Night World : Spellbinder Chapter 17

They walked out to Eric's jeep. The night air was very cold and there was no moon. Thea kept her hand on Eric's back, ready to press if he hesitated. But he never did. At the door of the jeep, Thea looked at Blaise. She was afraid to show any expression. Could Aradia see them? She wanted desperately to give Blaise a last hug. Aradia said, â€Å"Is there a window from the shop onto this street?† Thea looked at Blaise. Blaise said, â€Å"No.† â€Å"Then you can say good-bye. After this you're going to have to pretend not to know each other.† Thea stared at her, then felt a wild choked giggle well up. â€Å"Now I know why you're Maiden,† she said, in a bare whisper. â€Å"But-does anyone else realize?† â€Å"l don't think so. Some may wonder, but I think they'll keep their mouths shut. Say good-bye quick.† Thea hugged Blaise, couldn't make herself let go. â€Å"Thank you. Oh, Eileithyia, Blaise, I'll miss you.† â€Å"Now I'm the last of the Harman line,† Blaise said in a bad imitation of a smirking voice. â€Å"I'll have a bedroom to myself,† she added in more believable tones. â€Å"And I'm going to get Sheena good.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"That's right, you didn't hear. She was the one who turned us in. She's one of Tobias's little girlfriends, Circle Midnight. It seems he's been spying on us. He told her enough that she understood we were doing forbidden spells, and she told Gran.† â€Å"It doesn't matter now.† â€Å"Are you kidding? I'm getting sent to the Convent. I'm going to kill her.† The bells rang as Blaise tossed her head. Then she tightened her grip on Thea. â€Å"I don't know why you want to be with a human,† she whispered. â€Å"But I hope you keep on wanting it now that you have it.† â€Å"Blaise, when you get back-please don't hurt them anymore. They're people. Really.† Blaise sighed noncommittally; Thea could feel it. But all she said, almost too softly for Thea to hear, was, â€Å"I'll miss you-sister.† Then Thea could let go. When she was in the jeep, Aradia leaned into the open door. â€Å"Two things,† she said rapidly. â€Å"And they're all the help I can give you. Mother Cybele mentioned Circle Daybreak. I've heard rumors that there axe witches somewhere who are starting it up again. Witches who want to forget the Burning Times, and who don't hold to Night World law. I don't know if it's true. But if it is, maybe you can find it.† Thea's breath was taken away. The possibility leaped inside her like some unimagined joy. â€Å"And the other thing,† Aradia said, with a rare smile-almost a brief grin. â€Å"Word is that some of your Redfern cousins have started going peculiar. I've even heard that they're talking about finding human soulmates, just like you. You might try and contact them and see what the story is.† Thea's breath came back, and with it, tears. â€Å"Oh, Aradia. Thank you.† â€Å"Good luck, Thea. And Eric. Both of you, wherever you go.† Eric, who had been sitting quietly behind the wheel, reached out to touch her hand lightly. â€Å"And you, too.† Thea could tell by his voice that he was puzzled and dazed, but he was trying not to show it. Then they drove away. Thea turned around to watch Blaise getting smaller and smaller. A little wind blew Blaise's hair, and she looked like a dark and mysterious Aphrodite, a goddess who always did what you least expected. Eric drove fast until they were a good distance from the shop, then pulled to the curb on a tiny residential street. He looked at Thea and said cautiously, â€Å"Am I immune to this stuff? Because I'm not forgetting anything. Or is it going to kick in any minute now?† Thea kissed him. Then she began to laugh hysterically. â€Å"No. No.† â€Å"You mean we're really safe? You're going to keep your powers?† â€Å"Yes! Yes!† She had to keep telling him over and over to convince him. But finally he got it and his face changed. Was transformed by his lightning-bolt smile. He squeezed her and shook her and finally jumped out of the jeep and yelled â€Å"All right! Way to go, Blaise! All right! Yes!† â€Å"Eric!† He pounded the jeep. â€Å"Eric, get back in, you idiot! There might be Night People around.† Then, still laughing uncontrollably with love and gratitude and the relief of tension, she said, â€Å"Come in here.† And she held out her arms. He jumped back in. They fit together perfectly, his arms around her, his breath against her hair. â€Å"I'm so happy,† he said. â€Å"I love you, witch.† Thea was laughing and crying at once. â€Å"I love you, too.† He kissed her temple. She kissed his cheek. Then he kissed her mouth and stayed there for a long while. And Thea forgot about laughing, forgot that there was a world outside the two of them. And then they sat together in the darkness, resting against each other, just breathing. Safe. Connected. Thea was with someone who knew her, who saw what she saw. Her soulmate. And they were free to be with each other, without being hunted, without fear. She was filled with joy and tranquility. And with quiet sadness, too. It wasn't as if this new beginning came free. She still was an exile, cut off from her family. Gran was lost to her. If she saw Blaise, it would have to be in secret. She'd given up a lot. Almost everything. But she didn't regret it. Not with Eric warm and solid in her arms. Not with the Night World saved from civil war, and the threat to the humans here over. And what now? she wondered. Strangely, even though there was no clear answer, she didn't feel afraid. She could visualize many futures, and they all seemed equally likely. Now they would go to Eric's house, and Eric's mother would be puzzled but generous, and Roz would be ferocious but delighted. And next week Thea would go back to school and transfer into honors zoology. She would get a scholarship to Davis and become a vet and use her powers to find out what was wrong with sick animals. Or she would find herself interested in wolves or elephants and would become a naturalist and visit faraway places to study them. Or she and Eric would adopt a puppy like Bud and write a book together to help people understand their dogs. Or she would find Circle Daybreak and meet witches who wanted to forget the Burning Times. And they would be the first to reintroduce humans to magic, and Rosamund would grow up fierce and proud, knowing all the legends of Hellewise. Or she would find her vampire cousins and see if the soulmate principle was really coming back. And their group would be like a magnet, attracting other young Night People with radical ideas, starting an underground revolution. Maybe a new generation of Redferns and Harmans were forming alliances with humans. Maybe it was time for hatred to stop. Maybe the old powers were waking and new times were coming. Maybe the world was about to change. Only one thing was sure. There were infinite possibilities. She held Eric and felt his breathing and was at peace with the night. [The End]

Critical Analysis of Dillard’s “An American Childhood” Essay

Throughout â€Å"An American Childhood†, Dillard shares with us her childhood experiences with her dear mother. Dillard’s admiration for her mother is clearly visible through the way she explains in depth all of the memorable situations and events. Dillard explains how intelligent her mother was and how she always played mind games with her and her sister. The characteristic Dillard displays of her mother can tell the audience that Mother is as unique and spontaneous as can be. After hearing one phrase over the television â€Å"Terwilliger bunts one†, Mother would be using it for over 7 years in odd ways such as saying it to testing a microphone or writing it to test a pen if it had ink. If anyone spoke in French around her she would reply to them with â€Å"Terwilliger bunts one†, just because she liked the way it sounded. During a trip to Florida, she would repeat words that interested her like â€Å"portulaca† or â€Å"Tampiami Trial†. Words always excited her, she would pronounce words carefully and spell them out aloud. She would ask Dillard as a child to spell hard words like â€Å"poinsettia† or â€Å"sherbet†, just to prove to them that they do not know it all yet. She once told Dillard that there was a deer in their hall. Dillard replied, â€Å"Really?†. â€Å"No,† replied Mother,† I just wanted to tell you something once without you saying ‘I know'†. Many of times Dillard was in line at the checkout stand with her mother at supermarkets, the cashier would ask â€Å"Save Stamps?† and mother would reply â€Å"No. I build model airplanes†. The quickness of diction and dry sense of humor makes Mother that much more unique and different from other mothers. When Dillard’s younger sister, Molly, started to crawl, Mother bought her gowns with drawstrings. Mother would walk up behind Molly and step on the drawstrings to get a laugh out of it. Molly would crawl, crawl, and crawl while gaining no distance. Mother exercised her career with anarchism by always dragging Dillard into her gags and pranks. If Mother were to get a call from a wrong number she would hand the phone to Dillard and expect her to act as the intended person who was called. One day at a the Highland Park Zoo, Mother walked up to a couple that were holding hands, sitting on a bench. She interrupted their private time by speaking to the male and acting as an ex-girlfriend who had a baby with the guy. Mother would point to Dillard and say she was their child. Mother then walked away with Dillard in hand waiting for the reaction of the female and answer from the male. Pulling pranks on random people like that which could have such a nasty effect somehow did not bother her. If Mother was ever bored in a situation, she would do something spontaneous to brighten it up. Dillard’s mother dearly loved to fluster people as well. If a board game, like checkers, was becoming dull or she was losing she would throw out game rules to mix it up. While her opponent was not looking she would switch up the pieces or hide them under the rug. During the card game â€Å"Rummy† she would play out of turn or call out a card she did not hold, simply to cause an uproar and watch the reaction. â€Å"She was an unstoppable force†. When Mother moved to a new house, she came marching to the Post Office’s door demanding that she keep her same address because she already had stationary printed with the old address. Dillard’s mother was also a designer for inventions and a remodeler of earlier inventions. The corkscrew irked her the most and she claimed that the inventor of it never used it to see if it worked. Mother designed an invention called the â€Å"Lendalarm† which was a beeper that was attached to a borrowed item. It would beep after ten days and could only be turned off by the owner. Dillard’s mother was encouraged by opposition and would take any one on with passion whether it was a doctor, the mayor, or the President of the United States, she would â€Å"fly at them with a flurry of passion, as a songbird selflessly attacks a hawk†. Dillard’s mother was an incredible and extraordinary person, that expressed her sense of humor and displayed her intelligence every day.

