Target Market Research

As of now my ideas of topics to address for Capstone are still broad in the sense of context. For the Target Market Research I focused on a few that are at the top of the list. While I state the umbrella topic is PTSD, it is actually the starting off point of looking at many areas of conflict where long-term psychological traumas occur at a higher rate. As far as existing product research there are very few physical precedents beyond pills and books.

Umbrella Topic: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

RETURNING SOLDIERS FROM CONFLICT ZONES

Currently there are transition programs for soldiers. However, since 2005 the suicide rate has increased dramatically as more and more soldiers are being deployed more often and with shorter rest periods. According to General Peter Chiarelli, “79% of suicides were soldiers who had one deployment or had yet to be deployed.”

On the ninth anniversary of the Afghan War, Operation Recovery was launched by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Against the War. A lawyer in Colorado Springs started focusing on cases of criminal activity where the defendant suffers from PTSD, and argues they need to be addressed accordingly. The biggest issue is there are soldiers and veterans who are unaware they have PTSD, are not able to find sufficient help with mental health and/or are kicked out when they are found with mental health problems. In an interview with Amy Goodman, Brock McIntosh, who served in Afghanistan, answered a question pertaining to the so-called kill team in that region. He stated:

“I know that before they join the military, they weren’t killing people and collecting their bones. And I think what war does is oftentimes it sort of provides a context for otherwise good people, or people who wouldn’t do acts at that level of disgust—I think that war provides them a context to do those things. And I don’t think it’s helpful when you go through basic training and you’re being told to kill, kill, kill, without mercy, and being told that blood makes the green grass grow.”

For this particular topic I am thinking of addressing the transition period of the soldiers from war to home.

MASS RAPES IN D.R. of CONGO

It was recently announced that the villages attacked in July and August of this year received other attacks again this month. These attacks were not by the same rebels, but by government forces. Not only is PTSD prevalent, but also entire generation of behavior that is inexplicable as “cultural” as some people put it. Recently UN special envoy for sexual violence in DR Congo, Margot Wallstroem, reemphasized the horror women, children and even some men experience in this particular part of Africa. “I think that it will destroy this country, if this continues, because it will brutalize the whole society, from generation to generation, and destroy all the values, all the standards. It could cost the Congo dearly… We have already seen this in a country like Liberia. In this post-conflict nation, rape tops the list of crimes, with the same methods that we observed during the war.” I wish to focus particularly on the psychological and societal affects of conflict. These can be seen in places from the Democratic-Republic of Congo to Afghanistan. Looking at rape on a global scale, an astounding statistic came out that can best be summarized by this awareness campaign:

In this particular case, I would like to address the survivors and uprooted communities in a way that helps regain control over the resource rich lands, protect themselves from atrocious crimes and raise awareness to industries and countries who are inadvertently funding criminal activity by purchasing resources.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON RESERVATIONS

1 out of 3 women living on a Native American reservation will be sexually assaulted according to a report by Vanguard’s Mariana van Zeller. Violence and rape occurring on reservations often go unreported or not addressed in the open. While there are programs and attempts made to change the repetitious nature of these crimes, it is difficult with the economic hardships experienced by the communities and municipalities.

OTHER TOPICS

These are the other topics I looked at over the summer and recently, but have thrown them to the back of the list. There is more extensive research on most of them. However, to spare the reading time I am listing them by title only:

SRI LANKA and the TAMIL TIGERS

9/11 PTSD EXPERIENCED BY WITNESSES and NYC

MEXICAN DRUG WAR & GANG VIOLENCE

PHYSICAL ACCIDENTS (i.e. car, surgery)

KIDNAPPINGS (general & related to drug gang violence and conflict zones)

ISRAEL & PALASTINE (the lack of access to supplies, Gaza Flotilla)

ABUSE IN THE MIDDLE EAST OF IMMIGRANT LABOR (particularly of Asian women who are maids in rich houses)

DYNAMICS OF CHINESE WORKERS IN AFRICA (particularly in Angola and how it affects both locals and Chinese)

DRUG RELATED PROSTITUTION IN NYC

For sources, please see sheu_christine_market_research.doc in the Dropbox.