Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lydia Liu
|
---|---|
Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to GradCertFin (OUA)
|
Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
Unit description |
Unit description
This unit equips students with financial analysis skills to support advanced study in corporate finance and investment analysis. Emphasis is placed on being able to interpret financial statements in the context of a company's operational performance and strategy, to assess historical financial performance and to prepare a spreadsheet based financial model capable of forecasting integrated financial statements for a company. After this unit, students should understand the language of financial statements, and be able to use an Annual Report to develop an understanding of a company's historical performance and prospects. Specific topics include the Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement and financial statement analysis using Dupont methodology. Financial modelling applications will also be developed, so students will be able to prepare forecasts for the three financial statements, as well as being able to integrate the three statements. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
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.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Short Exercises | 20% | No | Week 2, 3, 4 and 7 |
Online Quizzes | 20% | No | Week 5 and 10 |
Assignment | 30% | No | Week 9 |
Final Exam | 30% | No | Week commencing 10 June |
Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 2, 3, 4 and 7
Weighting: 20%
Four short exercises will be assessed during the term. The short exercises relate respectively to material in Topics 1, 2, 3 and 6.
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 5 and 10
Weighting: 20%
Two online quizzes will be conducted during the term. The first online quiz relates to material in Topics 1-4 and the second online quiz relates to material in Topics 5-9.
Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 9
Weighting: 30%
Analysis of an individual case study topic and presentation of conclusions : 2,500 words
Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week commencing 10 June
Weighting: 30%
Online, open book 2 hour exam on all topics.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Required Text Financial Statements Demystified by B. Kramer and C. Johnson 2009 McGraw-Hill Education. This textbook is available to buy from the publisher, McGraw-Hill Education, as either a print book or an e-book. Please note that the publisher’s prices may be quoted in US dollars and the book may ship from overseas. If you intend to use the print book, please allow sufficient time for delivery. The print book is also available from Booktopia, Dymocks and other sellers. The following links can be used to purchase the textbook:
Additional Readings Additional readings are included in iLearn. Students should assume these readings are examinable unless otherwise advised.
Assumed Knowledge This unit requires students to perform arithmetic (add, subtract, multiply, divide), to work with exponents (raise to the power of), and to perform algebraic manipulation of simple equations. For example, given the arithmetical answer to a calculation, it is expected that you can solve for one of the inputs. If 534 = 221 + X – 440, what is X?
Additionally, this unit requires students to solve mathematical problems using spreadsheet software by coding formulas into cells in the spreadsheet.
Students should be familiar with financial mathematics such as simple interest and the time value of money.
◦ If $200 is borrowed for 12 months at an interest rate of 6% pa to be paid monthly in arrears, how much interest is paid each month?
◦ What is the effective annual interest rate?
Unit Web Page The web page for this unit can be found at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/
Technology Used and Required Here you will find forums, downloadable resources and links to important pages. The forum allows you to communicate with other students and lecturer(s) and may provide supplementary material. You are requested to post your questions on the forums at least 24 hours prior to the assignment submission date or the examination date. Questions posted after that time may not be answered. Please try to not leave your questions to the last few days.
Important Notice: It is important that you familiarise yourself with the unit’s iLearn site. All students should check iLearn regularly and look for updates and distribution of materials related to the unit or assessments and participate in forum discussions.
Assumed access to technology: Access to a computer with word processing and spreadsheet capability is assumed, as is general student computer literacy. A recent version of Excel is the preferred choice of spreadsheet.
Delivery Format and Other Details The timetable for classes can be found on the University website at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/
The following schedule is a guide to the timing of each topic.
Week |
Topic |
Latest date to start working on this topic |
0 |
Orientation and Topic 1: Introduction to financial statement analysis |
1 April |
1 |
Topic 1: Introduction to financial statement analysis |
8 April |
2 |
Topic 2: Introduction to financial modelling |
15 April |
3 |
Topic 3: Preparing financial statements |
22 April |
4 |
Topic 4: A closer look at the balance sheet |
29 April |
5 |
Topic 5: Analysis of financial statements |
6 May |
6 |
Topic 6: Preparing a financial model Part 1 |
13 May |
7 |
Topic 7: Preparing a financial model Part 2 |
20 May |
8 |
Topic 8: Further steps in financial modelling |
27 May |
9 |
Topic 9: Analysis of financial statements (capstone) |
3 June |
10 |
Exam preparation |
10 June |
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.
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 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
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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
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.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.
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 2024.04 of the Handbook