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Articles by Patrick van Esch
Not All Credentials Are Equal: A Within-Subjects Comparison of Student Responses to Google Analytics And Hubspot Certifications in Marketing Education
ABSTRACT Micro-credentials have become standard components of marketing curricula, yet educators typically select credentialing platforms based on employer recognition alone, without evidence about how students experience different platforms. This study provides, to our knowledge, the first within-subjects comparative evidence that credential platforms are not motivationally equivalent.
Lessons from Chinese AI Firms on Owning Customers’ Habits
Lessons from Chinese AI Firms on Owning Customers’ Habits June 18, 2026 Earlier this year, Chinese and U.S. tech giants launched two very different campaigns to support their new AI offerings.
You’ve been trying to get around Amazon – but it’s not that easy
You did the right thing this morning. Instead of the one-click default to your laptop’s last opened tab, you opened Etsy and bought a ceramic mug from a maker you’d been following on Instagram. Yesterday, your sister’s birthday gift came from a Shopify store run by a kitchenware designer in Sacramento, California. You felt something when you clicked “buy,” a small, warm, fuzzy feeling. Not Amazon. Not a giant. Someone real. The package will arrive on time, in unmarked brown cardboard, in two days.
Patrick van Esch
© Rhode Island Current, 2026 v1.125.10 ABOUT US The Rhode Island Current is an independent, nonprofit news outlet focused on state government and the impact of public policy decisions in the Ocean State. Readers can expect relentless reporting with the context needed to understand key issues affecting the lives of Rhode Islanders. We’re part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization. DEIJ Policy | Ethics Policy | Privacy Policy
You’ve been trying to get around Amazon – but it’s not that easy Original
You did the right thing this morning. Instead of the one-click default to your laptop’s last opened tab, you opened Etsy and bought a ceramic mug from a maker you’d been following on Instagram. Yesterday, your sister’s birthday gift came from a Shopify store run by a kitchenware designer in Sacramento, California. You felt something when you clicked “buy,” a small, warm, fuzzy feeling. Not Amazon. Not a giant. Someone real. The package will arrive on time, in unmarked brown cardboard, in two days.
You’ve been trying to get around Amazon – but it’s not that easy
This article was originally published on The Conversation. You did the right thing this morning. Instead of the one-click default to your laptop’s last opened tab, you opened Etsy and bought a ceramic mug from a maker you’d been following on Instagram. Yesterday, your sister’s birthday gift came from a Shopify store run by a kitchenware designer in Sacramento, California. You felt something when you clicked “buy,” a small, warm, fuzzy feeling. Not Amazon. Not a giant. Someone real.
You’ve been trying to get around Amazon – but it’s not that easy
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) kAmW%wt r~}'t#$p%x~}X *@F 5:5 E96 C:89E E9:?8 E9:D >@C?:?8]k^Am kAmx?DE625 @7 E96 @?6\4=:4< 5672F=E E@ J@FC =2AE@A’D =2DE @A6?65 E23[ J@F @A6?65 tEDJ 2?5 3@F89E 2 46C2>:4 >F8 7C@> 2 >2<6C J@F’5 366? 7@==@H:?8 @? x?DE28C2>] *6DE6C52J[ J@FC D:DE6C’D 3:CE952J 8:7E 42>6 7C@> 2 $9@A:7J DE@C6 CF? 3J 2 <:E496?H2C6 56D:8?6C :? $24C2>6?E@[ r2=:7@C?:2] *@F 76=E D@>6E9:?8 H96?
You’ve been trying to get around Amazon – but it’s not that easy Original
You did the right thing this morning. Instead of the one-click default to your laptop’s last opened tab, you opened Etsy and bought a ceramic mug from a maker you’d been following on Instagram. Yesterday, your sister’s birthday gift came from a Shopify store run by a kitchenware designer in Sacramento, California. You felt something when you clicked “buy,” a small, warm, fuzzy feeling. Not Amazon. Not a giant. Someone real. The package will arrive on time, in unmarked brown cardboard, in two days.
