Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Epilogue

My time in New York clarified the perils of my existence; despite my good intentions, I am dangerous to humans, and my brother is dangerous to everyone. And now? What does the future hold? My days seem to pass like minutes. I suppose this means I'm growing accustomed to the idea of eternity. I have lost so much in the months since I became the creature I now am. But I have gained time. And with time, I gain opportunity. I will see Italy. And the rest of Europe. I will travel the whole world. But I will never make a home among humans again. As for Damon†¦ I believe our road together is long and our story is not over yet. Should one of us ever finally come to his doom, it will only be the other who causes it. And in the background†¦ heralded by the faint perfume of lemon and ginger†¦ will always be Katherine, laughing at both of us. Don't miss the new Vampire Diaries trilogy, The Hunters Read an exclusive sneak peek of the first volume, Phantom! Elena Gilbert stepped onto a smooth expanse of grass, the spongy blades collapsing beneath her feet. Clusters of scarlet roses and violet delphiniums pushed up from the ground while a giant canopy hung above her, twinkling with glowing lanterns. On the terrace in front of her stood two curving white marble fountains that shot sprays of water high into the air. Everything was beautiful, and elegant, and somehow familiar. This is Bloddeuwedd's palace, a voice in her head said. But when she had been here last, the field had been crowded with laughing, dancing partygoers. They were gone now, though signs of their presence remained: empty glasses littering the tables set around the edges of the lawn, a silken shawl tossed over a chair, a lone high-heeled shoe perched on the edge of a fountain. Something else was odd, too. Before, the scene had been lit by the hellish red light that illuminated everything in the Dark Dimension, turning blues to purples, whites to pinks, and pinks to the velvety color of blood. Now a clear white light shone over everything, and a full white moon sailed calmly overhead. A whisper of movement came from behind her, and Elena realized with a start that she wasn't alone after all. A dark figure was suddenly there, approaching her. Damon. Of course it was Damon, Elena thought with a smile. If anyone was going to appear unexpectedly before her, here, at what felt like the end of the world – or at least the hour after a good party had ended – it would be Damon. God, he was so beautiful. Black on black: soft black hair, eyes black as midnight, black jeans, and a smooth leather jacket. As their eyes met, she was so glad to see him that she could hardly breathe. She threw herself into his embrace, clasping him around the neck. She felt the lithe, hard muscles in his arms and chest as he held her tight. â€Å"Damon,† she said, her voice trembling for some reason. Her body was trembling, too, and Damon stroked her arms and shoulders, calming her. â€Å"What is it, princess? Don't tell me you're afraid.† He smirked lazily at her, but his hands were strong and steady. â€Å"I am afraid,† she answered. â€Å"But what are you afraid of?† That left her puzzled for a moment. Then, slowly, putting her cheek against his, she said, â€Å"I'm afraid that this is just a dream.† â€Å"I'll tell you a secret,† he said into her ear. â€Å"You and I are the only real things here. It's everything else that's the dream.† â€Å"Just you and I?† Elena echoed, an uneasy thought nagging at her, as though she was forgetting something – or someone. A fleck of ash landed on her dress, and she absently brushed it away. â€Å"It's just the two of us, Elena,† Damon said sharply. â€Å"You're mine. I'm yours. We've always loved each other, since the beginning of time.† Of course. That must be why she was trembling – it was joy. He was hers. She was his. They belonged together. She whispered one word, â€Å"Yes.† Then he kissed her. His lips were soft as silk, and when the kiss deepened, she tilted her head back, exposing her throat, anticipating the double wasp-sting he'd delivered so many times. When it didn't come, she opened her eyes questioningly. The moon was bright as ever, and the scent of roses hung heavy in the air. But Damon's chiseled features were pale under his dark hair, and more ash had landed on the shoulders of his jacket. All at once, the little doubts that had been niggling at her came into clear focus. Oh, no. Oh, no. â€Å"Damon,† she gasped, looking into his eyes despairingly as tears filled her own. â€Å"You can't be here, Damon. You're†¦ dead.† â€Å"For more than five hundred years, princess.† Damon flashed his blinding smile at her. â€Å"I don't know why it's such a shock to you.† More ash was falling around them, like a fine gray rain. Like the ash Damon's body was buried beneath, worlds and dimensions away. â€Å"Damon, you're†¦ dead now. Not undead, but†¦ gone.† â€Å"No, Elena – â€Å" â€Å"Yes. Yes! I held you as you died†¦.† Elena was sobbing helplessly. She couldn't feel Damon's arms at all now. He was disappearing into shimmering light. â€Å"Listen to me, Elena – † She was holding moonlight. Anguish caught at her heart. â€Å"All you need to do is call for me,† Damon's voice said. â€Å"All you need†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His voice faded into the sound of wind rustling through the trees. Elena's eyes snapped open. The room was full of sunlight, and a huge crow was perched on the sill of her open window. A cloud must have gone over the sun; for a moment, the world was dim. The crow tilted its head to one side and gave another croak, watching her with bright eyes. A cold chill ran down her spine. â€Å"Damon?† she whispered. But the crow just spread its wings and flew away.

