business research proposal paper about tempo music and restaurant's profit

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Hello, I need a business reseach proposal paper.

Document "Research Proposal rubric" and "Research proposal-example" are this paper's rubric and example that professor post for us.

FOR THE TOPIC OF THIS PAPER. My professor said this paper should use the same topic with the Project I, SO I attached the Project 1 which is my work and part 1 example and rubric. The research question document's question 3 which the red words is my topic. AND, IN this business research proposal paper, my professor said in my topic the independent variable is tempo music, and dependent variable is restaurant's profit. Therefore, you should design a hypothesis about this, so do not off topic.

APA format and 10-15 pages.

I remember my professor said need to do the survey form, I think the last page in the example is the survey page. so, PLEASE FOLLOW THE "research proposal-example" document. Don't write too complicate, just follow the example!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Business Research Proposals A research proposal can serve a number of useful purposes during the research process. However, its basic function is to describe what will be done during the research process (and why it will be done). Research proposals are assessed to determine the likelihood that the research will be useable in the specific business decision making context. An effective research proposal will report on the following phases of the research process: 1) Introduction: The impetus for conducting the research. 2) Background: A discussion of the theories involved and the hypotheses developed 3) A detailed methodology: Exactly what will be done, by whom to generate the data used for analysis. 4) A specific analysis plan: How, quantitatively, will you know the answer to your research question? 5) Qualifications, timetable, and the budget. The following sections provide a more detailed (but not exhaustive) explanation of these areas. 1. Introduction This is a statement as to the underlying reasons that prompted the research. The researcher needs to provide the reader (client, professor) with some level of confidence that they understand the surrounding issues (e.g., the external and internal environmental contexts) that raise the question that is to be answered. That involves an explanation of what is expected to be learned, and why it is of importance (to the organization). This section communicates why the research is being undertaken. It will focus around a problem statement and the resultant research objectives and research questions that are derived. It should answer the questions: “What is to be learned?” and “Why is it relevant?” It would also be important at this stage to identify the research to be conducted as exploratory, descriptive, or causal. 2) Background (Literature review) Page | 1 A discussion of what is already known about the subject and any hypotheses that may have been developed. Depending upon the nature of the research questions asked, the researcher will need to describe their understanding of the theoretical (and practical) factors that contribute to the situation (above) that raises the research question. This will involve a general description of the variables that are believed to contribute to the issue. (Literature reviews are particularly helpful at this point.) A thorough discussion of the concepts, indicators, and variables developed should be presented here, along with any operational definitions. The theory described should lead to the specific hypotheses that are to be tested by the research. A hypothesis is an, as of yet, untested belief about the nature of the world. Business research hypotheses typically fall into two basic categories: a) Statements about a specific characteristic of a population (or the differences between the same characteristic in more than one population) and b) Statements about the relationships between two or more variables within a population. Any hypotheses must be testable (through an analysis of quantifiable information). To be useful in research and analysis, there must be a good (e.g., logical or theoretical) reason to believe that the hypothesis is true. Otherwise, the research tends to be more prone to errors (typically Type I errors). Hypotheses must also be quantifiable and testable if they are to be used for drawing conclusions (i.e., if they are to be tested statistically). Each research question should suggest at least one hypothesis. Here are some examples of business hypotheses (in plain language): More than 75% of our customers comparison shop online before making a purchase through our website. The average 401(K) contribution for programmers in our industry is less than $2,000 per year. There is a statistically detectable relationship between the age of our customers and the amount of RAM they expect in the computers they purchase. Fine dining restaurant customers (at our restaurant) would prefer a table with chairs but proximity to a fireplace over a booth with no view of a fireplace. Page | 2 3) A detailed methodology The most important section of any research proposal is the methodology section. It is here where the researcher identifies the specific steps that will be taken to collect the information needed to answer the research questions. Identify the type of research to be conducted: exploratory, descriptive and/or causal/experimental (and your logic for your decision). The research design will: a) Identify the type of research to be undertaken: exploratory, descriptive, and/or causal. b) Define the nature of the information to be collected, c) Identify the population of interest, the sampling frame, and the sample from which the data will be collected, d) Describe the instrument (e.g., questionnaire) to be used to collect the information (i.e., measure the variables) – including the scales to be used, e) Outline the fielding technique (the data collection method for administering the questionnaire), and f) Explicitly state any known shortcomings of the research design. When causal/experimental studies are proposed, this section should also define the experimental design to be used to control threats to internal and external validity. For complex hypotheses, this section will also include a description of the method by which subjects will be assigned to the various experimental and control groups. An effective research design will ensure that the methodology can account for (identify and measure) the presence of any extraneous variables (e.g., threats to validity). 4) A specific analysis plan Since the hypothesis is an explicit, quantifiable statement and the nature (i.e. levels of measurement) of the data to be collected are known in advance, the statistical analysis may be determined in advance. As a result, the null hypothesis should be described along with the specific statistical test to be performed. This process should include the level of significance (i.e., alpha). Page | 3 The proposal should include a description of the procedures to be run and, where appropriate, the nature of the output (e.g., crosstabs) to be produced and delivered (e.g., crosstabs). 