Part B: Web-based exercise about Microsoft growth rates:

a) Explore http://finance.yahoo.com, get access to Microsoft (stock symbol: MSFT)'s 'Statistics", find its most current ROA, ROE and dividend payout ratio, and use those data to compute its internal growth rate (IGR) and sustainable growth rate (SGR). Such growth rates are "theoretical maximum" growth rates, but may not necessarily take full effect in the real world (just as you seldom, if ever, have chance to drive your car at maximum full speed in the real traffic).

b) Again explore Finance Yahoo, get access to MFST's "Analysts". Quote from "Growth estimates" ==> "Next 5 Years (per annum)". Is this future long-term growth rate (estimated by Wall Street analysts) more or less attractive than the industry average? Or, in case that cross-industry comparison is not yet available, then let's compare across time: is MFST's expected (by Wall Street analysts, who might have more information sources than we do) to grow faster or more slowly in the future 5 years, compared with the past 5 years?

c) Explore Money MSN, get access to MFST's "Analysis". Quote from "Growth" ===> "Net income growth, 5-year average", and "Dividend growth, 5-year average". These growth ratios are based on historical statistics facts (for the past 5 years, not for the future 5 years). In each area of growth (net income growth and dividend growth, respectively), has MFST been growing faster or more slowly than its industry average levels over the past 5 years?