Elizabeth Keckley

English 248 12 December 2009 Elizabeth Keckley: Is She a Pioneer of Womanism? Keckley was born a slave in Virginia. She was an excellent seamstress and dressmaker. Using her skill and contacts she bought her freedom in 1855. After she was freed, she made her way to Washington, D. C. Elizabeth Keckley (1818-1907), seamstress and dressmaker to the wives of many political movers and shakers of that day. Her client list included Varina Davis, of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Mary Todd Lincoln, of President Abraham Lincoln. She sewed and tailored dresses for the daughters and ladies of the most prominent families. As her reputation mounted, she came to the attention of Mary Todd Lincoln, and soon became her dressmaker. Keckley’s soon became a companion to Mary Todd. When Mary Todd fell under financial strain after the assassination of her husband, Keckley helped Mary Todd auction off her clothing in New York. This effort proved to be futile and only served to bring negative attention to Mary Todd. In another attempt to generate funds for Todd as well as her, Keckley published her diaries in 1868: Behind the Scenes or Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. [pic] Mary Todd hated her portrayal in the book, to the point where her oldest son had it removed from publication. Because of the controversy, Keckley was treated like an outcast and her business declined. Throughout her experiences Keckley maintained an air of dignity and self respected. When Keckley and Mary Todd went their separate ways, Keckley did not deign to speak ill of Mary Todd. This was indicative of the strength of character that Keckley possessed. According to the African American Registry, â€Å"From 1892 to 1893, she left Washington to teach domestic science at Wilberforce University in Ohio. She returned soon after to spend the rest of her days at the Home for Destitute Women and Children in Washington, which she had helped to establish. She died there from a stroke May 26, 1907. †(1) There is a body of thought that subscribes to the idea that African American women have developed mindset to cope and prosper in American society. This mindset has been named Womanism. Womanism should in no way be confused with Feminism. Feminism is the belief that women are equal to and some ways superior to men. Because of this feminist proscribe to the notion the women station in American society should be equalized by any means short of violence. In her book Sisters in the Wilderness, Delores Williams defines womanism in the following way: â€Å"Womanist theology is a prophetic voice concerned about the well-being of the entire African American community, male and female, adults and children. Womanist theology attempts to help black women see, affirm, and have confidence in the importance of their experience and faith for determining the character of the Christian religion in the African American community. Womanist theology challenges all oppressive forces impeding black women's struggle for survival and for the development of a positive, productive quality of life conducive to women’s and the family’s freedom and well-being. Womanist theology opposes all oppression based on race, sex, class, sexual preference, physical ability, and caste† (67). 2) Throughout her life Keckley was a subscriber of Womanism. Keckley opposed three aspects of oppression-sexual, race and caste. Keckley proved to be an advocate for her family life as well as others. Keckley at all times strived to be a productive member of American and African American society. Born a slave and female, it was inevitable that Keckley would face sexual oppression at some time. It can be argued that perhaps the Keck ley’s mistress sensed her husband’s interest in Keckley. Because of this Keckley received undeserved beatings. â€Å"My words seem to exasperate him. He seized the rope, caught me roughly, and tried to tie me. I resisted with all my strength, but he was the stronger of the two and, after a hard struggle, succeeded in binding my hands and tearing my dress from my back. Then he picked up a rawhide, and began to ply it freely over my shoulder. With steady hand and practiced eye he would raise the instrument of torture and nerve himself for a blow and with fearful force the rawhide descended upon the quivering flesh. It cut the skin, raised great welts, and the blood trickled down my back† (20-21). This particular beating was requesting by the mistress. Keckley was never given a reason for it. The tearing off the dress is a form of sexual humiliation. Even slave women had a sense of self-respect about nudity â€Å"Oh God! I can feel the torture-now the terrible, excruciating agony of those moments. I did not scream; I was too proud to let my tormentor know what I was suffering. I closed my lips firmly, that not even a groan might escape from them, and I stood like a statute while the keen lash cut into my flesh† (20-21). This may have also been the first time that Keckley shows some type of resistance to her oppressor. Not allowing her tormentors to know how much she was suffering could only cause more suffering. Knowing that a lifetime of slavery would lead to only more unjustified persecution served as an impetus for Keckley to escape slavery. It is amazing that Keckley persevered to leave slavery considering that even her parents thought that only death would set them free. Her father wrote â€Å"†¦In glory there weel meet to part no more forever. So dear wife I hope to meet you In paradase to prase god forever†(15). Casting off her bonds of slavery and sexual repression was the first big step in Keckley becoming a paradigm of womanism. While Keckley was still in slavery she married a man whom she thought was a freeman. She found out later that was not the case. †Mr. Keckley-let me speak kindly of his faults-proved dissipated, and a burden instead of a helpmate. More than all, I learned that he was a slave instead of a free man, as he represented himself to be. With the simple explanation that I lived with him for eight years, I will charity draw around him a mantle of silence† (32). It is rumored that Mr. Keckley was an alcoholic. Keckley refused to have a child of her free will while still a slave. †¦for I could not bear the thought of bringing children into slavery† (29). (3) In explaining how Keckley believed in the development of a positive, productive quality of life conducive to women Xiomara Santamarina writes â€Å"The author was a popular dressmaker, and according to her, work was not simply about the material conditions of production but, more importantly, about the emotions of res pect and attachment the production process entailed†(4). Keckleys ability as a dressmaker turned out to be not only an economic tool but indeed the means by which she achieved status as a socialite on the D. C. scene. The respect afforded Keckley by Washingtonians was seldom given any African Americans at the time. Keckley was well known in religious circles as well as the social scene. She was a devout member of the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church. . Alice Walker wrote about womanism as â€Å"challenging inherited traditions for their collusion with androcentric patriarchy as well as a catalyst in overcoming oppressive situations through revolutionary acts of rebellion†(5). It is fitting that a new concept of thought has been attributed to African American women. After all what other segment of American society has dealt with the drawbacks of enslavement, racism, sexual abuse, classism and sexism? The African American woman’s journey to find their place in America has taken them through waters uncharted and untraveled by anyone else. There should be no surprise when their rudder is lifted from the turbulent water for inspection it is of a unique design. Strong, true, dependable, righteous without being self-righteous and always challenging what is to progress to what can be. This rudder may be defined as womanism. Elizabeth Keckley was indeed a pioneer of womanism. Works Cited (1)Reference: Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship Between a First Lady and a Former Slave. Jennifer Fleischner, New York: Broadway Books. 2003 (2)Sisters in the Wilderness: Delores S. Williams. Orbis, 287 pp (3)Behind the Scenes or Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. Elizabeth Keckley, New York: G. W. Carleton. 268 pp. 1868 (4)Xiomara Santamarina Feminist Studies 28, no. 3 (fall 2002) In Search of Our (5)Mother’s Garden: Womanist Prose, Alice Walker

Of Mice and Men Excerpt Essay

â€Å"Lennie!† he said sharply. â€Å"Lennie, for God’ sakes don’t drink so much.† Lennie continued to snort into the pool. The small man leaned over and shook him by the shoulder. â€Å"Lennie. You gonna be sick like you was last night.† Lennie dipped his whole head under, hat and all, and then he sat up on the bank and his hat dripped down on his blue coat and ran down his back. â€Å"That’s good,† he said. â€Å"You drink some, George. You take a good big drink.† He smiled happily. George unslung his bindle and dropped it gently on the bank. â€Å"I ain’t sure it’s good water,† he said. â€Å"Looks kinda scummy.† Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so the water arose in little splashes; rings widened across the pool to the other side and came back again. Lennie watched them go. â€Å"Look, George. Look what I done.† George knelt beside the pool and drank from his hand with quick scoops. â€Å"Tastes all right,† he admitted. â€Å"Don’t really seem to be running, though. You never oughta drink water when it ain’t running, Lennie,† he said hopelessly. â€Å"You’d drink out of a gutter if you was thirsty.† He threw a scoop of water into his face and rubbed it about with his hand, under his chin and around the back of his neck. Then he replaced his hat, pushed himself back from the river, drew up his knees and embraced them. Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, looked over to George to see whether he had it just right. He pulled his hat down a little more over his eyes, the way George’s hat was. George stared morosely at the water. The rims of his eyes were red with sun glare. He said angrily, â€Å"We could just as well of rode clear to the ranch if that bastard bus driver knew what he was talkin’ about. ‘Jes’ a little stretch down the highway,’ he says. ‘Jes’ a little stretch.’ God damn near four miles, that’s what it was! Didn’t wanta stop at the ranch gate, that’s what. Too God damn lazy to  pull up. Wonder he isn’t too damn good to stop in Soledad at all. Kicks us out and says ‘Jes’ a little stretch down the road.’ I bet it was more than four miles. Damn hot day.† Lennie looked timidly over to him. â€Å"George?† â€Å"Yeah, what ya want?† â€Å"Where we goin’, George?† The little man jerked down the brim of his hat and scowled over at Lennie. â€Å"So you forgot that awready, did you? I gotta tell you again, do I? Jesus Christ, you’re a crazy bastard!† â€Å"I forgot,† Lennie said softly. â€Å"I tr ied not to forget. Honest to God I did, George.† I picked this excerpt because introduces George and Lennie’s friendship which is the most important aspect of his book.

