Students

MQBS1040 – Financial Management for Business

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, Lecturer
Tas Husain
tas.husain@mq.edu.au
Contact via via email
Room 340, Level 3, 4ER Buildings, 4 Eastern Road
Please check iLearn for details
Unit Moderator
Jengfang Chen
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit describes and develops knowledge and skills in finance and accounting. Students will learn about financial institutions, financial markets, risk and regulation. They will explore the role of accounting and the accounting profession in business and society. Students will be provided with an opportunity to discuss evolving issues in and means of evaluating and presenting accounting and finance information. The key emphasis is on understanding how such information assists managers when making important business decisions.

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: Understand basic accounting and finance principles and concepts.
  • ULO2: Interpret key financial tools that are used in real world environments.
  • ULO3: Evaluate investment opportunities by applying financial analysis techniques.
  • ULO4: Develop financial decision making skills to optimise the performance of an organisation.

General Assessment Information

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 apply for Special Consideration.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Professional practice: Investment opportunities 30% No 09/05/2025
Skills development: Financial management 30% No 30/05/2025
Formal and observed learning: Exam 40% No University Exam Period

Professional practice: Investment opportunities

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 09/05/2025
Weighting: 30%

 

The purpose of this assessment is for you to gain experience in producing a financial analysis in the form of a business report to key stakeholders.

You will work in teams to conduct an in-depth analysis of the business environment and financial performance of an ASX 200-listed company.

Skills in focus: - Discipline knowledge - Analytical skills - Problem solving and critical thinking - Communication skills

Deliverable: Written report [max. 2,500 group], presentation [10 minutes] Individual and group assessment

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret key financial tools that are used in real world environments.
  • Evaluate investment opportunities by applying financial analysis techniques.
  • Develop financial decision making skills to optimise the performance of an organisation.

Skills development: Financial management

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 30/05/2025
Weighting: 30%

 

The purpose of this assessment is to build your expertise and skills in fundamental accounting and finance concepts, key financial tools, and financial decision making through investigating financial management scenarios.

You will engage with and reflect on weekly activities and problem sets and apply financial techniques to real-world cases.

Skills in focus: - Critical thinking - Discipline knowledge - Time management

Deliverable: Reflective report [max. 1,200 words excluding appendices with supporting evidence] Individual assessment

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand basic accounting and finance principles and concepts.
  • Interpret key financial tools that are used in real world environments.
  • Evaluate investment opportunities by applying financial analysis techniques.
  • Develop financial decision making skills to optimise the performance of an organisation.

Formal and observed learning: Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: University Exam Period
Weighting: 40%

 

The purpose of this assessment is for you to formally demonstrate the expertise you have gained in this unit.

You will participate in a 2-hour exam held during the University Examination period. Important information about the exam will be made available on the unit iLearn page. You should also review the MQ Exams website for general tips.

Deliverable: Formal exam Individual assessment

 

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand basic accounting and finance principles and concepts.
  • Interpret key financial tools that are used in real world environments.
  • Evaluate investment opportunities by applying financial analysis techniques.
  • Develop financial decision making skills to optimise the performance of an organisation.

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

Delivery and Resources

PRESCRIBED TEXTBOOKS:

  1. Birt, J., Chalmers, K., Maloney, S., Brooks, A., Bond, D. and Oliver, J. (2023) 'Accounting: Business Reporting for Decision Making, 8th Edition (8th edition)', Wiley, QLD, Australia.
  2. Parrino, R., Yong, H. A., Morkel-Kingsbury, N., James, J., Mazzola, P., Murray, J. (2021) 'Fundamentals of corporate finance, 4th Edition (4th edition)', Wiley, QLD, Australia.
  • Access to the textbook is essential for lecture references and for tutorial questions. All chapter references in the unit schedule refer to the prescribed textbook unless otherwise indicated.
  • There are various options available to access/purchase the textbook. Please refer to iLearn for more information on these options.

TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

  • You must be familiar with the learning management system, iLearn;
  • Leganto where access to the e-textbook and other recommended readings are available can be found in MQBS1040 iLearn website;
  • You will need to conduct research and be familiar with Internet search engines and library database to source materials.

UNIT WEB PAGE

  • Course materials will be made available on the learning management system (iLearn). It is essential that you regularly visit the unit’s web page. It is here that you will have access to the Unit Guide, announcements, supplementary reading materials, lecture and tutorial materials, and staff consultation hours.
  • The web page for this unit can be found at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au. To access the web page, you need to enter your username, password and second factor authentication. You should contact IT Helpdesk if you need any assistance at: at: https://students.mq.ed u.au/support/technology/service- desk

LEARNING AND TEACHING ACTIVITIES:

Classes for MQBS1040 in Session 1 2025 comprise of (1) weekly face-to-face on campus/livestream lectures and (2) weekly face-to-face on campus tutorials/online zoom tutorials

Unit Schedule

Study Schedule

Week

Lecture Topics

Week 1

Decision Making, Financial Management and Role of Accounting

Week 2

Types of Business Organisations

Basic Principles of Financial Management

Week 3

Financial Markets, Financial Instruments and Financing the Business - Part 1

Week 4

Financial Markets, Financial Instruments and Financing the Business - Part 2

Week 5

Basic Financial Statements - Part 1

Week 6

Basic Financial Statements - Part 2

Week 7

Analysis and interpretation of financial statements
MID-SESSION BREAK 

Week 8

Cost Concepts and Analysis

Week 9

Budgeting

Week 10

Time Value of Money

Week 11

Capital Budgeting

Week 12

Ethics and Corporate Governance

Week 13

Revision

 

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/

Academic Success

Academic Success 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 2025.03 of the Handbook