Introduction to Home Management
©2016
Academic Paper
111 Pages
Summary
Management plays a crucial role in day-to-day life. It is an inherent part of human life. Families in India have undergone vast changes over the years due to the rapid development of industries, educational achievements, the technological revolution and speedy communication. Each individual needs to be trained to fit himself in this changing environment by making the right decision at each moment of his or her life. In day-to-day life this is possible through the acquisition and application of knowledge of management.
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
3.3 Implementation...
39
3.3.1
Characteristics of Implementation ... 39
3.3.2
Supervision is an important aspect of the process of implementation ... 40
3.3.3
Checking and Adjusting ... 40
3.3.4
Benefits of Controlling ... 41
3.3.5 Techniques
of
Controlling
...
41
3.3.6
Process of Controlling... 42
3.4 Evaluating
... 42
3.4.1
Purpose of Evaluation ... 43
Chapter 4 Management of Time in Family Living ... 46
4.1 Time
Management
...
46
4.1.1
Time Demands in Stages of Family Life Cycle ... 46
4.1.2
Pattern of Time Use and Time Norms ... 48
4.1.3
Time Norms for Household Tasks ... 49
4.1.4
Tools of Time Management ... 50
4.1.5
Time Plan and Steps in Making Plan ... 52
4.1.6 Time
Schedules
...
54
4.1.7
Types of Time Schedules ... 54
4.1.8
Steps in Preparation of a Time Schedule ... 58
4.1.9
Factors Influencing Time Use ... 59
Chapter 5 Energy Management ... 62
5.1
Energy in Different Stages of the Family Life Cycle ... 62
5.2
Energy Costs of Households and Occupational Activities ... 63
5.3
Energy requirement for various activities ... 64
5.4
Efforts Used In Home Making Activities ... 64
5.5
Ways of Controlling Energy Expenditure ... 65
5.6 Body
mechanics
...
66
5.6.1
Principles of Body Mechanics ... 66
5.6.2 Posture...
68
5.6.3 Body
Forces
...
69
5.6.4
Fatigue Forms and Causes ... 70
5.6.5
Forms of Fatigue ... 70
5.6.6
Causes of Fatigue ... 73
5.6.7
Methods of Relieving Fatigue ... 75
5.6.8
Stress and Its Management ... 77
5.7
Energy management In Home Related Activities ... 78
5.7.1
Approximate energy costs for selected activities ... 79
5.7.2 The
Worker
...
80
5.7.3
The Work and the Work Place ... 84
5.7.4
Purpose of studying work ... 85
5.8
Management of Energy Applied To Workplace Design ... 85
5.8.1
Functional Design of the Workplace ... 86
5.8.2 Work
Surface
...
87
5.8.3
Three principles provide the basic directives for functional storage. ... 87
5.9
Management Process Applied To Energy Expenditure ... 90
5.10 Work
Simplification
...
92
5.11 Techniques
of
Work
Simplification
...
94
List of References ... 101
1
Chapter 1
Home Management
1.1 Meaning
The term `Home Management' was coined by Maria Parloa in 1880. When she
first used the term, it simply meant anything that needed to be accomplished
within the household.
As this discipline began to develop, the specific fields of study began to emerge.
The principles and concepts of home management began to emerge. The
definition of what home management is and how it is used in daily life took on
new directions and meaning. Every individual has values, goals and standards.
Effective management means recognizing values, understanding decision
making and factors affecting decision making, determining long term and short
term goals as well as allocating resources to attain these goals.
1.1.1 Concept of Management
Management plays important role in day-to-day life. Each individual needs to
have knowledge of managing activities. It is integral part of human life. Family
life is full of various goals and achievements whether it is an individual goal or
achievement or a family goal. Most of time, it is essential for family members to
take wise decisions regarding education, career, marriage of members in the
family depending on their values and goals. There are specifically two concepts
of management.
The first is the materialistic concept and the second is the Human concept.
Human Concept: Here emphasis has been given to all round development of
the family members. Maximum use of available resources is made on each
member of the family. Importance is given to human needs. Instead of taking
paid help, the homemaker cooks food for the family, with special care. In case
of emergency the homemaker use to simplify work by using shortcut methods
of cooking or changing the menu. While doing this, many times, standards have
been adjusted to suit the changing situation. Effective use of available resources,
human as well as non-human, affects the quality of life.
