Forensic case portfolio Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Forensic portfolio - Case Study Example The field of digital forensic analysis has various techniques that are critical in the identification, preservation, extraction, and documentation of digital evidence. The process of digital forensic is useful in solving criminal activities that touch on the use of computers (Casey, 2011). As a computer forensic, handling criminal involving computers is process of applying various procedures and practices that constitute best practices in digital forensics. This paper outlines the process of collecting digital evidence from the crime scene after the police called the digital forensic investigators. The paper outlines the digital forensic process applied on the photo show appendix A. the photo represents the area where the police officers believe a suspect took part in viewing and distribution of child pornography. On 10 December 2012, our computer forensic department received a request for computer forensic analysis. The local district police had sent the request to the head of the d epartment after they had a suspect in custody. The suspect was behind the bars after the police received two complains from the suspect neighborhood that the suspect, Lee Oswald Havey, took part in distribution of child pornography. The request from the police was usual since the police also rely on the work of digital forensic analyst to collect digital evidence that is admissible before the courts of law. While computer forensic is of great value to investigators dealing with digital crime, such as seen in appendix A, there are many legal issues that are critical in any crime scene. Before working on the request, the department had to verify that the police had filled the appropriate forms requesting for the service. In addition, the department requested the police to furnish a copy of the warrant allowing for the seizure of computer hardware and other evidence that could link the Havey to the crime. The role of the warrant was critical since the Fourth Amendments protect all Amer ican citizens’ seizure or search unless police officers have probable cause of committing crime. As per the request, the request was in order and the investigators proceeded to carry the investigation at the crime scene. The investigators arrived at the home of the suspect the police showed them the room they suspected Havey to have used in watching and distributing child pornography. The room was dark with lights that were dim, but the investigators could still see the room. The room had two tables on the right and both had computer and other material. The first table had two computers under the desk with one being a Dell Vostro and another generic computer. The system units of these two computers were under the desk, but the user had switched them off. On the left desk were two sony 17’’ TFT screen. Both screens were connecting to the computer, but switched off. The same table also had a keyboard and a mouse. Beside the mouse were a USB thumb drive, mouse, and a notebook with a pen beside the book. Just beside the Sony TFT screen was some pieces of paper with some writings. There was a digital disk on the table, which appeared to have been in use. In addition, one of the screens had a sticky note attached to it with the note having some writings. The other screen also had some cables placed besides the base of the screen. The cables were the ends a microphone that was hanging off the table (the picture does not show the microphone hanging from the table). The second table had several items, as well. The

Baker and McKenzie Law Firm in Worldwide Markets Research Paper - 1

Baker and McKenzie Law Firm in Worldwide Markets - Research Paper Example Baker and McKenzie is an American law firm based in Chicago city. The firm has a total of 3774 attorneys, 1349 partners, and 2425 associates (Baker and McKenzie 1). Baker and McKenzie law firm tops the list of the most successful law firms in the United States. The firm is renowned to have redefined the worldwide law firm of the 20th century in order to meet the global economic challenges of the 21st century. The 3774 lawyers are located in over 70 offices worldwide. The firm has a unique way of working, thinking and behaving. The function across borders and they deal with a wide variety of issues as well as practices (Baker and McKenzie 1). Baker and McKenzie law firm understands the economic challenges facing the globe, and for that reason, it has been of the forefront of matters since the firm’s opening in 1949. Laws that work in Baker and McKenzie law firm include financial litigation, product liability, aviation law, capital markets, bankruptcy, business and industry, com mercial law, insolvency, intellectual property, international law, international trade, and investment law. The firm also deals with consumer law, contracts, copyright, corporate governance, and corporate law among others (Baker and McKenzie 1). The firm has advised leading companies on matters of today’s incorporated world market. Baker and McKenzie law firm has cultivated the tradition, commercial simplicity, and technical, as well as interpersonal skills, vital to offer world-class service tailored to the needs of world-class customers globally.

