Across 2024 and 2025, we’re set to continue to help you crack down on your commercial awareness. Welcome back to the Wrestle with PESTLE series, where we use the PESTLE technique to analyse various business case studies.

News stories are flashing up all over the country stating that Britain’s mortgage rates are sky-high and that the young people of today are never going to be able to afford to buy a house. But what are the implications of the high mortgage rates?

Workers are striking over a number of reasons including wages, underfunding, pensions, job losses and contractual agreements, with each sector dealing with its own individual complexities. From the cost-of-living crisis to the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, strikes relate to a wide array of areas and in ways you may never have thought of, so let’s unpack their impact.

In 2022, fashion retailer Zara came under fire from various sources due to some of its sustainability claims. Articles by Vogue business, the Independent and the Guardian all discussed the so-called misleading claims made by the brand over its environmental credentials.

High Speed 2 (HS2) is Britain’s longstanding project to build a new high-speed railway. It’s to be built from London to the North West, linking Manchester, Birmingham and London in particular. Let’s take a look at what this means in reality!

This LCN Says is part of LawCareers.Net’s new ‘Wrestle with PESTLE (WWP)’ series, which will look at various business case studies using the PESTLE technique.

The Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 by 196 countries and all but three have since ratified it. The Paris Agreement underlines the need for net zero. It requires states to “achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century”.

The Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015 by 196 countries and all but three have since ratified it. The Paris Agreement underlines the need for net zero. It requires states to “achieve a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century”.

The UK has a housing problem, but in an exciting attempt to aid aspiring first-time buyers in securing their place on the property ladder, Skipton Building Society announced the UK’s first 100% mortgage since the 2008 financial crash.

Twitter, the platform that’s been synonymous with microblogging and real-time updates, has undergone a radical transformation under Elon Musk’s leadership which purchased Twitter in October 2022. The iconic bird logo has been replaced with a new ‘X’ logo to align with Musk’s vision of creating a comprehensive “everything app” with more than just text-based updates.

In 2005 the New Oxford American Dictionary chose the word ‘podcast’ as its word of the year. Clearly enough people had begun creating, listening to and sharing audio content in this format for the word ‘podcast’ to secure this accolade. Nearly 20 years later and, for many, podcasts are a daily part of our lives, with topics ranging from true crime and comedy to influencers and celebrities simply sitting in front of microphones and chatting.

The Paris Climate Accords, also known as the Paris Agreement, were signed in 2015 by 195 countries and all but three have since ratified it. The agreement's goal is to limit the rise in mean global temperature to "well-below" 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and preferably to 1.5°C in order to reduce the effects of climate change.

ChatGPT has transformed the way we work and communicate, garnering widespread acclaim and sparking conversations about the potential implications of AI tools for businesses. The adoption of ChatGPT has continued to grow, setting the record for the fastest-growing user base. Just two months after its launch, it reached 100 million monthly active users.

Commercial awareness is a key skill that all law firms look for in their applicants. Understanding what commercial awareness is and how you can demonstrate yours is fundamental to your success.

Four-day working weeks, football wages, and blue ticks on Instagram and Facebook are among some of the stories we’ve picked out for you in this week’s commercial news round-up. Have a read of our summaries and take a look at our ‘Wrestle with PESTLE’ series for advice and case studies on how you can apply the PESTLE technique to your commercial news analysis. 

Hinkley Point C is the first nuclear reactor development in the UK since 1995. The site, which is being built in Somerset, forms part of the government’s plans to reach net-zero targets, with the aim to generate enough safe, reliable and low-carbon energy to power six million homes.

Commercial awareness is one of the key skills that law firms look for in future trainees so taking the time to build yours is essential to becoming a lawyer.

Commercial awareness is one of the key skills that law firms look for in future trainees so taking the time to build yours is essential to becoming a lawyer.

This week's commercial news round-up brings you top stories from government scandal to legislative change; make sure you’re applying the wrestle with PESTLE technique to each of these stories.

On 1 and 2 November 2023, world and market leaders gathered in the historic Bletchley Park, home of the code-breaking heroes of the Second World War, to discuss a new existential threat.