Business Proposal On Tailor Made Adventure Holidays Tourism Essay

Business Proposal On Tailor Made Adventure Holidays Tourism Essay This report puts forth a unique business proposal, based on tailor-made adventure holidays. This business plan encompasses unique holiday packages for adventure lovers residing in the United Kingdom, attractive deal of prices and promises of delivering a true value for money experience to our customers, a clear understanding of the market, the anchoring segmentation, marketing and pricing strategies that confirm a competitive edge over existing players in the market, along with the financial projections made in light of realistic terms and conditions. To deliver our customers an entire experience to value, rather than a mere service for a value. Our aim is to make it a very simple and pleasant experience for our customers at every step, i.e. right from the time they consult us to bookings made, to the time their trip comes to an end and even after that we intend to live up to the needs of a good and lasting customer relationship. To encourage eco-tourism. Our second aim is to actively encourage eco-tourism. Any kind of harm caused to the ecology, if witnessed, would certainly not be entertained. Our effort towards this aim would be, say, taking care of the camels during camel safari that is amongst one of our packages for trip to Rajasthan in India. Also, not causing any kind of disruptions to the space and milieu of various animals, during trips to forests, would be highly acknowledged. Especially, during trips to forests in Africa which form a paradise for several endangered species. Our objectives are: To be the first choice of our prospective customers. We wish to be the first choice of the adventure lovers in the UK, seeking to book adventure trips for themselves. To rule the niche market of exclusive tailor-made adventure holidays. Considering the fact that we belong to an extremely niche market, it is one of our prime objectives to dominate the market, where customers come to us by choice, and not just by chance. To cover as many as, all the adventurous destinations round the globe by 2020. We intend to take our customers to numerous destinations to adventure the real variety of adventure! Right from the soft adventures like balloon safaris through the royal palaces of the incredible Rajasthan in India to extreme adventures of confronting the ultimate wildlife in the bushes of Amazon. In years to come, not only cover, but we also intend to discover such adventurous destinations round the globe that are still waiting to be seen and experienced. Product PRODUCT The product we would be offering is the various packages to the destinations mentioned below. Destinations Europe Asia Africa Polland India Spain Thailand Amazon Turkey Tanzania Uganda Initially, we have chosen these eight destinations because, they exhibit variety in adventure. Our packages to these destinations would be promoted by the following names: Phenomenal India Wild Tanzania Thai venture Enticing Poland Frantic Amazon Sensational Spain Kingkong Uganda Thrill In Turkey CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR PRODUCT Exclusively for UK residents wanting to book an adventure tour. Our main focus as far as customers are concerned, are the people residing only in the United Kingdom and the ones who want to go for an adventure trip in particular. Tailor-made in true sense. We are different from other tailor-made tour companies as we provide for freedom of choice in every sense. For e.g. definitely, apart from our advice and suggestions; our customer is given a wide range of choices to make according to his requirement and convenience with respect to selection of hotel rooms (whether deluxe or economy), option of booking Air tickets with us, including or excluding the meal option and so on. Also, our customer is free to decide the combination of adventure activities within a destination, like, he may choose a combination of Tiger Safari and Paragliding in two different places within India that we offer. For all age groups. We are open to all age groups because we offer a mix of soft as well as extreme adventure. The customer decides the price is our key selling proposition. Other agencies offer packages inclusive of all its features for a set price. We would offer only what the customer is seeking for and he pays only for what he chooses. Thus, it is the customers choice of place, adventure and price too! All procedures are just at a click of a button. Our official website would provide for easy accessibility to complete information of our products, booking and payment procedures and all the required guidelines to our customers all over UK. Market analysis Market research is just like the foundation of any business research. Thus, it is one of the most crucial functionality that makes a piece of information more reliable and evident. Businesses, small or large, need this kind of research, not only to keep a track of the market, but also, to understand what and how certain strategies need to be introduced into the business to keep in pace with the uncertain market situations. For a start up business like ours, market research and analysis is of great onus, to determine the feasibility of a new business. Our market analysis comprises of reports from Keynote and other websites like CNBC, that discuss about the UK travel market. The following data largely talks about our market, the customer behaviour persisting in the market and the trends, that in turn suggest us how can our business reach the desired levels of profit. TRENDS IN OUTBOUND TOURISM According to Keynote, the UK tourism market, in total is divided into three categories namely, inbound, outbound and domestic. The combined market yielded  £74billion in the year 2008; out of which the contribution of domestic and outbound was as good as 77.9%. The outbound market increased by 20.6% during 2004-2008; being quite remarkable. (KEYNOTE: A Report on Overseas Tour Operators, 2009) Analysis The table above clarifies the total UK market for tourism. This table was used to identify and understand value and number of overseas holidays made. It implies that outbound travel or overseas trips are greater than others, by value. This says, in UK tourism market, role of outbound is significant. This also means UK population, appreciates trips abroad and hence would buy our packages as we offer mix and range of many countries. PATTERN OF HOLIDAY TRIPS ABROAD Statistics highlighted by Keynote show, that holiday trips both domestic and abroad, estimated up to 120 million; almost equating to two holidays per resident. Figures put forth a lucrative amount of 64.1%, being the share of the total amount of money that people in the UK spend on holidays abroad. In volume (Million Trips) By value ( £ Billion) (KEYNOTE: A Report on Top Markets: Transport Tourism, 2010) Analysis This report was used to identify holiday trips made abroad. Trip abroad can mean a visit to family or friends, or a business trip, or a holiday trip. These two graphs help us in narrowing down to holiday trips only. This shows customers spending on holidays abroad. According to the graphs above, although the outbound holiday trip is less in number as compared to