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This paper focuses on the professional development needs of a selected group of international students enrolled in home economics programmes in universities in the United States. It presents a rationale for professional communication as a means for maintaining professional competencies. It reports findings from a survey of students in which they reported their interest in and their perception of the availability of professional activities after return to the home country. Implications are then discussed and recommendations are made for supporting professional development and strengthening professional communication, thereby easing professional integration problems of international students.

Family resource management research relevant to rural families in Third World countries can produce useful information for rural development projects. However, currently, most of the research is imitative of Western research and contributes neither to theory construction nor to alleviation of real problems of rural poor families. The major stumbling blocks to improve research are limited trained personnel, inadequate commitment to research, insufficient funds and ignorance of socio-economic milieu hampering identification of relevant research problems. Three broad directives are suggested to strengthen research on management by Third World families: (i) selection and application of a conceptual framework to create consensus or focus, concepts and processes; (ii) identification of contextually relevant, researchable problems, and (iii) identification and use of appropriate research methods and tools. Suggested researchable problems include basic need standards, fuel management, appropriate technologies, family size and level of living, use of time, access to and utilization of consumer services and information. Various strategies to develop a sound family resource management research base are identified.

Women's work in the developing country of India contributes to sectoral production in the national economy and household production in the family economy. A conceptual framework based on systems exchange assumption classifies women's work as formal sector, informal sector, household production and home production activities. Various economic evaluation methods related to unpaid household work can be applied to appraise the value of women's work. Farm women of Haryana have a 13-hour workday in farm, dairy and home sectors. The estimated monetary value of the 13-hour workday is Rs. 15–55.