6A – Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

1.) Economic Trend: SARS Stung the Global Economy. The Coronavirus Is a Greater Menace.
The source I found is https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/03/business/economy/SARS-coronavirus-economic-impact-china.html. I believe that an opportunity exists here because lots of stores and fast-food restaurants are closing down in china since the Coronavirus has spread rapidly. China’s economic growth is likely going to go down from 6.1% to 5.6%. I think the prototypical customer would be the employees that worked at these restaurants and stores. They now need to search for other jobs to keep an income. I think this opportunity is difficult to exploit because it will be hard to find another job for a lot of people since there aren’t many places hiring. I saw this opportunity because of UF’s big concern for people traveling to China and back. I think this is what led me to research the economic impact of the Coronavirus in China.

2.) Economic Trend: State of the Union: The economy under President Trump, by the numbers
The source I found is https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-of-the-union-the-economy-under-president-trump-by-the-numbers. I believe an opportunity exists here because of the president’s tax cuts. The president’s top economists stated that the tax cuts would cause an advancement in the investment of corporate machinery, computers, plants, and office towers. I think the prototypical customer would be employees that work at these corporate companies. These employees would be more proficient in their work and they would get more done. I think this opportunity is easy to exploit because a lot of corporate employees would become more motivated to accomplish their job sufficiently. I saw this opportunity from hearing the news about the State of the Union address.

3.) Regulatory changes: Law enforcement and legislators call for stricter gun laws and mental health care expansion
The source I found is https://www.khon2.com/local-news/law-enforcement-and-legislators-call-for-stricter-gun-laws-and-mental-health-care-expansion/. I believe an opportunity exists here because of all the tragic events that are occurring around the world due to gun violence. The Honolulu police chief called for changes to be made considering the mental health law. Chief Susan Ballard suggests that the HPD’s critical incident team should have the right to make the decision of whether or not someone should receive a mental evaluation. I think the prototypical customer would be the victims of gun violence. I think this opportunity is hard to exploit because there are just so many people that already own guns and it would be hard to get rid of all those guns. I think stricter gun laws could help though, as it would be tougher for a lot of people with mental health issues to purchase a gun. I saw this opportunity because of my attitude towards guns. I personally don’t feel the need to own a gun and I believe we should have stronger gun laws for people that are mentally ill.

4.) Regulatory changes: Tackling Tobacco: January 2020 Legislative & Regulatory Roundup
The source I found is https://csnews.com/tackling-tobacco-january-2020-legislative-regulatory-roundup. I believe an opportunity exists here because it restricts anyone under the age of 21 from purchasing and using tobacco products. This law could decrease the sales of tobacco in convenience stores because of the minimum age restriction. I think the prototypical customer would be teenagers in middle and high school because they are harming their bodies by using these products. I think this opportunity is easy to exploit because of all the facts about the detrimental effects tobacco does to our bodies and the environment. I saw this opportunity because of my attitude toward tobacco. It is proven that smoking tobacco is a leading cause of lung cancer.