History Of The Food And Beverage Management Marketing Essay

History Of The Food And Beverage Management Marketing Essay In this modern age, people dine out for pure enjoyment, to escape from their daily routine, to experience different styles of cuisine and the service the restaurants offer. When going to a restaurant, customers pay attention to the location it is sited in. When choosing a restaurant, customers pay attention to their surroundings and they consider if it is a good area, if it accessible, if it offers car parking or if it is close to a station and if it is suitable for disabled people. Customer that would dine in a restaurant expects warm ambience, high standard service, good customer care and exceedingly good quality food. From the restaurants point of view there are many more aspects to pay detailed attention to, such as: The type of market it is serving, their customer profile, strengths and weaknesses of the operation, Menu, staffing, resources, merchandising, promotions, issues on the macro environment that would effect the business, attention to their competitors, opportunities to improve the business and the threats that could be harmful to the business and the actions to take against it. This report is on the analysis of Boxwood Cafe in Knightsbridge. The reason that this restaurant has been taken in consideration is because there are many fans of Gordon Ramsay. Gordon Ramsay is known for his high level of attention to detail and his high standards of service, which attracts this report to investigate the management of this restaurant. Having said this, it was a struggle to reach the manager of Boxwood Cafe in such a busy environment. It was only possible to gain information on Boxwood Cafe, electronically, with a questionnaire answered by Angela Downes, the operations manager of Gordon Ramsay Holdings. Most of the questions were answered, however, a certain amount was considered to be strictly confidential as she quoted: We do not divulge this information. The amount of questions answered were six out of eleven, leaving out questions about the customers profile, their SWOT analysis of the Menu, questions on staff problems and staff challenges and what their external threats would be. Would you name any four challenges within the management? Angela Downes quotes: We do not divulge this information, which again this shows the secretive nature of the company. Company Information and Location Company information Opened in 2003: Gordon opened the uniquely styled Boxwood Cafà © at The Berkeley, Head Chef Stuart Gillies creates an inspired seasonal menu with emphasis on British ingredients presented with daily market specials Owned by Gordon Ramsay Holdings Ltd Executive chef: Stuart Gilles: Stuarts passion and contagious drive was captured by Gordon who immediately offered Stuart the reins to this innovative restaurant concept. Stuart transcended old classic French dishes into modern Italian at The Connaught. His influences at this time also reflected a year spent in Rome at the Lord Byron Hotel and 3 years in Stockholm, Sweden. Manager: Joeness Amara-Bangali: Joeness Amara-Bangali joined Stuart Gillies and the Boxwood team in January 2005 to manage the busy restaurant and Private Dining room. Previous to this, he was Restaurant Manager at Sugar Reef from July 2001 to December 2004. His approach to service has maintained the informal style that Boxwood has perfected, whilst providing guests with a vibrant atmosphere and fun dining experience. Location The Berkeley, Knightsbridge LONDON: 5 star luxury and  contemporary chic hotel in Knightsbridge Hotels and fashion Brands around the area: Mandarine Oriental, Sheraton Park Tower, Carlton Tower, Lowndes Hotel are the 5 star Hotels we can find in Knightsbridge. Sheraton Belgravia, Rembrandt Hotel, Claverely on Beaufort Gardens, Franklin Hotel and Millennium Knightsbridge are the 4 star hotels situated in this area. The hotels situated around the restaurant are http://widget.criteo.com/sendEvwi=7709106pt1=2i1=181858The Lanesborough, Intercontinental London Park Lane, The Halkin , The Berkeley, The Metropolitan, The Athenaeum, The Park Lane Hotel, The Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel and many more that are luxurious and on top of the class. Hyde Park: Hyde Park is literally across the road from the restaurant and is an attraction to every local and tourist. Thanks to the green surrounding it offers and many water facilities, it is an attraction and relaxing park. Department stores: Harrods, Harvey Nichols: Harrods is one of the main tourist attractions in Knightsbridge thanks to the luxurious variety of products it offers and with their seasonal themes and events in the store. It creates an attractive atmosphere to the customer. Harvey Nichols, another department store in Knightsbridge ,offers another type of atmosphere which is considered modern that would target a younger generation. Competiton:100 restaurants in Knightsbridge (approximately): The restaurants sited in Knightsbridge would include big restaurant