Students

AFIN3010 – PACE: Issues in Applied Finance

2022 – Session 1, Online-scheduled-In person assessment, North Ryde

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Di Bu
di.bu@mq.edu.au
Lurion De Mello
lurion.demello@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
10cp in ACST or AFIN units at 3000 level
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit gives students the opportunity to test how their finance skills can be applied in practice by exposure to leading industry professionals. The topics selected go beyond traditional corporate and investment finance, and include coverage of the latest issues and real world scenarios. Students will learn first hand from practitioners on current and future trends and skills required in finance to prepare them as they embark on their careers in the industry. The projects completed in the unit are carefully set in conjunction with the industry professionals, giving students the opportunity to show evidence of demonstrated learning and the application of finance knowledge from a broader perspective.

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: Apply theories and techniques in finance and be aware of the assumptions and limitations in practice.
  • ULO2: Evaluate the real world business applications of financial concepts.
  • ULO3: Work cooperatively in a group to conduct analysis and report the findings and recommendations.
  • ULO4: Develop good understanding of contemporary developments in the financial sector.

General Assessment Information

Late submissions of assessments

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, no extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available assessment-task marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24-hour period or part thereof that the submission is late. Late submissions will only be accepted up to 96 hours after the due date and time.

No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g., quizzes, online tests.

Table 1: Penalty calculation based on submission time

Submission time after the due date (including weekends)

Penalty (% of available assessment task mark)

Example: for a non-timed assessment task marked out of 30

<  24 hours

10%

10% x 30 marks = 3-mark deduction

24-48 hours

20%

20% x 30 marks = 6-mark deduction

48-72 hours

30%

30% x 30 marks = 9-mark deduction

72-96 hours

40%

40%  x 30 marks = 12-mark deduction

> 96 hours

100%

Assignment won't be accepted

Other assessment criteria for assessment tasks will be provided on the unit iLearn site.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Individual Assignment 25% No Wed March 30, 2022
Group Assignment 25% No Tues May 10, 2022
Online Quiz 0% No Fri May 20, 2022
Final Examination 50% No Final Exam Period

Individual Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Wed March 30, 2022
Weighting: 25%

 

The assignment will cover quantitative and qualitative analysis of a finance scenario or problem. Student will be required to submit a report of 1000 to 2000 words.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply theories and techniques in finance and be aware of the assumptions and limitations in practice.
  • Evaluate the real world business applications of financial concepts.
  • Develop good understanding of contemporary developments in the financial sector.

Group Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Tues May 10, 2022
Weighting: 25%

 

The assignment will cover quantitative and qualitative analysis of a finance scenario or problem. Students will be required to work in a group and produce a report of 1500 to 2000 words.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply theories and techniques in finance and be aware of the assumptions and limitations in practice.
  • Evaluate the real world business applications of financial concepts.
  • Work cooperatively in a group to conduct analysis and report the findings and recommendations.

Online Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0.5 hours
Due: Fri May 20, 2022
Weighting: 0%

 

The online quiz will consist of 5 to 10 multiple choice and / or short answer questions and will be available on iLearn. Please use the quiz result as an indicator of whether you are progressing satisfactorily in the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply theories and techniques in finance and be aware of the assumptions and limitations in practice.

Final Examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Final Exam Period
Weighting: 50%

 

An exam of two hours will be held during the University Examination Period.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply theories and techniques in finance and be aware of the assumptions and limitations in practice.
  • Evaluate the real world business applications of financial concepts.
  • Develop good understanding of contemporary developments in the financial sector.

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

No textbooks required

Unit Schedule

Week Guest Lecturer Name Topic Title

Week 1

Hamid Yahyaei

Applied Fixed Income Analysis

Specialised Lecturer & Senior Research Assistant 

Week 2

Hamid Yahyaei

Applied Fixed Income Analysis

 

Week 3

Mahjabeen Zaman

An overview of risks within the investments industry

Senior Investment Specialist - Citi Australia

Week 4

Mahjabeen Zaman

Investment Trends in Wealth Management ES

 

Week 5

Simon Wong

Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Finance Industry 

Hedge Fund Portfolio Manager and Lecturer

 

Week 6

Simon Wong

Cryptocurrency and decentralised finance

 

Week 7

Frank Li 

Multi Asset Portfolio Construction

Portfolio Manager at MLC Super Fund

Week 8

David Beaton

Financial Modelling 1

Investment Director at John Laing an international originator, active investor and manager of infrastructure projects.

Week 9

David Beaton

Financial Modelling 2 (pre-recorded lecture)

 

Week 10

Anthony  Passe-de silva

Business and Industry Analysis

Solutions Developer at ANZ

Week 11

Mark Hancock

Equity Analysis - 1

Managing Director of Precept Investment Actuaries Pty Ltd

Week 12

Mark Hancock

Equity Analysis - 2

  

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook