Week 4 Reading Reflection

Innovation: The Creative Pursuit of Ideas

1) What was the biggest surprise for you in the reading? In other words, what did you read that stood out the most as different from your expectations? 

I was very surprised to see a global perspective article dealing with business in Africa. African markets ar volitile ,and it was impressive to read about Emerging Capitol Partners and the work that they have done in the 48 African countries.

2) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

The Creative process was somewhat confusing to me. I have found that sometimes I run into a solution before I am aware of a problem or opportunity. 

3) If you were able to ask two questions to the author, what would you ask? Why?

I would first ask what is the best environment for new creative ideas to emerge?

and

When new ideas are though up should you bounce them off others or keep them to yourself?

4) Was there anything you think the author was wrong about? Where do you disagree with what she or he said? How?

The Author says that stereotypes distort the picture of reality. I disagree. I think stereotypes lead consumers to make certain choices and become there own reality. A good entreprenuer can use stereotypes to predict broad consumer trends. 

Customer Interviews No. 1

Do you want Cheese with that Wine??

1) Find an opportunity. 

Importing French wine in a market saturated by Californian/South American wine.

 2) Figure out who might have the unmet need. 
Wine drinkers that have never tried a French wine before and want something different for the right price.

 3) Come up with a list of questions.
Hello! How are you doing today? I’m Brandon what’s your name? Nice to meet you! I plan on starting a wine importing business here in Gainesville. To research demand trends I need to interview potential customers. Do you mind if I interview you and ask a few questions?

My first question is, what is your favorite alcoholic beverage?

What are your thoughts on wine? Do you ever drink wine?

When was the last time you had a glass of wine?

Do you prefer to drink wine at home or in restaurants?

What kind do you usually get? Red, White, Rose?

Which country do you think is the most known for their wine?

Have you tried a French wine before?

Is French wine easy to find here in Gainesville?

How much do you pay on average for a bottle of wine at the supermarket?

What about in a restaurant? If you were on a date for example..

If the price was right would you pick a French wine over a California wine?

Alright! Thanks so much for your input and thank you for a great interview!

4) Tell us what you learned about the opportunity. 
I learned that most students tend to buy there wine at the supermarket for under 15 dollars. This is because most can’t afford to buy their own wine at a restaurant.

5) Tell us what you learned about interviewing customers. I learned that you never know what to expect. Some are your target group and others may have little interest in your Product. I learned that meeting strangers is the best way to get honest feedback on your business venture.

The Interviews!

Top 5 World Problems

Rank from most serious to least serious.

1. Climate Change.
Our planet is being changed due to our destructive presence. We take from the planet to feed our comforts but we give nothing back. Everything we use needs to be recycled. We need to turn dumps into Forrest and find better ways to recycle our electronics. We need to ban anything related to the burning of fossil fuels. As consumers we need to put our comforts aside and buy products that have less environmental impact. A Green political party needs to be formed in the United States. If we don't act as soon as possible we will destroy our planet. It is the most serious problem because it affects everyone on the planet.
2. Food shortages in developing countries.
Millions of people are dying every year due to worldwide food shortages. If we created a national holiday to send food abroad we could really make a difference. God has blessed this country and in celebration we have thanksgiving. Why not help those in need by sending a large box per family to a developing country. If every United States family came together for one day we could send over 500 million pounds of food to developing countries in need. Major food producers could still profit over such a commercialized holiday ,and starving countries would receive the food they need.
3. Fresh drinking water.
In some developing countries people have to walk miles to access fresh drinking water. Even in our-own country we are having problems with fresh drinking water. Recently they found high amounts of lead in Flint Michigan's Water supply. Water needs to stay a public good. Companies like Coca-Cola are investing in water and bottling it up like soda. Thirty years ago bottled water didn't exist and we didn't have plastic bottles polluting our world. An international board needs to be formed to govern the distribution and testing of safe drinking water. The manipulation of water supply should be as severe as an international war crime.
4.  Homelessness.
After my first week in Gainesville i was able to give food to the homeless with the CCH Christian group of Gainesville. I was shocked to see the amount of tents and was truly touched by some of the stories the homeless had to share, We need to ensure that the homeless are being treated like normal citizens. If we created work based housing and stopped outsourcing all our jobs we could provide more opportunities for the homeless.
5.  Natural Disaster Relief.
We need to create a international group like NATO that responds to international disasters. Due to climate change disasters are increasing and we need all the help we can get. The board would also create jobs for EMT's and other emergency care workers. It is the least serious issue of the 5 because we already have quite a few organizations in place.

Rank from solutions most possible to implement to least possible.(with explanations) 

1.  Natural Disaster Relief.
There are already organizations in place that we can model after. FEMA is an example of a response agency that works in the United States. Less funding could be used for the military and more for disaster relief. Creating a global response team would be somewhat easy to implement because we already have the U.N in place.
2. Food shortages in developing countries.
The United States has the necessary resources to end food shortages across the globe. If the government gives companies tax incentives to donate food then large corporations could help end hunger globally.
3.  Homelessness.
With technology increases we have the ability to create self sustaining homes. The problem is pricing which makes the new technologies hard ti implement on a large scale.
4. Fresh drinking water.
Unfortunately the solution to fresh drinking water is also very expensive. There are many areas around the globe that have little access to water. Transporting water can be expensive and building wells is also expensive.
5. Climate Change.
Climate change is the biggest problem and the hardest solution to implement. In the global economy different countries have specific regulations on the burning of fossil fuels. Emerging economies focus on their own growth before worrying about global impact. It will be very tough to rid the world of it's fossil fuel habits.