After Cleveland: a crisis of confidence

SUMMARY. The article argues that social work is experiencing a crisis of confidence about child abuse. This lack of confidence is examined from various points of view; the social work skills needed to work with abused children and their families; the theoretical framework underpinning assessment and intervention; public confidence in social work; the legal processes; and departmental policy and practice. It suggests ways of overcoming the problems associated with the crisis of confidence including increased and better quality training, a more open approach to the community and an acceptance of professional independence     

THE U.S. EMBARGO ACT OF 1807: ITS IMPACT ON NEW ENGLAND MONEY, BANKING, AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

For half a century economists have debuted the impact of the Embargo Act of 1807 on the U.S. economy. Using New England bank statistics and the weekly prices of financial assets traded in the Boston market, hypotheses generated by a real business cycle model are tested. The study concludes that the embargo significantly fnfected the levels of real and nominal bunk loans, the real and nominal money stock, and current financial asset yields. Also, increased monetary und banking activity in Maine during the period supports the long-standing hypothesis that the embargo caused an increase in smuggling activity.     

Towards a Theory of Social Work Expertise

Correspondence to Prof. Jan Fook, School of Social Inquiry, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3217, Australia Summary This paper begins by summarizing the results of a qualitativeexploratory study of thirty experienced social workers whichwas undertaken in order to identify some characteristics ofsocial work expertise. Some of the features identified includea confidence with professional identity and an ability to dealwith complexities. Participants were also able quickly to prioritizerelevant factors and were aware of constraints and resources,but made conscious use of formal theory only minimally. Thefull results of this study are reported elsewhere (Fook et al.,in press). The main purpose of this paper is to explore theimplications of these results in developing a theory of socialwork expertise. The issues examined include the debates aroundthe relationship between theory and practice in social work,the generic versus the specialist nature of social work, therelevance of existing theories of expertise to social work,and the affirmation of artistic elements of social work practice.     

Examining the Causes of Stress in Families with Severely Mentally Handicapped Children

Summary Though it is recognized that the presence of a mentally handicappedchild may be a source of stress for a family, less is knownabout precisely which impairments are particularly stressful.This question was investigated in a study of 200 families withseverely mentally handicapped children living in two healthdistricts in South East England. Interviews were carried outwith the people responsible for the day-to-day care of the childrenand stress was measured by means of the Malaise Inventory. Theresults suggested that the highest levels of stress were associatedwith the presence of a child with behaviour disorders or withmultiple impairments; the stressfulness of these conditionswas exacerbated by adversity. A regression analysis showed thatthe factors causing most stress in carers were, in order ofimportance: behaviour problems in the child, night-time disturbance,social isolation, adversity in the family, multiplicity of impairments,difficulty in settling the child at night, problems with thechild's health, problems with the child's appearance, and moneyworries. The article ends with recommendations for the developmentof services aimed at reducing stress in families with mentallyhandicapped children.     

MANAGING PRODUCT RETURNS FOR REMANUFACTURING

Firms are often encouraged to offer environmentally friendly products as a demonstration of corporate citizenship. However, this may prove to be an unrealistic expectation since a rational firm will only engage in profitable ventures; those that increase shareholder wealth. We develop a framework for analyzing the profitability of reuse activities and show how the management of product returns influences operational requirements. We show that the acquisition of used products may be used as the control lever for the management and profitability of reuse activities. These activities, termed product acquisition management, affect several important business decisions. First, if a firm is to pursue reuse activities, these reuse activities must be value‐creating. Second, if a firm is to compete by offering remanufactured products, then we show how product returns management influences the overall profitability of such activities via a trial and error EVA approach. Third, we show how operational issues are strongly affected by the approach used to manage product returns. There is a need for future research specifying the mathematical relationship between acquisition price and the nominal quality of the returned product.