chains such as Wagamama, Yo-Sushi , Cafà © Rouge and etc. To mention the restaurants within Harrods,such as The Georgian Restaurant, The Terrace Bar, Caffà © Florian , Planet Harrods, Dim Sum, The Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar, The Green Man Pub, Sushi Bar or the Fifth Floor restaurant in Harvey Nichols are more convenient for the customer but would make it harder for Boxwood Cafe to attract the customer. The other direct competition would be the opening of Marcus Wareings restaurant at The Berkeley. As we all know Marcus Wareing was in business with Gordon Ramsay and was a chef patron of Petrus and The Savoy Grill of Gordon Ramsay holdings. After separating and parting from Ramsay holdings Ltd, Wareing opened a restaurant at The Berkeley which hosts Boxwood Cafà © as well. The conclusion is that they know each others operation strategies which may create a direct competition. Customer Profile Demographic Profile Age: 28-50 Gender: Male and Female Occupation: Skilled Workers Salary : £120,000 and over, after tax Lifestyle: Cash rich, Time rich(customers which have the money and time to spend) Geographic Segmentation Local, regional and International customer Psychographic segmentation Smart-Casual social groups: People who would escape from the lag of the highly busy Knightsbridge. Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Strengths Situated in a high class area Owned by a celebrity chefs company: which has its own publicity and would attract customers to have an experience the food that Gordon Ramsay proudly recommends. Accessible Environmentalists Exceedingly good customer care Friendly Staff British Menu Large variety of choice on the Menu Excellence of training staff Weaknesses Price of alcohol very expensive Staff is not aware of the dish served in front of the customer e.g. Blue meat served to customer that requested medium and customer that requested blue was served medium. Too many waiters serving one same table Low advertising Macro-Environment Analyzing the restaurant, we identify the PEST, Political, Economical and Socio-cultural, technological. Politics: (Food Standard Agency, http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry, 2009) Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs Regulation (EC) 853/2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin Regulation (EC) 854/2004 laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption The legislation: modernised, consolidated and simplified the previous EU food hygiene legislation applies effective and proportionate controls throughout the food chain, from primary production to sale or supply to the final consumer (from farm to fork) focuses controls on what is necessary for public health protection clarifies that it is the primary responsibility of food business operators to produce food safety Economic: The Credit crunch Gas prices going up Electricity prices Socio-cultural: the evolving of age of the population and the consequences it will have on the market Technological: as technology improves in the industry for equipment used in kitchens, the skills required will decrease, time will be spared, labour costs will be cut down. Opportunities: They can improve their weaknesses as mentioned above Threats: would be the direct competitions that are situated around the area and as mentioned earlier on there are a lot of competing restaurants (approximately 100 according to www.allinlondon.co.uk, 2009) The Menu According to Foskett One approach to sale analysis, which had gained popularity is the technique known as menu engineering. This is a technique of menu analysis that uses two key factors of performance in sales of individual menu items: The popularity and Gross Profit cash contribution of each item. There are four types of categorizations in menu engineering. Items of high popularity and high GP contribution. These are known as stars. Items of high popularity, low GP contribution. These are known as plowhorses. Items of low popularity, high GP contribution. These are known as puzzles on the menu. Items of low popularity, low cash GP contribution. These are known as the worst items on the menu and are known as dogs. Type of Menu Modern British Produce based on seasonality Best selling dish: Grilled Aberdeen Angus rib-eye chop Set lunch  £25 per head A la carte  £50 per head(average) Menu changed frequently Managerial analysis Average spend per head  £50 Average cover daily: 205 Monthly income: around  £310.000 Cover Capacity: 120 Keeping customers loyal Advertisement: Internet Sites. Keeping customers loyal: Voucher cards, phone numbers and e-mails Exceeding customer expectations and Providing high standards of cuisine Recommendations staff should be more attentive to the needs of the customer it is better to keep one waiter serving the table, to reduce the confusion of mixing orders of customers specific requests get rid of the dogs on the menu In order to boost sales, the restaurant must advertise more To keep track of Customers and their details, restaurant could use reward cards.

The Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering Essay -- Persuasive Argument

Within the field of human embryo research lies a controversial science that could redefine prenatal care: genetic engineering. Genetic engineering not only offers the possibility of eliminating birth defects and genetic illness, but also presents the moral ambiguity of eugenics. The acceptabilities of genetic engineering, assuming that it will be available in the foreseeable future, must be explored if society is to fully benefit from it. The most prominent and perhaps the most acceptable reason given for genetic engineering is its potential use in preventative medicine. A few cells from an embryo could be genetically analyzed to detect harmful mutation or predisposition towards disorder, at which point action could be taken either through somatic cell or germ-line gene modification. In 1993, the gene that causes Huntington's Disease was located, and scientists are currently trying to determine its normal function (The Benefits of Genetic Engineering). Assuming researchers succeed in this endeavor, genetic engineering could then be used to eliminate a debilitating and ultimately fatal disease that affects approximately 30000 Americans and that has the potential to affect 150000 more through genetic inheritance (Huntington's Disease). In 1997, a group of scientists successfully diagnosed familial adenomatous polyposis coli, the dominant cancer predisposition syndrome, in three preimplantation embryos. This type of canc er predisposition affects 1 in every 10000 people America, Britain, and Japan, making it a relatively common malady (Ao, 140). Schizophrenia has been shown to run in families; even adopted children of schizophrenic parents are ten times more likely to develop schizophrenia, regardless of whether or not... ...-Stewart, Edward J. Roy, and Christopher D. Wickens, eds. Psychology, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. The Benefits of Genetic Engineering: http://web.syr.edu/~jmschroe/wrt205/screen2.html. Debate: Germ-line Gene Modification: http://zygote.swarthmore.edu/gene7.html. Henig, Robin Marantz. "Tempting." Discover May (1998): 58-64. Resta, Robert G. Genetic Counseling: Coping with the Human Impact of Genetic Disease: http://www.gene.com/ae/AE/AEC/CC/counseling_background.html. Ruben, Robert J., Thomas R. Van De Water, and Karen P. Steel, eds. Genetics of Hearing Impairment. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1991. Wolfson, Richard. Cloning, Marketing Life, and Playing God (Part II): http://www.natural-law.ca/genetic/BiotechNov97.html. Huntington's Disease: http://neuro-www2.mgh.harvard.edu/hdsa/huntingtonsdisease.nclk. The Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering Essay -- Persuasive Argument Within the field of human embryo research lies a controversial science that could redefine prenatal care: genetic engineering. Genetic engineering not only offers the possibility of eliminating birth defects and genetic illness, but also presents the moral ambiguity of eugenics. The acceptabilities of genetic engineering, assuming that it will be available in the foreseeable future, must be explored if society is to fully benefit from it. The most prominent and perhaps the most acceptable reason given for genetic engineering is its potential use in preventative medicine. A few cells from an embryo could be genetically analyzed to detect harmful mutation or predisposition towards disorder, at which point action could be taken either through somatic cell or germ-line gene modification. In 1993, the gene that causes Huntington's Disease was located, and scientists are currently trying to determine its normal function (The Benefits of Genetic Engineering). Assuming researchers succeed in this endeavor, genetic engineering could then be used to eliminate a debilitating and ultimately fatal disease that affects approximately 30000 Americans and that has the potential to affect 150000 more through genetic inheritance (Huntington's Disease). In 1997, a group of scientists successfully diagnosed familial adenomatous polyposis coli, the dominant cancer predisposition syndrome, in three preimplantation embryos. This type of canc er predisposition affects 1 in every 10000 people America, Britain, and Japan, making it a relatively common malady (Ao, 140). Schizophrenia has been shown to run in families; even adopted children of schizophrenic parents are ten times more likely to develop schizophrenia, regardless of whether or not... ...-Stewart, Edward J. Roy, and Christopher D. Wickens, eds. Psychology, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. The Benefits of Genetic Engineering: http://web.syr.edu/~jmschroe/wrt205/screen2.html. Debate: Germ-line Gene Modification: http://zygote.swarthmore.edu/gene7.html. Henig, Robin Marantz. "Tempting." Discover May (1998): 58-64. Resta, Robert G. Genetic Counseling: Coping with the Human Impact of Genetic Disease: http://www.gene.com/ae/AE/AEC/CC/counseling_background.html. Ruben, Robert J., Thomas R. Van De Water, and Karen P. Steel, eds. Genetics of Hearing Impairment. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1991. Wolfson, Richard. Cloning, Marketing Life, and Playing God (Part II): http://www.natural-law.ca/genetic/BiotechNov97.html. Huntington's Disease: http://neuro-www2.mgh.harvard.edu/hdsa/huntingtonsdisease.nclk.

