Mentions of the word “journey” by S&P 500 executives on conference calls this year have soared almost 70% to 3,091, making it one of the fastest-growing corporate buzzwords in recent memory.
“You’re always looking for new ways to say the same things,” says Grant Barrett, a linguist and co-host of the public radio show called “A Way with Words.”

“This allows companies to gain flexibility.”
And that’s the point. Analysts who press executives for clarity on when journeys might lead to fatter profit margins or better shareholder returns are often scolded to remember that journeys take time, and it’s still early. “When managers are on a journey,” said Brandon Fletcher, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein, “shareholders are getting taken for a ride.”
To read the full story, Subscribe Now at just Rs 249 a month
Already a subscriber? Log in
Subscribe To BS Premium
₹249
Renews automatically
₹1699₹1999
Opt for auto renewal and save Rs. 300 Renews automatically
₹1999
What you get on BS Premium?
-
Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.
-
Pick your favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.
Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.
Preferential invites to Business Standard events.
Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.
Need More Information - write to us at assist@bsmail.in