To Kill a Mockingbird Questions Chapters 1-3

To Kill a Mockingbird Questions Chapters 1-3 1. Dill, Jem, Simon Finch, Atticus, John Hale Finch, Calpurnia, Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose, Mr. Radley, Boo Radley, Mrs. Radley, Mr. Conner, Miss Stephanie Crawford, Nathan Radley, and Scout are introduced in the first chapter. 2. This book is set in the Great Depression (1929-1939). Harper Lee used the Scottsboro Case (1931) as the spark to write the trial sequences in the novel. 3. Scout narrates in the first person, telling what she saw and heard at the time and augmenting this narration with thoughts and assessments of her experiences in retrospect.Although she is by no means an omniscient narrator, she has matured considerably over the intervening years and often implicitly and humorously comments on the naivete she displayed in her thoughts and actions as a young girl. 4. In To Kill a Mockingbird the Finch family is well off compared to the rest of society. The father, Atticus, is a lawyer. 5. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in th e fictional small Southern town of Maycomb in the 1930s. 6. Scout and Jem's fathers' name is Atticus and he is a lawyer with a distaste for criminal law, but he protects an innocent, black man. . The doors and shutters are always closed, the yard is unkempt, and one of the inhabitants of the house hasn't been seen in years. 8. The children think he's mad, violent, eats raw animals, walks around people's yards at night, can kill plants by breathing on them, and is going to KILL THEM ALL. 9. Miss Rachel's nephew. He's in Maycomb because he visits Miss Rachel every summer. Dill is also a friend and â€Å"fiance† of Scout's. He's also Jem's friend. 10. Scout goes to school for the first time. 11.The teacher becomes annoyed with Scout because Scout already knows how to read and write, and she tells the teacher about the Cunninghams, making her look like a fool. 12. Her father (Atticus) was a lawyer and would come home from work and read the paper. He used to read her stories and t hat's how she learned to read. 13. Scout gets in trouble by learning how to read, write, and by telling Miss Caroline about the Cunningham's financial situations. 14. Jean Louise Finch is Scout's real name. 15. No, because she doesn't respect their family clans (Cunninghams, Finches, Ewell, etc. , customs, and more traditional learning styles. 16. It shows that miss Caroline does not know a thing about her student and needs to get to know them better! because poor scout thinks he is helping put miss Caroline and Walter but he gets spanked and punished because she does not know her students because she is a new teacher. 17. She got in trouble with her teacher for explaining on why Walter didn't take the money that Miss Caroline (the teacher) offered him. Scout wasn't someone who took embarrassment lightly! 18.Jem invites Walter Cunningham over for dinner to try and resolve the situation. 19. It takes a long time because Walter doesn't want to owe them, and he doesn't want to rely on charity and spoil his honor. 20. She is alarmed at the things ‘jumping' out of Burris Ewell's hair, which he calls ‘cooties'†¦ 21. Scout wants to quit school because her teacher told her she wouldn't be allowed to read or write for years. 22. He taught them to stand in the other persons shoes, look at their soul and not make judgements based on race or social status.

