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The New “F” Word: Failure, Failure Identity, and the Slippery Slope of Assessing Child Ego Development amongst an Emergent Culture of Entitlement

Aedan Hanley

This paper will provide a discussion of some root causes for childhood entitlement behaviors and cognitions, as well as failure and failure identity development in the current generation. Acknowledgements are cited for the biopsychosocial development of personality types in parents nurturing the experiential development of entitlement, narcissism, and other fractured-ego developments in children. The consequences are discussed as projections of lifelong catastrophic emotional difficulties in personal and professional relationships. Limited research in this area exists; thus, other resources are cited (e.g., blogs and newsprint media sources). Theories surrounding ego development are analyzed. Evidence is provided for poor peer social adjustments and childhood dysfunctional ego development whereby promulgation of victimhood and entitlement are new cultural norms. Popular journal topics discuss a generation of children with failure identities and egocentric fears surrounding failure. The emergence of a new paradigm toward teaching families how to respect power in responsibility-making and leadership is discussed as a potential solution. Finally, a side note discusses the outcome of a singing contestant on ABC’s X-Factor television program as a backdrop metaphor for the topic of learned selfishness.

Innovation Leadership

Washica Little

In the business setting, leaders must exercise care when making decisions that impact employees, profits and other facets of the organization. However, in order to maintain a competitive advantage, they must also take risks associated with innovation. Even though innovation is the key to continued growth, leaders are often apprehensive about taking risks. All leaders fail at some point in time, but often they do not experience success without failure. This paper will provide a discussion of the risks and processes associated with innovation. A case study is presented which outlines the challenges and successes of a leader who balanced the risks and potential benefits of producing quality ladies apparel in uncertain market conditions.

Meeting the Needs of Adults Learners in the 21st Century

Garrett Gruwell & Cristie McClendon

Today, increasing numbers of adult learners are attending institutions of higher education. Adult learners often balance full-time jobs, family and community responsibilities, all while attending school. They also bring a wealth of experience and different expectations for their courses than their younger counterparts. Consequently, faculty members are often challenged to meet the unique needs of this population. Additionally, globalization, the changing demographics of the workforce and technology also provide challenges for faculty members as they design instruction for working adults. This article discusses the characteristics of adult learners and their expectations for coursework. Strategies are presented for instructors to consider as they work to meet the needs of this population. The article ends with a discussion of the characteristics that adult learner's value in faculty members.

The Critical Role of Strategic Management and Information Technology Outsourcing 

Riyad Naser

This paper explores the literature about strategic management in an attempt to illustrate and propose a change in the environment while maintaining an accurate reading on its capabilities to predict surrounding changes in the environment while maintaining an accurate reading on the pulse of internal stakeholders. Benefits derived from an outsourcing management decision, and subsequently, the extent of such decision, could limit or determine an organization’s future existence. Four steps are identified in order to arrive at a level of strategic management in which IT alignment with the business could be determined as a strength or weakness depending on the organization’s maturity level. Striking a balance between the organization’s needs while maintaining a core set of principles coupled with an informed decision-making process highlight the proposed model for arriving at an outsourcing decision.

Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

Washica Little

Cultural diversity within any organization can be beneficial to both the company and its employees. Corporate leaders should be well trained and educated in cultural diversity and aware of cultural nuances in order to succeed in a global marketplace. There are many advantages in appealing to a diverse group of people that could benefit an organization’s employees, consumers, vendors, and overall community. It is important that inter-personal relationships are fostered through cultural diversity education, teambuilding activities, solid recruitment programs, and ongoing organizational processes. Cultural diversity programs can serve as effective tools connecting organizations to the global marketplace.

Male Authority, Aggression, and the Pursuit of Acquiescence as Demonstrated in Zimbardo’s Prison Experiments

 Aedan A. Hanley

Qualitative research explores some of the prevailing theoretical, epistemological, and ontological roots of male cognitions surrounding aggression. Using Zimbardo’s classic social psychology case studies as a backdrop discussion, an exploration is provided for male aggression amongst Zimbardo’s college-aged participants acting as prison guards and inmates. Specifically, the behaviors and cognitions of the participants become all-too-real, and thus, are deconstructed through a series of biopsychosocial and mind-body theoretical perspectives which give possible explanation to why males (primarily heterosexual and in the general population of research) behave or have the propensity to behave aggressively toward others. The introduction discusses Zimbardo’s experiments into socialized male aggression, dominance, and acquiescence. Sociopolitical forces are considered as one construct which helped shape existing male behaviorisms. Situational forces are defined in the context of research into male social identity and military/law enforcement uniforms as projections of power and control. Further discussion of the probable root causes of male emotional dysregulation, gender norms, and group conformity is provided. Finally, biopsychosocial and predispositionary forces inherent in male aggression are defined as reasons for the male behaviors exhibited in Zimbardo’s experiments and for men in general.