domestic trip (by number of trips made); but, is definitely much superior with respect to value. It can be understood as; value of one overseas trip is equal to value of three domestic trips, concerning the price of package. This also shows outbound holiday trips generate more money than domestic trips. ADVENTURE TRIPS MADE, IN PARTICULAR It is interesting to note that, average expenditure made on activity trips abroad is much higher than that of domestic ones; which is estimated up to a significant  £1,000 in comparison with a mere  £193 respectively. By Volume (Million trips) By Value ( £ Billion) (KEYNOTE: Report on Activity Holidays, 2009) Analysis This report from Keynote helps us to narrow down to adventure holidays in particular. This data is used to investigate, the interest and buying behaviour of UK population towards activity holidays. Total holiday trips abroad comes to 39 £bn, and the total of adventure holiday trips abroad is 7.7 £bn. These figures tell us that out of all holiday trips made abroad, 20% are only for adventure. This is a very positive figure for us, because, there are so many types of holidays like, Sightseeing, Beach holidays, Historic attractions, Honeymoon holidays, Spa holidays etc. Amongst this scattered range, adventure holidays has a good 20% share, which says all; that people in UK like adventure holidays and they spend too accordingly for it. RANKING OF DESIRED DESTINATIONS The following are the favourite destinations, where people prefer to go for holidays. Especially, 13.4 million visits have been made solely to Spain, which makes way for it to top the list of most preferred holiday destinations that people of UK tend to choose. (KEYNOTE: A Report on Travel agents and Operators, 2009) Analysis These are favourite places where people of UK like to visit. According to this report, largest number of tourists is for Spain. We have used this report, to decide onto the choice of countries to offer to the customer. Looking at the statistics, we chose Spain, Turkey, Poland and India, as these are the destinations consumers like to visit. Our other choice of country i.e. African countries is done for a reason that, several UK consumers are yet to explore these regions as tourist places. Our research and observation shows, African market for adventure holidays is still unexplored and untapped for UK customers and the beautiful aspect of this is, the variety and thrill in adventure that Africa has; is what UK consumer will love. So, what intend to offer places they typically go in accordance with what they like and also place that they would like to go, if given a chance. It is more like introducing African adventure holidays to UK consumers in a refined and tailor-made way. US, the second favourite, will be offered in years to come. ROLE OF INTERNET IN BOOKING TOURS (KEYNOTE: A Report on Holiday Purchasing Patterns, 2009) Analysis This table is been used to see the importance of internet for holidays. The chart above reflects the source of information for the last holiday taken in last 12 months (in % of adults) This table supports that, internet is the largest source used by people to book their holidays. This would be very fruitful to us because, as we are a virtually operating tour company, we would have the largest number of potential customers finding us and seeking information. The figure for information from tour operator is also pretty decent. So, in a way, we are likely to benefit in this situation, both, through internet users as well as our physical presence. CUSTOMER SOPHISTICATION According to a Keynote report based on Purchasing Patterns (2009), customer sophistication in terms of their awareness about technology usage has seen a steep rise. Moreover, their ideas about holidays have only and only grown clearer about how exactly they wish to design their trips; further adds to attract them towards our type of service. A survey by CNBC says, Holiday Are a Necessity for Britons Further it mentioned that, Despite the fragile economic recovery, 91% of Britons surveyed are still keen to take their annual holiday, according to the British Travel Awards. Lorraine Barnes Burton, CEO of British Travel Awards, told CNBC Thursday that people are more likely to cut back on other discretionary spend before they cut back on their holiday (CNBC SURVEY, February 2010) FORECAST With respect to a report on Keynote, activity holidays abroad are expected to grow from 5.6 million trips to 6.1 million trips during the year span from 2009 to 2013. Moreover, the expected increase by value, during the same span is  £5.3 billion to  £6.7 billion. (KEYNOTE: A Report on Activity Holiday, 2009) Analysis Considering factors like recession and consumer spending, tourism is definitely in a little unstable situation. But the best part is, things are moving towards positive and the forecast table supports this. Outbound activity holidays are expected to rise in the next three years. The growth is predicted to be comparatively higher in 2012 and 2013. Forecasts further show that outbound activity holidays will continue to generate more revenue compared to domestic activity holidays. There are few more implications regarding the forecast related to Political and Economical issues. Factors like, more specific regulatory issues relating to tour operator licensing and customer safety and restrictive entry visa requirements. There was decline in UK GDP in 2009. However, 2010 observed a 1.2% increase and the prediction for 2012 expects a rise by 2.5%. COMPETITORS As mentioned earlier in this report, we belong to an extremely niche market. Our research says, there are quite a few tailor-made tour operators and travel companies specialized in designing adventure trips; but very few direct competitors i.e. both tailor-made as well as specialized in adventure trips in particular. This gives us a stronger chance to make our presence felt in the market with the help of appropriate strategies. The following are our indirect competitors: Tailor-made holiday Tour operators Tailormade Travel Kirkir holidays Travelbag.co.uk Kuoni travels Audley travels Theres a long list, of about 40tailor made holiday operator companies in UK. These are the most known and popular. They are not direct competition, but there is obviously a threat because they have adventure holidays. There is another aspect to this too that, customers who like tailoring their holiday might look for tailor made adventure holiday as well. Adventure Holiday operators The Adventure Company Explore! World-wide Adventure Travel Adventure Sports Holidays Activities abroad Footloose Adventure Travel Addicted to Travel Active Adventure High Adventure and Wild Expedition These are the tour operators which have only adventure activities. They are even bigger threat, because customer looking for adventure holiday would not necessarily try for tailor made holidays unless he is looking for same. The following are our direct competitors: Tailor-made adventure tour operators Wild Frontier Adventure travel Adventure tours and Tailor made holidays Tailor-made Explore Adventure Holidays Responsibletravel.com Imaginative traveller These four are our main direct competitors, all UK based. Undoubtedly, these travel companies have a wide range of