Global Health Disparities Free Essay Example, 3000 words

Health officials, as well as relevant Civil Society Organizations (CSO s), are at the center of providing social empowerment especially in fragile states that have an arrested development (Commins, 2010). In that light, Health officials can come up with processes that contribute to social mobilization, finance mechanisms that boost community participation as well as devise various strategies pertaining in law, communication, the organization itself as well as in media that make it accountable for actions partaken by them. On the other hand, the civil society can offer liaison with the relevant leaders nationally or internationally in a bid to enhance political support for social action. CSO s can also ensure that they wipe out inequalities in health care and they also offer oversight to Health systems. CSO s are also tasked with the creation of capacity for societies so that they can be able to take part in the rather bureaucratic processes in health care. Creation of universal co verage is yet the other element of strengthening Health systems (Save the Children, 2012). Therefore, there should be the mobilization of more resources so as to fund health services through taxation and ensuring that corruption in handling such finances is eliminated. In a bid to achieve a universal coverage, user fees ought to be minimized to ensure that services are cost-effective. We will write a custom essay sample on Global Health Disparities or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page

Floods and Flooding

River and coastal flooding are the most frequently occurring natural disasters and are increasing in occurrence. Floods, once purely known as acts of God, are being rapidly enhanced by the works of humans. What Causes Floods? A flood occurs when an area that is normally dry gets submerged in water. If a flood happens in an empty field, then the damage from flooding may be relatively mild. If the flood happens in a city or a suburb, then flooding can cause catastrophic damage and take human lives. Flooding can be caused by many natural things, such as excessive rainfall, extra snow melt that travels downstream, hurricanes, monsoons, and tsunamis. There are also manmade features that can cause flooding, such as burst pipes and dam breaks. Why Are the Number of Floods Increasing? Humans have spent thousands of years trying to curb flooding in order to protect farmland and   homes. Dams, for instance, are built to help regulate the flow of water downstream. However, there are some man-made features that are aiding flooding. Urbanization, for instance, has reduced the earths capability of absorbing excess water. With extra neighborhoods comes an increase in asphalt and concrete-covered surfaces. which cover the once open fields. The earth underneath the new asphalt and concrete can then no longer help absorb the water; instead, water running over the pavement collects quickly and easily disrupts storm drain systems. The more pavement, the more likely a flood will occur. Deforestation is another way that humans have helped increase the potential for flooding. When humans cut down trees, the soil is left without roots to hold down soil or to absorb water. Again, the water builds up and causes flooding. What Areas Are Most at Risk for Flooding? Those areas which are most at risk for floods include low-lying areas, coastal regions, and communities on rivers downstream from dams. Flood waters are extremely dangerous; a mere six inches of swiftly moving water can knock people off their feet, while it takes just 12 inches to move a car. The safest thing to do during a flood is to evacuate and seek shelter on higher ground. It is important to know the safest route to a safe location. A 100-Year Flood Floods are often given designations as a hundred year flood or twenty year flood, etc. The larger the year, the larger the flood. But dont let these terms fool you, a hundred year flood does not mean that such a flood occurs once every 100 years; instead it means that there is a one in 100 (or 1%) chance of such a flood occurring in a given year. Two one-hundred year floods could occur a year apart or even a month apart -- it all depends on how much rain is falling or how quickly the snow melts. A twenty-year flood has a one in 20 (or 5%) chance of occurring in a particular year. A five-hundred-year flood has a one in 500 chance (0.2%) of occurring in any given year. Flood Preparedness In the United States, homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. If you live in a flood zone or any low-lying area, you should consider purchasing insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. Contact your local insurance agent for more details. You can be prepared for flooding and other disasters by assembling a disaster supplies kit. Take this kit with you if evacuating: A portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries (know the appropriate radio station to listen to during a disaster)Flashlights and extra batteriesFirst aid kit and manualEmergency food and waterNonelectric can openerEssential and prescription medicationsCash and credit cardsSturdy shoesExtra clothes and beddingFood and supplies for pets

Essay on “Logistics management systems”

Essay on â€Å"Logistics management systems† In the contemporary business environment, management logistics has become very much machine based. This can be attributed to the introduction of computers in business where these machines come with programs which ease office keeping and management. Some of the ICT programs developed deal with warehouse management, supply management, cash book management and records management (spe.org/spe-site/spe/spe/jpt/2009/04/12Management.pdf). In logistics management, the main task is to control the supply of products to the final consumer. The business unit acts at the source while the consumer acts as the destination of the products. Supply chain management (logistics management) helps keep in track all activities that occur to the products from time of dispatch to time of consumption. The number of times that the products change hands is also accounted for in the logistics management and plays a very vital role in the whole process (spe.org/spe-site/spe/spe/jpt/2009/04/12Management.pdf). This ICT system is mainly in a class of information systems known as management information systems. These systems help organize run and effectively carry out managerial functions with minimal human effort. These systems heavily depend on the people, technology used and type of information handled (Russo, 2007). Looking back at the history of information systems and its influence on business, as business transactions became difficult to keep a close eye on, there cropped a need to develop a computer