This study sought to explore the utilization and perception of best practices by community-based technology training programs when instructing older adults to become technologically literate. The target population included adults age 55 years and older of the Baby Boomer generational cohort who ranged academically from possessing a high school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED) through a college degree and had enrolled in a local technology training program to improve their technological skill level with the goal of obtaining employment and/or to remain functionally independent. This study was conducted at three community technology training centers located in the southeast that offered computer training classes for both civilian and ex-military older adults and employed a mixed methods research design. Data was collected through a series of participant interviews, surveys, and class observations to establish an understanding of current participant computer literacy status, demographic details and experiences, class structure, the computer curriculum, and training execution. It was the intent of this study to help maintain increased focus on the necessity of reducing the present digital divide that exists between younger and older adults by highlighting the importance of designing technology training programs that incorporated both expert recommended best practices for instructing older adults, as well as the expressed benefit and personal needs of the Baby Boomer population being served by local technology training centers.

Det finns en hel del genomgående forskning kring hur arbetsgrupper fungerar. Angående fenomenet generationer finns det även relativt mycket forskning, dock är den forskningen främst ifrån USA. Går vi vidare till hur olika generationer fungerar i arbetsgrupp, speciellt i en svensk kontext, finner vi däremot en kunskapslucka. Arbetsgruppers dynamik och uppbyggnad har under lång tid varit ett stort forskningsämne. Att arbetsgrupper fungerar och är högpresterande är viktigt för organisationer då de ansvarar för många viktiga områden och uppgifter. Under senare tid har etnicitet, kultur och köns påverkan på arbetsgrupper varit faktorer som varit en trend inom forskningen. I skuggan av dessa har olika generationers påverkan blivit bortglömd. Därmed ville vi genom en kvalitativ forskningsmetod öka förståelsen för samspel, konflikter och utveckling i multigenerationella grupper. Genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med två arbetsgrupper ifrån olika företag fick vi ett empiriskt material med en svensk kontext som visade vad medarbetare i grupperna hade för egna erfarenheter och intryck av multigenerationella grupper. Uppsatsen visar att arbetsgrupper gynnas av att ha olika generationer i sin arbetsgrupp då de bidrar med olika styrkor och svagheter som kompletterar varandra väl. Konflikter var något vi vid uppsatsens början förväntade oss skulle finnas mellan generationerna, det visade sig dock inte vara något större problem enligt arbetsgrupperna. Trots olikheter mellan generationernas syn på värderingar, lojalitet och hierarki fungerar samspelet i arbetsgrupperna väl.

Recent literature shows an increased interest in generational differences among the workforce, particularly in Western societies. This has coincided with a focus on the role of women as successful leaders in the workplace. Despite this, the exploration and understanding of generational differences amongst female leaders in organisations has received limited attention, particularly in the South African context. The main purpose of the study was therefore to explore whether generational differences among women have an influence on how they approach leadership roles in a South African context. The study also sought to examine whether there are differences in gender identity across the generations as a result of socialisation. The study adopted a qualitative, life histories methodological approach to address the research purposes. Semi structured interviews were conducted with nine South African women in leadership positions from both the Baby Boomer and Generation X generational cohorts. The two generational cohorts were selected as they make up the majority of the current workforce while also being more likely, due to their age, of occupying leadership positions. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and were imported into Atlas.ti for data analysis. The findings indicated that mothers played a dominant role in the socialisation of women, while fathers were significantly less present in the women’s stories. In terms of the effect of socialisation on career and leadership expectations, Baby Boomers were taught that they should be ‘stay-at-home-mothers’ and after having raised their children could then begin their careers. Generation X believed that they could be career women just as easily as ‘stay-at-home-mothers’. Despite both generations favouring a transformational approach to leadership, each generation differed in the way it practiced leadership. Baby Boomers led in a shared, structured and empowering manner, whereas Generation Xs focused on being attentive, unlocking potential, identifying talents of followers, and assisting in the growth and development of followers within their leadership approach. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

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The purpose of this study was to help the reader hear and begin to understand each of the 4 generations, resulting in an awareness of how each generation perceived the world in general, and specifically its perception of work in an academic setting. The researcher studied 4 participants currently or formerly involved in the higher education environment; each represented one of the 4 generations examined and was studied through stories, autobiography, notes, conversations, interviews, family stories, and life experiences. Today's American workforce is unique in that never before has there been such a diverse group of individuals working together. Research suggests that the mixing of race, gender, ethnicity, and generation in the workforce of today is remarkable. First, the 4 generations in this qualitative study were identified. For this study, the generations were known as The Veterans or Traditionalists born approximately between 1922 and 1945, The Baby Boomers born approximately between 1946 and 1964, Generation X born approximately between 1965 and 1980, and Generation Y born approximately between 1981 and 2000. After the collection and analysis of the 3 sets of data (interactive interviewing, written descriptions, and descriptive observations), the researcher created a coding and catalog content analysis. Much of the researcher's work consisted of a process method of analysis to discover characteristics and patterns similar to the 4 generations represented in the qualitative Narrative Inquiry methodology. Through the narrative inquiry method of this qualitative study, the examination of multiple generations within the workforce produced more similarities than differences. Common ground spanning over 80 years was evident more often than not. All 4 generations ultimately wanted the same thing with regard to their jobs: an enjoyable job, fulfillment and purpose, good benefits and pay, a perspective on what is important, respect, stability in the company and job, validation, and appreciation (Gibson, 2009).

