CORPFIN 7005 - Principles of Finance (M)

North Terrace Campus - Trimester 1 - 2024

This course introduces you to the world of modern finance, especially to the financial operations of a business. It covers the concepts of time value of money, basic asset valuation, risk and return paradigm, capital budgeting and financing decisions. Upon completion, students will be able to value bonds and stocks, estimate asset returns according to their risk characteristics and identify capital projects that maximize shareholder's wealth using a wide range of analytical tools. They will also develop a good understanding on how firms finance their capital expenditure.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code CORPFIN 7005
    Course Principles of Finance (M)
    Coordinating Unit Finance and Banking
    Term Trimester 1
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Assessment Exam/assignments/tests/tutorial work as prescribed at first lecture
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Chee Cheong

    Adelaide Trimester 1, 2023

    Dr Daniel Orlovsky
    E: daniel.orlovsky@adelaide.edu.au

    Dr Ivan Obaydin
    Senior Lecturer in Finance
    Adelaide Business School
    Level 12, 10 Pulteney Street
    South Australia, 5005, AUSTRALIA
    T: +61 8 8313 0788
    E: ivan.obaydin@adelaide.edu.au
    Adelaide Semester 1, 2023

    Dr Ratna Derina

    Lecturer in Finance
    Adelaide Business School
    Room 37, Level 12, 10 Pulteney Street
    South Australia, 5005, AUSTRALIA
    T: +61 8 8313 7137
    E: ratna.derina@adelaide.edu.au

    Dr Chee Seng Cheong

    Associate Professor in Finance
    Adelaide Business School
    Level 12, 10 Pulteney Street
    South Australia, 5005, AUSTRALIA
    T: +61 8 8313 0356
    E: chee.cheong@adelaide.edu.au
    Adelaide Trimester 2, 2023

    Dr Limin Xu

    Senior Lecturer in Finance
    Adelaide Business School
    Level 12, 10 Pulteney Street
    South Australia, 5005, AUSTRALIA
    E: limin.xu@adelaide.edu.au

    Adelaide Semester 2, 2023

    Dr Ratna Derina
    Lecturer in Finance
    Adelaide Business School
    Room 37, Level 12, 10 Pulteney Street
    South Australia, 5005, AUSTRALIA
    T: +61 8 8313 7137
    E: ratna.derina@adelaide.edu.au
    W:business.adelaide.edu.au

    Dr Chee Seng Cheong
    Associate Professor in Finance
    Adelaide Business School
    Level 12, 10 Pulteney Street
    South Australia, 5005, AUSTRALIAT: +61 8 8313 0356
    E: chee.cheong@adelaide.edu.au
    Adelaide Trimester 3, 2023

    Dr Limin Xu
    Senior Lecturer in Finance
    Adelaide Business School
    Level 12, 10 Pulteney Street
    South Australia, 5005, AUSTRALIA
    E: limin.xu@adelaide.edu.au
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
    1. Utilise time value of money principles to value bonds and shares.
    2. Employ various capital budgeting techniques to evaluate investment projects.
    3. Determine the risk and return of various investment assets.
    4. Explain and apply the theory of capital structure.

     

    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    1,2,3,4

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    1,2,3,4

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    1,2,3,4

    Attribute 7: Digital capabilities

    Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.

    1,2,3,4
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Textbook
    Parrino, Au Yong, Dempsey, Morkel-Kingsbury, James, Mazzola, Murray, Smales, and Wei, Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, 4th Edition, Wiley, 2020

    Calculator
    This course requires considerable mathematical computation. Although much of it is relatively simple, access to an appropriate calculator is necessary. If you intend to purchase a calculator for this course, you will find it useful to purchase a financial calculator. This is of particular relevance for the time value of money calculations - the relevant function keys include; PV, FV, PMT, n, I/Y, NPV, IRR.  Any financial calculator is suitable for this course.
    Recommended Resources
    Other Reference Books
    Berk, DeMarzo and Harford, Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, Global Edition, 5th Edition, Pearson, 2022.
    Ross, Westerfield and Jordan, Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, 13th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2022.
    Brealey, Myers and Marcus, Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, 11th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2022.

    Online Learning
    This course offering will be delivered both face-to-face and/or online.
    Relevant course links for Zoom will be made available via MyUni.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course will offer 3-hours of face-to-face / online interactive seminars from week 1 to week 12. Class attendance for the interactive seminar is an important component of student learning in this course and is likely to improve your assessment performance in this intake of the course. The communication skills developed in class by regular and active participation in discussions are considered to be most important by the Adelaide Business School and are highly regarded by employers and professional bodies.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Although not compulsory, students in this intake of the course are expected to attend all seminars throughout the trimester. The University expects full-time students (i.e. those taking 12 units per relevant term, i.e. enrolled in 4 courses) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This means that you are expected to commit approximately 9 hours (per course) of private study outside of your regular classes.
    Learning Activities Summary
    The schedule of lecture topics for this course is as follows:
    Chapter 1: The financial manager and the company
    Chapter 2: The financial environment and the level of interest rates (self-studies)
    Chapter 5: The time value of money
    Chapter 6: Discounted cash flows and valuation
    Chapter 7: Risk and return
    Chapter 8: Bond valuation and the structure of interest rates
    Chapter 9: Share valuation
    Chapter 10: The fundamentals of capital budgeting
    Chapter 11: Cash flows and capital budgeting
    Chapter 13: The cost of capital
    Chapter 16: Capital structure policy
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Due Weighting Learning Outcome
    Online Class Tests
    (Open book)
    Individual

