Asian Social Science

It has been noted that many drug addicts relapse to drug use after discharged from successful treatment and rehabilitation programs. Thus it is imperative and timely to address the issues that prompt relapsed addiction. 400 drug addicts on relapse cases were selected from eight drug rehabilitation centres throughout Peninsular Malaysia to examine factors influences the relapsed addiction to drug use. Consistent with previous research, self-efficacy, family support, community support and employers support were identified as main factors that influenced the relapsed addictions tendency amongst addicts.Suggestions to curb relapsed addiction to drugs were discussed in relation to the findings. Keywords: Relapse, Addiction, Drug, Malaysia 1. Introduction The close geographical propinquity to Myanmar, Laos and Thailand (Golden Triangle) and other Southeast Asian countries that produces illicit drugs has intensify drug use in Malaysia. The illicit drug use been well thought-out as major soc ial intimidation in Malaysia.The government, on February 19, 1983, declared drug as national disaster and endeavor with stringent law enforcement together with rehabilitation programs for addicts. Indeed the government through various agencies has put in action strategies to impede drug use, parallel to the mission of attaining a drug-free society by 2015. Nevertheless, even with the country’s stringent enforcement policy, there has been a sizeable ascends in the number of fresh and relapsed drug users (National Anti-Drug Agency (NADA), 2009).NADA entrusted by the Malaysian government to sculpt mechanisms to handle the drug crisis and in particular to trim down relapsed addiction rate. Based on the statistics by NADA (2009), the number of detained drug addicts from January to December 2007 and 2008 were 14,489 and 12,352 respectively. Perhaps, the addiction trend that was recorded by NADA is some sort of a relief to all concern. In 2007, the detained fresh and relapsed addict s were 6,679 and 7,810 respectively.Among the detained drug addicts in 2008, 5,939 (48%) were fresh addicts while 6,413 (52%) were relapsed addicts. Interestingly, in 2008 the statistics revealed a decline of percentages in total number of detained addicts (15%), new addicts (11%) and relapsed addicts (18%) compared to the reported statistics in 2007. Nevertheless, careful observation on the statistics revealed an increase in the number of detained relapsed addicts compared to new drug addicts between 2008 and 2007.Generally, it is well understood that the number of drug addicts should reduce dramatically upon successful completion of treatments or rehabilitation program. However, the reported data explicates that most of the drug addicts failed to sustain the free of drug lifestyle after they have been discharged from rehabilitation treatment program. Mohamad Hussain and Mustafa (2001) reported that there are evidence of 90% relapsed cases among heroin addicts within six months aft er been discharged from the Serenti rehabilitation centres.It also had been found that 40% of the addicts pine for heroin after a month of abstinence. Surprisingly, Serenti rehabilitation centers have relapsed inmates who have followed the rehabilitation sessions for more than five times. Moreover, Habil, (2001) contended that more than 70 percent of those attending drug rehabilitation centres would probably relapse. Reid, Kamarulzaman, and Sran (2007) alleged that though some of the programs had been successful, about 70 to 90 per cent of addicts who underwent rehabilitation probably 37 Vol. 5, No. 12Asian Social Science return to the habit within first year after been discharged if they are compelled and detained at the rehabilitation centres. In any event, the rate of relapse among addicts is of great concern to both governmental and non-governmental bodies. Thus, this research was initiated to examine the factors contributing to relapsed addiction tendency amongst drug addicts i n Malaysia. Indeed this study is significant and timely to fight against drug addictions to the root while achieving the nation’s ambition to reach the zero drugs by 2015. . Factors Contributing to Relapse among Drug Addicts Relapse is a formidable challenge in the treatment of all behavior disorders (Witkiewitz & Marlatt, 2004). Several authors have described relapse as complex, dynamic and unpredictable (Buhringer, 2000; Donovan, 1996; Marlatt, 1996). Whereas according to Mahmood (1996), relapsed addiction means, usage, intake or misuse of psychoactive substances after one had received drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation, physically and psychologically.To Rasmussen (2000), relapse occurred because of the building up of additional crisis such as to look trivially on certain problem, stress, weak or failed forecast, the pessimistic thinking that all issue cannot be resolved and immature actions. Relapsed addicts also confused and overreact due to the