Marketing Plan for Crown Plaza Hotels & Resorts Essay

Competition among hotel and hospitality business has increased enormously as customers are getting more educated and fashionable. They’ve been demanding more luxurious services and products which urge organisations to focus on better marketing and strategic planning. Hotels and firms now believe that personal and strong relationships with potential customers is key to competitive advantage in today’s competitive business environment. The idea of developing and upholding the relationship between customers and organisations through comprehensive marketing plans took a while. Before, organisations were more vigilant to improve their line of products and services only. Strategic Marketing planning was introduced by theorists and policy makers when they identified the need and scope of long-term relationship with individual customers and it greatly influenced the market. â€Å"How internal and external factors are essential for hotel and hospitality business and how they possibly can affect the business in positive or negative way†? To answer these questions, this research study will mainly focus on some key factors of hospitality business and they will be discussed at length in order to establish a more explicable analysis (Steven Pike, 2008). Table of contents Executive Summary2 Introduction3 Critical Evaluation and Major Findings3 Conclusion3 Recommendations3 References3 Introduction Crown Plaza Hotels & Resorts is prestigious brand of InterContinental Hotel Groups chain which operates in more than 100 countries all over the world. Crown Plaza shares its mission statement that â€Å"To create great hotels guests love† and has earned great competitive advantage over its competitors in Hotel and Hospitality business. Undoubtedly, some hotel of such prestige and luxury cannot afford to disappoint its base of customers and will keenly observe those parameters and strategies which help keep the customers revisiting the hotel. The essential need for marketing planning can be perceived though this idea and therefore this research study will incorporate the concept of strategic marketing for Crown Plaza hotel. For this, I will meticulously study the existing practices of marketing planning in Crown Plaza Hotel and carefully observe all parameters so that this study can help other hotels and the organisation itself in future (Abdullah and Zahir, 2009). To maintain competitive advantage and keep organisation out from critical business situations, Crown Plaza needs efficacious marketing plans to evaluate and determine potential risks and threats, thus devising strategies for flourishing development. The comprehensive marketing plan would facilitate Crown Plaza hotel to determine its current position among its competitors, its strengths, its weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated. The determination of weaknesses and subsequent planning to neutralize, even turning them into strengths will help organisation to meet its corporate mission (Mumel and Snoj, 2007). As hotel and Hospitality business is full of opportunities and promising business environments, Crown Plaza hotel can earn great benefits from such opportunities. And last but not least, threats and risks associated with hotel industry which can seriously damage the reputation of Crown Plaza hotel it gained through the span of time. All these circumstances provoke the need of an integrated, well-structured and analytical approach. SWOT analysis is one of the acute solutions available for critical evaluation of market needs (Anja Bà ¶hm, 2008). Broad information is required from Hotel, its competitors, its business environment and overall market to acquire a resourceful market analysis. Obviously it will require performing environmental and competitor’s analyses as well to add comprehensiveness to the study. SWOT analysis is one such tool that can easily compact and present the process of analysis by critically evaluating internal and external factors associated with Crown Plaza hotel. It will, therefore, provide combination of all results that will help Crown Plaza hotel to observe its resources and capacities against competitive and business environment in which it operates. It will also help hotel to develop generic strategies basing upon careful observation of various factors associated with it and their critical analysis. SWOT analysis is an integrated instrument which comprises key organisational and environmental attributes. Potential strategic plan development is among key objectives of SWOT analysis which examines strengths and weaknesses within the organisation (internal factors) and threats and opportunities that come along the way (external factors). The main objective of this study is to provide an essential added value to Crown Plaza’s strategic development while delivering an analysis gadget to hotel’s management to process its internal and external factors. In this regard, SWORT analysis in close vicinity of micro and macro analysis tools will serve the purpose. This assignment is furthermore aimed at analyzing valuable approaches and practices to discuss explicit issues associated with Crown plaza hotel in specific, and hotel and hospitality business in general including employee loyalty, increased sales, customer satisfaction etc (BNET Staff, 2007). Critical Evaluation and Major Findings To convey SWOT-driven analysis and marketing plan for Crown Plaza hotel, it is essential to acquire information regarding its potentials, its competitors, environment and other associated factors. The potential analysis of Crown Plaza hotel can be identified independently by analysing current market situation. This analysis could serve as valuation method for organisation to develop new range of products and services. The potential market analysis will help the Crown Plaza hotel to use its investment assets effectively. It needs to invest a handsome amount of money and resources into customer relationship management so those potential customers become loyal to brand and products. There are seven skills which can be employed by crown plaza to build a strong and long-lasting relationship with its customer base and they are; targeting, preparation, assessing, committing, connecting, solving, and last but not least managing. To â€Å"keep† customers, it is essential for hotel industry to keep track of all these eight factors which will ensure a definite success. (Keller, 2008) As far as competitors analysis is concerned, the Crown Plaza hotel has many rivals in the market thus it will require hotel’s management to keep an eye on various marketing