#primary market research company

[philomathresearch]

Building Customer Loyalty During Thanksgiving: Leveraging Primary Market Research to Shape Retention Tactics

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season, a time when customers are in full shopping mode, driven by seasonal deals, gifting traditions, and festive vibes. For businesses, this season is not just an opportunity to boost sales but also a chance to build lasting customer loyalty. By leveraging primary market research, businesses can shape effective retention strategies, ensuring customers keep coming back long after the holiday rush.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how primary market research helps businesses understand customer behavior during Thanksgiving, identify actionable loyalty-building tactics, and implement data-driven strategies that foster long-term customer relationships.

Understanding the Thanksgiving Consumer Landscape

Thanksgiving shopping behavior is shaped by several factors, such as:

Discount-Seeking Trends: Many customers wait for Thanksgiving sales like Black Friday or Cyber Monday to make significant purchases.

Emotional Purchases: Customers are often influenced by the festive mood and focus on family-oriented gifting.

Time Sensitivity: With limited-time offers dominating the season, customers make quick purchase decisions.

Omnichannel Preferences: Shoppers seamlessly transition between online and offline platforms to compare prices and explore options.

Primary market research is the key to understanding these trends at a granular level. By gathering first-hand insights through surveys, focus groups, and interviews, businesses can anticipate customer expectations and design targeted loyalty strategies.

The Role of Primary Market Research in Customer Loyalty

Primary market research provides direct feedback from customers, offering unmatched clarity about their preferences, pain points, and expectations. Here’s how it contributes to loyalty-building efforts:

1. Identifying Customer Preferences

Understanding what customers value during Thanksgiving is crucial for personalized experiences.

Surveys and Polls: Ask questions about preferred products, desired discounts, and gifting habits.

Focus Groups: Analyze feedback to design tailored offerings.

Example: A clothing retailer can use survey insights to identify popular holiday trends and create curated collections.

2. Segmenting the Audience

Customers are diverse, and a one-size-fits-all strategy often falls short. Segmentation based on demographic, geographic, and psychographic data can help businesses:

Design targeted promotions.

Develop loyalty programs catering to specific groups.

Example: Millennials might prefer online deals, while Baby Boomers might value in-store discounts.

3. Evaluating Brand Perception

Thanksgiving is an ideal time to measure customer sentiment toward your brand.

Brand Awareness Studies: Understand how customers perceive your offerings compared to competitors.

Net Promoter Score (NPS): Gauge the likelihood of customers recommending your brand to others.

Proven Tactics for Building Customer Loyalty During Thanksgiving

1. Personalize the Experience

Customers appreciate brands that understand their needs.

Use CRM data to send personalized emails with Thanksgiving-themed promotions.

Offer customized discounts based on purchase history.

Research-Backed Insight: According to primary market research, 76% of customers are more likely to purchase from brands that personalize their communication.

2. Launch Exclusive Loyalty Programs

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to introduce or enhance loyalty programs.

Offer double reward points for holiday purchases.

Provide early access to Black Friday deals for loyalty members.

Example: A grocery store can reward frequent shoppers with Thanksgiving meal kits.

3. Emphasize Emotional Connection

Thanksgiving is about gratitude, and customers resonate with brands that express genuine appreciation.

Send thank-you notes or holiday greetings to loyal customers.

Donate a portion of sales to charity, emphasizing shared values.

Tip: Primary market research can help identify causes that align with your customer base.

4. Optimize Customer Service

During the holiday rush, customers value prompt and efficient support.

Train staff to handle high volumes with empathy and efficiency.

Use chatbots for instant query resolution.

Case Study: A primary market research survey for a retail chain revealed that 82% of customers would remain loyal to brands with exceptional holiday customer service.

5. Create Omnichannel Engagement

Ensure a seamless shopping experience across all channels.

Offer in-store pickup for online orders.

Integrate holiday deals on mobile apps and social media.

Insight: Research shows that customers engaging with multiple channels exhibit 30% higher lifetime value.

Shaping Retention Tactics with Primary Market Research

1. Measure Post-Holiday Satisfaction

Conduct follow-up surveys after Thanksgiving to:

Assess customer satisfaction with holiday offerings.

Identify areas of improvement for future seasons.

Example Questions:

“Did our Thanksgiving promotions meet your expectations?”

“What could we improve for your next holiday shopping experience?”

2. Analyze Purchase Behavior

Examine sales data to understand:

Popular products and services during Thanksgiving.

Customer retention rates post-holiday season.

3. Test Marketing Campaigns

Use A/B testing to determine the effectiveness of Thanksgiving campaigns.

Compare engagement rates between different offers.

Evaluate which messaging resonates most with your audience.

The Benefits of Customer Loyalty Beyond Thanksgiving

Building loyalty during Thanksgiving has a ripple effect on long-term retention. Loyal customers are:

More Likely to Return: Satisfied customers will come back for other seasonal promotions.

Advocates for Your Brand: They will recommend your brand to friends and family.

Less Price Sensitive: They prioritize your brand over competitors, even without discounts.

Primary Market Research Insight: A study conducted by Philomath Research found that 68% of loyal customers are willing to pay a premium for trusted brands.

Why Partner with Philomath Research?

At Philomath Research, we specialize in primary market research that delivers actionable insights. Our expertise helps businesses:

Decode customer expectations.

Design loyalty programs that resonate.

Create data-driven strategies for sustained success.

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, now is the time to invest in understanding your customers. Reach out to us to learn how we can help you shape effective retention tactics and maximize your holiday success.

Conclusion

Thanksgiving presents an unmatched opportunity for businesses to build and reinforce customer loyalty. By leveraging primary market research, businesses can uncover deep insights into customer preferences, optimize their offerings, and create meaningful connections that extend beyond the holiday season.

The holiday season is more than just a sales opportunity—it’s a chance to show gratitude, foster trust, and lay the foundation for lasting customer relationships. With the right research and strategies, your brand can make this Thanksgiving unforgettable for your customers and your bottom line.

Contact Philomath Research today to turn your Thanksgiving insights into actionable customer loyalty strategies!

FAQs

1. What is primary market research, and how does it help with customer loyalty?

Primary market research involves collecting direct feedback from customers through surveys, interviews, focus groups, or observations. It helps businesses understand customer preferences, behavior, and expectations, which are crucial for crafting personalized strategies that enhance customer loyalty during Thanksgiving and beyond.

2. Why is Thanksgiving an important time for businesses to focus on customer loyalty?

Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season, a peak shopping period with high customer engagement. Focusing on loyalty during this time allows businesses to retain customers long after the holiday season, ensuring repeat purchases and stronger brand relationships.

3. What are some common Thanksgiving shopping behaviors businesses should know?

Key Thanksgiving shopping behaviors include:

Discount-Seeking: Customers often wait for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

Emotional Buying: Festive vibes influence gifting and family-oriented purchases.

Omnichannel Shopping: Shoppers frequently switch between online and offline channels.

4. How can primary market research help businesses personalize customer experiences?

Primary market research helps businesses gather data on customer preferences and shopping habits. This enables them to:

Tailor email campaigns with personalized discounts.

Curate product recommendations based on past purchases.

Design exclusive offers that resonate with specific customer segments.

5. What role does customer segmentation play in loyalty-building during Thanksgiving?

Segmentation allows businesses to group customers based on demographics, purchase behavior, or preferences. By understanding these groups, businesses can:

Create targeted promotions.

Develop loyalty programs tailored to different customer needs.

Enhance engagement through customized communication.

6. What are some effective tactics for building customer loyalty during Thanksgiving?

Proven tactics include:

Personalizing communication with holiday-themed offers.

Offering exclusive benefits for loyalty program members.

Expressing gratitude through thank-you notes or charitable contributions.

