TITLE : ECONOMIC ISSUES FOR CONSUMERS. 3RD ED.

A new decade. Are things getting better for the American consumer? Hardly. Consumers in this country a,re faced with some of the highest rates of inflation in the peacetime history of the United States. Energy and food prices, as well as medical care expenses, are skyrocketing. Career planning is becoming e*ren more important as college graduates find that jobs are just not available in certain fields. The 1980s are indeed a time of change and trouble-the quest to become a rational consumer must continue into the eighties.

THE FORMAT OF THE BOOK-CHAPTERS AND ISSUES

You will notice a somewhat unusual format throughout the following pages. I have attempted to present the major areas of consumer economics in chapter form. At the end of many of these chapters, a Consumer Issue has been presented. For example, after an explanation of what inflation is and how it affects the consumer, an Issue follows that outlines how the individual can best protect himself or herself against the ravages of inflation. As another example, after the chapter on food, a Consumer Issue outlines the steps that the individual can take to become a better foodshopper. To a large extent, the consumer issues offer more practical advice than do the chapters.

PEDAGOGICAL AIDS

Students will find a number of pedagogical aids in both the chapters and the consumer issues. Each chapter starts off with a Chapter Preview that indicates to the reader what will be covered. Then, to "ease the blow" of the new terminology, a Glossary of Terms that might not be known to the reader is presented before the actual text begins. At the end of each chapter, there is a point-by-point Summary that can be used for review. Then, Questions for Thought and Discussion that follow the Summary may be used as the basis for class discussion or as the basis for individual thought or even group discussion6 without the aid of an instructor. Things to Do gives some projects that a class can do as a group or that individuals can do at the request of the professor or on their own. Lastly, Selected Readings are presented. This list is not merely a rundown of academic articles that students can never hope to understand. Rather, it presents some alternative sources of reading for those students who wish further explanations of certain sections of the chapter.

The consumer issues have basically the same pedagogical devices, except that there is no Preview and the Issue Summary gives more practical hints on certain consumer decision-making problems.

ILLUSTRATIVE MATERIALS

You will notice a wide use of illustrative materials-photographs, charts, and cartoons. In my experien,ce, visualization of certain ideas not only aids the student in understanding the material but also makes the task of reading the text more enjoyable.