program that would effectively handle the bulk of information in the business entity and uphold data integrity. The main categories of information systems used in the world are decision making and management support systems (Russo, 2007). Logistics management is in the category of marketing information systems where the software is used to help ease marketing transactions. This software helps keep in track on all marketing channels and transactions. It helps organize all supply chain chains and organize supply to ensure effective forward and reverse flow of products (Robert, 2005). Narrowing down to the specific field of logistics management, the main tasks are to plan, implement and control the forward and reverse flow of products in the supply channel. It also covers the storage and disposal of products that prove to be substandard. For a better understanding of this management system, let us look into the functions themselves (Robert, 2005). From the basic architecture of the information systems, the system must interact with people. To ensure the system does this effectively, it has an interactive interface which enables the system to acquire data and then give an output (feedback or information). The output of the system depends on the second part of the information system. This part deals with processing the input according to a set of rules. This is the technology section of the system thus the output depends on the technology. Briefly looking at the technology itself, this part deals with a bit of programming. The programs developed depend on the intended task of the information system. With this task in mind, the programmer breaks down the whole process into smaller sub processes which can be developed independently. These sub processes lead to development of subprograms called either a procedure or function. The difference between a procedure and a function is only on the output part. Procedures mostl y give a non-numerical output thus can be said to have a void output while a function must return an output. In information systems, procedures are used to call function (activate functions). The functions are the actual parts of the supply chain management that helps make decision on the best output depending on the input and the conditions attached to the transaction. The functions mostly make use of iteration thus mostly employ the use of case statements. These statements help reduce repetitive use of ‘if’ and ‘while’ statements. The graphical user interface is developed to enable the management to interact with the program much simply and also to make the system much friendly compared to letting a person who does not understand programming to meet a large code which does not make any sense to the user (Robert, 2005). One of the main functions of logistics management is planning. This occurs according to the conditions attached to a specific scenario. For example, consider the sale of a vehicle. From the word go, all the costs must be considered before setting the selling price of the product. The conditions to consider may include buying price, shipping costs, profit margin and insurance. For the best selling price and discounts on these products, these conditions must be attached to the product. When feeding data to the logistics system, all these conditions must be fed. The system then come up with a plan of marketing the product at the minimum cost, the anticipated profit, the depreciation rates and even the shelf life of the product. The system also gives a set of rules under which the products may be returned to the source, ways of dealing with the returned goods and how to dispose the already useless products to the dealer (Rangel, 2002). In this component of the logistics system, the main ICT components are a case based program which accepts the set of conditions and then makes the best decision. This program must have an input and output window which helps in accepting the input and displaying the output. The program has also to incorporate mathematical expressions which help n computations of profit margins, discount rates and the anticipated profit (Rangel, 2002). Moving on to the next function of the system, analysis is vital. This process is the most crucial thus requires a careful planning. This component must have the ability to accept data and then process the whole bulk of data according to a set of rules making it possible for the transaction to occur. The analysis component is closely related to the planning since it receives data from the planning component for further processing. This component of the system does not interact with human beings thus is entirely dependent on the technology part of the information system (Rangel, 2002). Back to our illustration, the data about the car is fed to the system from the input window. For the planning to occur, the received data in the system is analyzed according to the set conditions and the best suited option in the case statements provoked. The data is then processed according to the rules and the output is done. However, this is also done for other alternative case statements in the whole program after the case analysis, the outcomes are displayed and the management chooses the best option. This option is then used to analyze the rest of the data pertaining to the product. (tefen.com/uploads/media/Case_Study.pdf). Lastly, let us move to control component of the system. This component is very important since it is the one that allows only valid information to be entered to the machine. Any data outside the accepted bracket of data is rejected and a message is displayed simultaneously. This part of the system is usually incorporated in programs as exceptional handling strings which help keep the system robust and free from any crashing. Deeper in the control aspect, the system ensures that the stock moves as anticipated. If excess stock flows out, it prompts the people using it input more stock. By this, it controls the movement of stock and produces a report to that effect. This part of the system is the only component in the whole system that prints a report to a peripheral device like a printer. The control aspect deals with the input and output, compares them and uses a part of the master program in the analysis component to come up with a report (Hawks, 2006). From the actual operation of the logistics management, there exist two logistic management subsystems. These subsystems can be attributed to the fact that supply chain can have products moving in either of the directions. In the forward movement of products, forward logistics management system is evoked. This subsystem helps in computation of the required discounts, anticipated profits and the other facts like shelf life of the products. When a product has been returned to the business