Impact of Culture on the Spread of Hiv/Aids in Kenya

bdalla A. Bafagih Professor Trent Newmeyer Sociology of AIDS Soc 309Y1F June 21, 2004 Impact of Culture on the Spread of HIV/AIDS in Kenya a national culture is not a folklore, nor an abstract populism that believes it can discover the people’s true nature†¦. a national culture is the whole body of the efforts made by a people in the sphere of thought to describe, justify and praise the action through which that people has created itself and keeps itself in existence (Fanon, Frantz). Introduction Culture, even in the twenty first century, has numerous denotations.In various parts of the world, it has been and is still considered to be important for the development of civilization and of people’s minds; a particular society or civilization is considered in relation to its beliefs, ways of life and values. In short, culture plays a crucial role in a groups’ quest for identity and is therefore at the centre of the socio-cultural development of a people, region or even county in terms of identity and politics-it serves as a code of life that must be followed under any circumstances even with an HIV/AIDS epidemic.These observations help illuminate responses to our central thesis: that cultural barriers and the ensuing gender bias have not only perpetuated the spread of HIV/AIDS among women, but are also hindering an effective HIV/AIDS prevention campaign in Kenya. Our position is that HIV/AIDS prevalence is a gendered issue because women in most parts of the developing world, due to the repressive cultural practices women have no power. Furthermore women continue to be betrayed by outdated traditional norms such as widow inheritance, widow cleansing, polygamy and gender inequality, as is the case in parts of Kenya.When these issues may seem to differ, in reality they are intertwined and date back to generations. To make matters worse those infected with HIV, both women and men blame witchcraft as the source of death (McGeary, J. Time Magazi ne, p, 30). Moreover as Madhu Bala Nath states â€Å"myths are also rooted in the nature of denial that is associated with HIV/AIDS. Because HV/AIDS is so frightening, there is a temptation to deny the existence of the disease (2001, p, 32). Such denial plays a large part in sustaining such outdated practices.We should point out from the outset that the current risky practices were at one time seen as strength (pre HIV/AIDS era) since they were really helpful and appropriate for their communities. Among the merits of such traditional practices were, among others, the widow’s security within the household was guaranteed and the orphaned children were guaranteed the extended family support and therefore survival within the community. It was meant to ensure the widow and children never became homeless.According to the Washington Post, In Western Kenya, the custom known as wife inheritance once held an honorable promise: A community would take care of a widow and her children. S he did not remarry. Her husband's family simply took responsibility for her. If a brother-in-law could not care for her, then a cousin or a respected outsider would. The inheritor made sure that the widow and her children were fed, clothed, sheltered, educated, protected, kept (Buckley, Stephen.Washington Post, November 8, 1997). For the purpose of this paper, we take a position that the spread of HIV/AIDS has rendered what were once cultural assets into deadly liabilities particularly towards women and children. That is why there is a need to be creative and embrace alternative rituals that do not involve risky sexual behavior. Our position is that inheritance per se is not bad, but widow inheritance and cleansing that endanger the lives of the widow and the inheritor/cleanser should be discarded.Wife inheritance or wife cleansing involves an inheritor who has his own family. As reported by the Washington Post â€Å"he infects his first wife and the widow he has inherited. Then he dies, and two other men inherit the women he leaves behind. Those men die. And then their widows are inherited† (ibid. ). It is this vicious circle that explains the rising HIV rates in Kenya. Kenya has vibrant and diverse cultural groups but some groups elevate ethnicity above nationalism.This makes it sometimes problematic to deal with intra and inter cultural norms or to undertake reforms of certain entrenched traditions. On one hand you have believers in Christianity who are more willing to abandon certain outdated traditions such as those discussed in this paper. For instance, a Kenyan bishop, called on widows to take a stand against wife inheritance (Gonza, Sam. 2000, p, 1). On the other hand you have the rigid traditionalists who are not open to any reforms or changes within traditions.There is usually no middle ground and unfortunately it cuts across class lines. We agree with the position put forward by Human Rights Watch in their report entitled Double Standards: Wo men’s Property Rights Violations in Kenya that â€Å"as important as cultural diversity and respecting customs may be, if customs are a source of discrimination against women, they like any other norm-must evolve† (2003, p, 2). Kenya has approximately forty tribes, which are co-related to the four greater ethnic groups (Buckley, Stephen.Washington Post, November 8, 1997): Bantu, Nilo-Hamitic, Nilotic and Hamitic (see figure i). Because of it’s neighboring, cultures are related to each other within Kenya and in the border countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Sudan. [pic] Figure: i Source: http://www. lib. utexas. edu/maps/kenya. html It will be imperative for this paper to provide short historical events in Kenya so as to provide a proper understanding of both the internal and external dynamics of this country.Kenya attained its independence from Britain in 1963 and has a population of thirty two million (32 million). [1] Kenya like other Sub-Saharan countries is a creation of European scramble for Africa. [2] As a result same ethnic groups are presently dispersed across different countries. The boundaries are like artificial divisions in a way that the people cannot be checked at all border-crossing zones. [pic] Figure: ii Source: http://www. lib. utexas. edu/maps/kenya. html The point, which we want to discuss, is that it is difficult to try to onvince these communities to abandon some of their practices, because they feel that at the end, abandoning their customs, would completely wipe out their culture and eventually loose their identity. In some African countries, various ethnic groups are the minorities and would want to keep intact their culture for the purpose of their own identity, so as to enable them to negotiate any political power in the government (Kanyiga, Karuti. 1998, p, 7)). On the other hand the ethnic groups, which are the majority, would want to maintain their hegemony and are not ready to change their tradi tions (ibid).Thus why dealing with health issues such as HIV/AIDS creates profound consequences. Current HIV/AIDS Situation in Kenya The synopsis about Kenya is not good at all. United Nations AIDS (UNAIDS) reports that over 2 million out of a total population of 29. 5 million (2000) were infected with HIV and a cumulative number of 1. 5 million people had died due to AIDS. The high prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS have negatively impacted life expectancy to the extent that it has dropped by approximately 13 years to 51 years (1998); while GDP reduced by -0. in 2000 and is expected to worsen in coming years. The average literacy rate is estimated at 78% (1995) and total fertility rate in Kenya is about 4. 4 (1998). Approximately 30% of the population lives in urban areas and more than half of the population live under the poverty line, women constituting the majority. UNAIDS estimates that about 500 persons died of AIDS each day in the country in 1999. (www. unaids. org/Unaids/EN/geogra phical+area/by+country/kenya. asp).According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the estimated number of adults and children living with HIV/AIDS, in Kenya end of 2001 stands as follows: Adults and children 2,500,000, Adults (15-49) 2,300,000, Women (15-49) 1,400,000 and Children 220,000, current living orphans, 890, 000, estimated number of death due to AIDS (2001), 190, 000 and the current adult rate of 15. 0 percent (www. who. int/hiv/pub/epidemiology/pubfacts/en/). Furthermore, the Human Rights Watch Report (2001) indicates that an estimated 2. million adults and children live with HIV/AIDS, representing about 14 percent of the sexually active population. The scary statistic is that Kenya has the ninth highest HIV prevalence rate in the world to the extent that the U. S. Census Bureau projections indicate that by 2005, there will be about 820 deaths per day from AIDS in Kenya. (http://www. hrw. org/reports/2001/kenya/kenya0701-03. htm#P144_18884). Factors behind the Gendered HIV/AIDS rates in Kenya. Through culture and society, we are able to transmit skills and other systems of social relations to modify our environment.But that has not been possible with women in Kenyan in both rural and urban areas even in the event of a HIV/AIDS epidemic with no cure in sight. Since our beliefs and ways of life are inseparable from our particular cultures, it is common for people to reject a behavior if it is not signified in their culture’s social code. It is however much harder for the marginalized groups like women and girls to reject what is supposedly part of their culture as is the case among the Luo and Luhya[3] of Kenya where they practice their culture to a fault.In such cases, individual behavior patterns alone are not responsible for the observed high-risk activities that cause HIV/AIDS. Needless to say, HIV/AIDS transmission in parts in Kenya is mostly through heterosexual relations. Because of [blind] loyalty to their culture, many within the gr oup (most educated women with the economic means to support themselves are now increasingly defiant against certain regressive policies like widow inheritance) in a society which has its own subculture, often face social risks, such as wife (widow) inheritance, to the extent that failure can result in exclusion from participating in communal events.For example, women who refuse to be inherited among the Luo and Luhya automatically lose their right to remain within their households, because their behavior is considered odd. Consequently women are frequently subject to violence, abuse, scorn and ridicule and other expressions of hate (HRW, 2003, pp, 16-21). Similarly, when it comes to apportioning blame as to who is the responsible party for bringing HIV/AIDS among married couples; it is usually women who are blamed even though in most cases, it is the men who have multiple partners.That goes to show that in the name of culture, women in Kenya find themselves in subordinate positions to men and are socially, culturally, and economically dependent on them. Because of the cultural biases, women are largely excluded from decision making, have limited access to and control over resources, are restricted in their mobility, and are often under threat of violence from male relatives (that is why many women have no choice when it comes to certain oppressive rituals, because they have no where else to return to should they be evicted from their late husband’s property) (ibid).In many cases, women in many parts of Kenya are perpetual minors subject to the guardianship of their male relatives and husbands. As a result, not only are their statuses lower than that of men, but also their condition is also dependent on that of their men folk. This subordination of women is connected to the distribution of power in society. In Kenya, economic, social and political power accrued to men partially as a result of their control of women, even though the thinking was and still is that a prosperous homestead depended on female reproduction and production.This keeps such oppressive rituals like widow inheritance in practice. Additionally, the gendered HIV/AIDS prevalence rates illuminate how gender as a constitutive element of social relationships. The Human Rights Watch of 2003, stated that of the 1. 4 million were women and girls with HIV positive, between the ages of fifteen and forty nine, this clearly shows how differences between sexes-power relationship within and between different women, urban versus rural and single versus married is very much embedded within society.Furthermore, the violation of fundamental human rights, and especially reproductive rights of women, plays an important part in perpetuating gender inequity and the observed HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Kenya. As discussed in some parts of Kenya certain groups have taken Fanon’s dictum above about culture to new levels (p, 42), which have resulted in the discrimination, violati on of women’s rights and have placed women at great risk of contacting HIV. The impact has been traumatic on women as members of a community that continues to marginalize them in alls aspects of life.Yet women continue to provide care as wives, mothers, daughters, nurses, teachers, and grandmothers towards the sick, the dying and the orphaned children, many of whom are traumatized by the loss of their loved ones from AIDS. Unfortunately, in most parts of Kenya as evident elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, as Fanon further argued, societies have not acknowledged the totality of culture and its vital role within the context of culture and history (p, 43).What we know and will be shown in this essay is that an examination of cultural practices allow us to know the nature and extent of the imbalance and conflicts (economic, social and cultural) which characterize the evolution of a society: culture allows us to know the dynamic synthesis which have been developed and established by social conscie nce to resolve these conflicts at each stage of its evolution in search for survival and progress (ibid).In the case of Kenya, and elsewhere as it was made clearer in this course, the quest for in Kenya such attitudes pervade all aspects of social life to the detriment of girls in particular and women in general. Evidently, the recurring theme in Kenya is the conflict between modernity and tradition that is often treated in terms of its relevance to women and men, rural versus urban or what it means to belong to a particular ethnic group. This goes to the heart of gender equity, property rights, agrarian reform and its problematic impact on women.In parts of Kenya, those who believe that culture is stagnant rather than vibrant to the extent that oppressions against women are presented in terms of cultural harmony and the survival of entire ethnicities have hindered the process of social liberation by women. Some of the cultural traditions discussed include wife (wido w) inheritance, widow cleansing and polygamy all of which contributed to the lack of secure property rights that result into the violation of human rights for women, and the observed disparity in HIV/AIDS rates between men and women in Kenya. 