Evaluating a Group Home: Problems and Results

Summary The need for an evaluative framework for group homes for thementally ill is discussed. Evaluation involves separating implicitfrom explicit objectives. The possible objectives for a grouphome are considered in terms of the questions of who decideswhat the objectives are to be, how they are defined, and theirrelationship to the idea of normality. A further issue in decidingobjectives is whether the client's independence is to be foundwithin the group home or beyond it. The elements of a group home's regime are then considered: theseinclude control and group support. Problems in measuring theelements involved are mentioned. An evaluative scheme based upon this is then drawn up for aparticular group home, and the results described. The residentsare found to have experienced little change overall in theirlevel of independence, and this is associated with a regimewhere residents act in a dependent way towards staff, and staffperceptions of control and support are different from thoseof residents.     

Towards Accountability in Social Work: A Case Review System for Social Workers

Summary After discussing the huge undifferentiated tasks facing socialworkers in the social services departments, it is suggestedthat one of the most urgent research needs is the developmentof systematic record and review systems to provide basic informationabout social worker activities and their effects on differentclient groups. The development of a social worker oriented computerizedCase Review System in close collaboraation with a group of fieldworkersin an area office is described. The system enables social workersto evaluate and plan their work for individual clients; it canassist the process of supervision; as a management tool it cancontribute towards the planning of fieldwork services; as aninformation system it gives an on-going account of the size,nature and scope of social work activities with different clientgroups. So far the impact of the system has been to raise questionsabout practices and to encourage a climate favourable to change.     

Nonresponse Effects on Relationships Between Variables

To examine nonresponse effects on variable relationships, datafrom a panel study of 1,870 older Iowa residents are reported.When data are accumulated by wave of response, differences areminor on variable distributions (percentage, mean, standarddeviation), bivariate relationships (correlation), and multivariaterelationships (regression), suggesting that the assumed impactof nonresponse bias on variable relationships has been overstated.     

Critical decision areas in corporate financial policy

The argument in this paper rests on the assumption that the prime objective of any corporate activity must in some way be related to a profitability goal, however this may be measured, however this may be defined, and however this may be constrained by the relevance of a times-cale.

The paper makes some comments on the selection of a corporate objective or goal but mainly it considers the direct contribution that financial management can make to achievement of this goal. It distinguishes this from the accounting rôle which is more appropriately concerned with measuring and monitoring progress towards the goal.