Argo case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Argo - Case Study Example The frequency of their meeting after every three months is evidence that assessment was done appropriately. The change was thoroughly evaluated by the committee and found it right to restructure the client teams. They sought to embark on changing in order to achieve desirable results. In an effort to solve the issue, they deployed an external team of consultants for reviewing the policy. The team interviewed the managers and employees. The team of consultants was also tasked with the responsibility of recommending changes. This indicates that the capacity of the management to asses and review happenings in the organisation was at a good position. Assessment focuses on regular review of the activities and results of the organization to ensure adherence to the excellence model. Through the review, Argo ID was able to identify its strengths. Another area the organisation did well was in deployment. After the team of consultants administered the recommendations, the line manager and questionnaires administered on to the employees on their preferential positions in the new organisation did briefings. The success of deployment was evidenced by the ability of more than 80% of the total number of employees getting their preferred positions. In addition, the rest does not lose anything since they were interviewed for other positions. The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Bill Marshall made presentations that featured how the work was to be done and the scheduling thereof. 2. Argo Areas According to Subcategory (1e) of the Case Study Organizational and Management Review did a review on the way the operations were being conducted and went a step ahead to outsource for services of specialists in order to streamline the situation. The recommendations by the consultants helped reshape the organizational structure of the compa ny hence conserving it from the blink of failure. This time round the approach was rectified, hence changing the expected scenario. The results of the initial process were not right. They called for a reshuffle of the entire employment structure in order for it to deliver desirable results. The failure in achieving the results was expensive to the organisation since they had to re-embark on a new strategy that involved an overhaul of the entire system. Results are the ultimate goal of every organisation, it emanates from a wrong approach taken in implementing a good idea. Sometimes, the approach my be wrongly placed and may not be a making from the individuals involved leading to undesirable results. This was the case with Argo. 3. Site Visit Issues One of the main issues to check in the organisation is the staff interactions in the organisation. The questions are how the employees interact in the organisation at the different levels. The relationship between the juniors and seniors in the organisation is paramount; I would like to know why majority of the staff preferred a change in the place of work. Underlying issues in the organisation may cause a disparity and breakdown in communication. I would also like to know about the structure and the policies of Organizational and Management Review. It seems they play a very important role in the organisation, understanding their composition, the mandate and their way of operating is very important in the organisation. Part B 1. Comments on People Strategy Argo seems to be on a positive trend in achieving satisfaction for the employees. Considering

Strategy Development in the Global Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industry Essay

Strategy Development in the Global Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industry - Essay Example However, with the passage of time, the company realised that they had to compete with other companies in the global arena. Oil companies such as Exxon were giving Shell a run for their money because they were globally managed. In order to respond to this trend, the company opted to change its corporate governance style. They opted to control almost all their downstream sectors through their headquarters in London and The Hague. (Shell, 2008) Corporate governance within Shell had been carried down from almost a century of its existence. In certain scenarios, some critics have argued that this form of structure has cost the company in a number of ways. This is largely because shareholders in the company do not have as much clout as members of the board. The disadvantage of this structural approach can arise when the shareholders feel that their rights are in danger but can do very little to protect it. Bp has been faced with a number of corporate governance challenges. First and foremost, the company grappled with accusations from critics who claimed that it was doing business with a group that had been responsible for human rights abuses in the Baku Ceyhan pipeline. To add insult onto injury, BP was also faced with huge problems in its pricing strategies. This was especially seen in the United Kingdom. In Colombia, the Company was confronted with a law suit where it had been accused of colluding with terrorists to protect their clients. It lost millions of pounds in paying off that settlement. This goes to show that when companies make miscalculations and fail to implement ethical codes, they are the ones who pay for it through expensive law suits and tarnished images. Business ethics Companies need to have specified code of conduct and ethics principles that will guide their day to day practices. Shell as a company has well written down rules that assist employees in sticking to the company's goals and principles. Some of these codes of conduct include; honesty, trust and integrity. While stakeholders and employees may be well aware of rules, abiding by them is another issue altogether. (Zenobank, 2008) The enormity of this matter came to fore during the 2004 business ethics disaster; at that time, the company announced that twenty percent of all the oil reserves that it claims to have a hold to were overestimated. The revelation of such a matter brought shock waves within the Oil trading sector and even resulted in the company's poor performance. In response to this issue, the company changed its leadership structures. This business dismissed its managing Director - Sir Philip Watts and also changed their management structures. Besides this, the company also responded by providing opportunities for whistle blowers to report any irregularities through an official company website. (Beasnat & Cummins, 2005) BP also has a valid code of ethics and its company purports to a sound code of conduct. However, much like its counterpart Shell, the company seems to have fallen short of these high expectations. An example of how the company did this was when it hired an expensive public relations manager to create an Image of an

There is a bleak relationship between liberalism and colonialism Essay

There is a bleak relationship between liberalism and colonialism - Essay Example Colonialism leads to atrocities where liberalism is absent. Elkins acknowledges that British colonialism in Kenya did not give natives right and access to amenities (Elkins 2011: 7374). The system of governance used constituted torture and violence to ensure that Kenyans obeyed the system. Additionally, the use of military agents to deal with Mau Mau insurgents used thepower that denied Kenya access to freedom. The military government received support from the high officials in the colonial government. The illegal use of force to rule Kenya confirms that liberalism cannot thrive where colonialism is practiced. Elkins reveals that the five complainants required hard evidence for them to win the case. One of the documents that were used includes Hanslope Disclosure, and it was used to document cases of violence and detention. The practice of colonialism during British Empire in Kenya led to deaths at least 1,000 Mau Mau suspects through hanging. Bringing colonial warlords to justice gr ants the former colonies a sense of self-actualization. However, the warlords out up a fight and destroy any evidence that can ascertain that they committed atrocities that disrespected human rights. One of the common processes that are used to seek reconciliation between colonialism and liberalism is restorative justice. Elkins argues that liberalism comes through the process of restorative justice (Elkins 2011: 736). Mau Mau suspects and sympathizers were detained amidst massive public support and protests.

The Pleistocene Age Bonneville Flood Event Research Paper

The Pleistocene Age Bonneville Flood Event - Research Paper Example Stunning erosion occurring as neglected channels, run offs, waterfalls, and scabland signifies the path followed by the flood between American Falls and Twin Falls (Malde, 1). This paper will discuss the conditions before this catastrophic flood, the flood events and the aftermath of the flood. Conditions before the Bonneville Flood Lake Bonneville had an enormous volume, which is almost the same with that of Lake Michigan. In addition, before the flood occurred, the lake occupied a vast area of approximately 20,000 square miles in western Utah, eastern Nevada and southern Idaho. Moreover, the surface of Lake Bonneville was roughly one third of the total area of Utah. This means that before the catastrophic flood occurred, the lake covered a very large area and had a huge volume (Austin, 2). Also before the flood event, Lake Bonneville covered seven inter-montane sub-basins of Utah, Nevada and Idaho. Among these sub-basins, three of them were substantially large while the remaining f our were not large enough, they were quite small. As the volume of the water continued to increase, the volume of the lake remained constant causing water to spill over into the Snake River drainage in Southern Idaho (Grayson, 100). Before the occurrence of the great flood, the lake was approximately the level of today’s Great Salt Lake (4,200 feet) at around 28, 000 years ago. As time progressed, the lake started to swell and rise to reach an elevation of roughly 4, 400 feet by approximately 26, 500 years ago. It became more and more hazardous as the lake continued to swell but it did not increase in its size. In addition, the lake continued to swell and rise such that it reached an elevation of 4,500 feet by around 22, 000 years ago. At this point the lake covered an area of approximately 9,300 square miles. This reveals that Lake Bonneville continued to rise through the years, a situation which increased the hazard of the occurrence of a great flood. For the following 1,30 0 years or so, the lake remained constant at approximately this level. However, during this interval, the lake also recorded some falls of approximately 150 meters and then rising occasionally. This phenomenon generated the complex of features referred to the stansbury shoreline (Grayson, 101). The flood event As a result of the constant rising of the water in the lake, the water in the southern side reached the level of 5, 100 feet of the dam. This led to the overflow and marked the beginning of the catastrophic flood. On the south side of the dam, there was extensive potential energy within the lake. This massive potential energy caused erosion, which eventually created a notch on the top of the dam. It then followed that there was a massive discharge of volumes of water as the notch in the dam got deeper, so did the. In addition, as the notch enlarged to form the overflow path, erosion enhanced. The spill was widened as the collapse of the dam commenced reaching to almost one mil e wide. At this point, this became the catastrophic flood with water discharge occurring at roughly 35 million cubic feet per second (Austin, 6). The outflow of the flood crashed down the Portneuf River to the current Pocatello and then followed route as it poured along the Snake River Drainage. The water filled up the whole Snake River Canyon in the current Twin Falls and Shoshone falls and still run

Database Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Database - Essay Example The developer should also specify the data type stored in the database. One should also specify the type of activity to be acted upon each and every screen. Workflows in any system determine the order in which tasks should be carried out and therefore in the database system we should also specify the workflows of the system. One should also specify who can enter delete or update data in the database system. The system should also meet applicable regulatory requirements in the organization. Non functional includes the ability to recover and back up data in the database to prevent loss during failure. Others include data security, privacy issues, privacy issues and minimum hardware and software requirements of the system that the database will run on. Non functional requirements also include performance and configuration requirements such as expected business volumes and system responsiveness. It should also ensure that the system is available for use for when needed. It should also ensure proper utilization on the resources of the computer i.e.; CPU cycles, disk space, memory, bandwidth. The database system should be portable across different platforms the system should also enforce. Finally it should ensure high performance. Certain tasks or features are more critical than others. The system should also be capable of maintaining its performance all through its lifetime. An electronic database provides a highly efficient way of storing data. Its advantages are considerable. It saves time; a properly designed database running on a powerful server can be searched through remarkably easily and within an extraordinarily short time. It also helps to save time lost during transfer of physical data from one office to another. Secondly, a database offers more security, file cabinets can be compromised, stolen, accidentally destroyed, or be misplaced. Databases add

