#Enterprise project management strategies

[orangescrumblog]

How Project Management for Startups Differs from Enterprises

Explore the differences in project management for startups vs. enterprises. Learn how startups and enterprises prioritize and manage their workflow.

Read the full blog

[lovetreats]

in the shadows.

superhero!nanami kento x gn!assistant!reader

LOVETREATS .ᐟ navi. jjk m.list.

anon . . . Hii I’d love a nanami headcannon of him being a super hero

synopsis .ᐟ the head of nanami enterprises by day, a masked hero by night. nanami kento has a routine: work, train, fight crime, help people, and maybe get a couple hours of sleep. but when ijichi manages to persuade him in hiring another helping hand for the company, he relearns a couple of things he thought he’s forgotten. [ part of the 'behind the mask' project. ]

content .ᐟ superhero!nanami, superhero!au, nanami is sorta like batman (you'll see why i said 'sorta'), nanami has two personas but both are serious because that's just how he is, expect cliches, nanami's a ceo, reader kinda just. says whatever's on their mind

chapters .ᐟ one | two | three | four | five

a/n .ᐟ this is uhhh somewhat of a slow burn? sooo expect multiple parts... also this... kinda doesnt feel like a headcanon but OH WELL enjoy this scenario/headcanon <3 ( i've rewritten this so many times it's insane )

superhero!nanami who dons his mask every night, ensuring that the citizens of tokyo are safe from the dangers that lie in wait within the shadows.

superhero!nanami who thwarted mahito's harmful plans of leaking toxic laughing gas in an apartment complex, a blank expression on his face as mahito tries to worm his way out of nanami's grip. he turns him in to agent higuruma, who merely nodded when he says his thanks.

superhero!nanami who doesn't care about what people say about him. whether they think of him as a hero, a villain, or a vigilante, he does not concern himself with the media's perception of him. his priorities and focus are all solely on ensuring the city of tokyo is safe.

superhero!nanami who stays in the shadows of tokyo, always lurking, observing, and on the move.

superhero!nanami who, at first, denies ino takuma pleads of fighting crime in the shadows with him, until ino manages to save a severely injured nanami from certain death.

superhero!nanami who guides and trains ino in his ways. "we have a no-kill rule here," he states. before ino could ask him why, nanami continued on, "every person deserves a second chance. some of the 'criminals' are sometimes just people trying to get by, resorting to illegal activity to stay afloat."

superhero!nanami who looks ino dead in the eye and says, "but i understand that there are some people out there who are nothing but vile and corrupt." he stands up and hands ino a black mask. "... humanity is better off without people like them."

superhero!nanami who greets ijichi with a tired smile and introduces ino, telling him he'll be living with them from now on.

superhero!nanami who raises a brow when ijichi tells him that he's hired a personal assistant for nanami. "there's no need for that, you and i are competent enough—" ijichi cuts him off, "nanami, sir, we need another helping hand around to oversee the enterprises. i'm busy enough with helping you with information, and you're busy enough prowling around tokyo—you even have a sidekick to train too."

superhero!nanami who sighs in defeat and waves one hand. "alright, but only one person."

ceo!nanami who flips through your resume (along with the printed background check that ijichi had per nanami's request for each candidate) for several minutes before setting the folder down on the table.

ceo!nanami who glances at ijichi and points at the small, square picture of you. "they look reliable." ijichi nods and bows before he starts on making arrangements, emailing you a concise message, informing you of being the chosen applicant to be nanami's personal assistant.

ceo!nanami who does a double take when he sees you already typing away on the computer with a purpose. it was only 6am. nanami clocks in early because he barely sleeps and uses his time to train, plan different strategies, or fix or upgrade his equipment before coming in to work. why the hell were you here so early? the employees start work 9am.

ceo!nanami who asks you, "did ijichi inform you that work starts 9am?"

ceo!nanami whose eyes slightly widen at your response. "yes, sir. he also informed me of your schedule, and since i will be overseeing the company with you, i decided to follow your work schedule." you state after bowing.

ceo!nanami who tells you, "you don't have to clock in early. no need to be rigid either."

ceo!nanami who can't help but crack a half-smile when you said, "sorry, sir. being this rigid comes from experience." though he's unsure if you were joking or not.

ceo!nanami who isn't used to having someone that isn't ijichi follow him around. "sir, your appointment with mr. gojo satoru is in a few minutes. i can handle signing the papers for the nanami foundation."

ceo!nanami who feels like he's about to pop a vein when gojo starts teasing him with you. "nanamin! it's like they know everything about you!" gojo exclaims in joy. "... because they're my personal assistant," nanami states, tone filled with annoyance, rubbing the temples of his forehead with his middle finger and thumb.

ceo!nanami who sighs, exasperated. "what's the meeting for, gojo?"

superhero!nanami ceo!nanami who furrows his brows when gojo's expression turned into something more... serious. urgent.

superhero!nanami ceo!nanami who clenches his fists when gojo tells him that mahito got out of prison, to which gojo made yuji and megumi follow after him as quiet as possible. when they came back, their eyes were filled with fear. it looked like mahito was planning something terribly sinister.

superhero!nanami ceo!nanami who told gojo to meet him tonight at his cave. they needed a plan, stat.

all rights reserved © LOVETREATS. all fanfics belong to me. do not repost or claim my content as yours. do not recommend on any other platforms any of the works seen here.

[awesomefringey]

Hii! So, I don’t know if you believe in Ziam or you’re just larrie, but it doesn’t really matter. I believe, 100%, in both. The only odd thing is why cannot they be free/out? It’s 2024. It has been 14 years since x-factor. Aren’t their contracts with Syco over? Are they still under Simon or what? I just don’t understand why can’t they say the truth when they’re all under different labels now.

Hey nonnie! This is such a good question. I’m not sure if what we referred to as “freedom” in 2015 means the same thing in 2024. The circumstances are so different these days. The real question is, what’s there to gain from coming out now?

Back then, they were trapped in the messy situation their management created to maintain the band’s squeaky-clean image and keep their most marketable band mates available as fantasy material for their main target group, teenage girls.

From the beginning of their careers, they were involved in stunts and actions designed to cover up their sexuality and provide enough tabloid fodder for the British press to keep the band going. Their closeting strategies were always connected to the careers of others. Back then, all of One Direction. Later the careers of their popular girlfriends who have their own brands and enterprises to protect. It isn’t all that simple, if not near impossible to come out in 2024 without creating a huge scandal for so many people. I don’t think Louis or Harry want that for themselves or the people involved.

So these days, I think their idea of freedom is involves protection of their privacy and their love life from the general public and the gossip tabloids. Another factor is being able to turn their “weakness” into their strength by utilizing romance to their benefit, since dating will always be their most influential tool to get attention around themselves, their art, their projects, their endorsement deals.

As much as I’d love to see a British Vogue cover shoot featuring them in a South English castle (Louis in Harris Tweed like he stepped out of Peaky Blinders, towering behind Harry who is lounging on an expensive sofa in a silky onesie. Louis’ hand softly lying on Harry’s shoulder, Harry’s hand on top, both staring at the camera) with a headline like "But Daddy, I Love Him" and a ten-page interview explaining why they had to hide and why they’re done now…

I think the reality would be quite different... Such a personal statement would likely lead to excruciating exploitation, with countless exclusives from people around them who were once bound by NDAs, and a flood of articles about their exes, all trying to salvage their reputations and explain their roles in keeping the two hidden. To me, nothing about this scenario sounds like “freedom”.

[fatehbaz]

Scientific knowledge and technology played a significant role in the expansion of colonial rule in India and the consequent incorporation of the Indian sub-continent into the [commercialized, imperial] world-system [...]. The colonization of nature, territory and people in British India led to a mutually constitutive interplay [...].

By the time the East India Company managed to establish a foothold in Bengal in 1757, [...] [a]fter the acquisition of the formal rights to collect revenues in the states of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, the issue of obtaining accurate information about the extent of the produce, the population and other social statistics assumed significance. The detailed scientific surveys [...] were possible due to the large number of amateur scientists employed by the Company. Over time, these surveys played a major role in the transformation of a trading company into a colonial state [...] and the incorporation of India into the modern world-system. [...]