unit due to some defects, it has to be considered by the system for the best record updating. This calls for reverse logistics management subsystem which is part of the main logistics system. This subsystem helps keep record of the defective products as well as help in making decision s regarding the best way to repair or deal with the returned products. These two subsystems work in opposition to each other and they are stored on the same main system. They are evoked as one of the very i nitial steps thus they use almost the same subprograms but call the functions differently or in different orders (Hawks, 2006). With this technology, management is becoming easier with time and record keeping is becoming much easier than in the past. Many advantages in this sector can be associated with technology use I supply management. Some of the advantages are: Fast data manipulation. The main cause of use of technology in business can be said to be speed. The rate at which a compute manipulates data is very fast compared to human manipulation. As business firms became larger, the amount of data that required to be handled increased almost exponentially. Considering sales department under which supply falls, the growth was almost exponential thus a new mechanism had to be developed so as to keep in pace with the increasing business transaction. This is what led to development of logistics management systems which help in all matters pertaining to sales. The number f records that require to be reviewed and data extracted from even in a small firm may take a lot of time to peruse and get the required data. A computer system may only require a single click or a few clicks to help retrieve the same amount of data. In report preparation, it is very easy to use data contained in a system to prepare a report compared to data which has to be extrac ted from paper records. Thus, the system also helps reduce the time required to prepare and print a report (Baron, 1996). Reduced manpower. Looking at the actual function of the logistics system, many people may be required to carry out the required planning, implementation and control of sales. These people would have a lot of work load on their shoulders thus the required manpower may be too much for the business unit to hire. By using this system, only a few employees may be required since most of the sales decisions are made by the system. With this reduced manpower required, the business unit has the ability to hire highly qualified personnel and increase the profit margin since the expenses are reduced (Baron, 1996). Better decision making process. A computer system always gives a number of options as output. The management then has a starting pointing their discussion thus the decisions they make are much more precise. The alternatives are listed from the most appropriate to the least appropriate thus the management can easily make the best choice. If the choice is incompatible with the system, then the system gives a number of suggestions thus in the very end, the best decision is arrived. Time saving. In any business department, a lot of time is wasted holding meetings which at time do not produce the best results. Instead of holding meetings without any clue of the matter at hand, the logistics department may serve a purpose of giving some information about the point of discussion in the meeting saving time to find preliminary information on the subject of discussion. The decision support ability also enables the system to save time when making sales decisions and profit margins or discount computation. Ease of expansion. Critically analyzing any decision making system it can be easily expanded to cover any number of related chores. For example, if the company may have to make a decision on supply of the raw materials, the same logistics system may be used instead of relying on physical manpower or buying a new system (Baron, 1996). Any technological advancement comes at some expense. These expenses may appear to the people as disadvantages thus many people may remain opposed to the adoption of the new technology. Some of these disadvantages include: Capital intensive business unit. In many parts of the world, business units are started with an aim of creating employment. In the process of adopting new technology, the labor intensive structure that the business proprietors had in mind is washed away making the whole investment to be capital intensive. This may result in death of the original dream that the proprietor had. Also, running a capital intensive business unit may be quite more expensive than labor intensive businesses. Specialized skills. All these technological advancements require period update of the user skills. Most of the system users might find this quite tasking thus may remain reluctant to adopting the new technology in business. The technology might also require special handling equipment which may be expensive to use and maintain. Lack of personal touch in the business. Many of the people who oppose use of technology in business do it mostly due to loss of personal touch in the sales department. This may result in many customers losing trust in the business unit thus the actual says may decline. (Baron, 1996). These systems can be divided into three categories where each deals with a specific part in the supply chain. These categories are briefly discussed below. Conventional department management system. This system deals with the actual office work and mainly deals with records. This system is the one responsible for all record transactions ranging from updating, querying of data to report compilation and printing. It can be claimed as the main system on which the other entire logistics systems crop. This system extends to control activities where it monitors the forward logistics and reverse logistics. It serves as the main sales decision support mechanism thus acts as the control of sales department (Hugh, 2002). Warehousing management system. This system deals with monitoring the rates at which the products are fed into and fetched from the warehouse. It is part of the conventional department system which precisely deals with warehouse activities and then gives a feedback to the main system for report compilation. However, this system still has capability of report compilation (Hugh, 2002). Transport management system. This system may appear as only tracking system that is not part of the sales department but due to the transport of sales, it is part of the department. This system uses GPRS tracking systems which help locate the products on transit and help keep them secure. If the products are tampered with while on transit, the sales department can easily use this system to know how to sabotage took place (Hugh, 2002). Critically analyzing the use of technology