Assignment 6: Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

1) Create a healthy, cost-effective alternative to present a majority of fresh foods in food desserts.


A) The lines at the McDonald’s by my house is out to the Street on Friday nights. There are no Whole Foods within a 25-mile radius of my house, there are few Publixes, but there are 2 Walmarts within walking distance.


B) The presentation of multiple fast food restaurants and lesser quality food marts in neighborhoods with lower incomes generally means resorting to indulging in these unhealthy alternatives.


C) The residents of these communities


D) Difficult to exploit. Generally, people understand that fast food is bad for your health; maybe less realize the importance of having fresh foods readily available. However, it is hard to get someone with a restricted income to purchase potentially more expense alternatives (even if slightly more expensive).


Why did you see it: Food desserts are fairly present in my life because I am a nutrition major and I live in one.





2) Providing a nearly equal compensation for the continued incarceration of people serving for marijuana offenses while these same offenses getting decriminalized.


A) There are a number of people that I am aware of that are incarcerated by the thousands. These are outstanding numbers for something less grave than murder.


B) It would be unfair for someone to continue to be incarcerated for a crime that has been decriminalized while they were serving.


C) The incarcerated people that have an undetermined future for being released for the same things that are being decriminalized


D) Difficult to exploit. You have to be able to get the majority of people on the same page either to believe that releasing individuals, and/or expunging their record, would be best or giving them compensation that would be nearly equal to being released without


Why did you see it: The increased awareness of opioid usage and the potential detriments to our society has brought more awareness to other drug usage in the U.S. The usage of and incarceration for marijuana has tainted the record of some of my family members and closest friends.





3) Creating a guide to pension plan to help the employed navigate the financial languages of a 401k before resulting to relying on social security for old age, and to reduce the fear of investing and stocks and retiring broke.


A) People over 65 are staying employed longer. Some believe it is attributed to the trauma the baby boomers suffered from living through the Great Depression.


B) Most baby boomers don’t understand how to interpret the language the financial documents associated with a 401k, let alone becoming their own CPA. I think this may be even more difficult for the baby boomer generation considering their current ages, and the lessened effectiveness of the pensions plans that were readily available 30 years ago; or else, they would have had a 401k from the by now.


C) The baby boomer generation that could be somewhat fearful of investing in stocks due to the 2008 market crash. They had to result to pensions to save and are running out of money to sustain the expenses for the rest of their lives.


D) I don’t think that the opportunity is difficult to exploit. It is just like the business to hire a young person to help with technology. You hire a young Finance/Accounting graduate to help you be a financial planner, or at least get you on the right track to becoming your own.


Why did you see it: The boomer generation just has an affinity for discarding and disregarding all of the things of the newer generations. I think it is mostly because they believe “what I know/ have got is good enough”. This isn’t a bad sentiment, but I think it gets to be extreme when my 65-year-old grandmother doesn’t even know how to open a text on her phone. She doesn’t even know how to find people in her contacts to call. I think it is evident that baby boomers tend to need help, and I think it would be better to provide them with that help since they are continuing to working and can reap some benefits.





4) Creating a moat around properties in Miami Beach that may experience more flooding as a result of the anti-flooding initiatives of the city to raise the roads and prevent them from flooding


A) There is a new $100 million dollar flood prevention project that the city is under taking but they are having issues determining how to align the raised roads with the untouched private property connected to it.


B) The properties are beach front or water front properties on A1A or and inlet chain islands. These customers generally have more money, and people with more money are usually willing to spend it for greater comfort.


C) Residents of the excessive flooding areas of Miami Beach


D) I think the moat or something akin to it is easy to exploit. I think that the addition of a (nice) moat to a property presents a certain uniqueness to the property. It is something that isn’t seen often. Also, it would prevent the necessity of undergoing foundational construction that can cost a pretty penny.


Why did I see it: I have an affinity for house and finding new and unique things to make a house better. I think the uniqueness and functionality of the moat that we have seen lends itself to being a great addition in this situation.