5) Qualifications, timetable & budget The researcher should also a statement of the ability of the researcher to conduct the proposed research in a professional, objective manner. Clients would like some assurance that the researcher is aware of the potential pitfalls that are inherent in research situations. The research proposal should also include a timeline indicating the times at which the various steps will be completed (questionnaire development, fielding, data analysis, and report writing). Finally, the proposal should include the budget (fee) for the services to be performed. The document you submit should be capable of being implemented based upon the information you have provided. That is, any reasonably competent researcher should be able to conduct the research you describe without (much) further reference. Page | 4 3 Introduction and Background It is important for any successful company to know not only how its consumers view its product, but also how they view the company itself. Chiquita Brand International includes various food product lines including, but not limited to bananas and other whole fruits, prepackaged healthy snacks (i.e. sliced apples), fruit drinks and the Fresh Express salads line. Chiquita has had over one hundred years of operation in Colombia. It began as the United Fruit Company, which was a well known U.S. army backed opponent to agrarian reform and agricultural workers’ union (Howard, 2007). They were later known as United Brands in 1970 and Chiquita in 1989. In 1928 laborers began a strike for contracts promising better working conditions and shorter working hours. This strike became nationally known when the army fired on strikers during one of their demonstrations. The workers have gone on strike more than 40 times during the company’s history, with protection from the army and marines. In 1930 Juan Pablo Wainwright, a workers union leader, was assassinated (Howard, 2007). Years following would be similar as workers kept striking demanding fairer labor practices. The most recent cause of negative publicity occurred on March 2007, when an indictment was filed in U.S. District Court, charging Chiquita, through their Colombian company Banadex, with “engaging in transactions with a specially-designated global terrorist”. It charged that Chiquita, from 1997 through February 2004, paid the AUC (Auto Defensas Unidas de Colombia) directly or indirectly almost every month. They made over 100 payments totaling $1.7 million. On September 10, 2001, the United States designated the AUC a Foreign Terrorist Organization, making it a crime for any United States person to provide material support or resources, including money and currency to AUC. The United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) is described as a violent right-wing organization in Columbia that engaged in illegal activities 4 including kidnapping and murder. In March 2007, a plea agreement was filed with the courts. Chiquita entered a plea of guilty to “Engaging in Transactions with a Specially-Designated Global Terrorist”. They agreed to pay a criminal fine of $25 million and agreed to corporate probation of 5 years. In September 2007, Chiquita’s plea agreement was accepted and entered into the record (Department of Justice, 2007). Chiquita has endured a long history of negative publicity but in recent years has made great strides in addressing and changing its image. In 1996, Chiquita allotted $20 million to overhaul the environmental and employment standards at all its 127 farms, which employ 30,000 workers in seven Latin American countries. Today all of its company-owned farms and independently owned farms conform and are certified by the Rainforest Alliance (Alsever, 2006). Looking to the future, Chiquita must continue to address the negative publicity to avoid what could be a disastrous affect on its product lines and brand image. Effects of Negative Publicity According to Dahlén and Lange’s (2006) literature review for their own study, “…negative publicity research uncovers a number of effects on the focal brand, such as reducing effectiveness of the company's advertising, damaging reputation reducing brand equity, negative attitudes, and unfavorable associations” (p. 388). Any publicity damage from one product can contaminate the brand and negatively impact another food product line. A negative change in consumers’ opinion and attitudes can quickly affect the company’s sales. Therefore, it is critical for the company to determine whether the negative publicity has affected consumers’ opinion and attitudes so that it may take the appropriate measures to restore its image. Previous studies have found that “negative publicity, in particular, has the potential to damage corporate image. This is due to its high credibility as well as the negativity effect, a 5 tendency for negative information to be weighted more than positive information in the evaluation of people, objects, and ideas” (Hal Dean, 2004). Understanding what the current consumer views are will help Chiquita to better strategize and develop business plans that will address any potential crisis. Company response to negative publicity is a critical element affecting consumer attitude towards the company and the brand (Menon, Jewell, & Unnava, 1999). The way Chiquita addressed the situation by going to the Department of Justice and then accepting the plea agreement will way favorably in consumers’ minds. And although they did continue the payments even after notifying the Justice department, they explained their actions as safety precautions for the Columbian workers until they were able to sell the company. A company response in the face of negative publicity can take multiple forms: outright denial, no comment, redirect audience attention, voluntary admission of guilt, compliance with regulatory authority and implicit admission of guilt, admission of guilt and voluntary proactive restitution action (Sherell and Reidenbach 1986). Still another listing of specific responses outlined in Reidenbach et al. (1987) includes instinctive reaction to or denial of all allegations, stonewalling tactics in which a company responds by saying that they "would fight all the way," formal compliance as a result of intervention by a governmental agency, or seizing the initiative etc., to name a few. (Menon, Jewell, Unnava, p. 325) Menon, Jewell, and Unnava’s research also supported the view that a strong response from the company in a negative publicity crisis will create a more positive attitude from the consumer than if the company had been passive or in denial of the crisis. Fernando Aguirre, Chairman and CEO of Chiquita Brands International, Inc., himself acknowledged that although 6 the company had been making