Students

AFIN3010 – PACE: Issues in Applied Finance

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
Keith Woodward
keith.woodward@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
10cp in ACST or AFIN units at 3000 level
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit gives students the opportunity to test how their finance skills can be applied in practice by exposure to leading industry professionals. The topics selected go beyond traditional corporate and investment finance, and include coverage of the latest issues and real world scenarios. Students will learn first hand from practitioners on current and future trends and skills required in finance to prepare them as they embark on their careers in the industry. The projects completed in the unit are carefully set in conjunction with the industry professionals, giving students the opportunity to show evidence of demonstrated learning and the application of finance knowledge from a broader perspective. Visit Employability Connect for important information on this unit.

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: Synthesise financial theory with real-world practice.
  • ULO2: Apply critical thinking to complex financial problems.
  • ULO3: Demonstrate effective teamwork and communication skills.
  • ULO4: Reflect on the impact of financial decisions on various stakeholders and the wider community.
  • ULO5: Integrate technology and sustainability considerations into financial decision-making.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty (written assessments)

If you submit your assessment late, 5% of the total possible marks will be deducted for each day (including weekends),

up to 7 days. Submissions more than 7 days late will receive a mark of 0.

Example 1 (out of 100): If you score 85/100 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 5 marks and receive 80/100.

Example 2 (out of 30): If you score 27/30 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 1.5 marks and receive 25.5/30.

 

Extensions:

Automatic short extension: Some assessments are eligible for automatic short extension. You can only apply for an

automatic short extension before the due date.

Special Consideration: If you need more time due to serious issues and for any assessments that are not eligible for

Short Extension, you must apply for Special Consideration. Need help? Review the Special Consideration page for further

details.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Professional practice: Communicating financial strategies 30% No Scheduled starting Wednesday 19 August Group No Open AI
Professional practice: Industry analysis 40% No 26/10/2026 Individual Yes Open AI
Skills development: Applied finance case analysis 30% No 09/11/2026 Individual Yes Open AI

Professional practice: Communicating financial strategies

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Scheduled starting Wednesday 19 August
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to work with an industry partner and collaborate with peers to showcase your ability to communicate complex financial concepts and strategies effectively.

You will apply frameworks and concepts discussed in the unit to produce a presentation.

Skills in focus:

  • Communication and collaboration
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Global, ethical and environmental citizenship
  • Work readiness

Deliverable(s): Presentation+Live Q&A [max 16 minutes]

Group assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate effective teamwork and communication skills.
  • Integrate technology and sustainability considerations into financial decision-making.

Professional practice: Industry analysis

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 26/10/2026
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to work in collaboration with an industry partner on a significant project that reflects real-world challenges and practices in the finance industry.

You will conduct in-depth analysis of a real-word finance industry issue and produce a business report in line with industry expectations.

Skills in focus:

  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Communication
  • Discipline knowledge
  • Global, ethical, and environmental citizenship
  • Work readiness

Deliverable(s): Business report [max 3,000 words] Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Synthesise financial theory with real-world practice.
  • Apply critical thinking to complex financial problems.

Skills development: Applied finance case analysis

Assessment Type 1: Problem-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 09/11/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to develop expertise in current issues in applied finance.

You will apply frameworks and concepts discussed in the unit to a case study.

Skills in focus:

  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Communication skills
  • Work readiness

Deliverable(s): Written submission [max 2,000 words] Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Synthesise financial theory with real-world practice.
  • Reflect on the impact of financial decisions on various stakeholders and the wider community.

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

All subject materials are provided on ilearn.

Unit Schedule

Week Week date (Wednesday) Lecture topic
1 29-Jul Lecture 1
2 5-Aug Lecture 2
3 12-Aug Lecture 3
4 19-Aug Lecture 4, 30% In-lecture group presentations due from this class onwards
5 26-Aug Lecture 5
6 2-Sep Lecture 6
7 9-Sep Lecture 7
8 16-Sep Lecture 8
Mid-session break from Monday 21 September to Friday 2 October.
9 7-Oct Lecture 9
10 14-Oct Lecture 10
11 21-Oct Lecture 11, 40% industry analysis due 23:55 Monday 26 October
12 28-Oct Lecture 12
13 4-Nov Lecture 13, 30% case analysis due 23:55 Monday 9 November.

 

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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.

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Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

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Unit information based on version 2026.05 of the Handbook