Manac Plc. Models and concepts affecting the pricing decisions taken Essay

Manac Plc. Models and concepts affecting the pricing decisions taken by organizations, critically reflecting upon their usefulness - Essay Example The pricing policy of a firm is affected by a number of factors which contains the variable and fixed costs of the firm and the ecological factors which contains competitor analysis and legal analysis. Pricing models can be utilized to explain, forecast or explain pricing circumstances, or to prescribe pricing decisions. Irrespective of their planned use, however, models are basically abstractions of actuality. Even though they are less difficult than the real world, models should have relevant possessions of the realism they are calculated to represent. A number of more particular criteria served as the foundation for evaluating the pricing models are reviewed. Two criteria are valid to the assumptions on which the form is based. Such assumptions must be stated openly so that the user is cognizant of their existence and so able to assess their relevance and importance. Secondly, the assumptions must be realistic. â€Å"The pricing decision is a critical one for most marketers, yet the amount of attention given to this key area is often much less than is given to other marketing decisions. One reason for the lack of attention is that many believe price setting is a mechanical process requiring the marketer to utilize financial tools, such as spreadsheets, to build their case for setting price levels† (Pricing Decisions 1998). ... However, pricing decisions have vital consequences for the marketing organization and the concentration given by the dealer to pricing is just as significant as the concentration given to extra identifiable marketing actions. Some significant causes affect pricing include: Most Flexible Marketing Mix Variable: For dealers, price is the large amount variable of all marketing choices. Unlike distribution and product decisions, which can take years or months to change or several forms of promotion which may be time consuming to change, price can be changed very quickly. The elasticity of pricing choices is chiefly significant in times when the dealer seeks to rapidly stimulate demand or respond to contestant value actions. For instance, a marketer can get on a field salesperson’s request to lesser cost for a possible vision throughout a phone discussion. Similarly, a dealer in charge of online processes can raise costs on hot selling products with the click of a few website butto ns. Setting the Right Price: Pricing decisions made quickly without adequate research, analysis and planned evaluation can lead a losing income to the marketing organization. Prices set also may signify that the company is missing out on extra profits that could be earned if the target market is eager to spend extra to obtain the product. Furthermore, efforts to raise an originally low priced product to a higher cost can be met by consumer resistance as they can feel that the dealer is effecting to take benefit of their consumers. Setting of high prices can also impact on income as it prevents interested consumers from purchasing the manufactured goods. For setting the right price, substantial market knowledge is important and mostly, with new products testing of different

French and Indian War DBQ Revise Essay Example for Free

French and Indian War DBQ Revise Essay In the course of years through 1754-1763 the British were engaged in a war with their rival French. The conflict was known as the French and Indian War. It started when the colonies could not shift west, and the British trying to settle in the Ohio Valley and the French did not want them to expand. It was played entirely in North America with the colonials on the British side. The conflicts between French and the British would cause a drastic change in the colonial-British relationship. It would alter the political, economic, and philosophical relations. The political aspect would change when the British would start taxing the colonies to pay of debt accumulated by the war. Just like James Ottis said, â€Å"No taxation without representation,† The colonies agree with the statement and believed they had the right to be represented. If they had representation, it would have been virtual, instead of direct. With direct representation the colonies would be able to overpower the government and vote for someone with their interests. The colonists though during this time were not use to the British paying so much attention, because Salutary Neglect happened before the war. This was when they loosely enforced the laws on the colonists. Other then the British now enforcing laws, the colonists also did not appreciate when they declared the Proclamation of 1763. Canassatego, chief said, â€Å"We must insist on your removing