Generational Perspective Research Articles

Wall-free droplet microfluidics for probing biological processes by high-brilliance X-ray scattering techniques.

Here we review probing biological processes initiated by the deposition of droplets on surfaces by micro- and nanobeam X-ray scattering techniques using synchrotron radiation and X-ray free-electron laser sources. We review probing droplet evaporation on superhydrophobic surfaces and reactions with substrates, basics of droplets deposition and flow simulations, droplet deposition techniques and practical experience at a synchrotron beamline. Selected applications with biological relevance will be reviewed and perspectives for the latest generation of high-brilliance X-ray sources discussed.

Who is afraid of dataveillance? Attitudes toward online surveillance in a cross-cultural and generational perspective

This article compares surveillance-related experiences and attitudes of two generations of media users in countries with different historical surveillance regimes (Estonia, Portugal, and Sweden) and analyzes the predictors of the attitudes toward contemporary surveillance. A large-scale online survey ( N = 3221) reveals that attitudes toward online state and corporate surveillance are interrelated; the two attitudinal components are, however, generation-specific, having different predictors. Tolerance toward state surveillance is more characteristic of the older group, being predicted by trustful and obedient attitudes toward state authorities and institutions. Tolerance toward corporate dataveillance is more characteristic of the younger group, being predicted by active and self-confident media use. While the socio-historical context molds the intergenerational gaps in surveillance-related experiences and attitudes, individual-level experiences of state surveillance do not predict tolerance toward either type of contemporary surveillance, suggesting that global techno-cultural developments are probably more powerful factors than past experiences in forming generation-specific attitudes.

Society and Its Challenges: The Teacher’s Perspective on Students at Risk

(1) This study focuses on exploring and characterising the beliefs of Spanish teachers in relation to their attitudes and professional practice concerning students who may be at risk at school. A generational perspective is adopted and the stages of pre-school, primary, and secondary education are considered in order to analyse these beliefs. (2) This is a descriptive study with a qualitative methodology. The information was collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 60 teachers belonging to publicly funded schools at pre-university levels. The data collected were subject to a thematic analysis and analysed with the qualitative data analysis tool ATLAS.ti (version 22). (3) The results show the diversity of student needs referred to by the teachers, positive relationships and attitudes towards them, and a favourable predisposition to the adaptation and adjustment of teaching practices. (4) The conclusions of the study highlight the importance of teachers’ beliefs for the development of educational processes based on justice, democracy, and equity, and how these beliefs can be used to offer the most appropriate responses to the needs presented by the students.

Empirical Research on the Metaverse User Experience of Digital Natives

The metaverse has been settled as a platform that is widely beloved by digital natives that are familiar with mobile devices and immersive contents. Thanks to the protocol enabling hedonic interaction, the user experience provides significant value from its communication, enabling learning experiences anytime and anywhere. However, the research topics are focused on the promotions of technology development, marketing effects, and relevant investment consensus. Surprisingly, the biggest problem was the lack of research from the perspective of the young generation, who mainly use the metaverse. This paper intends to examine the usability of digital native participants in detail and suggest how immersive contents, usage environment, and interface aspects should be designed from their point of view. As a result, the significant engagement factors and improvements, through heuristic usability evaluation considering content and user control, were discovered from individual interviews. Conversely, the elements to be supplemented in user experience were derived from information architecture and usage environment categories. In conclusion, the theoretical basis of the empirical usability evaluation on metaverse platforms and following recommendations with practical implications could gain more importance from this research.

Enhancing employer attractiveness: the impact of COVID-19 on Generation Z

This paper investigates how employer attractiveness has been affected by developments in the attitudes, values, and goals of Generation Z (born between 1995-2010) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Research shows the challenging environment for employers who are increasingly facing a ‘war for talent’ and the need to focus on generational needs and expectations. Work concepts in many cases have been adapted to Generation Y, but a revision of strategies is needed for the newest generation on the labour market. The insurance industry has long struggled to attract young talent and along with retail, logistics, tourism, and banking has been ranked the lowest in employer attractiveness by Generation Z. This is corroborated by the fact that larger corporations are also often perceived as unattractive by young people. While many industries have struggled with the consequences and challenges of the pandemic, the insurance sector can be seen as having mastered the crisis comparatively well. This paper questions whether the relative job security offered by the insurance sector, can be increasingly influential in post pandemic job choices. Since Generation Z was already described as security-oriented before the pandemic, this is expected to have increased as a result of COVID-19 and be reflected in their career and employer choices. The perspectives of Generation Z and employers from the German insurance industry are compared through survey and interview data. The young cohort suspects a worsening of their situation particularly in job offerings and security. At the same time, the insurance industry positions itself well in exactly these areas. Furthermore, the aspirations and expectations of Generation Z towards the professional world coincide strongly with the offerings of insurers as employers. However, the respondents see the sector’s image as a deterrent. Although this paper focuses on the insurance industry, strategic recommendations given on how the sector can position itself, are relevant for other sectors facing the challenge of attracting Generation Z employees.