4] Unfortunately westerners including many of our classmates sometimes do not seem to understand that countries like Kenya have very poor laws that govern human freedoms and rights like the Canadian Charter of Freedoms and Rights. Women in Kenya are routinely discriminated against in most cases with the connivance of the state. [5] While personal freedom and choice have certainly played a role in the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS elsewhere, where laws are enforced, in the case of Kenya, the interplay of culture and gender roles is to a great extent responsible for the statistics cited above in this essay.Although awareness of HIV/AIDS is reasonably high in Kenya this is not reflected in sexual behavioral changes, given the high prevalence and incide nce of HIV/AIDS (Rosenvard, C and T. Campbell, 1996, p, 11). This finding reflects our thesis; the entrenched cultural biases against women and girls can explain such behavior to the extent where awareness is high yet infections rates are also rising. It is not that Kenyans in general or women in particular are not rational, they are but they have become victims of outdated cultural traditions and gender biases.What this rather contradictory finding shows is the need to view the HIV/AIDS pandemic through, multiple lenses but most importantly through the lens of power inequality in society that are rooted in gender. Gender norms pervade all aspects of Kenyan culture and society to the extent that culture dominates anything else among the Luo and Luhya of Western Kenya. The marginalized status of women plays a key role in the spread of HIV/AIDS in Kenya as reflected in the UNAIDS and WHO figures.It is thus important to recognize the complex underlying factors influencing the role of w omen and how such roles affect African societies and behavior. In the traditional Kenyan society, women are expected to be submissive and to provide for their household at all times (Caldwell, 1989, p, 185). In Kenya especially in the rural setting, the woman’s marital status does not end when the person who married her dies; she is by all accounts married to the clan in the sense that under certain ‘invented’ customary traditions, the clan has the right to inherit her.Traditionally, Luo or Luhya women have little or no say in such matters of inheritance including the retention or sharing of resources such as land and property. According to Human Rights Watch: Widows are often evicted from their homes as in-laws rob them of their possessions and invade their homes and lands. These unlawful appropriations happen even more readily when the husband died of AIDS†¦ In some places, widows are forced to undergo customary, sexual practices such as â€Å"wife inheri tance† or ritual â€Å"cleansing† in order to keep their property. Wife inheritance† is where a male relative of the dead husband takes over the widow as a wife, often in a polygamous family. â€Å"Cleansing† usually involves sex with a social outcast who is paid by the dead husband's family, supposedly to cleanse the woman of her dead husband's evil spirits. In both of these rituals, safer sex is seldom practiced and sex is often coerced.Women who fight back are routinely beaten, raped, or ostracized (Double Standards: Women's Property Rights Violations in Kenya) (http://www. hrw. rg/reports/2001/kenya/TopOfPage). While the quotation above tells us sufficient story about the problems facing Kenyan women, Human Rights Watch report entitled, Double Standards: Women's Property Rights Violations in Kenya captures the agony of Kenyan women in their own voices. It is thus important to reproduce just three of their experiences below to capture what Human Right Wa tch calls â€Å"the heinous nature of women's property rights violations: through personal interview. Human Rights Watch of 2001, reports, â€Å"AIDS exacerbates those hardships†. †¢ Jiwa, a fifty-five-year-old widow from western Kenya, said that after her husband died, her brother-in-law brought a â€Å"cleanser† to her home to have sex with her. She objected, saying: â€Å"I don't know this man's HIV status, and if I die my children will suffer. † Her brother-in-law and four cousins pushed the cleanser into Jiwa's hut and he raped her. She screamed but the cleanser covered her mouth and the in-laws stood guard outside. The brother-in-law paid the cleanser with a cow, chickens, and clothing. Jiwa was then forced out of her home and into a shoddy, makeshift hut. Her brother-in-law took over her land and furniture.She reported this to the village elder, who did nothing. Jiwa now has a persistent cough and has lost much weight. She fears she contracted HIV f rom the cleanser but has not been tested and cannot afford medical treatment. †¢ Adhiambo, a thirty-year-old widow from Nairobi, said that when her husband died of AIDS in 1998 he left her HIV-positive with five children. She quickly went from being relatively affluent to destitute after her husband's family took her property. Her in-laws grabbed household items from her Nairobi home and took over a rural home, land, and livestock even though Adhiambo helped pay to construct the house.Her father-in-law called a family meeting, told her to choose an in-law as an inheritor, and ordered her to be cleansed by having sex with a fisherman. Adhiambo refused, and fled when her in-laws threatened her. She now struggles to meet her children's basic needs, and her slum landlord has threatened to evict her. †¢ Imelda, a twenty-five-year-old widow with AIDS, lost her home, land, and other property in Kenya when her husband died in 2002. She told her in-laws that she had AIDS and wanted to stay in the house. They snatched her property anyway and wanted her to be â€Å"inherited. She recalled: â€Å"I told my in-laws I'm sick . . . but they took everything. I had to start over . . .. They took sofa sets, household materials, cows, a goat, and land. I said, ‘Why are you taking these things when you know my condition? ‘ They said, ‘You'll go look for another husband. ‘ My in-laws do not believe in AIDS. They said that witchcraft killed my husband. (http://www. hrw. org/reports/2001/kenya/TopOfPage). The above tribulations capture the victims in their own words and show how widow’s inheritance and cleansing devalues the dignity of women.While case law establishes that family property may be evenly divided upon separation or divorce in practice, the captured words of the three widows above, seems to differ. But above all, as has been our point of argument throughout this paper, under the very oppressive and discriminatory customary laws that are extremely influential in Kenya, it is the men who are accorded greater property rights than women. Other discriminatory practices are usually sexist customary tradition that obstruct women's equal rights to property and also prevent women from seeking redress for violations of these rights.Additionally, the problem is made worse by unresponsive authorities that ignore women’s woes regarding property violations, and ineffective courts that are biased against women. However the greatest setback is the fact that many Kenyan women and men too have land problems where squatters are routinely evicted even though they have lived on such land for generations. The other is low level of awareness of their rights, the time and expense of pursuing claims, violence, and the social stigma of being considered greedy or cultural traitors if they assert their rights. www. hrw. org/campaigns/women/property/factsheet. htm). Evidently, what the discussion above illustrates is that in K enya, women’s rights violations must be understood and combated in the context of Africa's AIDS epidemic.In Kenya, 15 percent of the population between the ages of fifteen and forty-nine is infected with HIV, more than half of whom are women, and one out of eight adults in rural Kenya and one out of five adults in urban areas is infected, though most do not know it. AIDS has reduced life expectancy from sixty-five to forty-six years ((http://www. rw. org/reports/2001/kenya/TopOfPage). These figures are quite telling in that in Kenya, HIV/AIDS is worse among urban dwellers than is the case among rural dwellers. According to Dyson, the higher urban incidence rates are due to â€Å"relatively high rates of social interaction and crowded urban living conditions and squalid living conditions† (p, 427). Similar results for Sub-Saharan African in general, has been documented by Caldwell who found that â€Å"urban levels of HIV infection rates are typically four to ten times those of rural areas† (p, 44).In countries with a substantial level of urbanization, and home to some of the largest slum areas in Africa, the numbers are certainly depressing. Moreover as noted by Bollinger et al, Sometimes traditional practices that occur in Kenya, particularly in the rural areas, can contribute to the spread of HIV. For example, a director of the Kenyan governments AIDS efforts attributed the high prevalence rate in some parts of western Kenya to the practice of wife inheritance that exist there (5-6). These findings do illuminate our thesis.Furthermore given the feminization of poverty due to Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) policies (Cooper, 2002, 87), women in urban areas and also in rural areas find themselves on the economic margins where they are forced to engage in risky behaviors like prostitution. Moreover, because of SAP polices and the introduction of user fee in hospitals; women are disadvantaged with regard to health and health care (ibid), a clear indication that gender inequalities have led to a systematic neglect of women’s health and the gendered incidence of HV/AIDS in Kenya. It is not our intention to call such traditions as ‘uncivilized’ or extreme.It would be naive to make this assumption and one has also to try to understand the dynamics of Africa and its communities at earlier times. Caldwell captures the reality that â€Å"it is clear that lifestyle plays a dominant role in determining individuals’ chances of infection, and it seems probable that level of the disease over the coming decades is more likely to be decided by changing lifestyles than by medical breakthroughs. Those changes will be more successful, and least damaging to the society, if behavioral factors in the spread of the disease are well understood† (p, 186).Conclusion This essay has outlined and argued that the disparity in HIV/AIDS prevalence rates between men and women are rooted in the cultural biases aga inst women and girls such as widow inheritance in parts of Kenya. Our position in this essay has been that the cultural barriers and the ensuing gender bias have not only perpetuated the spread of HIV/AIDS among women, but are also hindering an effective HIV/AIDS prevention campaign in Kenya. We have shown the linkages between cultural biases against women and girls and the spread of HIV/AIDS.The challenge has been to decouple the notion that addressing women rights in Kenya is a western value or that concerns of equity must take a back seat in the struggle against HIV/AIDS epidemic. We recognize that eliminating all forms of discrimination against women in Kenya will take time, but the government must start to enforce existing laws to protect women against repressive cultural practices like widow inheritance. The people must be told that culture is not static but rather dynamic, and should be encouraged to discard risky cultural traditions and activities that expose women to HIV/AI DS and thus endanger their lives.From this course (Sociology 309), we know the relationship between safe and improved reproductive rights such as increased condom use and the health status of women are crucial in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. As shown in this paper there is a positive correlation between women’s precarious health status and their susceptibility to HIV/AIDS particularly in urban areas, inequitable gender relations and women’s poverty and powerlessness in society especially in rural areas.Finally, the Kenyan stakeholders – politicians, church leaders, civil society, NGOs, women leaders, youth groups, cultural and traditional leaders, must deal urgently with the existing power inequality among the sexes, that accounts for the excessive burden of HIV/AIDS transmission and the consequences on women in general who have so far been hit most by the spread of HIV/AIDS. That trend needs to be reversed if Kenya is to stem the devastating impact of HIV/A IDS epidemic and its distressing impact on the Kenyan society at large.

