At the core of any economy are companies. The way they are managed and financed, the products they make, and the strategies they pursue are important staples of business journalism. In this course, students will gain the tools necessary to understand companies in their fullest sense: the role they play in our culture and economy, the art of managing them, and the impact that a company’s products and services can have on us as consumers, employees and investors.

During the course of the semester, students will learn how to interview executives, evaluate corporate strategies, analyze earnings reports, and understand the role of capital markets and investors in a company’s success. Students will also learn about the regulatory environment that companies operate in, and become familiar with current corporate governance issues.

Students will select one or two companies to cover for the semester that will form the basis for stories, whether on the companies’ strategic positioning, their quarterly earnings, their corporate governance or their CEOs. Print, multi-media and broadcast pieces will be deconstructed in class to show students the different ways that storytelling about companies can occur.

Objectives:

• Become familiar with the basic language of business and current corporate controversies
• Learn to dissect corporate earnings statements
• Strengthen interviewing techniques with business executives
• Become adept at analyzing corporate strategies and evaluating industry dynamics
• Become proficient at producing stories about business in an analytical yet engaging way