VARIOUS MYTHS IN MINANGKABAU CULTURE: THE IMPACT OF RELIGIOUS RITUALS FOR MILLENNIAL GENERATION IN WEST SUMATERA

This study aims to analyze the mythical phenomenon in Minangkabau Culture towards the religious rituals of the Millennial generation in West Sumatera. The method used is based on mix method research; first, researchers identify quantitatively to examine the impact of mythical truth from the perspective of the millennial generation; second, the researchers adopted a qualitative method to identify the response and impact of myths on the religious rituals of the Millennial generation. Researchers used a random sampling technique with 107 respondents. This study identified that 77 people admitted that there were myths that developed in the Minangkabau community and 30 people admitted that they were not aware of the existence of myths. The findings of this study showed the millennial generation in particular does not believe in myths, it only leads to the preservation of education of local cultural values. This research is limited to the sample and research methods used, so that further research is needed regarding the social and religious impacts when myths become the basis of people's lives.

In Search of Effective Gen Z Engagement in the Hospitality Industry: Revisiting Issues of Servant and Authentic Leadership

The purpose of this study is to provide a theoretical framework that demonstrates how psychological capital (PsyCap) can simultaneously mediate the effects of servant leadership (ServL) and authentic leadership (AuthL) on employee engagement in the workplace. This study examines whether AuthL better explains PsyCap and workplace engagement from the perspective of Generation Z (Gen Z) than ServL, although recent research shows that ServL and AuthL correlate well with Generations X and Y, respectively. In addition, there is limited research on the above aspects in the hospitality industry. These studies either have a very limited sample, contradictory results in their own context, or contradictory results in the same industry regarding the above relationships. This study will attempt to shed light on these contradictory findings. The researchers surveyed 393 members of Gen Z working in the hospitality business in one of Russia’s most popular destinations, Krasnodar. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, bootstrap analysis and descriptive statistics. Although both leadership styles have a positive impact on PsyCap and work engagement (WorkE) of Gen Z employees, AuthL has a greater impact on PsyCap and work engagement than ServL, according to the results. PsyCap was found to mediate the relationship between the two leadership styles and frontline Gen Z employees, and the study also found that it influenced overall Gen Z performance. The influence of PsyCap on the job engagement of Gen Z employees in the Russian hospitality industry is examined.

ScSemiGAN: a single-cell semi-supervised annotation and dimensionality reduction framework based on generative adversarial network.

Cell-type annotation plays a crucial role in single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data analysis. As more and more well-annotated scRNA-seq reference data are publicly available, automatical label transference algorithms are gaining popularity over manual marker gene-based annotation methods. However, most existing methods fail to unify cell-type annotation with dimensionality reduction and are unable to generate deep latent representation from the perspective of data generation. In this article, we propose scSemiGAN, a single-cell semi-supervised cell-type annotation and dimensionality reduction framework based on a generative adversarial network, to overcome these challenges, modeling scRNA-seq data from the aspect of data generation. Our proposed scSemiGAN is capable of performing deep latent representation learning and cell-type label prediction simultaneously. Through extensive comparison with four state-of-the-art annotation methods on diverse simulated and real scRNA-seq datasets, scSemiGAN achieves competitive or superior performance in multiple downstream tasks including cell-type annotation, latent representation visualization, confounding factor removal and enrichment analysis. The code and data of scSemiGAN are available on GitHub: https://github.com/rafa-nadal/scSemiGAN. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Interindividual differences in intergenerational sustainable behavior are associated with cortical thickness of the dorsomedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

