Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor / Lecturer
Alison Belot
Contact via Email
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(Admission to MAppFin or MAppFin(Adv)) and AFCP801 and ECFS866 and ECFS867 and ECFS868
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
Students will integrate and apply their knowledge and skills to issues and cases that simulate professional practice in finance. Students will reflect on their roles as practitioners in the finance industry and further develop their professional identity. Critical analysis skills will be utilised to evaluate, synthesise and provide reasoned responses to issues arising in financial practice. Students will undertake research in applied finance and will be challenged to critically reflect on current issues via the preparation and presentation of a major research report. Personal communication, negotiation and collaborative skills will be further developed. This unit will be undertaken towards the end of the program of study.
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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:
To pass this unit (requires a Mark of 50 or better) the student must pass the Research Project.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Proposal for Research Project | 10% | No | Refer to iLearn |
Developing Professional Skills | 25% | No | Refer to iLearn |
Research Project | 50% | Yes | Refer to iLearn |
In-Class Activities | 15% | No | Ongoing |
Due: Refer to iLearn
Weighting: 10%
Summary of Assessment Task
Individual / Group: Individual.
Due Date: Sunday following Block 1.
Submission Method: Online via Turnitin on iLearn site.
Duration: Refer to Assignment Coversheet.
Extension Requests:
Due: Refer to iLearn
Weighting: 25%
Summary of Assessment Task
Individual / Group: Individual.
Due Date: Refer to the unit's iLearn site.
Submission Method: Depends on media in which assessment is submitted – refer to iLearn site for details.
Duration: Refer to Assignment Coversheet.
Extension Requests:
Due: Refer to iLearn
Weighting: 50%
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)
Summary of Assessment Task
Individual / Group: Individual.
Due Date: Refer to the unit's iLearn site.
Submission Method: Online via Turnitin on iLearn site.
Duration: Refer to Assignment Coversheet.
Extension Requests:
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 15%
Summary of Assessment Task
Individual / Group: Individual.
Due Date: Ongoing.
Submission Method: Based on a series of structured in-class activities and participation in Topic 1 The Trusted Advisor; Topic 2: Problem Solving and Decision Making; Topic 4: Communication; Topic 5: Negotiation; Topic 6: Legal Reasoning & Legal Duties; and Topic 7: Ethics in Finance.
Duration: Assessed during class times.
Extension Requests:
Face-to-Face Teaching: Approximately 30 hours.
Timetable: Detailed timetable for classes are on the Centre’s website at www.mafc.mq.edu.au
Consultation Times:
Students who wish to contact any of the teaching staff may do so through:
This unit introduces students to a type, and range, of literature different to that covered in the balance of the degree. There are no textbooks which cover the scope of this course, however the course notes and supplementary material will provide a broad overview of the literature, which you will need to explore as part of the various assessment tasks. Some useful books which cover some aspects of the professional skills domain are listed below, and are considered useful material.
For the design and preparation of assessment tasks the following are considered helpful:
Additional Material:
Lecture Notes:
Assumed Knowledge:
This unit is designed to be undertaken towards the end of a student’s program of study. Familiarity with the broad range of applied finance is therefore assumed.
Assumed Access:
Access to a computer with word processing, PowerPoint and internet capability is assumed, as is general computer literacy.
Unit iLearn Site:
Important Notice:
TOPIC 1: THE TRUSTED ADVISOR
Topics:
Readings:
Ch 2: “What is a Trusted Advisor” and Ch 8: “The Trust Equation” from The Trusted Advisor by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford, Simon & Schuster, 2004
TOPIC 2: PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING
Topics:
Readings:
Ch 8: “Questioning the Problem Solving Process” from The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto, Financial Times – Pitman Publishing, 1987
Ch 1: “Making Smart Choices” and Ch 2 “The Problem” from Smart Choices by John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney and Howard Raiffa, Broadway Books, 2015 [Reprint]
Ch 14: “Decision framing and cognitive inertia” from Decision Analysis for Management
Judgement by Paul Goodwin and George Wright, 3rd ed, Wiley, 2004
Ch 1: “Framing the Problem” in Ethan M. Rasiel and Paul N. Friga, The McKinsey Mind, McGrath Hill, 2002 [only available via link to ebook at library]
TOPIC 3: RESEARCH METHODS FOR APPLIED FINANCE
Topics:
Readings:
Ch 1: “The nature and process of business research” from Business Research Methods, by Alan Bryman & Emma Bell, Oxford, 2015
Ch 2: "The scientific approach and alternative approaches to investigation” from, Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach, by Uma Sekaran and Roger Bougie, 6th ed, Wiley, 2013 [available as e-text]
Ch 1: “Framing the Problem” from The McKinsey Mind, by Ethan M. Rasiel and Paul N. Friga McGrath Hill, 2002 [ebook available via library]
Ch 3: “Consuming Statistical Data” from Making Better Decisions, by Itzhak Gilboa, Wiley- Blackwell, 2011
TOPIC 4: COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
Topics:
Readings:
Ch 14: “Persuading Others” from The Art of Thinking, by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero
Ch 5: “Having the Conversation” from Fixing Feedback by Georgia Murch, Wiley, 2015
Ch 16: “Investor Communications” from The Cornerstones of Corporate Finance, by Tim Koller, Richard Dobbs and Bill Huyett, Wiley, 2011
TOPIC 5: NEGOTIATION
Topics:
Readings:
Ch 30: “Negotiating the Deal”, from Applied Mergers & Acquisistions by Robert F. Bruner, Wiley Finance, 2004
“Six Habits of Merely Effective Negotiators” by James K. Sebenius, Harvard Business Review, April, 2001
“Control the Negotiations Before It Begins” by Deepak Malhotra, Harvard Business Review, December, 2015
Negotiation Case Studies will be made available prior to classes.
TOPIC 6: LEGAL REASONING AND LEGAL DUTIES
Topics:
Readings:
Law: A Very Short Introduction, by Raymond Wacks, 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2015
“Legal Duties” - reading material prepared by Applied Finance Centre
[Will be made available in class for Block #1]
TOPIC 7: ETHICS IN FINANCE
Topics:
TOPIC 8: CONTEMPORARY INDUSTRY ISSUES
Topics:
Masterclass on selected industry topic including a review of contemporary industry challenges and opportunities.
Readings:
N/A
TOPIC 9: DEFINING PROFESSIONAL CHARACTER
Topics:
Readings:
N/A
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Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
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This graduate capability is supported by:
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Pre-reading: Please read the preliminary material provided prior to the first class.
This Unit Guide may be subject to change. Students will be advised, via an "Announcement" on iLearn, if the Unit Guide is changed.
The latest version is available at https://unitguides.mq.edu.au/.
Students should read the Unit Guide carefully at the start of term. It contains important information about the unit. If anything is unclear, please consult one of the unit lecturers.