This course is an introductory course in financial management. It builds upon the basic concepts introduced in the Foundations of Finance (FINM1001) and stresses the modern fundamentals of corporate financial decision making with special reference to investment, financing and dividend distribution. While building upon introductory courses in accounting, economics and quantitative analysis the course develops distinctive conceptual frameworks and specialised tools for solving real world financial problems at both the individual and corporate level. The course is a blend of theory and practice. While diligent practice will make you competent in financial techniques, a good grasp of theory will help you think systematically about ways to solve a problem for which no existing technique is suitable or available.

Specific topics to be covered include: financial mathematics, security valuation, techniques for capital investment decisions, financial decision making, corporate capital structure, cost of capital, dividend decision and policy, leasing decision and the analysis of mergers and acquisitions.

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Analyse a range of real-life financial situations using the concepts, frameworks and theories learned throughout the course;
2. Be able to solve a number of decision problems including: a. consumption and investment decision under certainty; b. valuation of corporate securities; c. capital budgeting under certainty; d. capital budgeting under uncertainty; e. investment decisions; f. corporate capital structure decisions; g. dividend decisions and policy; h. capital raising decisions; i. leasing decisions; and, j. analysis of takeovers and mergers.

Research-Led Teaching

Students undertaking this course will be imparted with the necessary skills for industry based research. This will include involving students in critical analysis of industry based problems such as valuation, capital budgeting and risk assessment.

Additional Course Costs

The course may involve the use of a PC or Mac computer. You need to be familiar with MS Office Suite, which is available in the campus computer labs.

Examination Material or equipment

A non-programmable scientific calculator is a necessity for every enrolled student in this course.

Required Resources

Prescribed textbook

• “Corporate Finance”, 4th Edition, by Berk and DeMarzo, ISBN: 9781292160160. This book is available in Chifley library on both 2 hour and 2 day loan.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Scaling

Your final mark for the course will be based on the raw marks allocated for each of your assessment items. However, scaling may apply. Any scaling applied will preserve the rank order of raw marks (i.e. if your raw mark exceeds that of another student, then your scaled mark will exceed or be the same as the scaled mark of that student), and may be either up or down.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction and revision of assumed knowledge No tutorial/ workshop
2	Investment decision rules
3	Capital budgeting: Fundamentals
4	Equity and debt financing	Quiz 1
5	Cost of capital
6	Capital Structure I: MM Theory and Taxes No workshop	Quiz 2
7	Capital Structure II: Financial Distress and Agency Cost	Mid-semester Exam
8	Capital Structure III: Trade-off Theory, Information, and Application	Quiz 3
9	Payout Policy
10	Capital Budgeting: Extensions	Quiz 4
11	Mergers and Acquisitions
12	Corporate Governance & Revision No workshop

Tutorial Registration

Please see Wattle for tutors’ information.

Tutorial signup for this course will be done via the Wattle website. Detailed information about signup times will be provided on Wattle or during your first lecture. When tutorials are available for enrolment, follow these steps:

1.   Log on to Wattle, and go to the course site

2.   Click on the link “Tutorial enrolment”

3.   On the right of the screen, click on the tab “Become Member of…..” for the tutorial class you wish to enter

4.   Confirm your choice

If you need to change your enrolment, you will be able to do so by clicking on the tab “Leave group….” and then re-enrol in another group. You will not be able to enrol in groups that have reached their maximum number. Please note that enrolment in ISIS must be finalised for you to have access to Wattle.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Online Quizzes (20%)	20 %	12/08/2019	23/08/2019	1,2,3
Mid-semester Exam (25% or 0%)	25 %	26/08/2019	16/09/2019	1,2,3
Final Examination (55% or 80%)	55 %	31/10/2019	28/11/2019	1,2,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Examination(s)

Assessment Task 1

Online Quizzes (20%)

Duration – 30 minutes each

Topics covered:

Quiz 1 on Lectures 2 - 3

Quiz 2 on Lectures 4 - 5

Quiz 3 on Lectures 6 - 7

Quiz 4 on Lectures 8 - 9

Four online quizzes are counted towards the final grade and all quizzes are of equal value (5%). Quizzes are conducted using Pearson MyLab and are in the form of multiple choice and gap filling questions. Every student enrolled in this course will have an individual account to gain access to MyLab. The number of questions for each quiz could be different. The lecturer will advise students on the number of questions for each quiz when it approaches. There is a large question pool from which the quiz questions are taken, so each student may have a different set of questions. Each quiz will be open for a week (from Monday 9am to Sunday 11.59pm of that week). Students can choose to complete the quiz anytime and the results are released immediately after completion.

Assessment Task 2

Mid-semester Exam (25% or 0%)

Duration: 1.5 hours

Time: Week 6 or Week 7

The mid-term exam is optional and redeemable. Specifically, if a student takes the mid-term exam, and performs better in the final exam, then the final grade for the student will be 80% of the final exam mark plus 20% of the quiz mark. Otherwise, the final grade for the student will count 55% of the final exam mark, 25% of the mid-term exam mark, and 20% of the quiz mark.

The exam is a closed-book exam with no formula sheet provided and will cover topics from week 1 to week 5. More details about the exam will be provided as the exam approaches.

Centrally administered examinations through Examinations, Graduations & Prizes will be timetabled prior to the examination period. Please check ANU Timetabling for further information. Exam scripts will not be returned.

Assessment Task 3

Final Examination (55% or 80%)

Duration: 3 hours

Time: Examination period

This is a closed-book exam and no formula sheet is allowed. The final exam is worth 60% (or 80% if the midterm exam is not attempted/redeemed). A mixture of theoretical and practical (numerical) questions will be included. All topics covered in this course will be examined. Students will be provided with more details regarding the exam as it approaches.

Centrally administered examinations through Examinations, Graduations & Prizes will be timetabled prior to the examination period. Please check ANU Timetabling for further information. Exam scripts will not be returned.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

No submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date will be permitted. If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students