inability to thin k clearly, unable to manage feelings and emotions, the difficulty to remember things, unable to control their feelings and easily angered. Various studies have examined the effects of psychosocial factors towards relapse among drug and alcohol dependence.Moos (2007) contended that psychological factors are supposition to contribute to relapse among drug addicts after abstinence. Consistently, anxiety has been linked to increased relapse risk among marijuana addicts (Arendt et al. , 2007; White et al. , 2004). Other relapse promoting factor is self-efficacy, defined as a degree to which an individual feels confident and capable performing a certain behavior in a specific situational context (Bandura, 1977).As described in the cognitive-behavioral model of relapse (Marlatt, Bear & Quigley, 1995), high levels of self-efficacy are predictive of improved alcoholism treatment outcomes (Brown et al. , 1995; Greenfield et. al. , 2000; Rychtarik, Prue, Rapp & King, 1992). The situation is di fferent from the results of research done on 60 alcoholics, which found that individuals who have high self-efficacy after going through rehabilitation treatment, are most unlikely to be addicted again (Allsop, Saunders & Phillips, 2000).Chuah (1990), in his research found that drug addicts who have low self-efficacy would be back to addiction after their release from getting treatment and rehabilitation. Other previous studies have also point out that improvement in self-esteem positively lead to success in rehabilitation programs and it assist in curbing drug addictions (Graham et al. , 1997; Mahmood, 1995; Mahmood et al. ,1998; Mahmood et al. , 1999). Attitude and poor knowledge on drug abuse been reported to be contributing factor of relapsed addictions among drug addicts (Abdullah & Iran, 1997).Besides, less support from family members and the community by large towards former addicts highly promote the relapsed addiction tendency after treatment (Brown et al. , 1995; Miller et al. ,1999; Miller, 1992; Moos & King, 1997). Research by Mohd Taib, Rusli and Mohd Khairi (2000) on family communication patterns amongst addicts’ family and non addicts’ family, showed weak communication patterns and less effective interactions amongst former addicts’ family is one of the high probable factors toward drug addiction.Indeed, family support is much needed to ensure the rehabilitation process success and issues like â€Å"don’t care attitude† and ostracizing former addicts would only failed the rehabilitation process and in the long run caused the former addicts to relapse (Daley & Marlatt, 1992). Amongst other factors that have been associated with relapsed addiction are peer pressures especially from the old friends who still use drugs. Mahmood, et al. (1999) found 50% of old friends influenced former addicts to pick up the drug taking habit after they were discharged from rehabilitation centres.The research also showed that 76% of the old friends assist rehabilitated individuals to get the needed supply of drugs. These situations further induced the relapsed addiction amongst former addicts who has been getting rehabilitation treatments. However, the above research is different from findings by Chuah (1990). He found peers support could help former addicts from not getting back to the old habit. He concluded that high emotional and spiritual support will indirectly increase the addicts’ self confidence and decrease the risk towards relapsed addiction.Gregoire and Snively (2001) reported that addicts who have discharged from rehabilitation centres and living in drug-free social environments could be linked with higher abstinence rates and low in relapse of drug use. Mc Coy and Lai (1997), on the other hand, associates inability to get jobs amongst former addicts who were discharged from rehabilitation centres coupled with lack of financial supports, caused the addicts to go back to addictions. Yunos (1 995) asserted that employers always took advantage on the former addicts by paying low salaries without aking into consideration their qualifications and experience, causing dissatisfactions amongst the former addicts that eventually caused them to quit their jobs. Yahya & Mahmood, (2002), found that the treatment and rehabilitation programs being conducted in any country would faced various challenges. The effectiveness of drug rehabilitation programs also one of the factors, associated with relapsed addictions amongst addicts. This is because some researchers found drug rehabilitation programs conducted on addicts are less effective to jolt them to awake (Mokhtar, 1997, Wellish & Prondergast, 1995).Many research found that the traditional treatment and rehabilitation models failed to help in reducing relapse addiction to drug use (Habil, 2001; 38 Asian Social Science December, 2009 Mahmud Mazlan, Schottenfeld & Chawarski, 2006; Mohamad & Mustafa, 2001; Mahmood, Md Shuaib Che Din a nd Ismail Ishak, 1998; McLellan, 