Using MSN Money to Perform Financial Ratio Analysis

In today's information technology world, real time financial data is readily available via many financial websites, such as MSN Money, Google Finance, Yahoo Finance, etc. The incorporation of computer technology in finance classes has become more popular than ever in this information technology rich environment. Mediated classrooms have rapidly grown in numbers throughout the universities worldwide. Based on my experience as a finance professor, I have summarized this teaching note to demonstrate an alternative pedagogical tool in performing financial ratio analysis. The class assignment presented hereinafter is designed to help students learn how to assess the company's overall operations and current financial standing via an on-line database available in MSN Money website. It can be used in any corporate finance class. I collected student feedback on the assignment, and the vast majority of the survey participants perceived the assignment as a very good learning experience. (Contains 4 tables and 1 footnote.)