Friday, January 31, 2020

Strategic Management Business Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strategic Management Business - Term Paper Example According to Bo Bennett ‘A dream becomes a goal when action is taken towards its achievement’ (Gordon Bell High School, 2012). The justification of the quote can be accomplished by none other than the personality who has given birth to the technical giants Apple. Apple inc. is a consumer electronics company which is headquartered at California, United States. The company is primarily indulged in manufacturing and marketing software, personal computers and other electronic products (Yahoo Finance, n.d.). Some of the iconic products of Apple include I-Phone, I-Pad, I-Pod and very shortly going to add I-Car to its product range (Paultan, 2012). Within a very short span of journey the company has been able to achieve the elite position in the IT industry. The case which has been selected to carry out the research is the article namely ‘Big Apple vs. Big Oil’. The case illustrates the ups and downs of the company and mentioned the staggering success of Apple in the share market. The case also highlights the reasons of Apple’s success in the market place and depicts the importance of the stake holders of the company. Moreover the case also illuminates the importance of Steve Jobs and his innovative and leadership qualities. The reason why Apple has been chosen in order to carry out the research is that the company offers tumultuous market narration. It has also witnessed economic slumps as well as path breaking success. The company is also the most noteworthy player in the digital entertainment sector with innovative outlooks for the future. Therefore it is assumed that Apple inc. will be the most suitable organization towards the completion of the study. Now the prime problem or the issue predating the company is the concerns of the health of Steve Jobs. The person is considered as the technical genius for the company and the sole personality behind every innovations portrayed by the company. Since Steve Jobs is the CEO of the Apple and with his absence the company will hugely suffer from leadership problems. However the investors of the company are gaming on the fact that the company will still pump out heavy profits. But still the question remains that will there be anyone ever who will fill Steve Job’s Shoes. The company is also comprehensively facing problem regarding the affordability of their products. The price of the products is meant for the higher income groups and thus the other section of people could not afford it. This also hampers the total sales volume of the company and ultimately lessens the revenue. Facts The chosen article i.e. ‘Big Apple vs. Big Oil’ illustrates that Apple Inc. was once on the verge of a bankruptcy but stabilizing the situation progressed towards being the market leader in IT industry. The company has also outperformed some of the biggest players of stock market. The day of 9th August will always remain momentous for the company as for a time being they have surpassed the oil giant Exxon Mobil in the context of the firms

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Better Law Making Essay -- essays research papers

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, 5.6.2002 COM(2002) 275 final COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION European Governance: Better lawmaking . .. 2 Accountability, effectiveness, proportionality In July 2001, the Commission presented its White Paper on European Governance. The basic message was a simple one and is as topical now as it was then: we need to govern ourselves better, together – European institutions and Member States. We can do this without changing the Treaty, without necessarily wait ing for the successful outcome of a new intergovernmental conference. Better governance together means active cooperation between the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the nat ional governments so that the people of Europe can see more clearly how they fit into major projects and into the EU's day-to-day business. One thing we have to acknowledge is the richness of the Community method. Compared wit h other systems of internat ional relat ions, it produces rules which can be applied in any nat ional context and which have the backing of legal certainty. But this very success raises further questions. There are a lot of complex issues at stake now in enacting good European legislat ion which is mindful of the principles of subsidiarit y and proportionalit y. People nowadays take an interest in the effectiveness of the rules handed down "from Brussels" and the way they are drawn up. The advent of a democratic conscience is strengthening the need for accountability and proportionality in the way powers vested in the European inst itutions are exercised. This need is expressed more especially in transparency, clarity and the willingness to stand up to scrutiny. What we have here, then, is a veritable ethical requirement. The resolut ion adopted by the European Parliament in November 2001 in the wake of the Kaufmann report strengthens this requirement still further. By clearly stressing the primacy of polit ical accountabilit y behind legislat ive act ion, the resolution brings out the need for more transparent, equitable and disputational consultat ion: it is the very qualit y of the legislat ion which is under scrutiny. Three communications for better lawmaking Inspired by this resolution and by the init ial react ions during the consultat ions on the White Paper concerning the "better law... ...ve is the indispensable counterpart to majorit y voting in the Council, in as much as the Commission's right of init iat ive guarantees vital minorit y interests when it comes to defining the general interest. In tomorrow's world, this balanced view of the general interest will be even more important with a view to ensuring its autonomy, and that is the very point of the action plan for better lawmaking. Similarly, the complementarit y between the inst itutions, which is at the very heart of the unique Communit y system, will mean having to consolidate this refocusing effort, as prompted by the governance reforms, and for reasons of accountability, proportionality, transparency and legal certainty. And finally, with the move towards more rationalised consultations, the systemat ic and a priori consideration of the impacts the proposed legislat ion will have, we are touching on the vital quest ion of the intensit y of Communit y act ion, lying at the very heart of the balance between effect iveness and the preservat ion of diversit ies which should, according to the Laeken declarat ion, help to clarify the way powers are exercised between the EU and its Member States.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Pet Overpopulation Epidemic