Ensuring exceptional customer service during the holiday rush.

7. How can businesses measure the success of their Thanksgiving loyalty efforts?

Success can be measured by:

Conducting post-holiday satisfaction surveys.

Analyzing repeat purchase rates and customer retention.

Evaluating the performance of marketing campaigns using metrics like engagement and conversion rates.

8. Why is omnichannel engagement crucial during Thanksgiving?

Customers often shop across multiple platforms—online, in-store, or via mobile apps—during Thanksgiving. Providing a seamless experience across all channels ensures convenience, builds trust, and enhances loyalty.

9. What are some post-Thanksgiving strategies to retain customers?

Post-Thanksgiving strategies include:

Following up with surveys to gather feedback on their holiday shopping experience.

Offering exclusive discounts for future purchases.

Keeping customers engaged with loyalty rewards and value-driven communication.

10. Why should businesses partner with Philomath Research for primary market research?

Philomath Research specializes in designing custom primary market research solutions that help businesses:

Decode customer expectations.

Develop data-driven loyalty strategies.

Maximize their ROI during and beyond the Thanksgiving season.

11. Can small businesses benefit from primary market research for Thanksgiving?

Yes, small businesses can use cost-effective methods like online surveys or focus groups to gain valuable insights. This helps them create targeted strategies, compete with larger brands, and build strong customer relationships.

12. How does primary market research aid in creating loyalty programs?

By understanding customer preferences through research, businesses can design loyalty programs that resonate with their audience. Examples include double reward points during the holiday season or exclusive access to early-bird Thanksgiving deals.

13. What are some key questions to include in Thanksgiving-focused customer surveys?

Questions might include:

“What type of Thanksgiving deals do you value most?”

“How can we improve your holiday shopping experience?”

“Would you recommend us to friends or family after this season?”

14. What are the long-term benefits of customer loyalty gained during Thanksgiving?

Loyal customers are more likely to:

Return for future purchases.

Recommend the brand to others.

Be less price-sensitive, even outside the holiday season.

[poddar123]

How to Progress ahead with Mathematics?

[researchers-me]

Unlock the secrets of effective market research with our comprehensive guide. Learn techniques and strategies to drive business success.

[market-research-consultancy]

B2B Market Research - Track Opinion Research

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[electronalytics]

Aircraft Connectors Market Geographical Expansion & Analysis Growth Development, Status, Recorded during 2017 to 2032

The competitive analysis of the Aircraft Connectors Market offers a comprehensive examination of key market players. It encompasses detailed company profiles, insights into revenue distribution, innovations within their product portfolios, regional market presence, strategic development plans, pricing strategies, identified target markets, and immediate future initiatives of industry leaders. This section serves as a valuable resource for readers to understand the driving forces behind competition and what strategies can set them apart in capturing new target markets.

Market projections and forecasts are underpinned by extensive primary research, further validated through precise secondary research specific to the Aircraft Connectors Market. Our research analysts have dedicated substantial time and effort to curate essential industry insights from key industry participants, including Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), top-tier suppliers, distributors, and relevant government entities.

Receive the FREE Sample Report of Aircraft Connectors Market Research Insights @ https://stringentdatalytics.com/sample-request/aircraft-connectors-market/2411/  

Market Segmentations:

Global Aircraft Connectors Market: By Company

• Amphenol Corporation

• TE Connectivity

• Carlisle Companies Inc. STRINGENT DATALYTICS

• Esterline Corporation

• Bel Fuse Inc.

• Eaton Corporation

• ITT Corporation

• Smiths Group PLC

• Radiall

• Rosenberger Group

Global Aircraft Connectors Market: By Type

• PCB

• Fiber Optic

• High Power

• High Speed

• RF Connectors

• Others

Global Aircraft Connectors Market: By Application

• Commercial

• Business Jets

• Military

• Others

Regional Analysis of Global Aircraft Connectors Market

All the regional segmentation has been studied based on recent and future trends, and the market is forecasted throughout the prediction period. The countries covered in the regional analysis of the Global Aircraft Connectors market report are U.S., Canada, and Mexico in North America, Germany, France, U.K., Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Rest of Europe in Europe, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Rest of Asia-Pacific (APAC) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa (MEA) as a part of Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Argentina, Brazil, and Rest of South America as part of South America.

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[spadesurvey]

[mariacallous]

Five years ago, in a splashy speech in Washington, DC, Jeff Bezos rolled out Amazon’s Climate Pledge, a series of commitments to show that the company was serious about addressing climate change.

A core component of that pledge, one that Bezos touted in front of members of Congress during Amazon’s antitrust hearing a year later, was putting 100,000 electric delivery vans on the road by 2030. In a blog post from this July—headlined with a picture of a Prime Rivian van driving through an open field filled with wind turbines—the company proclaims that it has now delivered 800 million packages in the US using EVs, with 15,000 trucks on the road in neighborhoods across the country.

But those EVs might not be doing much to help the climate. The company’s US delivery vehicle emissions have potentially shot up an estimated 194 percent since the Climate Pledge went into place in 2019, according to a new report.

The report, released Thursday from corporate campaigners at Stand.earth, attempts to figure out just how much damage shipping the US’s Amazon orders is doing to the planet. It finds that overall emissions from shipping packages have increased 75 percent since 2019, from 3.3 million tons of CO2 equivalents in 2019 to 5.8 million tons last year. The 2.5-million-ton difference is the equivalent of putting 595,000 additional gas-powered cars on the road for a year.

Those Rivian vans are often just delivering the last leg of a package’s life. Before coming to customers’ doorsteps, packages travel by airplane, cargo ship, and/or long-haul truck—transport methods that are both notoriously dirty and tricky to decarbonize.

Doing the math on Amazon’s delivery emissions entails a lot of guesswork. Unlike some of its competitors, Amazon does not break out details on its emissions associated with shipping and delivery. In fact, the company’s annual sustainability report doesn’t give any hard numbers at all on its logistics operations, despite Amazon dominating the US ecommerce market and delivering 4 billion packages in the US within two days in 2023.

“Stand.earth’s work is based on inaccurate data, a broad mischaracterization of our operations, and by their own admission, a methodology based on assumptions and unverified information,” Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly said in a statement to WIRED. “The truth is that The Climate Pledge is an ambitious commitment for Amazon and the more than 525 companies that have signed up to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. It’s only by taking this on that we can work collectively to transform industries such as shipping, transportation, and the built environment, and we need more companies encouraged to take this direction and quick action.” (As well as committing Amazon to addressing climate change, another aim of the Climate Pledge is to get other companies to follow Amazon’s lead.)

Kelly added: “We��ve continued to publish a detailed, transparent reporting of our year-on-year progress. We encourage everyone to track our progress through our annual Sustainability Report, which has correct data, transparent methodologies, and a third-party assurance.”

The company did not provide WIRED with any additional emissions statistics or other additional data for its shipping and delivery operations.

“We’re doing the best we can with the data available,” says Joshua Archer, a campaigner at Stand.earth and the primary author of the report. “Amazon’s [data] doesn’t even scratch the surface of this massive operations network.”

As a result, the Stand.earth report is based on a mountain of third-party data—all US-based—and math equations to get to some ballpark estimates. UPS and FedEx emissions data disclosed in those companies’ sustainability reports allowed researchers to get an idea of the emissions created by shipping packages by truck in the US. Third-party data from two aviation analytics providers helped to tally up the estimated domestic emissions associated with Amazon Air, a fleet of planes that deliver parcels for the company. Maritime shipping estimates are based on manifest data from US ports where Amazon was a signee. Many of these numbers, the report stresses, are almost certainly an undercount, as authors excluded calculations like emissions associated with package returns and packages shipped or delivered by third-party carriers due to lack of data.