---

Considered the founder of British geography, James Rennell arrived in India in 1760 barely three years after the decisive battle of Plassey. Rennell’s cartographic skills caught the attention of the governor of Bengal presidency, who was ‘anxious to inaugurate some system for correcting and revising the geography of Bengal’ [...]. Rennell’s mapping out in great detail the area under the Company was indispensable for the rationalization of the extraction of surplus, administrative strategies and techniques of control. [...] In 1777 he left for England, and two years later he published the Bengal Atlas that led to his election to the Royal Society. [...] With reference to the ‘science wars’, [...] Rennell’s work was also incorporated in the key text[s] of the time, C. Lyell’s Principles of Geology (1830) [...] [and] the work of [...] Humboldt and Carl Ritter. Rennell’s surveys contributed to the organized [...] surveys [across wider regions of India] that followed after the defeat of Tipu Sultan of Mysore in 1799. [...] [Mysore's] sustained resistance to British power had a major impact on the general consciousness in Britain. [...]

Thomas de Quincey extolled the virtues of the ‘British bulldog’ against [...] the tyrannical ‘Bengal tiger’ [...]. The scientific knowledge that emerged as a consequence of the surveys of Mysore contributed [...] to the consolidation of administrative power [...]. The key figures associated with the surveys [included] Colin Mackenzie [...]. Mackenzie’s ethnographic notes contributed to imperial perceptions of the [...] [people of South Asia] and the grid of anthropological knowledge through which administrative power was deployed. [...]

---

Nature, culture and colonial power were inextricably implicated in the production of scientific knowledge and of colonial society. [...] The establishment the Public Works Department in 1854 provided fresh impetus for the deployment of science and technology in grappling with problems precipitated by colonial rule. Declining revenues for the Company focused attention on gigantic irrigation and other public works projects. [...]

The irrigation projects were expanded to include the railways (1849), the telegraph (1852), and the postal system (1850). Together, they represented the largest state-sponsored enterprise undertaken anywhere at that time. Lord Dalhousie, under whose tenure these projects were inaugurated, declared the railways, the telegraph and the postal system as the ‘three great engines of social improvement’.

His predecessor William Bentinck had already termed the railways ‘the great engine of moral improvement’ in a country ‘cursed from one end to the other by the vice, the ignorance, [...] the barbarous and cruel customs that have been the growth of ages under every description of Asian misrule’ [...]. Later observers were to wax ever more eloquent on the role of the railways in the modernization of India. For W. A. Rogers of the Indian Civil Service, railways ‘are opening the eyes of the people … they teach them that speed attained is time, and therefore money, saved or made’ (Adas1989: 226). The importance of a network of railways, connecting the cotton plantations of the Deccan region to the ports became significant especially during the 'cotton famine' of 1846 [...].

---

Almost immediately after Dalhousie left India, secure in the belief that the double engines of moral improvement and legitimacy were at work, the rebellion of 1857 put an end to such expectations. The rebellion was partly triggered in response to the wide-ranging transformations [...] triggered off by the introduction of [these] new [colonial infrastructures] [...].

In the end, the rebellion was violently suppressed by the very technologies that had precipitated it in the first place. [...]

---

All text above by: Zaheer Baber. "Colonizing nature: scientific knowledge, colonial power and the incorporation of India into the modern world-system". British Journal of Sociology 52(1), pages 37-58. April 2001. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism purposes.]

[annerly-san]

Love and Deep Deadlines | A LaDS Corporate AU - Chapter 2

Summary:

Amidst the cut throat culture of Onyxion Enterprises where cutting-edge innovation is overshadowed by corporate chaos, no one talks about how hard it is to be an intern.

Alongside Caleb, the sales department smooth-talker; Zayne, the cold and unflappable CTO; Xavier, a director who might as well be an intern himself; and Rafayel, the overly dramatic Creative Director who brings his own flair to every meltdown, our intern is just trying to survive the workday. Oh, and don’t forget Onyxion’s very own CEO, Sylus, a walking HR violation who gets off on terrorizing his employees.

In this company, will love bloom before the deadlines run deep, or will the company go under first?

Chapter Navigation: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ?

Alternative AO3 link:

I settled into my desk, making the rounds to introduce myself to my peers.

The warm welcomes helped to calm my nerves as I was just asked to settle down for now and watch some training videos on the overarching strategy within our marketing department.

It was truly corporate when there were hundreds of acronyms thrown at you left and right with the expectations that you already knew them.

I let out a sigh of relief, seeing that there was a pdf of the list buried in the Sharepoint file manager under “New Employee Resources”.  We love a self-aware corporation.

The twenty page long document was intense, and my monitor and docking station had not yet arrived.  The task of watching the training videos whilst taking notes and trying to find the acronyms required the usage of multiple screens.  My small laptop screen wouldn’t cut it.

At least the documentation for most things was there for a new employee.  The printer had step-by-step instructions on how to set up the network printer and get your print from the queue with your protocore identification band.  It should work with any printer in the building.

I sent the acronym list to the printer; a printer should be around here somewhere.

I stood up and wandered through the rows of cubicles, searching for the nearest one.

The rows of cubicles stretched out like a field, divided on occasion by a floor-to-ceiling divider to separate specialized teams, and I wandered through the rows peering occasionally around to see if there was a hidden printer somewhere.

After wandering for a good while, it all looked the same to me.

I was lost.

Were all office buildings like this?  Everything looked the exact same, how would you know where to go?

I’m sure that Caleb had the same problem and probably painted his cubicle with extravagant stripes of orange and blue and filled his space with model planes and apples to find his spot better, but I wasn’t employed in any permanent position to be decorating my own cubicle like that.

I turned the corner, finding a printer was no longer the priority as there was a rising panic that I’ve lost my way back to my team’s room.

My dread was interrupted by a loud banging in one of the corridors.  Curious, I traced the source.  Tucked against a partition, was my original objective for leaving my desk - a printer!

But along with finding my goal, I stumbled on the interesting sight of a man with short blonde hair fiddling with the control panel, occasionally hitting it with his hand in frustration and giving it a kick for good measure.  His aggravated assaults on the poor machine were the source of the banging sounds that I heard earlier.

“Why are you not working?” he groaned into his hand.

Did he not know how to use the printer?  Maybe he is an intern like me?  I’m sure that if I didn’t find the printer guide earlier, I would have been doing this exact same thing.  The thought of finding another co-worker in a similar position gave me the confidence to interrupt his frustrations.  “Is the printer not working?” I asked, approaching him with a friendly smile.

He turned to face me, blue eyes locking with mine as I saw  the annoyance behind them, but he was professional enough to not let it be directed at me.  “I don’t know how to work this stupid thing,” he muttered, hitting the printer again.  “Ah, sorry.”  He rubbed his head abashedly.

I jumped at the sound, but quickly got over it.  “That’s ok!” I said with some optimism in my voice.  “Can I try?”

Interns should help one another out.  I gave him my name as an introduction, extending my hand to shake his.  “I’m new here!  I’ve just started as an intern!”  He locked eyes with me and gave me a friendly smile, nodding at my words and grabbing my hand with a firm shake.  I beamed at the prospect of a new friendship.  “I read the printer guide, do you think I can try and see if I can help you out?”

 “Please do.  Go ahead.  My name’s Xavier, by the way.”

A sense of happiness coursed through me as I thought that I could make friends with a fellow intern this way.  We could help each other out.  If we’re on the same floor, he would be in marketing as well.

I tapped my wrist on the flat panel scanner, the printer humming and blinking green as it authenticated me.  My documents populated in the queue and I made sure that the right one was selected before entering in final specifications and hitting print.

My acronyms worksheet came out on warm paper, double-sided and stapled neatly in the corner.

“Hey!  I got it to work!”

Xavier looked stunned as he went back and forth staring between the stack of papers in my hand and the printer.  “...That’s amazing…!”  He looked at me dead in the eyes.  “You’re telling me you did that without black magic?  Or several tickets with the IT desk?  Hours on the line with them into the dead of night?  Are you sure you’re just an intern?”