Persuasive Speech Topic: Pet Overpopulation Epidemic General Purpose: To persuade. Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that the public is to blame for the pet overpopulation epidemic. Central Idea: In order to control the overwhelming population of homeless pets, we need to stop throwing our â€Å"family friends† away. There are 1. 5 dogs and cats put to sleep every second & 4-6 million dogs and cats are euthanized every year, states the Humane Society. The pet overpopulation epidemic has become more than overwhelming. But who is at fault for the ever increasing number of homeless and euthanized pets each year?The public, government and breeders all have their hand in this catastrophic epidemic. So who is to blame for this epidemic? Since government intervention has caused more harm than foul, what will need to change in order for anything to improve? The pet overpopulation epidemic is not a myth, not something to be swept under the rug or shamelessly forgotten. This epi demic is our making and therefore our responsibility. So where does the problem really lie? One would think its 100% the fault of breeders and those multitudes of litters. But no, that is not the route of the problem, not by a long shot.Breeders are the effect of the problem, and the massive pet overpopulation is the aftermath. Yes, breeders, as a whole, are breeding more litters than there are homes for, yet, they are selling them. So why is that, why are breeders selling their litters when there's a worldwide pet overpopulation problem? Because people do not look at the purchase of a puppy or kitten as a lifelong commitment. Puppies and kittens are so cute, most are purchased on impulse. Who could, after all, resist that cute little face? Yes, the problem lies with the general public who, do not research, and buy these pets without thoroughly thinking it through.Without doing their homework on the type of pet they should get, and without taking the time to learn what a dog really needs in order to be that perfect dog. They later â€Å"Get Rid† of their pet, passing them onto rescues or pounds. Later, most will end up â€Å"Testing Out† a different type of pet. The vast majority of people, who adopt a puppy or kitten, do not keep the animal for life. If this were to turn around and most people were to actually keep their pets through the good times and the bad, as they do their own children, the demand for these animals would go down.With less of a demand, breeders would not breed as many litters. Breeders are only breeding as many litters as they do, because people are buying them. The demand for a cute little puppy or kitten is great, because people do not keep the animal for life. Animals are recycled. If a breeder had a litter and could not sell the puppies, they would not keep having litter after litter. People are buying them, so breeders are breeding them. In a perfect world, breeders would breed less and force people to adopt from an ani mal rescue, but this is not a perfect world.The solution lies with the general public educating themselves, supply and demand, that's the solution. Lessen the demand and the supply will, on its own, lessen. The power lies within each and every one of us. Scripted by Kim Sturla (of the San Mateo ordinance fame) and her continual cross-country junketing preaching her message: â€Å"The problem is simple: we have too many dogs and cats. Too many for too few homes. † Another contributing factor to this huge problem is government intervention. The state run dog pounds make it way took easy to unload the responsibility of owning a pet onto someone else.Most people could â€Å"Get Rid† of their dogs in one day. Almost anyone can take their pets to the pound. It is very easy to â€Å"Get Rid† of a dog or cat at a local state run kill shelter (dog & cat pound), but it's not so easy to adopt a dog from one. Some years back my cousin went to a state run dog pound near his work and tried to adopt a dog. He was told it was the dogs last day, yes it was going to be killed the next day. My husband told the shelter he wanted to adopt the dog. Upon doing his paperwork he was told he could not adopt the dog because he didn't live in that county.He explained he worked down the street, didn't live in the county but worked there. No, that was not acceptable; he was not allowed to adopt the dog. The pound was going to kill the dog, but would not adopt it out to a man who lived in the next county over. These state run pounds have all kinds of rules and restrictions in place for adopting a pet, but not for dumping one. Yes, they will take your pet, and they will also kill it for you. Know if you take your dog or cat to one of these pounds chances are extremely high it will be dead in a month.The majority of cats and dogs who are taken to this state run kill shelters are not adopted out, but are killed. One might as well save the tax payers some money and kill the animals themselves. Sound harsh? Yes, it is, so don't take your pets to the pound. You took on this responsibility, now you must deal with it without dumping your problems onto someone else. What needs to change, the attitude of the general public. When one decides to buy a cute little puppy or kitten, the decision should be looked at as a 10-15 year commitment.If one cannot, or does not, wish to commit this amount of time to a dog or cat, do not buy a puppy or kitten, and then pass your problem off to someone else when it grows up and the situation does not work out as you envisioned it would. Just like when one decides to have a human baby, things will not be perfect. The child will not be perfect. They will be expensive and press us to the end with issues to deal with. Dogs and cats are not disposable and they are not all the same. Chances are, a type of dog that will fit into your lifestyle will not be the type of dog that will fit into your neighbor’s lifestyle.Sometime s there is no type of dog that will fit into your lifestyle, and if you want a pet, it’s time to consider something else, something less demanding. This research should be done before you adopt a pet, it should not be a trial and error experience. With the internet so readily available, there is no excuse for not researching BEFORE adopting a pet. It should be made harder to dump unwanted animals off at these state pounds, putting more responsibility on the pet owner. Maybe than people would think twice about buying a puppy or kitten when they were not sure if they were ready for the responsibility of owning one for life.These state run shelters are hurting the pet overpopulation problem more than they are helping. The world would be a better place if there were not an easy place to dump your pets after you got tired of them. Let private no kill rescues work with people who think they want to dump their dog. It needs to be harder for someone to dump an unwanted pet and never look back. If you would like to try owning a dog or cat, but are not sure if you are a dog / cat person, start with a full grown homeless dog or cat rather than adopting a puppy or kitten.Grown cats and dogs are easier to care for than kittens and puppies and you will not be contributing to the overpopulation problem should you decide it was not something you should have taken on. There are millions of wonderful dogs and cats that need homes. People who adopt a cute little puppy or kitten without researching, how a dog thinks, the type of pet they are getting, the care, time and responsibility it will need, and end up â€Å"Getting Rid† of your pet after it has outgrown that cute puppy or kitten stage, using one of the many common excuses for not keeping a pet, it is you who are the problem for the worlds pet overpopulation.Bibliography American Humane Association. Adoption & Pet Care: Issues and information. 2009. 5 11 2010 . Avery, Gladys. â€Å"Overpopulation – The Importance of Spaying and Neutering. † 22 July 2007. I Heart Paws. 5 November 2010 . Humane Society. Pet Over Population. 2010. 18 11 2010 . Mansuso, Judie. â€Å"One of the most frequent questions asked about SB 250 is. † n. d. SB:250. 5 November 2010 . Pennington, Ian. â€Å"Facts on Pet Overpopulation. † n. d. Eziine @rticles. 10 11 2010 . Sadler, Anna. â€Å"Pet Overpopulation — A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? † September 1994. The Cat Fanciers Association, Inc. 10 11 2010 .

