Computer ethics and law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Computer ethics and law - Essay Example To put the discussion into perspective, we’ll use a case study involving a computer professional and a client requiring a personnel management database system. The client chooses the least secure security system from among the list of systems provided. The computer professional clearly clarifies to the customer the security loopholes associated with the system, notable, the risk of unauthorised access to the sensitive personnel information, which might lead to compromise of personnel information by hackers, but the client insists on using it. As Bittner & Hornecker (2002, p. 1) notes, the daily routine of computer professionals provides them with unique opportunities to â€Å"do the right thing† as well as numerous obstacles to achieving this. However, as Norman (1988, p. 2) puts it, the â€Å"...design of technological artefacts should minimise risk and consequences of error.† All professional are obliged to act in such a way as to be worthy of the clientsâ€⠄¢ trust (Bayles 1989) and to ensure social responsibility in all their duties (Durbin 1992). Martin (2011) adds to this by using the words â€Å"pride, honor and self-respect† to describe the ideal conduct of computer professionals. In deciding the way to go, the computer professional in this case study should consider the ethical and professional provisions of the IEEE-CS/ACM Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice as it is generally accepted as a standard documentation of software engineers’ ethical and professional requirements and responsibilities. The code has eight principles which Gotterbarn (2000) says are not to be considered as completely exhaustive since there is no way of telling what moral concerns may emerge in the future. They should instead act as a broad framework for professional ethics. Gotterbarn, Miller & Rogerson (1997) reiterate this saying that he IEEE-CS/ACM SECEPP is â€Å"not intended to be all inclusive, nor is it int ended that its individual parts be used in isolation to justify errors of omission or commission†. At the general scale, the IEEE-CS/ACM SECEPP stresses on the engineering profession’s obligation to the public whose health, welfare and safety should take precedence and indeed form the basis of the eight principles of the SECEPP. The â€Å"Public† principle is of particular relevance to our case study. Gotterbarn (1999) argues that computer professionals have substantial chances â€Å"†¦to do good or cause harm† and to aid and influence others to do the same. The principle of Public however requires software engineers to put the public interest first. Not only does this principle hold software engineers responsible for their decisions. In that context, they are required to balance the needs of all the parties (employer, customer, and themselves) with the welfare and safety of the public. This empowers the software engineers to disapprove any software o r component of an IT system that might threaten privacy, degrade the environment, compromise the quality of human life and is especially critical in the manufacture of safety-critical software; computer software whose failure or error can cause directly

Research Training Programme Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Research Training Programme Project - Essay Example Future analysis of this panel could be effected by correcting the mistake. Additionally, only two years of the four year programme was utilized, as the other two years could not provide an adequate percentage of the data. The importance of this data cleaning should be considered when the final results are analysed. Cleaning is a judgmental process which sometimes removes items which are of great importance to those providing the data. Only by repeating the data collection can any factors which occur again and again be noticed. This paper is based upon research done by Loughborough University as part of a review of the Business School's Training Programme. This research was conducted over a number of weeks at the beginning of 2006, and a survey was conducted amongst former students, questioning them about their experiences and opinions of the course. The intention of the questionnaire was to discover whether the students had benefited from the course, and whether they felt that the teaching was adequate. As this was a group working, there were a number of meetings throughout the weeks to try and ensure co-operation and agreement amongst all the members. After a series of meetings and interviews in January, the questionnaire was sent out to students in March, and received back in April. This data was then input into a SPSS program, from which the results in this paper are taken. At the design meetin... From these results we will need to conduct an analysis to try and find some significant results. Why that use of design THE NATURE OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE The questionnaire that was sent to the students was divided into five sections, each dealing with a different topic. In the first section, for example, the questions concerned the personal details of the student, age, nationality and so on. In the second section, we asked them about the relevance of certain topics to their research. The third topic concerned the usefulness of the training programme; the fourth dealt with improvements to the student's relationships, and the fifth and final section asked the students to rate their