The main culprit for Amazon’s increased shipping emissions, the report finds, is from airplanes: US emissions associated with Amazon Air have skyrocketed 67 percent since 2019. According to Kelly, Amazon’s overall emissions have increased since 2019 due to the company’s expansion during the pandemic.

“When you think of things people order through Amazon, a lot of them are things you don’t need the next day,” Archer says. “Nevertheless, they’re getting shipped on airplanes.”

This trend tracks with the rest of the industry. During the pandemic, port disruptions around the world forced providers to switch over to airplanes to transport cargo; much of this air infrastructure remains in place today. Simultaneously, the US ecommerce market shot up by 43 percent in 2020 as everyone stuck inside ordered more and more stuff. In 2023, the US shipped 21.7 billion parcels—that’s 687 packages every second.

There’s one area where things are improving for Amazon: according to the Stand.earth report, emissions per package have been dropping for Amazon since 2020, which, Archer says, is largely thanks to loading more parcels on bigger planes. (Kelly says that the company’s overall carbon intensity—measuring the efficiency of its operations—has improved by 34 percent since 2019, even as its overall emissions went up.) In comparison, UPS’s package emissions intensity has consistently risen since 2020, thanks in part to its increased reliance on aviation.

But even considering small improvements like these, the aggressive growth Amazon has driven over the past few years is, in many ways, incompatible with sustainability. “Keep an eye on the skies for even more A330s delivering for Amazon customers in the coming months and years,” Amazon concludes in a blog post touting its new, more efficient cargo planes. Unless greener alternatives to jet fuel become available years ahead of schedule, it will be impossible for the company to add more planes to its fleet without also making emissions jump up.

“Amazon prides itself on being an ambitious and innovative company, but it’s making quite a problem for itself with its air freight cargo growth,” Archer says. “If Amazon is serious about climate progress, that’s a really easy place to start: stop flying so much.”

Amazon is no stranger to climate criticism. Its overall emissions have skyrocketed since it rolled out the Climate Pledge in 2019, despite an incremental drop in 2023. Last year, Amazon lost the support of a key UN-backed global climate organization, the Science Based Targets Initiative, for not meeting certain deadlines to set targets to reduce emissions; it was one of nearly two dozen companies axed by SBTI from its list of climate-conscious companies. In July, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, an employee group, released a report criticizing the company’s calculations around its claim that it had met a sustainable energy goal. In 2023, Amazon quietly eliminated a goal to make half its shipments carbon neutral by 2030—a goal which, the company says, was superseded by the larger Climate Pledge.

Part of the issue in calculating emissions for Amazon is just how sprawling the challenges it faces are, thanks to its relentless vertical integration: the Wall Street Journal reported in May that in order to expand its control over its logistics processes, the company had already leased, bought, or announced plans to expand warehouse space in the US by 16 million square feet this year. Kelly said in an email in response to WIRED’s request for comment that the vast network of logistics the company has built allows it to deliver packages closer to their destination and avoid driving long miles.

Reading the company’s sustainability report is an exercise in understanding a variety of different ambitious technical and sociological climate goals across different industries involved in its supply chain. In response to WIRED’s request for comment, Kelly listed out Amazon’s membership in two business organizations advancing sustainable shipping, its membership in a buyers’ alliance encouraging the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel, and its investment in electric trucking: in May, the company put 50 electric trucks on the road in Southern California.

“I think it creates a lot of challenges for the broader transportation industry if every company just does what Amazon does and brings air freight in house,” Archer says. “Then you’ll have a situation where a lot of people are flying a lot of planes.”

There’s a real question of whether or not the company making significant changes would just move emissions from one company’s balance sheet to another’s as the rest of the industry keeps growing. Atlas Air, a subcontractor of Amazon Air, announced in May that it would stop domestic flights carrying Amazon parcels in favor of concentrating on other customers, including Chinese ecommerce titans Shein and Temu.

Still, with Amazon dominating so much of the US market—and with the capacity to kick off trends that other suppliers then follow, like expedited shipping—the company has an opportunity to set an aggressive example, like throwing a substantial effort into decreasing plane use and helping the US build out infrastructure for more sustainable long-haul trucking. (The company didn’t provide figures on how much it has spent on partnerships, research, lobbying, or other activities to decarbonize the trucking sector in the US.)

As for that splashy electric van pledge? The Stand.earth report projects that at Amazon’s current growth rates, if the company puts all the electric vans it promises on the roads by the end of the decade, that would still only account for a third of the company’s deliveries. If Amazon’s sales keep growing on pace, it would need 400,000 EVs to deliver all its packages.

“The 100,000 vans by 2030 is way too little, way too late,” Archer says.

[thecrazygamingzombie]

Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel corporate AU:

Wrote this AU with some friends last night and it was too good not to share publically:

Hell is replaced with a massive afterlife based corporation called 'Hell Inc' that handles the production, distribution, and management of all the various types of evil in the world; while also acting as the largest employeer of damned souls in existence and a direct competitor to Heaven LLC.

The company is headed by it's Chief Pride Officer and founder, Lucifer Morningstar, beneath him is the company's Vice President Charlie Morningstar after the former VP retired and disappeared under odd circumstances. Charlie has been trying (and failing) to get the company in some semblance of order and addressing the horrible working conditions that arose as a result of her father's near endless apathy and depression stemming from a millennia of accumulated burnout.

Below them are the six members of Hell inc's board of directors who run the various company departments:

Mammon, Chief Greed Officer (CGRO) and head of the greed department. Which manages the company finances as well as several financial institutions on earth like Banks and Casinos

Beelzebub, Chief Gluttony Officer (CGLO) and head of the gluttony department. They run Hell Inc's marketing campaigns and manages several fast food chains in the human world such as Bee Burger

Asmodeus, Chief Lust Officer (CLO) and head of the lust department. They run Hell inc's production lines in the underworld and various media conglomerates on earth.

Satan, Chief Wrath Officer (CWO) and head of the wrath department. Which handles all security related matters along with war and conflict in the human world, primarily arms manufacturers

Leviathan, Chief Envy Officer (CEO) and head of the Envy department. Which runs Hell Inc's research and development and various construction ventures on earth

And Belphagor, Chief Sloth Officer (CSO) and head of the Sloth department. Which is in charge of all health related company matters along with various hospitals and insurance companies on earth.

Each has their own unique management problems and while they once worked in tandem, which has resulted in a slough of issues from a lack of individual oversight. Such as Greed's severe budget cuts, Envy's ridiculously long working hours coupled with high standards, and employees in Wrath that spend more time arguing than getting things done.

Beneath them are the middle managers, the Ars Goetia, but they're among some of the most useless members of the company. Holding nothing more than figurehead positions to create the illusion of a centralized hierarchy when in reality they just pass their work onto the various supervisors within each department. Recent hire Stella is particularly bad in this way as the only reason she has the position at all was due to the nepotism provided by her brother Andrephelus who works alongside her in the Envy department.

(the only exception is Lust's middle manager Stolas)

Then we have the supervisors, the actual managers of the department divisions who occupy the role of authority figure that the Ars Goetia fail to fill themselves. Notable supervisors include:

Crimson Knolastname: Greed department supervisor overseeing most organized crime with a focus on blackmail activities

Wally Wackford: Greed department supervisor in charge of scams and white collar crimes.

Verosika Mayday: Lust department supervisor and PR manager for the department

Fizzarolli: originally an intern in greed, he was later transferred over to Lust and supervises the roleplay and costume divisions of the lust department

Vortex: the primary event coordinator for the Gluttony department along with new employee orientation

Striker: Wrath department supervisor, handling any and all matters relating to mercenary work and assassinations

Joe and Lin: Wrath department supervisors, the former managing the hand to hand combat division while the latter runs the in house medical center and trains all Wrath Department employees in battlefield aid.