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

The Concert I Went To Was The Sue Palmer And The Motel

The concert I went to was The Sue Palmer and the Motel Swing Quintet on March 14th at Tio Leo’s in Linda Vista. Within the quintet there was Sue Palmer, Deejha Marie, Pete Harrison, Sharon Shufet, and Jonny Viau. Sue Palmer was the pianist who has been playing jazz music for decades all over the world with top name composers and arrangers. Deejha Marie was the vocalist for the group, Pete Harrison played the bass, Sharon Shufet played the drums, and Jonny Viau played the tenor sax and baritone sax depending on the song. The ambience of the concert didn’t have that old-school jazz concert feel. It was at a Mexican restaurant on its bar side. The bar had minimal lighting, booths around the stage, confetti looking banners across the ceiling,†¦show more content†¦The rhythm of the song has a harmonious tone throughout the song. In this song, the timbre has a deep intense color to it making it more interesting for the audience. Emotional content for this song comes with the singer Deejha Marie as she interacts with all the performer in this high beat song. The song has an upbeat tempo that brings everyone up and out of their seats to dance on the dance floor. Jonny playing the sax was into the song and was grooving out, at one point when on the dance floor with his sax and started playing it in the middle of everyone dancing. From start to finish this song makes you want to get up and get rowdy. Sue Palmer the pianist towards the end hits some nice intense piano notes that make the song. In the song, there is a trombone player that wasn’t at the concert but in the actual song she has a solo that’s awesome. The third song of the concert that I was interested in was called â€Å"Im Blue†. The general character of this song is mellow and has a New Orleans jazz melody to it. Rhythm in the song has a nice calming harmonious tone to it throughout. The timbre in this song is calming color to it making it a peaceful piece. The emotional content in this song come from the sax player when it’s his time to shine the whole band engages with everyone grooving out. The tempo of the song is very calming and brings you into a relaxing body feel. The emotional content also comes from the lyrics itself rather than fromShow MoreRelatedFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pagesbetter study smarter save money From multiple study paths, to self-assessment, to a wealth of interactive visual and audio resources, WileyPLUS gives you everything you need to personalize the teaching and learning experience.  » F i n d o u t h ow t o M A K E I T YO U R S  » www.wileyplus.com ALL THE HELP, RESOURCES, AND PERSONAL SUPPORT YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS NEED! 2-Minute Tutorials and all of the resources you your students need to get started www.wileyplus.com/firstday Student

Monday, December 30, 2019

Internal Marketing in Services Marketing - 1984 Words

1. Introduction The aim of the following essay is to present the importance of internal marketing in service product development. The first part of this essay will discuss the origin and growth of the concept of internal marketing. Then it will focus on the benefits of internal marketing. In the later part, it will demonstrate a specific case, Mary Kay, which has successfully implemented internal marketing. It shall first briefly introduce fuzzy sets and related concepts. The concept of internal marketing originally emerged from the services marketing literature (Berry and Parasuraman, 1992). The term internal marketing is defined as the policy of treating employees as internal customers of the organization, responding to employees’†¦show more content†¦4. Successful internal marketing case with Mary Kay In 2005, Mary Kay won the prize for the ‘Excellent employer – Top 10 best places to work in China’ for the second time, which is announced by ‘Fortune’ (Chinese version). In the U.S., Mary Kay as a direct marketing business with the pink logo has been ranked as ‘Top 100 best places for staff in the U.S.’ three times since 1984; it is also the only one cosmetics company and one out of 10 best companies for women to work in the U.S.. In addition, Mary Kay was praised by International Women Forum by contributing to equal and enhance women’s status. All these awards gained by Mary Kay are inseparable from successful internal marketing and providing a good working atmosphere for the employees. From the beginning of its founding, MaryShow MoreRelatedInternal Marketing Issues in Service Organizations in Malaysia2970 Words   |  12 PagesInternal Marketing Issues in Service Organizations in Malaysia Norbani Che Ha, Raida Abu Bakar Syed Izzaddin Syed Jaafar* Internal marketing is an important concept where firms apply marketing tools to attract and retain the best employees, which will later affect business performance. The study has identified constructs (interfunctional coordination intergration, customer orientation, marketinglike approach, job satisfaction, empowerment, employee motivation, quality of service, employee developmentRead MoreMac Cosmetics : A Successful Internal And Service Marketing Strategy3231 Words   |  13 Pagesand conditioners with the room for expansion into MAC beauty salons. MACs long term Marketing Objectives †¢ To successfully launch the haircare product range into MACs existing product portfolio, achieving 25% of overall sales of year ending 2015. †¢ To be firmly established in the UK haircare product market achieving a 10% market share by the year ending 2015. †¢ To develop a successful internal and service marketing strategy, which will ensure the happiness of MACs employees and customers by the yearRead MoreMarketing Management : An Organization Essay1374 Words   |  6 PagesMarketing Management PART ONE Marketing management is simply referred to as an organizational discipline basically focusing on the practical application of marketing techniques and methods used within an organization or an enterprise and on the management of a firm or an organization marketing resources and activities. 