them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They set the proclamation to keep the Indians happy. This helped prevent another uproar like Pontiacs Rebellion, and also did not allow colonists to move westward. Also, during the war to keep the Iroquois Indians pleased, Franklin called the Albany Congress into plan. The economical piece also differed during the war. In the war, the British collected a great amount of debt. They believed that the colonials should be taxed to help pay off this debt. The British order in council said, â€Å"Not only is revenue impaired, but the commerce of colonies diverted for its natural course† (Doc F). They also believed in mercantilism, were they exported more than imported. By doing this they lost money and supplies, while benefiting the mother country. To repair money situations, the Navigation Acts were enforced to start generating revenue. After the Navigation Acts were enforced, the first act declared to raise money came to power. It was known as the Stamp Act. In Document H, â€Å"The TIMES are Dreadful, Doleful, Dismal, Dolorous, and DOLLAR-LESS† (Newspaper Masthead). This was proof of the colonies hatred to the stamp tax. The stamp act was like sales tax, where all merchandise purchased must be stamped. In the letter to John Huges from Benjamin Franklin, â€Å"Undertaking to execute it may make you unpopular for a time† (Doc G). The act by the British was unpopular with the colonist, because they did not want to help by paying the debt. Along with economics, the philosophical stance of America toward the British changed as well. At the end of the war colonists were feeling powerful and more independent minded. The French were no longer a threat and they had the desire to expand westward. The British on the other hand thought of the colonies in a whole different way. They believed they were laze and backwards. George Washington, â€Å"I wish earnestly to attain some knowledge of the military profession† (Doc C). George Washington worked with Braddock with the British and even ending the war his views started to change. With the average age being sixteen and doubling every twenty-five years the British would not allow the colonies direct vote. They could not let, because with the French out of the way the colonies could now take over with their population growing rapidly. With the population growing they wanted to expand west, but the Proclamation of 1763 would not permit it. Also now much of the land had shifted to the Spanish, with the French gone, as displayed in document A. The colonies believed they were being treated unfairly. In Massachusetts Soldier’s diary, â€Å"Who are but little better than slaves to their officers† (Doc D). The British wee cruel to them and this put an enormous impact on their relations. The political, economic, and philosophical relations of the British-colonial ship would be differed for the future to come. The relationship was strained, because of taxes needed to repay war debt, and not being represented for it. To have the claim over the river valley, but try to keep the Indians within their trust. They were there to please themselves and In the end the French lost almost all of the North American land that went to the Spanish. These conflicts led to the North American war called the French and Indian War, and later a greater conflict around the world as the seven years war.

Essay --

The sonnet is a form of poetry that is vastly used among poets. There are usually two types of sonnets in poetry, the Shakespearean sonnet and the Italian sonnet. Sonnets are typically defined as poems made up of 14 lines that rhyme in a specific way. William Butler Yeats’ â€Å"Leda and the Swan† is an example of an Italian sonnet. It consists of 14 lines and the rhyme scheme is ABABCDCDEFGEFG. In his poem, Yeats’ uses the sonnet form in many traditional ways. However Yeats’ also revises the sonnet form in order to help readers understand the main theme of the poem, which is rape. The poem starts off very surprising. In the first stanza, the speaker says, â€Å"A sudden blow: the great wings still/ Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed/ By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill/ He holds her helpless breast upon his breast† (1-4). Right away the speaker seems surprised. The girl wasn’t expecting a blow anytime soon and was knocked down. She seems disoriented and unsure of what’s going on. The bird is described as having â€Å"great wings.