destinations to offer. But, they tailor only to the extent of preferred types of rooms in a hotel, flight bookings. A customer is definitely free to state specifications if any; but, anything more than this might or might not be arranged for. This is what is common in all these adventure tour operators. How are we different from our direct competitors Intensely Tailor-made: We welcome choices made by our customers in light of not only hotel rooms, flight seat specification; but also, to the extent that our customer is free to choose his own adventurous activities at various destinations that we offer. The Kingpin pays only for what he chooses to: By this we mean that our customer has the liberty to make a choice of even the activities at the destination he decides to go. He can choose his own combination of adventure according to his preference and most importantly pays only to the extent of what he chose. Thus, our packages have flexible pricing benefit. Strategy formulation Target segment Our segmentation is divided in two parts: By Age We would be considering all the age groups. Especially, age group ranging from: 30 years-49 years. While, 18 years-29 years and 49+, if applicable. By Class Affluent class. Upper middle class. Basically, our customer can be anyone who can afford to spend an average of  £1,000 for holiday trips as we provide for a blend of adventure with desired levels of luxury. The following table represents the weekly disposable income categorized by age. Considering this information can help us know who can be our prospective customers and how can we generate sales. (KEYNOTE: A Report of Market Assessment on Extended Financial Families, 2005) Analysis Age groups ranging from 30 years-49 years have the highest weekly disposable income; which also form our prime focus for selling packages. Second highest is the age group that ranges from 50 years-64 years of age; which implies that these are people who have money but most probably might not be keen to go for extreme adventure trips. So, we can sell them our packages that ensure soft forms of adventure, say, a balloon safari Rajasthan, India or boat cruise in the forests of Amazon. It shows that we have a good amount of prospective customers. It reflects that the market indeed has the type of customers we looking for, who can potentially buy our services if we can reach them. Competitive position The following table is a glance of what our direct competitors are offering and how different are we, to this regard. These are the specimen forms that are provided in either of the cases under specialized tailor-made holidays. DIRECT COMPETITOR VENTURE FUN TOURS CUSTOMERS PERSONAL DETAILS CUSTOMERS PERSONAL DETAILS CUSTOMERS CONTACT DETAILS CUSTOMERS CONTACT DETAILS CUSTOMERS POSTAL DETAILS CUSTOMERS POSTAL DETAILS EXTRACT INFORMATION: like, how did they hear about us etc. EXTRACT INFORMATION: like, how did they hear about us and so on. DATE OF TRAVEL DATE OF TRAVEL CLASS OF TRAVEL: Business/Economy DURATION OF TRAVEL: Default or set by customer. OTHER SPECIFICATIONS INCLUDE: Flight only/ Self drive/Camper van/ Coach. OTHER SPECIFICATIONS INCLUDE: Flight details- Economy class/Business class (both for International Domestic flights) Preferred Local transport- Coach/ boat cruises/local trains. Meals: Yes/No ; if yes, then Vegetarian/Non-vegetarian; Meals on certainly specified days; Go for the default program. CHOICE OF DESTINATIONS CHOICE OF DESTINATIONS CHOICE OF HOTEL CHOICE OF ROOMS IN HOTEL: Deluxe/Economy/Suite. CHOICE OF DURATION AVAILABLE PACKAGES AVAILABLE PAKAGES AVAILABLE ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES: By Default or chosen by the customer. PRICES OF PACKAGES (fixed) PRICE OF PACKAGE: Set by Customer. SPECIFICATIONS, IF ANY FURTHER SPECIFICATIONS SWOT Analysis The following are the strengths of our business, which grants us certain opportunities: STRENGHT OPPORTUNITY 1. Intensively personalized/tailor-made. Customers needs completely meet our offer. 2. Price of customers choice. Customer is free to stick to his budget. 3. UK has large no. of holidays abroad. We have a large prospective market to attract. 4. 20% of total holidays abroad comprise of adventure holidays in particular. A Large number of people from UK like to go for adventure trips. The following are the weaknesses that might probe into a threat to us in respective ways: WEAKNESS THREAT 1. We are yet to enter the market. The existing companies are presently more recognized. 2. Acts of terrorism tend to badly affect tourism. Reduced sales are a loss to the company. 3. Reduction in the currency rate of Sterling Pound due to recession. Might affect the spending ability of people on holidays thus, may lead to stagnancy in sales. + Pricing Strategy: Our pricing strategy would be Skimming Pricing. Segment: This pricing strategy implies skimming a segment of customers in the market; as, in our case it is mainly the rich class and upper middle class people. Cost of Production: Our average cost of production per package is approximately  £1,000. This includes payments to all our non-labour resources right from hotels/resorts to flight booking to activity operators to local transport providers so on and so forth. Cost Differentiation: It is not possible for us to compete much on grounds of cost differentiation. Hence, our prices are not very different from what other service providers like us are offering, but our service is undoubtedly more personalized. At the most, we can probably give certain discounts in peak season to our customers. For example, discounts for couples or kids in a family, who are below 10 years of age or school/college trips. Negotiation with Suppliers: Negotiation with suppliers might enable us to procure concessions on costs, so that we can either yield a greater profit margin or give discounts to customers to expedite sales. Competitive Pricing: The prices of our packages range from a minimum  £800 to  £1,500 and higher, depending up on how much a customer is willing to spend. This price though is for 7 to 8 days, unless the customer wants to pay more and extend his holiday; other operators quote this price for approximately 15 days. But, we justify our prices because of the extent to which our packages are flexible and personalized. Marketing strategy Throughout our main marketing tag line would be; YOUR place, YOUR priceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ thrill too of YOUR choice!!! Web page: Our official website would be the prime place to promote our service. Hence, we would aim to build a very strong and impressive web page. Our web page would be clear and easy to understand. We would provide for online chat service. If the customer has a query or complaint, this service would facilitate personal contact. Online ads: As we are virtual travel operators, next best choice would be online ads. Online ads reach to large audience at a fast rate and are cost effective as well. For this, we would use Business Internet Directory and Axandra; which would cost us  £289/year and  £52/month respectively. We may also opt for such other online services that offer us still lower prices. Another advantage of this strategy is that we get to choose a keyword for which we want to come in first 10 choices