6A - Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephaniedenning/2018/12/27/2019-business-trends-executives-need-to-consider/#74e13a97229e
• I found this article from Forbes. The fourth trend on this article describes how there is a shift from an ownership model to renting model. With the ever growing rise of companies like Spotify, Netflix, and Zip Car, more and more people are seeing the value in renting out something rather than owning it. This is mainly due to the fact that there are always different trends in society and nothing really ever stays permanent. Companies like this give you access to the thing you want when you want it, and typically for a cheaper price. Yet, these companies are still making loads of profit hence why more and more companies should seek switching their business model to fit a consumers needs. The prototypical customer changes according the brand, however, the growing trend of renting seems to be the preference of most consumers in this age.
• I am an avid consumer of all the products mentioned above. Especially as a college student, who is always going with new trends, I find it much easier to rent things rather than commit my self to buy them.
2. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/14/oppenheimerfunds-cio-krishna-memani-no-recession-for-at-least-5-years.html
• This article that I found from CNBC talks about how the Oppenheimer Funds CIO stated that there will be no recession for at least 5 years. The positive negotiations between China and the United States have recently boded well for stocks. This opportunity not only helps with the trade war between the two nations but also creates an opportunity for investors to buy and as a result help the economy more. Investors are probably the biggest prototypical customers with this opportunity. With current stocks the opportunity should not be hard to exploit.
• I am not an avid investor but I do read the news a lot especially about stocks. This is definitely an opportunity I can see happening not based from my own experience but due to the credibility of the people claiming the opportunity.
3. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/16/fda-wants-pharma-to-bring-opioid-antidote-naloxone-over-the-counter.html
• This article I found from CNBC talks about the opportunity of the FDA bringing easier access for important drugs that can be life saving. The FDA automatically make this opportunity exploitable as they are the ruling body on the matter and helps all the prototypical customers who would need such a drug but cannot afford to go to the doctor and get a prescription.
• When the FDA is involved, it definitely leads me to believe this opportunity can happen. I have never really had a problem with access to medicine but I know now that I will have less of a problem due to the FDA.
4. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/23/upshot/rate-of-americans-without-health-insurance-rising.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FHealth%20Care%20Reform&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection
• This article I found from the NY Times talks about the opportunity for better healthcare since Trump has pulled a lot of funding for the Affordable Care Act. With America always attracting immigrants there is definitely a need for better healthcare that is affordable and these would probably be the prototypical customers. Unfortunately, without government backing it may be hard to exploit however.
• I have some friends who were on Obama Care back in the day and it actually helped them out a lot. Now that they have lost eligibility, I can see that there is an opportunity that can help them out again.

5A - Identifying Local Opportunities

1. Ariz. police arrest nurse they say raped, impregnated incapacitated patient

• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0123%21January%2B23&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1712DBDAA85CC768
• In this story a nurse was arrested for raping and impregnating an incapacitated patient at an Arizona nursing home. The patient was 26 years old and this investigation took a non-stop seven days to resolve the case.
• The problem in this story is that a licensed and trusted professional took advantage of her profession and did one of the more inhumane acts of human nature. How can we send our elderly or anyone for the matter to places where we cannot trust the licensed professionals?  
• In this case the Hacienda Health Care has the problem as well as the Phoenix police department, victim, and the nurse at fault. However, this is a problem that can go for all hospitals and nursing homes where we trust to leave patients in their care.

2. Gray returns to coach UF cornerbacks

• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0123%21January%2B23&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/17128119E1465B38
• This story talks about how our former cornerbacks coach, Torrian Gray, returned as our new cornerbacks coach. The story talks about how he is already familiar with the school, system, conference, and coaches so it should be no problem, and in fact a positive.
• We have always had a problem of stability with our football staff. This in a way adds to that problem of stability but also solves it as we are bringing back a familiar face.
• The people who would have a problem with this are the fans of the Gator football team, as we might have either wanted to keep a stable staff or look for something brand new instead.