Materialistic Concept: According to the materialistic concept of home
management the efficiency in doing work and standardization of work is
important. By doing this quality of work is improved and more perfection is
maintained. Homemakers or managers try to maintain the standard for
maintaining standard they spend more money. For example, if the woman
working outside, she will prefer paid help for getting the work done as per the
family standards. If the family is having very high standard of cleanliness, i.e.
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cleaning of the house twice a day, she will take paid help to complete the work.
The importance given to the standard of work is mainly highlighted. In other
words, it is a process consisting of planning, organizing, implementing
(controlling), evaluating and accomplishing stated objectives by the use of
resources.
Home management is the vital factor in every family contributing to the overall
health, happiness and well being of the family. Management today is an
important factor in every sphere of activity. The concept of management deals
with achieving desired goals through planned activity. It is an essential
component of family living. Home management is the natural outcome of
human relationship in the home environment. When the family is established,
management becomes one of the major responsibilities of the family living.
Home management deals with the practical application of the principles of
management to the home. Home management is the administrative aspect of
family living. The study of Home management is intimately linked with values,
standards and goals which give meaning to the lives, thoughts, feelings and
experiences of the members of the family. These values, standards and goals
which are closely related to each other, motivate the family to make decisions,
to achieve their desired goals.
1.1.2 Definition of Home Management
According to Godjousson, "Household management is in all countries, the most
common occupation employing the most people, handling the most money and
is of fundamental importance for the health of the people."
Gross and Crandall describe Home management in its simplest terms as "using
what you have to get what you want."
According to Kotzin, "Home management is a practical science. In home
management, managing shows some degree of competence. A home in which
goals are being attained with some degree of satisfaction may be considered a
well managed home."
According to Nickel and Dorsey, "Home management is planning, controlling
and evaluating the use of resources of the family for the purpose of attaining
family goals."
This can be represented as follows:
3
Fig: 1
Effective management enhances the chances of reaching the desired goals
through wise decisions and effective use of resources.
According to R.P. Devdas, "Home management is making the best use of what
you have to get what you want." What you have" means the resources available
in the family and "What you want to get" meaning to goals or aims of the
family. All the resources (Both human and non-human) which are available for
a particular family must be utilized properly in order to achieve the family
goals.
Devdas compared home management to a Dam and the resources with Rain
water. Rain water is deposited in a Dam and is utilized for water supply,
electricity and irrigation purposes at the time of necessity. Just like that all
human and non-human resources are deposited in the DAM of Home
Management. They are utilized for building a house, education and marriage of
children and for various other purposes. By utilizing the resources the family
goals can be achieved. The definition of Devdas is represented with a diagram.
Devdas's Definition of Home Management:
In simple terms, Home management is a family working together for common
purposes, the forming of plan of action, the sharing of responsibilities the
organized and controlled use of available resources. It involves homemaker's
managerial ability, her interest, capacity to motivate the other members of the
family, to work to achieve a common goal for the development of the family.
Effective management enhances the chances of achieving goals by making wise
decisions and proper utilization of resources.
4
Fig:2
A well managed home is one in which the homemaker having acquired a degree
of competence, works towards well defined goals or objectives. These when
achieved provide her with a sense of satisfaction. A homemaker functions as a
producer, consumer and co-ordinate of various activities to be carried out to
achieve family goals. She manages the house in such a way that all the members
of the family are satisfied and family can achieve the goals.
The changes in our life have an influence on the management of the home in
today's life. The process of management becomes a rational and intelligent
method of dealing with change. It is not only the intelligent use of resources and
the satisfaction that is obtained that matters in the modern family, but the all
round development of family members and their welfare as well. Therefore a
systematic knowledge of Home management is needed by homemakers. The
efficient management requires specialized knowledge, wide experiences and
new type of skills.
1.1.3 Need for Home Management
Management plays a significant role in shaping our lives. With the changing
environment, the need for management also becomes inevitable to identify and
deal with problems, which emerge from change. Effective management in the
home depends to a large extent on the managerial ability, interest and leadership
quality of the homemaker and also their ability to motive the family members in
the right direction for achieving desired goals. To the homemaker, who wants to
5
manage her home properly and efficiently, knowledge of home management is
helpful and essential.
