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Family Resource Management
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Family Resource Management

Fifth Edition
May 2026 | 376 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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Family Resource Management, Fifth Edition, delivers the most current, accurate, and engaging information for students preparing for careers in family services. This edition goes beyond individual decision-making to explore how choices impact the entire family unit, emphasizing the complexity and diversity of modern families. Moore and Asay draw on extensive research, practical experience, and active teaching to guide students through a structured Five-Step Decision-Making Model, connecting theory to real-world practice. With its focus on both survival and fulfillment, Family Resource Management equips future professionals with the skills and understanding needed to support families in an ever-changing world.
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
Unit 1: The Study of Family Resource Management
 
Chapter 1: The Complexity of Managing Family Resources
What Is a Family?

 
How Do Families Use Resources?

 
Managing Families

 
The Decision-Making Process

 
Contextual Influences in Family Resource Management

 
Multidisciplinary Perspectives

 
 
Chapter 2: Understanding Families and How Resources are Managed
History of the Family

 
The Family Today

 
Defining the Family

 
Changes in the Family

 
Families Within Cultural Contexts

 
Family Functions

 
Resources Available to Families

 
Managing Family Resources

 
Key Family Management Challenges

 
 
Chapter 3: Studying Family Resource Management
The Scientific Process

 
Theories

 
Family Research Design

 
Application of Research to Family Resource Management

 
 
Unit 2: Discovering Family Needs
 
Chapter 4: Categorization of Needs
Needs and Wants

 
Changing Perceptions of Needs

 
Needs Assessment

 
Individual Needs Versus Societal Needs

 
 
Chapter 5: Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors: Understanding Family Choices
Values

 
Attitudes

 
Behaviors

 
Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors in the Decision-Making Framework

 
Values and Behaviors in Family Purchasing Decisions

 
Impact of Culture on Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors

 
Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors

 
Consistency Over Time and Situation

 
 
Unit 3: Understanding Resources
 
Chapter 6: Identification of Family Resources
Resource Availability

 
Resource Theory

 
Human Resources

 
Economic Resources

 
Environmental Resources

 
Social Resources

 
Measurement of Resources

 
Resource Allocation and Use

 
 
Chapter 7: Families Within the Economic Environment
Beginnings of Consumerism

 
Economic Principles

 
Families in the Economy

 
 
Chapter 8: The Impact of Society on Family Decisions
Individuals and the Tax System

 
Government-Supported Assistance Programs

 
Privately Funded Programs

 
Compulsory Education

 
Supply and Demand: An Application in Education

 
 
Unit 4: Making Choices
 
Chapter 9: Managing the Future
Goals, Objectives, and Standards

 
The Planning Process

 
Family Financial Planning

 
Creating the Financial Plan

 
Emergency Action Plans

 
How Plans Emerge

 
 
Chapter 10: Communication Within the Decision-Making Process
Communication Theory

 
Communication and Information Technology

 
Application to Family Decision-Making

 
 
Chapter 11: The Individual Within Family Decision-Making
Group Dynamics

 
Groupthink

 
Leadership

 
 
Unit 5: Implementing and Evaluating Decisions
 
Chapter 12: Making it Happen
Implementation

 
Estate Planning

 
Family Business Succession

 
Risk Management

 
 
Chapter 13: Defining Success
Societal Responsibility

 
Family Responsibility

 
Individual Responsibility

 
 
Chapter 14: Current and Future Challenges
Technology

 
Family Structure

 
Natural Resources

 
Changing Demographics

 
 
References
Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION

  • Expanded coverage of diversity, inclusion, and global perspectives, with case studies representing families across racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts.
  • Updated content reflecting post-pandemic realities, including new research, demographic data, and analysis of social and economic transformations.
  • Practical application exercises, “Reality Check” scenarios, and “In the News” features that help students apply concepts to contemporary challenges.
  • New topics such as AI’s influence on family resource management, social media’s impact on consumer behavior, changing family structures, and generational leadership styles.
  • Enhanced opportunities for students to apply new knowledge and skills to practical situations in family services through “What If” sections and review questions.
KEY FEATURES
  • A 5-Step Decision-Making Model (DMM) is presented systematically throughout the text to familiarize students with the structure and provide them with multiple opportunities to apply the DMM to diverse family situations.
  • Flexible case assignments give attention to local or regional situations that reflect the realities of student backgrounds and those of the families they will likely be serving as Family Science professionals.
  • The importance of understanding family diversity is woven throughout the text with ample opportunities for students to apply their understanding.
  • Reality Check boxes illustrate content with real-life current events, news stories, and scenarios.
  • In the News features from contemporary news sources further inform students of issues facing society daily.
  • Worldview boxes offer students a global or multicultural perspective to enrich their understanding.
  • Summaries and questions for review and discussion at the end of each chapter allow students to review key content and reinforce their learning.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Preface, Chapters 1-2