Bug #1 – There is
almost always heavy traffic on the Howard Frankland Bridge.
“Why?” – This bridge connects
Tampa to St. Petersburg, leading to very heavy use by commuters and residents
of both cities.
Bug #2 – Employees
at the Burger King restaurant closest to my apartment are consistently rude and
inattentive.
“Why?” – Fast-food service
jobs tend to involve unskilled labor; by extension, the employees at these restaurants
usually receive low or minimum wages, which may disincentivize the provision of
satisfactory service.
Bug #3 – Neither Walmart
nor Target stock jeans/khakis in size 28x32.
“Why?” – My pants size is
less common than most others, so stores are not likely to allocate shelf space
toward items of this size.
Bug #4 – I am
required by law to purchase insurance for my truck despite having never been
involved in an accident.
“Why?” – Car accidents are
unpredictable. If a person drives without insurance and becomes involved in a
crash, there is a possibility that the person will not be able to repay the
damages he or she causes, thereby precluding compensation to injured
persons/property. For this reason, all drivers must purchase insurance despite
the corollary that good drivers end up subsidizing bad drivers via premiums.
Bug #5 – Although
UF offers free student admission to most sporting events, football is excluded.
Students must purchase tickets to attend a football game.
“Why?” – Football is by far
the most popular sport at most universities, and attendance at these games is
usually in very high demand. Allowing students to attend football games for
free would occupy seats that could otherwise be used to generate revenue for
UF.
Bug #6 – The
parking lot at the Publix on Bayshore Blvd. is too small, making it difficult
to find an open space.
“Why?” – Property on Bayshore
Blvd. is very expensive, so the costs of a larger parking lot exceed the
perceived value of capacity for additional shoppers.
Bug #7 – The
paper towel dispenser at Anytime Fitness on Kennedy Blvd. dispenses paper
towels slowly and is time-consuming to operate.
“Why?” – By dispensing paper
towels slowly and conservatively, this dispenser allows the gym to reduce paper
towel costs and eliminate excessive waste.
Bug #8 – Even
when the movie starts late due to technical difficulties, movie theaters still
require theatergoers to sit through 15-20 minutes of previews.
“Why?” – It is likely that
the theater has already received compensation for an agreement to run certain
previews before movie showings. Therefore, the previews must be shown
regardless of other circumstances.
Bug #9 – The
discounted Spotify/Hulu bundle for students does not include an option to
upgrade its Hulu service to the No Commercials plan.
“Why?” – This model attracts
new customers while still offering an incentive for existing subscribers to
forgo the discounted price in order to access the No Commercials plan.
Bug #10 – The
Touch ID on my iPhone often fails to recognize my fingerprint, requiring that I
enter my passcode manually.
“Why?” – Touch ID utilizes a
new, emerging technology that is still being fine-tuned to meet consumer
expectations.
Bug #11 – The
NFL’s new “helmet rule” is worded too vaguely and grants excessive
decision-making authority to referees.
“Why?” – Adding more specific
language to the new rule would limit the scope of circumstances under which the
rule could be applied, rendering it less effective at ensuring the safety of
NFL players.
Bug #12 – Small items
(groceries, tools, etc.) often slide around in the bed of my truck and become
scattered.
“Why?” – There is nothing in
my truck bed to limit the movement of items when they are subjected to the
forces of driving the vehicle.
Bug #13 – Pizza
ordered from the Pizza Hut on S Dale Mabry Hwy. takes a long time to be
delivered and occasionally arrives cold.
“Why?” – It is likely that
this restaurant has an inefficient delivery process, resulting in reduced
quality of both service and product.
Bug #14 – The
water fountains at Anytime Fitness on Kennedy Blvd. are weak and difficult to
drink from.
“Why?” – These fountains may
be poorly or irregularly maintained.
Bug #15 – Canned
drinks (beer, soda, etc.) reach room temperature too quickly.
“Why?” – There is nothing
in/on/around the can to provide insulation, which prevents the drink inside
from remaining cold for an extended length of time.
Bug #16 – My
truck gets very poor gas mileage, requiring frequent stops to fill up at gas
stations.
“Why?” – My truck is less
fuel efficient than other vehicles that experience greater gas mileage.
Bug #17 – Walmart
store brand (Great Value) plastic forks are flimsy and break easily.
“Why?” – By manufacturing
these forks via low-cost materials/processes, Walmart is able to offer them to
customers at a low price.
Bug #18 – The
chip in my Chase credit card has broken, requiring me to wait for a new one to
arrive via mail.
“Why?” – Although they are
less durable, credit card companies have almost universally replaced “swipe”
cards with chipped cards in order to provide greater security and protection
against fraud.
Bug #19 – The
property manager of my apartment complex occasionally sends me notices
regarding the perceived “noise pollution” produced by my motorcycle.
“Why?” – My neighbors are
sensitive and emotionally fragile. As such, any noise that intrudes on their
delicate lifestyles is met with unwarranted complaints to the property
manager’s office.
Bug #20 – The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers are, once again, unlikely to reach the NFL playoffs this
year.
“Why?” – The Bucs have not
reached the playoffs in almost ten years, and the NFC South is a very
competitive division.
Reflection: Creating
this list was considerably more difficult than I expected. In order to complete
it, I was required to experiment with new perspectives and identify problems
that I would never have questioned otherwise. Throughout the assignment, I made
a deliberate effort to focus my questioning on the complex and multi-dimensional
causes of these problems rather than my personal feelings toward the existence
of those problems. Doing so allowed me to employ critical thinking skills and
understand the entrepreneurial mindset more thoroughly.