2002; Nestler, 2002; O'Brien, 2006 ; Reid, 2007). Though, sufficient rehabilitation programs are in place, prevention of relapse to drug will pass its best if physiology and psychology strength of addicts faint in due time.In addition, lack of multiple long term treatment modalities, social intervention and additional pharmacological treatment could abet relapse. Hence, relapse to drug use after extended periods of abstinence remains as most intricate clinical problem and research issue in the treatment of drug addiction (Miller et al. , 1999; O'Brien, 2006; Sinha & Li, 2007). Individuals involved in recovery and the treatment of recovering individuals recognize that sustaining a clean and sober life is perhaps significantly more difficult than eliminating the use of the drug.There is a high degree of consensus in the field that relapse is a common element in the recovery process. Nevertheless, examination of factors which contributes to relapse is i ndispensable to develop successful interventions in curbing future relapse to drug-taking behavior (Donovan, 1996; O'Brien, 2006, Sinha & Li, 2007). The present study intended to identify the extent that self-efficacy; support from peers, family, employers, community; and programme effectiveness at drug rehabilitation centres influences the relapsed addiction amongst drug addicts.The findings of this research is advantageous to the government, namely the Home Ministry, NADA, social workers, drug counselors, psychologist and other human services in particular, Malaysia and other regions in general. 3. Method The primary data was obtained through a survey using self-administered questionnaire. Items from established instruments were adopted and modified appropriately to suit the objectives of the study. The instrument consists of five parts. The first part of the questionnaire collected the demographic information of the respondents.Second part consist 42 items developed by Marlatt an d Gordon, (1985) to measure the tendencies of relapsed addiction among the addicts. The items specifically measures three dimensions; negative emotion, interpersonal conflict and social pressure. Part 3, 4 and 5 obtained information pertaining to self-efficacy, sosial-environment factors (support form peer, family, employer, and community) and rehabilitation programme effectiveness respectively. Self-efficacy was measured using 15 items developed by Sherer and Maddux (1982) while 5 items from Abdullah and Iran (1991) was employed to measure attitude towards drug abuse. 0 items developed by Procidano and Heller (1983) used to measure peer and family support.12 items created by the researchers to measure employer and community support. The program effectiveness at drug rehabilitation centres was measured using 26 items developed by Bahaman, et al. (2003). The respondents were asked to respond on a scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (4). From the analysis, it wa s identified that the Cronbach alpha of all constructs exceeds Nunnally’s (1978) recommended threshold value of 0. 7. Thus, the instrument used in this study showed a good level in terms of reliability.The respondents were chosen by systematic sampling procedure. 400 questionnaires were personally distributed to the relapsed addicts who are undergoing treatments and rehabilitations in eight Narcotics Rehabilitation Centres in Peninsular Malaysia. Counselors from the respective centres help to disseminate and collect the survey. High response rate (100%) for this study is due to high degree of cooperation by the respondents and the centres’ counselors. In addition, the drop and pick method utilized in this survey was very effective.The data were analyzed using SPSS Version 15. 4. Findings and Discussion 4. Respondents’ background Majority of the respondents (86%) involved in this research were aged 30 years and above. 80% of them were Malays and Muslims and in te rms of marital status, 65% were single. From the data on educational level, 91% of the respondents were holding Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (Malaysian Certificate of Education, equivalent to O’levels). About 47% of them used to work as temporary workers. 4. 2 Factors promoted relapsed addiction amongst drug addicts in Malaysia. Respondents perceptions on all factors contributing to relapsed addiction were categorized as low, moderate and high based on the possible score range.Table 1 shows the summary of the findings. About 97 percent of the respondents indicated moderate to high level of agreement on attitude towards drug abuse. 68 percent of the respondents agreed to moderate level of self-efficacy. In short, the findings showed that respondents received moderate to high level of support from peers (99 percent) and family (96 percent) in their endeavor towards free from drug use. On the other hand respondents reported that they received low to moderate level of support from em ployers (98 percent) and community (94 percent) on the whole.About 99 percent of the respondents indicated moderate to high level of satisfactory with the rehabilitation programme at the respective centres. Table 2 displays the Pearson’s correlation coefficients between the research variables which indicate the strength of relationship between the seven factors with respect to perceived tendency of relapsed addiction to drug use. Out of seven factors identified to promoting relapsed addiction, only four factors showed significant correlation at the 0. 05 level. The factor with the highest correlation to tendency of relapsed addiction to drug use is self-efficacy (r= . 790, p