in search engine; so that our customers can find us easily. Digital displays: We wish to have our digital display and banner at Heathrow International Airport. The digital display would have clips of destinations and would depict the tailor-made aspect clearly. The banner (1533/month) would show picture of a popular destination with the name of our company. Expenditure in both the cases would be  £1,533/month. Such ads would be displayed only six times in a year, i.e. those six months would be during and around the peak season. Billboards: Billboards would be put in four main city centres of UK; mostly in Finchley, London and the one in Cardiff. It would be for four months in a year in each of the cities. Billboards will have new features or aspects each time. This would cost us about  £500/month. Brochures: Brochure distribution in city malls would also be done. Around 200-250 brochures and pamphlets would be distributed, say, on any four days of a month. Tie ups: We would try to tie up with restaurant joints like Pizza hut or Burger King and convince them to have a contest or something. The trips awarded to winners then would be managed by us. Universities: Contacts would be made with Universities and our contact details would be furnished to them. We intend to help students by providing them information or internal interviews for their dissertations or research on any topic related to travel, tourism and hospitality. This would make us popular among students and universities. (All costs of advertising are included in Costing, under the heading Advertising.) Costing Costing here will cover costs that would be incurred initially, i.e. at the time of establishing the business; the monthly expenditures like, the rent, electricity charges, salary etc; costs incurred depending up on the type and the number of employees we would be hiring; also, costs anchored to our packages. The following are the costs represented in a tabular format along with their explanations. INITIAL AND MONTHLY COSTS: INITIAL COSTS (In Pounds) Security Deposit 1,000 Rent 500 Equipments 2,500 Advertising (6months) 10,000 Registration 350 TOTAL: 14,350 £ Explanation: Initially we would require paying a security deposit of  £1,000 i.e. double the rent, along with the rent of the first month being  £500. So, that makes it  £1,500 towards rent in the first month. Equipments would include computer systems, printer, scanner, fax machine, Xerox machine and so on. We would enter into a contract with an advertising agency for six months, which would cost us  £10,000. Cost of registration would come up to  £350. MONTHLY EXPENSES (In Pounds) Rent 500 Electricity 100 Water 40 Telephone 16 Stationary 1,000 TOTAL: 1,656 £ Explanation: Monthly rent would be  £500. We would get into a contract with SWALEC, according to which we would have a fixed post-paid amount to pay every month, which would be  £100 each month, which comes up to  £1200 per year. Water charges incurred would be approximately  £40. A special deal with Talk Talk service providers would grant unlimited international calling in a fixed rate of  £16 per month. Stationary would include pen, pencils and erasers, staplers, punching machines, papers, files folders and so on. STAFF WAGES: TYPE OF STAFF (In Pounds) Manager (Salaried Employee) 1,800 Customer service Executive (Full time) 1,200/Month Customer service Executive (Part time) 472/Month TOTAL: 3,472 £ Explanation: We would employee a Manager, who would be a salaried employee and would be paid  £1,800. We would require to employee a full time Customer Care Executive, who would be paid  £1,200 each month. We would also recruit a part time Customer Care Executive having a salary of  £472 per month. COSTS OF INDIVIDUAL PACKAGES: The cost of individual package means the cost incurred to make a particular package. This cost includes expenses to reach to different activity operators; which refers to contacting them or making contract with them, or giving them information or getting information. This cost is counted under the head of telephone cost. (Example: calling the operator dealing with winter sports in Poland and making the deal.) There is no cost involved for signing the deal, its a rapport built by communication modes like emails and telephone. This essentially lets the suppliers know that we too exist in the market, and that we can provide potential customers to them as well. This makes a win-win situation possible for both the parties. With time, we would get more and more familiar with suppliers in the market. Good supplier-relationship will lead to the scope for acquiring concessions also. Keeping aside the profit margin as  £150- £200, all the remaining price of the packages that range from  £1000- £1200- £1500, is the cost behind the packages that we would incur. In the third year, we expect a reduction in cost of sales, as we would be getting discounts from suppliers. Staffing resourcing STAFF Initially, we would be employing: One Manager. One full time Customer Care Executive. One part time Customer Care Executive. The following are the details of their job profiles, criteria of selection, likely remuneration and methods of recruitment. Type of staff : Manager Job profile : Managing and co-ordinating the team of customer care executives. Communicating courteously, in case required to deal with a client personally. Analysing market and financial statistics to mould strategies if necessary. Handling customer complains. Establishing contacts and networking with various hotels, resorts and activity operators, being one of the main demands of our service. Training the staff. Job specification : An MBA graduate or holder of a post graduation degree in Hospitality Tourism. Preferably should have a work experience of minimum one year. Excellent communication skills required. Must know to implement leadership qualities. Well versed with basic managerial skills. Remuneration :  £1,800 per month i.e.  £21,600 per year (8 hours/day, Mon-Fri, salaried employee) Type of staff : Customer care executive Job profile : Receiving calls of the customers. Handling customer queries. Suggesting and advising customers to design trips that best suits their choice and budget. Explaining the features of the various products if required. Co-ordinating with the resort and activity operators based on the instructions given by the manager. Managing the data base and information system. Job specification : Any graduate, preferably in the fields of Management or Hospitality Tourism. Preferably should have some work experience in any kind of hospitality service. Must possess excellent persuasive communication skills. Must hav

The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter Fifteen