Aiming at greater Workforce Diversity within LOCOG Coursework

Aiming at greater Workforce Diversity within LOCOG - Coursework Example ..............................................3 Increasing organisation’s turnover and cohesiveness.................................................3 Eliminating organisational clash with government or workers union........................4 3. Human resource management contribution to workforce diversity...........................4 Increasing competition and justice in Recruitment....................................................5 Rewarding employees................................................................................................5 Developing SMART goals........................................................................................5 Developing outplacement support............................................................................6 4. Conclusion................................................................................................................6 5. Bibliography.......................................................................... ...................................7 Aiming at greater Workforce Diversity within LOCOG Introduction Diversity in an organisation is an admirable attribute because it creates various opportunities of handling challenges of the organisation. Workforce diversity is evident in an organisation when practices and policies of an organisation consider other approaches to service delivery other the prevailing constituency (Shen, et al., 2009, p. 235). Human resource management theorists attribute organisations’ success to workforce diversity. The idea behind this argument posits that employees’ contribution to the organisation contributes to success. Organisation practices, which include promoting and hiring, must consider avenues, which will bring success to the organisation. Workers demonstrate professional attributes when exposed to environment where their services are relevant (Mannix & Neale, 2005, p. 32). The objective of LOCOG is to offer effective services to clients. The relation between the objective and the span of organisation life demands that it must create an environment, which steers it towards achieving its objective as well as satisfying the employees. Importance of workforce diversity Workforce diversity will enable LOCOG to reflect of clients make up because the organisation’s obligation is to deliver services to multicultural society. For example, Olympic Game fans would come across the globe. The workforce of the organisation must demonstrate that they can service interest of multicultural community. Language factor with respect to employability is an aspect that the organisation must address. The organisation must gear up to global competition. Sourcing of the workers should reflect on global image. Firms offering services in multicultural environment must source employees with multicultural abilities because it would enable the firm to project global image (McCuiston, et al., 2004, p. 75). Innovation is an aspect that LOCOG cannot afford to ignore. The proficiency to develop novel ideas for the firm would come from a diversified workforce. Studies show that homogenous organisations fail to project diversified approaches in handling their challenges because of the commonness (Mannix & Neale, 2005, p. 35). The commonness limits organisation progress because all workers would be thinking in the same way. Societal influences contribute to an individual performance. Many organisations insists on given duration of experience because it has been proved scientifically individual’

Organizational Behavior Essay Example for Free

Organizational Behavior Essay There are basically 2 types of organizational structures commonly found in every organization. Namely these two are the vertical organization or the horizontal organization. (Deal, Kennedy, Deal Kennedy, 2000). I myself have worked in both scenarios and personally favor the horizontal approach as the proposition for success is to work in teams, and cross functional teams. If a company follows a vertical approach then supervision of work becomes a much more difficult task and communication gaps arise which have been termed as the major component of project and process failures. In a horizontal organization hierarchal levels are divided in such a way that management of work becomes easier and people of different departments can share their expertise and knowledge when working together. An organization’s bottom line consists of 2 aspects, which are sales and costs. It is the major objective of any organization to maximize its sales and decrease its costs to the minimum in order to extract maximum revenues and hence increase profits and growth (Belker Topchik,2005). Costs can be reduced when a horizontal structure is being followed as the number of channels through which information flows till it reaches its destination is reduced but opposite is in the case of a vertical approach where any information needs to cross through many channels before it reaches its destination. his results in the altering of the original message which negatively affects business plus due to the number of channels costs also increase (Porter, 1998). In the same way cross functional teams in a horizontal approach can lead to better and efficient performance as each member of the team is representing his or her department and wants to prove his or her abilities, hence this results in more efficient business processes (Singer, 2004). On the other hand a vertical approach makes it difficult for the company to work because no department is ready to share his or her data with other departments and it is difficult to manage the circulation of information throughout the organization, which results in slow business processes and inefficiency.

Fossil Story Essay Example for Free

Fossil Story Essay Northeastern Illinois has a great deal of geological history hidden beneath the surface. If you just take a trip to the Larson Quarry or even Pit 11 you can find some interesting rock formations as well as fossils in them. But, if you cannot get to these areas, this paper can tell you what you can find in 5 different locations in Northeastern Illinois. We will be looking at Larson Quarry, Thornton Quarry, Mazon River, Pit 11, and the Glacial Drift which is at Palos Hills and throughout the surface of the Chicago area). The first stop is the Larson Quarry. This is located near DeKalb, Illinois. The specific coordinates are 42? N, 88? 35’ W at 920 feet. This site contains specimens from 450 million years ago which include trilobites like Flexicalymene, brachiopods like platystropia, rafnesquina, leptaena, the horn coral streptelasma, an unnamed bivalve, bryozoans, various crinoid stem parts, the cephalopod endoceras, and the gastropods cyclonema and malcurites. The rock types and formations that were found around these fossils were Cincinnatian Maquoketa Shale and Galena Dolomite. â€Å"The Maquoketa shale, which contains seams of argillaceous dolomite†¦and ranges from highly to slightly weathered, with the highly weathered portions having the consistency of a stiff clay and are extremely fissile† (Preber). These fossils were preserved by replacement as well as mold and cast. The Mazon River, which is near Morris, Illinois is located at 41? 20’N, 88? 30’W at 525 feet. This site had fossils from 290 million years ago and included seed ferns like alethopteris and neuropteris, true fern Pecopteris, horsetail rush parts calamites (trunk), and annularia (leaf whorl), lycopod tree (club moss) parts and bark lepidodendron, and leaf lepidophylites. The rock types were shale and sandstone as well as coal and the formation was Francis Creek. The Illinois State Museum writes in an article about how Francis Creek formation is formed: â€Å"Much of the area that we now call Illinois was a mixture of swampy lowlands and shallow marine bays. From the northeast flowed at least one major river system. The river(s) built large deltas through the low swamps and into the shallow bays. The mud that the river(s) carried was deposited in these deltas and bays. This mud turned into a rock called the Francis Creek Shale†. The preservation type was impressions in concretions. Next is Pit 11 which is the Mazonia/Briadwaood State Fish and Wildlife area at 41? 15’N, 88? 15’W at 590 feet. These specimens were found from 290 million years ago. The fossils include the same basic plants as the Mazon River. They also include jellyfish like the essexella, the shrimp belotelson, clams like edmontia and aviculopectin, an unnamed marine annelid worm, a possible fish fossil coprolite, the infamous Tully Monster: tullymonstrum, and the echinoderm sea cucumber holothurian. The rock types that held these fossils were shale and sandstone, as well as coal. These were in a Francis Creek formation. These fossils were preserved by impressions in concretions. It becomes quite apparent that there are certain biases in how and what fossils are preserved. Some species, notably Pecopteris unita, are found with fertile structures nearly half of the time while others like the more common true fern, Pecopteris acadica, are rarely seen with fertile structures being preserved at all† (Mazon Creek†¦). This tells us how these fossils were formed. Thornton Quarry, at coordinates 41? 35’ N, 87? 35’ W at 590 to 250 feet, is located on the south side of Chicago. This Quarry was formed 420 million years ago and includes fossils such as the trilobite calymene, brachiopod pentamerus, corals like favosite and halysites, an unnamed crinoid stem and the cephalopod moorecoceras. The rock types that were here were limestone-dolomite in Niagaran Racine Dolomite with fossils in mold and cast. â€Å"The most famous reef unearthed in the Chicago area is the coral reef†¦Debris from the growing reef began to be deposited and cemented. The reefs contained sea lilies, animals resembling horseshoe crabs, and ancient ancestors of squids and octopuses up to ten feet long. The ashy, gray-white limestone mined from the Thornton Reef contains the fossils of these animals† (Herweck). The reason that there are multiple types of coral is because this area was at the bottom of the Silurian Sea and molded well into the limestone. Lastly, we visit Palos Hills which includes the Glacial Drift. This area was from ~15,000 years ago and showed deposits of unconsolidated pebbles, sand, silt ad clay which contain mixed rocks of 400 million to 1 billion years old at 41? 41’N, 87? 50’ W at 772 feet. The fossils found here are mammoth or mastodon remains that are preserved as unaltered hard parts. There are also mixed marine fossils including crinoid stems, brachiopods, corals like hexagonaria (Petosky Stone) and trilobite parts, where were preserved as mold and cast r replacement. The glacial till include striated rocks composed of a mixture of many types including sedimentary (limestone/dolomite), igneous (granite, basalt) and metamorphic (gneiss). The formation was Valparaiso Moraine. â€Å"At this time, glacial ice covered the entire Chicago region†¦. the active ice sheet retreated into the Lake Michigan basin, although stagnant, melting ice remained behind. The ice then rapidly re-advanced to the†¦Valparaiso moraine in the western Chicago region† (Grimm). The glaciers that were in Chicago made a big impact on picking up rocks and sand and dirt from other regions and bringing it into the area, which is a reason why you may find interesting things in the area and that rocks age from 400 million to 1 billion years ago. The areas that we can find an assortment of fossils and rock formations are abundant in Illinois and have a wide variety of ages. From this summary, you can see what type of rock are around Northeastern Illinois and what type of animals, plants, and rocks were around from different periods and what type of environment they must have lived in.

