Experimental Research

Experiments are very important in public relations research because they determine causation. Non-profits especially can use experiments to help them in their cause. A recent article focused on a new non-profit that used an experiment to test their idea for a non-profit Panera restaurant.  The non-profit tested whether people would take food for free if there were only suggested prices for food at Panera. The experiment showed however that people paid what they could and did not take food for free. This demonstrated that people were generally honest when it came to how much they could or could not actually spend. People who had more money were willing to pay more for a cup of coffee because it was going to a good cause. People who normally could not afford to go out to dinner were able to pay what they could and enjoy a nice meal out.

The experiment showed Panera that their non-profit would work. People would not be over ordering and then paying less but rather would pay what they could. This shows the effectiveness of the experiment. It also demonstrates an example of how non-profits can use experiments to test their campaigns or research plans.

This article was very fascinating because it showed that a corporation could use its national name for good use. Panera is coming out to help people who could not normally afford a meal out. It shows that corporations can be philanthropic and use their money for good use.