Delivery

Mode: one class (3 hours) weekly. Attendance and active participation is not compulsory. However, in our experience, attendance and active participation contribute to student's overall results in this unit. Therefore, attendance will be noted by your lecturer. Attend only the class in which you are enrolled. Notify your lecturer via e-mail if unexpectedly you cannot attend your enrolled class in any one week. Note that we do not guarantee that you will find a seat in another class.  

Workload: estimated to about 12 hours per week, on the average, for a unit with 4 credit points. This includes weekly class attendance. Note that your actual workload may vary from the estimated workload.

'Unit Schedule': lists weekly assigned readings in the textbook, outlines a calendar of planned topic coverage and lists assigned 'homework' (Concept Questions (CQ’s) and end-of-chapter exercises (EOCE’s)).

Class activity: most weeks will include a lecture, practical work, and presentations of 'homework'. Lectures will outline main concepts and techniques. Practical work will consist of the application of concepts and techniques. In-class presentations of 'homework' provide opportunities for you to demonstrate your learning and capabilities. In addition, class time will be set aside for discussion of your questions on the weekly ‘homework’. Moreover, consultation time with your lecturer will be available either weekly at the end of class (conditional on how class activity unfolds in any one week) or by appointment.

Weekly preparation: includes reading assigned textbook chapters before attending lecture and accessing lecture slides from the AFIN858 iLearn corresponding weekly tab. You must have access to the lecture notes in class. We expect that in addition to class activity you should in your own time engage with the topics and 'homework'. It may not always be possible to cover all activity planned for class, as coverage is conditional on how class activity unfolds in any one week. 

'Homework': may not all be covered in-class, as extent of coverage in any one week is conditional on how class activity unfolds. CQ's are set weekly for class discussion. Expect to be presenting and discussing assigned CQ's in the week following the corresponding lecture. The suggested answers to CQ's will only be available weekly in class. 

EOCE's will have suggested answers and solutions issued in the AFIN858 iLearn weekly tabs, but not until EOCE’s have been discussed in class. Expect to lead weekly class discussions on EOCE’s. Discussants will be chosen 'at random' by your lecturer in the week EOCE’s are due. Therefore, come well prepared. Active class participation is expected from everyone. 

We recommend that you seek a thorough understanding of assigned CQ's and EOCE's, as these cover first principles essential in developing an understanding of more complex concepts and techniques. To this end, time will be set aside weekly in-class for your questions. Obviously, most benefit will be gained if you beforehand have attempted the CQ's and assigned EOCE's, and thus identified problems that you may have encountered. Your questions on EOCE's will be answered and discussed in the week following each topic lecture. Assigned EOCE's will not be collected for marking. It is your responsibility of check work using the EOCE suggested answers and solutions guide that will be issued in the AFIN858 iLearn weekly tabs. Make sure to ask questions if anything regarding 'homework' seems unclear.

What has changed (since the last offering of this unit): assessment tasks are of the same types that were used in Semester 2, 2013. 

Participation strategies: consider the results outlined in a 2007 Master of Accounting Program research project investigating student in-class participation. Students surveyed thought that by participating in classroom discussions, answering lecturer’s questions and engaging in meaningful and relevant discussion with one’s peers, and as prompted by the lecturer:

• assisted in retaining information and maintaining interest and concentration
•  allowed clarification or checking understanding
• allowed clarification or checking understanding
• provided opportunities to enhance and reinforce knowledge and learn from one’s peers
• improved English proficiency
• supported development of communication skills
• developed skills needed in professional practice.

 Lecturers surveyed expected students to participate in class as it:

•  provided opportunities to review or clarify topics, and to benefit from the experience of other students
• assisted in thinking about concepts and testing whether understanding is correct
• developed confidence in speaking
• provided opportunities to think in an alternative ways.

The research concluded that the benefits of in-class participation included:

• enhanced learning experience and improved learning outcomes
• met lecturers’ expectations
• helped increasing student’s communication skills.

Resources

Required textbook: available on a restricted access basis in the 'Closed Reserve' at the MQ Library. However, we strongly recommend that you purchase a copy.

Ross, S., Bianchi, R., Christensen, M., Drew, M., Westerfield, R. and B. Jordan. 2014. Fundamentals of Corporate Finance (6th ed.) N.Ryde, NSW, Australia: McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 9781743079485 (this ISBN includes Connect)

Connect: is a publisher provided and supported on-line facility supporting your learning as you work through the topics. It is enclosed (or 'wrapped') with the required textbook, if you purchase it through the on-campus Co-Op Bookshop. Instructions on accessing Connect, and its features, will be presented by the Publisher representative in class in Week 1. This information will be available in AFIN858 iLearn in Week 1. Contact the publisher directly for assistance with your technical and content enquiries. 

Recommended reference texts: recent editions of

• Tannous, Brown, Kopp & Zima. Mathematics of Finance. McGraw-Hill.
• Petty, Scott, Martin, Burrow, Martin & Nguyen. Financial Mathematics. Pearson.
• Peirson, Brown, Easton, Howard & Pinder. Business Finance. McGraw-Hill.
• Brealey, Myers, & Marcus. Fundamentals of Corporate Finance. McGraw-Hill.

Note that you are not required to purchase these texts.

Technologies used and required: a financial or scientific calculator (non-programmable and without text retrieval capability) will be needed to successfully attempt 'homework', in class activity and assessment tasks. In addition, you will be required to prepare a 'word processed' report including 'spreadsheet' based calculations and illustrations. You will also need to use the 'Internet' (www), the MQ Library on-line services including Catalogues, Databases and e-Journals. In addition, you are required to use MQ iLearn.

AFIN858 MQ iLearn: contains essential information and unit material including:

• general announcements
• assessment information, tasks and scores
• supplementary assessable material
• suggested answers and solutions to assigned EOCE's.

Make sure to visit AFIN858 iLearn at least every few days, especially the 'Announcements', so that you have timely access to important information and unit material.

#All topics are assessable.

*CQ 1.4 refers to the Chapter 1 'Concept Question' 1.4. 

**EOCE 1.3 refers to the Chapter 1 'Questions and Problems' exercise 1.3.  

+In addition, interpret the results. 

^Week 6 is followed by a two week non-teaching period.

^^Week 13 Monday June 9 is a public holiday. Alternative class particulars will be issued in AFIN858 iLearn by Week 12.

In this unit you are required to in a team (group) prepare a research based business style written report ('word processed') including calculations and illustrations (using a ‘spreadsheet’) in outlining an investment recommendation to a company Board of Directors.

You will need to search for information in professional finance journals, business sections in the popular and financial press, MQ Library and external databases, and the Australasian Securities Exchange on-line facility, to mention a few typical sources.

Teams are required to demonstrate their collective learning and capabilities through analysis and synthesis of the collected information in developing their argument to convincingly support the investment recommendation.