Union-Management Relationships in Perspective Essay

Union-Management Relationships in Perspective - Essay Example The main people involved in the labor relationships are management and the union. There are other groups of people who are affected but not to a great extent. Labor relationships in the United States involve the following three assumptions. First, there is a conflict of interest between employees and employers. Employees aim at increasing their personal wealth through higher wages and safer working environments whereas the main of a goal of the management is to increase the returns. This results in a conflict of interest between the two parties. The second assumption that is made is that employees have a right to pursue their employment interests within the parameters of the law in a free society. This is usually not the case since employees usually face some constraints which deter them from fully pursuing their rights. Finally, employees are not required to join a labor union but if the majority of the employee group wants to join a union they should be permitted but in most cases, employees belong to a union. The performance of the economy affects the bargaining item. The focus when the economy is doing well will be different from when the economy is downsizing. International forces also influence bargaining in one way or another since no single economy operates in isolation. In the past few years, union membership has decreased. There have been various labor organizations, the earliest ones dating to early 1900. Prior to World War I there were three major national labor organizations. They were the Knights of Labor (KOL), the American Federation of Labor and the Industrial Workers of the World. The KOL opposed spreading of technology in a bid to protect its members from being replaced by machines. The American Federation of Labor major goal was to improve the material conditions of its members through the existing capitalistic system.

Sex, Lies and Conversation Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sex, Lies and Conversation Paper - Essay Example One of the key differences is that men do not like to face a women while talking in contrast women prefer to face a man while talking either it a serious issue or not. For example, men feel comfortable sharing thoughts and feelings while physically turned away from the person they are talking to since they associated direct eye contact with confrontation. To illustrate this when an individual and a friend are walking or enjoying a ride, one does not have to face one another since one is going to lose concentration on what they are doing and this makes them to be active on what they are doing. On the other hand, women stand directly facing each other to attract the attention of an individual and failure to maintain eye contact associate it with disinterest and rudeness. Women base their argument that if one is not honest, he will not look at someone directly to the eyes which is actually true since when on is being lectured by parent one fells guilty and would not maintain eye contact . Another key difference is change of subject or a topic that is being discussed by individuals. Men tend to keep on changing topic that is being discussed while women tend to stick to one topic until it has been completely discussed to their satisfaction. For example, Ruth and William are friends to me and they are married couples, Ruth talks about why men cheat to their spouse but William changes the topic and talk about how the economy is bad. This angers Ruth since she feels bad since the topic is about their relationship and William seems not to care. This theory shows that men are impatient and they tend to change subjects and cause conflict. Another difference is how men and women comfort others, men tend to see as if everything is okay while women offer support and encouragement to their friends. For example when one is bad economic situation a man will just say that it is normal but a woman

How male and female Regard Interaction and Leadership Differences in Essay

How male and female Regard Interaction and Leadership Differences in the business communication - Essay Example This is particularly brought about by the perceived inferiority of women, a notion that is largely driven by historical gender inequalities. Despite the extant differences, its should also be noted that they do not form a basis for stereotyping whereby one gender is considered as having better or more advanced communication skills and thus better placed to be effective and competent leaders. On the contrary, in spite of the differences, experience has shown that men and women are still able to meet certain goals and emerge as business leaders with equally effective and good communication skills (Winter, Neal and Waner, 2001). This paper, therefore, explores the differences in how males and females regard interactions and leadership in business setting by looking at the physiological and psychological gender differences, task differences, expertise differences, differences in communication and leadership styles and draws on a conclusion on how they impact on their roles as leaders in at the work place. Gender Differences Men and women are two distinct genders with totally different physiological attributes as evident in the manner in which they act, communicate and methods they employ to influence others around them. These gender differences in communication and influence tactics have a significant role to play in defining their leadership styles at the workplace. Academic research has shown that men have a higher likelihood of being chosen as leaders than men while women generally take considered to take a backstage position and deal with everyday tasks. This is mainly because men and women view the purpose of communication from totally two different perspectives. While men use communication as a way of exerting dominance over others and achieving tangible results, women employ language as a medium of enhancing social connections and creating durable relationships with those around them (Wood, 1996). Another physiological difference between men and women is tha t while the female gender is generally considered to be more expressive, cautious and courteous in their verbal interactions with others, men on the other hand are more assertive, and power hungry (Basow and Rubenfield, 2003). It is these differences in the physiological and psychological nature of the two genders that make men to be likely chosen as leaders as they are more assertive and always desire to posses power, while women, showing tentativeness in their interactions, usually stay in the background and are mainly involved in the everyday tasks. John Gray (1992) identified different communication styles depicted by men and women, suggesting that men are more likely to be goal oriented and are mainly driven by the desire to achieve results. Women on the other hand vale fostering of relations and mainly define desired accomplishments by the type of relationships they build over time. More are more of introverts when it comes to dealing with problem situations as they prefer to keep to themselves while women prefer to talk out issues and involve the opinion of others. Task Differences One difference that stands out between men and w

Logistic service quality within the perishable goods Essay

Logistic service quality within the perishable goods - Essay Example Communicating the importance of logistical activities to other functional activities, as well as to corporate officers, has been a difficult task. Professor Donald Bowersox, speaking at the council of logistics management annual conference in Toronto in 1999, described establishing the link between functional logistics performance and overall firm performance as our discipline's equivalent to finding a cure for cancer. Definitive empirical results that link improvements in logistics performance to overall firm performance have been difficult to achieve. Some progress, however, has been made. Recently, Daugherty, Stank, and Ellinger (1998) conducted an in-depth assessment of the relationships among logistics service performance and customer satisfaction, loyalty and market share in an industrial setting. Their findings indicated that high levels of logistics service are directly related to market share through satisfaction and loyalty. Quality within a service orientated company such as a 3PL provider is becoming more and more important because by providing a higher service level , these companies can distinguish themselves from their competition. This is definitely the case for a public refrigerated warehouse (PRW) /3PL provider such as Daalimpex Cold stores B.V. I'm, as person responsible for all operational activities provided by Daalimpex, are therefore very interested what

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Dell Inc. in 2006 Competitive Strategy - Essay Example Michael Dell is one such leader, who always tries new approaches, as he has done in the case of Personal computers. â€Å"Michael Dell demonstrates the power of the leader whose authenticity and openness to learning pervades and motivates an entire company.† (sodexhousa.com). Another trait of Michael Dell, which is considered crucial to the success of Dell, is not resting on laurels, but moving on to do better things as quickly as possible. Michael Dell (2003 qtd in Business week) says: â€Å"Celebrate for a nanosecond. Then move on.† So, these are the few of the many leadership traits of Michael Dell, which is contributing to the growing success of Dell Inc. and makes it one of the top manufacturers of PC’s and Servers. Strength: Dell through Direct Channel Method is able to offer the customers, customized and richly configured systems at competitive prices. It also introduces new technologies quite quickly, than its competitors Opportunities: It has opportunities to develop technologically and geographically. That is, as its suppliers improve their technologies, Dell can also provide technologically improved products. Then with many developing countries becoming computer savvy; Dell can reach their markets So, SWOT analysis of Dell reveals that it has a lot of strengths and opportunities to maintain its market share and provide quality innovative products at competitive prices. But, at the same time, it has weaknesses and threats, which can affect its production and also could damage its brand image. Porter’s Value Chain encapsulates the integration of value to the products from the extraction or usage of raw materials to the sale of the finished product to the ultimate customer, whilst taking into account organizational, technological and human factors. In the case of Dell, the inbound logistics is the various high tech computer related

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Salmonella in USA Essay Example for Free