† This diction makes him seem powerful. Furthermore, he is above Leda and starts caressing her thighs. She seems helpless at this point. In line three of the poem, the swan grabs her neck with his bill. Then, he holds her closer so that their breasts can touch. The language here creates a very intimate setting. In addition to that, Leda’s breast is described as helpless. It seems that she can’t do anything and must let the rape continue. The way the poem is being told in the first stanza seems to allude to the myth of Leda and the Swan in Greek mythology. It seems that Yeats’ wants to portray the swan as the Greek god Zeus in the poem. In the second stanza, the speaker asks two questions. The spe... ...tead of foreshadowing the future. The speaker wonders if she knew what was going on while she was being raped and the consequences of Zeus’ actions. Furthermore, since this is an Italian sonnet, it is divided into two sections. The first section consists of the first eight lines and is called the octave. The second section is called the subset and consists of the final six lines of the poem. In the poem, the first part talks about Leda being raped by the powerful swan. She is helpless and even though she struggles, she cannot escape. This part of the poem focuses on Leda’s view of the situation. In the subset, the swan finally finishes raping Leda and the poem moves on to address what exactly has happened. In the subset, the speaker narrates the consequences of the rape. These consequences include the burning of the city of Troy and the Trojan War. In conclusion,

Tddc17 – Lab 2 Search

TDDC17 - ­? Lab 3 Part 2 Q5 P (Meltdown) = 0,02578 P(Meltdown | Ica weather) = 0. 03472 b)   Suppose that both warning sensors indicate failure. What is the risk of a meltdown in that case? Compare this result with the risk of a melt- ­? down when there is an actual pump failure and water leak. What is the difference? The answers must be expressed as conditional probabilities of the observed variables, P(Meltdown|†¦ ). P(Meltdown | PumpFailureWarning, WaterLeakWarning) = 0,14535 P (Meltdown | PumpFailure, WaterLeak) = 0,2 c)   The conditional robabilities for the stochastic variables are often estimated by repeated experiments or observations. Why is it sometimes very difficult to get accurate numbers for these? What conditional probabilites in the model of the plant do you think are difficult or impossible to estimate? a) What is the risk of melt- ­? down in the power plant during a day if no observations have been made? What if there is icy weather? It is hard to ful ly understand all possible factors that can effect or trigger an event and how they interact with each other.Observations are always a description of the past and is not always accurate in forecasting the future. E. g. Icy weather is not a thing you can measure and span over a wide range of weather conditions including combinations of precipitation, wind and temperature. d)   Assume that the â€Å"IcyWeather† variable is changed to a more accurate â€Å"Temperature† variable instead (don't change your model). What are the different alternatives for the domain of this variable? What will happen with the robability distribution of P(WaterLeak | Temperature) in each alternative? The domain decreases in size of possible states as for example precipitation and wind is no longer a part of the estimations. The temperature will be represented as an absolute number or intervals, instead of just true or false. Resulting in a lot more defining of the probabilities of the child nodes with aspect to each value/interval of temperature. Q6 a) What does a probability table in a Bayesian network represent?The probability table shows the probability for all states of the node given the states of the parent nodes. b)   What is a joint probability distribution? Using the chain rule on the structure of the Bayesian network to rewrite the joint distribution as a product of P(child|parent) expressions, calculate manually the particular entry in the joint distribution of P(Meltdown=F, PumpFailureWarning=F, PumpFailure=F, WaterLeakWaring=F, WaterLeak=F, IcyWeather=F). Is this a common state for the nuclear plant to be in? Kedjeregeln ger foljanade:P(alla ar falska) = P(ICYWEATHER) * P(PUMPFAILURE) * P(PW | PUMPFAILURE) * P(MELTDOWN| PUMPFAILURE, WL) * P(WL | ICYWEATHER) * P(WATERLEAKW | WL) = 0,95 * 0,9 * 0,95 * 1 * 0,9 * 0,95 = 0,69 Ja, detta ar ett vanligt tillstand. c)   What is the probability of a meltdown if you know that there is both a water leak and a pump failure? Would knowing the state of any other variable matter? Explain your reasoning! P(Meltdown | PumpFailure, WaterLeak ) = 0,8. No other variables matter. When all the parents values are observed they alone determine the child value. ) Calculate manually the probability of a meltdown when you happen to know that PumpFailureWarning=F, WaterLeak=F, WaterLeakWarning=F and IcyWeather=F but you are not really sure about a pump failure. P(Meltdown = T | PUMPFAILURE osaker, resten falska )= P(ICYWEATHER) * P(WL | ICYWEATHER) * P(WATERLEAKW | WATERLEAK)* [P(PUMPFAILURE=T) * P(PW | PUMPFAILURE=T) * P(MELTDOWN=T | PUMPFAILURE=T,WL) + P(PUMPFAILURE=F) * P(PW | PUMPFAILURE=F) * P(MELTDOWN=T | PUMPFAILURE=F,WL)] = 