In our modern technological environment, where situations are complex and
highly flexible, where many choices are possible and where values of changes
more rapidly, the need for management is essential. The homemaker in order to
carry out every day's works without much strain and tension should know about
the various aspects of home making.
It comprises the study of:
1. Planning and organization of action and the control and utilization of the
various resources of the home for the proper benefit of the members of the
family.
2. Family economy and the method of proper distribution of family income.
3. All aspects of home making such as meal planning the proper choice of foods
in relationship to cost and requirements, the selection and construction of
clothing, laundering, child care and the care and maintenance of household
equipment's.
Home management makes use of findings of science and knowledge of the
different aspects of family life, economic, social, psychological, physicals,
spiritual and technological. It applies this knowledge to the use of family
resources to meet living situations, to solve problems and help resolve conflict.
1.2 Roles and Responsibilities of a Home Maker
Similar to any business organization the management roles are required for the
home maker to be efficient, effective and successful. To be an effective
manager, the homemaker must possess special qualities for being effective and
efficient. This is especially important because she wants to run the home
smoothly. An efficient homemaker will have the ability to get things done
correctly. She needs to know the optimum utilisation of resources both human
as well as non-human resources.
1.3 Interpersonal Roles of a Home Maker
The various interpersonal roles of a homemaker as the manager in the home
include the following:
· Guiding the family towards development of a sound philosophy of life.
· Channelizing personal relationships 'which are wholesome and satisfying.
· Taking care of children and their needs such as feeding, bathing,
cleaning, clothing etc.
6
· Inculcate ethical habits and qualities among the family members such as
tolerance, patience, cooperation, harmony, love and sympathy, and
develop satisfying relationship within and outside the family.
· Appreciation of differences as means of enriching life, and. an all round
personality development.
· Planning for participation of family members in community activities as
responsible citizens
· Acceptance of mutual responsibility for family and community.
· Informational Roles of Home Manager
· The informational roles of the manager in the home are
· Developing a sound philosophy with sustaining values.
· Planning for and providing nutritious food and suitable housing and
clothing for the family.
· Planning for and helping to maintain health of the family members by
keeping the knowledge of the human body, mental
health, family planning, formation of good habits and care of the sick and
the old people and of first aid which can be utilised during emergencies.
· Planning for and guiding the educational and social development of the
members of the family.
· Making the family members aware of the various 'public facilities' or
community resources such as the water supply, electricity, cooking gas,
telephones, hospitals, transport, public parks, library etc., and their
judicious use.
· Giving knowledge about the various local services available in case of
emergencies, such as fire, theft, accident, death etc.
· Disseminating the information about the various social orginisations like
Resident Welfare Associations, Mahila Mandals, Mahila Samitis,Yuvak
Kendras, Panchyats and community centers.
1.4 Decisional
roles
The manager in the home is expected to perform the following decisional roles
also:
· Setting family goals.
· Planning the family members' time and energy resources in such a ways
that the work is done and their demands are satisfied.
7
· Planning and guiding the use of family income, bringing a balance
between income and expenditure, supplementing family income, besides
saving money for the future etc.
· Planning for and providing for the family, which will meet the day-to-day
needs of its members.
· Planning for purchasing equipment and furnishings for the home.
Being aware of her rights and responsibilities as a consumer, this shall enable
her to use her knowledge to choose the best of her ability to select the right
quality product in the right quantity at the right time for the right price.
The managerial responsibilities as mentioned so far are all interrelated. For
example, family finances and their management touch all phases of life as they
influence the desires, decisions and choices of all the family members.
To be able to accomplish the daily household work without undue strain and
tension, the housewife should think of each managerial responsibility and task
to relate to it in terms of time and effort required for their accomplishment.
1.5 Qualities of a Home Maker
The home maker to be a successful manager should have certain qualities as
given by Premavathy et.al, 2005. They are
Intelligence: An intelligent manager is keen on observing, understanding,
thinking and remembering. She should develop all ways of gaining knowledge,
ability to solve problems and achieve goals. Intelligence also includes mental
alertness and ability to grasp knowledge and situation.
