Friday, September 28, 2018
Thursday, September 27, 2018
9A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2
For the assignment, I tried to focus on people who do not travel around campus that much, which would mean they would not experience the traffic that is created between the New Physics Building and the Reitz Union. After interviewing a different array of consumers including some of my grandmas' neighbors here in Gainesville, I realized that outside of the people that go to the University of Florida, my opportunity is not a need for others.
Inside the Boundary
Inside the Boundary
- University of Florida students, faculty, and staff who have classes around the area or work in the Reitz Union
- The need is a solution to clear out the congestion along Museum Road on campus between the Reitz Union and the New Physics Building
- This need exists because people want to travel easily and efficiently on campus without dealing with the traffic created from cars, trucks and busses having to wait for many pedestrians to cross the street
Outside the Boundary
- People who do not go to the University of Florida or never find themselves traveling through this part of campus
- They are not worried about traffic that is created on a road that they do not drive on
- Why should you worry about congestion stemming from lots of pedestrians crossing the road in an area that you do not go through? For example, I do not have to worry about pedestrians causing traffic in New York City because I have never been there before and if I worried about that I would worry about way too many things
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
8A Solving the Problem
Build that Bridge
After recognizing that there is indeed a problem with congestion of traffic in the area between the Reitz Union and the New Physics Building, I have decided that the best solution is to construct a pedestrian walkway bridge. Similar to the DNA Bridge located by Shands Hospital, students either walking or riding their bike could travel across Museum Road much more efficiently. The bridge could be built so that students would easily be able to get right to the Reitz Union from the south side of campus. There is another similar type of pedestrian walkway that is built from the dorms to Norman, but this one goes underneath the road. I think that instead of having to tear up the road and dig underneath the road, a bridge would suffice much better, as long as it is tall enough for all types of vehicles to travel underneath. Not only would a bridge ensure that students could cross the street without relying on the good will of vehicles traveling to stop for them, but it would also help the vehicles. People transporting in cars, trucks, buses, or scooters could benefit from this bridge because the majority of the traffic that is generated in this area is due to the fact that cars have to constantly wait for people to cross. I understand that constructing a pedestrian bridge could be costly, but I think that in the long run it would benefit everyone. Money could even be made back by allowing advertisements being posted on the bridge since this is such a common area to travel through.
After recognizing that there is indeed a problem with congestion of traffic in the area between the Reitz Union and the New Physics Building, I have decided that the best solution is to construct a pedestrian walkway bridge. Similar to the DNA Bridge located by Shands Hospital, students either walking or riding their bike could travel across Museum Road much more efficiently. The bridge could be built so that students would easily be able to get right to the Reitz Union from the south side of campus. There is another similar type of pedestrian walkway that is built from the dorms to Norman, but this one goes underneath the road. I think that instead of having to tear up the road and dig underneath the road, a bridge would suffice much better, as long as it is tall enough for all types of vehicles to travel underneath. Not only would a bridge ensure that students could cross the street without relying on the good will of vehicles traveling to stop for them, but it would also help the vehicles. People transporting in cars, trucks, buses, or scooters could benefit from this bridge because the majority of the traffic that is generated in this area is due to the fact that cars have to constantly wait for people to cross. I understand that constructing a pedestrian bridge could be costly, but I think that in the long run it would benefit everyone. Money could even be made back by allowing advertisements being posted on the bridge since this is such a common area to travel through.
7A Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1
The Opportunity
The flow of traffic on the University of Florida Campus is easily backed up, no matter what time of the day, in the area between the Reitz Union and the New Physics Building. This creation of traffic is primarily caused by the multitude of students trying to cross the street between these two places. To fix this problem, I think that there is an opportunity to build a pedestrian bridge over the road similar to that of the DNA Bridge, so that people can safely and efficiently cross the street without slowing down traffic.
The Who: Vehicles traveling between the area of the Reitz Union and the New Physics Building
The What: The area is commonly congested with vehicles and pedestrians making it difficult to get around on campus
The Why: Many students use the crosswalks in this area when going to class, which makes vehicles have to wait for them to walk across
Hypothesis
Testing the Who: Anyone who drives through this part of campus during the day experiences the difficulties of getting to their destination on time, dealing with cars stuck in the intersection of the walkways, and ensuring that no pedestrians are hit as they cross the street. Not only are drivers in need of a pedestrian bridge being built, but so are student pedestrians so that they can more quickly and safely travel to to their classes.