Salmonella in USA Essay I want to educate the public, farmers and individuals that are at risk of contracting this deadly disease called Salmonella. At risk individuals such as the elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more prone to getting a severe illness such as salmonella. Objective and Goal The objective is to educate the general public, farmers, and consumers of grocery stores, owners of grocery stores, consumers of restaurants, owners of the restaurants, cooks, chefs, food handlers, and educational institutions about the health risks of the bacteria disease Salmonella. My goal for this public educational plan is that the public take the information and learn from it and take the precautions to avoid salmonella. Salmonella disease it’s transmitted to humans by contaminated food of animal origin or water. Salmonella disease affects the entire human population but the people at more risk are children because their immune systems are immature and the elder’s because their immune system are declining also people with immunocompromised diseases. People who leave in poor conditions are also in risk of contracting salmonella. After 12 to 72 hours of infection common symptoms of salmonella are fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea; usually the illness lasts 4 to 7 days. However in some cases the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized if the person it’s not hospitalized it can lead to death. (CDC) Historical Outbreaks Spanish- American war (1898) in all, 20,738 recruits contracted the disease  82% of all sick soldiers, 1590 died. A significant number of these deaths actually occurred at training area in the southeastern United States. (History of typhoid fever (salmonella)) South African war (1899-1902) outbreak in British camps- British troops lost 13,000 men to salmonella the outbreak was due to unsanitary towns and farms throughout Africa. (History of typhoid fever (salmonella)). In the early 1900’s in New York Mary Mallon was the first famous carrier of typhoid fever in the U.S. Mary Mallon was a chronic carrier of salmonella; she was hired as a cook at several private homes, she work for 7 different families 22 cases of salmonella where reported and one death. (History of typhoid fever (salmonella)) These early outbreaks can be attributed to unsanitary living conditions and the bacterial tainting of food and water supplies. 1985 Chicago United a Chicago dairy was involved in a salmonellosis outbreak involving 6 states with 16,000 confirmed cases.(CDC) More recently reported outbreaks in the U.S. involve different kinds of salmonella strains, predominantly S. Enteritidis and S. Typimurium. The center for disease control and prevention has a page with reports of selected salmonella outbreaks for this year it has at least 9 reports. Salmonella infections has increase by 10% in U.S. in the last 15 years it’s estimated that 2 to 4 million cases of salmonellosis occur in the U.S. annually reported and unreported. (CDC) On January 2011 a FDA Food safety modernization act was sing in to law; this act establish standards for safe produce, regulates food facilities, oversee imported foods and recalls of contaminated foods. (FDA) Also salmonella can be controlled by proper preparation of poultry and eggs and avoidance of contamination of other food with uncooked poultry products. Investigation and research studies by the government to mitigate the impact of salmonella Research 1- Inactivation of salmonella on tomato stem scars by acidic sanitizing solutions. Investigating stem scar sanitation may represent a worst case scenario model for inactivating salmonella from externally contaminated tomatoes. This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of antimicrobial coating for inactivation of salmonella on the surface of tomato stem scars. (Agricultural Researc services) 2- Biofilm formation by salmonella SPP on cantaloupe surfaces The research demonstrates that cells of Salmonella do not exist as single, solitary organisms, but instead  organize together into biofilms. These biofilms form quickly on melon surfaces and are difficult to inactivate or remove. The formation of biofilms by cells of Salmonella is likely responsible for the limited efficacy of sanitizers. (Agricultural Researc services) 3- Microbial quality and safety of X-ray irradiation. The research shows that irradiation destroys at least 99% of common foodborne pathogen within approved dosage. These pathogens such as salmonella are associated with poultry, meat and fresh produce contamination. (Agricultural Researc services) The governments of many countries are playing their roles to mitigate the impact of salmonella. In United States the USDA (US Department of agriculture) and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has done coordinated efforts to address salmonella problems. They have given some recommendation for the safety of the consumers from salmonella. 1- Wash surface and hands often; 2- no cross contaminate; 3- cook to safe temperature 4- refrigerate immediately. President Obama signs the FSMA (Food safety modernization act) into law on January 2011. This act gives FDA new and improves authorities and mandates to protect consumers and promote public health. Responsibility for food safety is managed by a complex network of federal, state, local and territo rial agencies (Food safety) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) †¢ Oversees the country Salmonella infections frequency †¢ Supports the state and local health departments in outbreaks investigation and elaborates control measures. (Salmonella) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) †¢ All foods imported are inspected †¢ Monitors inspections of all plants dedicated to milk pasteurization †¢ Recommends new techniques for better preparation of foods in food processing plants and restaurants †¢ Controls turtle’s sales. (Food safety) The US Department of Agriculture †¢ Overseas animal health issues †¢ Inspect all plant dedicated to pasteurization of eggs †¢ Is responsible for the quality of processed and slaughtered meat. (Foodborne Illness and disease) The US Environmental Protection Agency †¢ Monitors and regulates drinking water supplies safety. Data Collection Template Name of the disease: __Salmonella____ Etiological agent: __Salmonella_ Symptoms Mode of transmission Causes Contributing factors Age/gender/behaviors that may put individuals at risk Recent cases of outbreak Factors leading to recent outbreak Treatment Preventive measures *fever *abdominal cramps *diarrhea *chills *nausea *vomiting *muscle ache Water and food (animal food, vegetables, fruits) Uncooked chicken or unwashed fruits or vegetables Poor or unsanitary conditions Own a bird or reptile Entire human population more risk children and elders and people with immunocom promised diseases 10 reports during 2012 See below (2012 salmonella outbreak) Animal feces Growing conditions Antibiotics Good diet a lot of fluids and antimotilitydrugs Good hygiene practice Washing vegetable and fruits Adequate cooking of meats and eggs Salmonella enteric bacteria it’s a bacteria that causes diseases in the intestinal tract; the bacteria attacks the intestinal wall and inflammation occurs. The symptoms include nausea, chills, abdominal pain, vomiting, muscle aches and fever. Salmonella affects the body by three clinical forms of salmonellosis 1) gastroenteritis (S Typimurium) 2) septicemia (S. choleraesius) and enteric fevers. Clinical identification of salmonella it’s done by laboratory test such as biochemical and serological test a stool or blood specimens are planted on an agar media to determine the presence of salmonella also a phenol red test it’s used. Salmonella treatments are Antimotility drugs to stop the diarrhea and in case that it’s suspected that salmonella bacteria it’s in the blood antibiotics are prescribe to kill the bacteria. Also drinking a lot of fluids to prevent dehydration and eating a healthy diet. During this year (2012) the centers for diseases control and prevention has 10 reports of selected salmonella outbreak investigations a total of 1307 individuals are reported infected 264 are hospitalized and 5 deaths. Each of these cases had or still been investigated by CDC to find the origin cause of the salmonella outbreak I only going to mention the last 5 of the reports. Salmonella outbreaks 2012 1- Reported on August 29, 2012 Mangoes- salmonella braenderup In 16 states 105 persons infected 25 hospitalized 0 deaths Investigation: state public health officials are conducting interviews with ill persons; 70% of the ill persons reported eating mango during a week before getting ill. 2- Reported August 17, 2012 Cantaloupe-salmonella Typimurium In 21 states (Georgia state included) 178 persons infected 78 hospitalized 2 deaths (Kentucky) Investigations indicated the chamberlain farms produce, Inc. from Indiana it’s the source of this outbreak 3- Reported July 23, 2012 Ground Beef- salmonella Enteritidis In 8 states, 40 persons infected 11 hospitalized 0 deaths Investigations indicate that ground beef produced by Cargill meat solutions it’s responsible for this outbreak 4- Reported July,23, 2012 Live poultry salmonella hadar In 11 states 37 persons infected 8 hospitalized 0 deaths Investigation: results from laboratory test and trace back findings link a company from Idaho. 5- Reported June 21,2012 Live poultry-salmonella Montevideo In 22 states (Georgia state included) 76 persons infected 17 hospitalized 1 death Investigation: Estes Hatchery in Springfield, Missouri it’s responsible for this outbreak TyphoidalandNontyphoidalSalmonellaStages of SymptomsCauses to lead to outbreaksSymptoms of diseases Cause and EffectSalmonellaFeverChillsPet animals such as reptilesFood contaminated by animal fecesUnsanitaryleaving1-Fever, headache and cough2-High Fever 104 degrees, red spot on the chest diarrhea4-Symptoms start subsiding during this stageNauseaAbdominal painVomitingMuscle pain3-Symptoms become prominent (most dangerous stage) Causes of emergence and reemergence of salmonella 1- Globalization of food supply: (2000- 2002) Cantaloupe from Mexico was associated with a multistate outbreaks of S Ponna infection. 2- New geographic areas: unavoidable introduction of pathogens 3- Travelers, refugees and immigrants expose to unfamiliar foodborne hazards 4- Changes in microorganisms: evolution of new pathogens, development of antibiotic resistance, the capacity to survive in different environmental conditions. 5- Human population changes: population of highly susceptible people is expanding, more likely to succumb to bacterial infections. 