Enthusiasm: It is an ability to motivate others to become interested in the
activity. The environment created should be contagious and make everyone to
take interest in performing and completing the work. An enthusiastic manager
can create a feeling of happiness by working hard to achieve her targets.
Imagination: This is the ability to rearrange facts and ideas into new patterns of
work. This aids in making fresh plans and come out successfully in meeting
problem situations. It can also be called creativity.
Perseverance: A good manager should have the ability to combine courage and
patience to face facts. She has to believe in the inherent values of the task and
feel strong about the outcome of the efforts. Faith in work and abilities will give
the manager the courage to take necessary risks and try to achieve solutions
until the problems are solved and goals are achieved.
Judgment: A sense of judgment enables the manager to be fair in weighing the
various facts in a situation and to see the problem in totality. She should be able
to weigh critically and make decisions while choosing the best alternative.
8
Adaptability: The human environment and the work demands are not static and
require change in the approaches. All managers have to adapt themselves and
their approaches as and when required. An intelligent manager will be able to
adapt quickly in changing situations and changing demands.
Communication: A manger should be able to convey clearly and have a
meaningful dialogue with the family members. This not only involves sharing
of knowledge, feelings, desires and experiences, but also taking time to share
thoughts with one another. An effective communication is the key to managers'
success.
Understanding Human Nature for Team Building and Leadership: The
managers should be sympathetic and understanding since these are important in
developing healthy human relationships and for reducing friction while dealing
with others. The manager has to understand the values, attitudes, behaviour and
capabilities of the family members so that she is able to delegate the right
responsibility to the right person and lead and motivate them towards the
achievement of goals.
Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem: They are important qualities of a manager
which helps in decision-making and leading the whole
family
towards
their goals. A confident person with the faith in herself and her team can easily
lead the family towards success.
Synergy: A manager can use synergy by combining and coordinating the
individual capacities to achieve higher total output. When human efforts are
combined, the total efforts are much more than the addition of their individual
efforts. This is synergy.
1.6 Characteristics of a Home Maker
The eminent management expert, Fayol lists the following characteristics of a
manager. These characteristics help her in doing her job effectively. These
characteristics are more apparent and help a person to easily recognise and
distinguish herself as a good manager. They form important guidelines for
efficient and effective managers.
Physical Health: A manager has to a have a good physical health and vigour to
perform the duties properly. In the absence of a good physical health, the
manager is not i a position to carry out the work successfully. A healthy mind
lives in a healthy body.
Mental Health: Similar to good physical health, it is important to have good
mental health too. It provides the manager the ability to learn, understand and
9
judge in logical and unbiased manner. A good mental health also aids in
adopting oneself in changing situations.
Moral Responsibility: This includes the characteristics such as being firm,
willing, loyal, dignified and factual. The other moral values like teamwork,
sincerity, honesty and justice are of equal importance as they help managers in
securing the faith of their boss, subordinates or family members.
Educational Qualification: A manager needs to be knowledgeable and
informative. An educated person can allocate resources better and can be a
better negotiator than a one with lesser education.
Technical Knowledge: A good technical knowledge is an important aspect of
management. A manager needs to know all about the functional and operational
areas of her organisation. It is essential for a manager to be equipped with the
latest technical knowledge as it gives her an extra edge in her' field. Also a
manager with thorough technical knowledge can monitor and supervise better.
She can also work out newer and better technical solution to problems by
developing new alternatives. As management has become a specialised field,
managers of each field must have knowledge of her field i.e. a finance manager
must know about all technical aspect of finances and similarly, a sales and
advertising manager should have knowledge of media, communication skills
and a home manager should have full knowledge of managing family finances,
child care, meal management, clothing etc.
Work Experience:
Experience is richer than qualifications. While an
educational qualification provides a theoretical knowledge, experience provides
her the practical solutions, thus enabling her to face and tackle challenges and
come out of it successfully. Experience to some extent can make up for the lack
of education. It acts as self-educator.
Thus it can be seen that a manager need to be a master as well as a jack of all
trades. The success of a manager depends entirely upon how well and quickly
she develops these qualities. These qualities and characteristics are of great help
to a manager in performing her function. Now let us have a look at various
functions of a manager in any organisation may it be business or home.