in business sales department, there has been a reported success in the field. In fact more than 75% of business units that use logistics management systems have reported to be happy with the systems since once the required skills are acquired; the rest of the work is very simple. From a personal perspective, use of logistics systems is very important to a business unit. The function of monitoring can be very complicated and tasking but with the systems control component, the work is very simple. This section may require very many people but with the technology in place, a single person may carry out many tasks per unit time (Keller, 2006). The use also suffers some drawbacks which can be said to be rooted in the technological constraints. Many of the people using computers may know very little about them thus using a system to keep their business alive and give them a competitive advantage may be a dream almost out of hand. On personal opinion, this constraint makes people feel alienated thus makes people detached (Keller, 2006). A personal statement on this issue would be to support the use of technology in business enterprises. As much as businesses should avoid being capital intensive, people must also change with the change or if they remain reluctant, the change will change them. In conclusion, technology use in business has been on the rise in the recent with the rapid widespread use†¦

Sugar Coated Lies Essay - 1689 Words

The massive appeal for artificial sugars and sweeteners in America started out in the 1970s and 1980s and has affected American eating habits ever since by its dominance as the most used form of sugar. (Frincu-Mallos). Parallel to its introduction to the food industry, American society at that time was struggling with an onslaught of health problems and diseases. Some have wondered if there is a relationship between the introduction of artificial sweeteners and the rise in American health problems. Stemming from this inquiry, research has been conducted, purposing to find relationship to artificial sweeteners and chronic diseases and illnesses. Some research has provided proof of artificial sweeteners negative effects on health living.†¦show more content†¦Shocking evidence has been found that the use of artificial sweeteners makes one gain weight rather than help lose it (Yang). It might even factor into childhood obesity. Proof of this was illustrated by â€Å"A two-yea r prospective study involving 166 school children [which found] increased diet soda consumption was associated with higher BMI Z-scores at follow-up, indicating weight gain.†(Yang) Since most obese children have a 70% chance of becoming obese in adulthood, this research on artificial sweeteners needs to be made known to the public. The effects of artificial sweeteners on obesity in American Adults also should be more publicly pronounced. The adult percentage of obesity in America is over a third of the population – an equivalent of 71 million people. Most of these people would benefit from knowledge about the health risks of artificial sweeteners, but the food industry has not presented it. As aforementioned, there is evidence that artificial sweeteners help to gain weight rather than lose it. In adults, evidence was shown in a study of women by the Nurses’ Health Study. 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Drug Abuse Free Essays

Table of contents Introduction and purpose of research Literature review Data collection sources Presentation, discussion and analysis of data Conclusion, limitations and recommendations Bibliography Appendices Introduction and purpose of research Drug abuse is a very prevalent and widespread problem in Trinidad and Tobago. It is the cause of many illegal activities in the country. This study is geared towards finding the causes and effects of drug abuse in teenagers in Rio Claro. We will write a custom essay sample on Drug Abuse or any similar topic only for you Order Now The purpose of this study is to determine the causes and effects of drug abuse in Rio Claro. In this project the following research questions would be asked: 1. What is drug abuse? 2. What are the causes and effects of drug abuse? 3. What are the strategies that could be implemented to curb drug abuse? This topic was chosen because the prevalence of drug abuse in my community is very high and it is of my special interest because I would like to explore and understand the topic more. I am currently studying sciences at school and it is my hope that studying this topic would further educate me about drug abuse as I would like to peruse a career in pharmacy. After this study is completed it is my hope that the research can be used to benefit the members of my community and other researchers to help prevent drug abuse. Some of the terms used in this research project are: 1. Drug abuse- substance abuse   use of a substance that modifies mood or behavior in a manner characterized by a maladaptive pattern of use. 2. 3. Literature review Drug abuse is th Data collection sources Primary data was obtained from the questionnaire. The process of distributing this questionnaire was done by simple random sampling. 00 % of the questionnaires were given to people that were teenagers on Saturday 10th December 2012 at the Rio Claro community centre. The questionnaire was an excellent means of obtaining data as the data collected was first hand and there was no third party handling the data so there was less room for tampering. The disadvantages of using this were that people may be dishonest and some may not return questionnaire. Thirty people were a sked to answer a questionnaire that consisted of 17 questions and thirty questionnaires were obtained at the end of the research. All the data was quantative. Secondary data was obtained via the internet, newspaper and books. The information obtained from the internet was used to obtain background information about the topic and to further answer the research question. Books were used to get proper definitions and to get the biological perspective of drug abuse. The data was helpful at it helped me to better understand the topic of drug abuse. Both sources contributed to a better understanding of the topic as knowledge was gained about the problem from both sources. Presentation, interpretation and discussion of findings 1. Do you go to church/mosque/temple? Often O Sometimes O Not at all O Graph 2 showing types of families that the candidates lived in The graph above shows the types of families that the candidates live in. more than half the candidates lived in single parent families, Graph 3 showing weather candidates go to church/mosque/temple Conclusion, limitations and recommendations Appendix 1 Questionnaire A pleasant good day. My name is Shenell Lal and I go to cowen Hamilton secondary school. For my Caribbean studies internal assessment I am studying drug abuse and its causes and effects in my community of Rio Claro. Your participation in answering the following questionnaire is greatly appreciated. The information collected is strictly confidential. Thank you in advance. Please tick the appropriate boxes and answer in the spaces provided. 