This course introduces students to the academic research in corporate finance. Corporate finance theory deals with the roles of corporations in the capital market and the interactions between investors, managers, regulators and other stakeholders. The objectives of this course are to learn the theories of corporate finance, analyse the research questions, and critically evaluate the academic papers.

This course focuses on selected classic and contemporary theoretical and empirical academic papers and provides students with an advanced and rigorous background in mainstream issues in modern corporate finance research. 

At the end of the course, it is expected that the students have developed an appreciation of the role of theory in corporate finance research, an in-depth knowledge of the research methods and philosophies employed in researching a wide range of corporate finance problems and issues, and an ability to critically analyse, and evaluate the literature in corporate finance.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Use an appropriate framework for considering corporate finance problems and issues;
2. Develop and test corporate finance research questions and communicate the results; and,
3. Critically analyse, and evaluate the corporate finance literature.

Research-Led Teaching

Based on selected classic and contemporary papers published in top academic journals, this course is to lead students to walk into the world of research in corporate finance, acquire relevant knowledge from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, and develop important research capabilities with regard to communication, presentation, analysis, writing, and critical thinking.

Required Resources

All required materials can be accessed via Wattle.

Staff Feedback

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

• In-class feedback to each group presentation;
• Discussion with group members and individual feedback during consultations;
• In-class feedback to short-answered questions in each lectures
• Individual feedback on student performance in assessment tasks is available on request.

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). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Announcements: Students are expected to check the Wattle site for announcements about this course, e.g. changes to timetables or notifications of cancellations.

Support for Students: The University offers a number of support services for students. Information on these is available online from http://students.anu.edu.au/studentlife/.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction - Overview
2	Introduction - Empirical method	Participation
3	Capital Structure	Participation, Group presentation
4	Equity and Debt Financing	Participation, Group presentation
5	Capital investment	Participation, Group presentation
6	Corporate governance	Participation, Group presentation
7	CEO compensation	Participation, Group presentation
8	Shareholder litigation	Participation, Group presentation, and Data project due
9	Corporate bankruptcy	Participation, Group presentation
10	Mergers and acquisitions	Participation, Group presentation
11	Course Review	Participation, Group Presentation
12	Financial crisis	Participation, Group Presentation

Tutorial Registration

There are no tutorials.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Participation	10 %	24/02/2024	24/05/2024	1,2,3
Presentation	20 %	04/03/2024	24/05/2024	1,2,3
Data project	30 %	22/04/2024	10/05/2024	1,2,3
Final exam	40 %	30/05/2024	27/06/2024	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 Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

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 Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

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 weekly lectures on campus (recorded and available via echo360 on Wattle). There are no tutorials nor workshops. Weekly consultations with the lecturer can be conducted in-person or over Zoom. 

Examination(s)

The exam will be centrally scheduled prior to the examination period. Please check ANU Timetabling for further information. The exam will be held in person. It is a closed-book exam and lasts for 120 minutes.

Assessment Task 1

Participation

From week 3 to week 12, one short-answered question will be posted on Wattle during the hours of each weekly lectures. The questions will relate to the content of each lecture. Students will have 10 minutes to answer each question on Wattle. Each question is worth of 2% of the total course grade. The five best answers (out of 10 questions given in 10 weeks) will be counted towards the participation grade. The marks of the first two questions will be released by week 6. This assessment is compulsory and non-redeemable.

Assessment Task 2

Presentation

The presentation will be completed in a group of 4-5 students. Each group member will be responsible for the assigned task required to complete the group assignment. Groups will be randomly formed by the instructor in the first week. It is requested that any students intending to drop the course make their decision as early as possible. This assessment is compulsory and non-redeemable.

Starting from week 3, there will be presentations by two student groups each week. The duration of each presentation is 30 minutes. Students of each group are required to evaluate an academic paper by summarising, commenting on the paper, and discussing the paper’s weaknesses and possible directions of improvement or extension (in aspects such as motivation, contribution, and research design). The assigned paper for each group will be announced on Wattle two weeks prior to their scheduled presentation. Each group need to submit their presentation slides, via email to the instructor, one day before the scheduled presentation by one group member, with an included cover sheet noting the names of all group members. The presentation slides need to be converted to PDF. The slides and the subject of the submission email should be named as "Presentation Slides - Group #". All members need to participate in the presentation. The instructor will explain the marking scheme for the presentation in week 1.

Assessment Task 3

Data project

Data project is to be done in the same groups as for the presentation. Groups are required to conduct empirical analysis on the given data set. The submission should include one mini report, including the research question, exhibits with tables and/or figures, a description of sample construction procedures, empirical model, discussion of empirical findings. Instruction and data will be provided on Wattle in week 3.

The reports should be double-spaced, converted into PDF, have a 12 point font and 5-page limit (excluding tables, figures and references). Cleaned dataset (which is used for analysis) and the report need to be uploaded to Wattle through Turnitin. The cover sheet of the report should include the names of all group members. The file should be named as “Data project - Group #". This assessment is compulsory and non-redeemable.

Assessment Task 4

Final exam

This is a on-campus invigilated closed-book exam. The final exam will be in the exam period and last for 120 minutes. The exam is compulsory and non-redeemable.

The exam is designed to test the student’s understanding and comprehension of the course material. It will consist of discussion questions, focusing on the content covered throughout the duration of the semester. Students will be provided with further details about the exam no later than week 10. The marking criteria will be based on answers prepared by the lecturer.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

Assignments for this course are submitted using Turnitin in the course Wattle site. You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Assignments must include the cover sheet provided on the course Wattle site. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

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 http://online.anu.edu.au/turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

No hardcopy submission is required.

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

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted 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 Access 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 all ANU students