PRICING - A NORMATIVE STRATEGY IN THE DELIVERY OF HUMAN-SERVICES

Pricing is an important tool in the delivery of human services. Traditional approaches to pricing focus on the cost of producing services and the perceived value of services. Currently there is no pricing framework that addresses the needs of human services providers. A normative strategy toward pricing allows service providers to develop pricing strategies within the context of organizational missions, values, and goals. The normative strategy framework demonstrates that pricing is an effective tool for distributing resources and improving efficiency. Pricing decisions ave critical choices that reflect the priorities of a human services organization. Pricing can also be used as a tool for encouraging desired patterns of service utilization.