1. How old are you? 10- 15 O 16-23 O 2. Gender: Male O female O 3. Religion : Hindu O other O Muslim O Christian O 4. What type of family do you live in? Single parent O Nuclear O Extended O Other O 5. Do you go to church/mosque/temple? Often O Sometimes O Not at all O 6. To what ethnic group do you belong? African descent O Indian descent O Chinese descent O Mixed descent O 7. Do you participate in community activities? Yes O no O If yes please state what 8. Do you play sports/ musical instruments? Yes O no O If yes please state what 9. Do you think that the lack of an education can be one of the major causes of drug abuse? Yes O No O 10. Do you think that the schools, youth groups, clubs†¦.. tc, is making a positive impact in trying to stop the levels of drug abuse? SCHOOLS – Yes: very much O Little O No, none at all O Yes: much O Very little O YOUTH GROUPS – Yes: very much O Little O No, none at all O Yes: much O Very little O CLUBS – Yes: very much O Little O No, none at all O Yes: much O Very little O 11. What do you think are the level of which drugs are used in your village? Low O Medium O High O None at all O 12. How effective are the police in dealing with drugs in your village? Very much O Much O Little O Very little O 13. What age group uses drugs the most in your village? 14 – 25 O 26 – 35 O 36 – 45 O 46+ O 14. Which one of the following would you say can be the main cause of drug abuse in your village? Peer Pressure from friends O Poverty O Parents not setting good examples O Lack of a proper education O 15. In your village please state in a percentage how many of the youths you think are affected by drugs compared to those who are not? 5 – 24% O 25 – 50% O 51 – 75% O 75 – 100% O 16. How does drug abuse affect the youths of your district in terms of causing fights and gang warfare? Yes: Badly O Very bad O No: Not really O Not at all O 17. Have you ever used drugs? Yes O No O BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. http://medical-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/drug+abuse 2. How to cite Drug Abuse, Essay examples

Sadao Border free essay sample

Sadao and Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration Checkpoint Have you ever been stuck in your car for four hours in slow moving traffic? Without traffic it would take less than twenty minutes. To me this is such a frustration and aggravation. I experience this on frequent bases while crossing the border back and forth from Thailand. I get stuck at the Sadao and Bukit Kayu Hitam for at least three hours each weekend because it is always jam-packed with people, cars, vans, buses and trucks. With thousands of people and goods crossing the border each week there should be an expansion to both the Thai and Malaysia checkpointsThe Sadao Immigration checkpoint is located in Dannok village, Sadao District, Songkhla Province, Southern Thailand. This is where the immigration department checks your travel documents before entering into Thailand by road. The immigration officers would sometimes check your luggage for safety reasons. This crossing is the busiest between Thailand and Malaysia. We will write a custom essay sample on Sadao Border or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The border is the southern end point to Thailands National Highway that runs all the way to Bangkok via Hatyai. Most buses, vans, lorries importing and exporting goods and most commercial activity between Malaysia and Thailand uses the Sadao border.On the Thai side of the border you must park your car and walk up to the immigration booth to get your passport stamped. While entering you must fill out an arrival and departure form with you information and purpose of entering the country, etc. You would normally pay the officers RM 1 to fasten the process. Many tourist from Malaysia and Singapore goes to Dannok and Hatyai for the weekend for shopping, food, and the entertaining nightlife scene before people claims the variety is certainly more interesting than Malaysia and prices are much cheaper. Malaysians come here to stock up with things from durians to underwear.Dannok is a town located right after the checkout. There is not much to see during daytime and becomes vibrant at night. On both sides of the highway many little lanes with karaoke bars, nightclubs, pubs, massage parlors and night markets. The Malaysia Immigration checkpoint is located in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah. Bukit Kayu Hitam translates to â€Å"Black Forest† in English, has few shops located on side roads off the main highway. Bukit Kayu Hitam is the northern starting point of the North-South Expressway, which runs all the way south to Johor Bharu passing through Kuala Lumpur.At Bukit Kayu Hitam immigration has drive-through booth, which means that you do not need to get out your vehicle while getting your travel documents checked. Here you are required to fill the Malaysians arrival and departure form, and to pay highway toll of RM3. 80 before you enter Malaysia. Although there are drive-through immigration booths, security on the Malaysian side seems stricter than Thailand’s, the officer make you open your trunk and search your luggage. Many Thais enters Malaysia for education, Leisure time at Genting Highlands or Cameron Highlands and to conduct business in Malaysia.Between the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint and Dannok Checkpoint is a distance of about 1km between the two checkpoints. In between the two checkpoints is the huge Duty Free shopping complex, located in Malaysian territory. Where you can get good quality and cheap duty free items. Unlike, Dannok, there is not much to see in Bukit Kayu Hitam except for the hordes of people trying to cross into or coming in from Thailand. With so much tourism and commercial activity that goes on at both borders, having beneficial gains for both countries.The current Immigration checkpoints can no longer handle the traffic and congestion. When standing in line to get your passport stamped and it can take up to an hour, is absolutely ridiculous. Their needs to be an innovation and expansion made in both these facilities, both checkpoints need more immigration booths, more lanes for cars and more parking spaces. This will surely smoothen border-crossing experiences, and will bring more beneficial gains in long term because it will encourage more tourism and Export and Imports of goods between the two countries.