3. Florida History: The beauty of the Everglades to the ugly of the Civil Rights movement

• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0124%21January%2B24&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1712DBDB410A5B80
• This story talks about the history of the Everglades and how it goes hand in hand with the civil rights movement. A lot of the environmental movement of the Everglades was assisted due to both Governor Collins and Harry Moore integrating African-Americans and registering them to vote.
• We still have a problem of civil rights in our nation today. This article shows that one thing can bring us all together and solve some serious problems. At the end of the day it was not black or white but it was rather being green, which everyone can do.
• People who have and had this problem back in the day and presently are racists as well as racism victims.

4. Everything you need to know about Disney World's new, alcoholic push-pops

• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0124%21January%2B24&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1712DBDB2ED43860
• This article briefly talks about how Disney has introduced the new Buzz Pop Cocktail. These are alcoholic push pops that are served in Disney Springs.
• These days more and more youth has started drinking alcohol underage. Releasing something like this that is associated with Disney does not necessarily solve that problem. Some kid might not know it is alcoholic and might just accidentally eat it thinking it is candy.
• In this situation I believe it is Disney's problem and they now have liability of associating there child brand with alcohol and can possibly run in to some incidents.

5. Here's one way to stop living paycheck to paycheck

• https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3AGSGB%21Gainesville%2BSun%252C%2BThe%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0123%21January%2B23&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1712811927B008C0
• This article talks about the importance of budgeting especially with the risk of having missed paychecks. In 2018 apparently only 41% of people surveyed said that they practiced budgeting. In todays day and age where a government can get shutdown anytime and you miss your paycheck, budgeting can certainly help you out.
• The problem in this article is quite simple: not enough people are budgeting. As a result, missed paychecks can cause a person to go mad because they did not budget their needs right and were relying on a paycheck to save them. If people budgeted according to a possible missed paycheck, then they would not have that worry and be more stress free.
• The people who have this problem are anyone who is relying on the money they earn for a living. The people who do not budget are at risk harming themselves should they miss a paycheck.

4A - Forming An Opportunity Belief

1. I really believe there is an opportunity for a better unbiased education in the United States. One of the biggest things I have come across as a foreign student here is ignorance, and that is not to the fault of the people but rather due to the education that they have received. 
2. I went to an international school in Istanbul and was surrounded by many third culture kids. What I loved about it was everyone came from different cultures and everyone was accepting of different cultures. I personally attribute this to the school system we were in which was the International Baccalaureate program, also known as the IB program. Not only is it a leading education system around the world but it also provides an unbiased education as it is universal. Although there are some IB programs in the States I truly believe there are not enough and would consider it a solution to the unmet need of a better world education in the United States. I believe an unbiased form of education would solve a lot of ignorance in this world. I know it has for me and my classmates in high school. Now I have an American passport and am just as American as I am Turkish, but the realism here is that there is a lack of world education or at least an unbiased one, and it has been like that for years. The IB has slowly tapped the American market to solve this situation but I absolutely believe it needs an even bigger expansion. Now I do not think this can solve every problem of ignorance like that but it is definitely a start. I believe there is a 75% chance that this opportunity exists and can solve some issues.
3. I believe the prototypical customer for this opportunity would clearly be high school students as the IB program is for grades 11 and 12. 
4. For this assignment I interviewed 3 people. One is my friend Zack, who is a former IB student from Florida. The second was my cousin, Defne, who is in high school in Chattanooga. The third was my friends brother, Arda, who is currently an AP student in Virginia. I chose these three specifically because they all offer different perspectives on the matter. Zack is an American who took the IB program. Defne is a Turk who moved from Turkey to Tennessee and is now under an American education system. Arda is a Turkish-American, who has lived in the States his whole life and is currently in the AP system. 
1. When I interviewed Zack, he started off  completely agreeing with me in that many of his friends seem to be ignorant about a lot of things in this world. He also agreed that the IB program gave him a very different view on the world. He mentioned that one of the IB learner profiles is open-mindedness and that was heavily enforced in his education. He agreed that the IB system definitely should be the dominant education system in the United States. It already is in most of the world and if everybody is taught the same things the same way then it might solved a lot of ignorance. He said that he and his parents have very different views and he attributes this to the IB system. He said he was able to know things about Russia and Germany just as well as he knew things in America because of what he was taught and said he feels one step ahead when it comes to world knowledge. 
2. I interviewed Defne over phone and she said she never heard of the IB before. This shows that it still has not developed completely in America. She said her first year was really hard since the only things people knew about Turkey were from media portrayals of our corrupt government and different bombings that happened recently. She said the way she learns about different states here is the way you learn about different countries in Turkey and said it was no surprise why people abroad were more open-minded and knowledgeable of the world outside of their country. She definitely said there is a need for an unbiased education system on the world. It would solve the problem of ignorance and if anything just make people more compassionate, which is a different view point I have not heard. She said that there is an immediate need and said there is literally nothing negative that can come from it.
3. The last person I interviewed was Arda. Arda never experienced the things that me or Defne felt as the only place he really does know is the United States. When I asked him if he ever felt people were ignorant about other countries and if there was a need for an unbiased education, he did not understand at first. I asked him if it bothered him that people would know nothing about his country and assume the worst, and he responded saying that most of them were true. I asked him how do you know that, you have been to Turkey and other parts of Europe many times and he really believed that. His response was that is what he sees on the news and thats what they say in school. He was a living example of why their is a need for an unbiased education. I asked him if they taught anything about the world in his school and he said only AP World History, but he also added it was all in American perspective. When I offered the solution of an IB expansion and told him a little bit about the program, he was quite intrigued. I asked if he thought it would be any benefit at all, and he immediately said realistically yes. He added that a nation like the States where many foreigners migrate to is actually the perfect place for an education system like this. He said it would solve many issues and would make then even more knowledgeable.
5. Overall I was very intrigued by the responses I got while interviewing my three prototypical customers. I only looked at this before in the perspective that the education system would just help people become more knowledgeable about the world. However, after the interviews some of them made me realize that it could lead to more than stopping ignorance, it could actually lead to compassion and solve a lot of internal issues in the nation if kids were educated like this at a much younger age. I did not get a single negative response to this opportunity, which further showed me there is a need for an unbiased education.
6. My original opportunity is very much still alive, and if anything showed it can be expanded. I truly believe that this opportunity can lead to not only less ignorance and more knowledge, but can lead to possible compassion and peace. I believe that it is essential entrepreneurs listen to feedback and adapt their product according to that. With three simple interviews I was able to learn that my selected opportunity can be bigger than I thought it was. There really is know trade-off unless you completely change it. Adapting does not mean changing completely, and in this case I realized I could adapt for the better.

