Students
ACST6003 – Principles of Finance
2020 – Session 2, Special circumstance
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Farida Akhtar
Angela Chow
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to GradCertFin or GradDipAppFin or MAccg or MAccLead or MAppEcon or MAppFin or MAppFin(Adv) or MBkgFin or MCom or MIntBus or MProfAcc or MProfAccgLead or MBusAnalytics or MBioBus
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit aims to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of the principles and techniques underlying theory and practice in corporate finance. Topics include: basic financial mathematics: interest rates, present values, future values, annuities, perpetuities; valuation and analysis of debt and equity securities; methods for investment evaluation and capital budgeting: Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Payback Priod (PP); business organisation and taxation, financial markets and raising finance; tradeoff between risk and return, the cost of capital and capital structure; dividend policy and company valuation; corporate liabilities and international finance; bond valuation and term structure; statistical concepts and risks; fixed income bonds and amortisation; introduction to risk management, application of financial mathematics concepts using MS Excel based activities within a corporate finance context. |
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: Exhibit knowledge and understanding of the principles and techniques underlying theory and practice in Corporate Finance and Capital Markets.
- ULO2: Develop expertise in using spreadsheet software to build financial models and perform calculations for security valuation and corporate decision making.
- ULO3: Be aware of different financial instruments and their valuation and usefulness in a Corporate Finance context.
- ULO4: Explain the concepts covered in the course in a clear and concise manner and be able to communicate it to others effectively.
General Assessment Information
Assessment criteria for all assessment tasks will be provided on the unit iLearn site.
It is the responsibility of students to view their marks for each within-session-assessment on iLearn within 20 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.
Late submissions and extensions
Tasks 10% or less – No extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted the task prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task, except for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.
Tasks above 10% - 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 special consideration is made and approved. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Quiz | 10% | No | Week 5 online |
| Assignment | 30% | No | Week 10 online |
| Final Exam | 60% | No | University Exam Period |
Online Quiz
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 4 hours
Due: Week 5 online
Weighting: 10%
This online quiz is to provide early feedback. Please use the quiz as an indicator of whether you are progressing satisfactorily in the unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Exhibit knowledge and understanding of the principles and techniques underlying theory and practice in Corporate Finance and Capital Markets.
- Be aware of different financial instruments and their valuation and usefulness in a Corporate Finance context.
Assignment
Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 10 online
Weighting: 30%
This is an individual assignment which focuses on corporate financing using Excel spreadsheet.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Exhibit knowledge and understanding of the principles and techniques underlying theory and practice in Corporate Finance and Capital Markets.
- Develop expertise in using spreadsheet software to build financial models and perform calculations for security valuation and corporate decision making.
- Be aware of different financial instruments and their valuation and usefulness in a Corporate Finance context.
- Explain the concepts covered in the course in a clear and concise manner and be able to communicate it to others effectively.
Final Exam
Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: University Exam Period
Weighting: 60%
The final examination will be open book and on-line, a two-hour written paper, to be held during the University Examination period.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Exhibit knowledge and understanding of the principles and techniques underlying theory and practice in Corporate Finance and Capital Markets.
- Develop expertise in using spreadsheet software to build financial models and perform calculations for security valuation and corporate decision making.
- Be aware of different financial instruments and their valuation and usefulness in a Corporate Finance context.
- Explain the concepts covered in the course in a clear and concise manner and be able to communicate it to others effectively.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
The lectures will be 2 hours per week and tutorial 1.5 hour practical per week.
Lectures will be pre-recorded using ECHO360 or zoom. These pre-recorded lectures will then be made available for students to listen to and study. Students are encouraged to print out the lecture notes and to read prior to listening to the relevant classes. Students can then pause the recording if necessary while they complete their lecture notes with additional materials provided in the recorded lecture.
Students can register into either live zoom or on campus tutorial.
The teaching staff for this unit will also be available for student consultation. This will be done using zoom, email and other methods that the lecturer finds useful for students.
The text book for this unit is Fundamentals of Corporate Finance by Parrino et al, 3rd Edition.
Policies and Procedures
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:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
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).
Student Code of Conduct
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
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
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
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
IT Help
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.