Intergenerational sustainability requires people of the present generation to make sacrifices today to benefit others of future generations (e.g. mitigating climate change, reducing public debt). Individuals vary greatly in their intergenerational sustainability, and the cognitive and neural sources of these interindividual differences are not yet well understood. We here combined neuroscientific and behavioral methods by assessing interindividual differences in cortical thickness and by using a common-pool resource paradigm with intergenerational contingencies. This enabled us to look for objective, stable, and trait-like neural markers of interindividual differences in consequential intergenerational behavior. We found that individuals behaving sustainably (vs. unsustainably) were marked by greater cortical thickness of the dorsomedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Given that these brain areas are involved in perspective-taking and self-control and supported by mediation analyses, we speculate that greater cortical thickness of these brain areas better enable individuals to take the perspective of future generations and to resist temptations to maximize personal benefits that incur costs for future generations. By meeting recent calls for the contribution of neuroscience to sustainability research, it is our hope that the present study advances the transdisciplinary understanding of interindividual differences in intergenerational sustainability.

Leadership styles and effectiveness in the workplace: A perspective of the millennial generation

Background: Millennial leaders are seen in the workplace as the leadership pipeline for the preceding generations, Generation X and baby boomers, particularly given that the older baby boomer generation are retiring. However, the correlation between leadership styles and leadership effectiveness and the consequences for leadership development have not been fully researched in the literature on millennial leaders.Aim: The aim of this research was to test differences between leadership styles and leadership effectiveness as perceived by both millennial followers and millennial leaders.Setting: This research was conducted in South Africa, in a variety of organisations, and through sampling of employees across generations.Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected with instruments based on the Pearce typology of leadership styles, after which the data were segmented according to three generations. After confirming reliability and general factorial validity of the instruments, regression analysis was performed to determine the contribution of four leadership styles towards leadership effectiveness.Results: Two of the leadership styles, namely empowering and transformational, were perceived by both millennial followers and leaders as being statistically significant predictors of leadership effectiveness, whilst the remaining two leadership styles, directive and transactional, did not have a statistically significant contribution towards leadership effectiveness.Conclusion: The results support the alternative hypotheses aligned with the literature review that millennials prefer empowering and transformational leadership styles as they regard these styles as effective. However, important to note is that Generation X has very similar preferences. This knowledge will assist with improved development of millennial leaders in the workplace.

Resisting Dogmatism in Social Work Knowledge Generation: Theorising, Social Justice and Implications for Social Work Doctoral Education

AbstractSocial work doctoral education is charged with the task of generating and critically evaluating knowledge to inform and transform professional practice. To promote the foundational values of social justice and diversity in social work, scholars highlight the importance of multiple ways of knowing and multiple ontological perspectives in social work knowledge generation. Yet, critical scholars have raised concerns about a reviving dogmatism in the philosophical and theoretical orientations (e.g. positivism and empiricism) of social work knowledge. Recent studies also show a significant gap between research and social justice in the social work doctoral curriculum. Critically reflecting and problematising this ‘social’ phenomenon, I argue that it is essential to engage in ongoing theorising to resist dominant discourses, represent marginalised voices in social work knowledge and furthermore, to teach students how to theorise in doctoral education. Drawing from Foucauldian theories on knowledge and power, this article first contextualises the dangers of dogmatism in knowledge generation in social work. Then, I provide a brief review of the historical development of theorising, introducing Richard Swedberg’s work on the topic, particularly his four steps in the ‘process of theorising’. How this noble sociological ‘theory of theorising’ can be incorporated into social work is discussed.

All in One‐Chip, Electrolyte‐Gated Graphene Amplitude Modulator, Saturable Absorber Mirror and Metrological Frequency‐Tuner in the 2–5 THz Range

AbstractLayered 2D materials display unique optical and electrical properties that can enable manipulation, propagation, and detection of electromagnetic waves over a broad spectral range, with a high level of control, offering the potential to activate different functionalities, by optical or electrical means, in a single chip. Here, a compact optoelectronic device behaving as an amplitude modulator, saturable absorber mirror (SA mirror), and frequency‐tuner is conceived at terahertz (THz) frequencies. It comprises a gate‐tunable single layer graphene (SLG), embedded in a quarter‐wave cavity, operating in the 1–5 THz range. The use of electrolyte ionic liquid gate ensures 40% optical amplitude modulation depth. Z‐scan self‐mixing interferometry reveals 60% reflectivity modulation, with ≈4.5 W cm−2 saturation intensity. By integrating the modulator/SA mirror with a heterogeneous THz quantum cascade laser frequency comb, in an external cavity configuration, fine‐tuning of the intermode beatnote frequency is also demonstrated. This opens intriguing perspectives for short pulse generation, phase‐locking, frequency tuning/chirping, phase modulation, and metrological referencing, inter alia.