I laughed and gestured to his hand for his protocore id band.  “What are you printing?  Want me to help you?”

Xavier let a small smile crawl up onto his lips as he nodded.  “Yes, please!”

He watched eagerly as I showed him how to use his protocore band to authenticate with the server and pull his documents off of the cloud.

I couldn’t suppress the laughter bubbling in me as he was so thrilled that the printer could also staple and hole punch the sheets.

He finally held up his stack of documents in awe.  He called my name.  “You’re amazing!  Thank you!”

“It’s no big deal!  I’m happy to help a fellow intern out!”

“Hm?  Intern?”  He looked confused at my words, but I was too excited to focus on that part and the words came out of my mouth before I could stop it.

“Let’s be friends!  I’m new, so I haven’t met anyone yet, but I was happy to run into you here, Xavier!”  There was a slight flush on his face, and I felt that perhaps this wasn’t how you made friends in the corporate world.  “O-oh, unless you don’t want to, or you work somewhere else-.  I didn’t mean-”

“N-no, we could be friends!”  Xavier placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.  “I…I would like that.”

I couldn’t resist the smile on my face from the excitement of my first work friend.

But I was probably gone from my desk for long enough, and now that I had my prints, I should really head back.  The issue was that I just didn’t know where to go.  Perhaps Xavier did.  “By chance do you know where the product marketing group sits?  I got lost trying to find the printer,” I admitted, rubbing my head in embarrassment.  “It kinda looks all the same here, huh?”

“Oh, product marketing?  Yea, they sit over in group D3, do you want me to walk you there?”

“That would be great!  Only if you don’t mind!”

Xavier smiled at me.  “Not at all.  Let’s go.”

I trailed happily behind him with a skip in my step.

“We’re here.  Is this your desk?”  He pointed at the desk right by the door.

“Yep!  I sit here!  Hey, if you ever need me or just want to hang out just let me-”

“Huh?  Director Xavier?”  My words were cut off by Tara’s surprise.  “What brings you here?”

My brain short-circuited. Director Xavier?

“Oh I was just showing her the way back to her desk,” Xavier pointed at me.  The smile dropped from my face and cold chills ran down my spine.  He wasn’t an intern?  He was a higher up?  I was just prancing around the cubicles with him a minute ago.  We high fived each other and made a work bestie vow.  But he was one of the bosses?

The world was collapsing before my very eyes.  My 20-page printout of the acronyms nearly fell out of my hands.

“Oh so you’ve met our new intern already!” Tara clasped her hands together happily.  “We were going to introduce you later during the all-hands, but this works better!”  Tara turned to me, pulling me by the shoulder to turn and look at Xavier.  “As you know, we all report to Jenna, and Jenna reports to Director Xavier.  He oversees product marketing, so we’re one of the few groups that he manages.  You could say that he’s one of the bosses that we do a lot of work for.”

It took all my willpower to not let my jaw drop to the floor.

He was a director and I called him a fucking intern.  I asked if we could be buddies.  What kind of intern has the audacity to ask the director to be besties with her?

This might be my first and last day on the job.

“I-It was really nice to meet you, D-director Xavier-” my voice trailed off and I struggled to maintain eye contact with him after the embarrassment of calling him an intern earlier.

Xavier was much more composed than I was.  It was no wonder he was a director.  He gave me a kind smile, reaching out his hand to me.  I took it and watched it flop awkwardly as he shook it.  Tara looked at me with concern.

At this point, it doesn’t matter anymore.

“It was really great meeting you too.  If I have printer problems again or if you also want to hang out, I’ll be sure to drop by now that I know where you sit,” he stated before clutching the bundle of papers he printed close to his chest.  “Thanks for your help again.  I’ll see you around.”

My cheeks flushed red as I watched him leave - my eyes were burning holes into the cubicle walls.

Tara patted me on the back.  “Well look at you!  We were going to set up intros next week, but you’re such a go-getter!  Nice work!”

I felt my soul leave my body.

I wanted to go home.

I wallowed in my despair in the corner of my desk. My monitor and docking station were set up in a daze as I stared blankly at my screen, training content passing in one ear and right out the other.

What kind of employee calls their director an intern, asks to be friends, and hang out with each other?  And on their first day?

I buried my head in my hands as the memory of our interaction resurfaced in my head.

A loud ping from my laptop woke me from my trance.

[Caleb]: hows ur first day so far?  u hungry?

[Caleb]: wanna get lunch w me?

The messages from Caleb reminded me of the time.  At least I could catch a break after all of this.  I messaged Caleb back.

[Me]: bruh im gonna die ;(

[Me]: leggo to lunch pls.. where food at

I waited a few seconds, seeing Caleb’s chat icon pop up to indicate that he was typing.

[Caleb]: hold tight pipsqueak

[Caleb]: im on my way to get u ;)

[Me]: pls rescue soon ;(

I rolled back in my seat. The tapping of my fingers against the desk didn’t do much to calm my nerves. My mind was still spinning from the morning’s catastrophe with Xavier. I slumped further into my chair, practically melting into my seat. Lunch couldn’t come fast enough.

A series of soft taps outside the team room caught my attention, and then I heard Caleb’s voice. “Hey hey! How’s my second favorite team in Onyxion?”

Heads turned immediately—Caleb had that effect on people. He exudes effortless cool, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder and his collared shirt had a few buttons open with his tie hanging loose, a casual, almost lazy smile on his face.  He definitely wasn’t the type of person to mistakenly call their director an intern on his first day of work.

“Caleb!” “Oh, hey, Caleb!” “What’s up, dude?”

The chorus of greetings followed, with a few of them getting up from their desks to greet him like some kind of office VIP.

“Came to drop by?” someone asked, clearly curious why he was here.

Caleb grinned, glancing around the room. “Actually, I’m here to grab lunch with a special someone~!”  A few people paused mid-greeting, confused.  “My sister~!”

“Sister?” one of them asked, eyes darting around the room. “Who?”

Caleb looked around the cubicle openings before landing on mine with a wide grin.  He nodded in my direction, grin never leaving his face. “Right there!  That’s my Pipsqueak!”

All eyes snapped to me. I froze, feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze.  Had I not had the most mortifying experience of my life with Xavier, I would have been embarrassed by Caleb’s declaration of his nickname for me in front of all my peers.

“You guys didn’t know? She’s my baby sister,” Caleb clarified with a wink, clearly enjoying the reveal a little too much.

Tara blinked, processing the information before offering a warm laugh. “Well, that explains the VIP treatment!  It’s super hard to get Caleb out to lunch!  Why didn’t you say anything?”

I tried to smile and shrug, despite my burning cheeks.  Caleb chuckled and nudged me playfully. “Ready to go?”

I nodded quickly, eager to escape.

Once we hit the elevator, I let out a breath. “You couldn’t resist, could you?”  I punched him in the arm for ousting me as his sibling in front of all my coworkers.

Caleb grinned, completely unapologetic. “What? It’s more fun that way. Besides, now they know who’s watching out for you.”

I punched his arm, though there was no real force behind it. “You’re such a show-off.”

“Always,” he said, laughing as the elevator doors closed behind us.

We exited the elevator and made our way to the cafeteria. It was bustling with employees, the sound of chatter and clinking dishes filling the air. Caleb, of course, navigated through the crowd effortlessly, giving nods and smiles to people as we passed. It was like watching a politician on a campaign trail—everyone knew him, and more importantly, everyone liked him.

“Why do I feel like I’m walking next to a celebrity?” I muttered as we got in line for food.

Caleb smirked. “Because I am one.  Consider yourself lucky, pipsqueak.  You get to dine in the presence of an office celeb!”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “Of course you are.”

We grabbed our trays, and Caleb, true to form, picked up more food than anyone could possibly eat in one sitting. “You’re going to regret not grabbing a second sandwich,” he teased, nudging me with his elbow as we made our way to a table.

Just as we sat down, I spotted Xavier entering the cafeteria. I sank lower into my seat, hoping he wouldn’t see me. The embarrassment of earlier was still fresh in my mind.

“You okay?” Caleb asked, noticing my sudden change in posture.