satisfaction with the course. The design of this questionnaire was to enable us to demonstrate whether the training programme met the students' requirements, whether it improved their interpersonal relationships, and whether they felt the course had proved satisfactory. The first section allowed the students to be readily quantified and compared, which can prove useful when considering results, the other sections concentrate upon the courses, and the benefits and satisfaction the students felt that they had gained. . Other aspects of these results may become significant when we are comparing the results via SPSS. As the aim of this project is to improve the teaching of business courses at Loughborough, then consideration of the benefits to the students, and the improvements in their relationships, must be included while analyzing their satisfaction. Analysis The analysis of this questionnaire was conducted using the SPSS system of statistic management. This programme provides the analyst

Histhopathological change in human cerebellum in motor neuron disease Literature review

Histhopathological change in human cerebellum in motor neuron disease patients - Literature review Example In most brain functions, the motor controls are crossed such that the right motor cortex controls the left side of the body while the left motor cortex controls the right side of the body. The axons of the neurons in these cortexes must therefore split into two at some point during their decline into the spinal cord in order to shift sides. The splitting of the axons takes place at the junction between the spinal cord and the medulla oblongata. It is this crossover that will lead to paralysis on one side of the body when the other side of the brain ends up with stroke or injuries. The cerebellum is connected and joined to the brain by three peduncles and divided into three parts including vestibulocerebellum, spinocerebellum and cerebrocerebellum. It contains much cortex which is very much folded and whose interior matter is enclosed in a white substance and has cerebellar nuclei. It is not easy to define which parts of the cerebral cortex are motor in nature, however there are various cortical regions where if stimulated leads to movement. The three parts of the cerebellum are responsible for the regulation of reflexes and equilibrium control as well as motor sequences programming. Besides this, they plan and start all voluntary movements in the body. The infection of the cerebellum will ultimately cause motor symptoms. The cerebellar disease produces various symptoms depending on the parts. The lateral hemispheres of the cerebellum are responsible for limp movement control. The midline of the cerebellum also referred to the vermis is responsible for movements of the eye, voice control and axial functions. The vestibulocerebellum controls vestibular functions. Therefore the damage to the lateral hemispheres causes tremor symptoms which are rhythmic are mainly on voluntary movements. Injuries on the vermis cause effects on the axial motor. This can be seen through defections in the head and trunk or problems in the eye movements or with

Ethics and the Criminal Justice Profession Essay

Ethics and the Criminal Justice Profession - Essay Example In common ethical issues arising in the society, the criminal justice decides whether such act(s) could be ethically defended or not through the study of ethics. A case of ethical issue is shoplifting for the welfare of everybody in the family. In the utilitarian viewpoint of ethics, the above act could be defended provided that it is done because of providing the welfare of other individuals. Although the case is providing the necessaries for the family, such could still be considered utilitarian. In â€Å"retributive justice,† if an individual does an act of misconduct without any beneficial purpose, it is a manifestation of â€Å"imprudence,† but if it is done for a constructive purpose, it is justifiable (Hall, Dennis, and Chipman 348). In every act of an individual there really is a corresponding verdict. Yet, in cases concerning ethical judgments, more value of ethical justification is given to those acts which are done for beneficial purposes. Yet, it should also not be forgotten that in deciding over ethical issues, the rule of law and justice should always take its dominion. Furthermore, the ethical issues which are given greater ethical defenses could also be subjects to further justifications and scrutiny for an â€Å"other† party is also

Case Analysis of Golden Year Village Research Paper

Case Analysis of Golden Year Village - Research Paper Example CCRC or ‘Continuing Care retirement Community’ projects have evolved as standalone industries that meet the growing demands of healthcare issues of people in their post retirement period. The Golden Years Village is a CCRC project that primarily provides multifaceted post retirement healthcare services to elderly population above sixty years of age in Portsmouth, Pennsylvania. The paper would discuss the project as ‘for profit organization’, using SWOT analysis. Key strategic factors of Golden Years Village Strengths GYV has more than 29 years of experience in the area of meeting the healthcare needs of elder population and understands the myriad problems of old age It runs cost effective programs that give residents options of individual services and housing facilities as well as meeting their wider needs of personal requirements of assisted living and personalized nursing. The vast