Assignment 6 - Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Economic Opportunities

1. The growth of the Chinese population is slowing, while as of now there is no foreseeable slowdown for the Indian population. This is partially due to the limitation of one child per couple in China, unless you pay a large sum of money. I saw this opportunity partially because I have a Chinese exchange student that lives at home with me and my mom back in Orlando, and it is also something that has been mentioned in my International Business class. This provides us with a unique opportunity to partner with India in the future to further our industry. We, the American people, will be the customer in this exchange, because if we position ourselves correctly we could benefit from this greatly. Insofar, we have had mostly good relations for trading with India. The only issues that we have come across are the lack of regulation in many aspects of industry for the country. This could present some difficulty for safety of workers, etc. but I do not think it will deter the future of the opportunity.

2. We have an economic opportunity in the United States which we have been denying in many ways over the past decade. We have been in denial about the usefulness of being multilingual, and still our school systems have language systems that do not in any way promote teaching children a second language. If the majority of people did know a second language, it would benefit us greatly with doing business internationally. While many people recognise this as an issue in the U.S. education system, nothing has been done about it. I did not even realise the importance of knowing multiple languages until I had the opportunity to travel to Denmark for 3 months during the summer between my senior year of high school and my first year of college. Most people in Europe know at least two languages, and it is not uncommon that they know three or four (in my personal experience). They have been able to understand the importance of this because their countries are smaller, and so they more frequently have to do business outside of their country. However, if we were to engage in the same behaviour it could improve our opportunities in countless ways as well. It would take work to fix this issue with our school systems, but it is doable if we are dedicated to it.

Regulatory Opportunities

3. The regulation and taxation of weed could greatly benefit the U.S. in many ways. Ultimately, a large percent of the drugs that the population of the United States consumes comes from across borders and fuels drug cartels, drug lords, and the violence that they pursue in countries like Mexico and Colombia. Not to mention, in the process of bringing the drugs over to the United States this also creates unwanted immigration from possibly dangerous people. These people are not the majority, and give a bad name to other immigrants who just want a better life for their families. I became aware of this because of the many Colombian and Mexican friends that I have telling me about their experiences with the drug cartels. After that point, I decided to do my own research and find out more. Again, the U.S. population could possibly increase safety for the country, while also creating new sources of revenue.

4. More regulation for water could improve failed water sources and prevent future crises from happening that would be similar to the Flint Water Crisis. Everyone in the United States deserves to have clean, safe drinking water for their families. I became aware that this was not necessarily the case due to the crisis in Flint, Michigan around 2014. Only recently, as I saw on the local news channel the other day, have they proceeded with the criminal trial regarding the issue. They claim that the issue has been fixed, but the results of the crisis have still affected the whole community and brought awareness to similar situations in the United States.

Assignment 5 - Identifying Local Opportunities

1. Effects of Shutdown on Cape Cod Mount
https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20190124/effects-of-shutdown-on-cape-cod-mount

The article outlines the effects that the partial government shutdown has had on government workers in the Cape Cod area. They have been seriously affected due to not receiving income during this time frame. It does not help that the area has some of the highest living costs, and the article mentions how difficult it has been to see military officials having to go to food pantries to feed their families. Food insecurity, as it mentions, will only get worse the longer that the shutdown lasts. Luckily, the community is doing what they can to help these people (and we have a temporary end to the shutdown).

2. The Gainesville Sun
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190117/city-oks-plastic-bag-styrofoam-ban

This article does not, at first, seem like something that could be considered negative. However, the problem lies in the fact that Alachua county is only the second county in Florida to successfully pass a ban against plastic bags and take out containers. This is because Florida legislature has banned such local ordinances, so it has become a huge job to get any similar local laws passed. This affects all of us as Florida residents, however, on a larger scale we need to make environmental issues our issues to reduce pollution for future generations.

3. York Daily Record
https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2019/01/25/train-derailment-york-pennsylvania-shuts-down-roads-friday-morning-norfolk-southern/2677241002/

This article from York County, Pennsylvania mentions how a seven-car train recently derailed. Luckily, it was only holding grain and was not a passenger train. However, it is taking them a good deal of time and effort to get a handle on the situation. They are still unsure what the reason was behind the derailment. This affects the people of that local area, because both sides of the roads are closed and so people who normally travel that way must find alternative routes. 

