What do the following two research situations have in common?
Situation I: The sales manager of Al-Can, an aluminum can manufacturing company, was delighted with the increase in sales over the past few months. He wondered whether the company's new cans, which would be on the market in two months, should be priced higher than the traditional products. He confidently commented to the vice president of marketing, "Nobody in the market is selling aluminum cans with screw-on tops. We can get a small portion of the market and yet make substantial profits." The product manager disagreed with this strategy. In fact, she was opposed to marketing these new cans. The cans might present problems in preserving the contents. She thought to herself, "Aluminum cans are recycled, so nobody is going to keep them as containers." There was little she could do formally because these cans were the president's own idea. She strongly recommended to the vice president of marketing that the cans be priced in line with the other products. The vice president thought a marketing research study would resolve this issue.
Situation II: A large toy manufacturer was in the process of developing a tool kit for children in the 5- to 10-year age group. The tool kit included a small saw, screwdriver, hammer, chisel, and drill. This tool kit was different from the competitors', as it included an instruction manual with "101 things to do." The product manager was concerned about the safety of the kit and recommended the inclusion of a separate booklet for parents. The sales manager recommended that the tool kit be made available in a small case, as this would increase its marketability. The advertising manager recommended that a special promotional campaign be launched in order to distinguish it from the competitors' products. The vice president thought that all the recommendations were worthwhile, but that costs would increase drastically. He consulted the marketing research manager, who further recommended that a study be conducted.