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Using academic journals and articles, this paper addresses the different aspects of the service triangle, including external marketing, internal marketing, and interactive marketing and the significanceRead MoreQuality Means Meeting Customers ( Agreed ) Requirements, Formal And Informal, At Lowest Cost1343 Words   |  6 Pagesinformal, at lowest cost, first time every time.† Flood, 1993 In his definition of quality Flood with â€Å"customers† means both – internal and external customers of a company. Meant are all customers and employees to whom a company supplies products, services and information (Flood 1993). Especially in the services sector the flawless internal and external delivery of services has become very important in a more and more competitive and customer driven market place. According to Dale, Cooper and WilkinsonRead MoreMarketing Information System956 Words   |  4 PagesMarketing information system From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia s quality standards. Please help by adding relevant internal links, or by improving the article s layout. (August 2009) A Marketing Information System can be defined as a system in which marketing information is formally gathered, stored, analysed and distributed to managers in accordance with their informational needs on a regular basisRead MoreMarketing Plan827 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Marketing Business Environment Marketing Planning: An Overview of Marketing 6 main questions to ask in order to create your marketing plan: 1. Where are we now? (Business Mission, Marketing audit, SWOT analysis) 2. How did we get here? (Business Mission, Marketing audit, SWOT analysis) 3. Where are we heading? (Marketing audit, SWOT Analysis) 4. Where would we like to be? (Marketing objectives) 5. How do we get there? (Core Strategy, Marketing mix decisions, Organization, ImplementationRead MoreService Marketing1113 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Lusch et al. (2007) describe as marketing emerged in the beginning of the 20th century, it embraced the goods-dominant (G-D) logic. The concept of the Four Ps of marketing mix – product, price, place and promotion became treated as the basic model at that time. (Grà ¶nroos, 1989) Today, this paradigm is beginning to lose its position. Service marketing is one leading new approach to marketing. Four main characteristics of services defined by Kotler et al. (2009) are intangible, perishableRead MoreMarketing Is Defined As A Social And Managerial Process1584 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Marketing is defined as â€Å"a social and managerial process whereby individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others† (Valenzuela 2013, p. 2). This definition highlights the concepts of the markets; transactions and relationships; exchanges; customer value and satisfaction; products; wants and demands; and customer needs (Valenzuela 2013). Needs denote the state of deprivation felt by the customer in terms of things suchRead MoreStaffing Plan Paper1347 Words   |  6 Pagesbe the key to success for many organizations therefore, the human resources (HR) department must develop a staffing plan. In this paper I will develop a staffing plan for a new division at T-Mobile called Loyalty. Loyalty will consist of marketing, customer service, distribution, and accounting. 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Sunday, December 22, 2019

Ethical Implications Of Ethical Issues Essay - 1147 Words

Ethical issues are becoming very essential and critical topic for examining the organization’s performance. According to Chang, (2011) nowadays, every organization has realized the vitality that ethical functionality gives to a business and need of attention to this emerging responsibility of organizations. 1.1. Growth and Ethics Consumer’s Perspective According to Shaw and Shiu, (2003) the concerns for ethical issues have been well documented in the ethical literature. They showed that there is a need to point out consumer ethics where their choices can either lead to some ethical issues. Exploring further into the literature it becomes evident that the consumers’ ethical horizon is not limited by any means. Initially green ethics was advocated but consumers have developed concerns for ethical animals farming, irresponsible selling, and oppressive regimes. The following framework defines the consumers’ attitudes towards ethics (Pelsmacker, Drisen and Rayp, 2005). Figure 1.1: Source: (Shaw and Shiu, 2003) 1.1.1. Theory of Reasoned Action/Theory of Planned Behavior The consumer ethical perspective can be defined by the â€Å"self-image†. The consumer would adopt ethical consumption as much as the ethical issues have become important to their self-identity. The consumer not always makes decision according to the Theory of Reasoned Action/Theory of Planned Behavior rather is also driven by value to other and self-identification. 1.1.2. The Hunt-Vitell model Vitell,Show MoreRelatedExplain the ethical issues a business needs to consider in its operational activities689 Words   |  3 Pages Grading Criteria Assessed Achieved? P1 Explain the ethical issues a business needs to consider in its operational activities. P2 Explain the implications for the business and stakeholders of a business operating ethically. 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Friday, December 13, 2019

Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Four Free Essays

IT’S WEIRD how you react in moments of immediate danger. Part of me was pure panic, complete with racing heart and rapid breathing. That hollow feeling, the one that felt like a hole had opened in my chest, returned. We will write a custom essay sample on Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Four or any similar topic only for you Order Now Another part of me was able to still inexplicably think along logical lines, mostly something like, Yup, that’s the kind of knife that could slit a throat. The rest of me? Well, the rest of me was just confused. I stayed where I was and kept my voice low and even. â€Å"Lee, what’s going on? What is this?† He shook his head. â€Å"Don’t pretend. I know you know. You’re too smart. I knew you’d figure it out, but I just didn’t expect you to do it so soon.† My mind spun. Once again, someone thought I was smarter than I was. I supposed I should be flattered by his faith in my intelligence, but the truth was, I didn’t know what was going on yet. I didn’t know if betraying that would help or hinder me, though. I decided to play cool for as long as I reasonably could here. â€Å"That’s you in the picture,† I said, careful not to make it a question. â€Å"Of course,† he said. â€Å"You haven’t aged.† I dared a quick look at the picture, just to ascertain that for myself. It still baffled me. Only Strigoi were ageless, staying immortal at the age they’d turned. â€Å"That’s†¦ that’s impossible. You’re Moroi.† â€Å"Oh, I’ve aged,† he said bitterly. â€Å"Not a lot. Not enough that you can really spot it, but believe me, I can. It’s not like how it used to be.† I was still clueless, still not sure of how we had reached a point where Lee – starry-eyed and lovesick for Jill – was suddenly threatening me with a knife. Nor did I understand how he looked exactly the same as he did in a five-year-old picture. There was only one terrible thing I was beginning to be certain of. â€Å"You†¦ killed Kelly Hayes.† The fear in my chest intensified. I lifted my gaze from the blade to look into his eyes. â€Å"But surely†¦ surely not Melody†¦ or Tamara†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He nodded. â€Å"And Dina. But you wouldn’t know her, would you? She was only human, and you don’t keep track of human deaths. Only vampires.† It was hard not to look at the knife again. All I kept thinking about was how sharp it was and how close it was to me. One swipe, and I’d end up just like those other girls, my life bleeding away before me. I groped desperately for something to say, wishing again I’d learned the social skills that came so easily to others. â€Å"Tamara was your cousin,† I managed. â€Å"Why would you kill your own cousin?† A moment of regret flashed across his features. â€Å"I didn’t want to – I mean, I did†¦ but, well, I wasn’t myself when I came back. I just knew I had to be awakened again. Tamara was there at the wrong place and the wrong time. I went for the first Moroi I could get†¦ but it didn’t work. That’s when I tried the others. I thought for sure one of them would do it. Human, dhampir, Moroi†¦ none of them worked.† There was a terrible desperation in his voice, and despite my fear, some part of me wanted to help him†¦ but I was hopelessly lost. â€Å"Lee, I’m sorry. I don’t understand, why you’d need to ‘try others.’ Please put the knife down, and let’s talk. Maybe I can help you.† He gave me a sad smile. â€Å"You can. I didn’t want it to be you, though. I wanted it to be Keith. He certainly deserves to die more than you do. And Jill†¦ well, Jill likes you. I wanted to respect that and spare you.† â€Å"You still can,† I said. â€Å"She – she wouldn’t want you to do this. She’d be upset if she knew – â€Å" Suddenly, Lee was on me, pinning me to the chair with the knife at my throat. â€Å"You don’t know!† he cried. â€Å"She doesn’t know. But she will, and she’ll be glad. She’ll thank me, and we’ll be young and together forever. You’re my chance. The others didn’t work, but you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He trailed the knife’s blade near my tattoo. â€Å"You’re special. Your blood is magic. I need an Alchemist, and you’re my only chance now.† â€Å"What†¦ chance†¦ are you talking about?† I gasped out. â€Å"My chance for immortality!† he cried. â€Å"God, Sydney. You can’t even imagine it. What it’s like to have that and then lose it. To have infinite strength and power†¦ to not age, to know you’ll live forever. And then, gone! Taken away from me. If I ever find that bastard spirit user who did this to me, I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him and I’ll drink from him since after tonight, I’ll be whole once more. I’ll be reawakened.† A chill ran down my spine. In light of everything, you would have thought I’d already be at maximum terror level. Nope. Turns out there was still more to come. Because with those words, I began to put together a fragile theory of what he might be talking about. â€Å"Awakened† was a term used in the vampire world, under very special circumstances. â€Å"You used to be Strigoi,† I whispered, not even sure if I believed it myself. He pulled back slightly, gray eyes wide and glittering feverishly. â€Å"I used to be a god! And I will be again. I swear it. I’m sorry, I really am. I’m sorry it’s you and not Keith. I’m sorry you found out about Kelly. If you hadn’t, I could have found another Alchemist in LA. But don’t you see? I have no other options now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The knife was still at my throat. â€Å"I need your blood. I can’t go on like this†¦ not as a mortal Moroi. I have to be changed back.