Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor and Lecturer
Dr Chris Meier
E4A Level 2 for consultation
Refer to iLearn
Shane Magee
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
ACST101 or WACT101
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit introduces students to the financial sector, preparing them for more advanced studies in finance, and developing their interest in a career in finance. It explains the theories, principles and methods used in financial decision-making by individuals, financial institutions and companies, and applies them to the real world using current examples and market data. It further explores financial institutions and markets, and other real world considerations that affect financial transactions of individuals, financial institutions, companies and governments in a modern economy.
This is an interesting and relevant unit for students intending to undertake further studies in any area of business and economics, and is required for further studies in finance.
Students without a background of at least HSC Mathematics (2 Unit) or equivalent are strongly advised to have studied MATH123 prior to enrolling in this unit.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Details: Assessment criteria for all assessment tasks will be provided on the unit ilearn site.
Questions: Subject-related questions whose answer is useful to everyone should be posted to the iLearn discussion board. Questions of a personal nature can be emailed to the teachers.
Marks in gradebook: It is the responsibility of students to view their marks for each 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 tasks (not including the final exam mark) will not be addressed.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Tutorial test | 5% | No | Week 3 |
Mid semester class test | 25% | No | Week 6 |
Group assignment | 20% | No | Week 10 |
Final Exam | 50% | No | See Exam Timetable |
Due: Week 3
Weighting: 5%
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 25%
Due: Week 10
Weighting: 20%
Due: See Exam Timetable
Weighting: 50%
Required Text: | Fundamentals of Corporate Finance (3rd Edition) by Berk, Demarzo, Harford, Ford, and Mollica, published by Pearson. A copy of the book is reserved in the library. |
Unit Web Page: | Course materials are available on iLearn including lecture notes, tutorial questions, answers and readings. |
Technology Used and Required: | |
Delivery Format and Other Details: | See timetable for classes on the University web site at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/ |
Recommended Readings: |
For students who are looking for other learning resources, the following textbook can be sought, but it's not compulsory: Corporate Finance (11th Edition) by Ross, Westerfield, Jaffe, and Jordan, published by McGraw Hill. The Charted Financial Analyst (CFA) institute also has some useful resources: http://www.cfainstitute.org/learning/products/onlinelearning/Pages/60499.aspx?WPID=BrowseProducts |
Other Course Materials: |
MyFinanceLab: Subscription to MyFinanceLab is highly recommended. Not only you can get immediate feedback on the assignment questions, but also rich sources of practice questions on all the topics covered by the textbook. You may also test yourself on any topic at any time. MyFinanceLab can generate your personalised study plan based on your results on assignments or tests. For all the problems you require additional information, it will link you to step-to-step guided solutions, animations, and links to relevant sections of the textbook for review of material. Information on the registration on MyFinanceLab for AFIN 102 will be on iLearn. Homework: Homework questions are available from the accompanying study platform of the textbook MyFinanceLab (http://www.pearson.com/mylab). Answers and detailed explanations are provided on the website after selecting an answer option. A copy of each assignment and solution will be also made available on iLearn. You should complete the assignment every week before tutorial classes. |
Tentative schedule:
Week | Begins | Activity | Chapters |
1 | 25/2/19 | Lecture 1: Structural Forms of Firms and Interest Rates | 1,5 |
2 | 4/3/19 | Lecture 2: Bond Valuation, Corporate Bond Ratings, and Investment Decision Rules | 6, 8.3-8.7 |
3 | 11/3/19 | Lecture 3: Incremental Cash Flows and Project Valuation | 9 |
4 | 18/3/19 | Lecture 4: Review of Dividend Discount Models, Discounted Cash Flow Models and Multiples | 7, 10 |
5 | 25/3/19 | Lecture 5: Fundamentals of Portfolio Management | 11 |
6 | 1/4/19 | Mid-Semester Test | |
7 | 8/4/19 | Lecture 6: Systematic Risk and the Equity Risk Premium | 12 |
Recess | 15/4/19 | Recess | |
Recess | 22/4/19 | Recess | |
8 | 29/4/19 | Lecture 7: Cost of Capital | 13 |
9 | 6/5/19 | Lecture 8: Long-Term Capital Financing | 14,15 |
10 | 13/5/19 | Lecture 9: Capital Structure | 16 |
11 | 20/5/19 | Lecture 10: Payout Policy | 17 |
12 | 27/5/19 | Lecture 11: Mergers and Acquisitions | 18 |
13 | 3/6/19 | Lecture 12: Revision |
Tutorial questions will be made available on iLearn.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Supplementary Exams
Further information regarding supplementary exams, including dates, is available here
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Date | Description |
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10/03/2019 | Small edit: In a previous amendment, an inconsistency regarding the mid-semester test was fixed. In this amendment the respective relevant material for this mid-semester test were adjusted. Since the test is in week 6, material from ween 1-5 are covered, not 1-7. |
06/03/2019 | There was a discrepancy regarding the week of the mid-semester test. In the assessment summary, Week 8 was given, and in the weekly schedule week 6 was provided. Based on the information provided by Angela Chow, the venues are booked for 2 April (Week 6). Hence, I have made a change to consistently show "Week 6" for the mid-semester test. |