Klaus screamed, a scream that reminded Bonnie of ancient predators, of the sabertooth cat and the bull mammoth. Blood frothed out of his mouth along with the scream, turning that handsome face into a twisted mask of fury. His hands scrabbled at his back, trying to get a grip on the white ash stake and pull it out. But it was buried too deep. The throw had been a good one. â€Å"Damon,† Bonnie whispered. He was standing at the edge of the clearing, framed by oak trees. As she watched, he took a step toward Klaus, and then another; lithe stalking steps filled with deadly purpose. And he was angry. Bonnie would have run from the look on his face if her muscles hadn't been frozen. She had never seen such menace so barely held in check. â€Å"Get†¦ away†¦ from my brother,† he said, almost breathing it, with his eyes never leaving Klaus's as he took another step. Klaus screamed again, but his hands stopped their frantic scrabbling. â€Å"You idiot! We don't have to fight! I told you that at the house! We can ignore each other!† Damon's voice was no louder than before. â€Å"Get away from my brother.† Bonnie could feel it inside him, a swell of Power like a tsunami. He continued, so softly that Bonnie had to strain to hear him, â€Å"Before I tear your heart out.† Bonnie could move after all. She stepped backward. â€Å"I told you!† screamed Klaus, frothing. Damon didn't acknowledge the words in any way. His whole being seemed focused on Klaus's throat, on his chest, on the beating heart inside that he was going to tear out. Klaus picked up the unbroken lance and rushed him. In spite of all the blood, the blond man seemed to have plenty of strength left. The rush was sudden, violent, and almost inescapable. Bonnie saw him thrust the lance at Damon and shut her eyes involuntarily, and then opened them an instant later as she heard the flurry of wings. Klaus had plunged right through the spot where Damon had been, and a black crow was soaring upward while a single feather floated down. As Bonnie stared, Klaus's rush took him into the darkness beyond the clearing and he disappeared. Dead silence fell in the wood. Bonnie's paralysis broke slowly, and she first stepped, and then ran to where Stefan lay. He didn't open his eyes at her approach; he seemed unconscious. She knelt beside him. And then she felt a sort of horrible calm creep over her, like someone who has been swimming in ice water and at last feels the first undeniable signs of hypothermia. If she hadn't had so many successive shocks already, she might have fled screaming or dissolved into hysterics. But as it was, this was simply the last step, the last little slide into unreality. Into a world that couldn't be, but was. She'd never seen anybody hurt like this. Not even Mr. Tanner, and he had died of his wounds. Nothing Mary had ever said could help fix this. Even if they'd had Stefan on a stretcher outside an operating room, it wouldn't have been enough. In that state of dreadful calm she looked up to see a flutter of wings blur and shimmer in the moonlight. Damon stood beside her, and she spoke quite collectedly and rationally. â€Å"Will giving him blood help?† He didn't seem to hear her. His eyes were all black, all pupil. That barely leashed violence, that sense of ferocious energy held back, was gone. He knelt and touched the dark head on the ground. â€Å"Stefan?† Bonnie shut her eyes. Damon's scared, she thought. Damon's scared-Damon!-and oh, God, I don't know what to do. There's nothing to do-and it's all over and we're all lost and Damon is scared for Stefan. He isn't going to take care of things and he hasn't got a solution and somebody's got to fix this. And oh, God, please help me because I'm so frightened and Stefan's dying and Meredith and Matt are hurt and Klaus is going to come back. She opened her eyes to look at Damon. He was white, his face looking terrifyingly young at that moment, with those dilated black eyes. â€Å"Klaus is coming back,† Bonnie said quietly. She wasn't afraid of him anymore. They weren't a centuries-old hunter and a seventeen-year-old human girl, sitting here at the edge of the world. They were just two people, Damon and Bonnie, who had to do the best they could. â€Å"I know,† Damon said. He was holding Stefan's hand, looking completely unembarrassed about it, and it seemed quite logical and sensible. Bonnie could feel him sending Power into Stefan, could also feel that it wasn't enough. â€Å"Would blood help him?† â€Å"Not much. A little, maybe.† â€Å"Anything that helps at all we've got to try.† Stefan whispered, â€Å"No.† Bonnie was surprised. She'd thought he was unconscious. But his eyes were open now, open and alert and smoldering green. They were the only alive thing about him. â€Å"Don't be stupid,† Damon said, his voice hardening. He was gripping Stefan's hand until his knuckles whitened. â€Å"You're badly hurt.† â€Å"I won't break my promise.† That immovable stubbornness was in Stefan's voice, in his pale face. And when Damon opened his mouth again, undoubtedly to say that Stefan would break it and like it or Damon would break his neck, Stefan added, â€Å"Especially when it won't do any good.† Only the truth would do. And Stefan was telling the truth. He was still looking at his brother, who was looking back, all that fierce, furious attention focused on Stefan as it had been focused on Klaus earlier. As if somehow that would help. â€Å"I'm not badly hurt, I'm dead,† Stefan said brutally, his eyes locked on Damon's. Their last and greatest struggle of wills, Bonnie thought. â€Å"And you need to get Bonnie and the others out of here.† â€Å"We won't leave you,† Bonnie intervened. That was the truth; she could say that. â€Å"You have to!† Stefan didn't glance aside, didn't look away from his brother. â€Å"Damon, you know I'm right. Klaus will be here any minute. Don't throw your life away. Don't throw their lives away.† â€Å"I don't give a damn about their lives,† Damon hissed. The truth also, Bonnie thought, curiously unoffended. There was only one life Damon cared about here, and it wasn't his own. â€Å"Yes, you do!† Stefan flared back. He was hanging on to Damon's hand with just as fierce a grip, as if this was a contest and he could force Damon to concede that way. â€Å"Elena had a last request; well, this is mine. You have Power, Damon. I want you to use it to help them.† â€Å"Stefan†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bonnie whispered helplessly. â€Å"Promise me,† Stefan said to Damon, and then a spasm of pain twisted his face. For uncountable seconds Damon simply looked down at him. Then he said, â€Å"I promise,† quick and sharp as the stroke of a dagger. He let go of Stefan's hand and stood, turning to Bonnie. â€Å"Come on.† â€Å"We can't leave him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes, we can.† There was nothing young about Damon's face now. Nothing vulnerable. â€Å"You and your human friends are leaving here, permanently. I am coming back.† Bonnie shook her head. She knew, dimly, that Damon wasn't betraying Stefan, that it was some case of Damon putting Stefan's ideals above Stefan's life, but it was all too abstruse and incomprehensible to her. She didn't understand it and she didn't want to. All she knew was that Stefan couldn't be left lying there. â€Å"You're coming now,† Damon said, reaching for her, the steely ring back in his voice. Bonnie prepared herself for a fight, and then something happened that made all their debating meaningless. There was a crack like a giant whip and a flash like daylight, and Bonnie was blinded. When she could see through the afterimage, her eyes flew to the flames that were licking up from a newly blackened hole at the base of a tree. Bonnie's eye darted to him next, as the only other thing moving in the clearing. He was waving the bloody white ash stake he'd pulled out of his own back like a gory trophy. Lightning rod, thought Bonnie illogically, and then there was another crash. It stabbed down from an empty sky, in huge blue-white forks that lit everything like the sun at noon. Bonnie watched as one tree and then another was hit, each one closer than the last. Flames licked up like hungry red goblins among the leaves. Two trees on either side of Bonnie exploded, with cracks so loud that she felt rather than heard it, a piercing pain in her eardrums. Damon, whose eyes were more sensitive, threw up a hand to protect them. Then he shouted â€Å"Klaus!