Overview
This unit provides a fundamental understanding of management finance. You will examine corporate financial goals and how to realise them through the raising of funds, the allocation of resources and the undertaking of investments by firms. You will be introduced to the theory and use of a range of financial decision making concepts such as financial goals, financial markets, financial mathematics, risk and return, asset pricing, capital budgeting, cost of capital, capital structure and dividend policy.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2018
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Self-reflection
1) Overall the unit ran well with all glitches resolved amicably 2) Reporting the 20 students in Assessment 1 for academic misconduct resulted in the best outcome, namely there were no cases to report for Assessment 2.
Work with teaching staff and students when any glitches occur as well as to continue working with students on how to prevent high similarity through cheating and plagiarism.
Feedback from Teaching team
1) The teaching team have been supportive and have communicated any issues via emails or by telephone. For instance, initially the experimentation of a new approach to Assessments tasks to produce multiple or unique student answers. The teaching staff drew on their professional judgement and knowledge to grade the assessments of each student with great results. 2) The teaching team were supportive and provided feedback during the investigation phase and outcome phase of the Academic Misconduct cases within their cohorts.
1) Develop assessments that produce answers unique to the students. 2) Communicate to the teaching team affected by Academic Conduct cases in their cohort of students during and after investigation. Support the teaching team and their students, when they report Academic Misconduct or provide additional feedback to help the Academic Misconduct Board make an informed evidence-based decision.
Feedback from Student feedback
The student feedback for the unit has been positive whereby the overall level of satisfaction was 4.4/5. This is a pleasing result, given we changed the Assessment format, had a new Sydney campus lecturer start and where two graders graded the Sydney cohort. Based on a couple of informal emails from students, they were happy with the manner in which the teaching staff were dealing with any general unit inquiries and academic misconduct appeals.
1) Encourage the teaching team to manage their cohort of students as they see fit 2) Encourage the teaching team to manage any issues (including when dealing with Academic Misconduct issues) affecting their cohort of students.
Feedback from Employer feedback
Employer feedback suggests discussion forums should be mainly used by students, rather than the unit co-ordinator jumping in first to contribute to it. By allowing other students time to contribute the discussion.
Be mindful to encourage students to participate in the discussion forums on the Moodle s, rather than respond to all student queries. Give pees the opportunity to help each other out on the Moodle forums.
- Examine and describe financial goals and their realisation in the context of modern firms and financial managers
- Analyse the role of financial markets and their functions in a developed economy
- Evaluate various capital assets and funding strategies
- Evaluate corporate financial decisions related to capital structure and dividend policy aimed at maximising the value of the firm.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||
| 2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
| 3 - Examination - 50% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
| 4 - Research | ||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||||||
| 2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||
| 3 - Examination - 50% | ||||||||
Textbooks
Financial Management: Principles and Applications
Edition: 7th (2016)
Authors: Titman, S; Martin, T; Keown, A.J.; Martin, J.D.
Pearson Australia Melbourne , Victoria, Australia
Melbourne Melbourne , Victoria , Australia
ISBN: 9780133423822
Binding: Hardcover
Additional Textbook Information
An eBook version of the prescribed textbook is available at http://www.pearson.com.au/9781488609275 for $50.00. However, if you prefer a paper copy, they are still available at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.edu.au (search on the Unit code).
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.sun@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Getting started -Principles of finance
Firms and the financial markets
Chapter
1 and 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Understanding financial statements, taxes and cash flows Financial analysis - Sizing up firm performance
Chapter
3 and 4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The time value of money - The basics
The time value of money - Annuities and other topics
Chapter
5 and 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
An introduction to risk and return
Risk and return- Capital market theory
Chapter
7 and 8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Debt valuation and interest rates
Chapter
9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Written Assessment 1 Due
Written Assessment Due: Week 5 Monday (10 Dec 2018) 11:55 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Share valuation
Chapter
10
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Investment decision criteria
Analysing project cash flows
Chapter
11 and 12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Risk analysis and project evaluation
Chapter
13
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The cost of capital
Chapter
14
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Capital-structure policy
Chapter
15
Events and Submissions/Topic
Practical and Written Assessment 2 Due
Practical and Written Assessment Due: Week 10 Monday (21 Jan 2019) 11:59 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Dividend policy
Chapter
16
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Revision
Chapter
All chapters
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Prescribed Textbook:
Financial Management: Principles and Applications 7th (2016) Authors: Titman, S; Martin, T; Keown, A.J.; Martin, J.D. Pearson Australia Melbourne , Victoria, Australia ISBN 9780133423822
An eBook version of the prescribed textbook is available at http://www.pearson.com.au/9781488609275.
For a paper copy, they are available at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.edu.au
1 Written Assessment
For Assessment 1, the task includes calculation and theory questions from the prescribed textbook. Specific instructions and the marking criteria will be posted on the Moodle site. Importantly, working in a group promotes collaborative learning and knowledge sharing to enhance the learning experience.
