Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

• Economic Trend:Overseas Investment Seen Rebounding as US Firms Repatriate Less Profit 
• Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/overseas-investment-seen-rebounding-as-u-s-firms-repatriate-less-profits-11548072126
• I found this source through the Wall Street Journals Economy section. I believe that this is an opportunity here, as the article gives evidence as to why foreign investment should rise. The prototypical customer here is governments or multinational firms, who can directly invest overseas. The opportunity should be easy to exploit if economic conditions and regulations permit it. 
• I saw this opportunity, primarily due to my macro-economics class. I find that foreign investment is good for globalization, and helps more ideas to spread around the world. 
• Economic Trend: Los Angeles and Other Cities Stash Money to Prepare for Recession: 
• Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/los-angeles-and-other-cities-stash-money-to-prepare-for-a-recession-11548345600
• I found this opportunity through the Wall Street Journals Economy section. I believe the opportunity here lies by investing less in the economy now. I find this to be credible as the source highlights the potential of a recession the coming year. 
• I saw this opportunity as when recessions are bound to happen investing will begin to slow, and selling will rise. I think others have found this to be true too however. 
• Regulation: Politicians will now fundraise to pay legal fees
• Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/city-council-votes-to-let-politicians-fundraise-to-pay-legal-fees-11548374583
• I found this opportunity as it effects how New York politicians will fundraise. I think this is opportunity as the City Council of New York signed a bill on January 24, 2019. 
• The prototypical consumer of this opportunity would be a New York politician, and his political team. 
• I saw this opportunity due to politics and legal issues being very intertwined at the moment in the US. 
• Regulation: Teachers will no longer focus on teaching exams 
• Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-lawmakers-pass-bill-to-drop-student-test-scores-from-teacher-reviews-11548289711
• I found this opportunity through the Wall Street Journal, and because it effects how teachers teach their students. The prototypical customer is both teachers and students. 
• I think I found this opportunity since I am a student, and how teachers teach affect how we learn. 

Identifying Local Opportunities

Title: Workplace safety violations at UM dining hall add up to a proposed $134,000 in fines
Link: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0124%21January%2B24&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1712A48D94B9AA00
Description of Story: Compass Group, from North Carolina, has been failing to keep up with safety standards in schools across the nation, including the University of Miami. They have violated three safety rules, one being a second time offense.
Description of Problem: The problem here is that Compass Group, has failed to provide a safe and adequate service, that is costing them thousands of dollars.
Who has the Problem: UM, Compass Group, and UM students. UM and Compass group are receiving bad publicity due to their failures. Whereas, UM students are affected by the bad service, as it could be detrimental for their health.

Title: Three accused of selling GEDs for up to $3,000. Two are Miami-Dade Schools Employees.
Link: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0124%21January%2B24&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/171287D8B9D9A1A0
Description of Story: Three employees successfully sold student their degrees. This was an attempt to defraud the schools system through a scheme that sold 18 GEDs to students.
Description of Problem: The problem here is that people were not actually earning their degrees, but were just paying to receive them. It was hard to regulate and stop this scheme due to many of the people committing the crime being on the inside.
Who has the Problem: The problem resides Miami-Dade county who know has to establish a way in order for this not to happen again, and help students reach their degrees through ethical standards.

Title: Immigrants facing deportation don't always have to leave the US. Here's what they can do:
Link: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0124%21January%2B24&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/171287D8839B3F90
Description of story: The article explains how immigrants that enter the country illegally have options to stay in the country once detained. Many immigrants do not know about the options however, and therefore do not choose to use them. The article states that some immigrants should look into applying for: asylum, green card, or a family petition.
Description of Problem: With the increase of immigration in the US, many people are being detained and deported back to countries they tried to escape from. However, there are legal ways for them to stay in the country, but the problem is, is that they are not explained how to all the time.
Who has the problem: The problem mostly affects those people attempting to stay in the US illegally. As they are the ones being detained or deported for doing so.

Title: Dolphins facing interesting decisions on two veteran receivers. The potential fallout.
Link: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0121%21January%2B21&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1711A7142845AD58
Description of story: This story highlights the potential rift between starting receivers for the Dolphins: Amendola and DeVante Parker. The Dolphins should keep one of the receivers, but need to figure out which one best suits the team. Amendola, led last year in catches and yards. However, the Dolphins are trying to rebuild and must see which receiver still has potential for the coming seasons.
Description of Problem: The Miami Dolphins have been attempting to rebuild their team to potentially have a successful season. To do this they need cap space, and must release some veteran players. The problem is they must choose between two experienced receivers.  Danny Amendola and DeVante Parker.
Who has the Problem: The Miami Dolphins and the two players. The Dolphins must decide how to effectively clear up cap space while keeping talent and experience. While Danny Amendola and DeVante Parker must showcase and compete against each other for a reason to stay.