Testing the What: The need of a pedestrian bridge is quite specific only to this area on campus. All vehicles find it difficult to pass by when there are hundreds of people walking in random clumps to cross the street.
Testing the Why: The vehicles traveling through this area would find it easier to get to their destination because they would not have to wait in the traffic line that is created from people crossing the street. Pedestrians would not have to worry about being hit by a car or bus as they pass because they would be elevated above the vehicles.
Interviews
I asked a few important questions regarding a pedestrian bridge to the 5 people that I interviewed. For the first question I asked how often these people travel through the area of the Reitz Union and the New Physics Building to ensure that they are credible people to question. The next question I asked was if they have ever experienced difficulties with traffic as a driver or a pedestrian in this area. I then asked them if they thought that constructing a walkway bridge would be beneficial. Finally, I asked them if they had any other ideas for how the flow of traffic could be better maintained.
The first person I interviewed was my friend Nate Johnson who travels through this area everyday. He told me that he has many times suffered being late getting to somewhere when driving through this area, but never when he was walking across. He only was slightly worried that he might be hit by a car as he tries to cross. I then asked him about a pedestrian bridge and he thought that it would be a lot easier and cheaper to just have a stoplight at this location.
The second person I interviewed was Alex Dluzneski another student at the University of Florida. He told me that he does not travel through this area every day, but when he does he has experienced quite the congestion. He thought that the idea of a pedestrian bridge would be very beneficial, but was worried about the costs that would be associated with constructing said bridge.
The next person I interviewed was Jimmy Wheeler, who travels through this area multiple times a day. Jimmy said that when he drives through this area he often struggles with trying to avoid hitting pedestrians. To further back that, he was very supportive of the idea that a bridge could be built in this area and belives that they money would be well spent because of how many people are in this area of campus.
The fourth person I interviewed was Wes Biddle, who primarily drives his scooter through the area. He did not seem as concerned with the congestion because he often found it easy to maneuver his scooter through the path of pedestrians. However, he supported the idea of a bridge because he said that this could help the flow of traffic for buses and cars.
The last person I interviewed was Chris Nickas, who walks through this area almost everyday. Chris told me that he can tell how frustrated drivers get in this area as they try to pass by and thinks it's dangerous because it creates road rage sometimes. He agreed with me that the construction of a bridge would be impactful to helping the flow of traffic as well as ensuring the safety of our students trying to get to classes.
Summary
After testing my hypothesis, I have found mixed results. The people I interviewed were all aware of the congestion that is in this area, but some interesting points were made that I had not before considered. I now know that there could be a cheaper alternative to my opportunity with the creation of a stoplight in this area that could potentially solve the congestion problem. Altogether, I believe that everyone agrees that there needs to be something done in regards to the traffic in the area. We need to make sure that students feel safe when they are trying to cross the road on campus as well as make sure that people can travel in vehicles on campus and get to their destinations in a timely manner.
The flow of traffic on the University of Florida Campus is easily backed up, no matter what time of the day, in the area between the Reitz Union and the New Physics Building. This creation of traffic is primarily caused by the multitude of students trying to cross the street between these two places. To fix this problem, I think that there is an opportunity to build a pedestrian bridge over the road similar to that of the DNA Bridge, so that people can safely and efficiently cross the street without slowing down traffic.
The Who: Vehicles traveling between the area of the Reitz Union and the New Physics Building
The What: The area is commonly congested with vehicles and pedestrians making it difficult to get around on campus
The Why: Many students use the crosswalks in this area when going to class, which makes vehicles have to wait for them to walk across
Hypothesis
Testing the Who: Anyone who drives through this part of campus during the day experiences the difficulties of getting to their destination on time, dealing with cars stuck in the intersection of the walkways, and ensuring that no pedestrians are hit as they cross the street. Not only are drivers in need of a pedestrian bridge being built, but so are student pedestrians so that they can more quickly and safely travel to to their classes.
Testing the What: The need of a pedestrian bridge is quite specific only to this area on campus. All vehicles find it difficult to pass by when there are hundreds of people walking in random clumps to cross the street.
Testing the Why: The vehicles traveling through this area would find it easier to get to their destination because they would not have to wait in the traffic line that is created from people crossing the street. Pedestrians would not have to worry about being hit by a car or bus as they pass because they would be elevated above the vehicles.
Interviews
I asked a few important questions regarding a pedestrian bridge to the 5 people that I interviewed. For the first question I asked how often these people travel through the area of the Reitz Union and the New Physics Building to ensure that they are credible people to question. The next question I asked was if they have ever experienced difficulties with traffic as a driver or a pedestrian in this area. I then asked them if they thought that constructing a walkway bridge would be beneficial. Finally, I asked them if they had any other ideas for how the flow of traffic could be better maintained.
