Students

MMBA8058 – Corporate Acquisitions

2024 – Term 1, Online-scheduled-weekday

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jason Talbot
jason.talbot@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
((MGSM840 or MMBA8040) and (MGSM835 or MMBA8035)) or Admission to Master of Applied Finance or Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

The study of corporate mergers/acquisitions is truly interdisciplinary. The unit will draw on material from the fields of strategy, accounting, law, economics and corporate finance. The unit broadly covers each of the following topics: (1) Evaluation of the strategy and motives for acquisitions; (2) Valuing targets to determine optimum acquisition price; (3) Financing considerations for acquisitions; (4) Deal design and structure; (5) The common forms of corporate combinations and their motivation; (6) Due diligence; and (7) transctions planning and implementation.

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: Examine key factors relevant to corporate transactions in order to make well developed and commercially robust business decisions involving mergers, acquisitions and divestments.
  • ULO2: Assess and analyse stakeholder interests relevant to corporate development strategies involving mergers, acquisitions and divestments with a view to creating value for the firm and arising benefits to its stakeholders.
  • ULO3: Explore issues relating to transaction implementation processes to ensure the success of the corporate 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
Syndicate Assignment 35% No Week 11
Quizzes 30% No Week 5
Individual Assignment 35% No Week 8

Syndicate Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 11
Weighting: 35%

 

Students will work in small groups to produce a Report and a Board Presentation that addresses a proposed transaction (as developed by each group). This includes the submission of a Report (MSWord or similar, maximum 4,000 words) and an Executive Summary Board Presentation (voice over Powerpoint or similar, maximum of 12 slides)

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Examine key factors relevant to corporate transactions in order to make well developed and commercially robust business decisions involving mergers, acquisitions and divestments.
  • Assess and analyse stakeholder interests relevant to corporate development strategies involving mergers, acquisitions and divestments with a view to creating value for the firm and arising benefits to its stakeholders.
  • Explore issues relating to transaction implementation processes to ensure the success of the corporate transaction.

Quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 5
Weighting: 30%

 

Two quizzes consisting of multiple choice/short answer questions will be held online and/or in class.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Examine key factors relevant to corporate transactions in order to make well developed and commercially robust business decisions involving mergers, acquisitions and divestments.
  • Assess and analyse stakeholder interests relevant to corporate development strategies involving mergers, acquisitions and divestments with a view to creating value for the firm and arising benefits to its stakeholders.
  • Explore issues relating to transaction implementation processes to ensure the success of the corporate transaction.

Individual Assignment

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 35%

 

Students will submit a 3,000 word report analysing a case study.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Examine key factors relevant to corporate transactions in order to make well developed and commercially robust business decisions involving mergers, acquisitions and divestments.
  • Assess and analyse stakeholder interests relevant to corporate development strategies involving mergers, acquisitions and divestments with a view to creating value for the firm and arising benefits to its stakeholders.
  • Explore issues relating to transaction implementation processes to ensure the success of the corporate 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

Weekly online - Refer to iLearn

Unit Schedule

Week 1 - Thursday 11 January 2024 - Introduction to Corporate Transactions

Week 2 - Thursday 18 January 2024 - Value creation

Week 3 - Thursday 25 January 2024 - Transaction risks

Week 4 - Thursday 1 Februray 2024 - Private treaty transactions

Week 5 - Thursday 8 February 2024 - Private treaty transactions

Week 6 - Thursday 15 February 2024 - Mid-unit quizes

Week 7 - Thursday 22 February 2024 - M&A simulation exercise

Week 8 - Thursday 29 February 2024 - Transaction negoatiations

Week 9 - Thursday 7 March 2024 - Takeovers

Week 10 - Thursday 14 March 2024 - Review

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 connect.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 the Service Connect Portal, 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 2024.03 of the Handbook