Queer futuring: an approach to critical futuring strategies for adult learners

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop queer futuring strategies that take into consideration adult learners’ needs in support of transformational and sustainable change for social justice and equity. Design/methodology/approach This paper develops the construct of queer futuring, which engages queer theory perspectives in a critical futures framework. Adult learning theory informs queer futuring strategies to support adults and inform education to sustain transformational changes for social justice and equity. Findings With social justice in mind, queer futuring opens spaces and supports opportunities for adults to engage in learning activities that address historical and layered forms of oppression. Building on learning needs of adults to create meaning and make a difference in the world around them, queer futuring strategies provide tools for activism, advocacy and building new relationships and ways of being-with. Research limitations/implications The sustainability of our current system of growth and financial well-being has already been called into question, and the current pandemic provides tangible evidence of values for contribution, connection and concern for others, even in the midst of political strife and conspiracy theories. These shifting values and values conflict of society point to the questions of equity and narrative inclusivity, challenging and disrupting dominant paradigms and structures that have perpetuated power and authority “over” rather than social participation “with” and harmony. Queer futuring is just the beginning of a bigger conversation about transforming society. Practical implications Queering spaces from the perspective of queer futuring keeps the adult learner and queering processes in mind with an emphasis on affiliation and belonging, identity and resistance and politics and change. Social implications The authors suggest queer futuring makes room for opening spaces of creativity and insight as traditional and reified rationality is problematized, further supporting development of emergentist relationships with the future as spaces of possibility and innovation. Originality/value Queer futuring connects ethical and pragmatic approaches to futuring for creating the kinds of futures needed to decolonize, delegitimize and disrupt hegemonic and categorical thinking and social structures. It builds on queer theory’s critical perspective, engaging critical futures strategies with adult learners at the forefront.

Social Queues (Cues): Impact of Others’ Waiting in Line on One’s Service Time

The traditional queueing literature assumes that service time is largely independent of social influences. However, queues are social systems; and social considerations are therefore likely to impact customers’ service time decision to the extent they have control. Through a series of experiments, we show that when others are waiting in line, customers tend to accelerate their own service time, and in doing so, sacrifice their own consumption utility. This behavior is driven by concern for others. Notably, the effect is diminished when they themselves have waited, as it is perceived as fair to let others wait if one also had to wait. We further show that obscuring the visibility between customers in service and those waiting in line diminishes the negative effect of others queueing on one’s own service time. This paper was accepted by Jay Swaminathan, operations management.

Three C’s conception of giftedness: A call for paradigm shift

Most conceptions of giftedness overly focus on the gifted “individual” and leave out the social and global context in which the individual grows. However, human lives are intricately interconnected. An individual’s actions can have large effects on other individuals, societies, and nature. In this article, I argue a paradigm shift is needed in the way giftedness is construed today. I draw on the three C’s conception of giftedness in which gifted behaviors are seen as an interplay of competence in action, commitment to task, and concern for others. I discuss seven profiles of gifted behaviors: Profile 1—competent (high competence); Profile 2—committed (high commitment); Profile 3—concerned (high concern); Profile 4—indifferent expert (high competence and commitment); Profile 5—amateur altruist (high commitment and concern); Profile 6—uncommitted thinker (high competence and concern); and Profile 7—fully developing talent (high competence, commitment, and concern). Further, I discuss how this taxonomy can inform education and identification practices in gifted education.

Servant and Shepherd Leadership in Higher Education

To lead, you must serve, mentor, and teach others. Servant leadership is the systematic process of developing the needs of servants ahead of those leaders found within private or public institutions. Shepherd leadership individually provides others with empowerment and achievement to perform well. The principle behind effective leadership is based on the interplay of responsibility, respect, care, and working with people, not against people. Ultimately, leadership is about character and substance. Using the distinct characteristics of servant leadership and shepherd leadership is to promote and foster the development of successful individuals and relating well with individuals through care and a strong commitment. Honest and caring concern for others leads to empowerment and emotional support, which inspires the members to embrace the needs of the organization. This creates a mentoring and learning environment in higher education that is conducive to producing optimal performance from their faculty, staff, and students.

Neoliberal Impression Management

This chapter discusses the nexus between digital networks and neoliberal transformations since the 1980s. We describe how on social media, people orient around a variety of metrics in order to build and display their ‘human capital’, projecting their preferred electronic doubles of themselves in order to gain desired recognition from others, and in many cases to network and showcase a ‘professional’ identity directly in the interests of career advancement. We discuss this in light of a theory of ‘neoliberal impression management’, which we introduce in reference to the ideas of Erich Fromm, Erving Goffman, and Michel Foucault. In our theory of neoliberal impression management, a person forges a spectacular self through which their actions and interactions are displayed in ‘public’ view. In doing this, they also amass publicly viewable metrics (likes, shares, followers, etc.) that suggest an ‘objective’ value. This cultural development moves toward self-centeredness, narcissism, and attention-seeking, and away from genuine concern for others and connection with them. This feeds the potential for numbness to – if not outright acceptance of – political cruelty and injustice.