† A knock sounded at the door. â€Å"Not a word,† Lee hissed. â€Å"They’ll go away.† Seconds later, the knock repeated, followed by: â€Å"Sage, I know you’re in there. I saw your car. I know you’re pissed off, but just listen to me.† Dingdong, distraction calling. â€Å"Adrian!† I screamed, jumping up from the chair. I made no attempt to disarm Lee. My only goal was safety. I pushed past him before he could react, heading for the door, but he was more prepared than I’d expected. He leapt toward me and tackled me to the ground, the knife catching me in the arm as I fell. I yelped in pain as I felt the tip of the blade dig into my skin. I struggled against him, only succeeding in making the knife tear into me more. The door suddenly opened, and I was grateful that I’d left it unlocked after letting Lee in. Adrian entered, coming to a standstill as he took in the scene. â€Å"Don’t come closer,† warned Lee, pushing the knife against my throat again. I could feel warm blood oozing from my arm. â€Å"Shut the door. Then†¦ sit down and put your hands behind your head. I’ll kill her if you don’t.† â€Å"He’s going to do it anyway – ahh!† My words were cut off as the knife pierced my skin, not enough to kill me yet but enough to cause pain. â€Å"Okay, okay,† said Adrian, holding up his hands. He looked more sober and serious than I’d ever seen. When he was settled on the floor, hands behind his head as directed, he said gently, â€Å"Lee, I don’t know what you’re doing, but you need to stop it now before it goes any further. You don’t have a gun. You can’t really hold us both here under the threat of a knife.† â€Å"It’s worked before,† Lee said. Still keeping the knife on me, he reached into his coat pocket with his other hand and produced a pair of handcuffs. That was unexpected. He slid them over to Adrian. â€Å"Put these on.† When Adrian didn’t react right away, Lee pushed on the knife until I yelped. â€Å"Now!† Adrian put the handcuffs on. â€Å"I’d meant them for her, but you coming by might be a good thing,† said Lee. â€Å"I’ll probably be hungry once I’m reawakened.† Adrian arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Reawakened?† â€Å"He used to be Strigoi,† I managed to say. â€Å"He’s been killing girls – slitting their throats – to try to become one again.† â€Å"Be quiet,† snapped Lee. â€Å"Why would you cut their throats?† asked Adrian. â€Å"You have fangs.† â€Å"Because it didn’t work! I did use my fangs. I drank from them†¦ but it didn’t work. I didn’t reawaken again. So then I had to cover my trail. The guardians can tell, you know. Moroi and Strigoi bites? I needed the knife to subdue them anyway, so then I cut their necks to hide the trail†¦ make them think it was a crazy Strigoi. Or a vampire hunter.† I could see Adrian processing all this. I don’t know if he believed it or not, but he had the potential to roll with crazy ideas regardless. â€Å"If the others didn’t work, then Sydney won’t either.† â€Å"She has to,† said Lee fervently. He shifted so that I was rolled onto my back, still pinned by his greater body weight. â€Å"Her blood’s special. I know it is. And if it doesn’t†¦ I’ll get help. I’ll get help reawakening, and then I’ll awaken Jill so we can always be together.† Adrian jumped to his feet, full of a surprising fury. â€Å"Jill? Don’t hurt her! Don’t even touch her!† â€Å"Sit down,† barked Lee. Adrian obeyed. â€Å"I wouldn’t hurt her. I love her. That’s why I’m going to make sure she stays exactly the way she is. Forever. I’ll awaken her after I’m reawakened.† I tried to catch Adrian’s eye, wondering if I could pass some silent message. If we both surged at Lee together – even with Adrian cuffed – then maybe we had a chance at subduing him. Lee was seconds away from tearing into my throat, I was certain, in the hopes that†¦ what? That he could drink my blood and become Strigoi? â€Å"Lee,† I said in a small voice. Too much movement in my throat would result in a bite from the knife. â€Å"It didn’t work with the other girls. I don’t think the fact that I’m an Alchemist matters. Whatever that spirit user did to save you†¦ you can’t go back now. It doesn’t matter whose blood you drink.† â€Å"He didn’t save me!† roared Lee. â€Å"He ruined my life. I’ve been trying to get it back for six years. I was almost ready for the last resort†¦ until you and Keith came along. And I’ve still got that last option left. I don’t want it to come to that, though. For all our sakes.† I wasn’t the last resort? Honestly, I didn’t really see how any other alternative plans here could be much worse for me. Meanwhile, Adrian still wasn’t looking in my direction, which frustrated me – until I realized what he was trying to do. â€Å"This is a mistake,† he told Lee. â€Å"Look at me, and tell me you really want to do this to her.† Cuffed or not, Adrian didn’t have the speed and strength of a dhampir, someone who could leap over and disarm Lee before the knife could do its damage. Adrian also didn’t have the power to wield a physical element, say, like fire, one that could be used as a concrete weapon. Adrian did, however, have the ability to compel. Compulsion was an innate ability all vampires had and one that spirit users in particular were adept at. Unfortunately, it worked best with eye contact, and Lee wasn’t playing ball. His attention was all on me, blocking Adrian’s efforts. â€Å"I made my decision a long time ago,† said Lee. With his free hand, he dabbed his fingers in the bloody patch on my arm. He brought his fingertips to his lips, a look of grim resignation on his face. He licked the blood from his hand, which wasn’t nearly as gross to me as it would’ve been under other circumstances. With so much going on right now, it was honestly no more terrible than the rest and just rolled off of me. A look of total shock and surprise crossed Lee’s features†¦ soon turning to disgust. â€Å"No,† he gasped. He repeated the motion, rubbing more blood on his fingers and licking it. â€Å"There’s something†¦ there’s something wrong†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He leaned his mouth to my neck, and I whimpered, fearing the inevitable. But it wasn’t his teeth I felt, only the lightest brushing of his lips and tongue at the wound he’d created, like some sort of perverse kiss. He jerked back immediately, staring at me in horror. â€Å"What’s wrong with you?