Title: It wasn't just the Saints that got robbed. Fans also get cheated by NFL's latest mess.
Link: https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AMIHB%21Miami%2BHerald%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0121%21January%2B21&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/17118AB80C82DD98
Description of story: The article states that the Saints and the Rams game, which was played last Sunday, was an embarrassment for the league. The article insinuates that the officials made bad calls which led to the fans and the players being robbed of going to the Super Bowl.
Description of Problem: The problem here is that officials in the Rams vs. the Saints made bad calls that affected the outcome of the game. Ruining the game not only for the athletes, but also for the fans that attended the game.
Who has the problem: The problem resides with the NFL, as they are responsible for providing the referees. The Saints players are affected since they believe they should've won the game, as with the Saints fans.

Forming an Opportunity

Beginning Point:

I do have a belief that an unmet need exists

Describe your Belief:

The unmet need I believe exists is the need to know how full parking lots on campus are without having to drive into them. I think the need applies mostly to students and maybe faculty. I think the need as always existed, as parking on campus can be hard to find. How this need is being met at the moment is simply building more parking spaces to try and accommodate more people. At this point I am 90% sure that this opportunity exists

Interviews:

Interview #1: Rebecca

Me: How important is parking on campus to you?

Rebecca: I park on campus all the time, for class and for group meetings

Me: Is it hard to park on campus? How do you know where to park on campus?

Rebecca: Yeah, parking during the day is very hard. I would say the worst is the mornings when I arrive to campus. I don’t know where to park, I usually just try and find a place close to my classes.

Me: When did you first become aware that parking was a problem, and that it was hard to find a parking lot that was open?

Rebecca: I would say once I started driving to campus, so last year.

Me: What do you when there is no parking close to you classes?

Rebecca: I usually just drive around to other parking lots and see if I can find a spot.

Me: My solution to the problem would be to either create an app to tell you where there is space to park or putting digital signs at parking lots to show how many free spots there are. Does that sound like a solution to your problem?

Rebecca: Yeah, I think so. I think it would be nice to have both, that way you would not necessarily need one or the other.

Interview #2: Ethan

Me: Do you park on campus often? How easy is it for you?

Ethan: I don’t park on campus much. I don’t do it much because it’s actually quite hard to find parking close to my classes.

Me: When do you become aware of the need for a solution?

Ethan: Only when I miss the bus. Then I drive to campus and I find it hard to park, so I only experience it occasionally. 

Me: How do currently address this need?

Ethan: Well I avoid driving to campus, I rather take the bus.

Me: Would you find an app that locates available parking or a digital signs that inform you the amount of available parking in a location helpful?

Ethan: Yeah, I think that would be beneficial. Maybe I would drive more to class, but I still think I would predominantly use the bus

Interview #3 John:

Me: Do you drive and park on campus often?

John: I wouldn’t say often, but a good amount.

Me: What is you main concern when parking?

John: Mostly that I will have to go around looking for somewhere to park, it’s kind of a hassle sometimes.

Me: How often is this a problem for you when you drive?

John: I would say almost every time I drive to campus

Me: How long has this been a problem for you?

John: I would say probably since sophomore year, once I moved off campus

Me: How do you currently solve the problem?

John: I bike to campus, it’s easier and good exercise

Me: Would you drive to campus more if you could identify where available parking was?

John: I think I would, knowing that I wouldn’t have to stress about finding parking

Reflection:

Based on the interviews I conducted, I learned that there in fact may be an opportunity to cease, as many people find it frustrating to not know where to park on campus. The most surprising thing I found was that this problem, is based on efficiency. Meaning that people want to park close to their classes, not necessarily look for where there is parking elsewhere. As you can see from interviews with John and Ethan, not being able to find parking close to class was why they found other means of transportation.

Summarize:

I find that most of my original opportunity is still there. People want to know where to park, but also want to be able to park close to their classes. I do believe that my new opportunity is more accurate, but also harder to solve. I believe that entrepreneurs should adapt to customer feedback, as they are the people buying the service or product. However, there should be product champions as well, that believe that an idea can be successful, but may need some modifications to help it break into a market.

Entrepreneurship Story

1. The entrepreneur that I found to be quite inspiring is my mothers boss, Ambassador to Vienna, Trevor Traina. Mr. Traina is a serial entrepreneur who started several technology companies, many of them being sold to bigger companies such as Google or Microsoft. What struck me the most about Mr. Traina is how passionate and curious he is to learn about the people he works for and the experiences he can make. I found this to be quite interesting, as I felt that his success, at least in part, must be driven by his character. I felt that in order to succeed as an entrepreneur one needed to have a passionate and curious mindset.

