Family Resource

Management
Definitions:

 Management: running of something

e.g. managing a hotel.
 Resources: something available to
achieve a goal e.g. people, time or
money.
 Family Resource Management:
system which assists families in
attaining goals by using all possible
resources.
Purpose of FRM:

 Make wise use of resources.

 Assists individuals in achieving
goals.
 Improve quality of family life.
Management systems:

 Open system: system outside

the family are used to achieve
family goals e.g. educational
system.
 Closed system: all activities
occur within the system’s
boundaries e.g. amish
community.
Family as a managerial unit:
 This is an overall system.
 It is an open system as there is interaction
between individuals and wider community.
 All family member may have their own
goals, there needs to be agreed goals to
have an effective management system.
 Areas that require management systems:
- meal planning: decision making, shopping
or cooking skills.
- money management:
knowledge of budgeting,
pensions or bill payment.
- childcare: safety and hygiene
issues and education.
- conflict solving.
- problem anticipation: planning
for possibilities.
Components of Management:
 3 areas: inputs, throughputs and outputs.
 Inputs:
- Demands: needs, wants, goals or values.
1. A need is what one must have e.g.
food, shelter, clothing, security, love.
2. Wants are what one would like to have
e.g. expensive cars.
3. Goals are what one wants to achieve
e.g. pension is long term or college or
essay for Friday.
 4. Values: beliefs of what is right
or wrong e.g. vegetarian believe
it is wrong to kill animals.
- Resources:
1. Human resources: people,
time, skills.
2. Material resources: money,
books, equipment.
 Throughputs:
1. Planning:
- In Identify the goal
- galway Gather information
- colm Consider alternatives
- can Consider the consequences
- do Decide on action
- It Identify resources
2. Organising: allocating tasks and
resources to people.
3. Implementing: putting plan into
action.
 Outputs: end product of inputs and
throughputs.
Look at:
- demands and goals met i.e. did
management system get results?
- resources used i.e. were all
resources used?
- process followed i.e. was
procedure followed in order?
- satisfaction i.e. is the end result
good?
- changes in values i.e. are there any
changes in the family?
- The result will be used for the
future. Feedback is needed for the
success of the management
systems.
Decision making process:

Involves:
1. Does Defining the decision
2. Gary Gathering the information
3. Call Consider the consequences
4. Daisy Decide on the solution
5. Down Draw up a plan of action
6. In Implement the plan
7. Ennis Evaluation (feedback)
Inputs Throughputs Outputs

Feedback
 Communication:
Needed for any management system
to work. Decision making needs
communication. Need to understand
the values of each family member.
Discussion and communication are
needed to allocate tasks for
individuals. Communication is
needed for evaluation for feedback
for the future.
Factors affecting
management:
1. Needs, wants, goals.
2. Available resources.
3. Decision process.
4. Evaluation stage.
Other Factors:
 Composition of the family:
- number of people in the family
can affect management system.
 - where there may be 2 adults
responsibilities may be shared.
- families with a disabled person
may need to be specific.
 Stages in family cycle:
- families with young children
may have different priorities
than those with teenagers.
 - elderly people may have
limited resources.
- as child grows may have more
of input into decisions.
 Employment patterns:
- where couple may work
outside the home there may be
different management system to
a couple where only one works.
 - patterns of employment e.g. job
sharing may impact on this.
- dual earning family may have
higher income than single earning
family.
 Socio economic status:
- people from different socio
economic groups may have different
priorities.
- education viewed more important to
higher socio economic group.
 - more opportunities usually for those
from higher socio economic group.
 Management of dual role:
- some families, both parents work
outside the home. Dual roles e.g.
homemaker and earner.
- Single parent families, parent is
earner and parent without support
from a partner.
 - parents may play dual roles.
 Gender roles:
- management in homes is not
really affected by gender roles,
more men involved in child
rearing and more women work
outside the home.
- gender typing of certain tasks
is decreasing.
 - management between family
members may be rotated.
 Culture:
- May affect management system
e.g. certain rules on food.
- Irish people have an emphasis on
religion e.g. holy communion.
- changes in culture affect
management e.g. more women work
outside the home.
 Values and standards:
- Determine decision making.
- values can change e.g. when
someone is ill management
system may change.
- decisions can be affected by
people’s concern for the
environment.