† he whispered. â€Å"What’s wrong with your blood?† He made a third attempt to taste my blood but was unable to finish. He scowled. â€Å"I can’t do it. I can’t stomach any of it. Why?† Neither Adrian nor I had an answer. Lee sagged in defeat for a moment, and I suddenly allowed myself to think he might just give up and call all this madness off. With a deep breath, he straightened up, new resolve in his eyes. I tensed, half-expecting him to say he was going to try to drink Adrian now, even though a Moroi – two, if you counted Melody – had apparently been on the menu of his past failures. Instead, Lee pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, still keeping the knife at my throat and preventing me from attempting any sort of escape. He dialed a number and waited for an answer. â€Å"Dawn? It’s Lee. Yes†¦ yes, I know. Well, I have two for you, ready and waiting. A Moroi and an Alchemist. No – not the old man. Yes. Yes, still alive. It has to be tonight. They know about me. You can have them†¦ but you know the deal. You know what I want†¦ yes. Uh-huh. Okay.† Lee rattled off our address and disconnected. A pleased smile crossed his face. â€Å"We’re lucky. They’re east of LA, so it won’t take them long to get here – especially since they don’t care much about speed limits.† â€Å"Who are ‘they’?† asked Adrian. â€Å"I remember you calling some Dawn lady in LA. I thought she was one of your hot college friends?† â€Å"They’re the makers of destiny,† said Lee dreamily. â€Å"How delightfully enigmatic and nonsensical,† muttered Adrian. Lee glared and then carefully studied Adrian. â€Å"Take off your tie.† I realized I’d spent so much time with Adrian now that I was ready for some comment like, â€Å"Oh, glad to know things aren’t so formal anymore.† Apparently, the situation was dire enough – and the knife at my throat serious enough – that Adrian didn’t argue. He’d handcuffed his wrists in front of him and, after some complex maneuvering with his hands, was finally able to undo the tie he’d donned for Jill’s show. He tossed it over. â€Å"Careful,† Adrian said. â€Å"It’s silk.† So, not completely devoid of snark. Lee rolled me over to my stomach, finally freeing me of the knife but giving me no time to react. With remarkable skill, he soon had my hands tied behind my back with Adrian’s tie. Doing so required some pulling and restraining of my arms, which hurt quite a bit after the stabbing. He backed off when finished, allowing me to gingerly sit up, but an experimental tug of the tie showed that I wasn’t going to undo those knots anytime soon. Uneasily, I wondered how many girls he’d tied up before in his sick attempt to become Strigoi. Weird, awkward silence fell as we waited for Lee’s â€Å"makers of destiny† to show up. The minutes ticked by, and I frantically tried to figure out what to do. How long did we have until the people he’d called arrived? From what he’d told me, I’d guess at least an hour. Feeling bold, I finally attempted communication with Adrian, again hoping maybe we could covertly team up on Lee – even though our success rate had just become that much lower with both our sets of hands bound. â€Å"How did you even get here?† I asked. Adrian’s gaze was fixed on Lee, still hoping for direct eye contact, but he did spare a quick, wry glance at me. â€Å"Same way I get around everywhere, Sage. The bus.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because I don’t have a car.† â€Å"Adrian!† Amazing. Even with our lives in danger, he could still infuriate me. He shrugged and returned his focus to Lee, even though his words were obviously for me. â€Å"To apologize. Because I was a total asshole to you at Jailbait’s show. Not long after you left, I knew I had to come find you.† He paused eloquently and glanced around. â€Å"No good deed goes unpunished, I guess.† I suddenly felt at a loss. Lee turning psychopathic certainly wasn’t my fault, but it troubled me that Adrian was now in this situation because he’d come to apologize to me. â€Å"It’s okay. You weren’t†¦ um, that bad,† I said lamely, hoping to make him feel better. A small smile played over his lips. â€Å"You’re a terrible liar, Sage, but I’m still touched you’d attempt it for my sake. A for effort.† â€Å"Yeah, well, what happened back there seems kind of small, in light of the current situation,† I muttered. â€Å"It’s easy to forgive.† Lee’s frown had been growing as he listened to us. â€Å"Do the others know you’re here?† he asked Adrian. â€Å"No,† said Adrian. â€Å"I said I was going back to Clarence’s.