9A - Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

Who

Three out of my five interviewees stated that they would utilize this co-op if the opportunity was presented to them. However, the other two had reservations. One of them did not like that students would need to work designated hours just to have the privilege of purchasing the meals inexpensively. The other one stated that the reason that they want to purchase meals on campus is because they are already too busy. This student felt like the time commitment would be too much to add onto their current schedule. This interview made me consider adjusting the business model and figure out how to change these students’ opinions.

What

The need for healthy, inexpensive, on-campus food options differs from the typical food needs because it is much less basic. Typical food needs can be fulfilled easily. However, the problem that I am solving is unique to students, specifically those that are on-campus frequently and trying to live a healthy lifestyle.

Why

The outsiders’ needs are not different, they all appreciated the idea. However, the two that would not utilize the co-op valued their time over their nutrition and budget. The outsiders have the same needs, but their priorities are in a different order. 

8A - Solving the Problem

My opportunity for the previous assignment was to develop healthy and inexpensive food options on the UF campus. When examining my opportunity, I took a look at the food options that are currently available on campus and examined them based on price and health. Then, I began to brainstorm as to what the solution would be. The majority of campus restaurants operate on a for-profit basis and they are large restaurant chains. Also, when placing a new restaurant in a university setting, there are often strong regulations in place to ensure student safety and well-being.

So, my solution to this problem is a campus Co-Op. This Co-Op would run similarly to those that are common, however, it will be in partnership with the university. In order to be a member of the Co-Op students will need to work a requisite number of hours per week. And for this benefit, they can purchase produce and student prepared meals inexpensively on campus. The Co-Op could also partner with the agricultural studies departments at UF to acquire seasonal/locally sourced foods. Overall, I really like this idea because for just a couple of hours students will be able to eat cheaply, and maintain their health. Also, the idea of this being a cooperative effort will make it much more likely that the university would approve the operation. 

7A: Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1 – Opportunity

 The University of Florida has may awesome food options, however, none are both healthy and inexpensive.

2 –  Opportunity Cont.

The University of Florida needs a healthy and inexpensive food option for students on campus

Who: Students of the University of Florida

What: Healthy and inexpensive food options

Where: The University of Florida

Why: Many students try to balance so many things at once and it can be quite difficult to find the time to maintain a healthy lifestyle, study, work, and socialize.

3 – Hypothesis

Testing the who: Myself and many of my friends have often spoken that this type of food option is necessary on campus.

Testing the what: There are inexpensive options such as Wendy’s and Papa Johns, but these places are unhealthy and most students will not eat at such places on a daily basis. There are also healthy options, but they are few and far between and they come at a much higher price tag.

Testing the why: Students need this to help maintain a healthy lifestyle and eat food that will nourish them and not break the bank.

4: Interviews

Through the interviews with my peers I discovered that many of them agree with me that there is a lack of healthy food options that fit into the student budget. One of my interviewees stated that she finds it extremely difficult to have the time to prepare meals nightly and set herself up for the coming week. Instead she ends up going with the easier option and purchasing the cheapest thing on campus just to have something. Another of my interviewees claims that it he usually doesn’t have a problem packing food, but he also agrees that there should be options for students who have less time. Overall the response was positive, but I did have one interviewees who thought that students who are truly dedicated to their health (and their wallet) would find time to prepare in advance.

5 – Summary

Overall, I still think this is an excellent opportunity for the UF campus. My only concern would be the feasibility for providing such a service for students. Overall, now that my opportunity has been developed, I need to start working on a solution. 

Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Opportunity 1: Economic

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ryanair-agm/ryanair-scrambles-to-please-pilots-customers-and-investors-idUSKCN1BW163?il=0

B) RyanAir has been under fire for issues related to treatment of staff. RyanAir has an opportunity now to turn this around. This is a strong public relations opportunity for RyanAir to adjust their staff treatment and publicize it to regain strong public perception.

C) The customer for this opportunity will be someone who typically flies RyanAir and is searching for good prices.

D) This opportunity is difficult in the sense that RyanAir will have to both change their employee treatment practices and they will have to alter public perception of employee treatment.

E) I see this opportunity because as an advertising major, I am inclined to seek opportunities in my field. I see that RyanAir is currently struggling with branding difficulty; but, with the correct coaching and use of different mediums of communication this will lead to an opportunity for brand growth.

Opportunity 2: Economic

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8082

B) While the hurricanes have caused so much devastation in typical cruising locations, this article does leave some room for opportunity and creativity in cruising destinations.

C) The typical consumer for this opportunity will be someone who typically takes cruises for vacation and will let nontraditional approaches stop them from enjoying their favorite type of vacation.

D) This opportunity is difficult and will require a lot of work and research to locate new port destinations for these cruise ships to go.

E) I see an opportunity here because it forced. The cruise ships cannot return to their old destinations and they must try and be flexible and creative to solve this problem.

Opportunity 3: Regulatory

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41343547

B) Driverless cars a huge part of the world’s vision for the future and it is important that China keep up with the trend.

C) The prototypical customer would be someone who is exhausted by their commute and would prefer to have it taken care of automatically.

D) This opportunity requires lots of intense research and will be quite difficult to complete.

E) I see the opportunity because I have been exhausted so many times behind the wheel. I see the benefit of having an automated vehicle because the drivers will be able to relax and once the technology is perfected, there will even be a lower likelihood for accidents on the road.

