A regional store manager wants to test whether increasing store hours increases profits, so they randomly select half of their locations to stay open an extra hour later in the evenings and compare profits between stores at the end of the month. They notice that stores open later saw higher profits on average. Is this an experiment or an observational study? Can they determine the extra hours caused the increase in sales? 

A store surveys its target demographic and learns that 86% of people would purchase the product they’ve been heavily advertising. Is this an experiment or an observational study? Can they conclude their current advertising strategy caused the high percentage of interest?

An office manager wants to determine how employees feel about their personal growth and professional achievement in the last quarter. Should they run an observational study or experiment?

A software development company created a new app for fitness, and they want to determine if using the app can lead to weight loss and increased strength in customers. Should they run an observational study or experiment?

A store surveys its target demographic and learns that 86% of people would purchase the product they’ve been heavily advertising. Is this an experiment or an observational study? Can they conclude their current advertising strategy caused the high percentage of interest?