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ACCG8305 – CPA - Financial Risk Management

2026 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Carl Shen
carl.shen@mq.edu.au
Johannes Dumay
john.dumay@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(ACCG907 or ACCG8307) and (ACCG908 or ACCG8308) and (ACCG913 or ACCG8313)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides extended formal academic support for students concurrently enrolled in the Financial Risk Management unit of the CPA program. It provides knowledge, principles, skills and an appreciation of the treasury function in a corporate environment. It presents an overview of various aspects of treasury focusing on the identification and management of financial risks that organisations face. The unit also addresses investment evaluation, the sourcing of necessary funds for an organisation, and the application of and accounting for hedge instruments. In addition, the unit considers the need for suitable controls within the treasury function.

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: Demonstrate an understanding of the different financial risks that companies face and formulate strategies to manage these financial risks
  • ULO2: Analyse practical elements of accounting for derivatives, including embedded derivatives used for hedging purposes
  • ULO3: Apply accounting standards for recording financial transactions 
  • ULO4: Analyse the significance for companies having adequate controls to safeguard against financial loss and propose specific policies and procedures to reduce risk

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty Unless an application for Special Consideration 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, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Formal examination 20% No Week 5 Individual No Observed
Formal examination: Test 20% No Week 9 Individual No Observed
CPA - External exam 30% Yes Exam Period Individual No Observed
Professional practice: Financial risk analysis 30% No Week 13 Individual and Group No Open AI

Formal examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 5
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

The purpose of this assessment is for you to demonstrate your understanding and knowledge of key topics from the unit.
 
You will participate in a formal test. Feedback on this test will help you assess your progress through the unit content.
 
Deliverable(s): Test
 
Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the different financial risks that companies face and formulate strategies to manage these financial risks
  • Analyse practical elements of accounting for derivatives, including embedded derivatives used for hedging purposes
  • Apply accounting standards for recording financial transactions 
  • Analyse the significance for companies having adequate controls to safeguard against financial loss and propose specific policies and procedures to reduce risk

Formal examination: Test

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 9
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

The purpose of this assessment is for you to demonstrate your understanding and knowledge of key topics from the unit.
 
You will participate in a formal test. Feedback on this test will help you assess your progress through the unit content.
 
Deliverable(s): Test
 
Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the different financial risks that companies face and formulate strategies to manage these financial risks
  • Analyse practical elements of accounting for derivatives, including embedded derivatives used for hedging purposes
  • Apply accounting standards for recording financial transactions 
  • Analyse the significance for companies having adequate controls to safeguard against financial loss and propose specific policies and procedures to reduce risk

CPA - External exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Exam Period
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed
This is a hurdle assessment task (see assessment policy for more information on hurdle assessment tasks)

Examination administered by CPA Australia. CPA Australia will advise on the format and topics included in the final exam. Students need to achieve at least a PASS mark in this CPA external examination.
 
If students do not pass this CPA examination, students will not pass this unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the different financial risks that companies face and formulate strategies to manage these financial risks
  • Analyse practical elements of accounting for derivatives, including embedded derivatives used for hedging purposes
  • Apply accounting standards for recording financial transactions 
  • Analyse the significance for companies having adequate controls to safeguard against financial loss and propose specific policies and procedures to reduce risk

Professional practice: Financial risk analysis

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual and Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to work with peers to demonstrate your capability in identifying key financial risks faced by a publicly listed company.
 
You will identify financial risks, propose risk management strategies, and recommend performance benchmarks, which you will present in a written business report and a short presentation of your findings and rationale.
 
Skills in focus:
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Discipline knowledge
  • Communication skills
  • Collaboration skills
Deliverable(s): Group report [max 1500 words] and Individual presentation
 
Individual and group assessment
 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the different financial risks that companies face and formulate strategies to manage these financial risks
  • Analyse practical elements of accounting for derivatives, including embedded derivatives used for hedging purposes

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
  • Academic Success 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.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Required Taxt CPA Program: CPA Financial Risk Management  • Technology used and required familiarity with iLearn and access to a computer • Delivery format and other details, including timetable found at http://timetables.mq.edu.au • Recommended readings mentioned in CPA Financial Risk Management text • Other course materials as suggested in the CPA text or in iLearn

Unit Schedule

Week

Topic

1

Module 1 Introduction to Financial Risk Management

2

Module 2 Management of Liquidity, Debt and Equity

3

Module 3 Investment Evaluation & Capital Structure

4

Module 4 Derivatives

5

Module 5 Interest Rate Risk Management/ 1st Test

6

Module 6 Foreign Exchange & Commodity Price Management

7

Module 7 Accounting for Derivatives & Hedge Relationships

8

Module 8 Controlling Risks

9

2nd Test

10

Test results and Revision

11

Revision

 

CPA Exams

12

Presentations & Project submitted

13

Presentations & Project submitted

 

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 https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk. 

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 2026.03 of the Handbook