I waved him off. “Yeah, just... avoiding someone.”

Caleb raised an eyebrow, leaning in with a grin. “Who? Someone I need to beat up for you?”

I snorted. “No, it’s just... Xavier.  Director Xavier…”

“The director?” Caleb’s eyes widened with mock surprise. “What did you do, pipsqueak? Spill it.”

I sighed. “I may or may not have called him an intern… and then asked him to be my friend… and to hang out with me…”

Caleb burst out laughing, causing a few heads to turn. “You... you called Xavier an intern?” he wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. “Oh, that’s priceless!  OH MY GOD, AHAHAHAHA!!!”

“Caleb, shhh!” I hissed, glancing around to make sure Xavier wasn’t within earshot. “I didn’t know he was the director!  My boss reports to him!  He’s like my big boss!!”

Caleb was still chuckling, clearly enjoying my misfortune far too much. “Well, at least you made an impression.”

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “He’s going to think I’m a complete idiot.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Caleb said, taking a big bite of his sandwich. “He’s a good guy. He won’t hold it against you. And besides, if he does, just let me know. I think I can take him in a fight.”

I shot him a look. “Don’t you dare.” Memories of Caleb getting into full-blown brawls all throughout school popped into my mind. He had a knack for turning a mild disagreement into a fistfight, and no one was ever quite sure what triggered him. A lot of people learned to steer clear of him after that, especially when they saw how quickly he could go from bright and happy to throwing punches in unbridled rage.

“Caleb...” I warned, but he just shrugged with that lazy grin.

“What? I’ve mellowed out. Mostly.” He winked.  “I wouldn’t punch a fellow co-worker unless they really deserved it ok?  And I’ll happily skip a paycheck to punch someone that made you mad at work.”

As Caleb and I sat there, still bantering back and forth, I saw Xavier heading our way with a tray of food. I froze for a second, but Caleb didn’t miss a beat.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Director Xavier!” Caleb called out, loud enough for nearby tables to turn and look.  “You got a dining buddy yet?  We got a seat open!”

Xavier raised an eyebrow but smiled as he approached. “I know that you get to know people fast, Caleb, but how do you know the new intern already?  I just met her today.”

Caleb chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “What can I say? You gotta network when you’re in sales.” He winked in my direction.

Xavier smiled at me as he sat down, setting his tray on the table. “Well, you’re a lucky intern. Caleb is a hard guy to get lunch with.  He told me the other day that I had to book a few weeks in advance.”

I had a feeling that it was sarcasm on Caleb’s end, but Xavier took it seriously.  I bit my lip to maintain a straight face.

Caleb grinned, not missing a beat.  “What can I say? I’m in high demand.” He took a sip of his drink, then leaned forward with a smirk. “But I can always make an exception for my sister.”

Xavier raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “Sister? I didn’t know you had family.”

“Not by blood,” Caleb clarified, casting a glance at me. “But close enough. Grew up together, so she’s practically my pipsqueak now.”

I smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit exposed.  I let out an awkward chuckle.

Xavier gave me a kind smile and glanced at us. “You know, I’ve worked with Caleb on a few projects before, and I can tell you—if he’s got your back, you’re in good hands.” His tone had sincerity behind it.

“See?” Caleb chimed in, pointing a thumb at Xavier. “Even he gets it.”

My initial discomfort with Xavier’s presence at the table quickly dissipated as the conversation flowed between the three of us smoothly.  He had a very laid-back personality that was very approachable once you got to know him.  Had I not been in a line of direct reports to him, I’m sure we would have been good work friends already.

The lighthearted banter continued for a moment until Xavier’s smile faded, and he turned to Caleb. His voice dropped in volume as he didn’t want others to overhear.  “Have you heard about what happened in the finance department? Sylus wasn’t happy.”

Caleb’s expression darkened slightly. “Yeah, I heard.  He’s pissed.  Which isn’t good.”

Xavier nodded, his usual easygoing demeanor slipping as he glanced around the cafeteria, lowering his voice. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this means restructuring.  With what happened in that department, I’m not sure if there’s going to be something worse.”

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, the playful mood from earlier now replaced with a sense of unease.

“You really think it’ll be that bad?” Caleb whispered to him, voice barely audible as he tried to keep the conversation discreet.

Xavier sighed. “The repercussions are company-wide.  You know how Sylus is.  He’ll trim the fat and parts of the actual cut.  He’s find with those losses as long as he can made a point.”

“I-Is something happening in the company?”  Xavier and Caleb looked over at me in surprise, not realizing that I was able to sense that something was awry and was a cause for concern.  Caleb’s gaze softened, noticing the worry growing on my face, and he gave me a reassuring smile. “We’ll be fine, Pipsqueak. Don’t worry, this is more of the director and above level stuff.  You got nothing to worry about.”

Xavier nodded, though his expression remained serious. “Caleb’s right.  This kind of thing doesn’t affect you or your role.”

The lunch wrapped up shortly after, but the unspoken tension of what Caleb and Xavier spoke of hung heavy in the air.

As we wrapped up lunch, Caleb nudged me playfully. “Back to work, Pipsqueak. Don’t want to keep your fancy new team waiting.” He shot a glance at Xavier. “And don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Xavier chuckled, standing up with his tray. “I have no doubt about that. Good luck with the rest of your day, and don’t be afraid to swing by if you need anything.” He gave me a reassuring nod before heading off, leaving Caleb and me alone at the table.

As we walked back toward the elevators, I couldn’t shake the weight of the conversation between Caleb and Xavier.

Once we reached the elevator, Caleb pressed the button and leaned against the wall, studying my expression. “You okay?”

I took a deep breath, “Sylus…is the CEO, right?  Why’s he upset?  What happened with the finance department?”

Caleb ruffled my hair like he used to when we were kids. “Hey, hey, I told you that it’s just the big boss stuff.  You know CEOs and the boss people, finance guys always make them mad.  The usual stuff.  It’s really nothing that an intern needs to worry about.”  He locked eyes with me, and I knew he was hiding something.  But the smile on his face betrayed the slightest bit of tension that I was able to tell from years of growing up with him.  Yet I knew not to press him further on it.  He was more stubborn than me when it came to these things.

I swatted his hand away with a laugh. “Ok, ok.  Anyways, thanks, Caleb.”

The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside, glancing back at him. “See you later?”

“Of course. Don’t get too comfortable. I’m picking you up at the end of the day,” Caleb replied with a wink.

The doors slid shut, leaving me alone in the quiet elevator. As the floor numbers ticked by, I recalled my first day so far.  How eventful.

As I settled back into my desk, a soft ping from my laptop caught my attention. An email notification from the company’s internal communications system appeared in the corner of my screen: Onyxion Announces New Acquisition of EverTech Biomedical Solutions .

Curiosity piqued, I clicked on the link, which led to a sleek press release page with an embedded video at the top. There he was—Sylus. He stood tall and confident, answering questions from a group of reporters with ease, every word meticulously measured yet effortlessly charismatic.

I leaned in, watching as Sylus spoke about the strategic acquisition, how EverTech would integrate seamlessly into Onyxion’s existing infrastructure, boosting their innovation pipeline and expanding their product portfolio. His tone was smooth and authoritative, but it was more than that. He had a way of speaking that made everything seem possible, like every challenge was just another stepping stone.. The way he fielded tough questions with calm precision was impressive, and I couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration. This was the kind of CEO that made waves in the industry—someone who commanded respect and attention without even trying.

Whatever the finance department did to make him upset, must have messed up majorly.  The conversation that worried me before disappeared from my mind completely as I continued to watch Sylus on my screen.

Watching him, it was hard not to feel a mix of awe and... maybe a little envy. He seemed to have everything figured out—the vision, the confidence, the power to turn ideas into reality. Everything I wasn’t sure I had. The kind of person who could get things done, while I still felt stuck, unsure of how to make my own ideas matter.

He’s the kind of person I’ve always wanted to be.

I shifted in my chair, a flicker of self-doubt creeping in. Sure, I had ideas. Sometimes I’d think about what I could do if I had the chance, if I had the kind of authority someone like Sylus did. But that was just it—I didn’t have any of those things. I was just an intern, watching from the sidelines, wondering if I’d ever be capable of contributing on that level.