And last but not least are all the rank and file employees that makeup Hell inc's primary workforce. They're usually sorted by species: Baphomets work for the Sloth Department, Imps work for the Wrath department, Succubi and Incubi work for the Lust department, etc. However this is only for their initial probational period, if their skills prove to be more suitable elsewhere in the company then can be transferred into another department.

With one exception: Pride. The department in charge of processing all damned souls at the time of death and general evil relations in the human world

The Pride department is the largest and most chaotic of all of Hell Inc's departments, it's facing an ever increasing workload that it struggles to manage and even with the steady flow of Sinners rolling in to fill vacancies the department is constantly short staffed. So not only are sinners forbidden from being transferred to other departments, but any hellborn that get transferred in Never. Ever. Leave. Getting assigned to the Pride Department is basically a life sentence and it doesn't help that the department itself has basically gained a reputation as a dumping ground for misfit employees that can't properly function in any other department.

To make matters worse, while the other departments have some level of rules and standards when it comes to employee conduct. The Pride Department is left in almost total disarray thanks to every supervisor in the department being blood thirsty corporate climbers who are constantly screwing one another over to gain more recognition in the overall company. The supervisors affectionately nicknamed the Vees: Velvette (social media manager), Vox (IT supervisor), and Valentino (employee recruitment manager) are the absolute worst when it comes to this backstabbing.

However, the biggest problem facing the Pride department is none other than the man eaters in the Demon Resources division. Ran by two supervisors known as Rosie and Alastor, the former handling employee disputes while the later is in charge of terminating employee contracts...and employees. If you get called into Alastor's office, that's usually the last anyone hears of you. The rest of HR isn't much better either as they all tend to be of a similar temperament to their supervisors.

But for all it's mess, VP Charlie genuinely believes she can clean up the company one department at a time; starting with the Pride Department. With the backing of both her father and the HR rep Alastor, she's assembled a solid team of employees willing to help her with the task.

And by that I mean employees that were voluntold to help her:

Husk, former supervisor in charge of managing Hell inc's gambling holdings that had been partially outsourced from Greed's own workers. Alastor had personally handled his demotion after it was found the cat demon had been skimming off the top.

Vaggie, the head of the security division of the Pride Department and Charlie's girlfriend. The rumors of her rise to power via nepotism are matched only by the rumors that she transferred in from Hell inc's rival company, Heaven LLC

Angel, a rank and file employee of pride with no particular specialization who's working directly under Val. He claims he's only on board with Charlie's plan in hopes of getting a promotion, but it's rather obvious he really just wants to get away from his current boss by any means necessary

Sir Pentious, part of the R&D team and widely considered to be one of the worst researchers in the entire company due to the numerous cases of collateral damage he's caused. Charlie's project is not only his last chance to avoid getting a pink slip for both his job and his life, but also to get the professional recognition he so desperately craves

Niffty, once a member of the janitorial team. Nobody knows where she came from or how long she's been working her, only that she's some what of an oddity even by Hell inc standards. The only thing that's certain about her is that she's an employee you should give a wide berth to if you value your personal safety

Meanwhile in the Pride department, a small little clique has formed of low level demons that have transferred in from other departments and work in the revenge division:

Blitzo, the supervisor of the division who's quite skilled at falling upwards. He is completely and utterly incompetent at his job, choosing instead to slack off with the toy ponies he spends his salary on or flirt/sexually harass his coworkers rather than actually performing any administrative duties. The only reason he still has his job is likely due to a 'friend' he has in middle management that keeps covering for him.

Moxxie, an accounting intern that transferred in from greed after a disastrous project with now ex-employee Chaz that resulted in massive losses for the greed department, causing Mammon to dump the 'useless' imp into the Pride department. Usually the one doing Blitzo's job for him, very begrudgingly I might add, and frequently grumbles about his station but secretly enjoys the group he's found. Especially his wife...

Millie, a security guard transferred from Wrath after several complaints in regards to 'excessive force' were leveled against her. Luckily she's adjusted quite well to her new position in the Pride Department even if she tends to drift under the radar more often than not, but she remains optimistic that she'll get a worthwhile promotion someday. In the meantime, she makes use of her spare time tending to her weapon collection or having sexual encounters with her husband around the office; away from most prying eyes

Loona, one of Hell inc's newest hires. Originally slated to be an intern in the Gluttony department, her attitude problems forced Beelzebub to personally see to it that the hound was relocated to a position in the Pride Department for both her own safety and that of her coworkers. Takes after her supervisors slacker tendencies in an apathetic way, spending practically every waking moment glued to her phone, much to Moxxie's frustration.

And that's the lot of the company! We hope you enjoy your stay at Hell Inc! Remember: Today is the first day of your eternal life....

(P.S. you didn't hear this from me, but rumor has it that Heaven LLC has been experiencing plenty of problems of it's own. Such as poor leadership, communication issues, and nepotism even worse than anything seen at Hell Inc. And there's even a few sources that claim that former VP Lilith was seen on their board of directors, but you know how people like to talk.)

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4. Remote Customer Service: Work as a remote customer service representative for companies like Amazon or Apple.

5. Online Tutoring: Teach subjects you're knowledgeable in on platforms like VIPKid or Chegg Tutors.

6. E-commerce: Start an online store using platforms like Shopify, Etsy, or eBay to sell products.

7. Affiliate Marketing: Promote products or services on your blog or social media and earn commissions for sales made through your referral links.

8. Online Courses: Create and sell online courses on platforms like Udemy or Teachable.

9. Remote Data Entry: Find remote data entry jobs on websites like Clickworker or Remote.co.

10. Virtual Assistance: Offer administrative support services to businesses as a virtual assistant.

11. Graphic Design: Use your graphic design skills to create logos, graphics, or websites for clients on platforms like Fiverr.

12. Stock Photography: Sell your photos on stock photography websites like Shutterstock or Adobe Stock.

13. App Development: Develop and sell mobile apps or offer app development services.

14. Social Media Management: Manage social media accounts for businesses looking to enhance their online presence.

15. Dropshipping: Start an e-commerce business without holding inventory by dropshipping products.

16. Online Consultations: Offer consulting services in your area of expertise through video calls.

17. Online Surplus Sales: Sell unused items or collectibles on platforms like eBay or Facebook Marketplace.

18. Online Fitness Coaching: Become an online fitness coach and offer workout plans and guidance.

19. Virtual Events: Host webinars, workshops, or conferences on topics you're knowledgeable about.

20. Podcast Production: Offer podcast editing, production, or consulting services.

21. Remote Transcription: Transcribe audio and video files for clients.

22. Online Translation: Offer translation services if you're proficient in multiple languages.

23. Affiliate Blogging: Create a niche blog with affiliate marketing as the primary revenue source.

24. Online Art Sales: Sell your artwork, crafts, or digital art on platforms like Etsy or Redbubble.

25. Remote Bookkeeping: Offer bookkeeping services for small businesses from home.

26. Digital Marketing: Provide digital marketing services like SEO, PPC, or social media management.

27. Online Gaming: Stream your gaming sessions on platforms like Twitch and monetize through ads and donations.

28. Virtual Assistant Coaching: If you have experience as a VA, offer coaching services to aspiring virtual assistants.

29. Online Research: Conduct research for businesses or individuals in need of specific information.

30. Online Real Estate: Invest in virtual real estate, such as domain names or digital properties, and sell them for a profit.

Remember that success in making money online often requires dedication, patience, and the ability to adapt to changing trends. It's essential to research and choose the opportunities that align with your skills, interests, and long-term goals.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Kashmir Hill’s “Your Face Belongs to Us”

This Friday (September 22), I'm (virtually) presenting at the DIG Festival in Modena, Italy. That night, I'll be in person at LA's Book Soup for the launch of Justin C Key's "The World Wasn’t Ready for You." On September 27, I'll be at Chevalier's Books in Los Angeles with Brian Merchant for a joint launch for my new book The Internet Con and his new book, Blood in the Machine.