† and sprang toward the blond man. He wasn't stalking now; this was the deadly race of attack. The burst of killing speed of the hunting cat or the wolf. Lightning caught him in midspring. Bonnie screamed as she saw it, jumping to her feet. There was a blue flash of superheated gases and a smell of burning, and then Damon was down, lying motionless on his face. Bonnie could see tiny wisps of smoke rise from him, just as they did from the trees. Speechless with horror, she looked at Klaus. He was swaggering through the clearing, holding his bloody stick like a golf club. He bent down over Damon as he passed, and smiled. Bonnie wanted to scream again, but she didn't have the breath. There didn't seem to be any air left to breathe. â€Å"I'll deal with you later,† Klaus told the unconscious Damon. Then his face tipped up toward Bonnie. â€Å"You,† he said, â€Å"I'm going to deal with right now.† It was an instant before she realized he was looking at Stefan, and not her. Those electric blue eyes were fixed on Stefan's face. They moved to Stefan's bloody middle. â€Å"I'm going to eat you now, Salvatore.† Bonnie was all alone. The only one left standing. And she was afraid. But she knew what she had to do. She let her knees collapse again, dropping to the ground beside Stefan. And this is how it ends, she thought. You kneel beside your knight and then you face the enemy. She looked at Klaus and moved so that she was shielding Stefan. He seemed to notice her for the first time, and frowned as if he'd found a spider in his salad. Firelight flickered orange-red on his face. â€Å"No.† And this is how the ending starts. Like this, so simply, with one word, and you're going to die on a summer night. A summer night when the moon and stars are shining and bonfires burn like the flames the Druids used to summon the dead. â€Å"Bonnie, go,† Stefan said painfully. â€Å"Get out while you can.† â€Å"No,† Bonnie said. I'm sorry, Elena, she thought. I can't save him. This is all I can do. â€Å"Get out of the way,† Klaus said through his teeth. â€Å"No.† She could wait and let Stefan die this way, instead of with Klaus's teeth in his throat. It might not seem like much of a difference, but it was the most she could offer. â€Å"Bonnie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Stefan whispered. â€Å"Don't you know who I am, girl? I've walked with the devil. If you move, I'll let you die quickly.† Bonnie's voice had given out. She shook her head. Klaus threw back his own head and laughed. A little more blood trickled out, too. â€Å"All right,† he said. â€Å"Have it your own way. Both of you go together.† Summer night, Bonnie thought. The solstice eve. When the line between worlds is so thin. â€Å"Say good night, sweetheart.† No time to trance, no time for anything. Nothing except one desperate appeal. â€Å"Elena!† Bonnie screamed. â€Å"Elena! Elena!† Klaus recoiled. For an instant, it seemed as if the name alone had the power to alarm him. Or as if he expected something to respond to Bonnie's cry. He stood, listening. Bonnie drew on her powers, putting everything she had into it, throwing her need and her call out into the void. And felt†¦ nothing. Nothing disturbed the summer night except the crackling sound of flames. Klaus turned back to Bonnie and Stefan, and grinned. Then Bonnie saw the mist creeping along the ground. No-it couldn't be mist. It must be smoke from the fire. But it didn't behave like either. It was swirling, rising in the air like a tiny whirlwind or dust devil. It was gathering into a shape roughly the size of a man. Mist was flowing out of the ground, between the trees. Pools of it, each separate and distinct. Bonnie, staring mutely, could see through each patch, could see the flames, the oak trees, the bricks of the chimney. Klaus had stopped smiling, stopped moving, and was watching too. Bonnie turned to Stefan, unable to even frame the question. â€Å"Unquiet spirits,† he whispered huskily, his green eyes intent. â€Å"The solstice.† And then Bonnie understood. They were coming. From across the river, where the old cemetery lay. From the woods, where countless makeshift graves had been dug to dump bodies in before they rotted. The unquiet spirits, the soldiers who had fought here and died during the Civil War. A supernatural host answering the call for help. They were forming all around. There were hundreds of them. Bonnie could actually see faces now. The misty outlines were filling in with pale hues like so many runny watercolors. She saw a flash of blue, a glimmer of gray. Both Union and Confederate troops. Bonnie glimpsed a pistol thrust into a belt, the glint of an ornamented sword. Chevrons on a sleeve. A bushy dark beard; a long, well-tended white one. A small figure, child size, with dark holes for eyes and a drum hanging at thigh level. â€Å"Oh, my God,† she whispered. â€Å"Oh, God.† It wasn't swearing. It was something like a prayer. Not that she wasn't frightened of them, because she was. It was every nightmare she'd ever had about the cemetery come true. Like her first dream about Elena, when things came crawling out of the black pits in the earth; only these things weren't crawling, they were flying, skimming and floating until they swirled into human form. Everything that Bonnie had ever felt about the old graveyard-that it was alive and full of watching eyes, that there was some Power lurking behind its waiting stillness -was proving true. The earth of Fell's Church was giving up its bloody memories. The spirits of those who'd died here were walking again. And Bonnie could feel their anger. It frightened her, but another emotion was waking up inside her, making her catch her breath and clench tighter on Stefan's hand. Because the misty army had a leader. One figure was floating in front of the others, closest to the place where Klaus stood. It had no shape or definition as yet, but it glowed and scintillated with the pale golden light of a candle flame. Then, before Bonnie's eyes, it seemed to take on substance from the air, shining brighter and brighter every minute with an unearthly light. It was brighter than the circle of fire. It was so bright that Klaus leaned back from it and Bonnie blinked, but when she turned at a low sound, she saw Stefan staring straight into it, fearlessly, with wide-open eyes. And smiling, so faintly, as if glad to have this be the last thing he saw. Klaus dropped the stake. He had turned away from Bonnie and Stefan to face the being of light that hung in the clearing like an avenging angel. Golden hair streaming back in an invisible wind, Elena looked down on him. â€Å"She came,† Bonnie whispered. â€Å"You asked her to,† Stefan murmured. His voice trailed off into a labored breath, but he was still smiling. His eyes were serene. â€Å"Stand away from them,† Elena said, her voice coming simultaneously to Bonnie's ears and her mind. It was like the chiming of dozens of bells, distant and close up at once. â€Å"It's over now, Klaus.