3A - My Entrepreneurship Story

When it comes to entrepreneurship I really do not have much experience. The most entrepreneurship I have seen is from watching Shark Tank to be honest. Recently, however, I know that my dad has been heavily involved in entrepreneurship. My dad was originally a computer engineer, who as he got older, started swaying away from the technological aspect of things to more the marketing side. It started out when he left TTNet, which is the Turkish equivalent to Verizon. My dad has always had a mindset of being his own boss, which is essentially what most entrepreneurs are. After he left TTNet, my dad started a technology marketing company called ARLIN, which he kept stable for around six years until he sold it. Around this time my father and his two best friends also started a bottled water company, which is still continuing today successfully. From technology going to bottled water is pretty different scene, but thats what entrepreneurs do; they find opportunities and they try to seize them. Currently my dad once again is doing something very new. He is working on an smart phone application with his associates in California. He is currently in charge of the coding aspects and is helping out with the marketing aspects of the app as well.  Unfortunately my dad has not shared many details with me due to the fear that someone may take the idea. I know the general concept in that it is a social media application but do not know the immediate details. Lastly as a side job my father works as a mentor for the interns in a project development consulting firm in Istanbul. He has no experience in project development but he knows how to work and wants to help out the interns as much as he can. As I am writing this I am actually realizing how much of an entrepreneur my father actually is with all the different things he has worked on.

When it comes to the reason why I am taking this class, it is not really interesting at all. I needed an elective to complete my major and my advisor suggested this class, so I took it. I do, however, believe I can gain a lot from this class. Already with the bugs list and this assignment I am looking at the way things work in a different way. I want to be involved in sports in the future especially when it comes to innovation. I truly believe that this class can develop the way I look at things in terms of innovation.

2A - What Bugs Me?