4. Red Bluff Daily News
https://www.redbluffdailynews.com/2019/01/24/challenge-issued-to-reach-fundraising-goal/

This article outlines the struggle that an organization is having trying to raise money to fight breast cancer. They are still $26,000 away from their goal, although many local postings have been made about the cause. This affects many people who are fighting breast cancer and need that money for treatment. The lady who started raising money for the cause had breast cancer herself, and recently passed away on January the 7th. 

5. Canon City Daily Record
http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/news/canoncity-local-news/ci_32407302/ex-hippie-says-bomb-he-left-outside-nederlands

Out of all the articles that I chose, I would say this one was the darkest or most dramatic. A man of 67 years old made a homemade bomb and chose to leave it close to police department in Colorado to "exact revenge" for his deputy friend who had been killed by the town marshall in 1971. This revenge occurred on October 11, 2016. He was recently found guilty. Although he was trying to get revenge for one person, he put probably hundreds of people in danger during this process. 

Assignment 4 - Forming An Opportunity Belief

• I believe that in the Heavener building at UF we have a need to replace Rising Roll with a better suited chain restaurant.
• I am in the Heavener building almost all day for at least three days a week, and I almost never see that Rising Roll is busy. In fact, now that we have better options across the street, I have seen most of their business move over to the Standard's shopping area. The business students of UF want to have better options within a closer distance, and UF is missing out on this opportunity.
• I interviewed one of my co-workers, Ajay Nair, who is a business student, as well as two of my friends, Mike Cauoette and David Jacobs to ask their opinions as students who also spend a majority of their time on campus in the vicinity of Heavener.

Ajay mentioned that he had only visited Rising Roll a handful of times during the three years that he had been on campus. When he had visited the location he noted that the food was not as good as other options in the general vicinity, and so in general he prefers the new places down 13th and University. He would love it if Rising Roll were replaced, because he says this is the first year that he has really felt like he's had any good food options due to the new stores opening. However, having something within the building he thought would really benefit the community of business students that spend most of their days at Heavener (himself included).

Mike was slightly more of a fan in comparison to Ajay, but mainly based on a convenience factor. I did ask him if he would prefer something else, and he mentioned maybe something with more coffee options for studying. He also mentioned that the hours of the store were pretty inconvenient, and if something else were to replace Rising Roll then it should be open longer hours. 

David is a newer student at the University of Florida, so he had only been to Rising Roll once. However, he was not thrilled with the experience whenever he had gone. He said the sandwiches were just okay, and for drinks he preferred to hit up the nearby Starbucks. He also noted that he agreed with me about replacing the chain, and that the location never seemed to be busy whenever he was at Heavener. His need for something better was based on convenience, much like the rest of those interviewed. 

• I think that interviewing three people will different perspectives helped me see the issue from other eyes. Mike's idea about having longer hours, for instance, was not something that I had necessarily considered. However, I think that it definitely has merit and I agree with him. Overall, it seemed like most business students agreed with me on my opinion of Rising Roll and nobody loved eating there.
• I definitely think that the original opportunity that I thought of is still a valid idea, and if anything I now have a more specific idea of what needs to be done with the replacement store. I think that entrepreneurs always need to take into account the ideas of their customers within reason. Obviously, they need to be profitable, but as long as that idea does not affect their general profitability I think that it should be taken into consideration.

Assignment 3 - Your Entrepreneurship Story

I have had the great fortune to be exposed to many entrepreneurs over my lifetime, but the person who has made the greatest impact on me is my oldest friends father. He came here for college as an immigrant from Israel and got his degree to be a P.E. teacher for children. After working in his field for about a decade, he found that he wanted to start a family and spend more time with his kids than his career would allow. He has always been really great at gauging the marketplace for certain regions. He can clearly see what kind of industry a town seems to be missing, so he decided to open up an electronics store in Orlando. He filled the store with replacement charges, disposable cameras, and plenty of things that tourists would need whenever they vacationed. Once the market in Orlando became over saturated, he found a prime spot to open his new business in Moab, Utah. This was a place that had thousands of tourists every year, but the town itself was hardly built up. By opening up his new location there, he was able to be extremely successful to the point where he is only open half of the year (during heavy tourist season for the area). The other half of the year, he gets to spend in Orlando with his family relaxing. However, it took many years of hard work to reach the point that he and his family are at now. Overall, the investment was worth it and now he has produced a lucrative business for his family.

I enrolled in this class with the intention of learning more about the process of entrepreneurship and the mindset that entrepreneurs have to have in order to be successful business people.

Credit to GettyImages

Assignment 2 - Bug List

• The parking on campus at UF is basically non-existent, and there are no close-by options to park which allow me to get to class on time if I am ever running late.