Total Quality Management Definitions

Total Quality Management is formally defined in BS 7850-1, paragraph 3. 1, as management philosophy and company practices that aim to harness the human and material resources of an organization in the most effective way to achieve the objectives of the organization. [3] Total quality management can be summarized as a management system for a customer-focused organization that involves all employees in continual improvement. It uses strategy, data, effective communications and involvment of all level employeess to integrate the quality discipline into the culture and activities of the organization. †¢Customer-focused. The customer ultimately determines the level of quality. No matter what an organization does to foster quality improvement—training employees, integrating quality into the design process, upgrading computers or software, or buying new measuring tools—the customer determines whether the efforts were worthwhile or not. Total employee involvement. All employees participate in working toward common goals. Total employee commitment can only be obtained after fear has been driven from the workplace, when empowerment has occurred, and management has provided the proper environment. High-performance work systems integrate continuous improvement efforts with normal business operations. Self-managed work teams are one form of empowerment. †¢Process-centered. A fundamental part of TQM is a focus on process thinking. A process is a series of steps that take inputs from suppliers (internal or external) and transforms them into outputs that are delivered to customers (again, either internal or external). The steps required to carry out the process are defined, and performance measures are continuously monitored in order to detect unexpected variations in the process. †¢Integrated system. Although an organization may consist of many different functional specialties often organized into vertically structured departments, it is the horizontal processes interconnecting these functions that are the focus of TQM. Micro-processes add up to larger processes, and all processes aggregate into the business processes required for defining and implementing strategy. Everyone must understand the vision, mission, and guiding principles as well as the quality policies, objectives, and critical processes of the organization. Business performance must be monitored and communicated continuously. ?An integrated b usiness system may be modeled after the Baldrige National Quality Program criteria and/or incorporate the ISO 9000 standards. Every organization has a unique work culture, and it is virtually impossible to achieve excellence in its products and services unless a good quality culture has been fostered where everyone works for the quality. Thus, an integrated system connects business improvement elements in an attempt to continually improve and exceed the expectations of customers, employees, and all other stakeholders. †¢Strategic and systematic approach. A critical part of the management of quality is the strategic and systematic approach to achieving an organization’s vision, mission, and goals. This process, called strategic planning or strategic management, includes the formulation of a strategic plan that integrates quality as a core component. †¢Continual improvement. A major thrust of TQM is continual process improvement. Continual improvement drives an organization to be both analytical and creative in finding ways to become more competitive and more effective at meeting stakeholder requirments and expectations. †¢ Fact-based decision making. In order to know how well an organization is performing, data on performance measures are necessary. TQM requires that an organization continually collect and analyze data in order to improve decision making accuracy, achieve consensus, and allow prediction based on past history. †¢Communications. During times of organizational change, as well as part of day-to-day operation, effective communications plays a large part in maintaining morale and in motivating employees at all levels. Communications involve strategies, method, and timeliness. These elements are considered so essential to TQM that many organizations define them, in some format, as a set of core values and principles on which the organization is to operate.

