Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends - Assignment 6

Opportunities From Economic Trends

1. Local Markets Close:
• Source:https://elperiodico.com.gt/inversion/2020/05/28/cierre-de-mercados-aumenta-demanda-y-sube-precios/
• Why?
• As local markets close because people do not want to congregate in markets, many vendors can benefit. There is an opportunity here because the demand for the products sold at markets is still the same but people can't buy at the market anymore, vendors can find new methods of selling their products. Some have started selling directly to customers at higher prices, others have created delivery routes to sell their products. 
• Who?
• The costumer that would benefit from this opportunity would be all those who depended on markets to purchase different food products. Since markets are no longer open, they need a new way to purchase their product.
• Difficulty
• This opportunity is not too difficult to exploit. Many producers have started selling through alternative channels. It would not be too difficult because they could find to sell to alternative re-sellers or find a way to sell directly to the costumer.
• Why did I see the opportunity?
• I saw this opportunity because my family buys fresh fruits and vegetables from a farmer and one week he brought more product than usual and told us it was because he could not sell at the market anymore.
  
  
2. Costa Rica Suspends Entry to the Country
• Source: https://www.prensalibre.com/economia/coronavirus-las-millonarias-perdidas-de-guatemala-por-las-medidas-unilaterales-de-costa-rica/
• Why? 
• Since Costa Rica is not allowing countries in the trade agreement to bring product into Costa Rica or Costa Rica to export product to partners, Guatemalan companies must find how to get their products into/ out of Costa Rica or find a new costumer.
• Who?
• Guatemalan companies would benefit as they would not have unsold inventory sitting in a freight waiting to get into Costa Rica.
• Difficulty
• This would be a difficult opportunity to exploit as it requires navigation of trading agreements, or finding new costumers or suppliers to replace ones in Costa Rica.
• Why did I see the opportunity?
• This opportunity was harder for me to see because I did not fully understand the issue when it first started. I was able to see the opportunity because the issue kept growing and was affecting a few close family friends. 

Opportunities From Regulatory Trends

1. Public Transportation is Shut Down by the Government
• Source: https://dca.gob.gt/noticias-guatemala-diario-centro-america/operativos-para-verificar-que-no-circulen-buses-urbanos-y-extraurbanos/
• Why?
• Since the government shut down the public transportation services, many people could not go to and from work as buses were their only means of transportation. Companies are left without workers due to this regulation. Many companies require alternative services to provide transport for their employees. 
• Who?
• The costumers that would benefit from exploiting this opportunity would be companies that need their workers and workers that need to get to work and do not have a car to drive to work. Private transportation services would benefit from getting the business that used to go to public transportation. 
• Difficulty
• This would be somewhat difficult to implement as private transportation companies would have to comply with government regulations as well as safety guidelines placed by the company that would hire them. The difficulty would also be that companies are not going to be willing to pay high prices. 
• Why did I see the opportunity?
• I saw this opportunity because when public transportation shut down my father had a hard time figuring out a way to get all of the workers at the company to work and the solution they have currently is not ideal. 
  
  
2. National Laboratories are at Capacity
• Source: https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacion/2020/05/27/aumento-de-casos-afecta-capacidad-del-laboratorio-nacional-de-salud-1/
• Why?
• Since the government laboratories are at capacity and cannot process the amount of analysis that local hospital need done alternative laboratory services are in high demand. 
• Who?
• The people that would benefit from solving the problems at the laboratories is the local hospitals and patients waiting for results. 
• Difficulty:
• This would not be a difficult opportunity to exploit as many private labs could receive the overflow of lab work that the national lab cannot handle. 
• Why did I see the opportunity?
• I saw this opportunity because a few years back I volunteered for a  medical relief organization and they did not have a fully equipped lab so they would outsources some labs they needed to get analyzed.