6- Lifestyle: great amount of people eat prepared meals. In some countries, the food service establishments don’t follow the food safety and control regulations. (CDC) Recent outbreaks of salmonella infections suggest that the bacteria are not exclusive to poultry and have infiltrated other areas of the food industry. The most commonly reported serotypes, in history and present of salmonella are: S. typhi, S. enteritides an d S. typhimurium. Outbreaks in the past are largely due to unsanitary water and food supplies and unsanitary way of leaving. Since improvements in food handling, piped and filtered water supplies as was as water/sewage treatment have been made, enteric fever has become relatively rare in developed countries such as United States. Historically, chickens and their eggs are been associated with salmonella; in the mid to late 20th century, eggs where the main sources of salmonella enteritidis this is less common now because of the  high hygiene measures in production of eggs and laying hens are been vaccinated to prevent salmonella colonization. (CDC) The similarities between the past and present outbreaks of salmonella are from animal food sources such as meat, poultry and seafood also the unsanitary ways of preparing them. The symptoms are the same showing a step ladder pattern it begins with sudden onset of high grade fever, dry cough and headache and it keeps going to a second, third and fourth stage the most dangerous stage it’s the third stage where the symptoms become more prominent. A big difference now it’s that we have more effective treatments to control salmonella. Today three types of typhoid vaccines are available 1- inactivated whole-cell vaccine 2- ty21a 3- vi polysaccharide vaccine these vaccines have been shown be 70- 90% effective. (Salmonella symptoms) Salmonella are a group of bacteria that normally live in the intestinal tracts of animals and birds. The bacteria are usually transmitted to people when they eat foods contaminated with animal feces. Contaminated foods are often of animal origin, such as poultry, beef, eggs or milk. But all foods, including vegetables and fruits, can become contaminated. In order to reduce salmonellosis a food safety approach it’s necessary staring from the farms to the consumers table. Industry, farmers, retailers, food inspectors, food workers and consumers are critical links in the food safety chain. The center for disease control and prevention reported 11 cases of salmonella outbreak during this year 2012. 3 of those cases are from live poultry. ( Salmonella) Diseases control plan for poultry Farmer food safety plan (prevention, control and hygiene) 1- Salmonella control has to start at the farms. 2- Pest control sanitation, properly chlorinated water and biosecurity are crucial for controlling salmonella. A. Restricting access †¢ Vehicles †¢ People †¢ Animals B. Biosecurity †¢ Dedicated clothing and boots †¢ Disinfectant boot dip 3- Vaccination of hens used in breeding 4- Eggs should be collected and placed in clean or new disinfected trays. 5- Testing A. Dust sampling- collecting dust from dust on equipment in the poultry building B. Faecal sampling from poultry animals C. Sampling of boots that walk around the poultry building D. Frequency of testing before and after laying eggs its extremely important 6- Use good sanitation practice A. Enforce employee hygiene Salmonella continues to be an issue in poultry processing plants and farms. Each plant /farm is unique and must determine the best way to control salmonella in their operation. Salmonella testing should be done on a regular basis to validate control measures are working. (Controlling salmonella in poultry plants ) Preventions for consumers 1- Clean- wash hands and surface before handling any food 2- Avoid cross-contamination- separate raw poultry, meat and seafood from other foods 3- Poultry and eggs should be refrigerator 4- Cook- do not eat raw or undercooked meat, eggs or poultry (Salmonella questions and answers) The plan explains the measurements need to be taken by farms or plants by outlining procedures on how to avoid salmonella also prevention and control are monitored by Good agricultural practices and hazard analysis critical control point. By following the guidelines mention the farm and plants owners will reduce health risk to the consumers and prevent future outbreaks of salmonella. Consumers need to be aware of Salmonella reports and practice the prevention tips to avoid been contaminated with the diseases. Also this plan shows the public/consumer the precautions taken by the farms and plants to keep the poultry salmonella free. Feasibility report Salmonella it’s a diseases that can be prevented just by practicing good hygiene; the educational plan makes emphasis on the following subjects: all the historical outbreaks where due of unsanitary way of preparing food and way of leaving. The emergence and reemergence of salmonella it’s due to several factors including the growing of population and population lifestyle but today improvements of food handling and good sanitation makes harder for  the food to be contaminated with salmonella. (Salmonella) The government has done many different research to diminish the impact of salmonella in the country; food safety it’s managed by different agencies such as The center for disease control and prevention (CDC), The food and drug administration (FDA), the US department of agriculture, and the US environmental protection agency each of this agencies has a specific job to do. (Salmonella) The educational plan highlights the symptoms, how the disease it’s trans mitted, who its more at risk of contracting the disease; also the precautions that consumers need to take and also the treatments used by the health care department again this diseases. Consumer are inform of the different stages of the diseases and which stage it’s the more dangerous; the health care department has specific laboratory test to determine the presence of salmonella treatments are also mention such as antibiotics, a lot of fluids and antimotility drugs and now there are 3 types of vaccines for typhoid salmonella available for the consumer. (Salmonella symptoms) The disease control plan discusses strategies which are not economically expensive and easy to follow by the farm and consumers. The farm will benefit by following each strategy which will help to prevent salmonella and by having salmonella free poultry the farm will not suffer any economic loss; the consumer will gain social growth by reading the educational plan and practicing the preventions listed to avoid salmonella also by reading the many strategies used to prevent and control salmonella in poultry farms. The plan encourage consumers to practice safe preparation and cooking of food specially raw food such as poultry and eggs; by practicing the preventions the salmonella bacteria can be kill and stop from spreading. The farms are encouraged to maintain and practice good sanitation in all areas of the plant staring with their employees. In the farms the early interventions are done by following different testing methods and vaccination of hens. The plan presents prevention and control; if each farm follows and practices all the strategies this will reduce future salmonella outbreaks from poultry. (Controlling salmonella in poultry plants) Overall the plan presents a good detail safety plan for farmers to prevent salmonella by following this plan salmonella outbreaks will be avoid in the future. The consumers need to educated themselves in this type of diseases and practice the preventions to avoid been contaminated with this diseases call salmonella. Annotated  bibliography Davis, C. P. (n.d.). What is salmonella. Retrieved from medicinenet: www.medicinenet.com/salmonella/article.htm This article discuss everything about salmonella: what is salmonella? How is transmitted to humans, what are the symptoms, how its diagnose and what are the treatments and preventions. Multistate outbreak of salmonella braenderup infection associated with mangos. (2012, August 29). Retrieved from CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/braenderup-08-12/index.html CDC investigation of multistate outbreak of human salmonella braenderup infection linked to mangos Multistate outbreak of salmonella typhimurium infection linked to cantaloupe. (2012, August 17). Retrieved from CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/typhimurium-cantaloupe-08-12/index.html CDC investigation of multistate outbreak of typhimurium salmonella associated with cantaloupe Multistate outbreak of salmonella enteritidis infection linked to ground beef. (2012, July 23). Retrieved from center for disease control and pre vention: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/enteritidis-07-12/index.html Investigation of multistate outbreak of human salmonella enteritidis associated to ground beef Multistate outbreak of salmonella hadar infection linked to live poultry. (2012, July 23). Retrieved from center for disease control and prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/hadar-live-poultry-07-12/index.html Investigation of multistate outbreak on hadar infection associated with live poultry. Multistate outbreak of salmonella montevideo infection linked to live poultry. (2012, June 21). Retrieved from center for disease control and prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/montevideo-06-12/index.html Investigation of multistate outbreak on montevideo infection associated with live poultry. Report of selected salmonella outbreak investigations. (2012, August). Retrieved from center for disease control and prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/outbreaks.html Investigation reports of specific outbreaks of salmonell a during this year. References: Agricultural Researc services. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.USDA.gov. CDC. (n.d.). Salmonella. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov. Controlling salmonella in poultry plants. (n.d.). Retrieved from USDA: www.fsis.usda.gov Davis, C. P. (n.d.). What is salmonella. Retrieved from medicinenet: www.medicinenet.com/salmonella/article.htm Food safety. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.FDA.gov. Foodborne Illness and disease. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.USDA.gov. FDA. (n.d.). The new FDA food safety modernization act. Retrieved from www.fda.gov. History of typhoid fever (salmonella). (n.d.). Retrieved from www.globalsecurity.org. Salmonella symptoms. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.salmonellatreatment.org. Salmonella questions and answers. (n.d.). Retrieved from USDA: www.fsis.usda.gov Salmonella. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.