0,95 * 0,9 * 0,95 * (0,1 * 0,1 * 0,16 + 0,9 * 0,95 * 0,01) = 0,008 (1)P(MELTDOWN=F | PUMPFAILURE osaker, resten falska)=P(ICYWEATHER) * P(WL | ICYWEATHER) * P(WATERLEAKW | WL)* [P(PUMPFAILURE=T) * P(PW | PUMPFAILURE=T) * P(MELTDOWN=F | PUMPFAILURE=T,WL) @+ P(PUMPFAILURE=F) * P(PW | PUMPFAILURE=F) * P(MELTDOWN=F | PUMPFAILURE=F,WL)] = 0,95 * 0,9 * 0,95 * (0,1 * 0,1 * 0,84 + 0,9 * 0,95 * 0,99) =0,694 (2) (1) och (2) =; alfa = 1 / (0,008 + 0,69) = 1,42 0,008 * 1,42 = 0,012 0,694 * 1,42 = 0,988 Part 3 During the lunch break, the owner tries to show off for his employees by demonstrating the many features of his car stereo. To everyone's disappointment, it doesn't work. How did the owner's chances of urviving the day change after this observation? Without knowing whether the radio is working or not, the probability of him surviving is 0,99001. If the radio is not working the probability is 0,98116. How   does the bicycle change the owner's chances of survival? With the bicycle the probability of surviving is 0. 99505. Small increase. It   is possible to model any function in propositional logic with Bayesian Networks. What does this fact say about the complexity of exact inference in Bayesian Networks? What alternatives are there to exact inference? Yes but i t might be complex and you might sometimes have to add new nodes.For example if you want to model an OR-relationship you have to add a new node with truthtable probabilities that match. An alternative to exat inference is probabilistic indifference. Things might not always be true or false with a predefined probability. With probabilistic inference yuou can reuse a full joint distribution as the â€Å"knowledge base† Part 4 Changes in graph Mr. H-S sleeping ( T = 0. 3, F = 0. 7) Mr HS reacts in a competent way: WaterleakWarn. Pumpfailurewarning Mr HS sleeping T T T T F F F F T T F F T T F F T F T F T F T F T 0. 0 0. 8 0. 0 0. 7 0. 0 0. 7 0. 0 0. 0 P(Survives | Meltdown, Mr HS reacts) incresing 9% (0. 9) The   owner had an idea that instead of employing a safety person, to replace the pump with a better one. Is it possible, in your model, to compensate for the lack of Mr H. S. ‘s expertise with a better pump? Yes, by increasing the probability of the pump not failing w ith 0. 05. The chance of survival increases to 0. 99713 Mr   H. S. fell asleep on one of the plant's couches. When he wakes up he hears someone scream: â€Å"There is one or more warning signals beeping in your control room! â€Å". Mr H. S. realizes that he does not have time to fix the error before it is to late (we can assume that he wasn't in the control room at ll). What is the chance of survival for Mr H. S. if he has a car with the same properties as the owner? (notice that this question involves a disjunction which can not be answered by querying the network as is) Clarification:Maybe something could be added to or modified in the network. By adding a new node called warning, which represents the OR-relationship of WaterLeakWarning and PumpFailureWarning, i. e. Warning is true if WaterLeakWarning is true or if PumpFailureWarning is true or if They are both true and is false if they are both false. P(survives) = 0. 98897 if Warning is observed true. What   unrealistic a ssumptions o you make when creating a Bayesian Network model of a person? That a persons actions are predictable and that he never gains more experience as time passes, which would effect the probabilities of his actions. Describe how you would model a more dynamic world where for example the â€Å"IcyWeather† is more likely to be true the next day if it was true the day before. You only have to consider a limited sequence of days. By adding nodes representing the weather of the previous days. E. g. one node representing the day before, one bubble representing the day before that and so on†¦ Tommy Oldeback, tomol475 Emma Ljungberg, emmlj959

Filipino crab mentality Essay

Individuals have been aspiring for a progress in their country. With this kind of mindset, a nation will be able to embrace prosperity. On the other hand, the Philippines still remains to be poor even though we, Filipinos, have been longing for its progression. We have this disease called crab mentality that is one of the reasons that hinders the growth of our nation and is a great obstacle to the entire citizenry of our country. â€Å"If I can’t have it, neither can you. † – A very popular phrase that runs along the way of thinking of many Filipinos. This short-sighted, selfish, non-constructive thinking is called crab mentality. Crab mentality that exists among many Filipinos was first coined by Ninotchka Rosca, is metaphorically illustrated by the behavior of crabs in a bucket. All of them are struggling for survival so they desperately need to get out of the bucket. One crab tries to climb its way out of the bucket but the other crabs beneath him will