Looking for Opportunity: Economic Trends & Regulatory Changes

1. Europe will edge closer to crisis

http://fortune.com/2015/12/28/global-economy/

a. I found this article on the website FORTUNE, where economic trends predicted for 2016 were listed and discussed. The opportunity here is high unemployment rates.
b. An opportunity here exists because employment rates are too high in Europe, which is increasing their debt and having negative impacts on peoples lives.
c. The people in concern here are the people that are having trouble finding jobs. The Government is also in danger of the repercussions that extended periods of unemployment can have on a country's economy.
d. This opportunity is difficult to exploit unemployment can mean different things in different countries, and also impact lives in a different way depending on the cost of living. I think its also interesting that as American's we think mostly about our own economy and unemployment level, instead of considering the entire world's economic standpoint.

I saw this opportunity because I think I have a pretty holistic view of the world and the people in it. I know that what goes on around me each day is nothing compared to the lives of people in the rest of the world. And I think that if we want to survive as people, we need to look out for each other more than we are.

2. Global economic forecast 2016-2017

http://www.forbes.com/sites/billconerly/2015/11/24/global-economic-forecast-2016-2017/#17b765b343f4

a. This article was posted on Forbes.com and talked a lot about the different growth predictions and economic well beings of a variety of countries across the globe.
b. Most of these predictions were positive or consistent with growth today. This leads me to believe that there is opportunity for service. By this I mean that since the economy has recovered for different downfalls, and is not starting to level out again, we should focus on solving world hunger, disease in developing countries, and poverty.
c. This opportunity is for the people that still lay within healthy percentages of unemployment, income, and heath. Now that the majority of people that are contributing to the economy are stable, we need to help those in need.
d. This opportunity is difficult to exploit because the range of people in need is vast and hard to reach. Furthermore, people have been trying to solve these problems for decades with little luck. Finally, the economy is still unpredictable and always changing so focus is always shifting.

I saw this opportunity because I think that people talk about fighting hungar and poverty, but no one ever dedicates all of their time and efforts to it because they are busy and focused on other concerns in the "now." However, this gives us time to move past ourselves and our economic wellbeing, and help others.

3. France might pass a law that makes it illegal to send after-hours work emails

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/05/12/france-might-pass-a-law-that-makes-it-illegal-to-send-after-hours-work-emails/

a. This article is located on the Washington Post website and talk's about the possibility of France regulating a new law that says it's illegal to send emails after-hours for work.
b. I see this as a opportunity for America to regulate similar laws so that we can "disconnect" from technology and stress when we get home to our families and lives.
c. This opportunity is for all working American's. Although some people may be nervous at the thought that they wouldn't be able to reach out to employers or employees after hours, I think that people would adapt and appreciate the work free time.
d. I think this opportunity would be decently exploited because it is a simple matter of laws being put into place and regulated by the Government, just as France is doing.

I saw this opportunity because I have many friends that come home from a long day and do more work and stress out even more after hours than they do during work hours. I also think that we should start getting concerned about the use of technology so much, and focus more on the health of ourselves, our lives, and our relationships.

4. Wildlife Concerns

https://www.usa.gov/laws-and-regulations#item-36597

a. On USA.gov, there are different laws and regulations that are discussed and debated. Some of these include environment regulations, particularly wetland preservation.
b. I see this as an opportunity because more people need to be aware of the environment and the destruction that humans are creating towards it.
c. All people should be concerned with this opportunity because destruction of wetlands can later lead to much more damage of the land and lives of people living on it. Environmentalists are most aware and concerned about this opportunity. The government should regulate even more protection.
d. I think this opportunity is hard to exploit because we influence the land and the environment in so many different ways each day--some of which we might not even know about. We also haven't created solutions for replacing practices of actions that negatively affect the environment.

I saw this opportunity because I think that people ignore the changes in the environment that are going on around them. However, I read a lot of articles and watch a lot of videos which makes me aware and conscious of the efforts that people need to be putting in to conserving the wildlife around them.