This semester-length guide for high school distributive education students is geared to start the student thinking about the vocation he would like to enter by exploring one area of interest in marketing and distribution and then presenting the results in a research paper known as an area of distribution manual. The first 25 pages of this document pertain to procedures to follow in writing a manual, rules for entering manuals in national Distributive Education Clubs of America competition, and some summary sheet examples of State winners that were entered at the 25th National DECA Leadership Conference. The remaining 75 pages are an example of an area of distribution manual on "How Fashion Changes Relate to Fashion Designing As a Career," which was a State winner and also a national finalist. In the example manual, the importance of fashion in the economy, the large role fashion plays in the clothing industry, the fast change as well as the repeating of fashion, qualifications for leadership and entry into the fashion world, and techniques of fabric and color selection are all included to create a comprehensive picture of past, present, and future fashion trends. (EA)