not let him escape and drags him down, thinking â€Å"If I can’t escape here, then you cannot too. † In the end, all of them will not be able to get out of the bucket. Crab mentality, as narrated by Kane Lawless, is a term used colloquially referring to a person trying to leave an unprivileged-life but is kept from doing so by other people who hold them back for they resent that person’s success. It is an act of keeping others from getting what they want and not wanting others to be successful. This prevalent Crab mentality is also reflected on the famous saying â€Å"we all like our friends to get ahead, but not too far ahead. † The tendency is they knock those people ahead of them down. A person pulls you down just to get them to the top or if it seems that that person can’t get out of his or her bad life, he or she pulls you down so that both of you will share the same misery. Filipino crab mentality entered the picture when the Spaniards colonized our country. Natural-born Filipino natives (indios) worked as servants to the peninsulares (Spaniards born in Spain but residing in the islands) and insulares (Spaniards who were already born in the Islands). In order to survive, indios totally embraced the crab mentality. They destroyed the reputation of a favorite. Once the damage had been done, the indios then presented themselves as better to others for them to become the new favorite of the peninsulares and insulares. Crab mentality was still practiced even after the Spanish colonization where we were next colonized by the Japanese and Americans. Decades passed but until now, traces of crab mentality have remained with modern-day Filipino (Americanenglish. ph). Unfortunately, such mentality is widely shown everywhere. It is found in business, charitable organizations, social networks, politics, education, and religion. It’s also found across race, gender, and even at home. Crab mentality is like a zero sum game where a gain by one player must be matched by a loss of another player. There is no mutually beneficial exchange. There are only losers and winners in this world view, and everyone is into making someone else a loser. It is common in places which have competitive environment like in an organization or at an office. A struggling worker possesses crab mentality for he negates the successful deeds of his coworkers. Workers snag at each other to pull them down rather than congratulating someone who earns a promotion. People who attempts to get out of misery often find themselves foiled by friends and relatives who keep them sucking back in. When someone decided to pursue a college at a prestigious university, some of his friends, neighbors or even family members would discourage him to so that he won’t be able to get out of his bad life situation or that he could not get ahead of them. In the world of politics, there is a character assassination. Politicians possess crustacean sensibilities. According to James, â€Å"the crab mentality in the losers of the election will not let the winners succeed. The crab mentality in them will try to pull those in power down. † For example, if Manny Villar wins, Jamby Madrigal camp will not simply shut up and pray Villar becomes a successful president. If Noynoy Aquino wins, the pro-Manny Villar group will probably not work together with Noynoy in helping him to attain progress for the country. They will not praise for their opponents vision of the Philippines nor they will help each other but they will find a new dirt to throw at someone else face instead. This mentality strikes at all levels. Neighbors are defaming neighbors through bad rumors and gossips. Jeepney drivers flat the tires of their fellow drivers’ jeepney for them not to obtain higher income for the day. Students are destroying their classmates’ work or project so they won’t get higher grades than them. Why is there crab mentality? Crab mentality is manifested by the acts of hate, greed, envy, and jealousy. Men behave like crabs when these acts control their heart. They try to outdo each other because of insecurities and selfishness. The crab mentality exists because of the man’s unseen emotional demands and burning envy of the achievements and possessions of others. When one envies somebody, one of his natural reactions is to knock him down and that best describes crab mentality. Crab mentality is something that can be found in all segments of the society. It is reaching the top at the expense of others. Individuals hinder the path of the one aspiring for progress. They knock others down to acquire their position or to prevent them succeed. Like the crab, some people believe that lifting their selves up is to bring others down. Crab people may try to bring you down with every way they can, with anger, verbal attacks, spreading false information, talking behind your back, destroying your works and efforts, and discouraging you to greener pastures. They’ll ruin your reputation for you to lose your self-confidence and to stop reaching your dreams. We, Filipinos, fall as victim to the malady of crab mentality that wrecks the reputation of our country and that interferes to our nation’s progress. The Philippines just can’t seem to move forward with this mentality and we still wonder why our country remains poor. So who suffers in the end? Who are trapped all together and can’t ever escape in a bucket? All of us. WORKS CITED: Americanenglish. ph. Overcoming Crab Mentality Stigma with Better English Skills. 23 July 2013. Lawless, Kane. â€Å"Crab Mentality† a Universal trait of Mediocrity. The Madness to the Ties That Bind. 26 October 2010. Rosca, Ninotchka. Lily Pad. 05 September 2007. _______, James. The Crab Mentality of the Filipino people. 1 August 2009.

Free Essays on Baseball Strike

On August 12, 1994 professional baseball players went on strike for the eighth time in the sports’ history. Since 1972, negotiations between the union and owners over contract terms has led to major economic problems and the absence of a World Series in 1994. All issues were open for debate due to the expiration of the last contract. Until 1968, no collective bargaining agreement had ever been reached between the owners and the players (Dolan 11). Collective bargaining is the process by which union representatives for employees in a bargaining unit negotiate employment conditions for the entire bargaining unit (Atlantic Unbound). Instead, the players were at the mercy of each owner who possessed the exclusive right, at the close of each season, to resign each player on his roster. If the owner chose to renew a players contract, that player had the option of agreeing to those terms or not playing baseball. As a result of the obvious imbalance in the labor situation, the players attempted on several occasions to organize a union. Although this process may seem like a simple one, baseball has proven that it can be very difficult. The players have been represented by various unions in the twentieth century, all of which have failed until the current union, the Major League Baseball Players Association. After fourteen years of negotiations between the current union and the owners’ representative, the first ‘basic labor agreement’ between the two parties was reached. Led by Marvin Miller in 1968, the players received higher minimum salaries, better health insurance plans, and increases in retirement benefits. These so called â€Å"Basic Agreements† in major industries usually turn out to be more complex. As a result, strikes and lockouts have occurred ever since (Koppett 23). The baseball strike which occurred in 1994 was really about one thing; money. Two major issues led directly to the interruption and eventually the cancellatio... Free Essays on Baseball Strike Free Essays on Baseball Strike On August 12, 1994 professional baseball players went on strike for the eighth time in the sports’ history. Since 1972, negotiations between the union and owners over contract terms has led to major economic problems and the absence of a World Series in 1994. All issues were open for debate due to the expiration of the last contract. Until 1968, no collective bargaining agreement had ever been reached between the owners and the players (Dolan 11). Collective bargaining is the process by which union representatives for employees in a bargaining unit negotiate employment conditions for the entire bargaining unit (Atlantic Unbound). Instead, the players were at the mercy of each owner who possessed the exclusive right, at the close of each season, to resign each player on his roster. If the owner chose to renew a players contract, that player had the option of agreeing to those terms or not playing baseball. As a result of the obvious imbalance in the labor situation, the players attempted on several occasions to organize a union. Although this process may seem like a simple one, baseball has proven that it can be very difficult. The players have been represented by various unions in the twentieth century, all of which have failed until the current union, the Major League Baseball Players Association. After fourteen years of negotiations between the current union and the owners’ representative, the first ‘basic labor agreement’ between the two parties was reached. Led by Marvin Miller in 1968, the players received higher minimum salaries, better health insurance plans, and increases in retirement benefits. These so called â€Å"Basic Agreements† in major industries usually turn out to be more complex. As a result, strikes and lockouts have occurred ever since (Koppett 23). The baseball strike which occurred in 1994 was really about one thing; money. Two major issues led directly to the interruption and eventually the cancellatio...

