Primary and Secondary Social Services

Summary Against a background of discontent with some aspects of currentorganization of SSDs, a number of criteria for good organizationdesign are offered. Central to these is a questioning of currentassumptions that social workers should normally provide theirservices from generic area offices. In its place a notion ofPrimary (as being those which do demand local neighbourhooddelivery) and Secondary services (as being those which requirea specialized, more concentrated delivery, often in collaborationwith other disciplines) is offered. Detailed suggestions abouthow such a model would look in relation to different clientconditions are made.     

UPSTREAM VOLATILITY IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN: THE MACHINE TOOL INDUSTRY AS A CASE STUDY

Cyclicality is a well‐known and accepted fact of life in market‐driven economies. Less well known or understood, however, is the phenomenon of amplification as one looks “upstream” in the industrial supply chain. We examine the amplification phenomenon and its implications through the lens of one upstream industry that is notorious for the intensity of the business cycles it faces: the machine tool industry. Amplification of demand volatility in capital equipment supply chains, e. g., machine tools, is particularly large relative to that seen in distribution and component parts supply chains. We present a system dynamics simulation model to capture demand volatility amplification in capital supply chains. We explore the lead‐time, inventory, production, productivity, and staffing implications of these dynamic forces. Several results stand out. First, volatility hurts productivity and lowers average worker experience. Second, even though machine tool builders can do little to reduce the volatility in their order streams through choice of forecast rule, a smoother forecasting policy will lead companies to retain more of their skilled work force. This retention of skilled employees is often cited as one of the advantages that European and Japanese companies have had relative to their U. S. competitors. Our results suggest some insights for supply chain design and management: downstream customers can do a great deal to reduce the volatility for upstream suppliers through their choice of order forecast rule. In particular, companies that use smoother forecasting policies tend to impose less of their own volatility upon their supply base and may consequently enjoy system‐wide cost reduction.     

WAGES, EARNINGS AND HOURS OF FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD GENERATION AMERICAN MALES

Analysis of 1970 census data for eight ethnic groups indicates that, other things equal, recent immigrants generally receive lower wages and earnings than second generation workers, but second generation workers receive higher wages and earnings than do third. Recent immigrants and third generation men work significantly fewer hours per year than do earlier immigrants and second generation men. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that increases in U. S. specific human capital over generations are offset by decreases in motivation. The higher motivation of immigrants appears to reflect greater preference for money over family ties, leisure, and easy work as compared with non-immigrants. immigrants.     

Social Work As The Privatized Solution of Public Ills

Summary This paper takes the motivation of the social work recruit asthe point of departure for an exploration of some aspects ofthe low-key politics of social work. Attempting to cut paststereotypical and occupationally agreed conceptions of why socialworkers enter their occupation, it suggests that the socialwork recruit's choice is most usefully understood as an attemptedsolution to central cultural problems in advanced capitalistsocieties, and it directs attention to the moral-political rootsof social work. While the choice of social work as a careerrepresents for some a sort of primitive political rebellion,the implications of this 'rebellion' are not grasped, and itbecomes the privatized solution of a privileged minority     

The Need for a New Social Work Perspective in an African Setting: The Case of Social Casework in Zambia

Correspondence to Geoffrey W. Silavwe, Dean of Students Department, The Copperbelt University, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe, Zambia. Summary This article discusses traditional social casework principlesand how some of these principles are irrelevant for social caseworkpractice in an African setting or culture. The principles onwhich social casework is based involve western concepts foreignto the cultures of most developing countries. They are thereforeinappropriate for social work practice in an African settingbecause they are based on values (especially self-determinationand confidentiality) which assume concepts of individualitynot applicable in an African society, particularly in Zambia.