42932%7Coddly enought%7C04-19-2002::13:40%7creuters.html)Business Research Methods, 14e/Schindler

Accepted Answer

Market research refers to all the processes and strategies which are concluded before launching any…