2. I enrolled in ENT3003 mainly to see how a business creative works and operates, and to hopefully stimulate some creative ideas within myself. I think this class has the potential in helping me understand the dedication and creativity needed to succeed not solely as an entrepreneur, but also in the business world in general. What I hope to get out of this class is a sense of what the business world has to offer and how to cope and succeed with its ever changing ways.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Traina#/media/File:Trevor_D._Traina_official_photo.jpg

Bug List

Uber Maps is not very accurate 

Why it exists: This problem exists primarily because Uber does not update its map software enough, and leads Uber drivers to take less convenient routes 

Netflix Movie selection is very poor, and does not offer many recent films 

Why it exists: This problem exists due to Netflix not updating its movie selection, primarily due to them starting to produce their own films and tv series

Archer traffic during rush hour can make trips out of Gainesville take very long 

Why it exists: This problem exists because Gainesville does not have many roads that connect to Archers restaurants, stores, and highway exit. 

Lines at midtown get packed very quickly and very early

Why it exists: This is due to the capacity of venues at midtown being relatively small. They are also conveniently located, which generates a lot of foot traffic. Finally, they are relatively inexpensive, creating higher demand for entrance. 

Lack of guest parking at the 9 apartment complex 

Why it exists: This is due to the 9 not accounting for more guest parking during the construction of their parking lot. Also, the high ownership of vehicles of residents. 

The lack of community for international students, who are not familiar with the US 

Why it exists: This problem exists due to the vast majority of students that attend UF, and I assume other Florida institutions, are from Florida or states around Florida. Meaning that they do not feel they need to prioritize the experience of foreign students on campus. 

The 9 pool rarely gets cleaned and will stay dirty for weeks 

Why it exists: I would say this problem occurs due to management scheduling pool cleanings very rarely or too far apart. 

Lack of covered bike parking on campus and at most restaurants and apartment complex’s 

Why it exists: Due to Florida being the "Sunshine State" I would say it is thought that covered bike racks are not necessary, and may be a waste of money. 

AC in business building tend to not be very high, making the business building very warm 

Why it exists: This problem may exist due to the fact the university may require air conditioning to be at certain temperature due to operating costs. 

Small number of flights that fly into Gainesville airport 

Why it exists: I would say this is primarily due to Gainesville being a small city, and not many people need to travel far distances 

Lack of an accurate app for public transportation 

Why it exists: This problem exists due to time at stops or traffic speed can very for each route. 

Key not working at my apartment complex’s pool entrance, making it hard to enter the pool

Why it exists: The electric lock on the door leading to the pool breaks very easily, and is not fixed rapidly enough 

Lack of breakfast restaurants on campus 

Why it exists: I would say this problem exists due to not many breakfast restaurants signing contracts with UF, and the fact that many students on campus receive breakfast at dining halls 

Not having an American licenses, limits my ability to drive or obtain a car 

Why it exists: The United States does not transfer driving licenses from foreign countries over, making the incompatible to use here for extended periods of time. 

Not being able to visit family on short holidays 

Why it exists: This problem exits due to my parents living in Europe, and flights to Europe are quite expensive 

Amount of grease on American food products 

Why it exists: I presume this exists because the taste from cooking in grease can be appealing to many American consumers and allows for cheaper products to be used when cooking 

Testing sites continuously change for certain classes 

Why it exists: This problem exists due to size of many classes at UF and the fact that classes may be in areas where exams could normally take place.

Fire alarm randomly going off at my apartment complex 

Why it exists: This problem is primarily due to people being under the influence of alcohol or simply thinking it is funny to pull fire alarms at random hours

Person above my room plays music too loudly at night 

Why it exists: This problem exists due to this person liking his music at high volumes, and the fact that he does not realize the floor is very thin between our rooms. 

UF merchandise is very expensive 
Why it exists: I would say the primary reason this happens is that UF merchandise is made from other manufacturers like Nike (Jordan). Meaning that they set the prices, not UF. 

Reflection: 
I found this assignment a little hard at first I could not figure our things that seemed to really bug me. However, once I began to realize things that seemed quite tedious I was able to put a list together rapidly. I would say the hardest part was figuring out why it was a problem. Primarily, because I did not have answer to all the questions, and would have to assume that this was the reason for it being a problem. 

Test Post

This is a test post for ENT3003, a class on the basics of entrepreneurship. In this blog you I will be completing my assignments for the course.