Achieving entrepreneurial intention through entrepreneurial orientation, social network ties, and market intelligence generation perspectives

Entrepreneurial orientation (ENO), social network ties (SOT) and market intelligence generation (MIT) are independently modeled as distinct antecedents of entrepreneurial intention (EIN). However, the intervening variables for such models are typically under-explored in their applicability to university students in sub-Saharan Africa. Accordingly, drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the present study argues that ENO impacts EIN, primarily explained by SOT and MIT. Using cross-sectional data gathered from university students in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country, our findings reveal that ENO has both direct and indirect relationships with EIN. Thus, this relationship is mainly mediated when students build and develop social network ties (SOT) instead of gathering marketing intelligence (MIT).

Influencer Marketing as a Tool in Modern Communication—Possibilities of Use in Green Energy Promotion amongst Poland’s Generation Z

Generation Z is gaining more and more importance in the market—not only is it attaining purchasing power, but it is also setting trends. This is the generation that spends a lot of time on various social media channels, and the content posted there is a source of information, inspiration and motivation for them. Its representatives are very skeptical about traditional marketing messages, so the best way to reach them is to use influencer marketing. They are also sensitive to environmental problems and ecology. For this reason, the purpose of this paper was to identify the possibility of using influencer marketing to promote green energy in the perspective of Generation Z in Poland. The CAWI method of research was carried out April–June 2022 on a sample of 533 people aged 18 to 26, selected using a quota method. The analysis used statistically significant structure indices (percentages) and measures of correlations between the variables. The results presented confirmed the enormous popularity of social media among the representatives of Generation Z, as well as the great involvement of young consumers in tracking the activity of influencers. More than half of the respondents indicated the usefulness of influencers promoting green energy, but at the same time the vast majority of them declared that the choice of green energy in their case was determined by the opinions of other people, and that the role of influencers was negligible.

Exploring Muhammadiyah Generation Z Perpectives Toward Halal Cosmetics

Nowadays, halal cosmetic gets popular among young generation, especially generation Z as an internet generation. It made Indonesia as the second largest expenditure on halal cosmetic in the world on 2017 in which the Muslim generation Z becomes the market target. Owing to such interests, the main objective of this study is to explore the perspectives of Muhammadiyah generation z toward halal cosmetics in Indonesia. The study uses qualitative methode through literature study and in-depth interview with convenience sampling method in which the interview data use Nvivo 12 application and descriptive analysis. The result from literature study based on Nvivo 12 analysis shows that religiosity value, health factor, and halal cosmetics marketing strategy are playing a role to the perspectives of Muslim generation Z toward halal cosmetics.

‘Sheffield in virus time’: Forms of writing, reading, living

This article considers the experience of writing a daily journal, published daily via a public social media site. The journal began on 31 March 2020 as an attempt to account for the suddenly changed experiences of my personal and professional life (as an artist and lecturer) in the early days of the first UK coronavirus lockdown; it is still ongoing. After producing 700,000 words, this project has come to be understood as having shifted my writing in creative practice to writing as a practice for creating life. An expansive readerly engagement with a variety of creative and critical diarists provides generative perspectives for rethinking life and work. This latter part of the article’s structure considers the ‘Sheffield in virus time’ project in relation to poet Kumiko Hahn’s characterization of the zuihitsu as a fungal form. This Japanese genre (translated as ‘following the will of the pen’) develops casual, loosely connected fragments and ideas, often in haphazard order, a form well-suited to the ongoingness of writing life.