Still, as the video played on, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something about Onyxion—about Sylus—that resonated with me. He wasn’t just another CEO. He was shaping the future, and part of me, deep down, wanted to be part of that. Even if I wasn’t sure how, or if I was good enough.

The video ended, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. There was something undeniably magnetic about Sylus, and I couldn’t help but feel a spark of admiration. Not that I’d ever have the chance to interact with him directly. People like him existed in a different world, one I wasn’t sure I could ever step into.

Another chime from my laptop reminded me to get back to work. I sighed, turning back to my training videos, but my mind was still lingering on the thought of what it would be like to be part of something bigger. He has the kind of vision I want to support... if I could even figure out how.

[celestialvoyeur]

💛💙SPIRK FIC REC💙💛

Aaaaah this was such a good AOS fic! 🥰

The Enterprise gets assigned to a long overdue federation investigation into the events of Tarsus IV. Jim is confronted with memories of his time there, his childhood leading up to his moving to the colony, and the aftermath of the massacre. All the while he falls back on an old coping strategy taught to him by his Grandpa Tiberius, knitting. 🧶

It’s a lovely mix of serious and fun and manages to tackle some big issues like mental health, trauma, abuse and homophobia. Definitely a worthwhile read 😁🖖

(It’s also set at Christmas so if you’re looking for a seasonal read then this is a good choice 🎄)

[hostpyters]

Welcome to Pyters: Your Partner in Entrepreneurial Success Start. Build. Grow.

Transform Your Business Vision into Reality

At Pyters, we believe every entrepreneur deserves a chance to succeed. Our comprehensive platform is designed to support you at every stage of your business journey – from idea to enterprise. Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale new heights, Pyters is here to guide you every step of the way.

Why Pyters?

Start Your Business with Confidence

Business Plan Templates: Craft professional business plans with our customizable templates. Legal Assistance: Navigate legal complexities with ease using our expert guidance and essential documentation. Market Research Tools: Gain valuable insights into your market, understand your audience, and outshine your competition. Step-by-Step Guides: Follow our detailed guides to launch your business smoothly and successfully.

Build a Strong Foundation Development Tools: Access a suite of tools for product development and service creation. Project Management Software: Streamline your workflow and enhance team collaboration with our integrated tools. Networking Opportunities: Connect with industry experts, mentors, and potential partners to grow your professional network.

Grow and Scale Your Business Marketing Strategies: Implement effective marketing campaigns to reach and engage your target audience. Financial Management: Manage your finances efficiently with our budgeting, accounting, and financial planning tools. Scaling Techniques: Learn proven strategies to scale your operations and enter new markets. Continuous Learning: Stay ahead with our ongoing educational resources and updates on the latest business trends. https://pyters.com

[darkmaga-returns]

There’s now another study to add to the list: Behavioral and Health Outcomes of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination: A Case-Control Study in Japanese Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises published in the journal Cureus. They found the following:

Despite ongoing waves of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, including significant surges such as the 10th wave, understanding the impact of messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccination on infection risk and associated behavioral changes remains crucial. This study aims to urgently evaluate the effects of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination on COVID-19 infection rates and related behaviors among participants of the Yamato Project, which includes employees of Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A case-control study was conducted using data collected from a survey administered by the Japan Small and Medium Enterprise Management Council in December 2023. Participants included individuals who were part of the Yamato Project, not necessarily limited to SME employees. The survey gathered information on demographic characteristics, COVID-19 infection status, vaccination history, health status before January 2020, and various preventive behaviors. The primary outcome was the presence or absence of COVID-19 infection. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between vaccination status and COVID-19 infection. A total of 913 participants were included in the final analysis. The adjusted ORs for COVID-19 infection among vaccinated individuals compared to unvaccinated individuals were 1.85 (95% CI: 1.33-2.57, p < 0.001). The odds of contracting COVID-19 increased with the number of vaccine doses: one to two doses (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.08-2.46, p = 0.020), three to four doses (OR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.35-3.08, p = 0.001), and five to seven doses (OR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.07-4.56, p = 0.033). Behavioral analysis indicated that a reduced frequency of bathing and exercising was significantly associated with higher COVID-19 infection rates (p < 0.05). The study observed a higher reported incidence of COVID-19 infection among vaccinated individuals during the pandemic period, which increased with the number of vaccine doses received. This paradoxical finding may be influenced by various factors, including immune response mechanisms, such as antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) or original antigenic sin, behavioral changes, and exposure risk. Understanding these factors is crucial for urgently enhancing public health strategies and vaccination programs.

[dpfocu]

OpenAI’s 12 Days of “Shipmas”: Summary and Reflections

Over 12 days, from December 5 to December 16, OpenAI hosted its “12 Days of Shipmas” event, revealing a series of innovations and updates across its AI ecosystem. Here’s a summary of the key announcements and their implications:

Day 1: Full Launch of o1 Model and ChatGPT Pro

OpenAI officially launched the o1 model in its full version, offering significant improvements in accuracy (34% fewer errors) and performance. The introduction of ChatGPT Pro, priced at $200/month, gives users access to these advanced features without usage caps.

Commentary: The Pro tier targets professionals who rely heavily on AI for business-critical tasks, though the price point might limit access for smaller enterprises.

Day 2: Reinforced Fine-Tuning

OpenAI showcased its reinforced fine-tuning technique, leveraging user feedback to improve model precision. This approach promises enhanced adaptability to specific user needs.

Day 3: Sora - Text-to-Video

Sora, OpenAI’s text-to-video generator, debuted as a tool for creators. Users can input textual descriptions to generate videos, opening new doors in multimedia content production.

Commentary: While innovative, Sora’s real-world application hinges on its ability to handle complex scenes effectively.

Day 4: Canvas - Enhanced Writing and Coding Tool

Canvas emerged as an all-in-one environment for coding and content creation, offering superior editing and code-generation capabilities.

Day 5: Deep Integration with Apple Ecosystem

OpenAI announced seamless integration with Apple’s ecosystem, enhancing accessibility and user experience for iOS/macOS users.

Day 6: Improved Voice and Vision Features

Enhanced voice recognition and visual processing capabilities were unveiled, making AI interactions more intuitive and efficient.

Day 7: Projects Feature

The new “Projects” feature allows users to manage AI-powered initiatives collaboratively, streamlining workflows.

Day 8: ChatGPT with Built-in Search

Search functionality within ChatGPT enables real-time access to the latest web information, enriching its knowledge base.

Day 9: Voice Calling with ChatGPT

Voice capabilities now allow users to interact with ChatGPT via phone, providing a conversational edge to AI usage.

Day 10: WhatsApp Integration

ChatGPT’s integration with WhatsApp broadens its accessibility, making AI assistance readily available on one of the most popular messaging platforms.

Day 11: Release of o3 Model

OpenAI launched the o3 model, featuring groundbreaking reasoning capabilities. It excels in areas such as mathematics, coding, and physics, sometimes outperforming human experts.

Commentary: This leap in reasoning could redefine problem-solving across industries, though ethical and operational concerns about dependency on AI remain.

Day 12: Wrap-Up and Future Vision

The final day summarized achievements and hinted at OpenAI’s roadmap, emphasizing the dual goals of refining user experience and expanding market reach.

Reflections

OpenAI’s 12-day spree showcased impressive advancements, from multimodal AI capabilities to practical integrations. However, challenges remain. High subscription costs and potential data privacy concerns could limit adoption, especially among individual users and smaller businesses.

Additionally, as the competition in AI shifts from technical superiority to holistic user experience and ecosystem integration, OpenAI must navigate a crowded field where user satisfaction and practical usability are critical for sustained growth.

Final Thoughts: OpenAI has demonstrated its commitment to innovation, but the journey ahead will require balancing cutting-edge technology with user-centric strategies. The next phase will likely focus on scalability, affordability, and real-world problem-solving to maintain its leadership in AI.

What are your thoughts on OpenAI’s recent developments? Share in the comments!

[theme-park-concepts]

I know this blog has been pretty quiet lately, and reflecting on it there’s a lot of reasons for it.