10
References
1. Varghese, M. A., Ogale n. N. and Srinivasan K. 1985,
Home Management, New Age International (P) Limited, Publishers New
Delhi.
2. Premavathy Seetharaman, Sonia Batra and Preeti Mehra 2005,
3. An Introduction
to Family Resource Management, CBS Publishers and
Distributors, New Delhi
4. http://jborolandlady.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/homemaker-qualities/
5. http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/home-management/homemanagement-
meaning-concept-and-needs/47779/
6. http://www.familyresourcemanagement.org/services/management/#sthash
.MIkwrTkZ.dpuf
7. http://ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in/course/view.php?id=218
8. http://www.familyresourcemanagement.org/services/management/#sthash
.MIkwrTkZ.dpuf
11
Chapter 2
Family Resources
Family resources, meaning & importance of resources,
Classifications (human and non human), characteristics of resources,
Factors affecting resource use
Introduction
In management resources play a very crucial and important role. Resources are
used by the family to make decision for achieving the goals of the family.
Without resources, the process of decision making is
ineffective. Resources should be used in such a way, so that maximum
satisfaction is attained by the family. Decisions an optimum allocation
of resources is a must in management for attaining the desired goals.
Every individual and family has a number of resources available which may or
may not be used by the family to the fullest extent. Sometimes the individual or
the family may not be aware of these resources. They vary for individuals,
communities, states and nations. However all types of resources are used to
achieve the family goals.
2.1 Meaning and Definition of Resources
Resources can be defined as the means which are available and recognized for
their potential in meeting demands. Means are those things which are
instrumental in reaching the desired ends (Maloch and Decan).
Similarly Betty B. Swanson defined resources as tangible and intangible
components which one uses to achieve goals, objectives and to meet demands.
According to Random House Dictionary of the English language, `resource' is a
source of supply, support or aid, especially one holds in reserve" and "has the
capability in dealing with a situation or in meeting difficulties"
Nickel et al (1976) defined resources as "the assets that can be used to
accomplish goals". The three important words are `assets', `used' and `goals'
that play an important role in the identification of resources. Assets are the
monetary items such as money, savings, income or personal property having
exchange value. All resources have the use and resources are used to achieve
the set goals by the family.
Gross, Crandall and knoll stressed the availability of resources by defining them
as they are those available means which are used for reaching goals and meeting
demands.
12
Deacon and Firebaugh defined the resources as `they are the supply reservoir
for use in the system's specific action and are necessary in some form to solve
every management problem.
2.2 Classification of Resources
(A.) The resources are classified in a number of ways. The first type of
classification is in to two main groups based on their point of origin. They are:
1. Human Resources:
Human resources
are less tangible and can be easily determined.
These resources are used for productive purpose. They Originate internally and
constitute the personal characteristics and attributes. Human resources cannot be
utilized independently of the individual. These are the resources available to
you as a person you have become, in terms of education, occupational status,
skills, attitude, traits, and other personal characteristics.
Knowledge has no ends and is acquired at every step. In the home it can be
selecting right and proper food at proper time of the year. The home maker
should be alert in knowing the new ways of managing her household.
Abilities are inherent and they can also be acquired during life time through
education and concious efforts. Skills are the ways of doings things or works
perfectly. Skills and abilities range from cooking, knitting, interior decoration to
creating art.
Attitudes and interests help in achieving the goals comfortably and make the
person unique irrespective of caste, creed and status. All other human resource
decides how effectively one utilizes the time resource.
Energy is needed to each and every task or activity. It is needed to carry out the
vital physiological and metabolic activities such as breathing, blood circulation,
digestion etc. It is very important to use energy effectively for the attainment
of goals.
The human resources of any individual are clearly both interrelated and
interdependent.
Example: The increased knowledge may increase one's confidence to move
ahead quickly or make one aware of the risks and be cautious than before.
2. Non Human resources:
Non human resources are external to the individual but are possessed, utilized
or controlled by the family. These resources are very much essential for the
achievement of goals and are limited in their availability.
Non-human resources include the personal possessions, family possessions and
the resources available to the individual with his/her community, state and
13
nation. Money is the purchasing power, used to get other resources or
achieve goals or attain satisfaction.
