Find a public company to research (e.g., Exxon Mobile).

Pull up the most recent annual report filing. Search the document for any information surrounding dividends.

Discuss the company's dividend policy. What is the dollar amount per share the company paid in dividends over the past three years? Why do you think the company has chosen? Is there anything in the annual report that suggests they may stop or have stopped the dividend payments?

Given what you know about the company, do you think they would be wiser to reinvest this money back into the company?

Does the company have a lot of long-term debt on its books? If so, would it have made sense to pay down some of this debt? What roles do you think the controller played surrounding the accounting for shareholder equity within this organization?