payments to a terrorist group, Chiquita went to the Department of Justice when it was discovered the payments were illegal. He states “Chiquita is completely committed to corporate responsibility and compliance. The fact that we voluntarily came forward and disclosed the payments to the paramilitaries did not simply acknowledge an illegal act, it proved our willingness to take responsibility for our actions, even when such a step comes at considerable cost” (Aguirre, 2007). This type of strong response is what will help to keep Chiquita positive in their consumers’ views. Hypothesis Development The way Chiquita has decided to handle its publicity crisis will have had some type of affect on their consumers’ attitudes. Consider the story of Tylenol’s capsule poisoning. In 1982, when seven people in the Chicago area died after taking Tylenol extra-strength capsules laced with cyanide many business and marketing experts forecasted that this was the end of the Tylenol brand (Yang & Levenson, 2007). This expectation, however, did not take into account the maker of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson’s determination to protect its product, reputation, and brand equity. In fact, the company went on the offensive by recalling 31 million bottles of capsules from the market and by organizing a massive advertisement campaign to inform the public. Burke, the CEO of Johnson & Johnson became the face of Tylenol appearing on many TV programs such as 60 Minutes in order to persuade the public that the scandal was a result of an isolated criminal act rather than a defect originating from his company. This strategy, along with the company’s perseverance ultimately paid off. In fact, just a few months later, the brand's food store share of the analgesic market bounced back to 29.9 percent from 6.5 percent the week after the poisonings (Advertising Age, 1999). 7 In contrast to Tylenol’s approach, Exxon’s actions did nothing to effectively address their negative publicity crisis. In 1989, an oil tanker named Exxon Valdez spilled 10.9 million gallons of oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound, Alaska. It was one of the worst environmental disasters in U. S. history (Christian Science Monitor, 2002). Consequently, the media quickly took control of the situation broadcasting pictures of birds suffocating from the oil and dead fish on the shore. These images quickly traveled across the world plummeting Exxon’s corporate image to its lowest point. What made the situation even worst for the company, however, was that its managers did not use the media to disseminate information to the public. In fact, Exxon conducted all of its communications from the small town of Valdez, Alaska. With very limited communication capabilities, this remote site was inadequate and Exxon seemed unwilling to disseminate its information using any other method or location. Instead, it told reporters "it was Valdez or nothing." Worst yet, Exxon’s executives were often inconsistent and often provided contradictory information, leading the public to question the credibility and truthfulness of Exxon.” Despite the billions of dollars that Exxon paid in fines and other settlements, the company's image was permanently tarnished. Customers were so angered against the corporation that many of them discontinued their Exxon credit cards and boycotted Exxon products (Christian Science Monitor, 2002). By understanding how its consumers feel about the company today, Chiquita can learn what they can do to better address future crisis. The variables in this study are the consumer attitudes and opinions and the negative publicity. The company’s negative publicity is the independent variable which this study will research to see if it has had a causal relationship on the dependent variable, or consumer attitudes and opinions. 8 H1: In the United States market, Chiquita’s negative publicity affected consumer opinion and attitudes towards the Chiquita brand. H0: In the United States market, Chiquita’s negative publicity did not affect consumer opinion and attitudes towards the Chiquita brand. Operationally, the research will view consumer attitudes as having three possibilities. Either, consumers dislike the brand, like the brand, or are neutral about it. The limitation of this, however, is the lack of a baseline to compare the responses to; therefore the affect of the negative publicity will be assessed by reviewing the answers within the survey. The questions will address how important company morals and ethics are to that particular consumer when selecting a product to purchase. This study will be essentially a baseline for any future research studies on consumer attitudes on Chiquita. Methodology: Questionnaire Design & Development This study will conduct a survey to generate data on consumers’ attitudes towards Chiquita as well as corporate image itself. The objectives of the survey are as follows: • To identify the major influence on consumer food choices • To identify sources of information used by consumers to make their food selections • To examine how consumers view bad publicity • To determine how consumers view corporate ethics in general • To examine how consumers view Chiquita • To characterize the “typical” Chiquita consumer (Kearney, Kearney, Gibney, p S3) The survey will be a combination of closed and open-ended questions. It will also provide some socio-demographic information. There should be some disparity between the answers from different areas of the country. The disparity should mirror the culture of each 9 region. Since most of the negative publicity took place in South America, it is expected that the immigrants or descendants from that area will have a more vocal and negative view of the publicity than someone from the northeast who may not even be aware of the negative publicity that has occurred. To obtain a sample reflective of the population, the sample selection for this study will need to be a more than just a random selection of subjects in one area of the country. The United States is a combination, or as many people say, a ‘melting pot’ of cultures from around the world. Some areas are denser in one culture than another. Take for example, Miami, Florida, a city that has an extremely large Cuban population due to its proximity to Cuba, cannot be compared to Boston, Massachusetts, a city known for its Irish roots. To avoid bias, and get the best random selection, we will have to repeat the survey throughout the different regions of the United States. A list will be purchased from one of the online research companies, such as NPD Online Research, Harris Interactive, or Greenfield Online, to address the need for a random sample of the entire population. There are four regions from which a minimum of 100 samples will be selected. They are: Northwest, South, West and Midwest. For a more in depth study it is recommended that the U.S. market be divided into 9 divisions: New England Division, Middle Atlantic