campus of GYV is also equipped with state of the art recreational activitie s which help the residents to de-stress and actively enjoy life. Uses technology to enhance operational efficiency. Despite previous losses, its profitability indicator is better than its rivals. Weakness Due to stringent government rules and regulation, cannot increase prices of its product to meet the increasingly higher cost of healthcare deliverable. The organizational structure is mechanistic and prefers stability and resists change. The centralized power significantly reduces empowered decision making capabilities of employees which adversely impacts performance and efficiency. Does not have strategic market plans for its products and mainly relies on word to mouth publicity as its major market ploy. It lacks financial resources to meet new challenges Opportunities The increasing number of aged population offers huge opportunities to expand its products to suit the growing demands of the people. Threat The major threat is from the new entrants that are ‘for profitâ€℠¢ organizations and who are better equipped to offer customized packages to customers. Wider implications of key strategic factors Golden Years Village is endowed with sprawling area and has expert human competencies that can utilize space and become more creative in their products and services. Ward et al. (1984) claim that 20% of the population is between the age group (60-69) while 65% is above 80 years of age! With increased life expectancy, population of elderly has rapidly grown. Hence there are huge opportunities for GYV to expand its products and services to meet the fast changing preferences of elderly population. The advancing technology has created more awareness amongst aged people and empowered people with myriad options. At the same time, awareness has also resulted in advance planning of post retirement period. GHY therefore should introduce new products that meet the changing requirements of people. People want to be more active and maintain healthy lifestyle. Hence, introducing alternative healthcare imperatives like yoga, meditation, naturopathy etc, would be hugely attractive as they offer holistic healing that takes into consideration the physical, mental and social aspect of the individuals. Ernst et al. (2004) have defined alternative medicine as diagnosis, treatment and/or prevention which complements mainstream by contributing and satisfying a demand that is neither met by convention nor by widening the conceptual frameworks of medicine. It helps people with better sense of wellbeing. Since, CCRC has emerged as an

Philosophy of Teaching Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of Teaching Essay I consider my ultimate strength that I bring to the classroom is the desire and eagerness that I have for teaching children. A dynamic part of being a teacher is to motivate the students to know that the skills and information they are learning is worth learning and are valuable lessons to be used in the future. If I can convince the children that the material is enjoyable, powerful, and beneficial then they will want to make the effort to learn. I make it a significance priority to convey drive and enthusiasm to the classroom. It is difficult to learn if you are uninterested and almost not difficult to learn if the learning method is enjoyable and appealing. Additionally it is imperative for the students to appreciate why they are learning and what the importance of learning is. My objectives for teaching in the classroom are limited but crucial ones. I want my students to learn the materials taught in an extensive, everlasting way. I want them to apply the thoughts of these ideas to all subject material taught. I will use the means that I have learned and continue to learn to get the maximum learning potential of my students as a whole. Secondly, I inspire to transform lives so that they determine life paths that have not ever been reflected on before. Reassurance is important and I aim to be their biggest fan. Thirdly, I want to reinvent the practice of teaching. Often teaching is regarded as an art, an uqualifiable expertise, to be practiced and understood by each new generation of teachers. By familiarizing new concepts and practices the doors are exposed to tangible advancement to permit us to learn new and more effective ways of using classroom time, so that the succeeding generation of teachers can be sincerely better and more effective in teaching then even we are today in the world of modernisms and increased use of technology. I don’t always know the greatest ways to teach but I am willing to try different approaches until I reach a place where I know what I am doing will effect upcoming generations of students and educators. Lastly, and most selfishly I want to have an exciting journey and make the classroom a fun and exciting place to learn. I delight in the opportunity of getting to know my students and their families and develop strong lasting relationships that can be seen years down the road. There are great joys of becoming a teacher and knowing that you impact lives each and every day. Our students learn when they are energetically figuring things out, trying to teach themselves, not inactively wandering through busy work and handouts, expecting to be taught. I design my lesson plans and classroom material not around what I do but what the students will do. I let them take command of their own education and to teach them as much as imaginable about the realm around us.