Your Face Belongs To Us is Kashmir Hill's new tell-all history of Clearview AI, the creepy facial recognition company whose origins are mired in far-right politics, off-the-books police misconduct, sales to authoritarian states and sleazy one-percenter one-upmanship:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691288/your-face-belongs-to-us-by-kashmir-hill/

Hill is a fitting chronicler here. Clearview first rose to prominence – or, rather, notoriety – with the publication of her 2020 expose on the company, which had scraped more than a billion facial images from the web, and then started secretly marketing a search engine for faces to cops, spooks, private security firms, and, eventually, repressive governments:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/18/technology/clearview-privacy-facial-recognition.html

Hill's original blockbuster expose was followed by an in-depth magazine feature and then a string more articles, which revealed the company's origins in white nationalist movements, and the mercurial jourey of its founder, Hoan Ton-That:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/18/magazine/facial-recognition-clearview-ai.html

The story of Clearview's technology is an interesting one, a story about the machine learning gold-rush where modestly talented technologists who could lay hands on sufficient data could throw it together with off-the-shelf algorithms and do things that had previously been considered impossible. While Clearview has plenty of competitors today, as recently as a couple of years ago, it played like a magic trick.

That's where the more interesting story of Clearview's founding comes in. Hill is a meticulous researcher and had the benefit of a disaffected – and excommunicated – Clearview co-founder, who provided her with masses of internal communications. She also benefited from the court documents from the flurry of lawsuits that Clearview prompted.

What emerges from these primary sources – including multiple interviews with Ton-That – is a story about a move-fast-and-break-things company at the tail end of the forgiveness-not-permission era of technological development. Clearview's founders are violating laws and norms, they're short on cash, and they're racing across the river on the backs of alligators, hoping to reach the riches on the opposite bank without losing a leg.

A decade ago, they might have played as heroes. Today, they're just grifters – bullshitters faking it until they make it, lying to Hill (and getting caught out), and the rest of us. The founders themselves are erratic weirdos, and not the fun kind of weirdos, either. Ton-That – who emigrated to Silicon Valley from Australia as a teenager, seeking a techie's fortune – comes across as a bro-addled dimbulb who threw his lot in with white nationalists, MAGA Republicans, Rudy Guiliani bagmen, Peter Theil, and assorted other tech-adjascent goblins.

Meanwhile, biometrics generally – and facial recognition specifically – is a discipline with a long and sordid history, inextricably entwined with phrenology and eugenics, as Hill describes in a series of interstitial chapters that recount historical attempts to indentify the facial features that correspond with criminality and low intelligence.

These interstitials are woven into a-ha moments from Clearview's history, in which various investors, employees, hangers-on, competitors and customers speculate about how a facial-recognition system could eventually not just recognize criminals, but predict criminality. It's a potent reminder of the AI industry's many overlaps with "race-science" and other quack beliefs.

Hill also describes how Clearview and its competitors' recklessness and arrogance created the openings for shrewd civil libertarians to secure bipartisan support for biometric privacy laws, most notably Illinois' best-of-breed Biometric Information Privacy Act:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=3004&ChapterID=57

But by the end of the book, Hill makes the case that Ton-That and his competitors have gotten away with it. Facial recognition is now so easy to build that – she says – we're unlikely to abolish it, despite all the many horrifying ways that FR could fuck up our societies. It's a sobering conclusion, and while Hill holds out some hope for curbing the official use of FR, she seems resigned to a future in which – for example – creepy guys covertly snap photos of women on the street, use those pictures to figure out their names and addresses, and then stalk and harass them.

If she's right, this is Ton-That's true legacy, and the legacy of the funders who handed him millions to spend building this. Perhaps someone else would have stepped into that sweaty, reckless-grifter-shaped hole if Ton-That hadn't been there to fill it, but in our timeline, we can say that Ton-That was the bumbler who helped destroy something precious.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/20/steal-your-face/#hoan-ton-that

[thefloatingstone]

Sadly I'm not even sure it isn't a calculated choice on ubisoft's part to include a character who will stir up blatantly obvious racism just so it can be the primary discourse of their mediocre game to cover up all the other problems and microtransactions its bound to have, and get people who otherwise wouldn't have cared to buy the game both on principle and to hate review it. Cause it sucks but man is the racism so... predictable. But I hope the people who wrote the game at least took advantage of it to write a good story and characters if that is the case.

Oh yeah make no mistake Ubisoft is an awful garbage company who makes terrible games on purpose so they can sell micro-transactions and they have openly stated they want to move forward by having NPC ambient dialogue written by AI from now on. They also harbour an environment of abuse towards their workers and have been protecting high ranking members of their studio from facing legal or financial consequences for sexual assault.

Fuck 'em.

The game is not going to be good. I already know this and it sucks. Especially because I know a lot of the devs and writers and researchers working on AC want to make good games and really want to be historically accurate as they were once highly praised for when AC was at its peak.

Including Yasuke as such an important focus of the game is absolutely a marketing stunt by AC both to drum up support for their studio run by confirmed rapists and the backlash and racism is a convenient smokescreen from how awful their company and studio is. Especially if it can outrage people enough to support the game out of spite.

It all sucks because an Assassin's Creed game as they used to be made at their peak making a game with Yasuke as a major focus would be really interesting and something I would love to see. Hell, make an entire game ABOUT Yasuke and follow a fictional imagining of his life from whatever tribe he was part of in Africa, his capture and selling into European hands and being shipped of to Japan where he is elevated into the Samurai class structure in (I think??) the Edo period. That would be great!

Yasuke is a very interesting historical figure simply due to his very existence. And I think interpreting what his life could have been like would make for a fascinating narrative. And at one point Ubisoft could have done it justice.

But their studio is awful, they are using this as a smokescreen to distract everyone from their liberal use of AI to do their quest writing and dialogue, and they are still protecting their higher ups from facing legal consequences for sexual assault. All while selling games which are made to be bad on purpose so they can sell a criminal amount of micro-transactions to you.

And it just sucks.

But what sucks more is how these people who love to complain about "woke culture" are the ones who seem to be so incredibly obsessed with this with SUCH fragile coping mechanisms that the simple use of a real historical figure who was black is enough to send them into a shrieking tamper tantrum about it.

They have literally become as sensitive, maladjusted, and unable to cope with reality as they THINK "SJWs" and "Woke culture" is. When in reality most normal people don't get this upset about a video game character existing. It's really pathetic.

But, on the trailer for Assassin's Creed Shadows I saw this comment, and I think it says all that needs to be said about the whole situation;

[philomathresearch]

Consumer Insights: 6 Creative Primary Market Research Techniques You’ve Never Tried Before!

In today’s dynamic market landscape, understanding consumer behavior is paramount for businesses striving to stay ahead of the curve. Primary market research serves as the cornerstone for this understanding, providing firsthand insights directly from the target audience. While traditional methods like surveys and focus groups remain valuable, innovation is key to unlocking deeper, more nuanced insights. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore seven creative primary market research techniques that you may not have tried before, each offering unique advantages in deciphering consumer preferences, habits, and motivations.

1. Immersive Ethnography

Step into the shoes of your consumers with immersive ethnography. Unlike traditional observational studies, immersive ethnography involves fully immersing researchers into the daily lives of participants. Researchers spend extended periods observing and interacting with subjects in their natural environments, gaining profound insights into their behaviors, routines, and decision-making processes. This technique unveils unfiltered perspectives, allowing researchers to uncover latent needs and desires that may go unnoticed in structured settings.