The Pakistani Construction Chemical Industry Marketing Essay

The Pakistani Construction Chemical Industry Marketing Essay Construction Chemicals are the broad range of chemicals that are used as additives before or after construction stages to enhance the strength and durability of concrete structures. These range of construction chemicals are further divided into admixtures, flooring adhesives, water proofing, surface treatments, sealants, grouts and anchors, depending on their use in various applications of repair and construction. The Pakistani construction chemical industry despite its troubled economy is growing at a steady rate due to availability of natural resources and construction projects within country and neighboring Afghanistan. Construction chemical industry is very closely related to construction industry and is very much dependent over it. Many international companies those are considered as pioneers and giants in construction chemicals have developed construction sites in Pakistan to capture this geographic segment. Many local companies have also stepped in this line of business and are adapting international standards in technology and processes that has increased this industry magnitude but also developed the competition. Though it is a growing industry in local perspective yet at the same time on a smaller level it also attracts the attention of the niche segment of qualified people who know what will be the ultimate satisfaction that they will receive after using such type of products and se rvices. Internship in MBA program is very helpful in understanding the standards, codes and ethics that are practiced in real markets. As a marketing student to gain information on how companies in this competition adopt marketing strategies and focus on the needs and wants of the customers to stay contemporary and profitable. For this purpose I took internship in marketing department of Ultra Chemicals, a construction chemicals company whose industry is very dynamic. The company started its business in 2003 as a licensee of Ultra Construction Chemicals LLC USA and specializes in importing and manufacturing of construction chemicals Admixtures Surface Treatments, Grouts and Anchors, Water proofing Materials, Industrial Floorings, Concrete Protective Coatings, Joint Sealants Adhesives. I gained a lot of practical experience working in this company and I am quite confident that this exposure will have a positive impact on given assignments and entrepreneurial activities as a professional in marketing. I did internship for six weeks of one week in finance department and rest in marketing department to have a broad exposure. Working in finance department was more like to get a general idea about department functions and I was able to get interaction with finance department staff and watched their general activities. Higher management corporation and support helped very much in gaining the inside view of the organization processes and making it a good learning experience. During the internship period I met many clients, people in the marketing field and observed their activities. In this report I have discussed technical terms that are used in this industry and conducted SWOT analysis. At the end of this report I have made some conclusions and recommendations for the c ompany. Vision and Mission statements are as follows: Vision Statement: To be the leader in chemical industry and to serve commercial, residential and industrial construction by utilizing our vast research, expertise and experience. Mission Statement: We at Ultra chemicals are totally committed to developing customer-valued, admixtures, surface treatments, protective coatings concrete repairs, industrial flooring, grouts anchors, adhesives, waterproofing sealants solutions. Our focus is directed toward continuous improvement, superior quality and exceptional service. Table of contents Serial No. Topic Page No. 01 Overview of the Organization 8 i. Brief history 8 ii. Nature of the organization 9 iii. Product lines 10 iv. Brand portfolio of the organization 11 v. Strategies of branding used by the organization 12 vi. List of main clients of UC 13 vii. List of main competitors of UC 18 02 Organizational structure 19 i. Organizational Hierarchy chart 19 ii. Number of employees 20 iii. Introduction of all the departments 20 iv. Comments on the organizational structure 21 03 Plan of my internship program 21 i. A brief introduction to head office 21 ii. Starting and ending dates of my internship 21 iii. Names of the departments in which I got training 21 04 Training program 22 i. Description of activities performed by departments 22 ii. Description of the tasks assigned tasks 22 05 Structure of Marketing Department 25 i. Department hierarchy 25 ii. Number of employees in Marketing department 26 iii. Marketing operations 26 06 Functions of Marketing Department 27 i. Segmentation strategy 28 ii. Target marketing strategy 28 iii. Product planning, development management 28 iv. Positioning 29 v. Pricing strategy 30 vi. Distribution strategy 34 vii. Promotional strategy 35 07 Structure of the Sales Department 36 i. Department hierarchy 36 ii. Number of employees working in sales department 36 iii. Sales operations 36 08 Function of Sales Department 37 i. Sales methodology 37 ii. Type of selling 37 iii. Sales returns procedures 38 09 Customer Services Department 39 i. Process of developing relations with customers 39 ii. Techniques of retaining the customers 40 iii. Techniques of attracting new customers 40 iv. Ways of handling different kinds of customers 40 10 Critical Analysis of UC 42 11 SWOT analysis 44 12 Conclusion 46 13 Recommendations 46 14 References 47 Overview of the Organization Brief history of organization: Ultra Chemicals, LLC. a, USA based company adopting Market Development and Product Development Strategies formed its subsidiary, Ultra Construction Chemicals (PVT) Limited. The company started its operations in Pakistan in 2003. It provide improved quality construction additives as well as technical support to different sites including Commercial, Residential, Housing Societies, Underpasses, Flyovers, Dams, Hydro powers, Combined Cycle Power Projects, Bridge Structures, Airports and Canal Lining etc by utilizing research and expertise to serving valued customers throughout its region. Nature of organization: The Company imports raw materials of most of its chemical products from various countries like, Japan, Korea, Russia, South Africa and America. Admixtures are blended and mixed at Ultra chemical Processing Unit which is located exactly 4KM, off Ferozpur Road, Lahore Epoxies in finished form are directly imported from Japan Korea through its parent company. These are imported in bulk quantities and re-packed into small tin packs for further selling to the customers. The Company has strong technical team which provides technical services and supervisions to its customers. The services include product applications, Precaution, port life, full cure time, and final strength of the products and concrete cubes. The business is classified as consumer durables because the nature and use of the products in processes and projects are made so that the projects have extended lives and durability in their structures. iii) Product Lines and Brand Portfolio of the organization: The company offers a complete range of construction chemicals/additives which are used to enhance concrete structure life, workability, quality, and strength. The wide range of construction chemicals products includes: Concrete Admixture Ultra Powder 2000 Ultra Super Plast 470 Ultra Grouts n Anchors Ultra Lock E3-GP Surface Treatment Ultra Curing Compound Industrial Flooring Ultra Hard Floor Protective Coating Ultra Tuffcoat-90 Water Proofing Ultra Seal Grey Joints Sealants etc Ultra Poly Urethane Sealant Strategies of branding: Branding Strategy plays an important role in creating a, sign, symbol, and name that differentiates and identifies a product from other products. An effective branding strategy provides you a chance to penetrate and increase market shares in a competitive market. Branding is very particular in nature that a company adopts under some condition like product, consumer behavior and company position in competitive environment. The company has adopted Range Brand Strategy. This strategy offers one brand name through a single promise for a range of products belonging to the same area of competence. Ultra Construction Chemical has only one brand name (Ultra) which is used for all of its range of interrelated products. Main Clients: National Level Project References International Air Port Sialkot. Greater Thai Canal. Kachi Canal. Rainee Canal. KCI Chashma. Satpara Dam. Sher Shah Bridge Multan. Mole Power Project Kohat. Head Baloki Thermal Power Station. Islamabad Muree Motorway. Lahore to Gujranwala Road Bridges. Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. Chief Minister Secretariat Lahore. President House Islamabad. Prime Minister House Islamabad. Metro Cash Carry. Industrial Sector (Cement Industry) Pioneer Cement Factory Joharabad. Best Way Cement Factory Chakwal. Gharibwal Cement Factory Find Dadan Khan. Saadi Cement Factory Hattar. Mustehkum Cement Factory Hattar. Fauji Cement Factory Fatah Jhang. Thatta Cement Factory Sindh. Lucky Cement Factory Karachi. Pakistan Cement Factory Chakwal. DG Cement Factory D.G Khan. Leather, Textile Industries Etc. East Pakistan Chroome Tainery Shaikhupura. Universal Leather Kahna Lahore. Yusaf Tainery Sahiwal. Dada Tainery Ferozpur Road Lahore. Sapphire Finishing Raiwind Lahore. Nishat Mills Defence Road Lahore. Nishat Chunian. Five Star International Faisalabad. Manakine Textile Rohi Nala Lahore. Ehsan Sons Raiwind Master Textiles Raiwind Koh-e-Noor Textile Raiwind Mange Road Lahore. Mayfair Textile Raiwind Azgard-9 Raiwind. Akash Textile Faisalabad. Sonex Tiles Industry Kamokey. Mater Tiles Gujranwala. Bata Pakistan. Nestle Pakistan Kbirwala Sheikhupura. Pak Arab Fertilizer Fatima Fertilizer Rahim Yaar Khan. Angro Fertilizer Ghotki. Ghani Glass Industries. Honda Car Factory Multan Road Lahore. Honda Motorcycle Sheikhupura Raod Lahore. LG Factory Sunder Industrial Estate Lahore. Faisal Asad Textile Layyah. Coca Cola Lahore Pepsi Cola Lahore. Sunder Industrial Estate Lahore. Clariant Pakistan Jamshoro. Millat Tractors Sheikhupura Road Lahore. KSB Pumps. Doctor Hospital Lahore. Adil Hospital Defence Lahore. Precast Industries: Izhar Group of Companies. Izhar Pvt. Ltd. Gondal Precast Gujrat. Imam Co Jamal Precast Rawalpindi. Saeed Precast Kohat. Rana Concrete Lahore. Junaid Pool Plant. Potential Engineers C-Mix Concrete Lahore Pharmaceutical Industries: Ameer Pharma Shaikhupura Road. Sharooq Pharma Ferozpur Road Lahore. Shahzaib Pharma Haripur. Pharmajin Ferozpur Road. Gyton Pharma Raiwind Road. Glaxo Smith Kot Lakhpat. Selmore Pharma Multan Road Lahore. International Pharma Defence Road Lahore. Zakfas Pharma Multan. Mass Pharma Raiwind Ethical Lab Thokar Niaz Baig Lahore. Mac Rains Pharma Raiwind Road. Shopping Centers, Housing Sectors: Pace Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. Rabi Centre Lahore. Ahad Tower Lahore AH Tower M.M. Alam Road Lahore. Pak Gulf-7 Star Islamabad. Sethi Motors Model Town More Lahore. Essem Hotel Islamabad. Emmar Housing Project Islamabad. Defence Housing Authority Lahore. Eden Developers/Housing. Bahria Town Lahore Rawalpindi. EME Society DHA Multan Road Lahore. City School System. Beacon House Schools System. Salamat School System. Laccas School System. Punjab Group of Colleges. Askari Villas Airport Lahore. Aero Developers Mubarak Sales Center Lahore. Al-Gugair Giga Tower Karachi. Rehman Hospital Ferozpur Road Lahore. Thokhar Niaz Baig Fly Over Lahore. Muslim Tower Under Pass Lahore. Royal Palm Golf Club Lahore. Warid , U Fone,Telenor Towers. Main competitors List of major competitors is appended below SIKA International BASF Pakistan FOS-Pak Construction Chemical (Pvt) Ltd ABE- Construction Chemical (Pvt) Ltd Imporient Construction Chemicals (Pvt) Ltd Zohebia Construction (Pvt) Ltd Organizational Structure The organizational structure of Ultra Chemicals has functional departmentalization structure with centralized decision making. i) Organizational Hierarchy chart ii) Number of employees The total numbers of employees working in Ultra Construction Chemicals offices (head office branch offices) and in factory are 120 iii) Introduction of all departments. Human Resource Department: Human resource department of Ultra construction chemical dealing with matters of employees like, training, hiring, labor relations and benefits. Human resource management also plays an important role to make employee labor force well-organized as well as maintaining employee database. Finance Department: Every organization plays an important role to meet the need of all of its stake holders. This is true in the finance sector. Ultra construction chemical has a strong finance department which plays a broad range of roles to under take inside and outside of its business. The finance department of Ultra construction chemicals handles all traditional responsibilities and finance matter such as finance accounting, payroll management, recoveries, estimating and handling cash in hand and outflow, record keeping and managing liquidity. Marketing Department: It is the major responsibility of marketing department of Planning and coordination of all marketing activities. Ultra construction chemicals marketing department works to promote their products at reasonable price in the market. The marketing department of Ultra construction chemicals is also responsible of generating new inquiries, through tender opening, news papers, building consultants, contractors and media. Developing long term relation with exiting as well as new customers. Sales Department: The