Why? The area of campus where most classes are located has been so built up over the years. It has left very little room to incorporate space to accommodate for the number of students that would commute to class.

• The trash on campus or around Gainesville as a whole (including in my own house) constantly seems to be overflowing and therefore, making a mess around town.

Why? The trash needs to be changed out by other human beings, which most likely have a number of responsibilities to fulfill during the day and so some locations get neglected.

• My backpack constantly hurts my back due to having to carry around many heavy things for long days on campus

Why? Many backpacks are not equipped to be comfortable and large enough for 10 hour days on campus.

• Since I use my laptop sometimes for an entire 9 am - 6 pm day, it is constantly close to dying.

Why? Although I normally bring my charging cable with me in my backpack, most classes do not have charging ports at many (if any) tables.

• Whenever I try to find a piece of clothing in Gainesville for any kind of special event I can never find anything.

Why? This has to do with demand in the area. Due to low demand for in-store shopping in this area, Macy's actually recently closed in our mall. 

• I have a sheet pan which I use for baking that I cannot wash in my sink. When I attempt to do so water gets everywhere.

Why? The sink itself is not very deep, the barrier which separates the two sides of the sink is the same height as the counter itself, so anything overly large cannot fit in the sink but must sit on top of it.

• At 3 am on random days during the week, my neighbour blares music, which wakes me on many days that I have morning classes.

Why? I live in a very old building with pretty poor insulation, which means everyone in my building can pretty much hear anything that everyone else does at home.

• People in Gainesville are particularly bad about using their turn signals, which results in me being very annoyed because I cannot determine what they are doing or where they are trying to go beforehand.

Why? This comes down to being conscious of how you drive, and how you are taught. In South Florida, for example, if you do use your turn signal many people will not let you in to the location in which you need to turn. Therefore, it is easier to "surprise" them by not using a signal. 

• When my car is full of people or luggage, the undercarriage tends to hit the road after I go over speed bumps.

Why? I have a very low riding car, and the extra weight inside the car helps the car fall that much lower to the road.

• Any time that I try to do anything to my hair, I walk outside only for it to frizz out and lose the style.

Why? The humidity level in Florida is usually super high, and moisture tends to affect hair styling.

• The speed limit on campus is super slow, making it annoying to drive around through UF.

Why? The speed limit needs to be low due to the amount of pedestrian walkers and bikers around all day.

• Even though I pay thousands of dollars a year to attend UF, 90% of my business classes are mostly or completely online.

Why? This is due to the high student-professor ratio, there are many more students and demand for business classes than there are professors at the college.

• It bothers me how Apple's products are so overpriced for what you are getting in the product.

Why? This exists because the product is desirable to consumers, and many people are interested in buying the product. Apple knows that they would charge almost anything within reason and people will still buy from them.

• Attending college, although basically a necessity in today's market, is extremely unaffordable for more students who attend.

Why? Universities must pay for everything that they provide to students and make a profit.

• Traffic on Archer and 34th Street around 5-6 pm.

Why? There are more people on the road during these times than normal, due to people getting out of work and school.

• People who do not believe in climate change.

Why? They have not looked up any of the facts and blindly believe what someone else has told them without educating themselves. 

• I hate when cords get tangled amongst themselves.

Why? This happens because of my own disorganization, I could set aside time to keep my desk area more organized to prevent this.

• Toothpaste getting stuck to the sink bowl is one of my biggest pet peeves.

Why? Toothpaste is naturally a sticky substance until you scrub with it, so it makes sense that it would stick to the sink unless you wipe it out.

• When the shower drain becomes clogged and water no longer drains properly.

Why? I have lots of hair fall down the drain every time I wash my hair, which builds up and clogs the drain over time.

• Most times that I try on pants in a store they are way too short for me and end up looking weird.

Why? I have really long legs and I'm pretty tall for a girl, so most pants do not account for my height unless I order them online.

• Taking tests in auditorium style classrooms which have almost no space except for the paper test itself.

Why? The classrooms and desks are built to hold many people which is more often needed for tests that have multiple class sections. However, because of this, there is less space accounted for per person.

Coming up with twenty bugs was difficult in some ways, but because I spaced the assignment out as recommended in the video, I do not feel like I struggled with it too much. I do think that if I had tried to come up with all twenty bugs in one day it would have been too difficult. Coming up with the bugs took thinking in a different way than I normally would, which made the assignment very interesting to complete. 

Assignment 1 - Test Post

Testing... 1, 2, 3.