Business Research Sources -ch 16: Social Work Almanac

16. Almanacs

Recommended Supplement: Social Work Almanac

According to the author, Leon Ginsberg, PhD., the second edition of Social Work Almanac (ISBN 0-87101-248-0), published by the National Association of Social Workers, (202) 408-8600, makes it easier than ever for human services professionals to find timely social welfare data. Some might ask what social work has to do with cover

business. The answer lies in the social awareness and responsibilities of business. Students can expect that statistics will be required to support their research in this important area, and this book succinctly presents, in one convenient source, the most current statistics related to social work.

Dr. Ginsberg points out that understanding social problems, policies, and programs requires mastery of and knowledge about facts. This is a book, he says, about the major social issues and social programs of the 1990s. It is the second edition of a book that combines national and some international information on population, children, crime and corrections, education, health and mortality, mental health, older adults, and the social work profession itself. It also describes major social welfare and assistance programs, entitlements as well as means-tested benefits, that serve all age groups and address social needs. All people and their societies are in business, whether as consumers or producers.

The book is organized into nine chapters, arranged alphabetically by subject. Not all the information in a chapter is related only to that chapter's subject, because some groups are so important that no one chapter could cover all that needs to be included. For example, although there is no specific chapter on families, which are the central focus of much social work study and practice, every chapter has something to say about families. Most of the material presented comes from data collected, analyzed, and disseminated by researchers and statisticians in the various departments of the U.S. government. The U.S. Statistical Abstract (see Chapter 22 of this text) is frequently the source and publishes much of the most current and pertinent data on matters of concern to social workers and corporate strategists involved with the social responsibility of business.

Something to Think About

What do you see as the general assessment of the program called Aid for Families with Dependent Children? Do you see any connection between the thrust of government programs such as these and the American business community?