sales department of Ultra construction chemical is responsible for the sales of the companys manufactured products and services. Payment collection, after sales services, logistic, controlling and assessing sales force activities is also duty of Ultra Chemicals sales department. Comments on the organizational structure : Ultra Construction chemical has departmentalization decision making structure. It includes wide span of control with central decision making approach. This type of decision making strategy is good for company products, services and business. fa 3. Plan of internship program: i) Brief introduction of head office: Ultra Chemicals head office is situated in 26 CC-2 Civic Centre, Central Plaza, New Garden Town Lahore, where I conducted my internship. It is floor which is divided into four departments that include finance, marketing, sales and human resource departments. ii) Starting and ending dates of Internship: Staring date of my internship is June 01, 2010 and ending date is July 13, 2010. iii) Names of the departments in which I got my training: Finance Department I got training in Finance department for one week starting from June 01, 2010 to June 08, 2010 and learned voucher entries, book keeping, journal entries. Sales Marketing Departments From June 09, 2010 till the completion of my internship. During this tenure, I learned / performed the following: Companies Marketing policies Market Analysis Prepared Marketing Plan Promoting Companys products Understanding customers needs requirements 4) Training program: Internship Training program started on June 01, 2010 and ended on July 07, 2010 i) Detailed Description of the operations performed by the department: a) Finance department: Activities of this department are recovery of cash from clients and agencies, preparation of budget, payroll management, account maintaining and keeping records. b) Marketing department: This department is responsible for conducting marketing research, advertising and promotion, devise a marketing plan, manage product portfolio. In addition to these activities this department focuses on customer needs, develop and communicate with customers, develop plans that would help in gaining a competitive edge in competition. Detailed description of assigned tasks: Separate target and separate responsibility is assigned to sales representative. I had to meet 0.6 Million Sales Target during my Internship meeting with chief civil engineer: (M. Israr Farrooqi) , discussion regarding epoxy sacreeding (used in hygienic chemical resistant floor in food departments, hospitals lobby, beverages, food processing plant, pharmaceuticals production plant, cold storage ) and self leveling in new cereal plan building Visit to Head of construction, Mr Khwaja Tasueef at Metro cash carry Thokar Niaz Baig Lahore for water steel structure water proofing with(epoxy primer, intra seal flex=high elongation coating pasting of polyester fiber, c) Visit to Sapphire power plant Muridke: Met Mr. Rana Khaliq ur Zaman Arif and discussion regarding grouting of diesel tank pipes with some high strength epoxy material. And surface treatment of water unloading station of acids like (caustic soda, HCL, H2so4 (sulphuric acid) and water proofing of underground storage tanks d) Visit to Nishat Mills Ltd: Its head office is situated at 7 Main gulberg, Lahore. I had a detailed discussion with Mr. Khurram Procurement Manager regarding all construction products specially focused on related jobs like grouting of power looms machines foundation. e) Visit to Coca Cola concentrated plant: It is situated 1 N Gulberg industrial area Lahore. A brief discussion with Raza Ali maintenance manager regarding epoxy sacreeding and self leveling of floor (hygienic coating) for hygienic conditions such as non bacterial growth. f) Visit to Descon Engineering Limited: The head office is located at Ferozpur road Lahore. A detailed discussion with Mr. Rafiq (Project Buyer) regarding treatment of expansion joints Ultra Safe Lastic-V (sealant for vertical surface) for Mangla dam Projects and Satpara Dam Project for rebarring of concrete structures. g) Visit to Dawood Hercules Sheikhupura raod lahore: The corporate Head office: 35-A, Shahrah-e-Abdul Hameed Bin Baadees (Empress Road), Lahore 54000, Pakistan. I have conducted a meeting with Mr. Rasheed (chief civil) regarding workshop floors treatments with some epoxy high strength materials and surface treatment of cooling tower basin with some cement materials and polymer added mortar. 5) Structure of the Marketing Department: Marketing department has a traditional structure with decentralized decision making and narrow span of control. i) Department hierarchy: ii) Number of employees working in the Marketing department: There are ten employees working in marketing department of Lahore head office. iii) Marketing Operations: Marketing department of Ultra Chemicals performs various activities to enhance the positioning of brand and products. Performing activities to measure marketing and planning, advertising budgets, project work and promotional campaign results while systematically improving effectiveness and efficiency. Generate market reports: After completion of each project the marketing department makes reports and analysis of the completed projects. To make budgets: It is a planned activity that allocates revenues and expenses that are needed to carry out various marketing activities. It also covers pricing decisions specific to clients, rewarding employees with bonuses and also to make product range more innovative. Brand Management: Brand image is positioned so that the perceived value to the customer would increase brand equity by continuously improving the band contract . Pricing Pricing objectives and strategies are defined, in order to have optimal pricing. Terms and conditions of pricing are also established. 6) Functions of the Marketing Department: To Conduct market research: Market researchers conduct the research, prepare reports and present to marketing director. Promotion and Advertising: To expand customer base and find new customers are key assets to any firm specially in this challenging industry. Advertising and promotion strategies are used to find and attract new customers. For this purpose Ultra Chemicals launched many campaigns to increase their brand awareness by effective advertising and promotions systems. Prepare Marketing Plan: Marketing plan is prepared at the start of the year, targets are set to achieve and strategies are adopted to achieve these goals. Based on market research and analysis a plan is prepared and managers make sure that objectives are carried out without delays. Segmentation strategy: Segmentation strategy depends on the market potential and the ability to satisfy the customer needs. For this reports from market research process are consulted. Segmentation strategy used by Ultra Chemicals is 1) Geographic Segmentation: Geographic segmentation is the dividing of the target market in various segments depending on the customers usage and demands for those products. Clients of Ultra Chemicals are from various cities, and construction sites within Pakistan that require the products produced. 2) Behavioral Segmentation: Behavioral segmentation is the dividing of the target market in segments according to potential buyers of products and their knowledge, usage and attitude towards that product. Products of Ultra Chemicals are used by such people and professionals who are knowledgeable and understand the brand promise that it offers, because they are looking for quality and durability. ii) Target marketing strategy: Market research process also define the target market that helps in identifying those market segments that are potential clients and agencies that utilizes the products services produced by a company. Right identification of the target market helps in saving time and monetary costs. Target market primarily includes those customers, regions and all those projects that are related with construction industry. The nature of this industry requires a market that is composed of knowledgeable and technical people who know what value and promises this brand offers. Though it is a growing industry in local perspective yet at the same time on a smaller level it can depends and target the niche segment of qualified people who know what will be the ultimate satisfaction that they will receive after using these products. On a larger scale Ultra Chemicals targets large scale projects. After identification and selection of target market, strategies used by Ultra Chemicals are product and market specialization with full market coverage that span over whole country. Product specialization is used because the company has the potential to customize the products according to the need of their client agencies, and market specialization is used because the company offers this target market a variety of its products for usage. iii) Product planning, development management: Product Planning: After market research and careful analysis of market opportunities and assessing the needs of the customers, product planning process is started which aims at answering questions like which new product should be introduced or are there any modifications that can be made in the current product portfolio. What will be the process of after sales service and at what time the product should be introduced in the market. However basic product planning starts with idea generation many internal sources like customers, suppliers etc are consulted. When data is gathered from various sources is gathered, further screening and short-list is made and more feasible ideas is selected. Product Development: Ultra Chemicals manufacture their products in their production plant which is situated at Defence Road Rohi Nala, Opp: Kacha Tiba Village, Industrial State Lahore. Basic raw materials are imported from various countries and under the supervision of qualified team of plant managers, supervisors and chemical analysts products are manufactured according to ASTM (American Standard testing Method) which is an international standard developed by American society for testing materials. Product management: When new product is developed then it is managed by commercialization which deals with the timing of the launch of the new product, also where and when to launch the product. After that test marketing is carried out where the product is tested in real market setting. Ultra Chemicals uses the push strategy and send out notifications, samples and promotional material to their regular clients and make the characteristics of the product known and managed through a communication network of professionals and customer service. All products of Ultra Chemicals are leveraged under its unique brand name. iv) Positioning: Positioning is what we do to the mind of our customers it should be done carefully because it is the foundation on which other marketing decisions are built. Any change in the positioning can result in price fluctuations. Since the launch of Ultra Chemicals in 2003, the company has done effective promotional campaigns and developed a large customer base. They were successful in setting the perception of a company that offers a wide range of high quality to meet the need of customers by enhancing the safety, durability and design of construction. These activities resulted in good brand positioning and the perception of their products carry values of strength, reliability, durability and adaptability. Customers know that the brand fulfill its set of promises. There may be multiple positioning strategies based on the target market segment, but based on the nature of industry and business Ultra Chemicals positioning strategy is universal for all its segments i.e. to deliver strength, durability, and life of the projects. v) Pricing strategy: Pricing is the very important factor in the product mix. In positioning of the company products pricing can affect companys image and attitude of the customers. It is very strategic in nature and require careful planning. Price fluctuations can result due to a change in the positioning of the company. A firm operates in an environment that is composed of factors like competitors and legal systems such as price controls to prevent pricing too high or too low. A firm should also consider that setting a price too low can lead to price war among competitors. There are various pricing objectives that a firm pursues To maximize profit Increase revenue Increase selling Increase profit margin Use pricing to signal high quality Only meeting costs to stay in market Avoiding price wars Based on desired objectives a firm can pursue various pricing strategies like Cost plus pricing Premium pricing Psychological pricing Target base pricing It is generally accepted that the price should not be lower than the costs associated in conducting activities. Ultra Chemicals pricing objectives are to increase profit margin and use price to signal high quality. There strategy is based on psychological and premium pricing strategies. Psychological pricing is used because the brand is already positioned in customer mind as having value attached of strength, durability and reliability that gives mental satisfaction with not much burden on budget. Customers take price as a sign of quality. Premium or value based pricing is also used based on the value that it has created for customer. Customers are priced according to the performance of products and technical expertise provided by the company. This pricing is very profitable for Ultra Chemicals and a high profit margin is set on it. As general practice prices are quoted to customers with thirty days validity that is subjected to change due to circumstances. There are factors that affect the pricing mechanism of Ultra Chemicals. Any ch

