Organizing the Baby Boomer Construct: An Exploration of Marketing,Social Systems,and Culture

Baby boomer trends are applied in the development of a conceptual framework that offers a social systems and cultural model for future studies. While there has been considerable recent attention paid to baby boomers, the studies lack a coherent theoretical base that would allow for more advanced and continuing research. Aging baby boomers heading into retirement present excellent research opportunities for scholars.     

Who Says there is No Life After Abandonment? A Grounded Theory on the Coping of Abandoned Filipino Elderly in Nursing Homes

Cases of abandoned elderly are increasing worldwide. By and large, this group struggles with the sudden change in living arrangement as well as abandonment by their families. Consequently, many elderly are forced into living in nursing homes for the remainder of their lives. Abandonment among these elderly negatively affects how they view themselves, which is detrimental to their health and well-being. Thus, exploring the feelings of elderly regarding their abandonment and how they cope becomes a major concern in caring for them. Recognizing the dearth of literature, this grounded theory study purported to describe sthe process by which these elderly cope with abandonment. A total of 24 abandoned Filipino elderly respondents were purposively selected to take part in a semistructured in-depth interview. Following the Glaserian approach, a four-part process emerged to describe the layer of human experience under study. The R.O.P.E. to Cope Theory of Abandonment describes how the elderly progress from the resisting, occupying, pondering, and embracing phases toward successful coping. Understanding this process equips health care providers with knowledge of appropriate interventions in the provision of holistic care to the elderly. Ultimately, findings of this study will be helpful in assisting abandoned elderly individuals in their path to achieving an improved quality of life and a happier perspective on it.     

The Use of Immersive Virtual Reality in the Learning Sciences: Digital Transformations of Teachers,Students, and Social Context

This article illustrates the utility of using virtual environments to transform social interaction via behavior and context, with the goal of improving learning in digital environments. We first describe the technology and theories behind virtual environments and then report data from 4 empirical studies. In Experiment 1, we demonstrated that teachers with augmented social perception (i.e., receiving visual warnings alerting them to students not receiving enough teacher eye gaze) were able to spread their attention more equally among students than teachers without augmented perception. In Experiments 2 and 3, we demonstrated that by breaking the rules of spatial proximity that exist in physical space, students can learn more by being in the center of the teacher's field of view (compared to the periphery) and by being closer to the teacher (compared to farther away). In Experiment 4, we demonstrated that inserting virtual co-learners who were either model students or distracting students changed the learning abilities of experiment participants who conformed to the virtual co-learners. Results suggest that virtual environments will have a unique ability to alter the social dynamics of learning environments via transformed social interaction.     

Purpose-driven consultancies’ negotiation of organizational tensions

This article examines the negotiation of organizational tensions by purpose-driven consultancies, for-profit firms also motivated by social change agendas in their implementation of organizational development for corporate clients. Using two case studies – APCom training ethical corporate leaders, and GreenD communicating environmental sustainability programs – we trace how such consultancies negotiate these tensions, and how their underlying purpose might accordingly transform. Our multi-case study suggests two broad tensions related to purpose and impact that are experienced in context-specific ways by the consultancies. Although members sought to frame these tensions in positive ways, as complementary dialectics or contradicting the dominant capitalist system, they were also at risk of devolving into more paradoxical contradictions and even debilitating double binds, without sustained discussion to ‘repurpose’ the firms. We close by discussing theoretical and practical implications for purpose-driven consultancies, given that their pursuit of social change is often at odds with the status quo.     

Touring Fantasyland: The “Maps of Imaginary Places” Collection and Exhibit at Cushing Memorial Library and Archives

The Maps of Imaginary Places Collection at Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University (TAMU) is a singular collaborative effort between two library departments at creating a collection that not only appeals to a wide range of patrons but shows how maps, fantasy, and popular culture intersect. In 2017, the Cushing Library mounted a popular exhibit showcasing highlights from this collection in order to bring the emotional and imaginative power of maps to a wider audience. This article describes how both the collection and exhibit were developed, as well as how they have been received by different patron groups, and includes as future directions for the collection. The principles and procedures for development of such a collection and exhibit are also described.