What to ask and what not to ask in an Interview [IA]

[DatGameh]

Soon, I will have to produce my IA for business.

I have chosen to study a foreign company, and because of that, I will have to give send them an e-mail to interview them. Their company has a relatively large following, so having a one-on-one interview to the Director is not really an option.

I will have to give them (ideally) one email to ask them questions. I don't want to ask them useless questions that only waste their and my time (e.g. stuff that I can find easily in the internet, something too personal/unanswerable, etc.).

So, what do you guys think are the most important questions to ask? What are other questions that may prove important, too?

I can't tell you the specifics, but essentially, I am investigating the cause of why the directors (as well as other key members) of a company left and made their own company after being bought by a larger company. e.g. culture clash, etc.

It'll be really helpful if you could post a couple of suggestions and/or guidelines!

[ibpickles]

I know this is pretty late and may not change your mind, but you really shouldn't do an IA on a company that is operating abroad. In fact, you should't even do it for a business whose directors you are not in personal contact with, because these people will not be very willing to provide very personal/intensive information to you. This is likely to harm the quality of your IA, because you need to expound on one particular topic. Remember that you have to write a WHOLE LOT in your IA.