2. Mobile Ethnography Apps

In an increasingly digital world, mobile ethnography apps offer a convenient and unobtrusive means of gathering real-time insights. These apps empower participants to document their experiences, thoughts, and interactions using their smartphones, eliminating geographical constraints and enabling researchers to capture authentic moments as they unfold. From capturing in-store shopping experiences to documenting daily routines, mobile ethnography apps provide a window into consumers’ lives with unparalleled accessibility and convenience.

3. Netnography

Harness the power of online communities with netnography, a digital ethnographic approach tailored for the digital age. By analyzing online discussions, social media interactions, and user-generated content, researchers can glean valuable insights into consumer sentiments, trends, and brand perceptions within virtual communities. Netnography offers a treasure trove of qualitative data, enabling researchers to uncover emerging patterns, identify influencers, and track market dynamics in real time.

4. Gamified Research Techniques

Transform market research into an engaging experience with gamification. By integrating game elements such as challenges, rewards, and competitions into research activities, gamified techniques captivate participants’ attention and foster deeper engagement. Whether through interactive surveys, virtual simulations, or gamified focus groups, this approach not only enhances respondent involvement but also generates richer data by tapping into participants’ intrinsic motivations and emotions.

5. Sensory Research Techniques

Appeal to consumers’ senses with sensory research techniques that go beyond traditional surveys. From taste tests and scent evaluations to tactile assessments, sensory research immerses participants in multisensory experiences, eliciting detailed feedback on product attributes and sensory preferences. By understanding how sensory cues shape perceptions and preferences, brands can optimize product formulations, packaging designs, and marketing strategies to resonate with consumers on a visceral level.

6. Co-Creation Workshops

Empower consumers to shape the future of your brand through co-creation workshops. By inviting participants to collaborate in ideation sessions, brands can tap into collective creativity and harness diverse perspectives to drive innovation. Co-creation workshops foster co-ownership and build brand loyalty by involving consumers in the product development process from ideation to execution. From generating new product ideas to refining existing offerings, this collaborative approach cultivates a sense of community and fosters lasting relationships with consumers.

Conclusion

Incorporating these innovative primary market research techniques into your research arsenal can revolutionize your approach to consumer insights, unlocking untapped opportunities and driving strategic decision-making. By embracing creativity and experimentation, brands can gain a deeper understanding of their target audience, anticipate market trends, and stay ahead of the competition in today’s ever-evolving marketplace.

At Philomath Research, we specialize in cutting-edge primary market research solutions tailored to your unique needs. Contact us today to learn how we can help you unlock actionable insights and drive business success in the digital age.

FAQs

1. What is immersive ethnography?

Immersive ethnography is a research technique where researchers fully immerse themselves into the daily lives of participants. Unlike traditional observational studies, this approach involves extended interaction and observation in participants’ natural environments to gain profound insights into their behaviors, routines, and decision-making processes.

2. How do mobile ethnography apps work?

Mobile ethnography apps enable participants to document their experiences, thoughts, and interactions in real-time using their smartphones. This method eliminates geographical constraints and allows researchers to capture authentic moments as they unfold, providing a window into consumers’ lives with unparalleled accessibility and convenience.

3. What is netnography and how is it different from traditional ethnography?

Netnography is a digital ethnographic approach that focuses on analyzing online communities, social media interactions, and user-generated content. Unlike traditional ethnography, which involves in-person observations, netnography leverages online data to glean insights into consumer sentiments, trends, and brand perceptions within virtual communities.

4. What are gamified research techniques?

Gamified research techniques incorporate game elements such as challenges, rewards, and competitions into market research activities. This approach transforms research into an engaging experience, enhancing participant involvement and generating richer data by tapping into intrinsic motivations and emotions.

5. Can you explain sensory research techniques?

Sensory research techniques involve immersing participants in multisensory experiences to gather detailed feedback on product attributes and sensory preferences. Techniques may include taste tests, scent evaluations, and tactile assessments, helping brands understand how sensory cues shape consumer perceptions and preferences.

6. What happens in co-creation workshops?

In co-creation workshops, consumers are invited to collaborate in ideation sessions with brands. This approach taps into collective creativity and harnesses diverse perspectives to drive innovation. Participants help generate new product ideas and refine existing offerings, fostering co-ownership and building brand loyalty.

7. Why should I consider using these innovative research techniques over traditional methods?

Innovative research techniques like immersive ethnography, mobile ethnography apps, netnography, gamified research, sensory research, and co-creation workshops offer unique advantages by uncovering deeper, more nuanced insights into consumer behavior. They enable brands to anticipate market trends, stay ahead of the competition, and create products and strategies that resonate more deeply with their target audience.

8. How can Philomath Research help with these techniques?

Philomath Research specializes in cutting-edge primary market research solutions tailored to your unique needs. By incorporating innovative techniques, Philomath Research can help you unlock actionable insights, drive strategic decision-making, and achieve business success in the digital age. Contact us to learn more about how we can support your market research initiatives.

[phoenixyfriend]

Ko-Fi prompt from @dirigibird:

I've been looking at investment options but I don't want to be messing around too much with the stock market, and a co-worker suggested exchange traded funds. Would love to know your opinions!

LEGALLY NECESSARY DISCLAIMER: I am not a licensed financial advisor, and it is illegal for me to advise anyone on investment in securities like stocks. My commentary here is merely opinion, not financial advice, and I urge you to not make any decisions with regards to securities investments based on my opinions, or without consulting a licensed advisor. I am also going to be talking this all over from an American POV, which means some of these things may not apply elsewhere.

So instead of letting you know what to pick or how to organize your securities, I'm going to go through the definitions of what various investment funds are, how they compare functionally, and maybe rant about how I disagree with the stock market on a fundamental ethical level if I have word count left over.

If you want more information, and are okay with jargon, I'd suggest hitting up investopedia. That is where I will be double-checking most of my information for this one.

I also encourage folks who know more about the stock market specifically to jump in! I like to think I'm good at research and explaining things, but I'm still liable to make mistakes.

Mutual Funds: A mutual fund is a pool of money and resources from multiple individuals (often vast numbers of people, actually) being put together and managed as a group by investment specialists. The primary appeal of these is that the money is professionally managed, but not personally so; it gives smaller investors access to professional money managers that they would not have access to on their own, at cheaper rates than if they tried to hire one for just their own assets. The secondary appeal is that, due to the sheer number of people, and thus capital, that is being invested at once, the money can be invested in a wide variety of industries, and is generally more stable than investing in just one company or industry. Low risk, low reward, but overall at least mostly reliable. Retirement plans are often invested in mutual funds by employer choice, through companies like Fidelity or John Hancock.

Hedge Funds: A hedge fund is a high risk, high reward mutual fund. Investors are generally wealthy, and have the room and safety to lose large amounts of money on an investment that has no promise of success, especially since money cannot be withdrawn at will, but must remain in the fund for a period of time following investment. It gets its name from "hedging your bets," as part of the strategy is to invest in the opposition of the fund's focus in order to ensure that there is a backup plan to salvage at least some money if the main plan backfires. Other strategies are also on the riskier side, often planning to take advantage of ongoing events like buyouts, mergers, incumbent bankruptcy, and shorting stocks (that's the one that caused the gamestop incident).

Private Equity: Private equity is... a nightmare that got its own incredibly good Hasan Minhaj episode of Patriot Act, so if you've got 20 minutes, an interest in comedically-delivered, easily-digestible, Real Information, and an internet connection, take a watch of that one. (If it's not available on YouTube in your country, it's originally from Netflix, or you can probably access it by VPN.) Private equity companies are effectively hedge funds that purchase entire companies, rebuild them in one way or another, and then sell them at (hopefully) a profit. Very often, the companies purchased by private equity are very negatively impacted, especially if the private equity group is a Vulture Fund. Sometimes, it's by taking it apart to sell off; sometimes it's by just bleeding it for cash until there's nothing left. Sometimes, it's taking over a hospital and overcharging the patients while also abusing the staff! (Glaucomflecken has a lot of videos on the topic of private equity in the medical industry, check him out.)