You’ve been trying to get around Amazon – but it’s not that easy
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) kAmW%wt r~}'t#$p%x~}X *@F 5:5 E96 C:89E E9:?8 E9:D >@C?:?8]k^Am kAmx?DE625 @7 E96 @?6\4=:4< 5672F=E E@ J@FC =2AE@A’D =2DE @A6?65 E23[ J@F @A6?65 tEDJ 2?5 3@F89E 2 46C2>:4 >F8 7C@> 2 >2<6C J@F’5 366? 7@==@H:?8 @? x?DE28C2>] *6DE6C52J[ J@FC D:DE6C’D 3:CE952J 8:7E 42>6 7C@> 2 $9@A:7J DE@C6 CF? 3J 2 <:E496?H2C6 56D:8?6C :? $24C2>6?E@[ r2=:7@C?:2] *@F 76=E D@>6E9:?8 H96?
Pourquoi les États‑Uniens se serrent la ceinture mais peuvent dépenser près de 20 euros pour un smoothie
Derrière le succès des smoothies de luxe, une mécanique psychologique : en période d’incertitude, les consommateurs se tournent vers de petits achats premium pour reprendre le contrôle. Face à la crise du pouvoir d’achat, les Américains renoncent aux dîners au restaurant, repoussent l’achat d’une voiture et traquent les bonnes affaires en supermarché.
Why Are We Buying $22 Smoothies While Worrying About the Economy?
(Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com) Americans are skipping restaurant dinners, delaying car purchases and scouring for grocery deals. Amid tariff anxiety and broader stress over affordability, consumer confidence has dropped to levels not seen in over a decade, according to The Conference Board, a business think tank. At this point, it’s wealthier consumers who are powering the bulk of spending in the U.S. economy. So what explains the success of Erewhon’s US$22 smoothie?
Why Americans Are Buying $22 Smoothies Despite Feeling Terrible About The Economy
Americans are skipping restaurant dinners, delaying car purchases and scouring for grocery deals. Amid tariff anxiety and broader stress over affordability, consumer confidence has dropped to levels not seen in over a decade, according to The Conference Board, a business think tank. At this point, it’s wealthier consumers who are powering the bulk of spending in the U.S. economy. So what explains the success of Erewhon’s US$22 smoothie?
How AI Is Threatening Platforms’ Revenue Streams
SKIP TO CONTENT Digital platforms have long dominated the economy by capturing attention, data, and transactions—but that model is now under direct threat. As consumers increasingly delegate decisions to AI agents, the core... Over time, the sheer volume of online activity and the convenience of centralized digital services have turned us into a platform-dependent society, shaping markets and labor while seizing ever-greater shares of our time and daily activity.
Why Americans are buying $38 smoothies despite fears about the economy
Americans are skipping restaurant dinners, delaying car purchases and scouring for grocery deals. Amid tariff anxiety and broader stress over affordability, consumer confidence has dropped to levels not seen in over a decade, according to The Conference Board, a business think tank. At this point, it's wealthier consumers who are powering the bulk of spending in the US economy. So what explains the success of Erewhon's US$22 ($38) smoothie?
Why Americans are buying $22 smoothies despite feeling terrible about the economy
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) kAmW%wt r~}'t#$p%x~}X p>6C:42?D 2C6 D<:AA:?8 k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^HHH]4??]4@>^a_ad^_g^`_^3FD:?6DD^C6DE2FC2?ED\7@@5\4@DED\4@?DF>6C\DA6?5:?8QmC6DE2FC2?E 5:??6CDk^2m[ k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^HHH]2FE@3=@8]4@>^?6HD^?6H\65>F?5D\52E2\6IA@D6D\3:EE6C\C62=:EJ\@7\?6H\42C\277@C523:=:EJQm56=2J:?8 42C AFC492D6Dk^2m 2?5 D4@FC:?8 7@C k2...
Why Americans are buying $22 smoothies despite feeling terrible about the economy Original
Americans are skipping restaurant dinners, delaying car purchases and scouring for grocery deals. Amid tariff anxiety and broader stress over affordability, consumer confidence has dropped to levels not seen in over a decade, according to The Conference Board, a business think tank. At this point, it’s wealthier consumers who are powering the bulk of spending in the U.S. economy. So what explains the success of Erewhon’s US$22 smoothie?
Why Americans are buying $22 smoothies despite feeling terrible about the economy
Americans are skipping restaurant dinners, delaying car purchases and scouring for grocery deals. Amid tariff anxiety and broader stress over affordability, consumer confidence has dropped to levels not seen in over a decade, according to The Conference Board, a business think tank. At this point, it’s wealthier consumers who are powering the bulk of spending in the U.S. economy. kAm$@ H92E 6IA=2:?D E96 DF446DD @7 tC6H9@?’D &$Saa D>@@E9:6nk^Am kAm%96 {@D p?86=6D 8C@46CJ 492:?
