Students
ACCG8228 – CA - Strategy, Performance and Financial Modelling
2025 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
James Hazelton
Contact via Email
Room 326, 4ER
Refer iLearn
Unit Moderator
Carl Shen
Contact via Contact via email
Refer iLearn
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MProfAccg and (ACCG6011 and ACCG6014 and ACST6003 and ECON6049)
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
In this unit, students will combine their technical and professional expertise with practical financial modelling approaches, enabling you to contribute to solving business problems and marking business decisions. Students will explore best practice financial modelling principles and develop the skills and knowledge to prepare robust, flexible and transparent financial models. In addition, students will be able to contribute and add value to strategy development process through the application of business acumen and financial skills, providing key insights to evaluate, adapt and design organisational strategy. Students will also create measurement frameworks that monitor strategic performance on an ongoing basis and develop the skills required to present strategy in ways that influence decision making and gain stakeholder support. |
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 technical and professional expertise to analyse how financial modelling can contribute to business decisions.
- ULO2: Analyse and critically evaluate existing financial models to determine their ability to produce a desired or intended result.
- ULO3: Apply best practice financial modelling principles and professional judgement when designing and developing financial models
- ULO4: Advise on the development of strategy to enhance stakeholder value in changing environments.
- ULO5: Critically review and adopt an organisation’s existing strategy to take advantage of opportunities for improvement and create a measurement framework to monitor an organisation’s strategic performance.
- ULO6: Effective communicate recommendations to key stakeholders to support strategic proposals.
General Assessment Information
Unit Description
In this unit, students will combine their technical and professional expertise with practical financial modelling approaches, enabling you to contribute to solving business problems and making business decisions. Students will explore best-practice financial modelling principles and develop the skills and knowledge to prepare robust, flexible, and transparent financial models.
In addition, students will be able to contribute and add value to the strategy development process through the application of business acumen and financial skills, providing key insights to evaluate, adapt, and design organisational strategy. Students will also create measurement frameworks that monitor strategic performance on an ongoing basis and develop the skills required to present strategy in ways that influence decision-making and gain stakeholder support.
Pre-requisites
Admission to MProfAccg and (ACCG6011 and ACCG6014 and ACST6003 and ECON6049)
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional practice: Business Evaluation | 30% | No | Week 7 |
| Skills development: Financial Modelling | 30% | No | Week 12 |
| Formal and Observed Learning: Class Test | 40% | No | Week 13 |
Professional practice: Business Evaluation
Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 30%
The purpose of this assessment is for you to develop expertise in evaluating businesses using strategic frameworks.
You will analyse and investigate key aspects, including the customer profile, value map, the environment and capabilities assessment and the business model canvas.
Skills in focus:
- Problem solving
- Analytical skills
- Critical thinking
Deliverable: Report (max 1750 words) Individual and Group assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Advise on the development of strategy to enhance stakeholder value in changing environments.
- Critically review and adopt an organisation’s existing strategy to take advantage of opportunities for improvement and create a measurement framework to monitor an organisation’s strategic performance.
- Effective communicate recommendations to key stakeholders to support strategic proposals.
Skills development: Financial Modelling
Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 30%
The purpose of this assessment is for you to develop expertise in financial modelling techniques to assess organisations.
You will apply financial modelling techniques to analyse the current state of an organisation and conduct a quantitative analysis of a strategic opportunity for the business.
Skills in focus:
- Problem solving
- Analytical skills
- Critical thinking
Deliverable: Report (max 1500 words) Individual and Group assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Apply technical and professional expertise to analyse how financial modelling can contribute to business decisions.
- Analyse and critically evaluate existing financial models to determine their ability to produce a desired or intended result.
- Apply best practice financial modelling principles and professional judgement when designing and developing financial models
- Effective communicate recommendations to key stakeholders to support strategic proposals.
Formal and Observed Learning: Class Test
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 40%
The purpose of this assessment is for you to demonstrate the expertise you have gained in the unit. You will participate in a 2-hour class test in Week 13. Important information about the class test will be made available on the unit iLearn page. You should also review the MQ Exams website for general tips: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/exams Deliverable: Class Test Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Apply technical and professional expertise to analyse how financial modelling can contribute to business decisions.
- Analyse and critically evaluate existing financial models to determine their ability to produce a desired or intended result.
- Apply best practice financial modelling principles and professional judgement when designing and developing financial models
- Advise on the development of strategy to enhance stakeholder value in changing environments.
- Critically review and adopt an organisation’s existing strategy to take advantage of opportunities for improvement and create a measurement framework to monitor an organisation’s strategic performance.
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
Unit delivery and learning resources
Students are required to attend a weekly seminar, commencing in Week 1. There are also online learning resources that students are required to engage with to complement the weekly seminar.
Seminars are interactive and are designed to facilitate further discussion of concepts covered in online learning resources and their application to practical cases.
The timetable for classes can be found on the University website at: https://publish.mq.edu.au/
Changes to student timetables may only be made through eStudent.
Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials
Each week the required readings will be made available on iLearn.
Technology Used and Required
Students will need access to a personal computer and the internet to review and complete online learning activities, including videos, slide decks, podcasts, additional readings, assessment details and notices from the unit iLearn site, as well as to complete and make submissions for the assessment tasks in this Unit.
We will also be making use of Generative Artificial Intelligence Technologies (GAIT) such as ChatGPT, so familiarity with these technologies will be useful. A paid subscription to a particular GAIT service provider is not required.
Further information on any specific technology requirements will be made available on the unit iLearn site.
The unit iLearn can be found at: http://iLearn.mq.edu.au.
You are strongly encouraged to regularly visit the website to check for important announcements and use it as a resource to enhance your learning experience.
What is required to complete this unit satisfactorily
In addition to the requirements outlined in the Unit Assessment Guide available on iLearn, students are required to achieve an overall pass for the unit to achieve a passing grade in this unit, students are expected to be independent learners who assume personal responsibility for their learning and take a pro‐active approach to addressing any deficiencies in their understanding of the course material through independent research and inquiry and consultations with peers and instructors as appropriate.
Unit Schedule
| Wk | Starting | Topics |
| 1 | 24-Feb | Introduction |
| 2 | 3-Mar | Strategy design |
| 3 | 10-Mar | The Business Model Canvas |
| 4 | 17-Mar | Evaluating strategy |
| 5 | 24-Mar | Monitoring and measuring strategy |
| 6 | 31-Mar | Presenting strategy |
| 7 | 7-Apr |
Introduction to financial modelling Assignment 1 due |
| 14-Apr | MID-SESSION BREAK | |
| 8 | 28-Apr | Financial modelling principles |
| 9 | 5-May | Financial modelling practices 1 |
| 10 | 12-May | Financial modelling practices 2 |
| 11 | 19-May | Finanical model reviews |
| 12 | 26-May |
The future of financial modelling Assignment 2 due |
| 13 | 2-Jun | Class test |
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:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Complaints Resolution Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
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
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Academic Success
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- Workshops
- Chat with a WriteWISE peer writing leader
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- Upload an assignment to Studiosity
- Complete the Academic Integrity Module
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Services and Support
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- IT Support
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- Social support including information about finances, tenancy and legal issues
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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 from Previous Offering
In 2024 ACCG 8228 was run jointly by Macquarie University and CAANZ. In 2025 it is run solely by Macquarie University. Learning materials and assessment tasks have been updated as a result of this change.
Unit information based on version 2025.03 of the Handbook