6A - Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

1.
A.Economic Trend: Oil Boom Gives the U.S. a New Edge in Energy and Diplomacy             
B. I believe an opportunity exists in the fact that the U.S. is emerging as a superpower in the          market for oil. This gives American oil companies the chance to take advantage of the rising oil prices and turn greater profits.
C. The prototypical customer would be someone that drives a motor vehicle or operates machinery that runs on a source of power that is produced as a result of crude oil.
D. This opportunity is easy to exploit, as oil companies now have more discretion at their hands as to how high they want gas prices to be.
Why did you see this opportunity: This opportunity doesn't affect me directly as I don't own a vehicle, however, it impacts many people close to me by affecting how much money they have to pay for gas. Having lived through the recession, I saw how high gas prices were during that time. So now that the oil industry is on the rise for the U.S., an opportunity is apparent for the oil companies.

2.
A. Economic Trend: The death of the American mall
B. The opportunity exists for online shopping outlets to gain more  profits and popularity. The closing of stores will push more customers toward shopping online.
C. The prototypical customer would be people that used to go to malls to shop but are now pushed towards shopping online and those that already shop online.
D. This opportunity is easy to exploit, as stores close, the products that they offered will be available exclusively online. This means more business for online shopping outlets.
Why did you see this opportunity: I believe an opportunity exists because shopping is ultimately made easier. People no longer have to get up to go look around stores for products that they want. They can now just search a website for specific products, buy them, and have them delivered.

3.
A. Regulatory Change: Washington Is Trying to Regulate Bitcoin. These People Are Trying to Stop It
B. An opportunity exists because most commerce is shifting to being digitally based. A rising cryptocurrency could take perfect advantage of this opportunity.
C. The prototypical customer could be anyone: from business owners to regular consumers that shop digitally
D. I believe the opportunity is easy to exploit because most business is shifting toward being technologically based. People will see at as convenient and useful.
Why did you see this opportunity: Online commerce has been growing recently. With that, people and businesses are exchanging money online more than ever. The popularity and stocks for Bitcoin has grown rapidly, showing that people desire a reliable cryptocurrency to trade with.

4.
A. Regulatory Change: Paid sick leave and minimum wage policies at local and state levels
B. An opportunity exists as this makes business look more appealing to potential employees.
C. The prototypical "customer" for this opportunity would be people that are looking to be employed by businesses that offer paid leave benefits.
D. The opportunity is relatively easy to exploit for large businesses, but harder for small businesses as they will be forced to adapt to the structure that is brought about.
Why did you see this opportunity:  As someone that used to work a minimum wage job with no benefits, this opportunity stood out to me. Companies adopting practices such as there make working for that company seem so much better. It also helps to improve the overall image of the company.