strategies developed by its competitors and how they implemented them successfully. For example, CLASS was among successful strategic plans implemented by Ritz Carlton Hotel, principally aimed at providing the loyal customers with three basic amenities, Recognition, Personalisation and Status. These three services were core factors in success story of the Ritz. As concept of developing strategic marketing plans is directly related with customer satisfaction, the management of Crown Plaza hotel should provide a great line of products and services to satisfy its royal customers. They cannot afford to let customers suffer poor quality products and services. It won’t only be a threat to business but â€Å"culture† of the Crown Plaza hotel. For sustainable income and reputation of the hotel, the role of strategic building process is never dying and there is always a need to identify key factors upon which customer satisfaction is dependent (Saunders et al, 2009). In this regard, Recognition builds huge levels of loyalty among customers as they think of their association with one of world’s greatest hotels whenever they enter into it with a strong belief in their hearts that they are recognised. And surely they will be treated as important guests and will be provided with superior services and facilities. Personalisation is basically another giant step towards customer retention which should be aimed at providing more customized services to the customers. Services not only provided but designed according to taste of customers which they find amusing and satisfactory. A customer goes happily and is more willing to revisit if he knows that this one particular service or one particular staff members can satisfy his appetite. Lastly, the status earned by the Crown Plaza must be shared and celebrated by its loyal customers. They should not only feel the prestige whenever they step into Crown Plaza but pride themselves to be a part of it. Status is in fact the most important factor of luxury segment of world’s greatest hotels (Ferrel and Hartline, 2008) Based on SWOT analysis of internal and external environment and business factors associated with Crown Plaza including assessment of internal factors through 7S framework and 5Ms, and external factors through PESTEL analysis, following results were carried out; Internal FactorsStrengthsAspirational Hotel’s Locations all over the world, Luxury environment, PrioityClubRewards, confirmed suite upgrades, online reservations, organized hotels chain, mini bar etc. WeaknessesGlobally acknowledged strategic plan, not enough hotels as compared to associated brands, less valuable travel packages, costly packages etc. External FactorsOpportunitiesPeak tourist seasons, long-term potential growth of hotel industry, unique experience of plaza hotel in heritage hotels. ThreatsEconomic conditions, changing trends, increased competitive environment etc. All these factors can be addressed with help of a comprehensive marketing plan which is equally applicable to scattered chains of Crown Plaza hotel all over the world. Nevertheless, The Crown Plaza hotel has substantially earned a position in global hotel industry by focusing on the better relationship with customers. The policies including customized services, reward points, gift certificates, privacy concerns etc. have helped the management to retain increased amounts of profits to the organisation. These policies were formulated to engage the customers in the future and assured of their revisit (Ezinemark, 2012). Conclusion This Study not only determined those key factors but challenges that can affect Crown Plaza’s business in future. Hotel industry in 21st century cannot survive without taking care of certain parameters and in hotel industry customer satisfaction is key parameter. If you cannot satisfy your customers, your competitors will. No organisation Crown Plaza hotel has substantially earned a position in global hotel industry by focusing on the better relationship with customers. The policies including customized services, reward points, gift certificates, privacy concerns etc. have helped the management to retain increased amounts of profits to the organisation. These policies were formulated to engage the customers in the future and assured of their revisit (Smithers, 2009). Apart from luxurious services and products, that one thing Plaza customers admire most is privacy given to them. Crown Plaza has successfully managed to provide its customers with VIP suites and rooms which they find private and relaxing. More big suites were announced by management with highlighted â€Å"privacy†. This one step could actually retain maximum number of Ritz customers in the future. There are number of factors which can be contributed as weaknesses of Crown Plaza hotel. Nevertheless, these factors are generally associated with hotel industry all over the world and certain demographic and economic conditions are responsible. Crown Plaza hotel have potential to overcome such weaknesses, thus it can be accounted as powerful strength for Crown Plaza hotel in the future (Paul and Richter, 2007). Recommendations Hotel and hospitality industry contributes heavily to world’s economics and business and most basic element of this industry is its loyal customers. Any organisation failing to achieve customer retention cannot and will not survive in today’s market for sure. To serve this purpose, organisations invest unhesitatingly in strategic planning practices which ensure greatest customer satisfaction. This research study will also prove helpful contribution to hotel and hospitality industry, especially its luxury segment. The Luxury segment was picked by the researcher as its rich in culture, standards and demands higher levels of customer satisfaction. Nevertheless it will require higher level of efforts and resources to formulate research study of its kind. References Abdullah and Zahir, 2009. â€Å"Evaluation of Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) Techniques: Driver Perspective, European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems. Anja Bà ¶hm, 2008, the SWOT analysis BNET Staff. (2007). The CBS Interactive Business Network. [online] Available at: [Accessed 29th November 2012] Ezinemark, 2010. â€Å"InterContinental Hotels Group PLC – SWOT Analysis – Market Research Report On Aarkstore Enterprise† [online] Available at: [Accessed 29th November 2012] Ferrel, O. C., & Hartline, M. D. (2008). Marketing Strategy (4 ed.). South-Western. Keller, K (2008) Strategic Brand Management, 3rd Ed, New Jersey: Pearson education Inc Mumel, D. & Snoj, B. (2007). â€Å"The analysis of questionnaires for hotel guests satisfaction – comparison between Croatia and Slovenia†. 4th International Conference Global Challenges for Competitiveness: Business and Government Perspective Nadine Pahl, Anne Richter, (2007) SWOT Analysis – Idea, Methodology and A Practical Approach. GRIN Verlag. Saunders et al (2009) Research methods for business students, 5th ed. Essex: Pearson education Limited. Smithers, R (2009) Marks and Spencer launches UK’s greenest till roll, [Online] Available from < http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/15/marks-and-spencer-sustainble-till- >[Accessed on 12 May 2011]. Steven pike, (2008) Destination Marketing: an Integrated Market ing Communication Approach, Elsevier Inc