Here is a list of 20 things that just really bug me:

1. Why is it that I always sleep with the heat on but come the morning I am a laying burrito in my comforter freezing?
1. It is because I have a house mate that does not knock in the middle of the night and switches the AC to 64 degrees!
2. It bugs me that my Turkish soccer team, Besiktas JK, have on paper the best roster in the league but are just underachieving unbelievably these past 2 years.
1. Honestly it's probably because the team is afraid to sack one of the best coaches in our club's history, even though he has become pretty stubborn in adapting his system.
3. On the topic of Turkey, it bugs me every single time someone in Gainesville is surprised to hear that we have no deserts and are super urban and have a huge body of water surrounding us in Turkey.
1. This is a result of some ignorance and also poor media portrayals of my home country.
4. Unfortunately I have a lot of things that bug me that have to do with my country. Not to get super political but it bugs me that our current president gets re-elected year after year despite committing a decent amount of inhumane acts?
1. This comes down to ignorance and honestly very good advertising and PR on his part.
5. You know, it kind of bugs me that I had to do 3 blog posts this week plus the 6 total peer reviews only in the second week of this class.
1. It's an online class so homework is given out typically more to see involvement.
6. It bugs me that for some reason this year all of my friends' Spring Breaks have been moved a week later than usual kind of ruining our annual plans we have been doing for the past 3 years.
1. To be honest I really do not know why, but I am assuming there are some sort of logistical reasons why they are doing that.
7. It bugs me that come February I am going to be working 6 days a week for no pay.
1. I can't do anything about it. I need those field experience hours for my class.
8. I get really annoyed at those people that ask questions 3 seconds before class finishes.
1. That person probably needed know something, but why do you have to use our time?
9. Wasps bug me probably more than anything on this list (no pun intended).
1. I'll say it they are scary and also I happen to be deathly allergic.
10. Being recognized by new people I meet as my sister's older brother kind of bugs me.
1. My sister has a huge network of friends but come on how does a waiter in this one restaurant in Istanbul immediately recognize me as your brother?
11. Croakies bother me. I get they are functional but they honestly are kind of ugly.
1. People like their functionality and I guess because it's "frat".
12. On the topic of clothing/accessories, it bugs me that if you're a guy and care a little bit about the way you look, people start making assumptions about your sexuality down South.
1. Maybe I just want to look good, but different cultures I guess cause different opinions.
13. Boy does country music really bug me.
1. It just sounds the same and not good, but to each their own.
14. My girlfriend living across the Atlantic Ocean really bugs me.
1. It bugs me because I obviously cannot see her as much and with time differences it is sometimes hard to keep communication.
15. Guest who come in to my room, leave their cups, and just leave without picking up after themselves really irritates me.
1. Realistically they probably just set it somewhere and forget it but come on the trash can is literally right next to my door on the way out.
16. Touching someones feet or someone touching mine is definitely some thing that really bugs me.
1. I don't know why it is a pet peeve of my mine but I just find them gross and probably because of this gross foot massage scene in this one comedy film I watched.
17. It annoys me when a friend of mine helps me out with some money, whether it be 50 cents or 10 dollars, and constantly nags me about paying him back.
1. I never once not payed back for one. Also, back home me and my friends would not even question each other. We know that we will each pay each other back eventually either directly or like order food or something along those lines. 
18. I hate it when their is an issue and a person's solution is walking away and just sitting on the issue for a day or two.
1. I know some people work like that to calm down or something but at least for myself, I know I would not be able to sleep properly if I did not solve that issue then and there.
19. It honestly bugs me that I am not as active as I would like to be going to the gym and all that.
1. I played club sports my whole life and I guess a little bit or college laziness as well as business have stopped me from being where I was back in high school.
20. Lastly it really sucks that my parents and my dog and my whole family are in another country right now.
1. Plain and simple I can get a little homesick especially with culture shock but that's life so nothing I can really do about it.

This bug list was not especially difficult for me. Unfortunately I can get ticked off by a lot of things, as many of my friends probably notice. One reason why I think it was not incredibly difficult is because a lot of my bugs were personal to me and relative common human bugs. Nobody likes to wake up freezing and I am also sure if most people had family and significant others in different countries then that would to an extent bug them too. Some of my bugs were simple like wasps or ugly accessories, but a majority were all extents of things that are personal to myself, which made it really easy. This was fun post though as it feels like I really got to vent some frustrations and in a way it kind of calmed down.