The first person I interviewed was my friend Nate Johnson who travels through this area everyday. He told me that he has many times suffered being late getting to somewhere when driving through this area, but never when he was walking across. He only was slightly worried that he might be hit by a car as he tries to cross. I then asked him about a pedestrian bridge and he thought that it would be a lot easier and cheaper to just have a stoplight at this location.
The second person I interviewed was Alex Dluzneski another student at the University of Florida. He told me that he does not travel through this area every day, but when he does he has experienced quite the congestion. He thought that the idea of a pedestrian bridge would be very beneficial, but was worried about the costs that would be associated with constructing said bridge.
The next person I interviewed was Jimmy Wheeler, who travels through this area multiple times a day. Jimmy said that when he drives through this area he often struggles with trying to avoid hitting pedestrians. To further back that, he was very supportive of the idea that a bridge could be built in this area and belives that they money would be well spent because of how many people are in this area of campus.
The fourth person I interviewed was Wes Biddle, who primarily drives his scooter through the area. He did not seem as concerned with the congestion because he often found it easy to maneuver his scooter through the path of pedestrians. However, he supported the idea of a bridge because he said that this could help the flow of traffic for buses and cars.
The last person I interviewed was Chris Nickas, who walks through this area almost everyday. Chris told me that he can tell how frustrated drivers get in this area as they try to pass by and thinks it's dangerous because it creates road rage sometimes. He agreed with me that the construction of a bridge would be impactful to helping the flow of traffic as well as ensuring the safety of our students trying to get to classes.
Summary
After testing my hypothesis, I have found mixed results. The people I interviewed were all aware of the congestion that is in this area, but some interesting points were made that I had not before considered. I now know that there could be a cheaper alternative to my opportunity with the creation of a stoplight in this area that could potentially solve the congestion problem. Altogether, I believe that everyone agrees that there needs to be something done in regards to the traffic in the area. We need to make sure that students feel safe when they are trying to cross the road on campus as well as make sure that people can travel in vehicles on campus and get to their destinations in a timely manner.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends
1. LinkedIn is a popular social media website that is utilized to connect people with companies looking to hire. According to Freight Waves, the #1 source for navigating the freight markets, data from LinkedIn shows that there has been an economic trend in an increasing number of people being hired for the transportation industry. This means that there is an opportunity for people looking for work to be hired if they have the skills to fill a transportation or logistics sector job. I believe that this opportunity exists because LinkedIn in presents data in the article that states that hiring in the economy is now 2.9% higher than at this point nationally last year. This increase may seem small, but when looking at jobs nationally this shows that there actually is an opportunity out there for people to find work. This opportunity is relatively easy to exploit given that people are capable to hold these types of jobs. With the U.S. population growing, this means that more people are trying to travel across places, which correlates with the fact that people working for the transportation sector are in high demand to ensure that people's needs will be satisfied.
I see this opportunity existing because I have noticed first-hand the increasing demand of people traveling around the United States. With the number of people increasing as they want to get places, this opens the opportunity for people to find jobs in the transportation sector as they try to control traffic and make the process go as smoothly as possible for consumers of the roads. \
2. According to Eater, a media outlet website for various types of stories across the United States, American Farmers are in a crisis. It was reported that small farmers are struggling to maintain their lifestyle, and more famers are becoming suicidal due to the increasing pressure. This information leads me to the belief that there needs to be an opportunity to better protect our farmers, so that we can collectively sustain ourselves. The median farm income has declined over the past years, to it's lowest level since 2002. This opportunity to support our farmers is most likely to start with a focus in aid coming from the government, followed by making consumers aware of supporting their local farmers. This is a relatively difficult opportunity because if we could just go out there and make sure that farmers were not struggling to provide support for their families then the process would have already been completed. In other words, we must work in our communities to stop this trend of farmers experiencing crises and ensure that everyone sustains their lifestyle for the best.
I see this opportunity existing because of how I am a consumer and have noticed that people do not support their local farmer these days. Many times people buy commercially rather than at local markets, which means that they do not understand the impact that farmers are experiencing.