One is that this whole account started as a place to chart my journey from being obsessed fan to actually doing theme park design as a career…a journey that has for the most part run it’s course for now and has led to interesting unexpected places, and - mostly a good thing - quite a bit too busy to consistently post things.

But also during that journey, partially as a consequence of it, and even more so a consequence of how the industry has changed since I fell in love with it, and maybe just a bit of how things change over time…I find myself a bit less interested with theme parks, certainly as compared to my relationship with them most of my life.

I’m not uninterested, I still follow all the news, still actively planning to visit new ones, still think it would be fun to participate in designing one…but I just feel less invested. I think partially this is because I’ve had the platform to be able to say a lot of the things I’ve wanted to say, and now having said them, I simply have less on my mind. And maybe realized how few people in the field wanted to hear them.

Having had the chance to go to school for themed design, meet and get to know many of the people involved in it…it’s satisfied my curiosity and questions in many cases, and frankly been a bit dispiriting and disillusioning in others. Meeting your heroes is a very mixed bag.

I think ultimately though one of the reasons I find myself less interested in them, is they keep getting less interesting. It’s not just that I’m not thinking about them as much as I once did, I’m not going to them either, or even wanting to go. I’m finding myself much more interested in theatre, independent immersive events, traveling, exploring local hideaways etc.

The world of themed entertainment, at least in theme parks, has just been getting less and less interesting overall. There’s some really great stuff every now and then, but so many new attractions, parks, coasters seem interchangeable, formulaic, paint by numbers, more product-like than anything anyone actually cared about or had an opinion on. And I don’t say this to diminish the work the creatives, engineers, project managers, etc are doing…the work they do continues to be stellar…just in service of or stifled by strategies, philosophies, visions that I largely don’t find inspiring. Tbh a lot of the industry very much operates that way….you get a recycled master plan, and you get a recycled masterplan, you’re all getting the same masterplan!

And the stuff that genuinely is interesting and different ends up being placed behind enormous paywalls or placed in countries that aren’t safe for me to visit largely for the glorification of a couple investors…and that’s not particularly interesting either. Meanwhile touring musical theatre shows these days you can get great tickets for like $40. And most of those shows, despite being big business enterprises, still manage to say something worth saying.

There’s a whole ass brand new theme park being built by the 2nd biggest player in the industry and I can’t be bothered to do much other than glance at construction photos…and despite knowing many people who’ve been a part of it, I can’t say any of them seem particularly excited either. Though I can’t decide if it’s the fact the park is uninteresting, or that it’s just hard to care about when the governor of the state is banning ap psychology because kids might learn about gay people.

Suffice to say, this blog isn’t going away, I’ll be on tumblr until it literally stops functioning, but I just have less to say these days.

[rajasthan-political-leader]

The Story of a Prosperous Rajasthan: Col Rajyavardhan Rathore’s Vision

Rajasthan, the land of majestic palaces, golden deserts, and vibrant culture, is scripting a new chapter in its history — a story of prosperity and growth. With strong leadership and a vision for the future, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore has been at the forefront of this transformation. His dedication to development, innovation, and inclusivity has laid the foundation for a thriving and self-reliant Rajasthan.

A Legacy of Resilience and Valor

Rajasthan’s journey toward prosperity is rooted in its rich history of courage and resilience. From the valor of Maharana Pratap to the sacrifices of its brave soldiers, the state has always stood tall in the face of challenges. Today, the same indomitable spirit is driving its march toward progress.

The Foundation of Prosperity

Cultural Wealth: Rajasthan’s heritage is not just a source of pride but also a driver of tourism and global recognition.

Natural Resources: With its vast solar potential and mineral reserves, Rajasthan is poised to become a leader in renewable energy and industry.

Col Rajyavardhan Rathore: A Leader Shaping Rajasthan’s Future

Col Rathore’s leadership embodies a unique blend of vision, strategy, and commitment. As an Olympian and Member of Parliament, he understands the importance of discipline and teamwork in achieving goals. His initiatives reflect a comprehensive approach to development, ensuring that every citizen benefits from the state’s growth.

Key Pillars of a Prosperous Rajasthan

1. Infrastructure Development

Rajasthan’s transformation begins with its backbone: infrastructure.

Roadways and Highways: Improved connectivity has opened up opportunities for trade and tourism.

Smart Cities: Urban areas like Jaipur, Udaipur, and Jodhpur are becoming hubs of modern living and economic activity.

Rural Development: Focus on electrification, water supply, and healthcare has improved the quality of life in villages.

2. Economic Empowerment

Col Rathore’s efforts have been instrumental in boosting Rajasthan’s economy.

MSME Growth: Policies aimed at empowering small and medium enterprises have created jobs and strengthened local industries.

Investment Attraction: Events like the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit have brought in significant investments from global players.

3. Renewable Energy Revolution

Solar Power: With projects like the Bhadla Solar Park, Rajasthan is leading India’s renewable energy drive.

Green Jobs: Renewable energy projects are creating employment while ensuring sustainable growth.

4. Tourism as an Economic Driver

Rajasthan’s rich cultural heritage and natural beauty have been harnessed to boost tourism.

Eco-Tourism and Desert Safaris: Promoting sustainable tourism in regions like Jaisalmer and Ranthambore.

Infrastructure for Visitors: Improved facilities have enhanced the state’s global appeal.

5. Education and Skill Development

Quality Education: Initiatives to establish schools and colleges ensure access to quality education.

Skill Training: Programs to equip the youth with skills for emerging industries like IT, manufacturing, and tourism.

A Vision for Inclusive Growth

Col Rathore’s vision of prosperity is inclusive, ensuring that no region or community is left behind.

Women Empowerment: Schemes to provide education, healthcare, and financial independence to women.

Support for Farmers: Modern irrigation techniques, subsidies, and market access are transforming agriculture in the state.

Focus on Tribal and Rural Communities: Targeted programs are uplifting marginalized groups.

Challenges on the Path to Prosperity

Rajasthan’s transformation is not without challenges, including water scarcity, climate change, and rural poverty. However, proactive leadership and innovative solutions have ensured steady progress:

Water Management: Projects like the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project aim to address water shortages.

Sustainability Initiatives: Emphasis on green energy and eco-friendly policies mitigates environmental concerns.

A Prosperous Future Awaits

The story of Rajasthan’s prosperity is one of courage, vision, and relentless effort. Under the leadership of Col Rajyavardhan Rathore, the state is embracing modernity while staying rooted in its heritage. With continued focus on infrastructure, education, and sustainable development, Rajasthan is not just a symbol of bravery but also a beacon of progress in India.

[jonathanshaw4747]

Why Canadian Companies Prefer Digital Marketing Agencies over In-house Teams

In the ever-changing digital landscape of Canada, companies big and small have to make one very important decision: develop an in-house digital marketing team or hire the services of a dedicated agency. Far from being a routine operational issue, this choice has great implications for its competitive position, market relevance, and general growth trajectory. With the digital platform becoming increasingly complicated and the stakes of online visibility soaring high, a trend has definitely been witnessed across Canadian companies: that of choosing between the expertise and agility provided by digital marketing agencies over in-house teams.

Expertise and Specialization

This has been one of the major reasons for the tectonic shift in the approach of Canadian enterprises. Digital marketing is not a monolithic discipline but a constellation of specialized areas, each with its own particular demands in expertise. From SEO virtuosos to social media savants, content marketing maestros to PPC prodigies, agencies house a cadre of specialists under one roof. Such an assemblage of talent allows businesses to tap into a wellspring of knowledge that would be prohibitively expensive and logistically challenging to cultivate internally.

What is more, the digital marketing field keeps on changing 24/7, since that is when algorithms, best practices, and consumer behaviors change at the speed of light. This places agencies in a much better place to be updated due to their focus and the heterogeneity of their client base. They undertake heavy continuous learning and serious means of professional development investment to ensure that their strategies remain at the cutting edge of industry changes. This means a commitment to staying current translates into better marketing solutions for their clients-more effectively and innovatively.