The arguments for and against the availability of Safe Injecting Rooms Essays

The arguments for and against the availability of Safe Injecting Rooms Essays The arguments for and against the availability of Safe Injecting Rooms Essay The arguments for and against the availability of Safe Injecting Rooms Essay Essay Topic: Arguments Health The risks caused by injecting drug use pose a major public health problem both to injecting drug users and to the wider community. By looking at the arguments for and against the establishing of injecting rooms in any community, especially in Australia, issues are raised that must be considered in any effort to combat the problem of drugs in society. There is public agreement that injecting illicit drugs is a risky activity no matter where or how it is undertaken. Arguments for the availability of safe injecting rooms believe that even though these facilities may not eradicate drug taking, they can make the process less harmful to both the drug users and the public and thus can be a beneficial strategy in the war against drugs. However, the argument against considers injecting rooms as an unnecessary and potentially harmful entity by sending out a misleading message about societys tolerance of drugs, as well as continuing to expose addicts to the risk of overdose and other health problems. Even supporters of the availability of injecting rooms to injecting drug users (IDUs) are quick to point out that the provision of these facilities are only to make it safer, because this activity can never be safe. These venues are provided and supervised by health and welfare organisations for the use of injecting illicit drugs. The main aims of injecting rooms are to reduce the harm experienced by IDUs through reducing the risk of fatal overdose and the transmission of blood borne viruses, as well as reducing the public nuisance of drug users injecting in public places. These aims are to be fulfilled through services such as the provision of sterile injecting equipment and paraphernalia and the provision of means of safe disposal of injecting equipment. The benefits of these two examples are obvious the former aids in controlling the risk of the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, both of greater prevalence among IDUs than in the non-injecting population, and the latter protects not only IDUs but also the public for which needle-stick injuries is a health scare. Injecting rooms are attended to by trained personnel who can provide assistance in case of overdose. An 18 month Australian trial was recently opened in Kings Cross, and in the first week a young man collapsed after shooting up in the facility because he had not used heroin for a few weeks and had a low tolerance. The nurse unit manager who was able to resuscitate him with oxygen saw this as a prime example of the sort of person weve been looking for, a person at that kind of risk (Williams, 2001, p. 9). If the condition of the IDU is more serious than the staff can handle, they can now provide ambulance officers with a known location, leading to faster response time and greater chance of survival. It also benefits the occupational safety and health for ambulance officers. Staff at the injecting room look for opportunities to advise users on less harmful methods of drug use. IDUs account for 90% of Hepatitis C cases (Wodak, 1997) as this is contracted through blood-to-blood contact, which can happen through the sharing of infected needles. For a significant reduction in Hepatitis C cases, drug users should be encouraged to adopt non-injecting routes of administration. A counsellor working in the Australian trial sees the injecting room as a fantastic opportunity to teach drug users about the risks of blood borne viruses and assisting them into treatment (Williams, 2001) and believes that because IDUs meet these workers on territory that allows them to inject in a non-judgemental environment, they are then more likely to follow through on any treatment they agree to. Injecting facilities are established as part of a strategy of harm minimisation and as such work to reduce the harm associated with injecting drug use, not to reduce the levels of drug use. Those who protest against the founding of these facilities believe injecting rooms do not help IDUs. They question the motives of the proponents of harm minimisation, unsure of whom the scheme really benefits: the bureaucrats who are hoping the problem of drugs might then go away, or the community who are tired of drug users who are considered public nuisances, as it appears not to benefit the addicts where it is a case of out of sight, out of mind (NSWCC, 1998). Another fear that people have against the establishing of injecting rooms is that the drug trade will only benefit