Venture Capital: In contrast to private equity, which purchases more mature companies, venture capital is focused on startups, or small businesses that have growth potential. These are the kinds of hedge funds that are like a whole group that you'd see some random tv character calling an Angel Investor (they're not actually the same thing, but they overlap by a lot). I'd hesitantly call these less ethically dubious than private equity, but I'm still suspicious.

And finally, to answer your question on what ETFs are and how they fit into the above.

Exchange Traded Funds: ETFs are... sort of like a mutual fund. Sort of. You are, to some extent, pooling your money... ish.

An ETF is like a stock that is made out of partial stocks. So instead of paying $100 for stock A, and not getting stocks B/C/D that all cost the same, you buy $100 of the ETF, which is $25 each of stocks A/B/C/D. You are getting a quarter of a unit of stock, which isn't normally an option, but because you are purchasing through an ETF that officially already bought those Whole stocks, you can now purchase the partial stocks through them.

They buy the whole stocks, then they resell you mixes of those stocks. They still officially own the whole stocks themselves, but you now own parts of the stocks. Basically, you own "stock" in a company that owns stock in other companies, and in that process you own partial stocks in those other companies.

I'm going to re-explain this using fruit.

Imagine you can buy apples, oranges, melons, grapes, etc. You can also buy fruit cups. You can only buy the individual fruits in big batches or you can pool your money with a few other people, hand it to a chef. The chef will decide which fruits look like they'll taste the best by lunch time, buy a bunch of those fruit pallets with your combined money, and plan out the best possible fruit salad for you to share with a bunch of people once lunch rolls around.

You could also buy a fruit cup. You don't have a lot of control over what's already in the fruit cup, but there are a few different mixes available--that one has strawberries, but that one over there uses kiwi, and the other one that way has pineapple--and you can pick which mix you want. It's a pretty small fruit cup, and it's predesigned, but you can choose the one you want without having to pool money with everyone else. You just first have to let someone else design the fruit cups you choose from, and you don't know which ones are probably going to survive the best to lunch time unless you ask a chef (which defeats the purpose of buying a fruit cup instead of pooling your money, and asking the chef costs money).

That's the ETF. The ETF is the fruit cup.

The upside is that you can now just track the prices of your fruit cup, instead of tracking the prices of four different fruits, and so if the price of one fruit drops, you can just... let the other three buoy it.

Of course, in the real world, there are more than just four stocks involved in an ETF. This part of the Investopedia article lists a few examples, and they're usually themed and involve anywhere from 30 (DOW Jones) to thousands (Russell) of shares by stock type, or by commodity/industry. So with the ETF, you can invest in an entire industry, like technology, and just keep track of that single "stock" in the industry game.

They do cost less in brokerage/management fees than regular mutual funds, and they have a slightly lower liquidity (slower to cash out). There also exist actively managed ETFs, which are basically mutual funds for ETFs. You are paying the chef to buy you premade fruit cups.

(Prompt me on ko-fi!)

[whencyclopedia]

Smoke and Ashes: Opium's Hidden Histories

"Smoke and Ashes: Opium’s Hidden Histories" is a sweeping and jarring work of how opium became an insidious capitalistic tool to generate wealth for the British Empire and other Western powers at the expense of an epidemic of addiction in China and the impoverishment of millions of farmers in India. The legacy of this “criminal enterprise,” as the author puts it, left lasting influences that reverberate across cultures and societies even today.

Written in engaging language, Smoke and Ashes is a scholarly follow-up to the author’s famous Ibis trilogy, a collection of fiction that uses the opium trade as its backdrop. In Smoke and Ashes, the author draws on his years-long research into opium supplemented by his family history, personal travels, cross-cultural experience, and expertise in works of historical verisimilitude. Composed over 18 chapters, the author delves into a diverse set of primary and secondary data, including Chinese sources. He also brings a multidimensional angle to the study by highlighting the opium trade's legacy in diverse areas such as art, architecture, horticulture, printmaking, and calligraphy. 23 pictorial illustrations serve as powerful eyewitness accounts to the discourse.

This book should interest students and scholars seeking historical analysis based on facts on the ground instead of colonial narratives. Readers will also find answers to how opium continues to play an outsize role in modern-day conflicts, addictions, corporate behavior, and globalism.

Amitav Ghosh’s research convincingly points out that while opium had always been used for recreational purposes across cultures, it was the Western powers such as the British, Portuguese, the Spaniards, and the Dutch that discovered its significant potential as a trading vehicle. Ghosh adds that colonial rulers, especially the British, often rationalized their actions by arguing that the Asian population was naturally predisposed to narcotics. However, it was British India that bested others in virtually monopolizing the market for the highly addictive Indian opium in China. Used as a currency to redress the East India Company (EIC)’s trade deficit with China, the opium trade by the 1890s generated about five million sterling a year for Britain. Meanwhile, as many as 40 million Chinese became addicted to opium.

Eastern India became the epicenter of British opium production. Workers in opium factories in Patna and Benares toiled under severe conditions, often earning less than the cost of production while their British managers lived in luxury. Ghosh asserts that opium farming permanently impoverished a region that was an economic powerhouse before the British arrived. Ghosh’s work echoes developmental economists such as Jonathan Lehne, who has documented opium-growing communities' lower literacy and economic progress compared to their neighbors.

Ghosh states that after Britain, “the country that benefited most from the opium trade” with China, was the United States. American traders skirted the British opium monopoly by sourcing from Turkey and Malwa in Western India. By 1818, American traders were smuggling about one-third of all the opium consumed in China. Many powerful families like the Astors, Coolidges, Forbes, Irvings, and Roosevelts built their fortunes from the opium trade. Much of this opium money, Ghosh shows, also financed banking, railroads, and Ivy League institutions. While Ghosh mentions that many of these families developed a huge collection of Chinese art, he could have also discussed that some of their holdings were most probably part of millions of Chinese cultural icons plundered by colonialists.

Ghosh ends the book by discussing how the EIC's predatory behaviors have been replicated by modern corporations, like Purdue Pharma, that are responsible for the opium-derived OxyContin addiction. He adds that fossil fuel companies such as BP have also reaped enormous profits at the expense of consumer health or environmental damage.

Perhaps one omission in this book is that the author does not hold Indian opium traders from Malwa, such as the Marwaris, Parsis, and Jews, under the same ethical scrutiny as he does to the British and the Americans. While various other works have covered the British Empire's involvement in the opium trade, most readers would find Ghosh's narrative of American involvement to be eye-opening. Likewise, his linkage of present-day eastern India's economic backwardness to opium is both revealing and insightful.

Winner of India's highest literary award Jnanpith and nominated author for the Man Booker Prize, Amitav Ghosh's works concern colonialism, identity, migration, environmentalism, and climate change. In this book, he provides an invaluable lesson for political and business leaders that abdication of ethics and social responsibility have lasting consequences impacting us all.

Continue reading...

[stellarcharmconstellationbattle]

Business Model for Stellar Charm:

Target Market: The target market for Stellar Charm will be primarily young adults and teenagers who are interested in strategy-based card games. The game will also appeal to astronomy enthusiasts and fans of fantasy and mythology.

Revenue Streams: The primary source of revenue for Stellar Charm will be the sales of the game itself. In addition, the game can generate revenue through expansion packs, limited edition cards, and merchandise such as t-shirts, posters, and figurines.