Small business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Small business - Research Paper Example I will need to do a demographics study of my community, focused on average income. I will look at housing prices particularly, as this is the best single indicator of socioeconomic status. I will couple this with a consideration of the average age of the residents as well as number of children. Older wealthy persons have significant financial reserves, but they tend to be cautious in their spending and conservative in their clothing choices. I will also look for an area where many upper class persons have teenage and college age children. Younger persons tend to be more fashion conscious than older ones, and are more likely to pay a premium for name brands and the latest trends in apparel. I will need a large storefront, as today’s shoppers demand a wide selection. My budget will need to take this into account, as well as the costs involved in hiring a professional store designer. With my customers, appearance is virtually everything. As I will be selling highly desired products, other concerns for me will be the level of security in the mall as well as my own need to employ anti-shoplifting technology and possibly a store detective to ferret out shoplifters. Items will need tags with computerized chips that will set off an alarm if an item is concealed and the person tries to walk out with it. If possible, I will try to locate my store near the mall’s food court, as it tends to be a gathering place for customers. Alternatively, I will want it to be located near the mall entrance, where customers will see it when they first enter. I do not want them to spend their funds before discovering me. My opening day will be advertised on the Internet, in local papers and magazines, and possibly on nearby billboards. These ads will also need the services of a graphic artist familiar with commercial designs. They will need to convey an air of sophistication, including images where beautiful people

Ways of Preventing Juvenile Crimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ways of Preventing Juvenile Crimes - Essay Example Some of these programs have led to considerable decrease in crime rates while others have had no effect. This paper will deal with two juvenile crime prevention programs. Juvenile crimes Programs The Gang Reduction Program One of the programs that the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) enacted to aid in the prevention of juvenile crime is the Gang Reduction Program (Benekos & Merlo, 2006). The aim of this program is to deal with the gang activities that take place in a given region. This program entails different interventions on addressing individual, family, and society issues that lead to crime and gang activities. The program involves centralized, national, and local resources to aid in the deterrence, intervention, and containment of juvenile crimes (Greenwood, 2006). The objective of the Gang Reduction Program is to address the issues of juvenile criminals, the family, school, peers and the community. The reason for this is because these are the avenu es that either offer support to the occurrence or prevention of criminal activities (Greenwood, 2006). For instance peer groups have a very high influence on the character of an individual. In terms of family, one might come from a family where all the family members are criminals hence this makes it harder for him or her to quit the vice. The social status of the family might also be a contributing factor. As a result of poverty, the juveniles may opt to involve themselves in criminal activities in order to meet their daily needs (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). The role of the community in promotion of juvenile crimes is in the cases in which there is poor organization to an extent that the youths can easily access the drugs and firearms. In order to deal with the juvenile criminal issues, the Gang Reduction Program has set up prevention, intervention and control activities. Prevention actions mainly deal with the families, and the juveniles who are at risk of getting involved (Greenwood, 2006). For instance, in case of the youth who are ideal, the preventive measure is to ensure that they are involved in activities that will keep them busy, like attending school. Intervention activities entail management actions like outreach to sustain the youths who are involved in criminal activities with an aim of offering a better option to gang connections (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). The aim of these activities is to enable the youth change their conduct. Control activities entail police patrols, informing the society, offering support to the law execution intelligence distribution, setting up multi- organizational law enforcement and trying gang influencers, employing more instructors in affected schools to ensure all the youths are monitored while at school, and increasing regional watch teams that are associated with the Program. Thus by doing so, there will be prevention in juvenile crimes (Benekos & Merlo, 2006). The Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program (JABGP) Another program which the OJJDP set up is the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program (JABGP). This Program provides financial support to the state administration for programs supporting the accountability of youth offenders in juvenile justice systems (Benekos & Merlo, 2006). The funds are mainly allocated in supporting the rationale of the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program. The areas that receive support from the JABGP are; juvenile drug and gun track; facilitating school protection, provision of education on regulated approval for criminals; education curriculum for prevention and control of offenses; execution of early recognition, management, and establishment and maintenance of