Physics of Skiing :: physics sport sports ski skiing

Skiing is an old sport; the oldest artifacts date back over 4000 years. It was developed in the Scandinavian region, especially Norway, and didn't spread to the rest of Europe until the sixteenth or seventeenth century. It probably came over with Norwegian and German immigrants during the nineteenth century. Skiing relies on many different forms physics. Newton's Laws of Motion, the transformation of potential energy into kinetic energy, air resistance, circular motion, even conservation of circular momentum is used as skiers pump upwards during a turn. Friction is by far the least understood of these forces. The surface of snow is a strange interaction between water, ice and water vapor, the three forms of water found on Earth. Snow changes properties and is difficult to measure and study in its natural environment. Snow changes properties and is difficult to measure and study in its natural environment. Ice Crystals form when water vapor condenses around and freezes upon a foreign particle such as dust or sea salt. These Ice crystals then form various varieties of snow flakes. Snowflakes can fall in many forms, including ferns, crystals and needles. These snow flakes begin transforming as soon as they hit the ground. They begin to morph in a combination of melting, freezing, evaporation and sublimation*. They become needles, columns, and finally simple round pellets. * Sublimation is when ice evaporates directly instead of melting first to water and then evaporating. These pellets the bond again through a process of melting, freezing, evaporation and sublimation at their contact points, this creates a strong snow pack. Snow Compaction and Work One thing that slows a skier down is the compaction of the snow beneath a skier. Snow is mostly air and this allows a great degree of compaction. On packed trails, this compaction is negligible and contributes only slightly to the friction of the snow on the skis. This diagram shows a skier who travels l distance on unpacked snow and sinks in h into the snow. Logically, the distance the skier sinks in, h, is proportional to the skiers weight, FN. Work is defined as a force applied over a distance. The work needed to propel the skier l distance through the snow is the same as the work done be the skiers weight along the height, h. the force used to move the skier is defined as FFORWARD then FN*h= FFORWARD*l With different types of snow, a skier with the same weight will sink in different distances.

An Analysis of Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken Essay -- Road Not Tak

An Analysis of Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken In "The Road Not Taken," by Robert Frost, many questions arose about the meaning of the poem. One common interpretation of the poem about assertion of individualism, where the speaker is taking the road not traveled so that he can assert his individualism, is a nice interpretation. However, I believe that the speaker is really having a hard time making up his mind, and the poem is a conversation with himself trying to rationalize his decision. It seems as if both ways might lead to great occurrences, but only one way is the right way. There are four points in the poem that stick out where the speaker is either vague and unclear or contradictory in evaluating his choices. The first is in the first stanza where it says "And sorry I could not travel both"(2). The second point is contradictory and between lines seven through ten particularly, where the speaker is musing over which path to take. Another particularly interesting point is in line thirteen where it says, "Oh, I kept the first for another day!" And the final point to look at is in line sixteen where Frost writes the vague word "sigh," with no further explanation as to its connotation. "And sorry I could not travel both" (2). This seems to be a no-brainer observation, but also one that many struggle with. The choices that are made in day-to-day lives are ones that will stick with that person forever, and many times it can be frustrating not to at least explore what the other choice could have had in store. There are limitations to being human and finite, and one of those is the inability to look in the future and know what is the best possible decision will be. It is important to look at all possible outcome... ...as a happy and reflective sigh, as if to indicate satisfaction in the decision he made. Either way could completely change the tone of the poem, depending on the meaning of the simple word sigh. To eliminate the controversy hear, it could be important to think of a sigh as an audible release of breath, or as a contemplative sigh, as if Frost were simply thinking of the past. Frost is a brilliant poet who allows the reader to sink into the poetry so that the reader has an opportunity to view the poetry in his or her particular way. It is interesting to note some of the potentially confusing or sticking points in the poem that can cause some individual reflection. This allows the reader to have their own special connection to the poem, because a poem can conjure up many different thoughts in many different people. Frost was a poet who had that great ability.

Organisation development Essay

Organisations are human communities, which are formed by bringing people together to communicate, intact and build ties to help each other to create meaning together. Information plays an important role in building these societies and providing knowledge about the task people perform. The information networks created by the organisations help the people to adopt the environment. Build and develop communication networks, improves learning process, develops sense of understanding and sharing between the people, provides a platform to discuss discoveries and innovations, provide the people with chance to learn after making mistakes. A learning organisation intentionally designs the structures and strategies in order to enhance and maximise the learning of its employees. (Dodgson, 1993) With the changing environment of business and advancing technology the notion of the Learning organisations has gained much more importance. Learning has become an important characteristic of an organisation in order to compete in the global business. Learning is a volatile and dynamic concept through which the process of updating in an organisation takes place. With the growing size of the corporations and continuous innovations in the field of technology the individual learning has transformed to the notion of the organisational learning. The notion of learning plays an important part in the progress of an individual just like that the learning on the organisational level plays an important part in the growth of an organisation. The organisational group of people can define the organisational learning as the sum of the learning activities of the individual, which takes the shape of combined effort (Dodgson, 1993; Fiol & Lyles, 1985). An organisational learning program should be designed in the way that it is not lost when the members of the organisation leave the organisation. The learning system of an effective learning organisation not only serve the purpose of the present employees but also cater the needs of the future employees by the accumulation of histories, experiences, norms, and stories. In the highly competitive environment of the business in today’s high pace changing business environment enhancing the learning capabilities of business is the solution of half of the problems (Prahalad & Hamel, 1994). Equally important is the creation of an unlearning organisation which essentially means that the organisation must forget some of its past. Thus, learning occurs amidst such conflicting factors (Dodgson, 1993). Most of the leading companies of the world like Shell were among the first to embrace the notion of learning. In Shell Arie de Geus described learning as the only strategy to compete effectively. Hence learning organisation can be defined as â€Å"The essence of organisational learning is the organisation’s ability to use the amazing mental capacity of all its members to create the kind of processes that will improve its own† (Dixon, 1994) A Learning Company is an organisation that facilitates the learning of all its members and continually transforms itself† (Pedler, Burgoyne & Boydell, 1991) â€Å"Organisations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to learn together† (Peter Senge, 1990) The following are the important characteristics of the learning organisations: †¢ Learning organisations adopts the external environments. They are flexible and continue the process of change. †¢ Depicts the combination of individual and collective learning. †¢ Keeps on learning with the outcomes. Learning can be done in two ways. 1) Single loop 2) Double loop In single loop learning people learn in a way prescribed to them by the organisation. In double loop learning people, people not only learn in a prescribed way but also can question and can change the framework. The ability to use double loop learning is a key to success for today’s organisations. Motorola puts great emphasise on the learning of its employees. It has created a strategic partnership with the ACS corporation in order to gain is tent expertise in learning and HR so that all the HR and training activities world-wide can be improved and modernised. The $650million contract has created a new business unit, which will play part in improvement of the HR and learning of employees. The step has been taken in order to gain world class management of administrative and transactional function related to HR with training and development. Many of the Motorola’s former employees provide virtual end-to-end HR capabilities. This is done in order to retain control over strategic areas. Developmental needs and assessment: Motorola has brought dramatic transformation in its training policy by shifting its rigid training hours of classroom training to a relatively flexible learning program individually designed for an employee. Motorola aims at improving the careers of its former employees. It is estimated that the people who focus only on training as a career are more enthusiasts rather than those in support function. The arrangement will put emphasis on the IT oriented skills development of employees at Motorola. (Harris, 2003)