3. According to a new book titled Sites Unseen: Uncovering Hidden Hazards in American Cities, we have often overlooked the environmental destruction that businesses have been creating. This means that we need to have regulatory changes to ensure that businesses properly dispose of the waste that they create. There are plenty of databases out there about the Toxic Release Inventory, but loopholes have been created to let businesses squeeze by under the radar. For example, if a business releases less than a certain amount of pollution annually, then they are exempted from reporting any type of releases that they made. The customer that is most likely to pick up on this opportunity to make regulatory changes for the disposal of waste that businesses create are citizens that care about are environment. Many of the actions we do daily have some type of environmental destruction, but this is an idea that we can not just let business sweep things under the rug. This is a relatively difficult idea to exploit though because making these regulatory changes would require lots of politics and that means that lots of time and discussions would need to take place before any type of law was created.
I see this opportunity existing because I realize how businesses are growing in Gainesville, but there is no broadcasted information on what they do with their waste they create.
4. According to the Washington Post, injuries from scooter crashes are increasing across the country. Scooters are a very popular form of transportation here in Gainesville, but I think that there needs to be some regulatory changes with them. I believe that an opportunity presents itself for more training to be required when people first get their scooters so that they can better understand the dynamics of the vehicle. Things such as safety classes, driving tests, and helmet requirements should be installed so that we can ensure the well-being of our citizens. Students at the University of Florida are most likely to be the prototypical customer of this opportunity because of the popular mode of transportation that scooters are on campus. I think that this idea is relatively easy to exploit because many parents want to make sure that their children are safe when they ride their scooters, so support can be quickly found.
I see this opportunity because I am a student at the University of Florida, where scooter transportation is so popular, but so are the number of injuries that occur from it. I know many people that have experienced injuries from riding their scooter on campus, so I believe that regulatory changes need to be made to require people to take scooter training courses.
I see this opportunity existing because I have noticed first-hand the increasing demand of people traveling around the United States. With the number of people increasing as they want to get places, this opens the opportunity for people to find jobs in the transportation sector as they try to control traffic and make the process go as smoothly as possible for consumers of the roads. \
2. According to Eater, a media outlet website for various types of stories across the United States, American Farmers are in a crisis. It was reported that small farmers are struggling to maintain their lifestyle, and more famers are becoming suicidal due to the increasing pressure. This information leads me to the belief that there needs to be an opportunity to better protect our farmers, so that we can collectively sustain ourselves. The median farm income has declined over the past years, to it's lowest level since 2002. This opportunity to support our farmers is most likely to start with a focus in aid coming from the government, followed by making consumers aware of supporting their local farmers. This is a relatively difficult opportunity because if we could just go out there and make sure that farmers were not struggling to provide support for their families then the process would have already been completed. In other words, we must work in our communities to stop this trend of farmers experiencing crises and ensure that everyone sustains their lifestyle for the best.
I see this opportunity existing because of how I am a consumer and have noticed that people do not support their local farmer these days. Many times people buy commercially rather than at local markets, which means that they do not understand the impact that farmers are experiencing.
3. According to a new book titled Sites Unseen: Uncovering Hidden Hazards in American Cities, we have often overlooked the environmental destruction that businesses have been creating. This means that we need to have regulatory changes to ensure that businesses properly dispose of the waste that they create. There are plenty of databases out there about the Toxic Release Inventory, but loopholes have been created to let businesses squeeze by under the radar. For example, if a business releases less than a certain amount of pollution annually, then they are exempted from reporting any type of releases that they made. The customer that is most likely to pick up on this opportunity to make regulatory changes for the disposal of waste that businesses create are citizens that care about are environment. Many of the actions we do daily have some type of environmental destruction, but this is an idea that we can not just let business sweep things under the rug. This is a relatively difficult idea to exploit though because making these regulatory changes would require lots of politics and that means that lots of time and discussions would need to take place before any type of law was created.
I see this opportunity existing because I realize how businesses are growing in Gainesville, but there is no broadcasted information on what they do with their waste they create.
4. According to the Washington Post, injuries from scooter crashes are increasing across the country. Scooters are a very popular form of transportation here in Gainesville, but I think that there needs to be some regulatory changes with them. I believe that an opportunity presents itself for more training to be required when people first get their scooters so that they can better understand the dynamics of the vehicle. Things such as safety classes, driving tests, and helmet requirements should be installed so that we can ensure the well-being of our citizens. Students at the University of Florida are most likely to be the prototypical customer of this opportunity because of the popular mode of transportation that scooters are on campus. I think that this idea is relatively easy to exploit because many parents want to make sure that their children are safe when they ride their scooters, so support can be quickly found.