Strategic Planning in the Australian Coffee market

Strategic Planning in the Australian Coffee market Industry/Market definition The Australian Coffee Industry comprises all the firms that offer products for sale that are derived from coffee beans. There are pure coffee products, ie whole and ground coffee beans, and instant coffee products. Each kind of product has its own target market. A market is the set of all actual and potential buyers of a product (Kotler et al 1998, p885). The pure coffee market consists of all the actual and potential buyers of whole or ground coffee beans. The instant coffee market consists of all the actual and potential buyers of instant coffee. For the purposes of this assignment, I will focus on the instant coffee market in Australia. Part1 Macroenvironment The marketing environment within which a company operates is dynamic. Its consists of a microenvironment, and a macroenvironment. The microenvironment is the forces close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers. The macroenvironment is the larger societal forces that affect the whole microenvironment, (Kotler et al 1998, pp885-886) The macroenvironment consists of six types of forces: demographic, economic, natural, technological, political and cultural forces. A companys marketing strategy must take into account changes and trends in these environments that can present opportunities or pose threats. A successful firm is one that regularly modifies it marketing mix and strategies to adapt to these changes (Czinkota et al 2000, p17). Below I will outline the six macroenvironmental forces, and how they may affect the instant coffee market in Australia. Demographic environment Demographics are the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, sex, race, occupations and other statistics (Kotler et al 1998, p105). The demographic environment consists of all the aforementioned demographic variables, and their ability to affect the Australian instant coffee market. The importance of the demographic environment lies in the fact that all demand for a product derives ultimately from people (Cannon 1998, p41). Kotler et al (1998, p113) noted that demographic developments have transformed the Australian marketplace from a mass market into more fragmented micro-markets differentiated by age, sex, geography, lifestyle, ethic background, education and other factors. Recent demographic trends in Australia are a better-educated and more white-collar population, increasing ethnic diversity, and changing age structures. The implications of such changes are that organisations must now design products and marketing programs for the specific micro-markets they wish to target. While all demographic variables have the potential to affect the instant coffee market in Australia, the area of particular significance is the emergence of ethnic micro-markets. Ethnic communities now make up a significant and growing part of the Australian population, who have clear product and brand preferences (Bradmore et al 1997, p88). Thus, there is now demand for a wider variety of coffee styles to suit ethnic tastes, which requires the development of new products and marketing strategies. For example, since ninety-five percent of all coffee drunk by Italians is espresso, (Barton 2000), many companies have developed instant espresso products. Economic environment The economic environment consists of the factors that affect consumer buying power and spending patterns (Kotler et al 1998, p113). Factor include income and employment levels, inflation levels, savings and credit conditions, the value of the Australian dollar and so on. This aspect of the macroenvironment is important to the Australian instant coffee market, as it is to any market, because consumers must have the purchasing power to back up their desire for the products. However, since non-price factors, such as branding, are a significant basis for competition for coffee products (IBIS World 2000, p8), changes in retail coffee prices will not have a huge effect on the market share of any one manufacturer. Despite that, economic factors that do affect the Australian coffee market include the value of the Australian dollar. Virtually all coffee beans are imported, and their prices vary with changes in the relative exchange rates (IBIS World 2000, p15). A low value of the Australian dollar, as is the present case, drives up input prices for manufacturers, which may be passed onto consumers. Furthermore, the Association of Coffee Producing Countries, which accounts for three quarters of world coffee-bean production, has announced plans to restrict the output of beans, which would mean it could control prices (Crawford 2000, p1). The effect of this possible price control is not yet known, but it could drive smaller manufacturers out of the market if the price increases are too high. Also, another issue is the level of disposable income of Australians. With an increase in income, consumers are increasingly likely to purchase higher quality products rather than to simply purchase more. Thus there is a growing market for higher