Distribution Channels: Stellar Charm will be sold through various distribution channels such as online marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy, as well as through brick and mortar stores specializing in board games and card games. The game will also be available for purchase directly from the company's website.

Marketing and Advertising: To reach the target market, Stellar Charm will utilize a mix of digital and traditional marketing strategies. This will include social media marketing, influencer partnerships, targeted online ads, and participation in gaming conventions and events. The game will also have a strong presence on popular gaming forums and communities.

Production and Manufacturing: The game will be produced and manufactured in-house to maintain quality control and minimize production costs. This will also allow for faster turnaround time for new expansions and updates.

Pricing Strategy: The price of the base game will be set at a competitive rate to attract customers. Expansion packs and limited edition cards will be priced slightly higher to appeal to collectors and enthusiasts. Discounts and promotions will also be offered periodically to encourage sales.

Customer Support: Stellar Charm will have a dedicated customer support team to handle any queries or concerns from customers. This will ensure a positive customer experience and help build brand loyalty.

Partnerships and Collaborations: In order to increase brand awareness and reach a wider audience, Stellar Charm will collaborate with other popular games and brands. This can include cross-promotion, co-branded products, and special events.

Cost Structure: The main costs involved in running the business will include production and manufacturing costs, marketing and advertising expenses, and operational expenses such as rent, utilities, and salaries. The company will also invest in research and development to continuously improve the game and create new expansions.

Future Plans: As the game gains popularity, the company can consider developing a digital version of Stellar Charm for mobile or computer platforms. This can open up new revenue streams and reach a larger audience. The company may also consider licensing the game to other countries to expand its market reach. Play style

Card Name and Type: This feature displays the name of the battle card and its type, such as "Stellar Charm - Magical" or "Stellar Charm - Elemental". This helps the player identify the card and its category, which can be useful in planning their strategy.

Element: The element of the card is represented by a symbol or color and is crucial in determining its strengths and weaknesses. For example, a water element card may be strong against fire but weak against lightning. The player must keep this in mind when using the card in battles.

Attack Points: This feature displays the attack points of the card, which represents its offensive power. The higher the attack points, the stronger the card's attack will be. The player can use this information to strategically choose when to use the card in battle.

Defense Points: The defense points of the card represent its defensive capabilities. The higher the defense points, the better the card can withstand attacks from the opponent. The player can use this feature to strategically defend against the opponent's attacks.

Special Ability: Some battle cards may have a special ability that can be activated during battle. This feature will describe the special ability, such as "Healing Aura" or "Double Attack", and how it can be used in battle. The player must carefully consider when to use the special ability to gain an advantage over their opponent.

Fusion Requirements: The fusion requirements feature displays the elements or types of cards needed to fuse with the Stellar Charm card to create a more powerful card. This adds a layer of strategy to the game as the player must strategically choose which cards to fuse with the Stellar Charm card to create the most advantageous outcome.

Lore: The lore of the card provides a background story or description of the card, which can help the player understand the card's role in the game. This feature can also add an element of immersion and depth to the game, making it more engaging for the player. The game would be called "Constellation Clash" and it would be a two-player strategy battle card game. The objective of the game would be to collect and control the most constellations by the end of the game. Card Types:

Constellation Cards

These cards represent the 88 constellations and each one has its own unique abilities and strengths.

Zodiac Cards - These cards represent the 12 zodiac signs and can be used to enhance the abilities of constellation cards.

Star Cards - These cards represent individual stars and can be used to boost the power of constellation cards.

Element Cards - These cards represent the four elements (fire, water, air, and earth) and can be used to counter certain constellation cards.

Action Cards - These cards have various effects and can be used to interrupt or change the course of the game. Card Styles:

Basic Cards - These cards have a simple design and represent the less powerful constellations.

Advanced Cards - These cards have a more intricate design and represent the more powerful constellations.

Mythical Cards - These cards have a unique design and represent the rare and powerful constellations. Gameplay:

Set-Up - Each player starts with a deck of 20 constellation cards, 10 zodiac cards, 10 star cards, and 5 element cards. Each player also starts with 5 action cards in their hand. The remaining action cards are placed in a separate deck.

Turn Sequence - The game is played in turns. Each turn, a player can perform the following actions in any order:

Play one constellation card from their hand onto the field.

Play one zodiac or star card from their hand onto the field, and attach it to a constellation card already on the field.

Play one action card from their hand and resolve its effect.

Battle Phase - Once both players have finished their turns, a battle phase begins. The player who has the most stars attached to their constellation cards has the first attack. Each player takes turns attacking and defending until all battles have been resolved.

Battle Rules - During a battle, the attacking player chooses one of their constellation cards to attack with. The defending player can choose to block the attack with one of their constellation cards or take the full damage. If the attack is blocked, the defender's constellation card is discarded. If the attack is not blocked, the defender takes damage equal to the difference between the attacking constellation card's power and the defending constellation card's power.

Element Advantage - Certain constellation cards have an advantage over others based on their element. If a constellation card with a higher element attacks a constellation card with a lower element, the attacking card's power is increased by 50%.

Mythical Card Rule

If a player has a mythical card on the field, they can choose to activate its special ability once per turn during the battle phase.

End of Turn - After the battle phase, the player can choose to discard any cards from their hand and draw new ones, up to their hand limit of 5 cards.

End of Game - The game ends when one player has control of at least 10 constellations or when one player runs out of cards in their deck. The player with the most constellations under their control wins the game. The phases of the game would develop as players strategically play their cards, trying to gain control of the most powerful constellations and using their zodiac and star cards strategically to enhance their abilities. The game would also require players to carefully manage their resources and choose when to use their action cards for maximum impact. With the mythical cards adding an extra element of surprise, every game would be unique and challenging.

Zodiac Cards: These are the most powerful and rare cards in the game, representing the 12 zodiac signs. Each Zodiac Card has a unique ability and high attack and defense points.

Star Cards: These cards represent the stars within each constellation and are the backbone of any deck. They have a balanced mix of attack and defense points and can be used strategically to support other cards.

Mythology Cards: These cards are based on the ancient stories and myths associated with each constellation. They have powerful abilities that can turn the tide of battle, but are limited in number and should be used sparingly.

Elemental Cards: There are 4 elemental card types in the game - Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, each representing a different element from the universe. These cards have a rock-paper-scissors relationship with each other, with one element being strong against another and weak against the third. They can be used to counter opponent's cards and add an element of strategy to the game.

Celestial Cards: These cards represent celestial objects such as planets, comets, and galaxies. They have powerful abilities that can affect multiple cards at once, but are also limited in number and should be used strategically.

Constellation Cards: These cards represent the constellations themselves and have a unique ability that can only be activated when a player has a certain number of cards from the same constellation in their hand.

Support Cards: These cards do not have any attack or defense points, but instead, provide support to other cards in a player's hand. They can boost attack or defense points, provide additional abilities, or even revive defeated cards. Card Styles:

Standard Cards: These cards have a simple design with the constellation name and image on the front and the card type and stats on the back.

Foil Cards: These are rare and valuable versions of the standard cards, with a metallic sheen and enhanced artwork.

Holographic Cards: These cards have a holographic design that changes depending on the angle they are viewed from. They are highly sought after by collectors.

Legendary Cards: These are the most powerful and rare cards in the game, with unique artwork and abilities. They are highly coveted and can only be obtained through special events or by trading with other players.

Promo Cards: These limited edition cards are only available through special promotions, such as tournaments or special edition sets.

Prism Cards: These cards have a prism design that creates a rainbow effect when viewed under light. They are highly prized by players for their unique design.

Cosmic Cards: These cards have a cosmic design, with images of galaxies, stars, and other celestial objects. They are considered the most visually stunning cards in the game.

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