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality Original
'Gone but not forgotten' could become a big understatement in the age of AI. Marina113/iStock via Getty Images Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends.
OpenAI slipped shopping into 800 million ChatGPT users’ chats — why that matters | Opinion
Yuanyuan Cui and Patrick van Esch Your Turn OpenAI has partnered with Stripe to allow users to make purchases directly within ChatGPT conversations. AI shopping assistants are evolving from answering questions to proactively making suggestions and purchases. This convenience may come at the cost of user privacy, choice and the ability to compare options. Experts warn that AI recommendations can feel objective, creating an "advice illusion" that manipulates consumer behavior.
OpenAI Slipped Shopping Into 800 Million ChatGPT Users’ Chats-Here’s Why That Matters
Your phone buzzes at 6 a.m. It’s ChatGPT: “I see you’re traveling to New York this week. Based on your preferences, I’ve found three restaurants near your hotel. Would you like me to make a reservation?” You didn’t ask for this. The AI simply knew your plans from scanning your calendar and email and decided to help. Later, you mention to the chatbot needing flowers for your wife’s birthday. Within seconds, beautiful arrangements appear in the chat. You tap one: “Buy now.” Done. The flowers are ordered.
OpenAI slipped shopping into 800 million ChatGPT users’ chats − here’s why that matters
Your phone buzzes at 6 a.m. It’s ChatGPT: “I see you’re traveling to New York this week. Based on your preferences, I’ve found three restaurants near your hotel. Would you like me to make a reservation?” You didn’t ask for this. The AI simply knew your plans from scanning your calendar and email and decided to help. Later, you mention to the chatbot needing flowers for your wife’s birthday. Within seconds, beautiful arrangements appear in the chat. You tap one: “Buy now.” Done. The flowers are ordered.
OpenAI slipped shopping into 800 million ChatGPT users’ chats − here’s why that matters
Your phone buzzes at 6 a.m. It’s ChatGPT: “I see you’re traveling to New York this week. Based on your preferences, I’ve found three restaurants near your hotel. Would you like me to make a reservation?” kAm*@F 5:5?’E 2D< 7@C E9:D] %96 px D:>A=J <?6H J@FC A=2?D 7C@> D42??:?8 J@FC 42=6?52C 2?5 6>2:= 2?5 564:565 E@ 96=A] {2E6C[ J@F >6?E:@? E@ E96 492E3@E ?665:?8 7=@H6CD 7@C J@FC H:76’D 3:CE952J] (:E9:? D64@?5D[ 362FE:7F= 2CC2?86>6?ED 2AA62C :?
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality | Cascadia Daily News
Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded answers combined with artificial intelligence to create a realistic, interactive experience.
Digital afterlife: Will your AI self outlive you-and what does that mean?
Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded answers combined with artificial intelligence to create a realistic, interactive experience.
Logging off life but living on
Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded answers combined with artificial intelligence to create a realistic, interactive experience.
Digital afterlife: The possibilities and problems of living on after death
Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded answers combined with artificial intelligence to create a realistic, interactive experience.
Logging off Life but Living on: How AI Is Redefining Death, Memory, and Immortality
Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded answers combined with artificial intelligence to create a realistic, interactive experience.
How AI Is Redefining Death, Memory And Immortality
(ANALYSIS) Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded answers combined with artificial intelligence to create a realistic, interactive experience.
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded answers combined with artificial intelligence to create a realistic, interactive experience.
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded answers combined with artificial intelligence to create a realistic, interactive experience.
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
Now Update, Jan. 12, 2025: This story, originally published Jan. 10, now includes a warning about AI-driven attacks, as well as a statement from Google regarding the latest report that highlighted Gmail usage in the Solana key theft campaign. As the world’s biggest free email platform, Gmail often finds …
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
IMAGINE attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded answers combined with artificial intelligence to create a realistic, interactive experience.
Would you want to live on as an AI chatbot after you die?
Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Mrs Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an artificial intelligence (AI) technology company called StoryFile, Mrs Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used pre-recorded answers combined with AI to create a realistic, interactive experience.
AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends.
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded answers combined with artificial intelligence to create a realistic, interactive experience.
How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
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Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality Original
Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded answers combined with artificial intelligence to create a realistic, interactive experience.
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality
4 hours ago Guy reveals 'ugly truth' after buying a cheap Tesla Model S A YouTuber documented the purchase of a used Tesla, a 2016 Tesla Model S 90D, bought at a relatively cheap price, $17,000. Buying a used EV is a … 1 hour ago Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti vs RTX 4080: Which is the better gaming GPU?