Business overview of Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Business overview of Regent Seven Seas Cruises Regent Seven Seas Cruises is an organization engaged in the cruise activities that was established in 1994, based in Genova, Italy. Currently, the liner operates three small size cruise ships including one expedition vessel, namely (1) the M/V Seven Seas Voyager, the (2) M/V Seven Seas Mariner, (3) the M/V Seven Seas Navigator and the (4) the Seven Seas Defender (expedition vessel). Regent Seven Seas Cruises have recently announced the addition of one more small size cruise ship which is scheduled to join the fleet in mid 2012. The cruise line operator is competing in the upscale, luxurious segment of the cruise industry and is offering cruises to more than 400 destinations around the world (RSSC.com, 2010). Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessels carry between 500 and 700 guests (depending on the vessels size) and all guests are accommodated in luxurious exterior suites with balconies. By offering an all inclusive experience and maintaining the crew to guest ratio between 1 to 1 or 1,3 (C ruise Luxury.com, 2010), the company has been nominated with numerous international awards by prestigious organizations and magazines such as the Conte Nast Traveler and the American Association of Hospitality Sciences, with the most recent awards that came in for 2010, (1) The International Star Award, (2) The Worlds Best Small Ship Cruise Line Award, (3)The Best Cruise Line Award, (4) The Favorite Cruise Company Award, (5) The Best Luxury Cruise Line Award, (6) The Best Premium Cruise Line Award, (7) The Six Stars Plus Award, (8) The Star luxury Cruise Award, (9) The Best Luxury Cruise Operator Award, (10) The Best Small Specialty/Cruise Company Award and (11) The Africas Leading Cruise Line Award (RSSC, 2010). The Author through this marketing plan conducts a situational analysis of Regent Seven Seas Cruises and moreover analyzes the liners Marketing Strategies, Financials and Controls that will consequently be the Key Success Factors for establishing the liner as the dominant cr uise line in the upscale market of the cruise industry. Situational Analysis In this Chapter the Author will conduct a situational analysis of Regent Seven Seas Cruises and more particularly will analyze (1) the market demographics, (2) the market needs, (3) the market trends and (4) the market growth. Market Summary Targer Markets The markets that Regent Seven Seas Cruises is targeting are the following: Luxurious Cruising Segment Premium Cruising Segment Luxurious Expedition Cruising Segment Market Demographics Geographics Regent Seven Seas Cruises has no preset geographic target area. The liner strategically deploys its vessels around the world and thereby is offering its customers several embarkation options between international ports of calls. That being said, the corporation is able to cater international customers across the globe. Luxurious vessels total passenger capacity is accounted for 22,355 berths, which is approximately the 5% of the world wide total cruise ship capacity. Luxurious cruise line operators during 2010 carried a 5,2% of the total passenger capacity that is approximately 1 million people. This number subsequently represents the population that Regent Seven Seas Cruises is targeting (Cruise Market Watch, 2010). It is interesting to mention that Regent Seven Seas Cruises with a total births count of 2028, carried approximately 90,000 guests onboard their six cruise ships during 2010. In other words this is a 9% market share of the luxurious cruise segment. Demographics Regent Seven Seas Cruises guests are equally distributed between males and females. The average age of Regent Seven Seas Cruises guests is 55+ however this percentage drops to 40 during Caribbean European seasons (RSSC, 2010). The average annual income of Regent Seven Seas Cruises guests is 389,000USD and net worth 4,9USD million (RSSC, 2010). An average of 58% of Regent Seven Seas Cruises guests come from North America, a 29% from the European Union, a 4% from South America, a 2% from South East Asia and the remaining 7% from Other areas (RSSC, 2010). 40% of brand new to Regent Seven Seas Cruises guests have never cruised before and have stated that would definitely repeat a Regent Seven Seas Cruise (RSSC, 2010). Behavior Factors Regent Seven Seas Cruises guests are typically well traveled, highly educated and elegant. They are looking for luxury, attention to detail, pampering comfort. They account quality and value over price and they are mostly interesting in enjoying the onboard cruise experience while developing new friendships. Market Needs Regent Seven Seas Cruises is providing an all inclusive experience onboard luxurious cruise vessels and seeks to fulfill the following crucial points that are critical for the customers satisfaction: High quality cuisine: Regent Seven Seas Cruises is famous for the top quality cuisine onboard their vessels. Regent Seven Seas Cruises constantly develops its high quality cuisine by contracting well known internationally recognized master chefs who are committed to prepare the finest dishes afloat. The top notch cuisine that Regent Seven Seas Cruises sustains has proven to be a crucial factor for the liners success and enables the liner in achieving total guest satisfaction. Strategically deployed itineraries: Regent Seven Seas Cruises is considered an innovator in masterminding itineraries as well as introducing new destinations that have never been visited by other cruise vessels. That is a major reason that guests are sailing onboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessels. High quality of service: Another advantage that the organization is sustaining is a wide pool of experienced and well trained service crew members. Those employees are eager to provide their guests unmatched service and have greatly contributed in the organizations total success. A major reason that customers remain loyal to the brand is the excellent and yet intimate services that are being provided while onboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises vessels. Market Trends The intense competition in the cruise industry is merely initiated due to the constantly changing trends. Every year innovating products appear in the market place, which are setting new barriers and thus making the completion fiercer. According to Andrew Adam Newman (2010) a new trend in the cruise industry, based on extensive research, is that nowadays guests are willing to travel alone as they are more eager to develop new friendships with their fellow cruisers. This new revolutionary trend will ultimately reorganize the cruise market, as organizations up to now were marketing their products based on the traditional travelling settings such as couples, families or groups. Another trend, according to S. Soriani, S. Bertazzon, F. Di Cesare and G. Rech (2009) is that cruising in the Mediterranean market has been gaining popularity the past few years and is currently ranking as the second largest destination in the world, following the Caribbean Isles. Regent Seven Seas Cruises will d istinguish itself by emphasizing in the needs of the single guests who are willing to travel alone and will tailor packages with reduced prices. Moreover the liner will introduce onboard entertainment programs that will aim to bring all singles together with an eye towards assisting the single guests in developing new friendships. At this point Regent Seven Seas Cruises will be unable to deploy additional vessels in the blooming Mediterranean Sea market, as the liner has released its 2011 2012 voyage itineraries and several guests have pre-booked their cruises. Market Growth The cruise industry is a constantly growing industry and cruise experts have reported that during 2010 the industry will hit a top record in terms of passengers carried onboard cruise ships. Considering the adversarial period that has devastated the global economy, the cruise industry keeps growing with a rate of about 7% every year. That is merely an outcome of the high value of cruising, as it has been proved by several scientific researches. The Cruise Line International Association (2010) recently stated that Unlike many other industries, cruising, with an impressive history of recession-resistance, had several advantages. These include vessel mobility and redeployment, ability to quickly adapt to change, effective expense management and, above all, a product with the highest perceived value for money spent. According to a research conducted by the Cruise Market Watch (2010) the luxurious segment of the cruise industry, which is the segment that Regent Seven Seas Cruises competes in, is expected to encounter a 30% increase in passenger capacity from 2008 to 2011. This major finding clearly indicates the increasing demand for passengers to travel on luxurious cruises. SWOT Analysis In the following section, the Author will illustrate the key strengths and weaknesses within Regent Seven Seas Cruises and will further analyse the opportunities and threats associated with the liner. Competition The contenders of the luxurious cruise segment are: Silversea Cruises, Crystal Cruise Line, Cunard Cruise Line, Seaborne Cruise Line, Windstar Cruise Line, Seadream Yachts Line and Paul Gauguin Cruises. The two main competitors of Regent Seven Seas Cruises are (a) the Silversea Cruise Line (b) the Seaborne Cruise Line which was recently acquired by Carnival Corporation PLC. Both competitors offer very similar products and aim into providing superior customer service. Both liners have followed cutting costs strategies which is a customer related disadvantage. The mentioned strategies that the Regent Seven Seas Cruises competitors chose to follow have resulted in a slight turnover of their loyal guests. Regent Seven Seas Cruises, with the proposed marketing plan, will aim and acquire those dissatisfied guests, while ensuring that costs are maintained in appropriate levels and the guest satisfaction remains unaltered. Product Offering According to an article n.d. (2010) Successful products are the key to market leadership and top-line financial growth. Unite your enterprise around product and process innovation. Unleash the hidden power within your product lifecycle by transforming your process of innovation. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has been always regarded as a product innovator in the cruise industry and it is proud to state that every single voyage marketed is a unique masterpiece (RSSC, 2010). Enhanced by partnerships with other luxurious brands the product has gained popularity over the years. Regent Seven Seas Cruises currently offers two products, that is (a) Luxurious Cruises and (b) Luxurious Expedition Cruises. Both products share attributes, such as an all inclusive experience, 21 days menu circle, high standards amenities, exterior suites with balconies and the highest ratio space to guest than any other cruise line including mega ships (World Choice Cruise Club, n.d). Furthermore, the expedition bra nd extension of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, is a strong product for the category and is dominating that segment. Regent Seven Seas Cruises, with an eye towards increasing bookings and thus revenues profits, will further amend its products by introducing the following: Onboard credit of 1000USD for each suite Non refundable, only for onboard spending. Reduced fares for air travel arrangements. Complimentary excursions while the vessels are in port (3 to 5 tours) Future cruises booked onboard will be reduced (by 30% to 70%). This will be examined in a case by case basis. Butler services for all guests as opposed to the current setting that only the owners Royal suites guests receive the mentioned service. Custom made voyages. Even though the liner has pre-set voyages, it will allow the guests to custom make their own cruise by choosing their embarkation port and their disembarkation port without being necessarily the ones advertised. That being said, guest will be able to embark ex. in the second day of the cruise and disembark ex. in the 5 day of the next cruise. The liner will introduce the above product enhancements considering the adversarial period that the cruise industry is currently encountering. Undoubtedly, the liner aims to provide the highest product value for money to its future guests, while reflecting flexibility and maintaining style and quality. Keys to Success Regent Seven Seas Cruises keys to success are: Innovation Attention to detail Custom made voyages Doing the extra mile Thriving for product improvement Pay attention to what the customer says Human capital commitment to the brand Personalized intimate service style Critical Issues Regent Seven Seas Cruises while aiming to increase bookings is conscious regarding keeping the product quality as original as possible, in accordance with the liners philosophy and core values. Unequivocally, a judgmental issue, as the liner sustains the biggest loyal customer base of the segment. Moreover, as revealed by extensive research, there is physical evidence that the customer demand for the product has been increasing thus Regent Seven Seas Cruises is aiming to increase its births count with an eye towards sustaining the almost 10% market share. The liner faces liquidity issues hence this is a major factor that should be attended as it will affect the liners future plans in raising capital for future projects. This can set the liner unable to anticipate with the future trends of the booming segment. The liner has maintained a respected profile towards its money lending institutions. Going forward with the future projects, the liner will need the support of such institutions . Nevertheless, due to the current economic situation and considering the liners liquidity issues, the liner might be forced to offer shares of the future projects to its lenders. Marketing Strategy According to Varadarajan, Rajan (2010) At the broadest level, marketing strategy can be defined as an organizations integrated pattern of decisions that specify its crucial choices concerning products, markets, marketing