Geography Coursework – Methodology – Centre Of Leeds’ CBD

For my geography project I visited Leeds to try and find the economic centre of the CBD of Leeds. I needed to collect land use data as this would help me investigate the first of my hypotheses which is the nearer to the centre of the CBD, the taller the buildings as I counted the heights of buildings in my area on the geography field trip and with the groups data of the building height of the whole CBD. Also I would have needed to count the pedestrian flow as this would help me investigate the second of my hypotheses which is there will be a higher volume of pedestrians nearer the centre of the CBD .The data collection area was near the centre of Leeds CBD as I collected my data around Briggate as the edge of the Leeds CBD is near the tall office buildings. < a map to show the buildings that our group had counted in our square B2 and shows numbered square > The two pieces of individual data that I collected was: 1. traffic count 2. Environmental quality assessment The two pieces of group data we collected was: 1. Pedestrian flow 2. Land use 3. Building height The individual secondary data that I will be collecting is: 1. Land values The structure of the day was that we were going to split the day into two halves. We collected the group data in the morning and the individual data in the afternoon so we had much more time to collect our individual data. Group data For our group data we split the CBD into grid squares and two people were responsible for recording the building height and land use for the buildings in the given area and to do four pedestrian flows and we did the pedestrians flow outside the Town Hall on Westgate. We did this so we could cover more area and therefore the data collection techniques had to be the same throughout the whole year. For the group data we calculated the Pedestrian flow in a certain area at four different times also we calculated of the building height of the buildings in my groups square and started straight after we got out off the coach. Also we did land use of the buildings for this we calculated what particular use a building would be. We put letters on a map of Leeds that sod for type of the building e.g. a=commerce, b =administration etc. All the data in the Group Data was to be shared between all the groups. < The image on the left to shows my square which was B2 and the image on the right shows the building we had to investigate> Building Height To collect data for building height I worked with a partner and we counted the number of windows of each building in our grid and used this as the height, we did this because we didn't have the time or equipment to measure the exact heights. We then collected the whole of the year's data and have a good number of buildings from each grid to see where the tallest buildings are also the Building Height was fairly easy at times as you had to count the floors on the outside of the buildings, but there were problems counting the building height as we agreed not to count the cellars, but some buildings on slopes had cellars at the back and ground floors at the front of the buildings and we did not agree to count these aswell. Pedestrian flow We marked out four points on our maps equally distant apart and took counts of people who pass us. One of our pair counted right to left and the other counted left to right so we could efficiently record everyone. We went to the Town Hall on Westgate and we counted the number of pedestrians who were walking either in or out of the CBD. We thought this was an ideal to do our pedestrian count as we were near the edge of the CBD, so it was an ideal place to count the number of pedestrians walking in and out of the CBD. Land Use For this we used the ground floor land use of each building on our maps; we had certain categories and we put them in the ones which best fitted the land use. We did this because the categories gave an idea of the type of land and what it was used for. We then collected them with the rest of the year's data on a database to see the different land uses around the CBD. We had filled in the land use of the buildings in a table which has all the number of the buildings. I think that the amount of categories that sort out the buildings was the right amount because if there were more categories it would have made it more complicated to organise the Land use on GIS, if there was less categories then it would have made it hard to organise the different types of buildings in the categories. Luckily we had successfully had no problems classifying the buildings into different categories. Individual data For individual data I collected raw data for the two options I chose. I did this by going round Leeds CBD and recording the data. In the second part of the day we did Individual Data. I did 10 environmental quality assessments and I did 2 traffic counts as they took 5 minutes each and the environmental quality assessments were scattered around the Leeds CBD. Environmental quality survey I did many of these all around the CBD of Leeds as I had done 10 environmental quality assessments and I had done many of these near the centre of the CBD as my investigation is to find the centre of the CBD of Leeds. I did many of the environmental quality assessments around the centre of the CBD (which I think it is near or on Briggate) and I did the rest of the environmental quality assessment sheets around the edges of the CBD. The reason I did the survey in different areas of the CBD was to see the difference of the quality of the environment throughout the CBD of Leeds. I also thought that this survey was important as the centre of the CBD is supposed to have the best quality of environment in the whole CBD of Leeds. As the table shows this is not true and the cleanest area is in Gourmet Pizzeria, St Paul's Street. < Shows the Quality of environmental survey I used> Traffic count Our group did the Traffic count in a busy location. We did our traffic on Bishopgate Street, beside Leeds Train station. The reason of us choosing the location was because it was at the edge of the CBD meaning the traffic that we had counted had been going in and out of the CBD. We did 3 traffic counts at different times but at the same location as we wanted to see the change of the traffic flow throughout the day. In our traffic count we had counted all the vehicles that came passed the road, cars, buses, taxis e.t.c. The most amount of traffic that had come past our point (the highest number of vehicles an hour) was at 2.30 pm and there was 1524 Vehicles an hour.

