Students

AFCP8141 – Sustainable Finance

2022 – Term 4, In person-scheduled-infrequent, City

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lindesay Brine
James Waddell
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to Master of Applied Finance or Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit applies Financial Markets techniques and methods to the development of sustainable capital markets with a focus on financing sustainable projects and developments.

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: Recognise the role of finance in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals and explain the impact of sustainable finance on financing markets, market participants and financial instruments.
  • ULO2: Critically assess and evaluate the tools and techniques used for achieving sustainable development goals and the UN Global Compact into financing markets.
  • ULO3: Create solutions which integrate principles from the United Nation's Global Compact into the full lifecycle of a finance transaction.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty (written assessments) 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.  

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Class activities 20% No Ongoing
Financing Proposal 40% No Part 1: Week 4, Part 2a: Week 6 Part 2b: Week 9
Final assessment 40% No Exam Week (Week 11)

Class activities

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%

 

Tasks set with online classes including quizzes, online or recorded presentations, learning portfolio, analytical tasks and participation.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise the role of finance in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals and explain the impact of sustainable finance on financing markets, market participants and financial instruments.

Financing Proposal

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Part 1: Week 4, Part 2a: Week 6 Part 2b: Week 9
Weighting: 40%

 

Assessment of financing transactions. Individual tasks of up to 2,500 words.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Critically assess and evaluate the tools and techniques used for achieving sustainable development goals and the UN Global Compact into financing markets.
  • Create solutions which integrate principles from the United Nation's Global Compact into the full lifecycle of a finance transaction.

Final assessment

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Exam Week (Week 11)
Weighting: 40%

 

A time-constrained task based on scenarios. Open book.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise the role of finance in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals and explain the impact of sustainable finance on financing markets, market participants and financial instruments.
  • Critically assess and evaluate the tools and techniques used for achieving sustainable development goals and the UN Global Compact into financing markets.
  • Create solutions which integrate principles from the United Nation's Global Compact into the full lifecycle of a finance transaction.

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

Attendance at weekly online sessions and weekend sessions is vital due to the structure of assessments. While some weekly dates may move due to availability of guest speakers, please ensure you are available for the weekend sessions.

Learning and Teaching Activities

Strategy: Units 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

Approximate schedule which may change depending on availability of guest speakers.

Topic

Live Session / Class

 

1. Introduction to Sustainable Finance & expected contributions | 19 -25 Sep

 

Zoom Q&A 19 Sep, 6:00-7:30 pm  
2. ESG Essentials: Shared Value | 26 Sep - 2 Oct   Zoom Q&A 26 Sep, 6:00-7:30 pm  
3. ESG Essentials: ESG and Debt (Part 1) | 3 - 9 Oct   Zoom Q&A 5 Oct, 6:00-7:30 pm  
4.  ESG Essentials: ESG and Debt (Part 2) | 10 - 16 Oct  Zoom Q&A 10 Oct, 6:00-7:30 pm
 
5.  ESG Essentials: ESG and Equity | 17 - 23 Oct   Zoom Q&A 17 Oct, 6:00-7:30 pm
 

6. Case Studies: Social Impact Bonds | [24 - 30 Oct] | Weekend Session 

   Saturday 22 Oct, 10 am - 3 pm (Online & in-person)

   Sunday 23 Oct, 10 am- 3 pm (Online & in-person)

Attendance options:
  •   CBD Campus, Room TBA
  •   Zoom
 
 
7. ESG Topics: Carbon Trading | 31 Oct - 6 Nov   Zoom Q&A 31 Oct, 6:00-7:30 pm  

8. ESG Topics: Natural Capital | 7 - 13 Nov    

Zoom Q&A 7 Nov, 6:00-7:30 pm  

9. ESG Topics: Project Finance of Renewables | 14 - 20 Nov    Zoom Session   Case Studies: Social Licence & Sustainable Finance | Weekend Session

   Saturday 19 Nov, 10 am-3 pm

   Sunday 20 Nov, 10 am-3 pm

Zoom Q&A 14 Nov, 6:00-7:30 pm Attendance options:
  • CBD City Campus, Room TBA  
  • Zoom
 
10. Review | 21 - 27 Nov   Zoom Q&A 21 Nov, 6:00-7:30 pm  
11. Exam week | 28 Nov - 4 Dec Online Open-book task + Viva TBC  

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 2022.05 of the Handbook