An Inspector Calls Essay

The playwright of ‘An Inspector Calls’ John Boynton Priestly was alive between 1894 and 1984, in this time he served in the First World War where in 1916 he was badly injured. It wasn’t until the end of the Second World War in 1945 that he wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’; he chose to set the play thirty years in the past before either wars had happened- in 1912. Priestly was a renowned socialist and highly respected in his time- with his own radio show which around twenty million tuned into each week. Unfortunately, Priestley was seen as too popular- for the conservative government at the time- and taken off air for fear that communities would listen to his left wing ideas more then the prime minister, Winston Churchill. Priestley’s ideas of socialism and morality are a frequent undertone throughout the play and enforce the main theme of the play: responsibility. Because of the timing of the play it is believed that ‘An Inspector Calls’ was supposed to send a clear message to the audience of Britain’s shared responsibility in both wars. In act 1 The Birling family and Gerald are celebrating Gerald and Sheila’s engagement in the dining room. Sheila and Eric are arguing in a not really serious way, while Gerald and Mr. Birling are talking about business, politics mostly about the Titanic. Mr. Birling is on his way to the next social class by getting an knighthood. Lady Croft has a very strong view of social classes; it looks like she isn’t too happy about the fact, that her son is engaged to a girl of a lower class. Just before the ring bells and the inspector arrives, Mr.  Birling shows his outlook on life to Gerald and Eric â€Å"a man has to make his own way, has to look after himself and his family†. The inspector enters and tells them about the suicide. He shows a photograph to Mr. Birling. and starts questioning him. It turns out that Eva Smith had been one of Mr. Birlings. employees and later on was discharged because she asked for more money, had been refused and went on a strike along with allot of other employees, and was later fired for being one of the ringleaders. Sheila enters into the dining room and is the next to be questioned. Shiela was also linked to Eva smith, she had been jealous of Eva because she looked better in a specific dress. She went to the manager and told him that this girl had been very impertinent so, indirectly she made Eva lose her job. The inspector goes on and tells that Eva Smith had changed her name into Daisy Renton. Now the inspector links Gerald to the incident, Gerald had an affair with her the previous summer. In Act 2 Mrs Birling is informed that Eric often drinks, Gerald talks about his relationship towards Daisy Renton one of the apparent alias’ of Eva Smith. After that, he went out for a walk. Then inspector turns towards Mrs Birling, she is linked to eva smith because she failed her â€Å"job† as a member of the Brumley Women’s Charity Organization by not helping deserving cases.

Plan Market Research Assessment Essay

Introduction This Project scope â€Å"Regain† has been designed to involve all stakeholders of D.A. Garden Supplies so that all aspects of the business can be be analysed through collecting invaluable information and data by the research methods below. Our aim is to identify the cause of the problem that the business is going through right now so that future marketing can be targeted accordingly for positive results. With proper research and strategic planning, D.A. Garden Supplies should be able to recover its lost and on its way to a successful future. Preliminary project scope Project name: Regain Project Owner: Even Tan Sponsor: D.A. Garden Supplies Stakeholder: David and Alison Required resources, sample size and research assistance Resources required for the scope research will include human, financial and physical resources. These will be required for each type of data collection as follows: Focus Group – This is a small group of customers in a discussion to focus on the main thought of cause to the problem, the competition. Could be held in the lunch room over a 1 hour period. An external marketing professional would need to be hired to conduct the focus group and 6 participants from the target market would also be required for the discussion. Physical resources required are pens, paper, tea and coffee, brochures of competition and light refreshments. Overall cost including preparation of the focus group would be $550. Survey – After the focus group has taken place the survey can be developed from the data collected. The 5 min survey could be conducted at the local shopping centre focused on surveying a minimum of 30 to 60 people from the  target market over a 6 hour period. An external interviewing professional would need to be hired to conduct the survey and briefed on who to approach and what to say. Physical resources required include surveys, pens, clipboard and a bag to store completed surveys. Overall cost including preparation of survey and external staff would be $450. Research Reports and Internet Research – A specialist market research organisation will need to be hired to conduct this research and for analysing the data from these reports, survey results, interviewed staff and experiment of product. The cost for analysing this data into a detailed report would cost $740. Another cost would be the purchase of secondary data from Ibisworld. The â€Å"Garden supplies retailing in Australia market research report† is $845 and this will provide invaluable information into the industry. Interview Staff – This could be held in the lunch room each one of the 9 staff members should have a half hour interview conducted by external marketing professional. Physical resources required are a questionnaire and light refreshments. The total cost would be for development of the questionnaire and 4.5 hours of interviewing the staff, this would cost $650. Research Method and timeline This research are using both quantitative research and qualitative research, since it conducted surveys, focus group and meetings in order to gather needed information. Using qualitative method such as focus group able us to develop our survey, This way we know we will ask the correct questions that are needed when surveying our customers and potential customers. This method was chosen as it is beneficial in developing a successful survey. Using quantitative method for this research because it is easily analysed using statistical methods. For example, a survey is carried out to obtain information about people, such as their opinions, preferences, attitudes, expectations, likes and dislikes. This method was chosen as it directly targets our customers and potential customers to get their opinions on D.A. Garden Supplies and the competition. This whole research process going to take 2 weeks, that give us, the researcher enough time to analyze the data and come out with a detail solution on the problem. Data gathering Types of data required This research need a combination of data in order to get the best result. Secondary data- this data is information that already exists, information like the â€Å"Garden supplies retailing in Australia market research report† are statistics conducted by government. This resource is easier and cheaper to obtain, and it provide a great insight on the market itself. Primary data- this data does not exist, it requires the researcher to communicating with people or making observation about people and situation in order to generate the data. Although it is much harder and time consuming compare to secondary data, it is the most valuable resource for the company since it targets the specific problem that the company has. Formal Research and informal research- Conducting a survey able to cover a broad range of topics and able to gather as much information as the research need to, Informal research such as asking opinions from staff about the company and customers feedback and analysing the company sales statistics from internal records are the easiest way to gather in the shortest among of time, however, be careful with the data as it might be data that are not as subjective as primary and secondary data. Quantifying the data The sample size is chosen to maximise the chance of uncovering a specific mean difference, which is also statistically significant. The reason larger samples increase your chance of significance is because they more reliably reflect the population mean. Therefore it is necessary to conduct any survey or interview with as many participants as possible that is acceptable under the given financial budget. Data processing method There are some consideration in deciding how to process the data gathered will include: -type of analysis that will be required -the amount of data to be collected -available budget -available time Hiring an analyst able to handle a more complex data, and able to receive the most accurate data in a short amount of time. Less complex data can be dealt with a specialist statistical software, however it requires specific training and the software itself is expensive. Small market research can be dealt with Microsoft Excel as it able to handle basic statistics. Lastly, very basic calculation with small data sets can be undertaken using a statistical calculator. This research includes both quantitative and qualitative data, and result can be complex because it involves personal feelings and opinions from staff and consumers, therefore, hiring a statistician consider as the most appropriate method for this research, as they have the experience to deal with complex data and able to analyze all data and turn it into results that are easy to understand. Although it is expensive to conduct, if this research has done correctly, it could help D.A. Garden Supplies turn into a successful business. Draft Research Objective After our previous consultation and analysing the information in the scope the main objective is to find out if â€Å"the competition was the main cause for the 5% drop in sales† The sub-objectives are; 1) To examine customers and potential customers attitudes on the competition. 2) To identify needs of customers. 3) To determine whether new products need to be introduced. By using market research D.A. Garden Supplies will analyse the competition find the cause of the 5% drop in sales and then use this information to increase overall sales by 10%. Feasibility of the research and Conclusion Focus groups, interviewing staff and secondary data are all forms of exploratory research which essentially gather qualitative data, its findings are inconclusive and should not be used for final or important decision making. Therefore to make a final decision a survey or experiment must be conducted as they are both descriptive research which have quantitative data which makes the findings conclusive and useable. Therefore after analysing the above research methods, it could conclude that the focus group and survey would be the best data collecting methods to use to â€Å"find the cause of the 5% loss of sales profit for D.A. Garden Supplies† as it targets the customers and potential customers directly which will provide information needed to find whether the competition is the main cause. Although for the purpose of this research we will be using all of the research methods above as this will determine a thorough result. With this vital information we can eliminate the cause in future marketing plans making D.A. Garden Supplies sales successful in the future. If you find this project proposal are acceptable, I will need you, the business owner, David and Alison, and all other stakeholders to approve this research proposal.

Are Science and Religion in Conflict?

