In Part II of the Semester I Final Project, you will create a report of how major U.S. businesses were both impacted by and contributed to the U.S. recession. Furthermore, the project will address the government response to the financial crisis faced by major U.S. businesses. The project can be submitted in the format of your choice, such as a slideshow presentation, research paper, or journalistic podcast, as long as all criteria below are addressed. The project should include:

• Corporate Impact: Summaries of how 3 different major U.S. businesses (such as AIG, GM, Sally Mae, Lehman Brothers, Citigroup, etc.) were impacted by and/or contributed to the current U.S. recession or their own financial hardships. Each summary should be supported by and reference one or more reliable media resources (articles, videos, blogs, podcasts) examining the issue.
• Government Action: Summary of the actions taken by the Federal government in response to the financial crisis of one or more major U.S. businesses. The summary should be supported by and reference one or more reliable media resources (articles, videos, blogs, podcasts) examining the issue.
• Your Analysis: Respond thoughtfully to each of the summaries you provide, address the following questions, and support reasoning.
  • Do you feel any of the companies played a role in creating the current recession or their own financial hardships? Do you feel they should have been more prepared to overcome financial hardships? Why or why not?
  • Should the government get involved in “bailing out” major U.S. corporations? Why or why not?
  • Should companies be required to pay the government back?