Management Of Family Resources

Lesson 07 : Management And Its Environment As A System

The Environment Surrounding The Family

Three different environments surround the family, as shown in the previous figure. The first one is the “household environment”, next is the “near environment” and last is the “larger environment”. Each of smaller environment are the subsystem of the next larger environment and provide the ever enlarging setting in which the family manages. The categorization of environments is based on the relationships and the activities associated with them.

The transactions or exchanges between the environments and the family are both ways as shown by arrows in the previous figure. The transactions can be classified as

1. Providing resources
2. Motivating or demanding action

The transactions will be in the form of either human efforts like physical, mental, emotional, natural and technical, or material objects or money or information. The family should know its needs and should be aware of the resources in the environment and should recognize the effects of their own behavior on the environment.

The household environment: (Micro Environment)

This is the most immediate and end intimate environment of the family. The family has control over this environment and the family values are easily reflected in this environment. The set of relationships, goals and needs among its members in family are important in this environment. The household environment provides certain resources and generates forces which necessitate management on the part of the family. The routine activities of the members of the family are developed around the characteristics of the household environment.

The Near environment:

The relationship or the transactions between the household environment and the near environment is somewhat fluid and varies from family to family. This environment extends beyond the household and bigger than the household environment. It requires more adaptation and adjustment by the family members.

This environment includes the groups in business, educational, religious, medical, political and recreational domains with which the family members are interacting and associated regularly. Two families living in the same area may belong to different religious or organizations or work areas, which will have different types of lifestyles in the family.

The characteristics of the near environment depends on its locality-whether rural, urban or semi urban community facilities such as public transport, libraries, schools, churches, shopping centers, opportunities for employment, banking, recreational facilities, welfare agencies and other government services vary from one location to another location. The families also differ in quality and quantity of resources available to them and their usage in the near environment. Some of the important factors influencing the family in the transaction of resources in the near environment are location, economic status, social status awareness about the resources of near environment, family traditions and the actions and activities of the family.

The larger environment: (Larger Environment)

The larger environment extends from the near environment to as for as the family interacts even occasionally. The area of larger environment of a family depends again on many factors like educational and socio economic status of family, culture and the proximity of friends and relatives of the family members. Even though the family is little aware of its larger environment, the environment may have a significant and direct influences upon the family.

For example- the family may not be aware of the government programme on support for the pregnant and lactating mothers, but it improves the health status of the pregnant and lactating mothers of each family in rural areas.

The culture always provides specific ways for satisfying the generalized human needs and wants. The larger environment affects the families by determining the values and providing resources. In the democratic society political system provides the freedom of expression and actions, but also demands responsible participation of people in the society.

The family as a managerial unit has to understand its interaction with various surrounding environments and has to use the resources sensibly to achieve the family goals and derive maximum satisfaction to the family members.