Decision Point: How to Handle the Vice President's Advice

You receive a memo from the Vice President of Procurement responding to your query. He writes:

$"$It will be very important to maintain product continuity. We have a large base of devoted customers. We want to make sure that the quality and key characteristics of Island Knight stay the same through this transition. Talk to Frank, our consulting professional perfumer, for more information about the cologne. Seasonal variations in costs are the single most significant factor in our deciding to go with another supplier, so finding a way to limit that should be the top priority. The overall marginal costs and shipping costs are probably somewhat less significant. You may want to talk to Cindy, the product manager for Island Knight, regarding pricing information about the product."

What is the best action to take next?

Select an option from the choices below and click Submit.

Run a series of focus groups with customers to see if they notice a difference with products from a different plant.

Proceed to identify your decision criteria.

Gather more information by speaking to the professional perfumer and product manager.