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Case Study: Hero Builders
Molly Taylor
School of Business, Liberty University
Author Note
Molly Taylor
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Molly Taylor. Email:
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Case Study: Hero Builders
Which of the four types of studies are presented in this case?
According to the textbook, there are four types of studies: reporting, descriptive, causal-
explanatory, and causal-predictive (Schlinder, 2022, p. 55). Each of these studies is unique and
shares data in varying ways.1 In the case of Hero Builders, Vicale used reporting and descriptive
study objectives to research action figures in the early 2000s. Vicale and Hero Builders also
utilized exploratory research methods to gain practical knowledge for the company. A reporting
study helps achieve a deeper understanding of data by providing a summation of data (textbook,
55). In this case study, Vicale utilizes the reporting study by researching multiple action-figure
companies worldwide to attain a more extensive understanding of the potential of an action-
figure business. Vicale then takes his research to the retail environment (Schindler, 2004, p. 1),
where he utilizes descriptive study objectives to determine the who, where, and how many
factors of the case.
1Both study objectives are driven by exploratory research. Exploratory research is a
highly unstructured type of research performed at the beginning of a research project. Often, the
researcher has little pre-existing information about the issue, such as in Vicale’s case.
Exploratory research is valuable to the research process because it is meant to discover new
patterns, themes, and ideas (Hair Jr., 2023). While it is not intended to test specific hypotheses,
exploratory research sets a foundation for a manager to frame a research question. Because
Vicale engaged in exploratory research, he was able to stimulate his interest in the action figure
business, ask essential questions about consumer interest, and use the president’s likeness.
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Using the criteria in Exhibit 2-1, evaluate the research that HeroBuilders.com
conducted prior to launching its hero and villain action figure business.
The brief description of Vicale’s research in the case study allows one to evaluate the
research he conducted before launching his action-figure business. When evaluating research, it
is essential to consider six standards. These six standards decipher the value of the study and
include clarity, execution, ethical standards, analysis, limitations, and ambiguity. While the case
study did not give deep details about Vicale’s research, readers can still evaluate whether Vicale
applied these six standards in his research.
The first category asks if the purpose of the research is clearly defined. Vicale’s research
aimed to discover the potential for the action figure business after multiple friends requested a
custom action figure from him using his rapid prototyping technology. Hero Builders started
with a line of action figures resembling heroes from the disasters of September 11, 2001. Vicale
and Hero Builders clearly defined the purpose of their research. Vicale used exploratory
procedures to conduct his research. Vicale did not clearly explain his methods, but he split his
research into two sections: Internet and environmental. Vicale also honored the ethical standards
of the research subjects by consulting a lawyer to ensure that it was lawful to use the likeness of
living heroes, especially sitting presidents. Because he consulted the lawyer, Vicale could get
reliable information that protected his potential business and the heroes he was replicating.
Overall, Vicale’s research was decent. Hero Builders adequately defined the research purpose,
applied ethical standards, and reported their findings unambiguously. While these standards lead
to good research, the research would have been more robust if more limitations were revealed
and more analysis for the decision-maker was analyzed and revealed. The research conducted by
Vicale and Hero Builders allowed the company to start and get attention they did not expect.
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What issues, other than those Vicale chose to evaluate, would you have included in
your research plan for HeroBuilders.com?
According to the case study, Emil Vicale, president of HeroBuilders.com Corporation,
has a background in entrepreneurship and is familiar with success. When researching the action-
figure market for HeroBuilders.com, Vicale studied dozens of toy companies, Hasbro being the
largest, followed by the retail environment surrounding action figures. The research proved
sufficient for HeroBuilders.com, but there are some other issues Vicale could have evaluated to
strengthen his research plan.
From his research, Vicale found that action figures and dolls take up most of the shelf
and aisle space in toy stores. Even though Vicale is experienced and thriving in the marketing
world, he could have benefited from doing more research on the market to see what would
guarantee success. The marketing research would have informed him how to better market to
children, parents, and collectors. Today, toy collectors are among philatelists and book collectors
(Ward, 2020). If Vicale researched the patterns and behaviors of toy collectors, he could have
marketed his product to them better. Vicale went through the proper steps to ensure the legality
and ethics of making dolls resembling presidents, heroes, and enemies. However, despite the
assurance from the lawyer, the Bin Laden and Hussein dolls requested pushed the limits
ethically. This is a personal opinion, but it would have proved helpful for Vicale to consider and
research the background of these people before producing them as dolls. According to the case
study, HeroBuilders was Vicale’s first venture into the manufacture of toys. As he was building
his brand, he could have benefited from researching how to build an impactful, beneficial, and
solid brand effectively. In her book Obsessed: Building a Brand People Love from Day One,
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Emily Heyward states that a brand is a culture, and it takes skill to translate the ideas of what the
brand stands for into the consumer world and keep the expression fresh (Heyward, 2020, p. 151).
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References
Hair, J. F. (2023). Essentials of Business Research Methods (Fifth edition.). Routledge.
Heyward, E. (2020). Obsessed: Building a Brand People Love from Day One. Penguin
Publishing Group.
Schindler, P. S.1(2022).1Business research methods 14th edition (14th).1New York: McGraw-
Hill.
Ward, A. (2020).1Action figures: From Action Man to Zelda. The Crowood Press.
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