Nat Turner Rebellion Essay

The Nat Turner rebellion caused a great uproar in Virginia. The aftermath of the movement actually moved some in Virginia to push the ideas of gradual emancipation. With the intensity of the slavery issue at the time, this rebellion had the effect of causing a chain reaction in the Virginian society. The initial reaction of the white population after the rebellion is rather complicated. One thing to note is the power of rumors and their destructive influence. People in Virginia started going crazy, as these rumors incited mass hysteria. Whites in Virginia mobilized towards Southampton county, numbering roughly three thousand units. With an overall sense of panic, and increasingly terrorizing rumors, it is no wonder that there were so many atrocities done to the black population. Militia came into the area with preconceived ideas as to the extent of the rebellion, and with it they just started killing random blacks. In a hypocritical way, whites mutilated the bodies of their victims. Whites decapitated approximately fifteen supposed rebels in Murfreesboro with the heads placed on poles for everyone to see. What could cause people to see this as a good idea? It is fascinating that the incoming militia had the capacity to mirror the crimes that they were there to prevent. In the very area in which Nat Turner’s rebels murdered the Vaughn family, the head of a murdered black man was put on display. This reaction shows the deep hatred that some white men had for slaves. This aimless killing obviously could not continue for long, as peoples started to realize that their property was being destroyed. Monetary compensation was only given if a slave was executed under the law. Since slavers were a key economic asset, it was only appropriate that the suspected rebels should be tried in a court. With the death sentence being issued by a judge, the slave owner could be compensated, and the blood lust could be sated. Shifting toward a more appropriate action, the death sentence was typically more humane that the random murders seen initially. Reaction on the side of the law was obviously very hostile, since every judge was white and very much emotionally compromised on the situation. With the racial opinions and dehumanization of blacks, this court wouldn’t be the fairest, but it was better than previous actions taken on the black community. The judges expedited the hearings of suspected rebels, allowing little time for them to build a proper defense. As there was a great deal of prejudice towards them before the Nat Turner rebellion, black men faced a  considerable amount of abhorrence in the aftermath of the revolt. Not only did the free blacks feel so much pressure that many of them fled the area, but some even chose to go assist in the colonization of Liberia. One important thing to note is that Virginia even took away the right of blacks, slave and free, to preach or conduct religious meetings. This is interesting with the knowledge that this country was founded upon religious freedom. In the mind of slave holders, slavery needed tighter controls. Pent up emotions concerning the abolition movements likely caused some of the more extreme reactions to the Nat Turner rebellion. The fear of losing their property and way of life was a battle that the South had been fighting since the country was founded. Their livelihood depended on the protection of slavery. Publications like David Walker’s Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World, likely caused quite a stir in the Southern population. In the mind of Governor Floyd, these abolitionists and black preachers were the main culprits behind the Nat Turner rebellion. In reading the document encompassing Nat Turner’s confession, there are some problems when analyzing the text. What has been left out is unknown. In a joint effort between Thomas Gray and Nat Turner, the confession was made to give at least some account of the rebellion. Both men likely hated each other, which would cause some communication issues during the interview. While Turner was the voice behind the confession, Gray was ultimately the one that structured it. Most of the article is the synopsis of events that occurred in Turner’s life, which appear to be his own voice. Throughout the document, Gray interjects his opinions, especially in denouncing Turner’s acts of violence. When Turner addresses his supposed ministry, Gray seems to be fill with loathing concerning Turner. Though he recognizes the vast intellect of Turner, Gray also describes Turner in a manner that shows an overall disposition of enmity.