It is an important and major nonhuman resource which has the power to
purchase other resources and achieve the desired goals. The material goods that
each individual or the family possesses are varied and different. They range
from safety pins to the house, in which the family lives, from clothing to pens,
from perishable foods to current novels, from fuel oil to furniture etc.
The community facilities are included in nonhuman resources like parks,
library, shopping and recreational facilities. The non human resources are
directly controlled or utilized by the human being.
The first step in management is to identify the various resources, and classify
them and decide which resources are human and non human. This will help to
decide what additional resources are needed and not available readily. It is
important to recognize and use all kinds of resources are fully in achievement of
the goals. The success of management process depends upon the recognition,
allocation and use of resources.
The
resources
can also be classified as economic resource and non
economic resources based on the monetary value they have or they can be
classified by their availability in the family subsystem in near and larger
environment (Ref: Gross et al 1973)
Human
resources
Examples Nonhuman
Resources
Examples
Time
An hour or a lifetime to
be used in activities of
the individual
Material goods
Food, An owned
home, Equipment,
Car, Clothing,
Paper clips,
Consumer goods,
Property,
Furnishings.
Energy
Energy needed for
walking upstairs
Money Savings,
Wages,
Income from
Investments,
Shares
14
Interests
In gardening, folk music,
or food preparation
Space Large
rooms
which make
possible
entertainment of
large groups of
people
Storage space,
House
Intelligence Seeing cause- effect
relationship
Power Electricity,
Fuels
Ability or
skills
Ability to plan,
Skill in clothing
construction,
Ability to conduct a
meeting
Community
facilities
Libraries, Parks,
Knowledge Information needed in
selecting a car,
Understanding principles
of management
Attitudes
Willingness to accept
change,
Optimism
Creativity
Coning fruit, vegetables,
and a figurine for a
centerpieces
Awareness Watching for new
products on market,
Sensitivity to problems
Standing
plans
Routine for getting
family off in morning
15
In the second method the resources can be classified into three categories.
Human resources:
Cognitive: It is the component of thinking using knowledge, setting and
defining goals, making plans etc. e.g. intelligence quotient.
Psychomotor: It assesses the physical costs of work in terms of effects on all the
systems of the body that function during work e.g. skills.
Temporal: It deals with one of the resources with which the family's goals are
achieved e.g. time.
Affective: It concerns the part that personal interests and attitudes play in
making the work easy or difficult e.g. values.
Economic Resources:
Money Income: They are monetary benefit or gain derived from capital or
labour e.g. salary.
Fringe Benefits: These resources are advantages in goods and services derived
as a consequence of employment but exclude money income e.g. paid vacations.
Credit/Elastic Income: It is the current purchasing power expanded through
deferred payments e.g. loans.
Wealth: It is a composite of holdings, real property and other income producing
assets e.g. household durables, equipment, possessions etc.
Environment Resources:
1. Physical: Physical environment includes
2. Natural tangible environment - e.g. soil.
3. Natural non-tangible environment - e.g. air.
4. Social: These resources include
5. Social organisations - e.g NGO's.
6. Economic institutions - e.g. banks.
7. Political institutions - e.g. political parties.
8. Community .facilities - e.g. public utilities
The third method of classification is based on their economic value or worth,
where in all resources are classified into two broad categories.
Economic Resources: These are those resources, which are utilised for
production e.g. preparing meals for the generation of income (production).
Non-economic Resources: These are those resources, which are for self
consumption e.g. preparing meals the family (self-consumption).
The fourth type of classification of resources is dependent on their tangibility
or perception by touch.
Tangible Resources: These resources can be perceived by touch e.g. money.
16
Non-tangible Resources: These resources can not be perceived by touch e.g.
skills.
Personal, Family, Community, National and World Resources
The fifth classification of resources is based on the social linkages of the
organisation to which these resources belong.
Thus, resources are broadly divided into the following five categories.
Personal Resources: They belong to one individual e.g. skill.
Family Resources: They belong to the entire family members e.g. house.
Community Resources: They are available to the community from the
neighbourhood e.g. banks
National Resources: These are available in the nation and the whole population
is provided with these resources e.g. coal.