† But Klaus rallied quickly. Bonnie saw his shoulders swell with a breath, noticed for the first time the hole in the back of the tan raincoat where the white ash stake had pierced him. It was stained dull red, and new blood was flowing now as Klaus flung out his arms. â€Å"You think I'm afraid of you?† he shouted. He spun around, laughing at all the pallid forms. â€Å"You think I'm afraid of any of you? You're dead! Dust on the wind! You can't touch me!† â€Å"You're wrong,† Elena said in her wind-chime voice. â€Å"I'm one of the Old Ones! An Original! Do you know what that means?† Klaus turned again, addressing all of them, his unnaturally blue eyes seeming to catch some of the red glow of the fire. â€Å"I've never died. Every one of you has died, you gallery of spooks! But not me. Death can't touch me. I am invincible!† The last word came in a shout so loud it echoed among the trees. Invincible†¦ invincible†¦ invincible. Bonnie heard it fading into the hungry sound of the fire. Elena waited until the last echo had died. Then she said, very simply, â€Å"Not quite.† She turned to look at the misty shapes around her. â€Å"He wants to spill more blood here.† A new voice spoke up, a hollow voice that ran like a trickle of cold water down Bonnie's spine. â€Å"There's been enough killing, I say.† It was a Union soldier with a double row of buttons on his jacket. â€Å"More than enough,† said another voice, like the boom of a faraway drum. A Confederate holding a bayonet. â€Å"It's time somebody stopped it†-an old man in home-dyed butternut cloth. â€Å"We can't let it go on†-the drummer boy with the black holes for eyes. â€Å"No more blood spilled!† Several voices took it up at once. â€Å"No more killing!† The cry passed from one to another, until the swell of sound was louder than the roar of the fire. â€Å"No more blood!† â€Å"You can't touch me! You can't kill me!† â€Å"Let's take ‘im, boys!† â€Å"You can't kill me! I'm immortal!† The tornado swept away into the darkness beyond Bonnie's sight. Following it was a trail of ghosts like a comet's tail, shooting off into the night sky. â€Å"Where are they taking him?† Bonnie didn't mean to say it aloud; she just blurted it out before she thought. But Elena heard. â€Å"Where he won't do any harm,† she said, and the look on her face stopped Bonnie from asking any other questions. There was a squealing, bleating sound from the other side of the clearing. Bonnie turned and saw Tyler, in his terrible part-human, part-animal shape, on his feet. There was no need for Caroline's club. He was staring at Elena and the few remaining ghostly figures and gibbering. â€Å"Don't let them take me! Don't let them take me too!† Before Elena could speak, he had spun around. He regarded the fire, which was higher than his own head, for an instant, then plunged right through it, crashing into the forest beyond. Through a parting of the flames, Bonnie saw him drop to the ground, beating out flames on himself, then rise and run again. Then the fire flared up and she couldn't see anything more. But she'd remembered something: Meredith-and Matt. Meredith was lying propped up, her head in Caroline's lap, watching. Matt was still on his back. Hurt, but not so badly hurt as Stefan. â€Å"Elena,† Bonnie said, catching the bright figure's attention, and then she simply looked at him. The brightness came closer. Stefan didn't blink. He looked into the heart of the light and smiled. â€Å"He's been stopped now. Thanks to you.† â€Å"It was Bonnie who called us. And she couldn't have done it at the right place and the right time without you and the others.† â€Å"I tried to keep my promise.† â€Å"I know, Stefan.† Bonnie didn't like the sound of this at all. It sounded too much like a farewell-a permanent one. Her own words floated back to her: He might go to another place or-or just go out. And she didn't want Stefan to go anywhere. Surely anyone who looked that much like an angel†¦ â€Å"Elena,† she said, â€Å"can't you-do something? Can't you help him?† Her voice was shaking. â€Å"I can do something,† she said. â€Å"But I don't know if it's the kind of help he wants.† She turned back to Stefan. â€Å"Stefan, I can cure what Klaus did. Tonight I have that much Power. But I can't cure what Katherine did.† Bonnie's numbed brain struggled with this for a while. What Katherine did-but Stefan had recovered months ago from Katherine's torture in the crypt. Then she understood. What Katherine had done was make Stefan a vampire. â€Å"It's been too long,† Stefan was saying to Elena. â€Å"If you did cure it, I'd be a pile of dust.† â€Å"Yes.† Elena didn't smile, just went on looking at him steadily. â€Å"Do you want my help, Stefan?† â€Å"To go on living in this world in the shadows†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Stefan's voice was a whisper now, his green eyes distant. Bonnie wanted to shake him. Live, she thought to him, but she didn't dare say it for fear she'd make him decide just the opposite. Then she thought of something else. â€Å"To go on trying,† she said, and both of them looked at her. She looked back, chin thrust out, and saw the beginning of a smile on Elena's bright lips. Elena turned to Stefan, and that tiny hint of a smile passed to him. â€Å"Yes,† he said quietly, and then, to Elena, â€Å"I want your help.† She bent and kissed him. Bonnie saw the brightness flow from her to Stefan, like a river of sparkling light engulfing him. It flooded over him the way the dark mist had surrounded Klaus, like a cascade of diamonds, until his entire body glowed like Elena's. For an instant Bonnie imagined she could see the blood inside him turned molten, flowing out to each vein, each capillary, healing everything it touched. Then the glow faded to a golden aura, soaking back into Stefan's skin. His shirt was still demolished, but underneath the flesh was smooth and firm. Bonnie, feeling her own eyes wide with wonder, couldn't help reaching out to touch. It felt just like any skin. The horrible wounds were gone. She laughed aloud with sheer excitement, and then looked up, sobering. â€Å"Elena- there's Meredith, too-â€Å" The bright being that was Elena was already moving across the clearing. Meredith looked up at her from Caroline's lap. â€Å"Hello, Elena,† she said, almost normally, except that her voice was so weak. Elena bent and kissed her. The brightness flowed again, encompassing Meredith. And when it faded, Meredith stood up on her own two feet. Then she went to Damon. He was still lying where he had fallen. The ghosts had passed over him, taking no notice of him. Elena's brightness hovered over him, one shining hand reaching to touch his hair. Then she bent and kissed the dark head on the ground. As the sparkling light faded, Damon sat up and shook his head. He saw Elena and went still, then, every movement careful and self-contained, stood up. He didn't say anything, only looked as Elena turned back to Stefan. He was silhouetted against the fire. Bonnie had scarcely noticed how the red glow had grown so that it almost eclipsed Elena's gold. But now she saw it and felt a thrill of alarm. â€Å"My last gift to you,† Elena said, and it began to rain. Not a thunder-and-lightning storm, but a thorough pattering rain that soaked everything-Bonnie included-and doused the fire. It was fresh and cool, and it seemed to wash all the horror of the last hours away, cleansing the glade of everything that had happened there. Bonnie tilted her face up to it, shutting her eyes, wanting to stretch out her arms and embrace it. At last it slackened and she looked again at Elena. Elena was looking at Stefan, and there was no smile on her lips now. The wordless sorrow was back in her face. â€Å"It's midnight,† she said. â€Å"And I have to go.