Right Customers for Strategic Advantage †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage. Answer: Introduction With a corporate framework of offering eminence goods at affordable rates, HM has built itself as top international fashion industry. The product has a definite desire for style and is continuously determined to exceed purchaser expectation with its most reliable prices (HM, 2015). While the paper concentrates on the company as a single brand, there are other products contained within the Hennes Mauritz AB group. The company has 3,261 stores in 55 nations as well as online shops in 12 states (HM 2018). The companys stores have diverse clothing and fittings for men, children, and women. The constantly developing variety has presented cosmetics, footwear and a companys home range that has a broad choice of home decorative and tiles substances (HM 2015). While the HM is an independent trademark, it is enormously swayed by the fashion sector. Whatever occurs in the industry and with the international economy, it has a direct influence on the selection HM creates. The fashion businesses have $1.5 trillion internationally and hire a million of individuals, and offer a considerable contribution to the overall universal economy (Bhasin 2017). Mainly, observing at the high street as fashion vending platforms, there have been, presently is, and will be a steady development of various styles; influencing how it acts in its market, the high street is under huge burden as many market trends affects its return on investment, future relevance, and famous (KMPG 2015). The study displays that more outlets are departing on the high street than those introducing, with 2013 recording 5,839 shops closed and only 4852 opened (MBA Skool 2017). The threat of entry (medium): the UK attire sector does not automatically come with restriction, and therefore it is a secure business (Harrin and Peplow 2017). Initiating an online workshop is now more accessible, meaning that HM faces risk from new competitors. They would be influenced deeply if effective online brands were to open physical supplies such as Misguided, Boohoo and ASOS (HM 2018). HM can overwhelm the threats of new players since it is an established brand that has a robust customer with product loyalty. New contestants are faced with the fact that they are fresh and so they need to design a solid repute (Armstrong and Taylor 2014, pp. 23). The threat of substitute (medium): the company is constantly faced with the notions of users going somewhere else to purchase the similar products (Berman et al. 2015, pp. 13). The market styles such as economic slump made public to hold on to their cash and expend little. Therefore, they had no choice but to go for cheaper outlets such as Primark where they could get comparable goods at a lower rate. However, the first product that HM presented permits them to hold some of the marker shares when it comes to low-priced but jovial attires (HM group 2017). The intensity of the rivalry (strong): HM as fast seller is constantly faced with competition between contestants but eventually they want to be a leader in the market (Custora 2018). To desist from being majorly impacted by competition, the company has planned aspects of their product that make them stands out of the rest. Political: HM have no option but to conform to the political matters and informed laws. As the company source from the Far East, then, whatever is being conveyed will have to adhere to customs obligations (Monaghan 2018). If the regime introduces a new tariff, then the product has to function under the regulations. Lately, new laws have been brought that shows that firms need to modify 5P for plastic baggage (HM 2018). Watching particularly at the important the issue might bring to the company, is that the brand could be affected by the users who are annoyed to purchase of bag. The frustration could be transferred to the brand bearing in the mind it is not an error on their behalf (Pratap 2017). Economic: HM have to control the financial environment to predict what one does in future. Supply and demand, devaluation and inflation are the aspects that organisation wants to take into contemplation (Armstrong and Taylor 2014, pp. 25). If there was to be an increase in price, then the company will adjust the price of their products. The buying command of users would vary as customers may not be capable to afford to indulge in a spending binge and as an alternative go where they can acquire product cheaply (Entrepreneur 2018). Social: the features are affected by the populace and are determined by social drifts, community and demographic methodical. At present, over 50 make up over 35% of the populace and also have disposable revenue thus making them very lucrative target viewers (HM 2018). The fashion influences the way HM may advertise to touch the old viewer. Other features comprise the cultural and religious upbringings as the demand of specific goods and very dependent on what population are demanding in that locality. Technology: with the announcement of more innovative technology comprising the tablets and phones, brands have to modify their marketing mix to keep up with the trends. Apps are more common and accessible than ever, and numerous products are integrating an app into their sort (MBA Skool 2017). For instance, the extravagance Burbery set up a snap chats and used it to show their SS1 assortment to the public. HM have positively integrated technology into its product by testing it in New York store; there are features that allow users to pay for the prediction and shared mannequins and cybernetic runaway that could project onto an ad in Times Square (HM Group 2018). While the company stick to their guns in the middle ground, their brand ethos fashion and quality at the best price (CRM Consulting 2016), they are continuously in comparison with other products. Within the high street market, HM is the most appropriately positioned in view of the quality, price and stylish appeal (Harrin and Peplow 2017). Forever 21 are the direct rivals for the company as they retail comparable goods. The benefit the HM has over the Forever 21 is established customer based in other sections such as homeware, kid wears, women wear and menswear (Entrepreneur 2018). Topshop is another direct participant that has a large grip on the style market share. The company has more prestige standing than HM, and although some quantities are inexpensive, it comes across as more luxurious brand. GAP is an indirect competitor, as it has been publicly neglected by users in the previous years due to its inability to have a niche that makes it stand out from the rest. Zara is the top brand of Inditex group and presently has more than 2,000 shops across the globe. The company hold positions 58 in the world as the most valuable brands (HM Group 2018). Zara is the market leaders and most successful with more prominent market segmentation than even HM within the fashion