Division, East North Central Division, West North Central Division, South Atlantic Division, East South Central Division, West South Central Division, Mountain Division and Pacific Division. This will ensure a more random selection of the population that will more accurately reflect the U.S. market (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Once the sample has been selected, the survey will be administered by the online research company. Since there will be a minimum of 100 samples from each of the regions, it would be 10 impractical as well as time- and cost-prohibited to conduct face-to-face surveys with all the sample subjects. The online survey will also avoid other threats to validity such as testing and experimental interaction, as well as adverse reactive variations to the test itself. The survey answers will be reviewed and a synopsis of each region will be created summarizing the attitudes and opinions of each region. This information can be used to pinpoint areas of the United States where Chiquita’s image is poorly viewed, as well as, where Chiquita may have an opportunity to expand future product lines. Threats to Validity As mentioned above the potential threats to validity include sample bias and survey limitations. Sample bias will be avoided by using an online research company of Chiquita’s choice generate a random sampling of subjects. Survey limitations will require the study to be more qualitative than quantitative in nature since the results cannot be compared to a prior study result. The instrument used is itself a threat to validity in that it will not allow for any subjects without internet access. There is no other method planned at this moment to capture these sample subjects, however, if Chiquita decides to continue with this research, more in-depth surveys or face-to-face interviews can be designed. The questions will also be randomized each time the survey is administered to minimize bias. Another threat to validity stems from the answers themselves in that they will reflect the socio-demographic of the respondent. Analysis of the survey answers will have to take in to account the culture of each respondent to avoid response bias. 11 Conclusion This study will take approximately six months to complete not including the three month preparation period. Month 1: Sign contract for research study’s statement of work Contract regional research companies to begin collecting the sample for their region Month 2: Finalize the questionnaire Month 3: Month 4-7: Email all samples Analyze each survey response Month 8: Write report analyzing the data Month 9: Submit final results to Chiquita Assist Chiquita representatives in understanding the analysis and how it relates to Chiquita Final cost of this study, not including the contracting of the research companies, is $100,000. A retainer of $25,000 will be due at the signing of the contract, with the final payment due upon delivery of the final report. 12 REFERENCES Howard, April (2007, April 3). Chiquita in Colombia: Terrorism Gone Bananas?[Online exclusive]. Retrieved from http://upsidedownworld.org/main/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id Department of Justice. (2007). Chiquita Brands International Pleads Guilty to Making Payments to a Designated Terrorist Organization And Agrees to Pay $25 Million Fine [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/March/07_nsd_161.html Alsever, Jennifer (2006). Chiquita Cleans Up Its Act. Fortune, 154(11), 73-74. doi: 11.2706 Dahlén, Micael & Lange, Fedrick (2006). A Disaster Is Contagious: How a Brand in Crisis Affects Other Brands. Journal of Advertising Research, 46, 388-397. doi: 10.2501/S0021849906060417 Hal Dean, Dwane (2004) Consumer Reaction to Negative Publicity, Effects of Corporate Reputation, Response, and Responsibility for a Crisis Event Journal of Business Communication, 41(s),192-211 doi: 10.1177/0021943603261748 Menon, Geeta & Jewell, Robert D. & Unnava, H. Rao (1999). When a Company Does Not Respond to Negative Publicity: Cognitive Elaboration vs. Negative Affect Perspective. Advances in Consumer Research, 26. 325-329. doi: 10.1177/0021943603261748 Sherell, D.L. and Reidenbach Eric R. (1986), "A Consumer Response Framework for Negative Publicity: Suggestions for Response Strategies", Akron Business and Economic Review, 17 (2), Summer, 37-44. Aguirre, Fernando. (2007). An Excruciating Dilemma Between Life and Law: Corporate Responsibility in a Zone of Conflict [White paper]. Retrieved from http://www.uschamber.com/bclc/resources/newsletter/2007/chiquita_newsletter_april200 7.htm Yang, Jia Lynn, & Levenson, Eugenia (2007). Getting a Handle on a Scandal. Fortune, 155(10), 20-20. Retrieved from http://0- 13 web.ebscohost.com.helin.uri.edu/ehost/detail?vid=12&hid=112&sid=054c16b1-73a749e0-ae259f3d565fc33d%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a ph&AN=25134348 Advertising Age. (1999). 'Trust us' Tylenol ads working, 70(50), 77-77. Retrieved from http://0web.ebscohost.com.helin.uri.edu/ehost/detail?vid=42&hid=112&sid=4bfe1b77-e2c3478a-80d4b928c3624433%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a ph&AN=2558344 Hartill, Lane (1998). The Exxon Valdez. Christian Science Monitor, 90(197), 9. Retrieved from http://0-web.ebscohost.com.helin.uri.edu/ehost/detail?vid=89&hid=112&sid=4bfe1b77e2c3-478a-80d4b928c3624433%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a ph&AN=1023546 Kearney, M., Kearney, JM. & Gibney, MJ. (1997). Methods used to conduct the survey on consumer attitudes to food, nutrition and health on nationally representative samples of adults from each member state of the European Union. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 51, S3-S7. Retrieved from http://0web.ebscohost.com.helin.uri.edu/ehost/pdf?vid=3&hid=112&sid=a442370f-a9ef-4ac29b80-d86e9c7466c8%40sessionmgr104 SuperSurvey [Samples of survey questions] Retrieved from http://knowledgebase.supersurvey.com/survey-questions.htm Chiquita. (2008, February 19). Chiquita Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2008 Results [Press release]. Retrieved from http://phx.corporateir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=119836&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1258329&highlight= U.S. Census Bureau. (2000). Retrieved from http://www2.census.gov/census_2000/datasets/demographic_profile/0_National_Summar y/2khus.pdf 14 APPENDIX: RESEARCH STUDY SURVEY Please answer the following questions based on your personal views and experiences: How many times per month do you purchase groceries for your household? Never 1 2 3 4 5 or more times per week How many times a week do you purchase fruits & vegetables? Never 1 2 3 4 5 or more times per week How important is each category to you when purchasing fruits and vegetables? Freshness Not important 1 2 3 4 5 Very important Not important 1 2 3 4 5 Very important Not important 1 2 3 4 5 Very important 1 2 3 4 5 Very important Price Brand Company image Not important 15 Organic Not important 