Even while attempting to give your friend some tentative advice on the first two questions, are there other issues you would want to understand or are there questions you would like to ask your friend before providing a more definitive recommendation? If you could only ask three questions, what would be your top priority questions and why?
Is the sports drink currently formulated differently for the different countries, or is it the same formula for all?
Do the market researchers have expertise in statistics as well? Do the market specialists have backgrounds in market research and/or statistics?
Is the Administrative assistant overworked? Underutilized? What does she think about her job?
Is she limited to just those individuals currently working on the project?