I see this opportunity because I am a student at the University of Florida, where scooter transportation is so popular, but so are the number of injuries that occur from it. I know many people that have experienced injuries from riding their scooter on campus, so I believe that regulatory changes need to be made to require people to take scooter training courses.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Identifying Local Opportunities
Why The Student Debt Crisis Hits Black Borrowers Harder
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F169F6335CD43E3A8
Taking out loans is a common action for students to do in order to pay for higher education. More specifically, it is statistically shown that black people borrow at a higher ate than any other group. Many parents do their best to support their children through college years, but often times finances can cause families to seek support in the method of college loans. When taking out a loan, there is an expectation that the money will be paid back in a certain matter of time. For African American families, this theme of taking out a loan is commonly seen with future financial hardships as they struggle with many societal obstacles to pay back the loan. Families are encouraged to contact their loan servicer in if in need of help even though this is somewhat ignored. As a result of missing payments, new payment plans are no longer available leaving many black students with a wholesome amount of debt.
There are many problems that are presented in this article. First, it is stated that black families experience less generational wealth so they began with different hardships than other students. Also, statistics show that that 1 in 7 black students are the first in their family to attend college, so families are not prepared to pay for the high costs of college. Another problem is that black students are more likely to attend graduate school which is more costly than undergrad. After this, it is calculated that black people make less money in their jobs after attending college, so it is harder to pay off the debts.
Altogether, this is a tragic problem that many black families experience with family members attending college, but this is also a societal problem. With the societal obstacles that black people experience like being paid less in there jobs after college, it causes a debt crisis to hit hard.
Flying the Furry Skies? How to Take Your Dog on a Plane
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F169F6335E1C67818
Flying in itself is already challenging, but flying with your dog can become a crisis. However, if it is essential that your dog flies to the destination with you, then there a many steps that you can take to make the process go as smoothly as possible. Depending on if your dog is a service animal or an emotional support pet, then the process can differ. Owners need to be aware of the choices they have to make ahead of time like whether or not you want your dog to fly with you in the cabin or as part of the cargo hold.
One of the first problems that arises when flying with your dog deals with the size of the dog. If the dog is is under 20 pounds then it can usually fit in the under seat space or the top baggage storage, but not for bigger dogs. Another problem is the charges that come with flying with your dog, like most large airlines in the U.S. charge $125 for a one-way trip reservation. Pet owners must also pay for pre-flight veterinary visits to make sure their dog is safe and healthy which is just another cost that adds up to the whole process. Lastly, another problem that arises is that airlines have different specifications that must be abided by for transporting their dogs in containers, so owners must research the specific airline they are flying on.
This problem is one that concerns a small niche of people who decide to travel in the air with their dogs. As a dog owner, it can costly to pay for their lifestyle and regular veterinary check-ups, but it is even more costly to try and fly with your dog.
Auto Bits: Worn tires versus new tires, the difference isn't always clear
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F16BCB834475DD958
Tires are essential for car owners to utilize the abilities that they bought their car for. There are obvious ways that car owners can recognize that their vehicle might need new tires, but then there are also some bits that are not as clear. When you drive with tires that are worn out, they are more likely to slide in in-climate weather putting drivers at serious risk of injury if they crash. It is well known across dealers that once the tire tread reaches 2/32 inches depth then it is time to buy some new tires. With expensive gas prices and car insurance, tires are just another factor that car owners need to be financially prepared for so that they can ensure maximum safety when on the road.
People understand that tires do not last forever and need to be replaced, but the problem is the information for how tires perform over time is not out there. Tires have different lifetimes depending on the actions of the driver, the roads driven on, and the vehicle being driven. People may resort to buying more expensive tires thinking that cost matches quality, but tire makers do not release worn tire data so the statistics and actual performance are hard to calculate.
This problem of not having data about worn tires is a problem that directly impacts drivers who are looking to buy new tires. With so many selections to choose from for your vehicle, it can be difficult to choose the proper tire especially since you do not know if the performance of the tire will keep as you drive over time.
Why Free Life Insurance at Work Might Not Be Enough
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F169B1CD4A4BEC0E8
When people accept jobs, there are many perks that can come with it. One of these perks that many people enjoy is free life insurance. Once people gain their employer-covered life insurance, statistics show that 44% of the people never change their coverage. When companies give their employees life insurance as part of their benefits, the coverage is usually equal to the annual salary that is being made. There are two different types of life insurance- term, which covers people only for a certain amount of time, and permanent- which lasts your whole entire life.
