This course focuses on tools and techniques used in modern financial management. Material in the course has an applied focus and is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills required for understanding, exploring and analysing financial management issues. The course draws upon topical material in order to contextualise theoretical discussion, and present students with examples in practice.

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. Explain in detail the key issues facing financial managers;
2. Perform complex asset valuation and project evaluation; and,
3. Critically evaluate and explain the finance theory underlying financial management.

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.

Examination Material or equipment

You will require reliable access to Wattle and a calculator for the duration of the online quizzes and the online exam. You will also need a scanner or a phone app with the scanning function which allows you to scan your written documents.

Required Resources

Prescribed textbook

• “Corporate Finance”, 5th Edition, by Berk and DeMarzo, ISBN: 9781292304151. This book is available in Chifley library on both 2 hour and 2 day loan. The availability of an e-book copy of the textbook is available via https://library.anu.edu.au/record=b6742055.

Staff Feedback

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

·     in tutorials through interactions with tutors and discussions with other students;

·     through assessments where the lecturer and tutors will provide specific feedback;

·     through consulting teaching staff during their consultation time.

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.

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
5	Cost of capital	Quiz 1
6	Capital Structure I: MM Theory and Taxes No workshop	Mid semester exam
7	Capital Structure II: Financial Distress and Agency Cost
8	Capital Structure III: Trade-off Theory, Information, and Application
9	Payout Policy	Quiz 2
10	Capital Budgeting: Extensions
11	M&A; Corporate Governance
12	Revision No workshop	Final exam during the examination period

Tutorial Registration

Tutorials will be available on campus, live through scheduled Zoom sessions and as pre-recorded videos. Information regarding enrolments for these options will be provided on Wattle during O-week, prior to the start of the semester.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Online Quizzes	20 %	23/08/2021	03/09/2021	1,2,3
Mid-semester Exam	20 %	30/08/2021	13/09/2021	1,2,3
Final Examination	60 %	04/11/2021	02/12/2021	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.

Participation

Course content delivery will take the form of pre-recorded weekly lectures (available via echo360 on Wattle), pre-recorded weekly workshops (available via echo360 on Wattle) and weekly tutorials, delivered in hybrid format (on campus, live through scheduled Zoom sessions and as pre-recorded videos).

Examination(s)

Centrally scheduled examinations through Examinations, Graduations & Prizes will be timetabled prior to the examination period. Please check ANU Timetabling for further information.

Assessment Task 1

Online Quizzes

Weight: 20% in total

Duration: 25 minutes each

Time: Weeks 5 & 9

Submission: via Wattle

Below are the topics covered:

Quiz 1 on Lectures 2 – 4

Quiz 2 on Lectures 5 – 8 

Two online quizzes are counted towards the final grade and all quizzes are of equal value (10%). The quizzes are to be completed individually. Each quiz is 25 mins and this includes the time to upload your document. Each quiz will be open for two days and once you start the quiz, you will have 25 mins to complete it. Each student is allowed with one attempt only. Each quiz contains one calculation question and you must show all workings. The marking criteria will be based on model solutions and answers prepared by the lecturer and will be made available to students via Wattle after the quiz week. No alternative arrangement will be made if a student misses a quiz. In cases where students apply for special considerations and have them approved before the quiz week, the weighting of the quiz will be transferred to the final exam.

Assessment Task 2

Mid-semester Exam

Weight: 20% or 0%

Duration: 2 hour

Time: Week 6 or Week 7

Submission: via Wattle

Topics covered: Weeks 1 - 5

The mid-semester exam will be a Wattle-based online exam and will be optional and redeemable. It is to be completed individually. 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 60% of the final exam mark, 20% of the mid-term exam mark, and 20% of the quiz mark. It will be open book and all materials are permitted. The exam will be centrally timetabled and more details about the exam will be provided as the exam approaches.

Assessment Task 3

Final Examination

Weight: 60% or 80%

Duration: 3 hours

Time: Examination period

Submission: via Wattle

Topics covered: All topics

The final exam will be a Wattle-based online exam and will be worth 60% (or 80% if the mid-term exam is not attempted/redeemed). It is to be completed individually. A mixture of theoretical and practical (numerical) questions will be included. All topics covered in this course will be examined. It will be open book and all materials are permitted. The exam will be centrally timetabled and more details about the exam will be provided as the exam approaches.

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

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assessment.

Hardcopy Submission

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