1 2 3 4 5 Very important 1 2 3 4 5 Very important Locally grown produce Not important How important is a company’s business ethics to you when making a purchase? Not important 1 Which brands are you familiar with? Dole Fresh Express Chiquita DelMonte Which brands do you purchase? Dole Fresh Express Chiquita DelMonte Which brands do you not purchase? Dole Fresh Express 2 3 4 5 Very important 16 Chiquita DelMonte Please explain… If you disagree with a company’s business decisions will you still buy their product? Yes Unsure No Please explain… Have you ever purchased Chiquita products? Yes No 17 Have you reduced your purchases of Chiquita products over the past six months? Yes No Please explain… What do think of when you see the Chiquita logo? Do you think Chiquita is a socially responsible company? Yes No Please explain… 18 What should Chiquita do to keep you as a valued customer? Have you heard or read anything about Chiquita in the media this past year? Yes No Please explain… Did the media coverage have any impact on your purchases of Chiquita products? Yes No 19 Please explain… 20 Enter your zip code: Age under 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 50 51 – 60 over 61 Marital Status Single Married Divorced Sex Male Female Highest Education Level Completed High School or Equivalent College Post College 21 Employment Status Employed Unemployed Retired Student Primary Caregiver 22 What is your ethnicity/race? White African American Asian Hispanic/Latin Native American Other What did you think of this survey? Would you be interested in taking another survey in the future? Thank you 23 L1 Introduction In today’s society, a restaurant or a store pay more attention on shopping’s environment. They start to focus on the emotion communication with customers, provide more benefits for customers and short the distance with customers. All of these mean that experience times is coming. Background music gives enjoy for customers, and it also shows the environment. In a restaurant or a store, background is going to be an important factor of impacting the customers. A better restaurant should design its background music style, then the music can show its brand culture and purpose. Consequently, this can be the effect of push or block the brand sale. It is important to analyze the type of restaurant and the music to fit your customers. When you choose the right music for your restaurant, it can help you to convey your brand and influence the customer’s mood and perception of the food. When you know your restaurant’s concept, it can make you unique. Hemenway’s is a classic style restaurant locate in Providence, Rhode Island. Its location is really great near to Providence river and downtown. Low slow music is appropriate for Hemenway’s. There is a study from Clare Caldwell and Sally A. Hibbert shows that restaurants play low tempo music can make customers sit on the table for 13 more minutes, which means customers spend more money on their food and drinks. L2 Sources list Feldman, L. (2017). The Shape and Sound of a Perfect Meal. Time, 190(4), 54. Nowadays, in the catering industry, owners start to notice the role of background music, and the purpose is to create a relaxed, casual dining environment. At the same time, it can also help to give employees and customers a comfortable experience. Music is one of the important factor can influence human’s brain and mood. Music can give people more energy. When a restaurant plays low tempo music, the customers’ brain sympathetic nervous excitement, increase secretion of digestive juice. Then, strengthening the digestive tract peristalsis, to promote gastrointestinal blood circulation. Professor Charles Spence's recent experiment found that listening to the corresponding music did enhance people's beliefs. When you eat Indian dishes, it's best to listen to Sitaqin. At the same time, the sound of this instrument is also compatible with German, Spanish and Greek dishes. Customers taste the taste with the senses, not the mouth. Although they use the tongue to taste food, but in fact the brain let the mouth to do the taste of the preparation. The surrounding environment has a great impact on our culinary experience, and music can purify the taste, can influence or change the taste, and even enhance the eating experience. Therefore, a small change in the environment can be substantial to enhance our dining experience. L3 Milliman, Ronald E. (1986). “The Influence of Background Music on the Behavior of Restaurant patrons. “Journal of Consumer Research, 13, 286-289. Shopping behavior means customers need to satisfy its demand, and they use currency to exchange merchandise. Milliman (1982) in his published study confirmed that fast-paced music to promote customers to shop Cheng to speed up the pace but relatively reduce the shopping expenses. He was reaffirmed in his later studies Milliman Fast-paced concerts speed up the customer's meal, while slow-paced concerts allow customers to stay longer and increase Plus the meal expenses. Milliman manipulated different musical "speed" in two experiments in supermarkets and restaurants. In the first study, customers were moving at a slower speed (less than or equal to 72 BPM), and the speed of the store was significantly slower than fast music (greater than or equal to 94 BPM). Similarly, sales are also significantly higher at slow speeds. In the second study, customers in the case of slow speed music, faster than the case of music, spend more time on the meal, while the beverage revenue in the slow speed music is also higher. For example: high-level elegance, as well as high-quality, high-quality, high-quality, high-quality, high-quality Western-style restaurants should play a gentle, harmonious background music to cater to the consumer's favorite, rather than eating a full hot pot, barbecue restaurant, in order to speed up the guests dining speed, and in the customer meal when the rhythm is faster, Big music as background music. Milliman's study confirms that fast-paced concerts speed up customers' meal speed while slow-paced concerts allow customers to stay longer in restaurants and increase their dining expenses. L4 Solomon, M. R., "Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being", 6nd ed., NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. Gestalt's theory of mind (Solomon, 2004) points out that the whole will be more influential than the sum of individual elements. If the music and the service environment has a higher fit, it is easier to integrate with the environment, the formation of a whole atmosphere, according to Gestalt psychology, music and service environment than the individual influence of the sum of more influential. So the music with the service venue will lead to strong customer satisfaction. The Gestalt theory can also be used to predict the relationship between the idea of music adaptation and product evaluation. The product is a part of the service environment. When the music and service environment