World Resources: These are shared by the entire population of the world e.g.
services of the international organisations like WHO.
Family System and Household, Near and Larger Environment Resources
The sixth classification of resources is based on ecological approach, stressing
upon the interrelationship between people and their environment where
these resources are found. Thus, resources are divided into the following three
categories.
Family System and Household Environment: These are resources available
within the household environment, surrounding the
family
e.g. house,
equipment, private transport etc.
Near Environment: It includes markets, educational facilities, recreational
groups, medical facilities etc.
Human, Physical and Psychic Capital Resources
The seventh classification of resources is based on consumption economics.
In this classification all resources are divided into the following three
categories.
Human Capital: They include technology, capacity, motivation and time.
Physical Capital: They include the frequency and amount of income as well as
purchasing power, elastic income, wealth and community facilities.
Psychic Capital: It is the degree of satisfaction derived from the expenditure of
human and physical capital. It regulates the amount and quality of
other resources required in the pursuit of satisfaction by all family members.
Renewable and Non-renewable Resources
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The eighth classification of resources is based on their supply. In this
classification natural shared resources are divided into the following two
categories.
Renewable Resources: They include all those resources which can be replaced
endlessly i.e. there is an endless supply. e.g. sun, wind, water, geo thermal.
Non-renewable Resources: They include all those resources which can be
replaced tip to a limited period, after which its supply runs out. E.g. fossil fuels,
wood etc.
Human, Non-human and Shared Resources
After studying all the above classification, a comprehensive classification is
evolved, and suggested in this book, keeping in mind the resources available to
an Indian family. This classification has three categories, human, non-human
and community shared resources as can be seen from the following figure
2.3 Role of Resources in Management
Resources
are very important in
management
of any institution or
activity. Resources have three important roles.
· Capacity to Meet Goals:
Resources have the potential to achieve targets. If we possess money but
cannot use it to satisfy our needs, it cannot be termed as a resource.
Resource is only that object or capacity that is available to be used for
meeting our goals.
· They can be Developed or Generated:
Certain resources like human resources, which include knowledge and
skills, can be developed. It is also possible to generate
material resources like money income, assets etc. with the help of human
resource and visa versa. Thus, with efforts we can generate
more resources or develop new ones. Development and generation
of resources help us in meeting more goals and give us a power to
determine the future and feeling of security and satisfaction. For example,
a woman has developed a talent of making useful items from the waste
material. She can use this talent for decorating her house or can also
generate money by selling those items.
· Resources can be Conserved or Saved for Future Use:
Certain resources like money and material resources can be saved, for their use
in future. Thus, they act as reservoir for meeting not only present but also future
goals. It is also possible to conserve those resources, which might deplete soon
and may not be available in future for use like oil reserves etc.
18
2.4 Characteristics of Resources
All the resources have three basic characteristics as identified by the senior
management specialist. But in each case one must have information available
about the potential of all available resources to be able to tap them effectively.
Then only one could be able to conserve and judiciously use the resources.
There are three important characteristics of all resources.
i. All resources are useful:
The definition of resource itself is indicative of this character. All resource have
utility, which means they have the want satisfying power. The value or
usefulness of any given element is recognized in relation to a specific goal.
Example: Money may be most valuable
resources
while purchasing a
commodity. It may be a useless resource to pass an examination.
ii. Resources are limited:
All resources are scarce and some are scarcer. If all resources were in
abundance, management
would have been unnecessary. The challenge
for management lies in the scarcity of resources and still being able to achieve
the goal. The limits of each resource must be assessed in relation to the
specific goals to be achieved. The limitation on the resources may be both
quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative limitations can be accurate
Ex: time, money etc.
Though the resources like energy, intelligence can be quantified they cannot be
assessed as measurable resources. Money can differ from other resources, which
means that it is limited, but at the same time it can be procured through the
investment of human resource. The quality differences in resources cannot be
measured, but can be easily identified.
iii. All resources are interrelated:
People often may have to use a `resource mix' or combination of
different resources to achieve the family
goals. This combination or mix
of
resources
differs from individual to individual and
family
to
family.
