A business is any occupation involved in producing, purchasing, selling or exchanging goods and services for profit. The products and services offered can be tangible or intangible. Generally, a business is structured as either a sole proprietorship, a partnership or a corporation. A sole proprietorship is owned and managed by a single individual, offering ease of operation but exposing the owner to unlimited personal liability. A partnership offers shared ownership with varying degrees of responsibility and risk between partners. A corporation is a legally separate entity from its owners, offering limited liability and more complex structures and regulations.
Unlike other forms of journalism, news related to business and finance often contains a great deal of jargon. This can make the news more difficult to understand for people not in the industry. In order to better explain these stories, journalists should strive to present the information in an approachable way. This does not mean “dumbing it down,” but rather presenting the information as if explaining it to a friend or acquaintance who is not familiar with the field.
Aside from avoiding jargon, presenting the information in an approachable manner also means using a variety of visual aids. Business and financial news can be dense, so using charts, infographics and other graphics can help break down the information into more digestible pieces for readers. Video clips and animations can also be useful tools to explain complicated topics.
In addition to traditional print and online news sources, business-related content is often published in trade publications. These publications specialize in a particular industry and may offer more in-depth coverage of the issues that directly affect their audience. Examples include SupplyChainBrain, Mergermarket, Legal IT Insider and ThinkAdvisor.
In addition to the above, many businesses are involved in mergers and acquisitions that can generate significant news headlines. This type of news can have a ripple effect in the economy, impacting everything from job security to stock prices. Similarly, new and innovative technologies can create business headlines when they improve productivity or introduce cost-saving measures. This can be true whether the technology is being used in a factory, office or home. In these cases, the innovation is often referred to as a “game changer.”