The problem with receiving this free life insurance with a job is that many employees do not understand how much coverage they actually have. Whether it is more or less than what people think, this can put people in uncomfortable financial decisions when something happens. Another problem is that coverage usually ends when people leave that job, which can be a serious issue if something happens between jobs. Lastly, if people have a family then the coverage usually is not enough to pay off a house or send the kids to college.
This problem is very important to those employees that have families or do not make that much money from their salary. Employees need to consider the actual benefit of having free life insurance from their work because most times it is just not enough.
Why Swiping Your Card at the Table Lags in the US
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D0CB57BE7FF6D8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F169C6ED091017460
When people go to restaurants in the United States they are usually required to give their card to the server so that they can go swipe it at the transaction station. But, in Europe the server usually comes up to the table with a handheld device so that people can actually do the transaction rather than letting go of their card. In the United States, we utilize EMV, which means that chipped cards only require a signature and not any type of pin. But, diners feel more comfortable when they are not separated from their cards as they are trying to pay for their meal and leave.
The problem with this concept is that hand held devices to pay at the table are costly for restaurants. These devices are bluetooth enabled which allows servers to come to the table to complete transactions rather than taking the card to the machine in the restaurant. Another problem with this is that research shows that their is a higher turnover rate for diners to bring more customers in to dine when a handheld device is readily available. Many people have experienced that painful time of trying to get in contact with their waiter to pay and then it takes longer to complete the process and get their credit card back. Paying at the table seems more secure for consumers, but it is hard to change the habits of Americans.
This problem most directly impacts American consumers who are worried about being separated from their card while trying to pay at a restaurant. In Europe, people can pay at their table and experience secure transactions that take a lot less time to complete.
Friday, September 7, 2018
Forming an Opportunity
1. I have a belief that with AGR moving onto fraternity row, trucks will soon consume the parking lot making it very difficult for other students to park along row. Parking on UF campus is already limited, so many students experience difficulties in this process. To solve this problem, I believe that parking spaces should be created behind the houses on fraternity row where the woods are.
2. With AGR moving in, students will now have the need to find parking spaces that they are able to fit in because trucks are rather large for the parking spaces created by the University of Florida. The need will come from other students that are trying to find parking in the fraternity row parking lot, but are unable to find spaces when they need it. This was not a need last year because Pi Kapp was still in the process of building their house and TEP had just been kicked off campus, so students could easily find spaces readily available. Now, students have to find other places to park their cars or adjust their schedule to a time to park their car when spaces are available.
3. After talking to Michael Harrigan, a student at the University of Florida that also parks his car in the fraternity row parking lot, he expressed his concerns about not being able to find parking this year either. He did not realize that parking would be so difficult to come by when first hearing the news of fraternities moving on to row, but now knows that he must be strategic in his time to park his car. He noticed that many of the trucks are oversized and therefore commonly cross over the parking space lines.
After talking to Wes Biddle, another student at the University of Florida, he also expressed his concern with parking on fraternity row. Wes drives a very large truck too, so it is even more difficult for him to find a parking space that is large enough to park his truck. He saw how empty the parking lot was last year, but did not drive his truck on campus at the the time, so he never got to experience the ease of parking. Wes believes that if parking was built behind the houses, then students would have better access to park their cars without having to vigorously search for an open space.
After talking to Joey Guay, a student at the University of Florida, he did not seem as concerned about parking on fraternity row. Joey's concerns are limited because he rarely ever drives his car, so never experiences the difficulty when parking during popular times. However, Joey does agree that if there was more space created for parking cars behind the fraternity houses then this would help the flow with things for students, but does not want to see the environmental destruction that would result from building more spaces.
4. After speaking with students about this opportunity, it is interesting to learn about students concerns with parking their cars on fraternity row. Fraternity row used to be a parking lot that could always be relied on to have plenty of open parking spaces, but now seems to be usually full. It was most surprising to learn that students will often look to park in the UF Law School spaces located right across the street even though their decal does not match the parking lot making the vulnerable to get annoying parking tickets.
5. To conclude, I think that while creating another parking lot behind the fraternity houses would be helpful, it would also be very expensive to clear out that land which would also have a negative impact on our environment. As an adapted opportunity, I believe that this need can be satisfied if people take more care when they park their cars so that they are in the lines and available to have other cars park next to them. I believe that my new opportunity is a better and more economic approach to satisfying these needs. I think that it's important for entrepreneurs to adapt their beliefs based on customer feedback because at they end of the day we are focusing on needs of customers being satisfied.
