What Is Commercial Awareness?

Commercial awareness is a concept with many different definitions. At UEA Commercial Awareness Society, our interpretation is that it is essentially an understanding of your business environment. It is knowing and appreciating a business's needs, sector, clients, competitors and current issues. To be commercially aware, you must keep-to-date on current affairs and think about the effect they have on your business.

Commercial awareness is useful for any profession, however it is vital for anyone with a position in a company or firm. It is something that is guaranteed to come up in an interview or assessment day, and being able to confidently have a discussion makes the difference between getting the job and not.

So, how do you show that you are commercially aware? It's fairly simple, you basically have to read the news and form an opinion about how current events affect your employer or sector. You can also demonstrate that you reflect on your own work experience from a business point of view or that you hold a position of responsibility or explain a situation in which you had to determine the most efficient way of doing something.

UEA Commercial Awareness Society will be using this blog as a platform for members to post their ideas and discuss current affairs. It is an opportunity to develop and show your commercial awareness.

Welcome!

UEA Commercial Awareness Society aims to provide its members with a platform to share and discuss commercial matters. 
Alongside this, there will be a monthly 'Commercial Round-Up' newsletter featuring articles relating to the most current commercial issues of the previous month. 

There will also be a focus on educating members on how to develop their commercial awareness and demonstrate it during assessment days and interviews.

We hope to plan a number of events such as guest speakers, trips to local firms, skills workshops, socials and debates or discussions.