Regardless of the specific family and consumer sciences (FCS) responsibilities, the job announcement always calls for strong leadership skills. The staff waits in anticipation of the new leader's arrival, expecting that person to bring rapid, positive change. Yet, to contribute to progress in building strong communities, increasing family…

In the UK, the vocabulary of public services is becoming infused with the prefixes "inter"-, "multi-" and "co-". Public-sector agencies are being encouraged to adopt"'multi"- or "inter-agency" configurations; "workforce reform" seeks to dissolve once-impermeable professional boundaries;…

This guide was written to introduce consumers to home equity conversion (HEC) plans that are currently available and to explain the current state of HEC developments. It describes how the basic types of HEC plans work, gives examples of how how they can be used, discusses their advantages and disadvantages, and tells where they are available.…

These proceedings consist of 25 conference papers on consumer interests: (1) Consumer Leaders of Yesteryear, (2) Potentials for Professionalism in Consumer Affairs, (3) Legislative Priorities--The Washington Scene, (4) Consumer Protection--The Municipal Approach, (5) Virginia Approach to Consumer Protection, (6) An Explanation of Electric Utility…

A procedure for writing a term paper and suggestions on how to select a topic in consumer education for the paper are offered as learning experiences in consumer education whereby the student can select, delimit, study, organize, summarize, and verify material related to a topic of personal interest. (AG)

A research project is underway to identify gaps and shortcomings in consumer education programs. (JS)

Discusses the need for educating youth in the role and function of credit bureaus. (CH)

A consumer affairs attorney points up pitfalls awaiting the unschooled shopper and suggests approaches to consumer education. (JK)

Consumer education encourages critical thinking, teaches life skills, leads to self-confidence and independence, improves the quality of life, produces better-informed citizens, helps the disadvantaged make the marketplace work in their favor, and provides businesses with educated customers. (SK)

Most consumers are relatively unaware of how automobile dealerships profit from automobile finance, insurance, and warranty arrangements. Consumers should consult an attorney when buying a car--one of the largest expenditures a person will ever make. (JOW)

Forty older and 60 younger adults were asked to estimate the level of discount expected in ads. Consumers were skeptical of implausible discounts. Implausible and highly plausible discounts had more influence on price perceptions than did discounts with low plausibility. (SK)

There has been much discussion in recent years concerning student consumerism and its potentially negative impact on higher education. Much of the literature has been anecdotal (Bellah 1999; Delucchi and Smith 1997; Edmundson 1997; Smith 2000), while some studies have been more empirical in nature (Levine and Cureton 1998; Delucchi and Korgen…