are consistent, the music is also consistent with the packaging, container, color or appearance of the product. Gestalt theory, this time the overall music and the product will be more influential. That is, the product evaluation more influential. Therefore, this study deduces that music and service places have a positive relationship with product evaluation. According to the theory of man and the environment of Mehrabian and Russell (1974), consumers will be affected by the stimulus of this environment, and they will produce independent and involuntary responses, and may include changes in the evaluation criteria and evaluation results of service providers and their products The Therefore, music on consumer attitudes and evaluation will have an impact. L5 Ting Y. (2015, August 15). “The Research on the Impact of Background Music on Appetite of Customers in Restaurant.” Journal of research. In recent years, customers start to focus on their eating feeling. they hope to find a high service dining place. Music is one of the important factor in the restaurant environment. A survey showed that there are 52 different types of managers indicate music can make customers buy more stuffs for 76%. However, this data is not reliable due to the data from the survey results. This can not show every people’s idea. Then, the author did experiment to continue study how background music impact on customer dinner. Caldwell, C., & Hibbert, S. A. (2002). The Influence of Music Tempo and Musical Preference on Restaurant Patrons' Behavior. Psychology & Marketing, 19(11), 895-917. The author did a research about how music tempo and preference effect customers behavior. However, music preference has more significant data than low tempo music. In the result, music preference can influence the customers spent in the restaurant. The author also pointed out that low tempo music can make people spent more 13 minutes in their table. L6 Soundjack. (2015, August 10). The Infulence of Music for Restaurant Customers. Journal of music news. There are many studies of how background music effect on customers, and it can influence a restaurant’s sales and profit. Many studies show that when customers make decision to purchase something, products or services are not the only factors for customers to make consideration. This means a restaurant or shop’s atmosphere is really important to impact the customers purchase. Lighting, temperature, architecture style can be the factors, but music is the core factor. Absolutely, there are many types of music, so it is important to analyze the restaurant style and music to fit your customers. The author did a research of the medium sized restaurant in Dallas, Texas over 8 weeks. This study tested how different types of music influence the customers. This study compares fast-tempo music and low-tempo music influence the restaurant’s profit. From the data, gross profit in fast-tempo music is $48.62, and in low-tempo music is $55.82. This result is based on the experiment of a restaurant in Dallas. L7 Bridges, W. 2017. “How Music Establishes Mood and Drives Restaurant Profits.” Journal of Hospitality Management. Music can not separate with the restaurant. When a restaurant tries to increase its table turnover by celebrate or retain atmosphere, music plays an important role. There are a lot of studies have established that music can create more profits for the restaurant. a study from CNN showed that when people hear high tempo music, they chew food more 1/3 faster, and this can increase table turnover. There is an another study from French CNN showed that male can drink more beverages and finish each in the shorter time if the decibel levels increased. An association of Scottish study reported that when a restaurant played low tempo music, the diners increased by23%. Most of the increase come from the beverage bills which grew 51%. Typically, beverage is the high profit item. L8 Andersson, P. K., Kristensson, P., Wastlund, E., & Gustafsson, A. (2012). Let the music play or not: The influence of background music on consumer behavior. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 19, 553-560. The authors did the research about how music played in a store influence customers behavior. The authors compared the data of music tempo and customer satisfaction. In the shopping area or dining area, background is the most important factor. At first, background music should target your store or your restaurant. At the same time, background music can show its brand and make people remember this. Background music must combine the store’s characteristics and customers to form its own style. Background music also origin from people’s emotion and also influence customer’s emotion. Background music can make unhappy or sadness emotion exchange to happier emotion, and it can remove your nervous. Background music can use the stimulate of tempo to increase the activity of muscle. This can make people pay attention to surrounding things, not focus on the sadness emotion any more. L9 Conclusion In the hospitality field, it is more common to use background music to stimulate the customers to purchase. Background music looks like immateriality, and no obviously relationship with the business owner. However, these immateriality properties can create huge profits. This study found that the adaptation of music and service places and consumer preferences for music significantly increased the consumer's positive and negative feelings, in addition to the positive feelings of consumers significantly reduce customer satisfaction, the consumer mood to customer satisfaction and product Evaluation of the influence are not significant. Finally, the adaptation of music and service places and consumer preferences of music are positive impact on product evaluation and customer satisfaction. In other words, music can stimulate consumers at the same time, and affect the consumer evaluation, but the consumer mood did not significantly affect the consumer evaluation. L10 References Andersson, P. K., Kristensson, P.,Wastlund, E., & Gustafsson, A. (2012). Let the music play or not: The influence of background music on consumer behavior. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 19, 553-560. Bridges, W. 2017. “How Music Establishes Mood and Drives Restaurant Profits.” Journal of Hospitality Management. Caldwell, C., & Hibbert, S. A. (2002). The Influence of Music Tempo and Musical Preference on Restaurant Patrons' Behavior. Psychology & Marketing, 19(11), 895-917. Feldman, L. (2017). The Shape and Sound of a Perfect Meal. Time, 190(4), 54. Milliman, Ronald E. (1986). “The Influence of Background Music on the Behavior of Restaurant patrons. “Journal of Consumer Research, 13, 286-289. Solomon, M. R., "Consumer Behavior: Buying, Having, and Being", 6nd ed., NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. Soundjack. (2015, August 10). The Infulence of Music for Restaurant Customers. Journal of music news. Ting Y. (2015, August 15). “The Research on the Impact of Background Music on Appetite of Customers in Restaurant.” Journal of research. Term Project Rubric RSCH5500 Business Information & Decision Making The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your understanding of the various sources of information business decision makers should use when evaluating options (courses-of-action) for mid- to long-term decisions. As discussed in class throughout the term, information can come from a variety of primary and secondary sources. Primary information is typically collected and used for the purpose of the instant decision, while secondary information comes from other sources – and is used for a variety of decisions and purposes. Each student will be assigned a typical business research question/scenario and expected to provide a description of the sources of information they would use to address the issue. The project will have two parts. The first will be an examination of the known material (e.g., past research) relating to the subject. The second will be the development of primary research to address in the information gap(s) that relate to the specific problem situation. The first thing you must do is formulate your research problem as best you can (the original problem statement may be vague, if so seek clarification). Then identify the information you would need to answer the question; that is, don’t answer the question, but rather, identify the information/knowledge that would help you to answer the question. Once that list is complete, you should identify sources of that information. If you try to identify the sources first, you usually end up answering the wrong question (committing an “error of the third kind.”). Note: both parts of the project will be subjected to TurnItIn (see turnitin.com). Details will follow. Part I – Annotated Bibliography (20% of course grade, due session #5) This part of the assignment will consist of an annotated literature review. Sources should include published empirical research relating to the subject (e.g., peer reviewed academic articles), trade journal articles, industry reports, government reports, and/or third party information sources (e.g., Hoover’s online). If sources with known bias are used (e.g., company websites), the bias must noted and the source be properly counter-balanced with other perspectives providing an alternative view. Format/Outline I. Introduction: An explanation of the decision to be made (or problem solved or issue addressed). A description of the intended consequences of the process. II. Source List: A description of the sources of information that will be utilized in reaching the decision. (See below) III. Conclusion: A summary that ties together the sources of information to demonstrate a comprehensive covering of the relevant information. As part of the conclusion, a more formalized and specific problem statement will be developed, along with a testable hypothesis. 1 Content/Detail: A minimum of eight sources will be researched and described. (Note: while the use of press releases and news media summaries is permitted, they will not count toward the required sources.) For each source, you will need to demonstrate the relevance of the material to the decision to be made. That is, you should determine how “credible”— think pyramid of evidence — the source is as it relates to the problem. If the source reports on primary research (e.g., an empirical study), then you will need to describe/summarize that research and provide an assessment of its results – including an evaluation of the conclusions. For all secondary sources, you should identify any sources of “bias” and report on how the bias may affect the conclusions. I will evaluate each source (and your description of it) individually as to its relevance to the decision to be made (and your formulation of the decision to be made). That is, it will be evaluated as to what information it provides that will enable an informed decision to be made. I will evaluate the collective body of sources to the extent that they, as a group, are likely to provide the necessary information to make an informed decision. Style: Reports for both MBA programs and employers must be error free. They must be written using complete sentences, appropriate paragraph structure, and include properly spelled words. The paper must be written in a professional style: third person (no “I” or “we”) and reflect an unbiased perspective. The document must have a logical flow. In this case, the sources should be presented in an order that builds an argument. The conclusion should “connect the dots.” The sources shall be properly referenced using APA format (see: public folders/Providence Campus/The Graduate School/APA Basic Manual for a brief description of the required citation format). See the following sites for descriptions and examples of annotated bibliographies: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm http://www.library.mun.ca/guides/howto/annotated_bibl.php 2 Part II – Research Design (20% of course grade, due session #10) This part of the assignment will consist of a description of primary, applied/empirical, research (e.g. customer or potential customer surveys) to address the specific information requirements of the situation. This is a description of “applied” research to be conducted to provide knowledge that will assist in the decision making for your assigned problem. You will describe: 1) the specific information to be collected (i.e., the variable(s) to be measured), 2) the relevance of the information to the decision process, and 3) the methodology by which the information will be collected (the research design). The methodology is where the researcher identifies the specific steps that will be taken to collect the information needed to answer the research questions. The design of an unbiased research methodology is the focus of the second part of this course. It is imperative that you understand, and can control, the potential sources of bias in a study. Format: I. Introduction An explanation of the decision to be made (or problem solved or issue addressed). An explanation as to what information will be generated and how that information would be used to assist in the decision process for the problem assigned. This section should provide a clear description of the concepts to be studied and the variables that will be measured. II. Research Plan A description of the methodology/research plan. (See below) III. Conclusion A summary that ties together the sources of information (From both Part I and Part II of this term assignment) to demonstrate a comprehensive covering of the relevant information. Note: the conclusion of the paper cannot, for obvious reasons, present the results of your proposed research. But it should present a summary of how the information to be gained will inform the decision to be made. Research Plan: Identify the type of research to be conducted: exploratory, descriptive and/or causal/experimental (and your logic for your decision). The research design will: a) Define the nature of the information to be collected, b) Identify the population of interest, the sampling frame, and the sample from which the data will be collected, c) Describe the instrument (e.g., questionnaire) to be used to collect the information – including scales to be used, d) Outline the fielding technique (the data collection method for administering the questionnaire, incentives, etc.), and e) Explicitly state any known shortcomings of the research design. When causal/experimental studies are proposed, this section should also define the experimental design to be used to control threats to internal and external validity. For complex hypotheses, this section will also include a description of the method by which subjects will be assigned to the various experimental and control groups. 