quality and priced instant coffee. As noted in the IBIS World Report for C2179 Food Manufacturing, higher income facilitated the successful introduction of specialtycoffee products. (IBIS World 2000, p7). The GST is not applicable to coffee products, but GST on pure coffee products served at commercial premises could increase the market potential for instant coffee. Natural environment The natural environment concerns the natural resources that are needed as inputs by marketers or that are affected by marketing activities (Kotler et al 1998, p116). Today, there is a growing awareness of the need to preserve our planet, and that includes the need to protect our natural environment from the potentially harmful affects of industrial activities. Since coffee producers make use of the natural environment, there is a potential for this aspect of the macroenvironment to be quite significant to the Australian coffee industry. Consumers, more than ever, are beginning to boycott products that have been manufactured in such a way as to damage the environment. This is putting pressure on manufactures to ensure all procedures are environmentally friendly, or risk losing market share. Such issues that involve coffee manufacturing are the use of pesticides and chemicals, pollution from manufacturing plants, excessive water use in the production stage, and the effect of farming the land in regard to future erosion and depletion of natural minerals. Also, the supply and price of coffee beans to the Australian Coffee market is at the mercy of the natural elements. The IBIS World (2000, p27) Industry Report stated that coffee bean prices are forecast to increase sharply(as)the result of poor seasonal conditions in Central America and low stocks. Technological environment The technological environment is the forces that affect new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities (Kotler et al 1998, p889). Since coffee was discovered in around 1000AD (Nescafà © 2000), the methods used to grow, harvest, process and manufacture coffee products has certainly evolved. The use of irrigation systems, fertilisers, machinery in the harvest process, and the introduction of automated, computer controlled equipment (in Australian processing plants) has raised efficiency and, in many cases, has also improved product quality (IBIS World 2000, p25). However, the most recent influential forces concern advances in manufacturing processes, and developments of new coffee machines for home use. New technologies had made it possible for Australian instant coffee manufacturers to produce a wider range of products, of higher quality. For example, Nescafà © have recently introduced a new instant Cafà © Latte range, and also new instant Espresso. Also, using freeze-dried technology, instant coffee has a significantly longer shelf life than any product in the pure coffee market, which is a significant advantage. However, over the past few decades, the development of inexpensive coffee perculators and plungers has increased the attractiveness of pure coffee products, often at the expense of the instant coffee market. For example, Melitta House of Coffee recently introduced a coffee maker that makes 10-15 cups of coffee as quickly as boiling a jug. Lastly, the advent Internet shopping is allowing consumers to make purchases on-line, and from foreign suppliers, thus posing a threat to the size and profitability of the Australian coffee market. Political environment The political environment consists of the laws, government agencies and pressure groups that influence and limit various organisations and individuals in the society (Kotler et al 1998, p887). Like in all markets, organisations that operate in the Australian instant coffee market are subject to laws that regulate virtually all aspects of their business, including such areas as food and health safety, pollution emissions, and advertising and labelling requirements. However, the political environment does not have large impact on the Australian coffee market. Cultural environment The cultural environment consists of the institutions and forces that affect societys basic values, perceptions and behaviours (Kotler et al 1998, p882). Changes in Australian culture, and the emergence of varied sub-cultures can have a large impact on the instant coffee market in Australia. As Hugh Mackay, chairman of Mackay Research Pty Ltd stated: Anyone who is serious about communicating with contemporary Australiansneeds to understand the most contemporary trends in attitudes and behaviour. (Bradmore et al 1997, p62) Recent trends in Australia that are having a particular affect on the instant coffee market are the redefinition of health and associated anxieties about diet, fitness and stress, and the recent emergence of a young Australian coffee culture. Australians are, more than ever, concerned about their health. There is a wealth of research linking caffeine to many ailments, and thus, this is increasing demand for the healthy alternative decaffeinated products. There is also the threat the consumers could boycott coffee products all together, and