Talking to Management, Part 1: The Big Questions

This column was originally published on RealMoney on April 16, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. ET. It's being republished as a bonus for TheStreet.com University readers. For more information about subscribing to RealMoney, please click here.

Editor's note: We're pleased to present David Merkel's five-part series on questions to ask the management of a public company. Each part covers a new set of issues and the reasons to raise them. In Part 1, Merkel explains the philosophy behind his approach and presents the big subjects he likes to get out of the way first.

"I am a better investor because I am a businessman, and a better businessman because I am an investor." -- Warren Buffett ...