market. Zara and HM are regularly situated meters apart in many physical retailers, and they seem to mimic each other approaches when it comes to visual selling and advertising. While HM takes a back seat to menswear, ZARA has more products approach which pays well as the products are very successful. HM can invest more cash and take over significant part in the market. The above evidence proposes that Zara has more customer outreach (Entrepreneur 2018). The value chain Made by Michael Porters is certainly crucial to observe how a firm structure is created (Armstrong and Taylor 2014, pp. 30). Two parts constitute the value chain. Supports activities: (human resource management, technology development, firm's infrastructure) and primary activities (marketing sales, inbound and outbound logistic and operations). Most common for EU clothing firms that outsource has the capability to concentrate on the core operations of the company (Harrin and Peplow 2017). All resources and knowledge can be focused on one or a few processes. The EU clothing companies are frequently focused on the activities that are adding the most value to their producers. Core activities are kept internally, and non-core operations are outsourced. Design, quality, innovation and technology are activities often held internally; they are primary activities that contribute a lot to the firms success. For the H M, the core activities are to create fashion and quality at an affordable price to maintain the competitive advantage. HM achieve above by working with more than 100 designers that are continuously working to develop the latest brand. The company also has more than 100 buyers that re-structure the range planning (Harrin and Peplow 2017). Finally, the firm has local production offices that are managing the practical things such local contact with the local suppliers. Size and bargain power: the company is successful as a result of being able to focus on core activities. The company is active in 28 nations with 145 stores. Control by culture: HM is concentrating on core operation, but, it still manages to control the whole value chain. The culture and spirit of the company are based on the belief that responsibility, common sense and innovation are the guidelines for companys co-operators. The business framework of the company is intended to provide current style at the best value, through a motivated and dedicated staff. Therefore, the firm relies on its robust culture, norms and values such as initiative and decentralisation, experimentation, employee involvement is highly praised and encouraged. Logistics and IT: The significance of the IT is to be capable of controlling the logistic-chain effectively. Through the use of suppliers from outside, the company depends on numerous sections to perform their job efficiently. The technological advancements play a key role in ensuring that the model of getting suppliers from outside functions effectively. For the HM, technology development is best characteristics that assist the company to continue controlling the extensive providers (HM Group 2018). The components of a well-functioning logistic chain, as well as the unique advanced technology such as IT, are thus a complementarity to the companys business model. Closeness to the market: By outsourcing, the company gets in contact with new markets, achieve control over the users needs and more importantly, the transportation time is minimised. To achieve closeness to the market, an increase in both the international production and independent suppliers is crucial Lower prices and lower costs; The fashion sector is a human resource labor intensive business that is facing pressure to lower the cost of production and thus lower the prices of commodities as well. HM forms a good case of a clothing company that separated production from other industrial processes thus outsourcing from countries with low wages. Currently, the company is producing in both Asia and Eastern Europe (HM Group 2018). Flexible capital: Companies operating in countries with unstable financial muscles are increasing capital costs for their firms. The HM remains actively operational in Eastern Europe and Asia by lowering its operating capital as well as prices through outsourcing their services from suppliers abroad instead of engaging in actual production activities (Mstoribori 2013). Physical facilities: including production offices which are responsible for coordinating with approved suppliers and factories around the globe, warehouses and distributions centres. As noted, HM owns no physical stores forcing them to get their products from other official producers. Intangible assets: including their brand, with substantial equity and reputation of their IT system which has been improved to meet the customer demand through the fulfillment of customer needs and preferences (SCN Education 2013, pp. 5). Human resources: includes an effective and efficient management, employees striving to uphold the firms culture and committed personnel who are well qualified. Financials: the long terms commitment and ownership by the family offers a sound financial basis for the company. Additionally, the financial results and rations look positive. Replication: as far as the HM evolution is concerned, replication is the most critical proficiency the corporation relies upon (Smith 2016). Thus, to open adequate novel outlets, the company minimises the use of formal procedures and rules and wishes to provide its workers with tactic skills through empirical education in the ground. Design: centralised plan action not only assists quicker responses to ever-changing market tendencies in fashion but makes sure that HM can stay original and novel (Smith 2016). Stores model: the company desires to have its outlets in the best positions and makes sure that windows exhibitions are altered and reorganized to gain constant client consideration and that internal strategy of the store is organized in such a way that it gives the most suitable in-store experiences for the consumers. Resources Competencies Needed to be able to compete in market Threshold resources Physical facilities financial Threshold competencies Design Store concepts Supply chain management Needed to acquire a competitive advantage Distinctive resources Intangible assets Human resources Distinctive competences Culture Replication What is different about the HM? Brand and thrust Human capital Financial Strong brand Ethical practices Improving working conditions Emphasize on using natural resources responsibly Non-hierarchical management style Delegation of responsibilities High level of identification with HMS corporate culture Participative culture Brand worth Leased stores premises Revenues 3,500 stores in 57 countries Employs more than 132, 000 employees Strategic capabilities (Fader 2012, pp. 15) Design High responsiveness to fashion Centralised Minimal period to the market Supply chain Purchasing flexibility Centralised Highly