switch to another beverage, such as tea, which is well known for its positive health benefits. In addition, the market for all types of coffee is benefiting from an era of coffee in AustraliaA real coffee culture is growing. (Miller 2000, p3) People are not only drinking more coffee, but becoming coffee connoisseurs. Coffee is no longer just a product, but a means of self-expression. As a society we are placing the emphasis on quality, not quantity, and as such consumers are buying more exotic instant coffees (Bannister 2000, p17). There has also been an emergence of many different subcultures. A subculture is a group of people with shared value systems based on common life experiences or situations (Kotler et al 1998, p123). Today, there is wide range of subcultures, particularly those based on nationalities, which is leading to demand for a wider variety of products. Part2 The marketing mix: How it is used by two companies to target the australian instant coffee market. There are many organisations that operate within the instant coffee market in Australia. Each company positions themselves with a unique marketing mix that is aimed at specific segments of the market. Kotler et al (1998, p57) defines the marketing mix as the set of controllable marketing variables that the company blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. The variables of the marketing mix are the four Ps: Product: the goods-and-service combination the company offers to the target market (Kotler et al 1998, p57). Price: the amount of money customers have to pay to obtain the product (Kotler et al 1998, p58). Place (Distribution): involves company logistics and marketing activities concerned with the making and distributing the final product (Kotler et al 1998, p58). Promotion: the activities that communicate the merits of the product and persuade the target customers to buy it (Kotler et al 1998, p58). This includes advertising, publicity, sales promotions, personal selling, direct marketing and sponsorship. I will focus on the marketing mix of Nescafà © and of Robert Timms. Nescafà © Nescafe products are produced by Nestle. Necafe holds a vary large share of the instant coffee market in Australia. Marketing mix outline Product There is a range of Nescafà © products available (see Table 1 below). Price The prices of the Nescafà © products have been listed in Table1: Nescafà © products and price. Place (Distribution) The Nescafà © product range is available in all large supermarket chains (Safeway, Coles etc). Smaller, independent grocers or stockists generally have a smaller range that would include Nescafà © Blend 43. Promotion a variety of promotional techniques. This includes: Large scale advertising They advertise their products in a wide variety of print, broadcast and display media. Their most recent nation wide advertising campaigns were the Open up with Nescafà © series, and the Nescafà © in the morning series. Sales promotions Nescafà © regularly runs contests that coincide with new product launches or advertising campaigns. Recent promotions were * win $1000 every morning for a month * Win the Nescafà © Latte Lounge to promote the new latte range Nescafà © also use point of sale promotions, have cash-back offers, and have give-aways. Eg. a free Nescafà © mug was given away with every purchase of 500g of Blend 43. The mug was the same type as that used in the Nescafà © in the morning advertisement series. Sponsorship: Nescafà © sponsors the * Nescafà © Big Break competition which will give away $180,000 to young people (aged 16-21) with original and achievable ideas. * Nescafà © Short Film Awards which offers a total of A$50,000 in cash awards to short film makers. There is a student category in this competition. Nescafà © also has an Australian website (www.cafe43.com.au) where information on all products, competitions and events can be accessed. Marketing mix analysis Nescafà ©s marketing mix is aimed at a large and varied segment of the instant coffee market. They could be considered the Myer of the instant coffee industry. The most obvious segments of the market they target are: * Young adult cafà © culture segment: They target this segment with their new latte range, along with the advertising, sales promotion and the competition to win the lounge seen in the advertisements. * Upscale, quality driven, higher income consumers: Their Nescafà © Gold range, and exotic tastes such as Alta Rice are aimed towards such consumers, where the price and qaulity are higher than that of the general blends. * Middle-class consumer (no age target): Nescafà © targets such a large segment with their Blend 43, Mild Roast and Espresso products. The consumer gets an economical benefit, as well as a quality product. Furthermore, Nescafà © attempts to tap into the ethnic segment using their Espresso and exotic blends. In their advertisements for espresso, they use local Italian actor, Nick Giannopoulos. In general, since Nescafà © has the largest range of instant coffee products in Australia, and has such a powerful brand name, they have a consumer franchise they gain brand