Identifying opportunities in regulatory and economic trends

1.     “Gainesville looking to change immigration policy to prevent crime victims from being deported”

·      I found this source through the same online “eJournal” database we used for the previous assignment. This specific article came from the Orlando Sentinel. Because the article discusses how the city is trying to change a particular policy, it makes this a regulatory opportunity. The mayor is discussing creating a law that protects domestic abuse victims even if they’re illegal immigrants, and if they do remain protected, then an opportunity exists for another domestic violence shelter, like Peaceful Paths. Those that would use this service are illegal immigrants who are victims of violent crimes. This is a difficult opportunity to exploit because there’s lots of legalities and paperwork to be done when building a state/city-funded shelter.

·      I saw this opportunity because I do philanthropic work for the local domestic violence shelter Peaceful Paths, and there’s an increasing demand for more space at these shelters. Building another specifically for those who are endangered illegal immigrants could be a business opportunity.

2.     “City fails to reverse GRU rate hike”

·      Similar to the example above, I found this article through UF’s eJournal database. Although it’s a local example from The Sun, many people across the country face hikes in electric rates. This is a regulatory example because the city approved an increase in electric rates for GRU customers. As a GRU customer myself, this increase has drastically affected the amount me and my roommate pay for a 2/2 apartment. If people don’t want to pay higher rates, this opens up an opportunity for alternative energy sources. I think the most likely consumers are college students who are educated about alternative energy, and any residents that are looking for a more affordable option. I think this opportunity is relatively difficult to exploit because installing solar/wind/water energy panels are expensive, and the demand amongst a suburban city isn’t that high for alternative energy.

·      I saw this opportunity because I currently am experiencing the rate hike and it’s brutal. Our bill went from $90 a month to almost $160. Because of this, my roommate and I wonder about living elsewhere or using some other electric company. I wish there was an affordable, compact way to use solar or wind energy.

3.     “Economic trends affecting your business in 2018”

·      This article I found through google, and it came from the business publication Vistage. One of the topics they touched on was that last year, natural disasters in Florida cost the state $58 billion. As a result, disaster relief and recovery has become a booming business. Since a demand exists for reconstruction and restoration, an opportunity exists for disaster relief programs. This isn’t just limited to those in Florida though, because consumers can be anyone who’s lives/property was destroyed during natural disasters. Because this work is hard labor and often requires nonprofit work, this could be hard to exploit.

·      I don’t think I’m the first person to think of this opportunity because organizations such as the Red Cross exist. However, that doesn’t always mean they address needs in a timely or efficient manner. I’ve been through many hurricanes and natural disasters, but never myself have experienced the need for disaster relief. It’s more common for neighborhoods and communities to help one another.

4.     “8 key differences between Gen Z and Millennials”

·      This piece came from the Huffington Post and discussed common values amongst our youngest generation, Gen Z (those born after 1998), and how they’re becoming more and more influential. Because Gen Z is big on technology and individuality, I think an opportunity exist for more branding/PR firms. Obviously, the likely consumers are those in Gen Z who don’t know how to organize and design their personal brand. I believe this opportunity is easy to exploit because there are always students looking for PR jobs and there are always clients who need help branding their business.

·      Because I’m a journalism major and work closely within the j-school here at UF, I know that people want to experience in the field and that there are always clients looking to improve their branding skills. I do think this opportunity exists because PR/communications students need the experience and there are lots of local business that can’t afford corporate PR advice.