Chocolate Package Design Combined with Price Setting

Chocolate package design combined with price setting: A consumer purchase intention and overall impression investigation Cao Youjia, Wang Yicheng, Li Simei, Gao Junhong Abstract In our experiments, the research sheds light on consumers’ purchase intention and overall impression towards six types of combination of chocolate package and price: 1. aesthetic package with a relatively high price, 2. aesthetic package with an intermediate price, 3. aesthetic package with a relatively low price, 4. plain package with a relatively high price, 5. lain package with an intermediate price, 6. plain package with a relatively low price. After the six between-subject experiments, we find that package design and price setting do have influence on customers’ preference to purchase, but not as strong as our perception. On the other hand, the packaging has significance influence on the customers’ overall impression towards the product. The aesthetic package with the highest price l eaves the customer the best impression. Implications for future application for businesses are discussed in the final part.Key words: Package design, price setting, analysis of variance, purchase intention. Introduction â€Å"Man shows that he is affected by appearance, by something that causes him pleasure over and above the immediate utility of the object† (Clay, 1908). Designing aesthetic products to satisfy the consumers’ need is of growing importance in marketing. As core attributes of product, such as quality and functionality, become increasingly homogeneous (Reimann, Schilke, & Thomas, 2010), firms are shifting their efforts from concrete product characteristics towards less concrete ones such as package designing.This trend towards aesthetics in product differentiation may be based on the insight that aesthetic designs seem to trigger certain positive responses in consumers such as an immediate desire to own the product (Norman, 2004); an increased inclination to show off and care for that product (Bloch, 1995); and a higher willingness to pay for it (Bloch, Brunel, & Arnold, 2003). More importantly, products with aesthetic qualities may be treasured long fter their functional value fades (Martin, 1998). However, little is known about the preference of purchasing and the impression when consumers experience different designed packages with certain prices. Although packaging, as an integral design element, has recently been investigated by Orth and Malkewitz (2008), they comment that there is no good psychological theory when it comes to packaging aesthetics as well as the related prices and further research is necessary.In summary, we propose that the combination of the package and the price will shed light on the consumer purchase intentions and overall impression, therefore, may enlighten the businesses to wisely appropriate the capital on packaging with a certain price. One fundamental problem limiting work in the area involves the me aning of the concepts: packaging aesthetic is indistinct and elusive construct that often is mistaken for imprecise adjectives like â€Å"goodness, or luxury, or shininess, or weight† (Crosby 1979).Because definition is difficult, researchers often depend on one-dimensional self-report measures to capture the concepts (Jacoby, Olson, and Haddock 1973; McConnell 1968; Shapiro 1973) and thus must assume shared meanings among consumers. In experiments 1a, we attempt to differentiate aesthetic from plain package design by measuring scores given by participants between differently packaged chocolate. In experiment 1b, we attempt to figure out buyers’ subjective perceptions of price.Finally, applying the data from experiment 1a and 1b, experiment 2 uses 2*3 matrixes to shed light on the underlying correlation impact with packaging and price on buyers’ preference of purchasing as well as the overall impression, which helps explain consumers behavior and gives suggestio n to the domestic chocolate businesses. Furthermore, we slightly investigated the utility differentiation when the price and packaging is taken into consideration. Conceptual background and hypotheses H1.Given a certain product, when refer to the purchase intention, people are more likely to choose one with aesthetic package and relative low price, though package design and price setting have little influence on customers’ purchase intention of chocolate. Packaging is often important to the customer’s first impression of a brand, its quality, or its value (Harckham 1989). Price, the extrinsic cue receiving the most research attention (see Olson 1977 for a complete review of this literature), appears to function as a surrogate for quality when the consumer has inadequate information about intrinsic attributes.H2. Package design has significance influence on the customers’ overall impression towards the chocolate product. Aesthetic package with a relatively high p rice owns the best evaluation. Considerable empirical research has investigated the relationship between price and quality (see Olson 1977 for a review of this literature in marketing) and has shown that consumers use price to infer quality when it is the only available cue. Experiment 1a Overview and method In our first experiment, we attempt to differentiate aesthetic from plain packages through the scores that participant given.Our between-subjects, repeated measure experimental design included