Identifying Local Opportunities
Problem #1
Electric scooters are on their way back to Miami. Only one commissioner is thrilled
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/16E6CAD12EE75EB8&f=basic
What Happened...
In Miami, the mayor has passed a bill allowing for the same scooters that infest UF to be street legal in Miami but the bill also allows for the scooters to be driven on the sidewalks. Miami had legalized scooters as a mood of transportation before but removed them from the streets due to high levels of accidents. As high levels of traffic congestion plague the city streets, the mayor believes this will be a slight relief to much of the build up of traffic and even help reduce the city's carbon emissions.
The Problem...
While allowing scooters may solve minor traffic relief, it has the potential to cause more harm than benefit. Scooter accidents are very common and could result in an increase in traffic injuries and fatalities. Allowing scooters to use the sidewalks no less could result in lots of pedestrian casualties or at least injuries.
Who has the problem…
There are a few different problems that exist here, both motorists and pedestrians aree troubled here and need a solution. The motorists need a solution to the gridlock experienced around the city and pedestrians need peace of mind as they walk using sidewalks in the city that they won’t be run down by a scooter.
Problem #2
Fire drills and false alarms are re-traumatizing Stoneman Douglas students, teachers
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/documentview?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/16E6CAD10FD95F80&f=basic
What Happened…
Alarms for fire drills and other alarms within the school are we traumatizing the Douglas high school students and teachers due to a PTSD like experience as a result of the previous.
The Problem…
The state requires that all schools have fire drills to ensure that students know how to safely exit the building in the event of a fire, however, students at Douglas high school associate that fire drill sound with the school shooting that occurred within the last year. The students have no way of differentiating illegitimate fire alarm versus a fire alarm with an armed shooter on the other side of it.
Who has the problem…
The main problem rests for the students but should be handled by the parents, faculty and school board.
Problem #3
The State is failing our schools, dade union rep says
https://search.proquest.com/docview/2097492720/7D909EC8516D4CC3PQ/11?accountid=10920
What Happened…
The Miami– Dade County public schools Have a large budget set aside for Education But are still lacking acceptable salaries for their teachers.
The Problem…
According to the article the main problem lies in leadership present in Tallahassee. Says with adequate funding for the public school District overall, not paying teachers enough is simply a lack of planning and budget management.
Who has the problem…
This problem has multiple recipients and people at fault. Alternately the problem lies in the hands of the government on the state and local level, but the main impact of the problem goes towards the teachers and the students of the County schools.
Problem #4
The Truck Stops Here
https://search.proquest.com/docview/2097492773/7D909EC8516D4CC3PQ/38?accountid=10920
What Happened…
The article Talks about the possibilities in the trucking industry for college Dropouts for kids that don’t attend college. The article states the average trucker earns over $70,000 a year which is over $15,000 more than the average college graduate makes within the first five years of graduating. It’s an interesting article given that this position is something that a student could pick up right out of high school and could be working towards for 4 to 6 years and have a solid career under his belt while his classmates are just finishing college. Due to an enormous shortage in truckers, roughly 50,000 open positions, and with online Commerce causing a higher demand for trucking and shipping, the money to be made in industry like this has never been higher.
The Problem…
The article makes the point that our society is pressuring more and more young students to go directly into college instead of exploring more traditional non college degree requiring careers. People assume that without a college degree you can’t do much in this world or at least do much financially, but the article argues that trucking is one industry where you can make more money than the average college graduate without ever attending a college class.
Who has the problem…
Students coming out of high school must not make a decision on whether they want to attend university and make money off of the piece of paper they receive at the end of their term or if they’ll go right out of high school and start their career in a high demanding market.
Problem #5
Cell Phone Bills getting more expensive
https://search.proquest.com/docview/2097494653/7D909EC8516D4CC3PQ/46?accountid=10920
What Happened…
Essentially the article is talking about major cellular companies increasing percent they charge for things like cell site maintenance interconnection between carriers and are getting away with it without raising many flags from consumers.
The Problem…
The problem with these small $.50 to a dollar increases on your cellular bill is not the major issue here. The main root of the problem lies in the idea of company transparency. Many cellular companies are not quick to tell you about additional charges they might be tacking onto your bill, leaving them room to add major revenue to their annual reports. This year AT&T is estimated to add an additional $800 million in annual revenue just based off of these 50 Cent increases.
Who has the problem…
Ultimately it is us as consumers who have this problem, we need to know that are say the companies are being fair and just in their billing And pricing, not trying to manipulate the consumer.
I think some of these opportunities are really interesting and have a lot of potential. The cell phone one, for example, could be a really opportunity because people would be very likely to choose a cheaper service, if available. It would just be hard to solve quickly because of all of the resources necessary. I would be curious to see what business you could make out of opportunity #3, that seems like more of an issue of laws and funding, but I'm sure there's something hidden in there! I would have loved to see what opportunities exactly you saw in these rather than just the problems, but overall I really enjoyed reading what you had to say.
ReplyDeleteGreat Research here! I enjoyed the motorist article in Miami because the problem is extremely complex. I do believe that the mayor had good intentions regarding traffic and carbon emissions, but there is still a large problem as you mentioned regarding accidents. I am interested to know how this plays out. There is an opportunity for motorists to have safe transportation, but it may require different routes and roads so everyone feels safe.
ReplyDeleteI was especially interested in the scooter article. I also, wrote about scooters in my post. My situation is different. They actually passed a law here in Panama City Beach that does not allow overnight scooter rental and they are trying to ban scooters altogether. Several accidents have occurred here because of scooters so for some this new law is a solution. However for those who want to rent a scooter and the scooter business this proposes a problem. So I think we could both work on different ideas for the scooter rental industry.
ReplyDeleteI also found an interest in the fire drills causing further problems with individuals that had PTSD. While I personally think the fire drills are beneficial I can see how this could cause trauma. Possibly if we considered restructuring how the fire drills are conducted in a calmer way we may could work to solve this. I absolutely see an opportunity here.