Assignment 6A- Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Economic Trends:

1.     This first opportunity I found was in an article from the New York Times website. After reading the article I learned that California has a housing crisis in part due to the high cost of living. This lack of affordable living near public transit has led to problems like homelessness as well as environmental effect from commuting so much. I think an opportunity exists here because many of the people in California are not celebrities or millionaires and still need affordable housing, not to mention the cost of living in California is through the roof and having decently priced housing near public transportation can help people lower their cost of living tremendously. For this opportunity to be successful it’s going to be important to look at those with average to lower socioeconomic statuses because it is the people who fall into this group that would benefit most from affordable housing. Another group to look at is families as well as single-parent households. As mentioned in the article they have had trouble getting this approved through the Senate so knowing that I think it will be difficult but not impossible. I think a key point here would be to remind them of the homelessness and tent camps that have plagues California.

            I saw an opportunity here because for as long as I can remember I’ve been                           hearing about the housing problems in California and how this has led to a             steady rise in homelessness there. Not to mention the majority of people living             through California are just normal people making just at or barely above minimum                  wage. And I personally think if the minimum wage isn’t rising yet the cost of living is              an affordable housing option should at least be offered for lower socioeconomic                    families who seem to suffer the most without it.

2.     The recent outbreak of the Corona virus has caused a multitude of stress and worrying not just in China but all around the world. From watching the news and reading various articles it is clear that it will take some time for them to get this virus under control and things back to normal. And because many big and small companies rely on products produced here this virus has caused the production of these items to cease. Apple has been forced to reroute their supply chains, Ikea has to close stores and pay their staff to stay home and even Starbucks has warned that there might be a financial blow. But this unfortunate chaos has led to a viable opportunity not just now but for the future. It is always important to have a back-up plan in the event of any type of disruption like the virus. So I think an opportunity lies in having domestic factories to produce products when needed for these big companies like Starbucks, Ikea, and Apple who are currently at a standstill. This would allow them to still function normally and receive the products they need however this does not have to be in the US it could be in India or Europe but this back-up factors acts as a sort of safety net. The prototypical customer for this would be these big companies that I mentioned before who are currently at a standstill. I think that because the effects of this virus are so fresh in their minds this would be the perfect time to exploit this opportunity without too much difficulty.

            I saw an opportunity here because this type of event isn’t something that is isolated              and happens only once. There are various factors whether regarding sickness or                  the government that can cause a pause in production in China and because they                  are such a big producer a lot of companies are based here. I also noticed that it                     seemed like people didn’t have a backup plain and much of their stress and worry                 was coming from the fact that their companies were at a standstill.

Regulatory Changes:

1.     I first heard of cryptocurrency about 4 years ago but only within the last years did I notice that it was becoming more popular especially using Bitcoins. Although there is not very much knowledge on it it has become very popular especially with those in their early 20s to 40s using it for instant payments and investments.  And I think it is important to take advantage of this before the government regulates it even more or even makes it illegal(no I am not encouraging illegal behavior).Although there is a lot unknown about this company I think an opportunity lies here because the volatility of the Bitcoin is typically high and this can also lead to investment opportunities as well. But for any of this to work the first step would be to inform the people of Bitcoin and how they can use it to their advantages, and this can be done through paid seminars or groups sessions that companies can book. Although this is not an opportunity widely known I think that once people are informed on the Bitcoin market and how to invest in it this could take off.

            I saw an opportunity in this because there are a lot people from the older                                generations, late 40s to 50s, and younger who don’t know much about Bitcoin             and its advantages. And the people who fall into this range tend to be the CEOs             or in high positions in a company or are wealthy enough to be able to invest. But                    also because I was surprised at the amount of people who don’t even know what                  Bitcoin is so I guess this opportunity also stemmed from a personal interest.

2.     Recently the age to buy tobacco products was raised from 18 to 21 in part due to the number of young adults in both high school and college addicted to nicotine containing products like JUULs, and vaping pens. This change in the law has also led to these kids under the age of 21 having older friends or paying older people to buy these tobacco products for them. Another major effect of these artificial tobacco products that still contain nicotine is that the kids are becoming addicted and the toxic ingredient from things like JUULs and vaping pens has led to some health effects such as collapsing lungs. I see an opportunity in this epidemic because parents are starting to become worried for their children’s health as well as the children themselves. So creating an alternative that does not contain toxic chemicals and does not contain nicotine (what makes these products so addictive) is very much needed. As mentioned, the prototypical customers are college and some high school students but also the marketing should target customer who regularly go to smoke shops. Because of the effects these products have had on people I think this opportunity would be accepted quite easily by the general public and spread from just younger people to those who may be older and trying to stop smoking cigarettes.

           I think I saw this opportunity because I am a college student and each day I see so               many of my peers who JUUL or vape regularly. I personally don’t use these products             but I have seen how so many people under the age of 18 were outraged at this                    change in legal age to buy these products. And this outrage showed me that a lot of              people were addicted to these products and that there are a lot of potential                            customers.