† I didn’t know if he was lying or not. For a moment, I didn’t think it would matter. The others had heard me say I was coming here, but none of them would have any reason to come seeking us. No reason, except the bond. I caught my breath and met Adrian’s eyes. He looked away, perhaps for fear of betraying what I’d just realized. It didn’t matter if the gang had known where I was earlier. If Jill was connected to Adrian, she would know now. And she would know that we were in trouble. But that was assuming it was one of the times when she could see into his mind. They’d both admitted it was inconsistent and that high emotion could bring it out. Well, if this didn’t count as a highly emotional situation, I couldn’t think what would. Even if she realized what was happening, there were a lot of if’s involved. Jill would have to get here, and she couldn’t do it alone. Calling the police would bring the fastest response, but she might hesitate if she knew this was vampire business. She’d need Eddie. How long would it take to get him if they were back in their dorms? I didn’t know. I just knew that we had to stay alive because if we did, one way or another, Jill would get help here. Only, I no longer knew our odds of survival. Adrian and I were both confined, trapped with a guy who wasn’t afraid to kill with a knife and who desperately wanted to become a Strigoi again. That was a bad combination, and it threatened to get worse†¦ â€Å"Who’s coming, Lee?† I asked. â€Å"Who did you call?† When he didn’t answer, I made the next logical leap. â€Å"Strigoi. You have Strigoi coming.† â€Å"It’s the only way,† he said, tossing his knife from hand to hand. â€Å"The only way left now. I’m sorry. I can’t be like this anymore. I can’t be mortal anymore. Too much time has already passed.† Of course. Moroi could become Strigoi in one of two ways. One was by drinking the blood of another person and killing them in the process. Lee had tried that, using every combination of victims he could get ahold of, and had failed. That left him with one last desperate option: conversion by another Strigoi. Usually, it happened by force, when a Strigoi killed someone and then fed their own blood back to the victim. That was what Lee wanted done to him now, trading our lives to the Strigoi who would convert him. And then he wanted to do it to Jill, out of some crazy misguided love†¦ â€Å"But it’s not worth it,† I said, desperation and fear making me bold. â€Å"It’s not worth the cost of killing innocents and endangering your soul.† Lee’s gaze fell on me, and there was a look of such chilling indifference in it that I had a hard time connecting this person before me to the one I’d smiled indulgently on as he courted Jill. â€Å"Isn’t it, Sydney? How would you know? You’ve deprived yourself of enjoyment for most of your life. You’re aloof from others. You’ve never let yourself be selfish, and look where it’s got you. Your ‘morals’ have left you with a short, strict life. Can you tell me now, just before you’re about to die, that you don’t wish you’d maybe allowed yourself a little more fun?† â€Å"But the immortal soul – â€Å" â€Å"What do I care about that?† he demanded. â€Å"Why bother living some miserable regimented life in this world, in the hopes that maybe our souls go on in some heavenly realm, when I can take control now – ensure that I live forever in this world, with all of its pleasures, staying strong and young forever? That’s real. That’s something I can put my faith in.† â€Å"It’s wrong,† I said. â€Å"It’s not worth it.† â€Å"You wouldn’t say that if you’d experienced what I have. If you’d been Strigoi, you never would’ve wanted to lose that either.† â€Å"How did you lose it?† asked Adrian. â€Å"What spirit user saved you?† Lee snorted. â€Å"You mean robbed me. I don’t know. It all happened so fast. But as soon as I find him I’ll – ahh!† A yearbook is not the greatest of weapons, particularly one the size of Amberwood’s, but in a pinch – and with surprise – it’ll do. I’d noted earlier that I wasn’t going to be able to undo the knots in the tie anytime soon. That was true. It had taken me this whole time, but I’d done it. For whatever reason, knot-making was a useful skill in the Alchemist curriculum, one I’d practiced growing up with my father. As soon as I was free of Adrian’s tie, I reached for the first thing I could: Kelly’s junior yearbook. I sprang up and slammed it into Lee’s head. He cringed back at the impact, dropping the knife as he did, and I used the opportunity to sprint across the living room and grab Adrian’s arm. He needed no help from me and was already trying to get to his feet. We didn’t get far before Lee was right back on us. The knife had slid somewhere unseen, and he simply relied on his own strength. He caught hold of me and ripped me from Adrian, one hand on my wounded arm and one in my hair, causing me to stumble. Adrian came after us, doing his best to hit Lee, even with bound hands. We weren’t the most efficient fighting force, but if we could just momentarily delay Lee, there was a chance we might make it out of here. Lee was distracted by both of us, trying to fight and fend us off at the same time. Unbidden, Eddie’s lesson came back to me, about how a well-placed punch could cause serious damage to someone stronger than you. Sizing up the situation in seconds, I decided I had an opening. I closed my hand the way Eddie had taught me in that quick lesson, positioning my body in a way that would direct the weight in an efficient way. I swung. â€Å"Ow!† I yelled in pain as my fist made contact. If this was the â€Å"safe† way to punch, I couldn’t imagine how much a sloppy one hurt. Fortunately, it seemed to cause just as much – if not more – pain to Lee. He fell backward, hitting the comfy chair in a way that made him lose his balance and collapse to the ground. I was stunned at what I had done, but Adrian was still in motion. He nudged me to the door, taking advantage of Lee’s temporary disorientation. â€Å"Come on, Sage. This is it.† We hurried to the door, ready to make our escape while Lee shouted profanities at us. I reached for the knob, but the door opened before I could touch it. And two Strigoi entered the room. How to cite Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Four, Essay examples