Commercial Awareness 2023/24 Thread

[Jaysen]

Hi all,

You can use this thread to discuss the steps you are taking to develop your commercial awareness this cycle.

Thanks,

Jaysen

 

[Seun TO]

Hi Jaysen,
I aim to listen to listen to the news in the morning - from 7am - 7:45am.

Thank you!

 

[justkeepswimming]

Thanks for the session today Jaysen! I will listen to news podcasts on my journey to work 7am - 8am

 

[Aga123+]

Thanks @Jaysen for a great session - really insightful! I plan to spend 1 hour a day (30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes during lunch) to read up on commercial news stories. I also plan to use the TCLA Commercial Awareness Tracker to help me analyse, practice and recall the key points of the stories.

 

[Jaysen]

Hi Jaysen,
I aim to listen to listen to the news in the morning - from 7am - 7:45am.

Thank you!

Good luck @Seun TO, please feel free to share any news stories that catch your interest over the next two weeks

 

[Jaysen]

Thanks for the session today Jaysen! I will listen to news podcasts on my journey to work 7am - 8am

A great way to tie this into your commute. Keep us updated on how well you stick with this!

 

[Jaysen]

Thanks @Jaysen for a great session - really insightful! I plan to spend 1 hour a day (30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes during lunch) to read up on commercial news stories. I also plan to use the TCLA Commercial Awareness Tracker to help me analyse, practice and recall the key points of the stories.

My pleasure. I look forward to hearing about the news story you enjoy reading about.

 

[Arianne Kez]

Hi @Jaysen I will spend 30 minutes from 9:00-9:30am each morning - (as I did this morning) reading the FT and updating my Commercial Awareness Tracker. In addition to this I will listen to my news podcasts (the Times, FT news briefing and Bloomberg day break) throughout the day when I’m travelling/making dinner etc.

 

[AB141]

Hello Everyone! @Jaysen thank you for the session yesterday- I really loved the tracker as I always struggle to design those myself

I will spend 30 minutes every day at 8:00 pm IST updating the tracker with issues I find important and/or interesting from the newsletters I am subscribed to and the FT.

Optionally, as ana added bonus for the next two weeks I will aim to spend 30 minutes in the morning listening to podcast recapitulations of the news. ( I will aim to make this mandatory post our next session, so as to not cause stress with consistency- want to make it as easy for the next 2 weeks to build this habit)

 

[Jaysen]

Hi @Jaysen I will spend 30 minutes from 9:00-9:30am each morning - (as I did this morning) reading the FT and updating my Commercial Awareness Tracker. In addition to this I will listen to my news podcasts (the Times, FT news briefing and Bloomberg day break) throughout the day when I’m travelling/making dinner etc.

Love to see you committed to this, this morning. Well done!

Hello Everyone! @Jaysen thank you for the session yesterday- I really loved the tracker as I always struggle to design those myself

I will spend 30 minutes every day at 8:00 pm IST updating the tracker with issues I find important and/or interesting from the newsletters I am subscribed to and the FT.

Optionally, as ana added bonus for the next two weeks I will aim to spend 30 minutes in the morning listening to podcast recapitulations of the news. ( I will aim to make this mandatory post our next session, so as to not cause stress with consistency- want to make it as easy for the next 2 weeks to build this habit)

I'm so glad to hear that - looking forward to following your progress @AB141.

 

[Jaysen]

@Seun TO, @justkeepswimming, @Aga123+, @Arianne Kez, @AB141

A little accountability check in - did you manage to follow through today?

 

[Jay825]

Hi all,

You can use this thread to discuss the steps you are taking to develop your commercial awareness this cycle.

Thanks,

Jaysen

Thank you for the yesterday session! Should have done it yesterday, but thought it would be better than nothing

I aim to read FT articles in the morning (9-9:30) and use the TCLA tracker. In addition to this, I will listen to my news podcasts (the Times, FT news briefing) throughout the day whenever I am travelling or in additional time.

I will try these as mandatory tasks and make it as a habit!

 

[justkeepswimming]

@Seun TO, @justkeepswimming, @Aga123+, @Arianne Kez, @AB141

A little accountability check in - did you manage to follow through today?

Yes! and for anyone that needs suggestions the Wake up to money Podcast is quite good at covering many topics in an hour ! and Business Daily has some relevant eps from time to time as well.

 

[justkeepswimming]

I've been keeping up with the streaming industry for a while as I enjoy Netflix quite a bit and a recent story that caught my attention was Netflix moving into the mobile gaming industry.

A BBC Article explained that Netflix was into the mobile gaming industry and using some of its popular franchises to attract consumers. While moving into gaming could be very expensive and risky, Netflix has opted to take a quieter route, gradually moving into the industry so they can learn the way it operates. It will also only be available on mobile gaming which is less financially risky.

This marks the latest move by Netflix to remain competitive in a fierce market. Some previous moves made by Netflix include introducing an ad-based service and cracking down on password sharing which were successful but short-term changes. This new endeavour could bring about a more steady inflow of earnings if executed correctly.

I recall earlier this month Disney announced plans to move into the sports gambling industry, tying its ESPN cable network to a casino and online gambling company Penn Entertainment.

These moves showcase the fierce battle for market share by streaming giants as they work to diversify their income as the cost of living crisis has made people watch where they spend and the increase in competition post-pandemic.

Netflix moving into the gaming industry opens up multiple opportunities for law firms to get involved. Whether it is to handle IP licenses, data privacy issues, global regulatory compliance or perhaps if Netflix wants to collaborate or acquire another gaming platform then the M&A teams would be involved. Law firms for competitors of Netflix may be advising other companies on how to remain competitive against Netflix's actions.

 

[Seun TO]

Hi Jaysen,

My apologies for my late response - I have been working on my dissertation.

However, I have been following the new surrounding energy supply and agriculture because I have a strong interesting in working in that industry as a lawyer. So far I have learnt that the UK had bought a lot of LNG gas from Russia. Which is a good and bad thing. It's bad because of the Russia/Ukraine conflict and so it brings up moral questions. However, it is a good thing because we need that supply of gas here in the UK, especially as winter is approaching. Without that supply then the price of electricity goes up which essentially increases consumer spending. This in turn could lead to inflationary prices in the market. This is not a good thing for law firms because the overall sentiment right now is that debt is too expensive and less investors are willing to borrow.

Ive also started my research on sustainable packaging because I just learnt that there has been a lot of investments by private equity buyers.

 

[Seun TO]

There has some M&A movement in the natural gas industry which also signifies a move towards the cleaner use of energy. I dont really know how this impacts law firms 😀 but I guess if I was asked a question about what an investor should buy or do I could say invest in natural gas

 

[Seun TO]

Hi Jaysen,
Would like us to post regularly on this thread?

 

[Jaysen]

Hi Jaysen,
Would like us to post regularly on this thread?

Yes! I’m enjoying reading your updates - and I’m sure many are following too. Please use this thread to update as much as you can - whether it’s anything you’re reading or a strategy that you’re finding helpful.

I’ll do the same!

 

[Jaysen]

I've been keeping up with the streaming industry for a while as I enjoy Netflix quite a bit and a recent story that caught my attention was Netflix moving into the mobile gaming industry.

A BBC Article explained that Netflix was into the mobile gaming industry and using some of its popular franchises to attract consumers. While moving into gaming could be very expensive and risky, Netflix has opted to take a quieter route, gradually moving into the industry so they can learn the way it operates. It will also only be available on mobile gaming which is less financially risky.

This marks the latest move by Netflix to remain competitive in a fierce market. Some previous moves made by Netflix include introducing an ad-based service and cracking down on password sharing which were successful but short-term changes. This new endeavour could bring about a more steady inflow of earnings if executed correctly.

I recall earlier this month Disney announced plans to move into the sports gambling industry, tying its ESPN cable network to a casino and online gambling company Penn Entertainment.

These moves showcase the fierce battle for market share by streaming giants as they work to diversify their income as the cost of living crisis has made people watch where they spend and the increase in competition post-pandemic.

Netflix moving into the gaming industry opens up multiple opportunities for law firms to get involved. Whether it is to handle IP licenses, data privacy issues, global regulatory compliance or perhaps if Netflix wants to collaborate or acquire another gaming platform then the M&A teams would be involved. Law firms for competitors of Netflix may be advising other companies on how to remain competitive against Netflix's actions.

This is a fantastic way to ensure you remember what you are reading. Well done!

 

[ADKM]

Hi @Jaysen slightly late to this thread. I follow the FT podcast every morning before catching up on important stories for the day.

I have one question for you, could you please explain what does negative goodwill mean? This is in relation to the UBS takeover of Credit Suisse. Found the article very interesting and it seems that the integration of both banks will happen in the next 3 years rather than the initially agreed period of 4 years.

For law firms, I think this would create work for technology lawyers who would be involved in drafting licensing, software and distribution agreements to facilitate the move from physical to online medium and assist in procurement of software licenses to protect IP assets digitally. I also think litigation would play a massive role in resolving disputes arising out of shareholder dis content due to share price valuations.