Socrates - The Greatest Philosopher Of All Time Research Paper

Socrates - The Greatest Philosopher Of All Time - Research Paper Example Such was his influence on the philosophical world that the era before him has been named the pre Socrates era. Socrates set the standard for all the western philosophers to come. His methods were employed by all the great philosophers later including Plato and Aristotle to name a few which makes a case in itself for him being the greatest. A thorough analysis of his life, teachings and philosophical viewpoints will further establish my claim for him being the greatest philosopher of all time. Life Born to Sophroniscus a sculptor by profession in 469 BC, Socrates was both short and unattractive (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). Though little is known about his early life it is reported that he was educated in literature, music, gymnastic and sculpture which were the integral constituents of elementary education at that time in Athens. Socrates had many teachers. Socrates mentioned that he was taught â€Å"love† by diotima of mintineia. Socrates also mentioned th at he learned rhetoric from Aspasia and music from Connus. However, others argue that his principal teacher was Anaxagorean Archelaus. Despite having so many teachers his undying lust of knowledge lead him to develop his own method of inquiry known as the Socrates method of questioning. Despite being short and unattractive, Socrates was married to Xanthippe, a much younger woman than himself. Several sources claim that he had a second wife as well whose name was Myrto. It is known that his wife was an ill tempered and rude woman. According to various theories Socrates inherited stone masonry as a profession from his father and used it for a living. In his dialogues Plato has also discussed the military life of Socrates. He reported that Socrates when he was young was a brave soldier of the Athenian army and fought valiantly in the battles of Potidaea, Amphipolis and  Delium (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). His valour in the battle of delium was even acknowledged b y the general of that time. Later on however, he completely devoted himself to philosophy by refraining from the pursuits of the physical world. He spent most of his life in Athens roaming around and questioning the moral and ethical beliefs of the young men of the city. He used to teach people without demanding any financial gain which was perhaps the reason why he had an ardent sense of loyalty among his students. Aristophanes a contemporary playwright wrote a comic play in 423 BC called clouds (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). The play portrayed him as a clown. In the play Socrates used to worship scientific wonders and clouds instead of the gods worshipped in Greece. The play spread a very austere view of Socrates among the Athenians. In the following years, a wave of hatred and disapproval against Socrates ran around the city. Athenian began to dislike Socrates because of his criticism of popular beliefs and the ways of the current government. He used to approac h the wise men of Athens at that time and questioned them in ways which made them look foolish. His influence on the youth began to grow which along with all the other reasons became the main subject of his trials. Hence in 399 BC Socrates was held on trial and was charged for being responsible for disobeying the gods of the state and corrupting the minds of the youth (Kemerling, 2006).

Survey Research and Sampling Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Survey Research and Sampling - Assignment Example This method of research is an important measurement area applied in social research within fields such as psychology, sociology, politics and market research (Creswell 2002, p.57). The approach often adopts interviews or questionnaire administration as the data collection modes. The survey method was introduced in the 1930s by a popular sociologist known as Paul Lazarsfeld (Sarah 2012b). Surveys are commonly classified according to instrumentation (questionnaires or interviews) and according to the time-frame of the study (longitudinal or cross-sectional) (Marczyk, DeMatteo&Festinger, 2010, p. 27). Surveys find wide application, but they are best suited for gathering information currently not available from other sources (Sarah 2012c). They therefore, could act as precursors to further and specific research in a quantitative, experimental approach. Surveys conducted in qualitative perspective can lay ground for the development of clearly defined and deeper studies in a quantitative a pproach (Sarah 2012c). This happens after research questions and variables get clearly defined in the preliminary qualitative surveys. Surveys are also important research instruments whose application is favored by various advantages that are inherent to the approach. For example, surveys offer a low cost approach to conducting efficient studies, especially when questionnaires are used. Unlike other approaches to research, surveys could also be tailored to take less time, and therefore, enhancing time efficiency and cost effectiveness (Sarah 2012a). Apart from cost and time effectiveness, surveys also provide high levels of representativeness (Sarah 2012a). This is important in enhancing validity of inferences made and generalization of findings to wider populations. Surveys are also important because they offer convenience in data collection, which could adopt various models such as interviews (face-to-face or telephone) and questionnaires (via mail, e-mail or hand delivery) (Sarah 2012a). This convenience could even allow globalized scale of data collection. Survey approaches are also important and appropriate when numerous variables are involved (Fink 2002, p. 71). Precision and standardization of surveys is also an important element that results from the clear definition and standardization of questions that equally assess participants. Criteria