Distant (FLEX) students have the option to work in a group of 2 or as an individual.
On-Campus students should form a team and work in a group of 2.
In summary key expectations include:
- students are encouraged to include tables, figures and appendices to support answers.
- all content [including the narrative, diagrams, figures, tables and appendices] must be referenced using APA reference formatting.
- do not include any jpeg/jpg files or similar scanned picture files of your answers or those of other students as this will be considered a plagiarism offense.
- Only provide images (jpeg/jpg/or similar) of pictures, figures or tables sourced from references that you are unable to adapt or modify in MS-word for purposes of your assessments. Make sure you reference the sources of any images correctly.
- type in all your formulas using the <Insert> <Equation>function in the Microsoft-word application and include citation as a footnote for formulas or as an in-text reference citation or you risk high similarity.
- create your own timelines in Microsoft-word or Microsoft-excel application. Do not copy and paste timelines from any website, other students papers or other sources, or you risk high similarity.
- answers to each major theory question should not exceed 400 words, excluding in-text referencing and reference list, tables / figures and appendices.
- to demonstrate your research skills, answers to theory questions should draw supporting evidence from at least 8 different peer-reviewed references.
- text must be 1.5 spacing and use either Arial or Times Roman 12 pt, with 16 pt bold for major headings and 14 pt bold for sub-headings.
- submission is online via Moodle in Word format only (.doc or .docx). Do not upload your assignment in PDF or other file format
Week 5 Monday (10 Dec 2018) 11:55 pm AEST
Assignment 1 Managerial Finance Moodle submission
Week 7 Friday (31 Dec 2021)
Assignment 1 Managerial Finance feedback provided via Moodle
Along with task instructions and questions, a comprehensive marking rubric and mark sheet is provided on Moodle.
IMPORTANT NOTE 1: For calculation questions, full marks will only be awarded when the answer is accurate, the right formula is used AND all calculation steps, applicable diagrams/figures/tables/timelines are shown.
IMPORTANT NOTE 2: For theory questions, the minimum standards include clear and correct explanations, using your own words and adherence to APA referencing formats [see also marking criteria for standards of 'Excellence']. Where copying and or pasting from other sources resulted in high percentage similarity, marks will be deducted. Serious cases are reported for academic misconduct.
The assignment will be marked out of 100 marks and scaled down to 20.
- Examine and describe financial goals and their realisation in the context of modern firms and financial managers
- Analyse the role of financial markets and their functions in a developed economy
- Evaluate various capital assets and funding strategies
- Evaluate corporate financial decisions related to capital structure and dividend policy aimed at maximising the value of the firm.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Self-management
2 Practical and Written Assessment
For Assessment 2, the assessment centres around a case study which requires research and application of the theories, concepts and techniques that are needed to make financial decisions in competitive business environments. Specific instructions and a marking criteria will be posted on the Moodle site. Importantly, the assessment gives students the opportunity to collaborate and work as a team.
Distant (FLEX) students have the option to work in a group of 2 or as an individual.
On-Campus students should form a team and work in a group of 2.
In summary the key expectations are:
- response to case study must be in report format including executive summary, table of contents, introduction, body with sub-headings, recommendations, conclusion, appendices and reference list [see also marking criteria on Moodle for full instructions].
- fonts must be either Arial or Times Roman 12 pt and 1.5 spacing for narrative, 16 pt bold for major headings and 14 pt bold for sub-headings.
- inclusion of diagrams and tables to support the response is strongly encouraged.
- all supporting material, diagrams and tables must be properly referenced using APA in-text referencing formats.
- type in all your formulas using the <Insert> <Equation>function in the Microsoft-word application and include citation as a footnote for formulas or as an in-text reference citation or you risk high similarity.
- create your own timelines in Microsoft-word or Microsoft-excel application. Do not copy and paste timelines from any website, other students papers or other sources, or you risk high similarity.
- support for the response should draw from a minimum of 10 different peer-reviewed academic references as well as a range of appropriate web-based internet and/or professional texts and sources.
- word count is approximately 2,000 words (i.e. 4 pages) excluding in-text referencing, table of contents, diagrams and tables.
- submission is online via Moodle in Word format (.doc or .docx).
Week 10 Monday (21 Jan 2019) 11:59 pm AEST
Assignment 2 Managerial Finance Moodle submission
Week 12 Monday (4 Feb 2019)
Assignment 2 Managerial Finance feedback provided via Moodle.
No Assessment Criteria
- Evaluate various capital assets and funding strategies
- Evaluate corporate financial decisions related to capital structure and dividend policy aimed at maximising the value of the firm.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
Examination
Calculator - non-programmable, no text retrieval, silent only
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