Agency versus in-house: financial implications are huge and multi-dimensional. At face value, the retainers or project fees associated with agency services might appear huge. However, a close look will reveal that this is not true on the cost-efficiency level. By outsourcing an agency, a business may significantly reduce overheads like salaries, benefits, office space, and equipment, which are kept by full-time employees.

The next strong economic case lies in the fact that it can make that great sense of scalability and flexibility. It eases the opportunity to adjust marketing spend against seasonal demands, special campaign needs, or fluctuating economies without getting into the complexities of hiring or drastically reducing an internal team. That elasticity of resource allocation permits better budget efficiency and implores optimization of Marketing ROI.

Technology and Tools

The digital marketing arena is the haven for sophisticated tools and platforms-most of which come with heavy price tags, coupled with steep learning curves. Agencies, able to use economies of scale, invest in a wide array of premium software and technologies that would be financially unviable for most individual businesses to acquire. From advanced SEO tools to full-service social media management platforms, agencies arm their clients with the technological arsenal needed to drive marketing effectiveness.

Besides tools, agencies often have state-of-the-art analytics and reporting. These systems allow for the granular tracking of campaign performance, consumer behavior, and ROI. Insights gained from these advanced analytics become the powerhouse that drives businesses into making data-informed decisions and fine-tuning their marketing approaches with strategy precision.

Strategic Objectivity

One of the most overlooked benefits of hiring a digital marketing agency is the fresh perspective it brings to the challenges a brand faces. Sometimes a company's internal teams, despite being quite familiar with the brand, can suffer from tunnel vision or be stuck in paradigms. Agencies, drawing on diverse experience across industries and markets, have become a fertile source of new solutions and unconventional creative approaches, which for those within the organization can be virtually invisible.

This objectivity extends to performance appraisal as well. Large agencies are usually held to very tight KPIs through which they are accountable to deliver measurable results. The setup ensures a very transparent culture of business betterment, whereby the agencies fall under pressure to prove their strategies right and value-proposition-valid on a regular basis.

Time and Resource Management

For most Canadian businesses, more so for the SMEs, the job of dedicating or committing resources to build and maintain a fully-fledged in-house digital marketing team is surely going to distract them from their core business activities. By outsourcing such functions to an agency, this energy is freed for product development, customer service, and other mission-critical activities.

Furthermore, more often than not, agencies are in a much better position than in-house units to implement marketing initiatives. With the established processes, loads of already-vetted resources on standby, and a lot of previous work to its credit, an agency can consequently save time throughout the process from conceiving of the strategy to launching the campaign. This agility is paramount in the fast-paced digital landscape, where usually the early bird catches the worm.

Many of these digital marketing agencies boast of having an extensive industry network, including influencers, media, and technology partners that can open various doors of opportunity to collaboration. Beta programs and early access to new marketing channels/features fall into this category. To Canadian businesses, this is quite an invaluable asset that networks with potential new customers.

Moreover, most agencies have good relations with key platforms, such as Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, which provide them with the latest features, premium support, and, in some cases, almost privileged rates. More probably than not, such partnerships are passed on as tangible benefits to the clients to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their digital marketing initiatives.

As a sustenance of risks

The regulatory requirements associated with digital marketing, encompassing privacy, advertising standards, and the specific policies of these diverse digital platforms, make hazardous minefields for businesses. This adds further pressure on digital marketing agencies because they possess specialized knowledge and experience in ensuring that their clients work in conformance with these regulations. This becomes even more crucial in instances involving Canada, where there are regulations like CASL, which is anti-spam law dictating strict requirements on electronic messaging.

Additionally, the agencies adapt by nature through adaptation to market changes. Their diversified client bases and regular activities with businesses in various industries enable them to identify and respond to the change in consumer behavior, change in technology, or economic conditions very fast. Adapting to the situation at hand helps hedge against potential risks associated with sudden changes in the market which could render several marketing strategies irrelevant.

Performance and Results

What's arguably most convincing in the move towards agency partnerships is the attention to accountability and measurement of performance. Most of the agencies operate on performance-based models with clear KPIs and reporting structures that generate tangible means through which firms realize their marketing return on investment. In other words, therefore, the approach is results-based, with continuous optimization of marketing to align with business objectives.

As such, agencies can contribute to performing competitive benchmarking. With many years of experience across industries and data, they can paint a view for a business regarding its relative standing in digital marketing performance from its competition and industry benchmarks. Such a comparative perspective may also help them zero in on opportunities for performance improvement and areas of differentiation.

The Future of Digital Marketing Partnerships in Canada

The trend of Canadian businesses partnering with specialized marketing agencies is showing no signs of abatement in the evolving digital marketing landscape. The recipe combining experience, the advantage of being cost-effective, technological advances, and strategic value when working with an agency makes compelling economic sense. And, of course, in-house teams will always have their role; it's actually quite important for big organizations. The passed "advantages to this kind of approach are flexibility and comprehensive capabilities available to organizations of any size.".

The collaboration with a digital marketing agency is considered an investment in terms of growth strategy and competitiveness. Increasingly, this is a cost consideration that Canadian executives are factoring in as Canadian businesses strive to find their way through digital complexities—and as a result, a way to innovate the catalyst for success in the long term.

[consultingsister]

Holmes International Consultants (HIC)

Founded in 1919 by Cecelia’s great-grandfather, Holmes International Consultants (HIC) began as a small, family-run advisory firm in the wake of the First World War. Officially registered as Holmes Consultancy, it marked the Holmes family’s transition from discreet advisors to European royalty and political elites into a formidable global enterprise. The aim was clear: to turn influence into industry, converting generations of whispered counsel into a lucrative network of powerbrokers. Over the decades, HIC evolved into an intricate web of both legal and covert operations. Its public-facing persona projects an image of a high-level consultancy firm specialising in strategic partnerships, conflict mediation, and international relations. Behind closed doors, however, HIC operates as a shadow organisation, a global nexus where governments, corporations, and clandestine networks negotiate deals that shape the world. Whether brokering arms agreements, influencing elections, or managing sensitive intelligence exchanges, HIC thrives in the spaces where law meets expedience.

Historical Growth and Evolution

HIC’s success was built on its reliance on backchannels, a tradition of favours, personal connections, and discreet agreements. This ethos of influence and discretion catapulted the company to new heights during the mid-20th century. By the 1940s, HIC began diversifying its operations, leveraging its network to establish footholds in emerging industries. This expansion laid the groundwork for the creation of the Holmes Group in 1981, a conglomerate that spun off to handle the family’s more overt business interests. While the Holmes Group manages global ventures in sectors ranging from telecommunications and defence to luxury goods and technology, HIC remains firmly under the family’s control, operating with a distinct separation. Its independence ensures the freedom to handle matters that transcend legality, morality, and jurisdiction—where influence can dictate outcomes more effectively than law.

Structure and Operations

As of 2023, HIC is valued at an estimated $133 billion, with an unparalleled reach into the political, corporate, and criminal underworlds. The organisation’s operations are intentionally opaque, making it impossible to discern its full influence or the true scope of its activities. Officially, HIC employs a global network of legal consultants, political strategists, and intelligence experts. Unofficially, it is known to have ties to espionage networks, arms dealers, and organised crime syndicates. The company operates through a decentralised model, with regional hubs in London, New York, Dubai, and Hong Kong. These hubs are staffed with individuals capable of navigating high-stakes negotiations, discreetly resolving conflicts, and manipulating markets. While its inner workings remain largely secret, HIC is known to use shell corporations, offshore accounts, and an extensive network of intermediaries to mask its less savoury activities.

Leadership

HIC has always been a family enterprise, with its leadership firmly in the hands of the Holmes lineage. Until 2022, the company was helmed by Morland Holmes, whose tenure saw both consolidation and expansion of HIC’s influence. In 2023, Cecelia Holmes assumed the role of CEO, marking a new chapter in the company’s history. Known for her charisma and cunning, Cecelia has already begun to reshape HIC’s strategies, modernising its operations while maintaining the core principles of discretion and power that define its legacy.

