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AFCP8104 – Contemporary Issues in Applied Finance

2022 – Term 1, In person/Online-scheduled-infrequent, City

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lindesay Brine
Contact via Email
Alison Belot
Contact via Email
Elizabeth Sheedy
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(AFCP8101 or AFCP8004) and (AFCP8102 or AFCP8003) and (AFCP8103 or AFCP8005)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit examines a range of topical real-world issues in applied finance. The issues will depend on current financial and economic market conditions. Potential areas of interest are to be drawn from the fields of investment management, the financial system, corporate financial strategy and risk management. The focus will be on current and likely future conditions, and will seek to combine underlying theory, research skills and a strong practical emphasis. Personal communication, negotiation and collaborative skills will be further developed. This Capstone unit will be undertaken towards the end of the program of study.

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: Synthesise knowledge of advance finance theories, models and concepts and recent research issues and apply it to a practical research-based project in applied finance.
  • ULO2: Design and execute a major project that solves a current business challenge in applied finance, in a practical and well-justified manner.
  • ULO3: Effectively communicate complex information, decisions and recommendations to a professional audience.
  • ULO4: Reflect on skills and knowledge gained and recognise common preconceptions and assumptions within the finance profession.

General Assessment Information

General guidelines for assessment tasks

  • Details of submissions dates etc for all assessment tasks are available on the iLearn site under the ‘Assessments’ tab.
  • Task 2 is a Group presentation. All other tasks are individual submissions. You may form a study group but you must submit your own original work via the Turnitin link which will check for both plagiarism and similarity with other students’ work. Task 2 provides for group discussion and presentation where all group members present.
  • All assignments submitted to Turnitin are considered to comply with the University’s academic integrity requirements.
  • Use appropriate referencing for any external material, such as market commentary, analytical methods or data that you use. For guidelines for referencing go to http://libguides.mq.edu.au/Referencing. The preferred method in business papers is Harvard. Note that a web link (on its own) is not a sufficient reference. The author, date and title are always essential.
    • Avoid using extensive quotes from source documents (even if referenced); try to put ideas in your own words as much as possible. Do not use footnotes for your references. Turnitin state no submission should have greater than one third quotes (or paraphrasing) as a guide to what “extensive” is. Use in-text citation with a reference list at the end of your assignment (Harvard method);
  • Late submission:
    • 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 incurs a 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Special Consideration is made and approved.
    • Late submissions will be accepted up to 96 hours after the due date and time.
    • If you have serious and unavoidable circumstances that prevent you from submitting an assessment task by the due date, you must apply for Special Consideration within the specified timeframe after the assessment due date.
  • You may post any questions on the relevant Forum section of iLearn.
  • A marking rubric is provided for each assessment task.
  • A copy of each submission must be retained by the student.
  • You must follow the submission guidelines, including in document type. For example, if a Word submission is requested, then submit in Word. Do not submit photos of submissions.

All times listed refer to the time in Sydney (Australia) on the date specified.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Assessment 1A: Proposal for Research Project 15% No Week 2
Assessment 2: Reflection 30% No Week 6
Assessment 1B: Research Presentation 15% No Week 8
Assessment 1C: Research Project 40% No Week 10

Assessment 1A: Proposal for Research Project

Assessment Type 1: Plan
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Week 2
Weighting: 15%

 

Initial Proposal for Research Project. Prepared in class. Maximum of 1,000 words.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Synthesise knowledge of advance finance theories, models and concepts and recent research issues and apply it to a practical research-based project in applied finance.
  • Design and execute a major project that solves a current business challenge in applied finance, in a practical and well-justified manner.

Assessment 2: Reflection

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 30%

 

Reflect on knowledge and skills gained and recognise common preconceptions and assumptions made within the finance profession. Group discussion and individual presentation.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Synthesise knowledge of advance finance theories, models and concepts and recent research issues and apply it to a practical research-based project in applied finance.
  • Effectively communicate complex information, decisions and recommendations to a professional audience.
  • Reflect on skills and knowledge gained and recognise common preconceptions and assumptions within the finance profession.

Assessment 1B: Research Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 15%

 

Presentation of Research Project. Approximately 2-3 minutes.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Design and execute a major project that solves a current business challenge in applied finance, in a practical and well-justified manner.
  • Effectively communicate complex information, decisions and recommendations to a professional audience.

Assessment 1C: Research Project

Assessment Type 1: Professional writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 55 hours
Due: Week 10
Weighting: 40%

 

An individual assessment of up to 5,000 words on an agreed research topic.

 

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Synthesise knowledge of advance finance theories, models and concepts and recent research issues and apply it to a practical research-based project in applied finance.
  • Design and execute a major project that solves a current business challenge in applied finance, in a practical and well-justified manner.
  • Effectively communicate complex information, decisions and recommendations to a professional audience.

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

Learning and Teaching Activities

Strategy: Programs in the Applied Finance Centre adopt a deep teaching and learning strategy. Students acquire and retain knowledge and can make sense of the issues and concepts and apply them in the “real world”. The program relies heavily on student engagement and participation by: (a) Continuous learning throughout the term. This is encouraged through a combination of students undertaking prescribed reading throughout the units and/or completion of practice problems, online activities, case studies, assignments, class discussions, etc and interaction via forums; and (b) Assessments, which enable the student to demonstrate his/her understanding of the learning objectives achieved through the continuous learning. There are no large-scale or formal lectures.

Student Participation: This is a blended unit where students need to complete assigned activities before live Zoom sessions and weekend sessions. Students participate in this unit by: (a) Actively engaging with the videos and required readings of this unit; (b) Working systematically through and completing online activities; (c) Interacting in forums and face-to-face/online sessions, and (d) Completing all assessment tasks.

Unit Schedule

Topic

Live Session / Class

1. Bringing it all together and research topic considerations

 

Zoom Session  
2. Research methods and topic presentations Zoom Session
3. Sustainable Development Goals and Applied Finance No session
4. Skills development | Weekend Session 1  Attendance options:
  •   CBD / City Campus, Room TBA
  •   Zoom
 
5. SDG Q&A Zoom Q&A
6. SDGs and Applied Finance | Presentations   Zoom session
7. Self Study

No session

8. Research project presentations | Weekend Session 2  Attendance options:
  •   CBD Campus, Room TBA
  •   Zoom
9. Tips and Guidance, Research Paper Q&A    Zoom Q&A
10. Finalise Research paper  No session

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.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
09/12/2021 Corrected weekend session from Week 7 to week 8 changing assessment & schedule Removed "First offering" as this is the second offering

Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook