Talking to Management

David Merkel's five-part series on questions to ask the management of a public company was originally published on RealMoney in April 2007. It's being republished as a bonus for TheStreet.com University readers.

In Part 1 , learn about the big questions that you need to ask right away.

In Part 2, understand the financial story that the balance sheet can't tell.

In Part 3, discover what you need to find out about the competition.

In Part 4, find out the most important questions about pricing and products.

In Part 5, learn how to understand changes in the business environment, including mergers and acquisitions, and get tips on using all the questions in this series.