activities and marketing resources in the creation, communication and/or delivery of products that offer value to customers in exchanges with the organization and thereby enables the organization to achieve specific objectives. That said, in this chapter the Author will describe Regent Seven Seas Cruises Marketing Strategy by further analyzing the organizations (1) Mission, (2) Marketing Objectives, (3) Financial Objectives, (4) Target Markets, (5) Positioning, (6) Strategies, (7) Marketing Mix and Marketing Research. Mission Regent Seven Seas Cruises mission is to provide an unforgettable, experience to its guests while ensuring that sustains its leadership position the luxurious cruise segment. Furthermore the liner aims through its top quality product to attract more customers while ensuring that the loyal ones will return. The liner is committed To Elegance, Luxury and Gracious Hospitality (RSSC, 2010) and thrives to achieve perfection by being faultless. Marketing Objectives Regent Seven Seas Cruises marketing objectives are the following: Increase bookings by 15% during 2011 Maintain and expand the companys award winning profile Decrease advertising costs by 7% Financial Objectives Regent Seven Seas Cruises financial objectives are the following: Solving its liquidity issues by following clear cut/ cost efficient strategies Increase profits by 7% during 2011 Raise capital to finance a new building in 2012 Increase in onboard revenue through cross-department advertising Target Markets As discussed in chapter 1 the markets that Regent Seven Seas cruises is targeting are the following: Luxurious Cruise Industry Segment Premium Cruise Industry Segment Luxurious Expedition Cruise Industry Segment Even though Regent Seven Seas Cruises is competing in the luxurious segments of the industry will be making efforts to attract premium cruise line guests. With the proposed product amendments as explained above the product, even though luxurious will be affordable and more appealing to guests who are not willing to spend enormous amounts of money. While considering the all-inclusive experience that the liner offers, the suggested free shore excursions, shipboard credits, custom made voyages, butler services for all and the air-sea travel packages the liner will be able to attract guest from both luxurious premium cruise industry segments. Positioning Regent Seven Seas Cruises will position its redefined product between two categories, that is the Luxurious Premium cruise segments. Arguably, the product offered to the premium segment will be considered as expensive in comparison to the segments standards, nevertheless Regent Seven Seas Cruises marketing campaign will aim to illustrate the major renovations that the product encountered, thus gained value and could be now seen as an affordable luxury. Strategies The liner will position its products in the upscale market segments by seeking cost efficient strategies. This can be achieved by minimizing operating costs. The liner will strategically deploy its vessels around the world and will plan itineraries that are fuel efficient. Furthermore with unionized contracts and by outsourcing its human resources department the liner will aim to contract low-cost services employees from South East Asian countries who are famous for their superior abilities in service and eagerness to please the guests. Additionally, the liner will maintain its tradition of contracting European Officers who will carry the message of the liners European heritage and elegance. The outcome of the cost efficient strategy is projected to save over 10 million USD within the next six quarters. The liner will invest in its website by introducing a more user-friendly environment. Guests will be able to receive information about Regent Seven Seas Cruises travels and will be ab le to take a virtual tour of the various suite categories. The liner will further offer an online booking option where guests will be able to pre arrange their dining venues, their spa appointments and pre book their shore excursions. Lastly, the liner will market its newly shaped product through online, magazine and television advertisements by illustrating the advantages of a small luxurious cruise vessel. The liner recently contracted the famous Italian ex. actress/ model Isabella Rossellini. The model will serve as Regent Seven Seas Cruises ambassador and will be featuring in the new 200 page brochure (atlas) named Regent Seven Seas Cruises: Infinite Possibilities. This will be done in an attempt to emphasize in the elegance and sophistication of Regent Seven Seas Cruises by exposing the same physical characteristics that derive from the actress/ model. The brochure will be distributed to Regent Seven seas Cruises sailing partners agencies as well as to guests who have sailed w ith Regent Seven Seas Cruises in the past. The advertizing campaign the restructuring of the website are expected to cost 6 million USD. Marketing Mix According to Walter van Waterschoot Christophe Van den Bulte (1992)Of the many marketing mix schemata proposed, only McCarthys has survived and it has become the dominant design or received view. His 4P formula discerned four classes: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion, Promotion itself being split into advertising, personal selling, publicity (in the sense of free advertising), and sales promotion. The Regent Seven seas Cruises marketing mix is reflecting the following approaches according to the 4ps of marketing mix: Price: Pricing, in the cruise industry is competition based. Zeithaml, Bitner Gremler (2006) state that the approach is focusing in the prices that other firms are charging in the same market. Thus does not always imply that companies will be charging identical rates for their products or services. The competitors prices are used as a base and the company in order to price the products accordingly. The approach bares several challenges including the difficulty of small organization to make high margins. Nevertheless, Regent Seven Seas Cruises will be following the competition based pricing for the next 2 years, when the economy is expected to start its recovery. The main objective of the liner is to keep the vessels running in full capacity, thus making onboard revenues while covering operating costs. Product: The term product refers to the services provided by Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The services provided with the redefined product that Regent Seven Seas Cruises will market will reflect an innovating package, with many free amenities including 1000USD shipboard credit, several free shore excursions, discounts for future cruises and reduced air fares. Place: Regent Seven Seas Cruises is working towards re engineering its distribution channels. Currently, several contracts with travel agencies are being reviewed by aiming to support the redefined product. Regent Seven Seas Cruises aims to achieve excellence in the pre-cruise as well as past-cruise experience. Cruise experts state that the pre and past cruise experience is essential in achieving the total guest satisfaction. Thus travel agents play a catalytic role in it. Contracting reliable agents thus strengthening the distribution channels, the product will establish its position in the desired markets. Promotion: Regent Seven Seas Cruises will use several methods for successfully advertizing the product. Sales promotions, public relations and publicity will play a decisive role. Moreover, Regent Seven Seas Cruises will continue to pursuit excellence and thus keep receiving international awards which is the ultimate publicity that a liner can build on its marketing efforts. Marketing Research An advantage of the cruise business which has assisted the industry to remain healthy during turbulent periods such as the current economic situation is the services of CLIA (the cruise line international association) and is its commitment to ensure healthy competition. The association undertakes several researches/ surveys and publishes the invaluable findings to its members. Moreover the association exists to promote a safer industry and a healthy cruise vessel environment, while providing training for its travel agency members, and advertising the enhanced value, quality and unique experience of the cruise vacations. That being said, Regent Seven Seas Cruises as an active member of the association enjoys the luxury of this free marketing research. Nevertheless, the liner is an advocate of constant thriving for product improvement thus conducts its own research through surveying its customer base. The extensive valuable feedback that is given on a cruise by cruise basis, has enable d the liner to come up with the innovations that were discussed in the Product Offering point 1.4. Financials In this chapter the Author will describe the Financials of Regent Seven Seas Cruises. More specifically the Author will discuss the organizations Break Even analysis, Sales Forecast and Expenses Forecast and indicate how those activities reflect on Regent Seven Seas Cruises marketing plan. Break Even analysis The liner currently aims to 58% capacity in order to break even with the current services offered. In other words that is 1176 guests who are booked for an average price of 1000USD PPD (per person daily). In order to conduct a break even analysis for the redefined product we need to consider the additional costs that are associated with the project. The variable costs, are expected to encounter a substantial increase with the addition of the shipboard credits, partnerships with airlines/travel agencies as well as the free tours that will be offered. That being said after the introduction of the product the liner should be aiming to a higher number of bookings. The precise number will be determined following the analysis. The total cost of the shipboard credits is expected to range between 22m and 25m USD on a yearly basis and the cost of the free tours is expected to range between 10.5m to 12m on a yearly basis. Additionally, the essential contracts with airlines and travel agencies which are going to play a crucial role in the pre / post cruise experience are budgeted for 5m USD per year. The organizations current operating costs are 429m USD and will reach 471m USD with the addition of the extra costs. That being said the liner should aim to increase its daily pax count by 115 guests per day. This number represents an additional 5.6% to what the liner was breaking even in the past. Nonetheless, the product is expected to gain an invaluable popularity. Sales Forecast The organization feels that the newly defined product will play a catalytic role in resolving its liquidity issues thus sales will positively impact the organizations financial health. The organization will widen its horizons with its product by aiming to a broader audience hence bookings are expected to encounter a more than 20% increase. Expenses Forecast Table 4 summarizes the expenses forecast from 2008 to 2012. Undoubtedly, the organization in 2010 faced the most turbulent period of the past decade. The combination of financing the new project, the out of line expenses and the declining bookings forced the organization to report the greatest revenue dilution of its history. By focusing in cutting unnecessary costs the company aims to stop the cash haemorrhage. More over the new product will push the liner towards a fast financial recovery. Controls In this chapter the Author will discuss the controls of Regent Seven Seas Cruises. That will enable the organization to achieve the desired level of success of the new product. More specifically the Author will discuss the Implementation, the marketing organization and the contingency plan. Implementation Regent Seven Seas Cruises aims to implement the product in 4 steps. The first step includes sharing in house information. Employees will go through onboard/shore side training programs with an eye towards grasping the new product concept. Step two will include the review of the newly made partnerships. The liner should be 100% sure that the travel agencies will be able to support the product. Step three is the advertising. A big task that will be undertaken by BBDO one of the best advertising agencies in the world. Once everything is set, step four is the official offering of the new product. Each of those 4 steps will be a milestone for the Liner. The full implementation is expected to be completed by the end of the 1st quarter of 2011. Freedman (2003) says that The genius is in the implementation thus the liner will ensure that follows those steps accordingly with an eye towards a successful execution. Marketing Organization The organization that will be responsible for undertaking the heavy task of marketing will be BBDO. The mentioned organization has been a part in the success of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, as has been responsible for the liners past marketing campaigns. Contingency Plan Regent Seven Seas Cruises cannot afford not to succeed with the new product. Unfortunately, the high operating costs and other expenses have affected the financial health of the organization. Nevertheless, the liner is facing several other threads from the environment that operates. The recent mergers of its competitors are rather threatening and have made the competition in the luxurious segment very fierce. One of the greatest risks is visibility. The liner operates a small number of sea going vessels thus is not as visible in the market place as other liners are. That being said, the liner will invest on marketing campaigns which will enhance the organizations issue of visibility that faces. When worst comes to worst, the organization will be forced to liquidate the expedition part of its fleet. The mentioned brand extension, has enabled the liner to acquire new customers and is dominating the luxurious expedition segment of the industry. Nevertheless this brand extension has not been profitable as of yet. The last risk that should be taken at this time is to sustain extensions that are contributing in setting the organization financially weak. 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