recognition and demand consumer loyalty. In particular, their most popular product, Nescafà © Blend 43, is seen as the peoples coffee. In their advertisements, they use actors of varied age, gender, occupations and ethnicity. Robert Timms: Robert Timms is Australias oldest coffee company. It is the leader in the coffee bean market (Bannister 2000, p17), and has only entered the instant coffee market over the last couple of years. Marketing mix outline Product Robert Timms offers coffee bags (which work in the same manner as a tea bag) in four styles: Cafà © Style Espresso Italian Style Espresso Mocha Kenya Style Royal Special The coffee bags are a mix of ground and instant coffee. They also have: * Presmoto: Gourmet Freeze Dried Coffee. * Molto: Gourmet Granulated Coffee Price Robert Timms coffee bags are sold in: * packs of 8 for $2.35, or * packs of 18 for $4.83 I was not able to find the price of Presmoto and Molto soluble coffee as I could not find an outlet that stocks it. Place Robert Timms coffee bags are available in all large supermarket chains, but sporadically in independent stores. I am not aware of where the gourmet soluble coffee can be purchased. It was not available in any large supermarket I have visited. Promotion Robert Timms has only begun extensive promotion since early 2000, after remaining relatively low in profile. They do not promote the coffee bags or gourmet instant coffee specifically, but rather they promote the brand name. Promotional tools used by Robert Timms are: Large scale advertising Robert Timms most recent nation wide advertising campaign was the Think it over with Robert Timms series, which is seen on broadcast, print and display media. Sponsorship Robert Timms is the official coffee supplier to the 2000 Olympic Games. Robert Timms also has a web site (www.reoberttimms.com). It mainly has information on the history of the company and it products. Marketing mix analysis Robert Timms positions itself in the instant coffee market as a provider of the very highest quality coffee products. The company prides itself on its heritage. As it states on its web-site: We are a dedicated group of Australians producing coffee, coffee related products and services that are comparable to the very best in the world. http://www.roberttimms.com/about/index.html Opens in a new window The company has targeted its instant coffee products to the high income, quality driven segment of the instant coffee market. The quality of their products is reflected in the prices, which are expensive, and the packaging, which uses the stylish combination of black and gold. Furthermore, through their role as official coffee supplier to the Olympics, they are also associating themselves with the pursuit of excellence and the Australian spirit. Their promotional campaign Think it Overwith Robert Timmsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ creates a relaxed, yet sophisticated feel about the company and their products. The premise behind the campaign is best summed up on their web-site: Take some time out of your busy day to enjoy our coffee and you too can Think it Overwith Robert Timmsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ Reflect on the day, make the right decision at work or just decide to relax. Its up to you. http://www.roberttimms.com/think_it_over/index.html Opens in a new window Thus, while their marketing mix is targeted at high-income consumers who want high quality, they made sure they did not exclude a large share of the market by appearing overly elitist. Nescafà © vs. Robert Timms The marketing mix of Nescafà © and the marketing mix of Robert Timms are quite different. These differences reflect the different positioning of the two companies, and the segments of the market they were aiming to capture. Whereas Nescafe has targeted a larger percentage of the market, with quality but affordable products, Robert Timms has targeted a narrower segment with gourmet, expensive products. Generally, Robert Timms and Nescafà © are no real direct threat to each other. While they do both compete in the high quality, gourmet end of the instant coffee market, Robert Timms is clearly the highest quality product, and consumers must pay for this. What Nescafà © is offering is a more affordable alternative. Conclusion The instant coffee market in Australia is subject to the demographic, economic, political, cultural, natural and technological forces of the wider macroenvironment that it operates within. Each of these forces has the potential to change the marketing environment, and create opportunities and pose threats to the market and those who operate within it. What companies must do is monitor these environments to adapt its marketing mix accordingly. In the Australian instant coffee market, different companies have quite different marketing mixes, as can be seen when comparing Nescafà © and Robert Timms. These differences do not mean that one is more effective than the other, but rather they reflect the different marketing strategies adopted by each company to capture the market segments they feel the company can best serve.