Generational perspectives of orthodontists in the U.S. and Canada: A survey study

The objectives of this study were to identify differences between generations of orthodontists in the United States and to evaluate the perspective of each generation on widely debated topics in orthodontics. A 22-item Institutional Review Board-approved survey was randomly distributed to orthodontists in the United States and Canada. Participants were asked questions about the use of technology, the future of clear aligner therapy, orthodontic education, student debt, marketing, and corporate orthodontics, among other topics. Significant increase in female orthodontists over generations and a decrease in orthodontic educators were found (P<0.001). Among generations, differences were found regarding the amount of student debt, use of specific diagnostic tools, marketing preferences, and their opinion on the future of clear aligner therapy. Most of the silent generation did not have student debt, whereas millennials reported paying off their debt in 1 year to>20 years and being most heavily burdened by student debt. Younger generations appeared more likely to use cone-beam computed tomography and intraoral imaging, whereas older generations preferred traditional diagnostic tools such as hand-wrist radiographs and alginate impressions. Most of the silent generation indicated not marketing their practices, whereas millennials rely heavily on social media and e-mails for marketing. Clear distinctions exist between different generations of orthodontists. Issues such as increasing student debt load and a decrease in orthodontic educators over generations should be addressed to preserve the future of the orthodontic specialty.

Generational perspective on asthma self-management in the Bangladeshi and Pakistani community in the United Kingdom: A qualitative study.

Self-management strategies improve asthma outcomes, although interventions for South Asian populations have been less effective than in White populations. Both self-management and culture are dynamic, and factors such as acculturation and generation have not always been adequately reflected in existing cultural interventions. We aimed to explore the perspectives of Bangladeshi and Pakistani people in the United Kingdom, across multiple generations (first, second and third/fourth), on how they self-manage their asthma, with a view to suggesting recommendations for cultural interventions. We purposively recruited Bangladeshi and Pakistani participants, with an active diagnosis of asthma from healthcare settings. Semi-structured interviews in the participants' choice of language (English, Sylheti, Standard Bengali or Urdu) were conducted, and data were analysed thematically. Twenty-seven participants (13 Bangladeshi and 14 Pakistani) were interviewed. There were generational differences in self-management, influenced by complex cultural processes experienced by South Asians as part of being an ethnic minority group. Individuals from the first generation used self-management strategies congruent to traditional beliefs such as 'sweating' and often chose to travel to South Asian countries. Generations born and raised in the United Kingdom learnt and experimented with self-management based on their fused identities and modified their approach depending on whether they were in familial or peer settings. Acculturative stress, which was typically higher in first generations who had migration-related stressors, influenced the priority given to asthma self-management throughout generations. The amount and type of available asthma information as well as social discussions within the community and with healthcare professionals also shaped asthma self-management. Recognizing cultural diversity and its influence of asthma self-management can help develop effective interventions tailored to the lives of South Asian people. Patient and Public Involvement colleagues were consulted throughout to ensure that the study and its materials were fit for purpose.

Endosymbiosis in the Boardroom and ESG Performance: A Generational Perspective

This paper introduces an endosymbiotic framework for studying the role board's generational composition on firm's ESG performance. The board and the generations comprising the board are conceptualised as two distinct organisms with the firm (the third ``parent

Quallobration from Oneness – Seeing Unity in Diversity

Grand challenges facing humanity such as climate change, social inequality, and bio-extinction, will not be solved from the same level of thinking that created them. As the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, has rightly observed recently: “the pandemic has taught us that national solutions to global problems do not work.” We define quallaboration as operating together from a qualitatively deeper shared understanding and oneness among all the stakeholders. Artificial Intelligence and other innovations create powerful opportunities and challenges that will require business organizations and other entities to repurpose their strategies and operations to survive and thrive (Christensen, 2013). At the same time, there is a growing consensus that business has the responsibility to play a central role in creating a better world through more sustainable ways of managing their organizations (Laszlo, Cooperrider & Fry, 2020; Polman & Winston, 2021). The Academy’s theme for 2022 is Creating a Better World Together. The qualities needed in managers in such a world could be the empathizing and synergizing quality, the visionary and transformative quality, the moral quality, and more. All these and similar qualities can be subsumed under the idea of an integral (Wilber, 2000), holistic (Dhiman, 2017), higher consciousness (Maheshwari, 2021), quantum empathy (Pavlovich, 2020), or quantum management (Laszlo, 2020), towards the appreciation of the total interconnectedness (Tsao & Laszlo, 2019) and oneness of the world (Laloux, 2014). One of the challenges to be discussed on this path is what new concepts, holistic and functional, are emerging to model the future of collaboration in organizations? From an increasing convergence of quantum science and spirituality, we hope to offer a useful, grounded, and generative perspective called quallaboration that could offer a new ontology and epistemology for the new interconnected world. This may be the key to accelerating pro-social and pro-environmental behaviors for business-led flourishing.