This subject will be based on a broad range of topics in order to increase the students exposure to various areas one would work in the banking and finance field. The assessments are comprised of individual components and would require students to present their work in a coherent manner.  The industry partners delivering the material will be available to take questions at the end of each seminar and clarifications surrounding any assessments should take place at the end of each seminar.

Questions may be posted on the iLearn course page however these will only be answered by the academic staff.  The opportunity to post queries to the academic staff will close 5 days before the assignment due date.  Students will be able to continue posting on the thread but the questions will not be answered by the academic staff.  You are free to discuss matters amongst yourselves.

Please read the assignment question carefully and start planning early.  Replies to online posts and emails will be responded to within 48hrs however we will only be respond to them during work hours and not on weekends. Repeated questions will not be answered so; please read the previous postings carefully.

​No extensions will be granted.  There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty).  This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for disruption of studies is made and approved.  No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.  

Any emails after the completion of the final exam relating to their fairness in the exam or their grade will not be answered.  The outcome is only communicated via the official release of grades by the University. Any grade appeals and review of assessments should be done via the appropriate channels.

Grade Book

It is the responsibility of students to view their marks for each within session assessment on iLearn within 20 working days of posting. If there are any discrepancies, students must contact the unit convenor immediately. Failure to do so will mean that queries received after the release of final results regarding assessment marks (not including the final exam mark) will not be addressed

Classes 

Lecture timings: See timetable https://timetables.mq.edu.au/2017/

The campus map is downloadable from http://www.ofm.mq.edu.au/maps_campus.html

Classes in AFIN899 are composed of a three-hour seminar. Unit materials are learnt by attending lectures and through independent learning. The seminars provide a general overview of the topics highlighting some concepts and techniques. Students are strongly advised to study any additional reading material furnished by the unit convenor, the guest lecturers and further explore all relevant concepts.

Students should attend a three-hour seminar every week. Seminar slides will distributed either prior or after the class and are at the discretion of the guest lecturer.

Please note that due to the interactive nature of the subject the Echo360 recording is not likely to be captured as the practitioners are very unlikely to stand behind the podium just to capture.  Therefore it is important that you attend class each week (physically and mentally present) 

Required and Recommended Texts and Materials

There are no required or recommended texts for AFIN899. Notes for each of the seminars will be made available in iLearn. If required, additional readings will also be provided either via iLearn and eReserve.  Some exercises performed in class might be accompanied with some Excel files. These will be made available after demonstration in class. 

Technology Used and Required

Non-programmable calculators with no text-retrieval functionality are permitted. Calculators that have a full alphabet on the keyboard are not permitted. Graphics calculators are not permitted. Calculators need the following minimum functionality: xy or ^, 1/x and log or ln functions, and a memory. Non-programmable financial calculators are permitted but it is not a requirement to use a financial calculator.

iLearn is an online program available at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/ through which students will be able to access resources such as lecture notes and ilectures to assist them throughout the semester. The discussion forum environment will be extensively used to allow students to interact with each other.

Unit Web Page

Course material is available on the learning management system at http://ilearn.mq.edu.au

You are strongly encouraged to visit the website regularly and use it as a resource centre to assist with your learning.

If you are unable to access the internet site because you are not aware of or have forgotten your username and password, please contact the IT helpdesk. All information is available at http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/

With regards to assistance in using iLearn, please visit the following link.

http://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/index.htm

You can follow the tabs on the left, i.e., “Getting Started” and “Access iLearn.”

Please remember to logout when you have finished using iLearn. Failure to do so could result in unauthorised access to your iLearn account.

Learning and Teaching Activitie

The teaching strategy in AFIN899 recognises that students learn independently and assume responsibility for the learning process and with academic integrity. As masters student you are expected to participate in all class activities.

Students are expected to participate in the unit by attending lectures, reading the provided material and thoroughly revising the lecture notes. You are also supposed to use the full suite of research databases available from the library including reference to journal articles and industry reports.

What we aim to achieve in AFIN899 is deep (as opposed to the surface) learning. Thus, learning is interpreted as making sense or abstracting meaning. Learning involves relating parts of the subject matter to each other and the real world. Further education is understood as comprehending the world by understanding and reinterpreting knowledge.

This unit also gives you the opportunity to go beyond your discipline and exposes you to different areas of finance and banking, including discussion of the latest financial and banking regulation from ASIC, APRA, BIS and other bodies that will become essential when starting your career in the workforce. The unit will also touch on future of the finance and banking with the role of fintech and blockchain technology.

The assessments now include a mid-semester test worth 20% and the final exam is worth 40%.  There will be one group assignment worth 20% and one individual assignment worth 20%. Students will not be able to bring in an A4 sheet of paper to the exam with pre-written notes. There will be no hurdle assessment, i.e., the double pass rule will no longer apply as was in previous semesters.  

This unit gives the students multiple group projects that require research from traditional journal type articles, industry reports published by third parties and also current government legislation supporting the finance and banking industry.  It also exposes students in identifying key data sources used by the industry in writing various stock/share recommendation and company valuation reports. This unit gives you opportunities to conduct your own research based on skills obtained from using MS Excel and from exposure to different financial products. Being at the forefront of the legal environment gives one the chance to remain vigilant when giving advice to clients. One can also apply valuations techniques in their personal investment decisions which might enhance the performance of their assets. Please note however that under no circumstances is neither Macquarie University nor the lecturer liable for any losses suffered from the application of investment techniques learnt in this subject.