two different conditions: in the aesthetic condition, we presented chocolate packages that were pre-selected according to important visual aspects of aesthetic package design such as beauty, unity, and prototypically (Orth & Malkewitz, 2008; Veryzer & Hutchinson, 1998). In the plain condition, we presented the other package that was pre-selected based on their functionality and practical utility. Each trial started with a brief preparation phase show the chocolate, followed by the packagin g to hold the chocolate.Picture stimuli were pretested among 32 undergraduate students, which were given aesthetics versus plain product packaging. Participants were then asked to assess the picture given as being plain or aesthetic (scale from 1 to 6). Randomly eight boys and eight girls were kept for aesthetic packaging and another eight boys and eight girls were exposed to plain packaging. The questionnaires of the experiment are attached to the report as appendix 1. Result We simply counted the number of choices in both conditions and found that participants in the aesthetics condition give higher scores than the plain condition[pic].Sex has no effects on the given scores[pic] and[pic]. Discussion In experiment 1a, when the visual product stimuli were richer in their aesthetic appeal, participants have the inherent perception of which should get higher marks. Experiment 1b Overview and method We intended to get the acceptable price range of the given image of chocolate and then figure out the relative high price, intermediate price and the low price, which will contribute to accuracy and efficiency of experiment 2.We show the same image of chocolate without packaging (the same image of the first phase of experiment 1) to 32 randomly chosen undergraduates (16 girls and 16 boys). Then ask them how much they would pay for that kind of chocolate (x/500g). As we usually don’t have a clear mind of how much the chocolate usually worth the money, we give the price of Dove chocolate as the reference point (53/500g). The questionnaires of the experiment are attached to the report as appendix 2. Result We collected the data and draw the graph as follows: [pic] And sex has no effects on the given scores[pic].Discussion After experiment 1b, we decided to use the relative low price as ? 20/500g (minimum), intermediate price as ? 53/500g (median) and relative high price as ? 100/500g (maximum). Experiment 2 Overview and method This is our main experiment. Problem Formulation 1. aesthetic package with a relatively high price, 2. aesthetic package with an intermediate price, 3. aesthetic package with a relatively low price, 4. plain package with a relatively high price, 5. plain package with an intermediate price, 6. plain package with a relatively low price.Which Combination does the consumer most likely to buy? And which combination can get the best evaluation from customers? Determination of Sources of Information Sources of information are from text books, literature About package theory as well as information comes from experiment 1a and 1b. IV and DV The independent variables— there are two pairs of Independent Variables of our research: 1) Package: aesthetic and plain. 2) Prices: high, intermediate and low. The dependent variables 1) The intensity of consumers’ purchase intentions. 2) Customers’ overall impression towards the chocolate product.Sample We chose our schoolmates as our research participants. Forty subje cts were selected from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and were randomly assigned to four treatment groups. As a total of 40 respondents participated, resulting in a data set of 40 different product choices. Procedure During the experiment, there was no evidence to suggest that subjects were aware of the different sets of experimental material provided and the subjects showed little concern in the experimental materials of others. All above has showed that our experiment is a between-subject experiment.Design of Data Collection Method and Data Collection forms We use a combination of PPT auto play and the questionnaire to carry out our experiment We separate our PPT display to 4 parts: 1. Product category and product image presentation, which lasts 4 seconds. 2. Chocolate presentation, which lasts 4 seconds 3. Package image presentation, which lasts 4 seconds. 4. Price presentation (price appear on top of the picture of the package), which lasts 4 second. Follow on, the participants a re asked to answer a questionnaire about their purchase. The PPT is shown as following: PPT: pic] [pic] The questionnaires of the experiment are attached to the report as appendix 3. Result After collecting the data, we get the following result, |sources of |DF |SS |MS |F |P | |variation | | | | | | |packaging |1 |1. 35 |1. 35 |0. 77 |0. 383 | |price |2 |2. 8 |1. 4 |0. 8 |0. 454 | |interaction |2 |1. 2 |0. 6 |0. 34 |0. 711 | |Error |54 |94. 3 |1. 7463 |? |? | |Total |59 |99. 65 |? |? |? |FIGURE 1 THE IMPACT ON CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE INTENSION Judging from the data above, though we may draw the conclusion that packaging and price has no significant influence on the purchase intention as we expected. There do exist some influence when we have a glance at the following graphs, we can find that customer tend to choose the one with the aesthetic packaging and low price. EXHIBIT 1 [pic][pic] FIGURE 2 THE IMPACT ON OVERALL IMPRESSION |sources of |DF |SS |MS |F |P | |variation | | | | | | |packaging |1 |10. 