6A- Identifying Opportuniries

Regulatory Trends

a.) There is a need to protect the Panama City crayfish from becoming an endangered species.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a petition to list the Panama City crayfish, native to Bay County, Florida, as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. b.) There is a need to publish a rule because if a species is an endangered or threatened species throughout an area, this act requires to promptly publish a proposal in the Federal Register. Additionally, a determination the proposal is needed within 1 year. c.) Wildlife and environmental scientists who study the relationships between animals and the environment would be interested in solving this need.  Crayfish are a valued part of the ecosystem in Panama City, Florida and should be protected.   The main threat to the Panama City crayfish is the loss of habitat.  Increased development in the Panama City area has eliminated habitat for the species.  d.) It may be difficult to protect the crayfish without passing this act.  To help protect the crayfish, critical habitat shall be designated, to the maximum extent prudent and determinable, for any species determined to be an endangered or threatened species under the act.

I see this as an opportunity because it is important to maintain a balance between wildlife and the environment.  Although many people feel that animals should be protected and not become endangered there are people who do not care which is why animals are becoming endangered.  Having this need to create laws to protect these animals would help keep peace between the hard-core believers of protecting animals and the people who don’t feel as strongly.  This emotion and attitude towards protecting the crawfish is the reason for this need.

a.) There is a need to modify the operating schedule of the draw bridge in Port Canaveral, FL. The Coast Guard hopes to modify the schedule to reduce traffic congestion and to ensure the safety of roadways while passengers are transiting to and from the cruise ship terminals. b.) Traffic is a major issue with draw bridges because it can increase the commute and driving time.  Additionally, safety should be considered with the usage of draw bridges because people often cross them.  c.) People with the need of adjusting this schedule would be pedestrians who often cross.  Also, the arrival of additional cruise ships to the Port of Canaveral creates traffic back-ups which could affect the schedule of cruises enter and leaving the port. d.) The modification of the draw bridge allows the bridges to not open to navigation during prime cruise ship passenger loading and unloading times on Saturdays and Sundays.  This would be very effective in allowing cars to get to and from the cruise port when it can be very busy.

I see this as a need because from personal experiences of crossing draw bridges to get to cruise ships.  The traffic created when a draw bridge goes up adds additional time to the drive.  Additionally, it is important to make sure the bridge is clear of people before it goes up.  However, people who do not live near a draw bridge or the ocean may not see a need to change the schedule of the draw bridge.  Without the experience of knowing the effects of draw bridges one may not see a need.   

Economic Trends

a.) Looking at the stock market trends of amazon there is a need to continue developing the items and ways people can purchase items online. b.) The rising trend in amazon stock and Jeff Bezos’s new title as the wealthiest person in the world reveals how more people are making the transition from traditional shopping methods to the convenient online purchase market. c.) People enjoy shopping from home due to the convenience it offers.  These are the people who have the need of an increase in ways people are purchasing things online.  Traditional retail stores have been closing throughout the nation and downsizing as less people are making purchases through these means. d.) Since Amazon is continuing to grow the need for better and new ways use amazon would not be difficult to achieve.  Amazon’s ability to spend money would also help these needs although an abundance of money does not always lead to successful ideas.

The opportunity exists because the increase of technology has allowed for purchases to be made online very easy.  For example, I can order something off amazon very easily.  However, older generations may not be able to use amazon as easily.  The decline of traditional stores may affect these people’s shopping abilities.  However, many millennials enjoy the convenience of purchasing online.

a.) Crypto currency trends have grown over the past few months due to increased awareness of the currencies.  b.) Currently, the transfer of large amounts of money between banks and intuitions across seas is a difficult process that involves high fees and long wait times. For example, a French bank wanting to send a mass numbers of Euros to the U.S and convert it to USD would cost a significant amount. The process of adopting a crypto currency as a medium to send between the banks could not only be faster and cheaper, it would be far more convenient. c.) Banks and users of this crypto currency would benefit from solving this need because it could be transferred between the banks and instantly converted to the desired crypto currency. This could be difficult due to the risk of the fluctuation of price drops or price rises of the crypto currency. Banks and customers would need to monitor these fluctuations to gain the benefits of using the crypto currency to the best of their advantage.

The opportunity exists because the increase interest in the use of crypto currency.  However, big time wall street business people and older people think the idea of crypto currency is a bubble and will crash.  Millennials who are investing see it as an opportunity to solve a need and use see their emotions and attitude as a way to change the way money is spent.