of a good sample in surveys Survey sampling entails the careful selection of survey participants by defining the inclusion and exclusion criteria as well as sample size (Sarah 2012c). Sampling is a critical phase in surveys because it determines the validity and reliability of the overall study. In order to be confident that the survey findings are truly representative of the target population, it is critical to ensure that the sample size is large enough and its components undergo random selection. In order to obtain a good sample a clearly defined criterion for the participants should be set so as to acquire a sa mple from which participants can offer reliable information for the assessment of the phenomenon of interest (Sarah 2012a). For example, in order to assess satisfaction in healthcare delivery, it would be appropriate to sample from the patient population rather than the medical practitioners’ population. Sampling the appropriate target population ensures the sample obtained is good for research. Randomness should also be enhanced so as to improve representativeness, which ensures the sample

Zara case company analysis report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Zara case company analysis report - Essay Example It further looks at the PR of the company and the major crises that have been facing the company over the years. A comprehensive analysis of the company’s strategy is done to establish the root of the company’s success. Lastly, the paper gives suggestions on how the company can improve its operations in the global scene.Zara is the leading brand of Spanish Fashion Group Inditex and a well- established Fashion Company in the global scene (Zara, 2012). The company was established in 1975 in La Coruna and since then, its growth has been sterling. It had opened branches in major fashion cities including Paris and New York by the year 1990. It was because of their tremendous reputation that Zara Home was opened in the year 2003. In 2007, Zara established their first online shop that specialises in the sale of home products (Inditex, 2012). At the moment, the company operates 1830 stores in different parts of the world. According to recent financial statements, it contributes to more than 64% of Inditex’s revenue (Inditex, 2011). The company distinguishes itself as fast fashion trademark and offers high fashion clothing to reach the public at affordable prices. Zara’s success has been impressive over the years and this paper analyses its external environment, value chain, leadership, strategies and challenges facing the brand name. External Environment Analysis The fashion industry is ever changing due to contribution of companies like Topshop, HandM and Zara (London Business School, 2008). Consequently, factors affecting the clothing industry will influence trends in the high fashion world. In the clothing industry, customers’ preferences vary according to their ages and body types (Keane and te Velde, 2008). Furthermore, the demand for clothing is affected by population size and patterns. For example, an increase in the proportion of pregnant women and birth rate will increase demand for maternity and baby clothes (Suttle, 2011:45 ). It is important to note that demographic trends are the driving force in the fashion industry. The PESTLE analysis will be used to study the macro- environment and the Porter five forces model to evaluate the micro- environment. PESTEL analysis The fashion industry is characterised by high levels of competition among the top fashion brand names and frequent changes in the customers’ tastes and preferences. PESTEL analysis is used to identify factors that affect the demand of goods produced with regards to the external environment. Political Aspects In terms of the political framework in the clothing industry, workers’ rights and employment regulations are mandatory in the creation of a legal environment in the manufacturing

Freshman Forced to Live on Campus Annotated Bibliography

Freshman Forced to Live on Campus - Annotated Bibliography Example The author of the article is credible and well aware of the trend, as she has been associated with the Arizona State University for more than three years (Soucie, 2009). The targeted audience of this article is the teacher`s faculty and students of the university, who are willing to know about current situation of campus housing (Soucie, 2009). Moreover, in this article it is explained that university students do not like to live in campus houses, but the reason behind their preferences is not clearly mentioned in the source (Soucie, 2009). Villagio apartments are most preferable houses of students and they so wanted to live in there, but due to economical situations, they cannot afford those houses (Soucie, 2009). Here, the author should mention the difference between rents of Tempe homes and campus houses, but he failed to do so. This article is useful and I will use this article as an important source for illustrating promotion of campus houses in the universities in comparison wi th other rental homes for students. This article is also taken from the same source. The title of the article indicates that the university is welcoming all new students to come and live in campus houses. The writer of this article is trustworthy and responsible because he is a qualified young journalist, who has recently passed out from the Arizona State University (Quizon, 2008). The author has targeted fresh students of the university and those who are willing to take admission in the Arizona State University (Quizon, 2008). The author has explicitly explained in his article that students, who live on campus houses, can have more chances to attain good marks in the exams, as previously it has been noticed that students who lived on campus houses performed more efficiently, than those who lived in other rental houses away from the campus (Quizon, 2008). Additionally, views and comments of faculty members show that campus intended to provide