167 |10. 4167 |7. 69 |0. 008 | |price |2 |3. 7333 |1. 8667 |1. 38 |0. 261 | |interaction |2 |5. 7333 |2. 8667 |2. 12 |0. 13 | |Error |54 |73. 1 |1. 3537 |? |? | |Total |59 |92. 9833 |? |? |? | We can easily find that packaging has significant influence on the overall impression. EXHIBIT 2 [pic] [pic] Another interesting discovery is that given the aesthetic packaging, when the price is higher, the overall impression improves. DiscussionThe purchase intention doesn’t fluctuate a lot with the change of package and price, which is quite reasonable when the attributes of chocolate is taken into consideration. We just try to sell the same chocolate and chocolate is a certain kind of food, that intensity to purchase will not have an abrupt change with the extrinsic variation. The result of the experiment also shed light on the information as follows: People are more likely to purchase what is not only cheap, but also packaged well. But a better packaging and h igher price will contribute to better impression among the customers. ApplicationAlong with the research above, we also investigated other factors to influence the purchase behavior and get some useful data. Chinese people’s preferences towards chocolate, according to our experiment results, are relatively high. The index turns out to be 4. 5/6, females enjoys an even higher 4. 7/6. Therefore, there exists potential Chinese market for daily chocolate consumers. We suggest chocolate producers to provide customers with a fair price (lower than that of imported chocolate) and a plain package. What we want to stress is that in that circumstance, consumers’ experience is needed.Relatively plain and casual package can choose a relatively low price to gain bigger sales. As we can see from our data, the majority of Chinese consume chocolate only when holidays such as on the Valentine's Day. Therefore, we suggest chocolate companies focusing on the â€Å"festivals and holidayà ¢â‚¬  market. We emphasize that the design of the chocolate should be aesthetic. As we can see from our results, high-end chocolate may choose relatively high prices in order to give consumers a deep impression for the benefit of building a good brands reputation.Moreover, people are more likely to consider that kind of chocolate as gifts for others. Acknowledgments The authors thank Dr. Wang Liangyan for helpful comments and suggestions on earlier version of the manuscript. The research was supported by Antai College of Economics & Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Reference T Aharon, I. , Etcoff, N. , Ariely, D. , Chabris, C. F. , O'Connor, E. , & Breiter, H. C. (2001). Beautiful faces have variable reward value: fMRI and behavioral evidence. Neuron, 32(3), 537? 551. Arnheim, R. (1974).Art and visual perception: A psychology of the creative eye. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. Bechara, A. , Damasio, H. , Tranel, D. , & Damasio, A. R. (1997). Decidin g advantageously before knowing the advantageous strategy. Science, 275 (5304), 1293? 1295. Berlyne, D. E. (1974). Studies in the new experimental aesthetics: Steps toward an objective psychology of aesthetic appreciation. Washington, DC: Hemisphere Publishing. Bettman, J. R. , Luce, M. F. , & Payne, J. W. (1998). Constructive consumer choice processes.Journal of Consumer Research, 25(3), 187? 217. Bloch, P. H. (1995). Seeking the ideal form: Product design and consumer response. Journal of Marketing, 59(3), 16? 29. Appendix Questionnaire for experiment 1a: Hi, we are now carrying out a survey of consumer behavior. Please choose the answer and fill in the blanks according to your OWN conceptions. Your time and kindness are highly appreciated, thank you! NOTE: This survey is carried out anonymously, please feel free to answer. A1? Please score the chocolate package on the slidePLAIN 1 2 3 4 5 6 YES AESTHETIC Questionnaire for experiment 1b: Hi, we are now carrying out a survey of con sumer behavior. Please choose the answer and fill in the blanks according to your OWN conceptions. Your time and kindness are highly appreciated, thank you! NOTE: This survey is carried out anonymously, please feel free to answer. A1? How much would you like to pay for the chocolate on the slide, just write down the number in the blank. /500g Questionnaire for experiment 2: Hi, we are now carrying out a survey of consumer behavior.Please choose the answer and fill in the blanks according to your OWN conceptions. Your time and kindness are highly appreciated, thank you! NOTE: This survey is carried out anonymously, please feel free to answer. A1? Purchase intention NO 1 2 3 4 5 6 YES A2? Overall impression BAD 1 2 3 4 5 6 GOOD A3? usage SELF USE 1 2 3 4 5 6 AS GIFTS GENDER Male Female YOUR AGE__________________________________________________ B1? Do you like chocolate NO 1 2 3 4 5 6 YES B2? How often do you buy chocolateA Seldom B On holidays C Once-twice per month D Three times or m ore per month ———————– ?100/500g (high price) ?53/500g (intermediate price) ?20/500g (low price) ?100/500g (high price) ?53/500g (intermediate price) ?20/500g (low price) Dove chocolate? 55/500g Price Presentation (4 seconds) Package Presentation (4 seconds) Choc? 20/500g (low price) Dove chocolate? 55/500g Price Presentation (4 seconds) Package Presentation (4 seconds) Chocolate itself Presentation (4 seconds) Product category Presentation (4 seconds)