innovative infrastructure Marketing Log-term advertisement Collaboration with famous designers Strong social media presence Sustained competitive strategy The above classification is crucial and useful to comprehend HM strategic capabilities; separately identifying the competencies and resources. Therefore, it important to thoroughly evaluate the extent to which the company HM strategic capabilities produce a superior position compared to its competitors (Fader 2012, pp. 12). The overview below shows the listings with respect to the company resources and competencies. It is essential to consider the relative strengths of the HM strategic capabilities and to what extent they do things differently compared to the main competitor, Zara (Smith 2016). Strict strategic capabilities have been listed regarding competencies and resources and evaluated through the lens of the distinctive and threshold character; there are more specific ways to analyse competitive advantage and what extent that can be sustained (Fader 2012, pp. 19). Conclusion According to the porters, competitive strategy is about being diverse which illustrate that a different set of operation should be chosen to deliver a unique value to the clientele (Small biz CRM 2018). Given the actively configured capabilities and resources and strong corporate culture developed through decades on which the HM leaders aim to capitalise, there is every indication that the firm will be capable of sustaining its competitive advantage and keeping up with Zaras trends. The clothing business is contemplated to be highly competitive setting as numerous companies select to outsource non-core operations. Outsourcing enables firms to focus on their core activities. At the same time, other firms focus on gaining control over as much division as possible by analysing their value chain. HM is a well-recognized brand as they have loyal and secure consumers. Following above, it has been steady since its established in 1947 (Statista 2018). The trademark is placed well in a highly competitive market, only failing second in the rank just behind Zara. HM has a robust international organisation and hires many workers on an international basis. Externally, the company faces the forces such as political, economic, and social and technology. From the above assessment of HMs competitive advantages, main questions are how can HM turn its temporary competitive advantages and the areas of competitive parity into a more advantageous and sustainable position. It is worth noting that emphasise on companys competitive positions not only rely on its management of strategic ability but what their rivals do and how the situations changes. The HM started as a smaller participant with original and creative notions about the fashion sector. HM pursues the strategy concentrated on the long-term outlook with the unique model high prices at lower prices which offers the firm an unrelenting position in the clothing market. With a focus on economies of scale, high volume production and low wage, the firms maintain low input costs and often have the current styles in its shops. The strategic capability is concerned with the competencies and resources that a company employs to offer value to its clients. References Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014.Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers, pp. 21-41 Berman, E.M., Bowman, J.S., West, J.P. and Van Wart, M.R., 2015.Human resource management in public service: Paradoxes, processes, and problems. Sage Publications, pp. 12-29. Bhasin, H. (2017) Marketing mix of HM HM Marketing mix [online]. Available from: https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-hm/ [Accessed 18 April 2018] CRM Consulting (2016) CRM-Techniques and Strategies for Customer Retention [online]. Available from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/284650 [Accessed 18 April 2018] Custora U (2018) What is Customer-Centric Marketing? [online]. Available from: https://university.custora.com/for-marketers/customer-centric-marketing/basic/what-is-customer-centric-marketing [Accessed 18 April 2018] Entrepreneur (2018) CRM-Techniques and Strategies for Customer Retention [online]. Available from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/284650 [Accessed 18 April 2018] Fader, P. (2012) Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage. U.S: Wharton Digital Press, pp. 11-25. HM (2018) About HM Club [online]. Available from: https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/hmclub/info.html [Accessed 18 April 2018] HM group (April, 2017). HM named as a top global employer by the business offashion https://about.hm.com/en/media/news/general-2017/hm-named-top-global-employer.html HM Group (2018) Markets Expansion [online]. Available from: https://about.hm.com/en/about-us/markets-and-expansion.html [Accessed 18 April 2018] Harrin, E. and Peplow, P. (2017) Customer-Centric Project Management. UK: Routledge. [online]. Available from: https://home.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/pdf/2015/10/high%20growth%20market%202.pdf [Accessed 18 April 2018] KMPG, (2015). HIGH GROWTH MARKETS the annual outlook issue 2015 Market Business News (2018) What is market orientation? Definition and meaning [online]. Available from: https://marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/market-orientation-definition-meaning [Accessed 18 April 2018] MBA Skool (2017) HM Marketing Mix [online]. Available from: https://www.mbaskool.com/marketing-mix/services/16924-h-and-m.html [Accessed 18 April 2018] Monaghan. ,(March. 2018). HM cuts prices after cold snap leads to profits slump [online]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/mar/27/hm-cuts-prices-after-cold-snap-leads-to-profits-slump[Accessed 18 April 2018] Mstoribori. (2013) Marketing Mix For HM [online]. Available from: https://thefashionidentity.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/marketing-mix-for-hm/ [Accessed 18 April 2018] Pratap, A. (2017) HM Marketing Mix 4Ps [online]. Available from: https://www.cheshnotes.com/2017/09/hm-marketing-mix-4ps/ [Accessed 18 April 2018] SCN Education (2013) Customer Relationship Management: The Ultimate Guide to the Efficient Use of CRM. Germany: Springer Science Business Media, pp. 3-12. Small biz CRM (2018) Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Quotes [online]. Available from: https://smallbizcrm.com/crm-reading-lounge/crm-quotes/ [Accessed 18 April 2018] Smith, K. (2016) 10 things you didn't know about HM [online]. Available from: https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/fashion/81313637/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-hm [Accessed18 April 2018] Statista (2018) Sales value of the clothing company HM in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2016 and 2017 (in million SEK) [online]. Available from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/730771/handm-sales-in-2015-june-2017-uk/ [Accessed 18 April 2018]