The Vodafone and Three Merger

  Shein’s IPO: Value Creation or Reputation Risk? Shein’s awaited IPO has turned into more than just a business move. It now shows how global expansion is affected by ESG concerns, regulatory barriers and changing investor expectations. What started a s a planned New York listing has now been pushed towards London, and most recently Hong Kong. This back and forth shows more than market strategy. It shows the increasing challenges around trust, transparency and long-term value (Levingston et al., 2025). On the surface, Shein’s performance looks impressive. Shein reported $38 billion in annual revenue and was previously valued at $66 billion (Onita et al., 2025). However, valuation does not always mean value. Despite getting FCA approval, the London IPO stalled due to concerns about Shein’s China based supply chains, ESG record, and recent tariffs. With the US now reimposing duties of up to 120% on fast fashion imports, Shein’s American business, which makes up around a third of ...

Lloyds Car Finance Scandal: Ethical Crisis The Lloyds Banking Group car finance scandal is not just about mis-selling. It is a wider issue of poor governance, a breakdown in ethics and increasing distrust from investors. Lloyds has now put aside £1.15 billion to deal with claims linked to discretionary commission arrangements, where dealerships were earning more commission by charging customers higher interest rates, a practice the FCA banned in 2021 (Hooker, 2025). The situation got worse after the Court of Appeal ruled it unlawful to pay these commissions without informed consent from customers. This caused backlash in the motor finance industry. Lloyds CEO Charlie Nunn described the fallout as an “invest ability problem” for the UK, saying the decision goes against decades of regulatory understanding and could create legal uncertainty for financial institutions (Quinio & Aliaj, 2024). With Supreme Court appeal still pending and complaints rising, the damage to Lloyds Banks’ ...