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Implement Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) into Marketing Materials: The ‘CONSIDER’ Framework
Get full access to this article View all access and purchase options for this article. References Alahakoon T., Beatson A., Keating B., Mathmann F., Mortimer G., Worsteling A. (2024). Diversity, equity, and inclusion statements in recruitment marketing materials: A systematic review and research agenda. Australasian Marketing Journal, 32(3). Arsel Z., Crockett D., Scott M. L. (2022). Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the Journal of Consumer Research: A curation and research agenda.
Autores - Mundo Empresarial
Albert BoschLicenciado en Ciencias Empresariales y MBA por ESADE. Aventurero (ha cruzado la Antártida, escalado el Everest y participado en nueve Dakars, además de otros retos extremos) y emprendedor, en 2004 fundó INVERGROUP, plataforma para gestionar y promover proyectos en el ámbito de la energía y el medio ambiente. También ejerce como conferenciante y divulgador de actitudes de liderazgo, y es autor de cinco libros en este ámbito.
Sexism in the silences at Australian Universities: Parental leave in name, but not in practice
REFERENCES . 2006. “Inequality Regimes: Gender, Class, and Race in Organizations.” Gender & Society 20(4): 441–64. , and . 2008. “Expectant Mothers and Absent Fathers: Paid Maternity Leave in Australia.” Gender, Work and Organization 15(4): 75–393. , , and . 2013. “Making Sense of Big Text: a Visual-First Approach for Analysing Text Data Using Leximancer and Discursis.” International Journal of Social Research Methodology 16(3): 261–67. , , , and . 2020. “‘Kids’ in between?
8 Recommendations To Help Firms Win The War For Talent
Marjorie, an HR professional, receives a seemingly impossible mandate. She is asked to recruit six Spanish-speaking, front-end programmers with at least 10 years of experience, able to relocate to Miami, in southeastern United States, all within a month. Not so many years ago, this would have been impossible.
How Can Managers Use AI to Find the Right People?
Eight recommendations to help firms win the war for talent. Marjorie, an HR professional, receives a seemingly impossible mandate. She is asked to recruit six Spanish-speaking, front-end programmers with at least 10 years of experience, able to relocate to Miami, in southeastern United States, all within a month. Not so many years ago, this would have been impossible.
how parental leave policies perpetuate the gender gap (even in our 'progressive' universities)
Issues that matter to families on a daily basis, such as childcare, parental leave and flexible working arrangements, are often referred to as “women’s issues”. This focuses policy interventions solely on mothers, limiting the solutions that are possible and concealing how these issues affect dads. As part of an ongoing research project we analysed the parental leave policies of 36 Australian public universities.
Cheerleaders are athletes. The NRL should pause on packing away the pom poms
As the NRL competition ushers in its 2021 season, women waving pom poms while clad in figure hugging attire and white, knee-high boots will be missing from some games. The Parramatta Eels are the latest and fifth team to cut their cheerleading squad, announcing in late January their 30 cheerleaders wouldn’t be employed this year. This decision also means nearly 80 junior cheer girls no longer have a home.
From Elvis to Dolly, celebrity endorsements might be the key to countering vaccine hesitancy
The Australian government has secured close to of the AstraZeneca vaccine, as well as 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. This is more than enough coronavirus vaccines for the entire population — and then some. But with vaccine hesitancy on the rise in Australia, questions remain over what methods the government will use to persuade enough people to get the jab. According to a recent study, only three out of five Australians said they are willing to receive the vaccine.
Imagine having your period and no money for pads or tampons. Would you still go to school?
last week said it would trial a program to hand out free pads and tampons in schools. Department secretary Mark Scott said: We are developing work on a pilot program around this and details will be emerging on that shortly. In a recent Australian study, more than one-third of young women said they missed at least one class, either at school or university, in the past three months due to menstrual symptoms, including pain and fatigue.
Australia Day isn't the commercial winner it used to be
Australia Day used to be an obvious and uncontroversial occasion for brands to endear themselves to Australian consumers. No longer. There has been a decided shift over the past decade in commercial attitudes to January 26, acknowledging the problematic nature of the date’s choice as our day of national celebration to our First Nations. Nothing demonstrates this more conclusively than Cricket Australia dropping references to Australia Day in its promotions of Big Bash League fixtures.
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