3 RSCH5700 Research Questions for Term Projects Fall, 2017 1. The Bose Corporation, makers of high-end speakers, headphones, etc., has noted a decrease in the customer satisfaction levels with their customer support system, primarily their telephone support (1-800-379-2073). The primary issue appears to be perceived wait time; how long people feel they have been on-hold (in a queue), waiting for service. As customer satisfaction is very important to Hasbro, they are interested in improving it at this point of customer contact (the call center). They are looking to improve this measure (without the major investment of expanding the call center and the number of people answering telephones). What, if anything can be done to mitigate this problem? 2. The Twenty Rows Winery in Napa Valley California is contemplating replacing the traditional cork closures for their wines with screwcap closures. They would like to determine whether or not the increase in wine stability (decrease in “cork taint”) is offset by a decrease in customer demand due to a lack of acceptance of the new closures. What does the best available evidence suggest that they do? 3. Hemenway’s, a restaurant in Providence, RI, currently plays a slow tempo background music in its dining room. It is concerned that the tempo (and volume) of the background music has an impact on their profit margin (especially on nights when they have a wait list). They want to know whether or not they should keep the current style of music or change it to something with a faster tempo. What can you tell them? 4. An Unlikely Story Bookstore and Café in Plainville, MA (www.anunlikelystory.com/) has, traditionally, done modest advertising and promotions through the local newspaper (The Sun Chronicle). However, they have the impression that newspaper readership is declining and that the trend in advertising is shifting toward the Internet. Realizing that they are a small business, and this trend may not apply, they are interested in learning whether Internet based adverting would be effective for them, or whether they should stay with traditional newspaper advertising. What can you tell them?
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC TEMPO ON HEMENWAY’S PROFITS

The Effects of Music Tempo on Hemenway’s Profits
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THE EFFECTS MUSIC TEMPO ON HEMENWAY’S PROFITS

A Research Proposal on the Effects of Music Tempo on Hemenway’s Profits
Introduction
For an organization to be successful, it is important to understand its customer’s
behavior, factors affecting is, and how to influence it for the benefit of the business. Music is
used to create the desired mood or atmosphere in a concept known as atmospherics. The concept,
which was developed in the early 1970’s, is used in designing environments using color, light,
and sound, music, in this case, to affect the emotional responses and perceptions of the
customers. Hotels and other establishments in the hospitality industry today, such as restaurants,
pay more attention to their customer’s emotional well-being during the time spent on their
premises. Through the use of some form of music in the background that fits their customers,
they enhance the environment making it enjoyable for the diners, convey their brand, and
indirectly influence the behavior of their customers.
Hemenway’s is a restaurant located in Providence, Rhode Island. At dinner time, the
restaurant plays slow tempo music in the background. Restaurants today use the brightness of
their lighting, music tempo, and volume, as is the case with Hemenway’s, to encourage
customers to spend more or less time on their premises depending on the meal served at the time.
For instance, restaurants usually serve more customers during lunch. Some restaurants find the
use of fast-tempo background music and bright lights useful in increasing customer turnover
during the lunch hour rush. The opposite is proven correct for restaurants seeking to get their
customers to stay longer on their premises, a common practice in restaurants at dinner time. It is
therefore important to analyze and create a profile of the type of customers a restaurant has, the

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THE EFFECTS MUSIC TEMPO ON HEMENWAY’S PROFITS

restaurant’s management’s goal and the period during which the music is played before making
decisions on the form, tempo, and volume of music played.
Literature Review
Several researchers have conducted studies in the field of background music and its
effects on customers’ perception, emotional responses, and general behavior in service offering
organizations and businesses. According to past studies by consumer researchers in attempts to
understand consumer behavior and psychologists seeking to support the use of music as a way of
enhancing the way customers perceive services offered, studies found that music has several
effects on the same (Spangenberg, 1990).In their investigation into the impact of playing
background music on the behavior of shoppers in stores, Spangenberg and Yalch, through a field
experiment which involved playing different music at different times and in various sections of
the store, proved that shoppers respond to music during their buying process (Spangenberg,
1990). Confirming the findings of Spangenberg, a study in another journal emphasizes the
importance of background music. Questionnaires given to willing customers revealed that
background music affects the mood of customers and consumer behavior (Andersson et al.,
2012).
A study published in the Journal of Psychology and Marketing sought to determine how
music preference and tempo affect the time and money spent in restaurants. The findings were
that customers spent thirteen more minutes, thus spending significantly more, in restaurants
playing low tempo music as opposed to those which didn’t (Caldwell, 2002).The findings of
Claire Caldwell and Sally Hibbert are similar to those in another published research study
conducted by Ronald Milliman looking into the effects of music am...


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