Opportunity 4: Regulatory

https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/21/16343342/google-htc-deal-apple-iphone-war

B) I think there is a strong opportunity with this because Google has decided to compete directly with Apple’s IPhone since acquiring Nokia.

C) I think the customer for this product will be any user that values Google’s services and applications. Having a Google phone could make communication and organization so much easier.

D) This opportunity is difficult considering IPhone’s status as a top dog in the smart phone world.

E) I see this opportunity because I value all of Google’s current services and I believe that a phone that easily incorporated all of them would make my life much easier.

Identifying Local Opportunities

Article 1: Old downtown venue gets a new owner

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/166CA0A59867BDE0?p=WORLDNEWS

Summary: A well-known Gainesville club promoter has purchased the Florida Theatre and has plans to revamp the landmark. The plans are not yet detailed, but they buyer, William Bryson, wants to maintain the landmark’s historical value.

Problem: The problem that the theatre is currently facing is the lack of a business model for the changes being made to the theatre.

Who has the problem? William Bryson, the new owner of the venue is the one responsible for solving the problem.

Article 2: Chemist-turned-nail spa owner finds success using kindness

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/166BA7B01FA6C0B0?p=WORLDNEWS

Summary: Ann Huynh is the current owner of Venus Nail Spa in Haile Plantation. Huynh purchased the salon after she grew tired of working as a chemist. She is currently being recognized for her kindness and her dedication to customer service.

Problem: The problem that was faced was Huynh’s career dissatisfaction.

Who has the problem? Ann Huynh, the current salon owner, faced the problem.

Article 3: Mixed-use housing development underway

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/166CA0A5E3390760?p=WORLDNEWS

Summary: 23 West is a community that was purchased in NW Gainesville and the housing community will be redone to suite a new customer base.

Problem: Finding a new customer base for this different type of housing community will be difficult in a city that has a majority of students.

Who has the problem? Viking Company, the real estate developers have the issue.

Article 4: Family-friendly renovations underway at Hogtown Park

http://infoweb.newsbank.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/resources/doc/nb/news/166BA7B018B272E0?p=WORLDNEWS

Summary: Hogtown Park will be getting a renovation that will make it more pleasant for many families in the area.

Problem: Previously, the park was not up to standard for many families.

Who has the problem? The city of Gainesville, the ones responsible for running Hogtown Park have the issue.

Article 5: Art gallery, wine cafe to move from Micanopy to Gainesville

Summary: Somewhere Along the Way, a Micanopy based art gallery will be moving to Gainesville for more opportunities at success. Micanopy has many limiting factors on music etc. that do not allow Somewhere Along the Way to reach its full potential.

Problem: Somewhere Along the Way was not reaching its full customer base and it will have to attract customers in its new location, Gainesville.

Who has the problem? The gallery’s owner, Mark Richardson, has the issue.

Forming an Opportunity Belief

1)      I, like many of my fellow students here at the University of Florida, have a caffeine dependence. However, many times when I need my coffee to get through work or studying, I am not able to leave and go to a popular coffee chain just to wait in line and go through the entire coffee purchasing experience. Often, I am at work (on campus) and I cannot leave or I am comfortable and set up in a spot at the library, and to leave would mean that I risk losing said spot. I believe that there is a future in an on-campus coffee delivery service.

2)      The unmet need in this situation, is the actual coffee delivery. This need has always existed among students because of the demanding nature of being a full-time student. To meet this need now, college campuses often have many coffee shops on campus, however, these coffee shops often have long lines and most students have full schedules that make it more difficult for them to have time to wait in these lines. Because of these facts, I think that there is a 70% chance that this opportunity exists.

3)      The prototypical consumer for this delivery service would be a student that is a regular consumer of coffee shop products. This student would also be busy and would not have the time (or maybe not wake up early enough) to get coffee before class/work. This student would also feel that their caffeine fix is worth a few extra dollars of a delivery charge.

4)      After speaking to potential consumers, they had a lot of input on the service. 

Customer A: This potential customer felt that the nature of the need originated with their caffeine dependence and lack of extra time in their busy schedules. They became aware of the need when they were stuck in situations that would have been much more pleasant with the addition of their typical caffeine fix. Customer A has had this need since they began college and/or since coffee became a daily part of their routine. Customer A buys coffee on campus about three times weekly, and the rest of the days they use their coffee maker at home. 

Customer B: This customer agreed with customer A on the origin of their need. However, this customer is also a less regular user of caffeine. This customer also does not have the means to make their own coffee at home, so they make a habit of purchasing it on campus about three times weekly. Customer B feels like the service would definitely work because most students barely wake up in time to get to class, let alone to purchase coffee.

Customer C: This customer agreed with A & B on the origin of need. However, this customer feels that they would use this service, but not regularly. Customer C does the best they can to make their coffee at home (in order to save money). So this customer would only make use of this service on special occasions when they didn't have time to make their own, or as a potential self-reward.

5)      My opportunity is definitely interesting to those students I spoke to, however, I am slightly concerned with the feasibility because of cost and the fact that it is a niche market of consumers.

6)      See step 4

7)      Overall, I do think my opportunity is still present. However, based on student feedback, I do think that I will have to make sure to target students very specifically and do the best that I can to make this service cost efficient. My opportunity hasn’t exactly transformed based on feedback, but I have learned a lot about the different aspects that I would have to consider before following through with my opportunity. I think that staying firm can occasionally be a strong strategy, but in my case, I will need to take customer opinions into account.