Influence and Power

Holmes International Consultants exists in a grey space—neither wholly legitimate nor entirely illicit. It functions as both puppet master and fixer, resolving disputes between rival governments, facilitating clandestine arms deals, and ensuring the survival of fragile regimes. Its reach is bolstered by its close ties to the Holmes Group, a publicly listed conglomerate with a combined market capitalisation of $212 billion across 22 companies as of March 2022. While the Holmes Group and HIC are officially separate, the former’s resources often serve as a front or cover for the latter’s operations, creating a seamless flow between legitimate industry and covert activity. This duality ensures that the Holmes family remains untouchable, their power rooted not just in wealth but in their ability to pull the strings of the world’s most influential players.

Reputation

To the outside world, Holmes International Consultants is a prestigious consultancy firm, sought after by governments and multinational corporations alike. To those in the know, it is a dangerous force—an organisation that operates beyond borders, beyond morality, and beyond reproach. HIC doesn’t merely react to global events; it orchestrates them.

[govindhtech]

Aible And Google Cloud: Gen AI Models Sets Business Security

Enterprise controls and generative AI for business users in real time.

Aible

With solutions for customer acquisition, churn avoidance, demand prediction, preventive maintenance, and more, Aible is a pioneer in producing business impact from AI in less than 30 days. Teams can use AI to extract company value from raw enterprise data. Previously using BigQuery’s serverless architecture to save analytics costs, Aible is now working with Google Cloud to provide users the confidence and security to create, train, and implement generative AI models on their own data.

The following important factors have surfaced as market awareness of generative AI’s potential grows:

Enabling enterprise-grade control

Businesses want to utilize their corporate data to allow new AI experiences, but they also want to make sure they have control over their data to prevent unintentional usage of it to train AI models.

Reducing and preventing hallucinations

The possibility that models may produce illogical or non-factual information is another particular danger associated with general artificial intelligence.

Empowering business users

Enabling and empowering business people to utilize gen AI models with the least amount of hassle is one of the most beneficial use cases, even if gen AI supports many enterprise use cases.

Scaling use cases for gen AI

Businesses need a method for gathering and implementing their most promising use cases at scale, as well as for establishing standardized best practices and controls.

Regarding data privacy, policy, and regulatory compliance, the majority of enterprises have a low risk tolerance. However, given its potential to drive change, they do not see postponing the deployment of Gen AI as a feasible solution to market and competitive challenges. As a consequence, Aible sought an AI strategy that would protect client data while enabling a broad range of corporate users to swiftly adapt to a fast changing environment.

In order to provide clients complete control over how their data is used and accessed while creating, training, or optimizing AI models, Aible chose to utilize Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s AI platform.

Enabling enterprise-grade controls 

Because of Google Cloud’s design methodology, users don’t need to take any more steps to ensure that their data is safe from day one. Google Cloud tenant projects immediately benefit from security and privacy thanks to Google AI products and services. For example, protected customer data in Cloud Storage may be accessed and used by Vertex AI Agent Builder, Enterprise Search, and Conversation AI. Customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK) can be used to further safeguard this data.

With Aible‘s Infrastructure as Code methodology, you can quickly incorporate all of Google Cloud’s advantages into your own applications. Whether you choose open models like LLama or Gemma, third-party models like Anthropic and Cohere, or Google gen AI models like Gemini, the whole experience is fully protected in the Vertex AI Model Garden.

In order to create a system that may activate third-party gen AI models without disclosing private data outside of Google Cloud, Aible additionally collaborated with its client advisory council, which consists of Fortune 100 organizations. Aible merely transmits high-level statistics on clusters which may be hidden if necessary instead of raw data to an external model. For instance, rather of transmitting raw sales data, it may communicate counts and averages depending on product or area.

This makes use of k-anonymity, a privacy approach that protects data privacy by never disclosing information about groups of people smaller than k. You may alter the default value of k; the more private the information transmission, the higher the k value. Aible makes the data transmission even more secure by changing the names of variables like “Country” to “Variable A” and values like “Italy” to “Value X” when masking is used.

Mitigating hallucination risk

It’s crucial to use grounding, retrieval augmented generation (RAG), and other strategies to lessen and lower the likelihood of hallucinations while employing gen AI. Aible, a partner of Built with Google Cloud AI, offers automated analysis to support human-in-the-loop review procedures, giving human specialists the right tools that can outperform manual labor.

Using its auto-generated Information Model (IM), an explainable AI that verifies facts based on the context contained in your structured corporate data at scale and double checks gen AI replies to avoid making incorrect conclusions, is one of the main ways Aible helps eliminate hallucinations.

Hallucinations are addressed in two ways by Aible’s Information Model:

It has been shown that the IM helps lessen hallucinations by grounding gen AI models on a relevant subset of data.

To verify each fact, Aible parses through the outputs of Gen AI and compares them to millions of responses that the Information Model already knows.

This is comparable to Google Cloud’s Vertex AI grounding features, which let you link models to dependable information sources, like as your company’s papers or the Internet, to base replies in certain data sources. A fact that has been automatically verified is shown in blue with the words “If it’s blue, it’s true.” Additionally, you may examine a matching chart created only by the Information Model and verify a certain pattern or variable.

The graphic below illustrates how Aible and Google Cloud collaborate to provide an end-to-end serverless environment that prioritizes artificial intelligence. Aible can analyze datasets of any size since it leverages BigQuery to efficiently analyze and conduct serverless queries across millions of variable combinations. One Fortune 500 client of Aible and Google Cloud, for instance, was able to automatically analyze over 75 datasets, which included 150 million questions and answers with 100 million rows of data. That assessment only cost $80 in total.

Aible may also access Model Garden, which contains Gemini and other top open-source and third-party models, by using Vertex AI. This implies that Aible may use AI models that are not Google-generated while yet enjoying the advantages of extra security measures like masking and k-anonymity.

All of your feedback, reinforcement learning, and Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) data are safely stored in your Google Cloud project and are never accessed by Aible.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[elitebangladeshcorporation]

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[dailyp1anet]

BUSINESS

UNFRIENDLY COMPETITION: 2016 BUDGETS

By Lois Lane, Senior Staff Writer

PUBLISHED: 16:32, 27th March 2015 | UPDATED: 06:25, 28th March 2015

THE MAN OF TOMORROW: LexCorp's CEO, Lex Luthor. © The Daily Planet: James Olsen, Photographer.

A new report was published yesterday into the biggest companies in the country, the report highlighted the budgets proposed for each company particularly when it came to defense contracts for the next financial year in 2016. LexCorp in particular is racing ahead thanks to some high profile exposure since the original LexCorp tower was destroyed. Originally founded as an aerospace engineering firm, LexCorp has become one of the world's largest, most diversified multinational conglomerate. Under the astute - some would say, ruthless - management of its founder, Alexander (Lex) Luthor.

LexCorp is projected to become the leading private contractor for high tech defense innovation with a proposed budget of $2 billion by 2016. Kord Industries who was previously held the title was not happy with the projected budgets. Foremost in the field for over two decades; analysts predict a substantive move from LexCorp into this space would be most damaging to this multi-billion dollar, multinational defense contractor. Projected for a whopping $707 million budget.

A close second to Kord Industries is STAGG, especially in terms of investment of dollars. STAGG's myopic focus on chemistry and genetics has analysts predicting minimal fallout from a LexCorp entry. With a projected budget of $628 million. Third on the list was Queen Industries, with a significant drop off from #2. Their aloof, and often absent CEO is rumoured to be considering an exit from military defense contracts altogether. Projected to have a budget of $210 million.

Geschäft-Krieg is next on the list, following their acquisition of US-based Sheridan Dynamics, their future has looked bright for Europe's largest light bulb maker-turned heavy weapons manufacturer. Lex Luthor could certainly leave them in the dark especially with the projected budget at $171 million. At the bottom of the list, which is not surprising is Wayne Enterprises. CEO, Bruce Wayne, is notorious for his refusal to accept military defense contracts with a projected budget of $97 million.

Press conferences have been scheduled in the coming weeks from LexCorp, Kord Industries, STAGG, Geschäft-Krieg and Wayne Enterprises to announce their next projects, mergers, business strategies and financial performances from the last financial year. Queen Industries has declined several enquiries since the date of this publication.

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