Decisions cannot be taken up with use of one or two resources among the
several available resources in isolation to achieve the
goals. But by
simultaneous usage of all the resources available (Ex: time and energy) the
goals can be achieved. Hence use of resources is always an interrelated process.
It is the integration of all the required resources, which is an important step in
determining whether or not a goal will be attained. However, in identification of
resources, alternatives can be worked out to be able to substitute or replace any
resource if the need arises.
19
iv. Resources are Accessible:
Resources are those assets, which are accessible for use. Skills of children
become family resource only when children are available to help the
homemaker. Resources are accessible in varying qualities or quantities. Some
are easy to measure and others are difficult. Accessibility of
material resources is easy to measure but some other human resources, though
accessible, are difficult to measure. For example if a friend goes to the college
in a car and gives another friend lift regularly, even friend's car can be
considered resource. On the other hand, emotional support and courage are
difficult to access, unless demanded though always they are part of human
beings.
v. Resources are Interchangeable:
All resources to a certain extent can be substituted for or interchanged with
another resource. In the cases of their scarce availability, or simply for saving
money, time, energy or environment, one resource can be used in the place of
the other. A material resource can be interchanged with another material
resource to save money or energy or even environment. For example if the cost
of coffee beans goes up, it can be substituted with tea leaves to save that extra
money spent on buying coffee.
A material resource can also be substituted by human resource in case latter is
scarce or vice versa. For example if a home manager has little time or energy
resource to do household work but has the money resource, she can hire paid
help to do the work thus exchanging material (money) resource for human
(energy) resource. Reversing the use of these two resources in another situation
is also possible. For example, if a' home manager has the talent of being a good
cook, she can earn material (money) resource in exchange of her human
(energy) resource by supplying food for sale. Therefore, it is seen that it is
possible to interchange one resource for another resource depending upon their
availability, need and situation.
vi. Management Process can be applied to all Resources:
In general, families need to be aware of the potential availability of
resources within the family. Sometimes a homemaker may fail to recognise the
human resource available in the family which could be utilized instead of using
only the scarce resources like money, her time or energy. Lack of resources may
make them feel uncomfortable and poor.
By management we have to narrow this gap by:
· Getting more resources
20
· Making our resources more productive and
· Changing our standards
All resources are manageable to some extent. Their quantity, quality, flow and
their use can be regulated to certain degree. Thoughtful planning, organisation,
control and evaluation can help a person in selecting the right resource at the
time when that resource is in most demand and when it can get the best results.
For example, careful choice of savings and investments for the higher education
of one's child require a long term planning on how and how much money should
be saved every month, besides organising the family efforts, control of money
expenditure and evaluation of their activities. All these efforts will ultimately
ensure that there are enough funds to cover for higher education. The task of
saving money cannot be achieved by a homemaker without the understanding of
process of management.
vii. Quality of Life is determined by the Use of Resource:
It is clear that goals can be achieved only through the use of resources and their
management. Therefore, the optimum distribution of resources determines the
degree to which a family is actually striving towards a particular goal.
Maintaining the health of the family members could be done by proper
utilization of money and food
resources
according to the nutritional
requirements of the family members. Time, energy and knowledge are also
necessary to fulfill these goals.
Proper utilization of material resources like household equipments can lead to
better products in food, clothing and house sanitation which are its contributors
to better quality of life. Acquiring knowledge and its proper utilization can help
one to make decisions for better quality of life.
2.5 Guidelines to Increase Satisfaction through Appropriate Use of
Resources
The main objective of management of resources is to get maximum satisfaction
from their use. Hoyt has given four guidelines for achieving maximum
satisfaction.
· Increasing the supply of resources:
In order to increase the available resources, the family must ascertain its limits
and see what is lacking in the total resource mix. This is called identification of
resource gap. The resource gap can be identified by identifying where we want
to be and where we actually are.
Ex: Increase in the time availability for a particular activity by hiring labor for
other activities.
Details
- Pages
- Type of Edition
- Erstausgabe
- Year
- 2016
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9783960675297
- ISBN (Softcover)
- 9783960670292
- File size
- 895 KB
- Language
- English
- Institution / College
- Banki Autonomous College
- Publication date
- 2016 (April)
- Keywords
- Home management India Family resource Time management Family living planning Workplace
