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Hero Builder’s Case Study Assignment:
Passion S. Richards
School of Business, Liberty University
Business Research Methods
Sandra Bartholomew
August 28, 2021
Hero Builder’s Case Study Assignment 2
1.Which of the four types of studies are presented in this case.
In this case study, I have noticed that descriptive case studies would be the most proper
choice of action. To solidify my statement, I noticed in the article that the researchers spoke
about major competitors, for example, Hasbro that relates to the who. The article did shed some
light on how to use the legal perspective. Vicale took the opportunity to reach out to lawyers
prior to releasing his George Bush Doll to the mainstream audience. The article supplied clarity
from a legal standpoint. With this descriptive case study, there was enough research to provide
the viewer with a perspective of the market of selling action figures. I can also see that Vicale
was very observational. In the article, you can see him visiting local toy stores to view the
display of action figures by gender and age. He also uses his access to the internet to visit other
toy websites. This allows him to grasp an idea of who his competitors are and what items are
being taken off the shelves at the stores. While viewing the competitors and their products. This
allows Vitale to see the pricing of toys, color schemes, and types of action figures compared to
the competitors.
2. Using the criteria in Exhibit 2-1, evaluate the research that HeroBuilders.com
conducted prior to launching its hero and villain action figure business.
While reviewing the case study, I noticed that the company did not care that there are
other businesses out there selling the same product. Vicale clearly defined all possible variables
that can come into play. He knew the action figures he wanted to sell resemble people of high
status or well known by a community of people. He also considers possible lawsuits that can
happen if he makes certain dolls, for example, George Bush. There were a few limitations I could
Hero Builder’s Case Study Assignment 3
think of. The only limitation was if he decided not to pursue the creation of making the action
figures to the public.
Vicale also thoroughly executed and planned before launching the action figures.
Herobuilders.com needed to know if the action figure business would be a successful business.
They took proper approaches to the research. Vicale took into consideration the competitor
which would be video games vs the action figures that he saw on the shelves. The action figures
were the majority of isles spaces in various toy stores. Vicale also held an elevated level of
ethical standards taking into consideration potential lawsuits that could occur in which he took
legal action and got advice from a lawyer. The living hero at the time was George Bush, he had
to take into consideration the negative impacts when he released the action figures. While
speaking to the lawyer he was assured that the likeness of living heroes was used in a variety of
commercials for several reasons. Rest assured, this brought comfort knowing the likeness of a
potential lawsuit was slim to none since most people of status were used in commercials,
newspapers and magazines.
There was also an adequate analysis for decision making needs along with making
actions figures in favor of people of higher status. The Herosbuilders.com was able to create
action figures in comparison to everyday heroes’ due to the rapid prototyping capabilities that
made custom doll manufacturing possible. The company had a huge respect of the heroes of The
September 11, 2001, attack. During that time, many people pull their resources together to help
aide and aid after the attack. This allowed everyday people like me to honor and pay respect to
people in professions of fire fighters, paramedics, police officers and even bystanders. This
allows people to hold on to modern day heroes in a way we would not be able to imagine before.
Hero Builder’s Case Study Assignment 4
3. What issues, other than those Vicale chose to evaluate, would you have included in
your research plan for HeroBuilders.com?
One thing I have noticed in the case study is that he did not have a targeted audience. I
can compare this company to Kmart. Kmart did not have a target audience, which led to the
company’s fall. He never considers who the action figure will gear towards. Adults to children
take pleasure in action figures. Vicale did not evaluate how he would promote the action figures
to his audience. He did not consider if the toy would be advertised on the radio, in commercials,
or even on display in a local store to show off the toy. I believe if he spoke with a local business
to spread awareness of his new product; People would stop and ask questions. That way he can
get potential customers' perspective. This would allow him to conduct statistical research and
observation of who approaches him about the toy and what they like in a potential new action
figure. That way he could also narrow down his target audience. Vicale researched his
competitors but never considered the price of the product. Honestly, I imagine this case study is
like S. Truett Cathy Founding company, Chick-Fil-A. Casey had an idea, some people liked it,
and he ventured out to sell chicken sandwiches in downtown Atlanta. In perspective, so many
people sell the same product but what makes your product different? Will you target an audience
of a higher class, middle class, or low class? For example, does he want to sell to people who
shop at Walmart and Target or JCPenney and Macys? Gaging his audience would lead to a
consideration of price ranges, sizes, and materials to use on the toys. Also, would the buyer want
to purchase additional clothing for the action figure, or would they pay for a doll that doesn’t
have removable clothing?
Hero Builder’s Case Study Assignment 5
Reference Page
“9/11: A Day to REMEMBER TOGETHER.” Funeral Basics, 26 Aug. 2021,
www.funeralbasics.org/9-11-remember-together/.
Taylor, Kate. “The Church of CHICKEN: The inside Story of HOW Chick-Fil-a Used Christian
Values and a 'Clone Army' to Build a Booming Business That's Defying the Retail
Apocalypse and Taking over America.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 8 Aug. 2019,
www.businessinsider.com/how-chick-fil-a-took-over-america-2019-8.
Solís, Humberto Brea, and Emili Grifell-Tatjé. “A Business Model Analysis OF Kmart's
Downfall.” SKEMA ThinkForward, 7 Aug. 2020, knowledge.skema.edu/a-business-
model-analysis-of-kmarts-downfall/.
Staff, Entrepreneur. “Conducting Market Research.” Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur, 30 Sept.
2010, www.entrepreneur.com/article/217388.