and increase in relation, as dealers and pushers will know where to go to target those who are looking for drugs so they can then go into an injecting facility to shoot up. This is seen as aiding in the commission of crimes and facilitating illicit drug trafficking (Riley and Humphries, 2000) and the NSW government has had to reassure the public that the trial being run in Kings Cross is not breaching any drug treaties signed by Australia (Riley et al, 2000). However, the fact remains that injecting drug use is illegal and for the trials to be run, the facility has to be protected from the law. At the same time, to be successful and keep the drug trade from booming in the areas around the facility, police would have to protect the very facility that is allowing illegal activity to continue! One area of dispute in the argument for and against injecting rooms is the information that has been published about trials in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. Those for the establishment of injecting rooms have used news such as Swiss injecting rooms not having one fatal overdose since they were established 10 years ago (Wodak, 1997) or that the rate of fatal overdoses in Frankfurt, Germany went down from 150 to 30 within four years of opening injecting rooms (ADF, 1998) as evidence that injecting rooms beneficial. Those against take care to point out that any fatal overdoses that happen to IDUs who inject their drugs in a injecting facility but do not collapse until outside the facility are not counted (Muehlenberg, 1999) and that although the rate of fatal overdoses has reduced, many users are continuing to inject drugs without any thought of quitting their habit. Also, the situation in Europe cannot be directly applied to Australia and so any evidence from the overseas trials should be approached carefully. For example, in Amsterdam certain drugs considered illicit here are legal there and are much more easily obtained and as such the injecting facilities are dealing with different conditions. Another worry involved in the founding of injecting facilities is the mixed messages it may be sending to the youth in society (Wodak, 1997) as it seems that the existence of such a facility says that society approves of drugs by making somewhere comfortable, secure and legal for them to inject drugs; yet at the same time the government continues to pay for advertisements that tell the youth of Australia to not be involved in drug use. It sends messages to existing addicts that society feels it has failed in trying to help them quit and has given up by allowing them to have places where they can freely indulge their habit (NSWCC, 1998). Those opposing injecting rooms sees the founding of these injecting places as comparable to building more pubs for alcoholics, and serves only to create life long addicts who risk dying every time they inject illicit drugs (Muehlenberg, 1999). Those against setting up injecting rooms believe the biggest flaw of the argument of those for injecting rooms is that they pose two alternatives only: would society want addicts injecting in dirty back alleys rather than in clean injecting rooms? (Muehlenberg, 1999) When faced with this decision, it is obvious that people would rather have injecting rooms for the health of IDUs and their own. However, those against injecting rooms believe that there is a third option not taking drugs at all. They believe that programs of education, treatment and rehabilitation for addicts and harsher law enforcement against dealers will be adequate in combating the problem of drugs in society. Realistically it is hard for all addicts to quit and go into rehabilitation without an intermediate step and there are those who believe that injecting rooms can fulfil this purpose. In conclusion, it can be seen that both arguments are based in fact and have the welfare and best interest of IDUs at heart. Those for the establishment of injecting rooms are correct in stating that these facilities can help make the process of injecting illicit drugs safer and cleaner and thus better for the health of IDUs, and are a starting point for counselling and treatment of IDUs who wish to quit their habit. Those against injecting rooms are also right in noting that injecting drugs is an illegal activity and one that continues to be dangerous to addicts even when supervised in sterile conditions due to the detrimental effect of drugs on the human body. However, if the issues raised by both sides can be considered objectively with a view to helping IDUs to first lower the deaths through overdose then to gradually stop them from continuing their damaging habits, then a comprehensive solution may be found that can incorporate injecting rooms as a response against drugs in the community.