Occurrences of four generations working side by side are not unusual. The four generations include Traditionalist, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. Members of each generation have views and opinions about their work ethic and their definition of loyalty to the organization. Hiring managers will need to know characteristics of each generation. This knowledge will enable the hiring managers to place the applicant in certain positions within their organizations. By matching applicants with the correct work positions, employees are able to use their skills and abilities to be productive and to establish measurable goals for themselves and their departments. Productive work enables the employees to work individually and as a team member. The research has shown that each generation has its own strengths and weakness. Members of the older generations show characteristics that accommodate customer service and loyalty to an organization. Members of the younger generations have the technical knowledge and the ability to train others in order to use this technology to the benefit of the organization.

The hospitality industry is increasingly incorporating self-service technology, suchas online booking systems, automated check-in and check-out, and in-roomtechnology, to enhance the customer experience and streamline operations. However,there is limited research on the adoption and usage of self-service technology bybaby boomers (BB) in this industry. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring theadoption and usage patterns of self-service technology (SST) among BBs in thehospitality industry.The paper follows a deductive approach drawing upon the extensive literature on thetopic. With a proposed qualitative viewpoint, the purpose of the study is to identifythe BBs’ attitude when using SSTs in hotels, and furthermore, to understand in whatinstances consumers prefer human interactions over technological encounters. Theempirical data was obtained through interviews that were conducted among 10Swedish BBs. The findings then were analyzed through thematic analysis, towithdraw patterns, similarities and differences.The conclusion of this thesis shows BBs have different preferences when it comes toadopting SSTs. The attitudes ranged from enthusiasm, to avoidance and hesitation.However, the common theme that emerged among all three types of attitudes, wasthe fact that they all prefer to use SSTs as a complementary step to what the hotelstaff will provide. It was also proposed in order to encourage the SST hesitant orSST avoidant group, the service design should be straightforward and theinstructions must be clear.

Place branding refers to the strategical act of attaching a positive reputation to a geographical place. This concept is argued important due to its ability to boost places with advantageous lead when globally competing over financial, cultural and human resources. In 2015, the Nordic Council of Ministers accordingly adopted an official strategy for how to internationally brand the Nordic Region. The strategy includes illustrations of the Region, along with detailed goals on how the Nordics – natively called ‘Norden’ – should be associated and perceived.  Nevertheless, when dissecting the elements of which place-brands are made up by, it is found that residents ‘sense of place’ form an essential component to the quality and success of the place-brand. At the same time, it is recognized that people belonging to different generational groups typically carry different social and cultural frames of references, eventually influencing their perception of the world and potentially even their experienced sense of place.  This study has therefore aimed to examine the convergence between the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Place Branding strategy and the ‘sense of place’ experienced by residents of the Region. Additionally, by comparing results between two generational groups; the ‘Gen-z’s’ and the ‘Boomers’. Practically by answering up to the following research questions: (1) How is Nordic residents experienced ‘sense of place’ differing between generational groups? And (2) How are the outcomes in RQ1 standing in relation to the Nordic place branding strategy?  The study has applied a qualitative methodology using surveys and gathering data from a total of 94 respondents, of which 49 have belonged to the Gen-z group and 45 to the Boomer group.   Concludingly, it has been found that residents’ sense of place in the Nordics in fact is differing between generational groups. In broad, the differences are reflected by a strong sense of Nordic belongingness among Boomers, however, in combination with a sense of the Nordics that is further away from what the strategy is intending to communicate. On the other hand, the Gen-z’s are found to have significantly lower sense of Nordic belongingness, although, together with a more positive sense of the Nordics, that also is more in line with strategy.

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Abstract  Title: Self-service technology and baby boomers: An empirical study of baby boomers’ acceptance towards self-service technologies in supermarkets. Authors: Casper Elheim, Eric Lindén & Hannes Löfquist Institution: Linnaeus University, School of Business and Economics. Program: Detaljhandel and Service Management (180 hp)  Course: 21VT-2FE67E Supervisor: Christine Tidåsen  Examiner: Selcen Öztürkcan Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to study the personal characteristics of baby boomers, and how these characteristics are affecting the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of SSTs. Furthermore, how the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, in turn, are affecting the attitudes towards actual system use.  Method: A qualitative interview study was conducted to collect the data required to address the research question and purpose of the degree project. The approach is inductive, with a few deductive elements.  Conclusions: The personal characteristics of an individual within the baby boomer generation did not have the expected impact on the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of self-scanning. Decreases and increases in technology innovativeness caused changes in perceived usefulness, and self-efficacy and technology anxiety only affected each other.