Are Science and Religion in Conflict? Indeed,a conflict does exist between science and religion however the conflict is based on the lack of acceptance and vast misconceptions which members of either side are unwilling to let go of. The conflict between science and religion exists because there is a lack of congruence between the results achieved through scientific discovery and the beliefs required by a religion to follow. This has led to the formation of two extremes i. e. either accept faith and the doctrines required by faith to be observed or accept the rational methodologies of science.In an article published by â€Å"The Atlantic†, the author is of the opinion that solving the riddle that creates the conflict between science and religion is of utmost importance for the current generation. This is because of the reason that these two schools of thought are the most influential forces and guide the way we live our lives (Alfred). Science and religion since their inception have been in a state of continuous development. However this development has been in the opposite direction i. e. nitially science studied the literature provided by religion however with the development of scientific research, certain religious concepts remained unproven because they were considered â€Å"Abstract† by science. This has led to people accepting one side to be true and the other false (Alfred). There is a conflict between science and religion however this is because of the fact that people are hesitant to study both and stick to one side. This has led to the permanent housing of misconceptions in the minds of people and is adding fuel to the fire i. e. increasing the conflict between the two ways of life.The major reason behind the conflict between science and religion is the lack of acceptance of conclusions reached by either science or religion regarding a particular matter. If science put more light on the topic under discussion, religious scholars would de ny those facts based on the grounds that the research is â€Å"blasphemous† and contradicts basic religious principles. An article by the â€Å"Times† magazine states the Christian Church and other religions including Islam focus on key aspects of human creation such as the possession of a soul by every human being or the miracles performed by saints and â€Å"Men of God†.Science however focuses on new ways of quantifying and measuring human evolution; both the concepts create a conflict (Dan, 2006). Science has been able to prove the physical existence of emotions such as passion, anger by locating it in different parts of the brain. This contradicts with the principle followed by most religions regarding the presence of a soul in every human and how that soul is free from bodily functions etc.However acceptance of this is denied by religious scholars based on the grounds that the concept of the Afterlife is fundamental to most religions and the concept of the soul is greatly in congruence with the Afterlife (Dan, 2006). Scientific research should not be viewed as a threat to the fundamentals of a religion rather the studies should be perceived as being insightful i. e. the research further clarifies religious concepts rather than denouncing them. There are certain driving factors that govern the existence and acceptance of the conflict between science and religion.Upbringing, Education and Social behavior are some of the factors that lead to people in both the scientific and religious communities to accept that there indeed is a rift between science and religion. In an article by Elaine Howard of Rice University and Jerry Z. Park of Baylor University, they provided the results of a study they carried out which involved the selection of 21 American scientists who were considered to be among the elite of the time. They studied their attitude towards religion and deduced that all scientists i. e. hether a naturalist or social scientist, hav e different levels of acceptance towards the conflict that exists between science and religion. The acceptance is affected by their culture and extent of religious practice (Ecklund& Park, 2009). Since everyone needs something to believe in, scientists who do not belong to a strict religious background readily accept the conflict since they have devoted their life to one particular school of thought. This perception is formed after extensive research based on rational thinking and seeking proof of everything which makes scientists so skeptical about religious beliefs.Among scientists however there is a lack of acceptance towards a religion even if he/she is a believer. This is because of the perceived pressure they would receive if their peers in the scientific community were to discover this fact (Elaine, 2010). The only way to resolve the conflict is to accept religious diversity as well as the free discussion of scientific concepts without being judged as being blasphemous. It is through this open discussion that the misunderstandings that exist between scholars of both extremes be cleared.The ways the scientific concepts are taught in schools are one of the major causes of the conflict. Since the teachers do not have clear knowledge and understanding of the scientific concepts, they pass on inadequate information to the students attending. In an article named â€Å"First Year College Students’ Conflict with Religion and Science† issued by the Georgia State University, the author tells us that it is in the human nature to perceive oneself to be better than the rest. The general public tends to interpret and create their own perceptions regarding scientific concepts and religious beliefs.The self-interpretations lead to misconceptions which are major cause of the rift that exists between science and religion (Martin, 2008). The schools and teachers within those schools teach in a manner that fixes and restricts the brain of the student to think beyond what is thought. The rigid concepts become permanent with the passage of time which leads to the rejection of anything other than the closely held concepts. Science and religion develop over time, sometimes even complimenting each other. If a clear understanding of the advancements would not be obtained, there would always be room for misinterpretations.Therefore to remove the conflict at an elementary stage, teachers should encourage students to interpret scientific research however they should know what is right and what is not in order to correct the misconceptions when they arise. An Evangelist is a person who preaches faith based on his or her own perception about the beliefs fundamental to the faith. Christian evangelists have always been skeptical towards scientific concepts as well as theological theories about the creation of the world. Amos Yong carried out an analysis of various literary works related to the explanation of the conflict paradigm between science and religion.The findings were summarized in the article named â€Å"Science and Religion: Introducing the Issues, Entering the Debates – A review essay† and focused primarily on discovering ways to align the methods of the church with scientific methodologies (Yong, 2011). The study identified various conceptual frameworks that could be adopted which would align the thought process of the evangelist with scientific methodologies. Other measures that could be adopted include targeting the people lower in the hierarchy at the church. These people could be taught the concepts of science and how science can better explain religion (Yong, 2011).The only way to resolve the conflict that exists for evangelists is to align their religious beliefs with rational scientific methods. Since an evangelist is a strict believer in faith, the beliefs would always be fundamental however better scientific knowledge can help bridge the differences. Science is based on methods and the ration ale behind every phenomenon. Religion however on the other hand requires the believer to keep faith in the fundamental principles. Both present a different picture of the same thing and it is this difference in perception that has developed a conflict between science and religion.Science and Religion are two sides of the same coin. These two schools of thoughts add to each other rather than diverging. Religious concepts such as morality can be better understood through scientific research which helps understand and adhere to religion better. There is a connection of knowledge between science and religion which if strengthened is in the favor of the future of the human race. Science and religion have a point where the two schools of thoughts converge. One of the points is quality of being spiritual.Although scientists work on the basis of rationality, they still have a spiritual side which allows them to keep faith while exploring the horizons of science and reasoning. In an article titled â€Å"Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think†, the author Elaine Ecklund states that even atheists have a certain level of spirituality within them. The spirituality may not necessarily be associated with keeping faith however there is a curiosity regarding the origination and formation of our plant and existence (Elaine, 2010). The spiritual side within scientists is promoted by their upbringing and education.The spiritual side makes them interested in religious beliefs. Through their scientific approach and belief in religious concepts, it makes it easier for them to focus on scientific research and proving religious concepts to be accurate (Elaine, 2010). Therefore spirituality leads to a better scientific reasoning approach to be adopted. Through religious involvement scientific research can be refined and complex questions can be answered. Morality and reality go hand in hand. Morality is the set of values and attitudes that are generally acceptable by a particular society for a particular moment in time.Religion requires a greater focus on displaying moral behavior. Morality can be better displayed by understanding reality and how it is affected by moral thinking. Morality is required by religion whereas reality is explained by science proving that there is a deeper link rather than a conflict. Through scientific reasoning we are able to deduce the right way to behave in a society. These studies can help assess what moral behavior is. The article â€Å"Religion vs. Science† outlines the scientific efforts to better understand moral behavior which helps us adhere to religious principles in a better way (Honner, 1994).Science is able to study all factors that affect behavior including societal norms, environmental conditions and personal feelings. By quantifying morality, we are able to develop a better understanding of what constitutes morality. This indicates that the relationship between science and religion is one of cl arification rather than a source of conflict (Honner, 1994). Therefore rather than thinking about a conflict being in existence, we should follow the results of scientific research and studies to better clarify religious beliefs.Through scientific research we are able to uncover and understand the abstract concepts that religion defines. Queries about our existence can be answered by a careful examination of religious concepts complimented with a thorough scientific analysis. In an article name God, creation, science, religion: the conflicts by Tom Chivers, the author tells us that scientist in order to deduce the actual age of the Earth moved to religious transcripts appearing in the Bible. Although the Bible did not provide dates however did contain information on the characteristics of the people at the time.This was a major input in the scientific breakthrough (Tom, 2009). The scientific declarations cannot be denied as they have been institutional to the development of the know ledge and understanding regarding the universe. By further considering the importance of religion we would come across certain questions that have been yet to be answered by scientific research. Through this connection we can uncover various mysteries concerning the universe and everything within it (Tom, 2009). People should develop a thorough understanding of the concepts of both extremes.Through this understanding we would be able to develop a much better connection between science and religion and resolve all mysteries which would give us a better understanding of who we are and why we exist. Referring to the first counter argument, it states that science and religion converge because a level of spirituality exists between the followers of the two extremes. The argument is refuted by the original thesis stating that although the spiritual level does exist however this would not lead to the convergence of ideas arising within the two schools of thoughts.The reason behind it is th e fact that there is a lack of acceptance of conclusions by scholars of both the extremes leading to a never ending conflict. Referring to the second counter argument, it states that science and religion add to each other in way that science leads to a better understanding of moral behavior which is a pre-requisite for religious believers. However the original thesis refutes this argument by saying that although the concepts add to each other however there are vast misconceptions in the minds of the followers of both science and religion.These misconceptions come in the middle and cause the conflict to extend rather than reaching a resolution point. Referring to the final counter argument, it states that there is no conflict between the fields because religious beliefs and knowledge acts as a basis of scientific research and discovery. This argument is challenged by the original thesis in a manner that although this can be the case however people classify themselves as being either religious or scientific. Due to this classification, the connection between science and religion cannot be established.References Alfred, N. (n. d. ). Religion and Science. Retrieved on October 4th, 2011 from http://www. theatlantic. com/magazine/archive/1925/08/religion-and-science/4220/ Dan, C. (2006). God vs. Science. Retrieved on October 4th, 2011 from http://www. time. com/time/magazine/article/0%2c9171%2c1555132%2c00. html Elaine, H. (2010). â€Å"Science vs. Religion† discovers what scientists really think about religion. Retrieved on October 4th, 2011 from http://www. washingtonpost. com/wpdyn/content/article/2010/05/28/AR2010052801856. tml Ecklund, E. , & Park, J. Z. (2009). Conflict Between Religion and Science Among Academic Scientists?. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 48(2), 276-292. doi:10. 1111/j. 1468-5906. 2009. 01447. x Honner, J. (1994). Science vs. religion (II). Commonweal, 121(16), 14. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Martin-Hansen, L. (2008). Firs t-Year College Students’ Conflict with Religion and Science. Science & Education, 17(4), 317-357. doi:10. 1007/s11191-006-9039-5 Tom, C. (2009). God, creation, science,