† Bonnie knew instantly, at the sound of it, that â€Å"go† didn't just mean for the moment. â€Å"Go† meant forever. Elena was going somewhere that no trance or dream could reach. And Stefan knew it too. â€Å"Just a few more minutes,† he said, reaching for her. â€Å"I'm sorry-â€Å" â€Å"Elena, wait-I need to tell you-â€Å" â€Å"I can't!† For the first time the serenity of that bright face was destroyed, showing not only gentle sadness but tearing grief. â€Å"Stefan, I can't wait. I'm so sorry.† It was as if she were being pulled backward, retreating from them into some dimension that Bonnie could not see. Maybe the same place Honoria went when her task was finished, Bonnie thought. To be at peace. But Elena's eyes didn't look as if she were at peace. They clung to Stefan, and she reached out her hand toward his, hopelessly. They didn't touch. Wherever Elena was being pulled was too far away. â€Å"Elena-please!† It was the voice Stefan had called her with in his room. As if his heart was breaking. â€Å"Stefan,† Elena called again, but her voice came as if from a long distance. The brightness was almost gone. Then, as Bonnie stared through helpless tears, it winked out. Leaving the clearing silent once again. They were all gone, the ghosts of Fell's Church who had walked for one night to keep more blood from being spilled. The bright spirit that had led them had vanished without a trace, and even the moon and stars were covered by clouds. Bonnie knew that the wetness on Stefan's face wasn't due to the rain that was still splashing down. He was standing, chest heaving, looking at the last place where Elena's brightness had been seen. And all the longing and the pain Bonnie had glimpsed on his face at times before was nothing to what she saw now. â€Å"It isn't fair,† she whispered. Then she shouted it to the sky, not caring who she was addressing. â€Å"It isn't fair!† Stefan had been breathing more and more quickly. Now he lifted his face too, not in anger but in unbearable pain. His eyes were searching the clouds as if he might find some last trace of golden light, some flicker of brightness there. He couldn't. Bonnie saw the spasm go through him, like the agony of Klaus's stake. And the cry that burst out of him was the most terrible thing she'd ever heard. â€Å"Elena!†

An Irregular Warfare Strategy for Somalia Essay

Introduction The use of Irregular Warfare has been ongoing for years around the world. Irregular warfare is described as a violent struggle among state and non-state actors for legitimacy and influence over the relevant populations. I will discuss where the U.S. may apply military force in conjunction with other means of national power to stabilize the nation of Somalia. I will also discuss why it would be considered as an Irregular Warfare environment. Body Somalia gained its independence from British control in 1960, where the British relinquished control and gave Somalia to the United Nations. Somalia was governed by civilians until 1969; after which the military rebellion by General Muhammed Siad Barre took place. General Muhammed Siad Barre was a military tyranny that was in command of Somalia and it’s military. His tyranny lasted over 2 decades. During the 1970s the United States government communicated with General Barre and donated over 100 million dollars to help stabilize the Somali economy. The United States knew it was within there best interest to keep General Barre in power of Somalia for a while. The United States also knew that by the late 1980s the Somali economy would be unable to sustain itself and foreign aid would be withdrawn. After the collapse of Somalia’s economy, the United States revolted against General Barre’s oppressive regime. Different warlords of Somalia fought together against Genera l Barre, ending his power and forcing him to flee the country. The United States maintained the tyranny by supporting General Barre and his dictatorship because they had an agenda. They then used their power of the situation to overthrow General Barre in the end. In 1991 The United Somali Congress (USC) was formed and a temporary president was appointed to govern the nation. With dissention within the USC they were later over thrown by  the Islamic Courts Union. The Islamic Courts Union had the support of the people because they offered services such as schools and health care. They also took on the responsibility of law enforcement which was paid for by local businesses to lower and maintain the crime rate within the area. The Islamic Courts Union took on the responsibility of halting robberies and drug dealing, as well as stopping the showing of what it claims to be pornographic films in local movie houses. The Islamic Courts Union also addressed problems throughout the region by establishing community services and security which in turn help them to gain the trust of the local residents. Local warlords became concerned over the growing power of the Islamic Courts Union. The Warlords decided to join together to create the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter Terrorism (ARPCT. The Islamic Courts Union lost their power over Mogadishu in 2006, when they were defeated and forced to Kismayo, which is in the southern part of the country. Conflicts within the nation of Somalia were sometimes planned as a means to an end. Whereby the United States Government supported a certain regime before they used their power to gain control of the situation and overthrow the tyrant. In other cases the use of national power was used such as the Islamic Courts Union to gain control over Somalia by implementing logical line of operations by providing the people their needs and services to gain their trust. In these situations it would be considered as an irregular warfare environment, because they were violent struggles for power within the nation. Conclusion The use of power can cause conflict within nations and among nations; however, being able to manage conflict can bring about some form of peace within and with nations. This essay discussed some examples of Irregular Warfare and how it played a part in Somalia. It also discussed some examples of Irregular Warfare that was used throughout the history of the Somalia conflict. References Irregular Warfare (IW) Joint Operating Concept (JOC). (2007). http://marshallfoundation.org/documents/IrregularWarfare.pdf Somalia Civil War. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war /somalia.htm>. The National Counterterrorism Center. (2014). http://www.nctc.gov/site /groups/al_shabaab.html

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