Study of Forming Factors Electronic Word of Mouth (EWOM) and Its Influence On Purchasing Fruit Products at Kojama Shop

Kojama Shop is an online platform that markets avocado butter products. To win the competition, Kojama Shop must improve Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) by knowing the factors that form eWOM and their effect on purchases. This study aims to determine the factors that form eWOM on the purchase of fruit products at the Kojama Shop and the influence of the factors formed from eWOM on the purchase of fruit products at the Kojama Shop. The selection of research places is intentional. The target of research is the follower of the Kojama Shop Instagram account that has already bought and consumed butter avocado fruit products at least 2 times, aged at least 18 years, and actively using social media Instagram. Data retrieval using survey methods through online questionnaires using Google forms. Sampling using the Unknown Population formula, the study took 151 respondents. Data analysis uses descriptive and multiple linear regression. The results showed that there are 5 factors of eWOM: Concern for Others, Expressing Positive Feelings, Economic Incentives, Helping the Company, and Platform Assistance. These five factors have a significant influence together and an individual towards the purchase.

Misery Loves Company

When one is going through a personal hardship, it is often comforting, or emotionally helpful, to hear from someone else who has gone through something similar. This is a common, familiar human phenomenon, but this chapter argues that it is philosophically puzzling. Unless one is in some sort of moment of vice, one would not want the other person to have suffered the hardship, and one should be pained to hear that they have. And yet the phenomenon is that hearing about their similar hardship makes one feel better, rather than worse. Why is that? The chapter considers a range of intuitive replies. It argues that while each might be part of the story, none resolves the puzzle. There remains a question why the phenomenon does not reflect a vice of insufficient care or concern for others. It then considers two possible answers, drawing on ideas from Adams and Bommarito, but argues that neither is satisfactory. The aim of the chapter is to bring out the puzzle and show that it is difficult to resolve. But it ends with a suggestion as to a resolution.

An Analysis of the Quality of Life of Older Women in New Zealand 2001, "I'm Still Me Inside"

<p>This study explores the quality of life for one hundred and seventy-five older women from many parts of New Zealand, who are no longer in full-time paid employment. The women were self-selected through a process of social networking and have responded to a questionnaire on the quality of their life. Sixteen of the women living in the greater Wellington area were interviewed. Demographics such as age, marital status, income and education were obtained. The project examines some of the variables and their interactions, which contribute to the quality of life for older women. These are income, housing, health, social connectedness and life cycle events within the context of individual and societal attitudes. The respondents have been grouped in younger and older cohorts, those women under or over 75. The study records their subjective perceptions of material wellbeing and health together with their thoughts and feelings about this stage of their life. The women's awareness of being valued, and by whom they were valued made a significant contribution to the quality of their life, as did a sense of belonging and being useful in the locus of family and community. Good health coexisted with illness and disability, but costs associated with healthcare were of concern. They took pride in the skill of 'making do', a legacy of war and depression. Respondents were clear that a positive attitude was necessary for coping with older age and that owning your own home contributed to their feeling secure. For most participants New Zealand Superannuation was their main source of income. While there was considerable diversity in their situations, relating to their previous life history, this study indicates that most of the older women felt comfortable with their life, despite some perceptions of 'ageism' in the community. They expressed concern for others rather than themselves.</p>

An Analysis of the Quality of Life of Older Women in New Zealand 2001, "I'm Still Me Inside"

<p>This study explores the quality of life for one hundred and seventy-five older women from many parts of New Zealand, who are no longer in full-time paid employment. The women were self-selected through a process of social networking and have responded to a questionnaire on the quality of their life. Sixteen of the women living in the greater Wellington area were interviewed. Demographics such as age, marital status, income and education were obtained. The project examines some of the variables and their interactions, which contribute to the quality of life for older women. These are income, housing, health, social connectedness and life cycle events within the context of individual and societal attitudes. The respondents have been grouped in younger and older cohorts, those women under or over 75. The study records their subjective perceptions of material wellbeing and health together with their thoughts and feelings about this stage of their life. The women's awareness of being valued, and by whom they were valued made a significant contribution to the quality of their life, as did a sense of belonging and being useful in the locus of family and community. Good health coexisted with illness and disability, but costs associated with healthcare were of concern. They took pride in the skill of 'making do', a legacy of war and depression. Respondents were clear that a positive attitude was necessary for coping with older age and that owning your own home contributed to their feeling secure. For most participants New Zealand Superannuation was their main source of income. While there was considerable diversity in their situations, relating to their previous life history, this study indicates that most of the older women felt comfortable with their life, despite some perceptions of 'ageism' in the community. They expressed concern for others rather than themselves.</p>