2. With AGR moving in, students will now have the need to find parking spaces that they are able to fit in because trucks are rather large for the parking spaces created by the University of Florida. The need will come from other students that are trying to find parking in the fraternity row parking lot, but are unable to find spaces when they need it. This was not a need last year because Pi Kapp was still in the process of building their house and TEP had just been kicked off campus, so students could easily find spaces readily available. Now, students have to find other places to park their cars or adjust their schedule to a time to park their car when spaces are available.
3. After talking to Michael Harrigan, a student at the University of Florida that also parks his car in the fraternity row parking lot, he expressed his concerns about not being able to find parking this year either. He did not realize that parking would be so difficult to come by when first hearing the news of fraternities moving on to row, but now knows that he must be strategic in his time to park his car. He noticed that many of the trucks are oversized and therefore commonly cross over the parking space lines.
After talking to Wes Biddle, another student at the University of Florida, he also expressed his concern with parking on fraternity row. Wes drives a very large truck too, so it is even more difficult for him to find a parking space that is large enough to park his truck. He saw how empty the parking lot was last year, but did not drive his truck on campus at the the time, so he never got to experience the ease of parking. Wes believes that if parking was built behind the houses, then students would have better access to park their cars without having to vigorously search for an open space.
After talking to Joey Guay, a student at the University of Florida, he did not seem as concerned about parking on fraternity row. Joey's concerns are limited because he rarely ever drives his car, so never experiences the difficulty when parking during popular times. However, Joey does agree that if there was more space created for parking cars behind the fraternity houses then this would help the flow with things for students, but does not want to see the environmental destruction that would result from building more spaces.
4. After speaking with students about this opportunity, it is interesting to learn about students concerns with parking their cars on fraternity row. Fraternity row used to be a parking lot that could always be relied on to have plenty of open parking spaces, but now seems to be usually full. It was most surprising to learn that students will often look to park in the UF Law School spaces located right across the street even though their decal does not match the parking lot making the vulnerable to get annoying parking tickets.
5. To conclude, I think that while creating another parking lot behind the fraternity houses would be helpful, it would also be very expensive to clear out that land which would also have a negative impact on our environment. As an adapted opportunity, I believe that this need can be satisfied if people take more care when they park their cars so that they are in the lines and available to have other cars park next to them. I believe that my new opportunity is a better and more economic approach to satisfying these needs. I think that it's important for entrepreneurs to adapt their beliefs based on customer feedback because at they end of the day we are focusing on needs of customers being satisfied.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
My Entrepreneurship Story
Before attending the University of Florida, I did not know much about business, and more specifically nothing about entrepreneurship. I would soon be introduced to a guy that is part of my fraternity by the name of Isaac Hetzroni. He is the same age as me, but started his own company when he was in high school following the footsteps of her entrepreneurial father. Isaac has been very successful in his entrepreneurial attempts as his company Imprint Genius was named one of the best student run companies at the University of Florida. Over time, I have learned about Isaac's motivations to create products that consumers are in need of. He deals with a wide array of products, but I know him best for designing and creating T-shirts for our fraternity.
I decided to enroll in ENT 3003 mainly because it helps me get credits for completing my business degree, but also because it seemed interesting and different from the mainstream classes that I have taken already. I hope to get a lot out of this class because I am not sure what my future holds as a businessman so it could be helpful to learn about entrepreneurial skills. I also hope to learn about other successful entrepreneurs and what specifically they did that made them so successful. Sometimes I get thoughts about products I could invent that would satisfy the needs of some people, but I have never found enough motivation to actually go through with my thoughts and turn it into products. This summer I studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland, and it gave me a new perspective on entrepreneurs because I saw how many ideas and concepts were taken from things I was used to seeing in the United States. By the end of this class, I hope to develop my entrepreneurial skills and potentially look more internationally with them!
I decided to enroll in ENT 3003 mainly because it helps me get credits for completing my business degree, but also because it seemed interesting and different from the mainstream classes that I have taken already. I hope to get a lot out of this class because I am not sure what my future holds as a businessman so it could be helpful to learn about entrepreneurial skills. I also hope to learn about other successful entrepreneurs and what specifically they did that made them so successful. Sometimes I get thoughts about products I could invent that would satisfy the needs of some people, but I have never found enough motivation to actually go through with my thoughts and turn it into products. This summer I studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland, and it gave me a new perspective on entrepreneurs because I saw how many ideas and concepts were taken from things I was used to seeing in the United States. By the end of this class, I hope to develop my entrepreneurial skills and potentially look more internationally with them!
