Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

1. Economic Trend: Texas Republicans Helped Chemical Plant That Exploded Lobby Against Safety Rules
The Opportunity: I believe an opportunity here exists because lobbying against these power
plants delay new regulations designed to improve safety procedures. With delays, it can affect the workers, those who use these plants and it will “add significant new costs.” I think the prototypical customer would be those who are working at the plant because this can affect their income, families and overall job safety. I think this would be difficult to exploit because of the multiple factors and players in this situation. There is not one simple solution because there are too many problems.
What I See: I saw this opportunity because of one specific word in the article title: Texas. I am
from Texas, so anything regarding that state I make sure to read it. I know many people in the oil and gas industry. Hearing about issues in my home state always catches my eye.

2. Economic Trend: FEMA’s Emergency Fund Expected to Run Dry By the End of This Week
The Opportunity: I believe there is an opportunity here because of the amount of effects
FEMA’s funds have. With Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath and Hurricane Irma’s damage, the funds are dwindling down. FEMA is running out of money, which can affect a lot of citizens who were damaged by both hurricanes. I think the consumer with the opportunity are people who have been affected. FEMA can handle the issues at hand because it is prepared, but the citizen might not be able to. I think the problem is difficult to exploit because there is a big audience to assists. There isn’t one easy solution to fix those who are affected by both hurricanes.
What I See: I believed there was an opportunity here because I saw the effects of Harvey and
Irma. These two hurricanes affected my family in friends in Texas and Florida as well as my entire school. I was in Hurricane Katrina and Ike. I remember the floods and high winds. Reading about FEMA running out of funds struck my interest immediately.

3. Regulatory Change: S. 1514: HELP for Wildlife Act
The Opportunity: I believe there is an opportunity here because it affects many hunters and
public target ranges. Wildlife changes affect everyone because of the environment, especially those who hunt and visit nature parks. There will be restrictions on expanding gun ranges or constructing more public target ranges as well as increases in protection for wildlife. I think those who own public ranges and hunt will be the most affected because there are going to be new restrictions. A solution for this could be relatively easy to exploit because it is one act that changes certain rules. It is straight forward issues, so finding an opportunity can be relatively easy.
What I See: I see an opportunity here because I grew up with camping and hunting/fishing. I was 
           very involved with knowledge of wildlife. Seeing this made me realize how many people it   
           can affect as well as the animals that can be affected (in a positive way).

4. Regulatory Change: H.R. 687: First Responder Access to Innovative Technologies Act
The Opportunity: I believe an opportunity might exists because the equipment that FEMA has
and will try to obtain will cost a lot of money, research and processing. I think FEMA will benefit overall from this act, but will have to go through more work to obtain better equipment. I think the opportunity is relatively difficult to exploit because this involves people’s future safety and affect every aspect of FEMA.
What I See: I saw an opportunity here because of the extreme weather issues surrounding my

friends and family lately. I have friends who work for FEMA and friends that are doctors, first responders, EMTs and in law enforcement. Seeing these effects are important to me because it can affect jobs and those I care about.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Shelby!
    I also listed the article about the FEMA relief fund running out of funds. As a resident of FL, it also piqued my interest since we just had Hurricane Irma tear through the state. The opportunity I found most interesting though was the First Responder Access to Information Act. I think this will benefit FEMA and first responders and will certainly impact their careers.

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  2. These were good articles. The regulations on the wildlife act was most interesting to me. I've never been into hunting or looked into hunting until reading this. This does affect many people and I would have never noticed that. I'm sure a lot of people in Florida are going to be affected by this one.
    Good job! The opportunities you identified were great!

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  3. Hey Shelby,
    I found it intriguing how you have as much personal experience with some of the issues you addresses as you do. We all experienced Irma to a certain degree, but you also had friends and family experience Harvey, and have connections in the world of oil and natural gasses. I believe it is peoples own experiences that lead them to approach problems differently, and your insight is certainly a unique one in the flurry of blogs.

    ReplyDelete

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