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Bug List
- It bugs me when I drive some of my friends in my truck and they leave trash in the side of the door or in the cup holders. This bug exists because a lot of my friends are either too lazy to clean up after themselves or they are too busy to notice that they are leaving things behind.
- It bugs me when I wake up after a Florida Football game day and crave Chick Fil A, but it's closed because it's Sunday. This bug exists because the founder of Chick Fil A was very religious and believed that Sunday is a day that employees should spend resting and worshipping.
- It bugs me when I am cleaning in the kitchen at Theta Chi and brothers do not dispose of the waste on their plate before handing it to me through the window to be put in the dishwasher. This bug exists because there are some new guys that do not understand the process of how dishes are cleaned at the house and because there are other guys that are lazy in efforts to clean up after themselves.
- It bugs me when the stadium officials come through the student sections during football games and tell everyone to not stand on the bleachers or they will get in trouble. This bug exists because the University of Florida knows that they could be liable for an injury that a student could experience if they were to stand on the bleachers and fall off.
- It bugs me when I am driving and people assume that as long as they put on their turning indicator in another lane then they are entitled to come over into my lane. This bug exists because people are distracted drivers and do not properly plan for what lane they need to be in to get to their destination.
- It bugs me when I am waiting at a traffic stop light and the car in front of me leaves more than a car lengths space between the next car in front of them, making me unable to get into the turn lane. This bug exists because many people are on their phones when waiting at a traffic stop light, so they are not paying attention to others trying to go places around them.
- It bugs me when I am at the gas station waiting to fill up because people have parked their car at a pump even though they are not getting gas. This bug occurs because there are not enough parking spaces to contain the customers for the mart part of the gas station as well as people find it easier to pull up there rather than fit their car in a small parking space.
- It bugs me when I am listening to a song that I like with my friends and someone starts to sing along with it, but sings the wrong lyrics. This bug occurs because people are trying to fit in with their friends by singing the song when they do not actually know the words to it.
- It bugs me when I go to Southwest Rec and all of the benches are being used for a long period of time making me stand and wait there. This bug occurs because people spend a lot of their time sitting on the bench playing on their phone rather than lifting the weights.
- It bugs me when I am talking to someone and their breath smells terrible. This bug occurs because people do not possess adequate hygiene skills.
- It bugs me when people chew their gum with their mouth open making a loud smacking noise. This bug occurs because people have poor social etiquette meaning that they do not care about the feelings of those around them.
- It bugs me when I am having a conversation with someone and they are making poor eye contact with me. This bug occurs because people do not have in interest in the topic of conversation and they are not taught how to respect those who are talking.
- It bugs me when I am sitting at a table trying to get my homework done and my friends feel the need to come up and try to talk to me. This occurs because my friends are not busy enough and because I am a very like-able person.
- It bugs me how loud my friend Steve Gordon is at all times. This bug occurs because Steve has not been properly house trained.
- It bugs me when I am working out at Southwest Rec and my bluetooth headphones die. This bug occurs because I did not charge my headphones for a long enough time and they do not have a long enough battery life.
- It bugs me when people have a fowl body odor. This bug occurs because people do not have adequate hygiene skills, meaning that they do not shower enough or use deodorant.
- It bugs me when people ask me why I decided to come to the University of Florida when I am from Tallahassee. This bug occurs because it is prominently known that Florida State University is located here so they assume that I would want to attend there.
- It bugs me when I am at a buffet and people portion more food on their plate then they end up eating. This bug occurs because people have eyes that are larger than their stomach and they are also selfish pigs with food.
- It bugs me when I am eating at a restaurant and the waiter comes up multiple times to check on how I am enjoying the food. This bug occurs because management is instructing its employees to regularly evaluate the customers pleasure levels.
- It bugs me when people park their cars over the lines at the University of Florida making it impossible for me to park my truck in the space next to them. This bug occurs because people are not good at parking their cars and then are too lazy to correct their parking when they see that they have half their car in the other space.
I found this assignment quite easy at first when I started because there were a couple of "bugs" that always seem to bother me. Towards the middle of creating my list it was more challenging to come up with bugs because it required me to sit there and actually go through my daily life and think about things I do not like to happen. It was also more difficult for me to think of why these bugs happen than why they are bugs to me because if something bugs you then you definitely know what specifically about it makes you cringe. Overall, this was a challenging yet rewarding assignment to recognize all the things that occur that happen to bug me.
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