    Trimester weeks 5, 7, 10
    and 12 (Wednesday)

    36% 1, 2, 3, 4
    Group Presentation Group Trimester weeks 8 and 9 (Friday / (Wednesday) 12% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
    Group Peer Review Group Trimester weeks 9 and 10 (Wednesday / Friday) 8% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
    Final Exam (Open book) Individual Exam Period 44% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6


    Assessment Detail
    a) Online open-book class tests (Individual)

    Over the course of the trimester, there will be 4 open-book online class tests scheduled for student completion on an individual basis, each with a 1 hour duration. Each of the online class tests will cover different topics from the course materials as listed below:

    Test Number     Topics                Date / Time                                                                           Max. Weight
        Test #1           1 to 3                 Week 5 – 3 March (1.50 to 2.55pm South Australian time)               12%
        Test #2           4 to 5                 Week 7 – 17 March (1.50 to 2.55pm South Australian time)             12%
        Test #3           6 to 7                 Week 10 – 7 April (1.50 to 2.55pm South Australian time)               12%
        Test #4              8                     Week 12 – 21 April (1.50 to 2.55pm South Australian time)             12%

    From the 4 available open-book online class tests scheduled in trimester weeks 5, 7, 10 and 12, students will obtain the best 3 marks from those attempted. Hence, students can be absent for a maximum of 1 test from those scheduled without affecting their overall course assessment as only 3 test marks (of 12% each) will finally be counted.

    Given the above, students will not have their test rescheduled if; unavailable, sick, experiencing technical problems, or otherwise absent for a specified open-book online class test, as they will still have the same opportunity to make up their assessment as any other student.

    Questions for each of the open-book online class tests will be comprised as follows:

    True-false (4 questions allocated 2 marks each) Total = 8 marks
    Multiple-choice (4 questions allocated 3 marks each) Total = 12 marks
    Discussion (1 question) – approximately 75 words Total = 5 marks
    Problem / calculation (2 questions allocated 5 marks each) Total = 10 marks
    Mixed problem / calculation / discussion (1 question) Total = 10 marks
    TOTAL TEST ALLOCATION 45 marks

    Importantly please note the following regarding the individual open-book online class tests:

    - the tests have been deliberately designed to have a speed, efficiency and accuracy component, whereby students will need to enter the test already having a (good to very good) familiarity of the relevant topic materials – hence they cannot use the online mode of the test to spend time reading / searching information for the first time regarding topic content, as students will quickly run out of time;
    - students can bring in / have access to any materials they require for the tests including financial calculator, other devices, scrap paper for notes etc.;
    - students who choose to sit the test(s) on-campus will also need to be respectful of other students in terms of noise / disturbances etc.;
    - no formula sheets / glossary will be provided in the online tests;
    - there will be an online test bank of questions prepared for each of the class tests whereby students will be randomly allocated questions for the class test, so questions will be different across the student cohort – although covering the same topic materials;
    - the true-false and multiple-choice questions will be marked only based on the final response submitted, whilst the discussion / calculation / problem-based questions will have marks allocated on the basis of student input, however not for direct ‘clicking and pasting’ of reference materials or reproducing the question – students are required to respond to, not merely restate the given question;
    - no negative marking will be applied to the class tests so it is in students interests to respond to each question where possible;
    - the test questions will not be definition-based questions – that is, other than to refresh students memory regarding particular topic areas, it is very unlikely that students will be able to use online resources as a basis of ‘clicking and pasting’ their test responses. This has been an issue / problem in undergraduate programs, however, I am sure with the additional maturity of students studying a postgraduate program at a leading University, they would not want this process used as the basis of assessing their understanding of course materials; and
    - tests will be generally be marked over the week following submission with feedback made available within the test document.

    Students will obtain their assessment result for this component in the form of a mark. This assessment component is allocated 36% of the total assessment marks for the course.

    Further details of this assessment component will be provided on MyUni during the trimester.

    b) Group Presentation (Group)

    During the trimester, students will form groups in order to give a short presentation to the class, to a number of discussion questions allocated to their group relevant to the course content. Group size for this assessment task will be dependent on final enrolment for this intake of the course and will be communicated to students in the earlier weeks of the trimester.

    The allocated group questions will be structured in such a way as they will rely on considerable student engagement with their colleagues, and will not be expected to provide for a ‘click and paste’ response. As a result, members will need to be able to devote appropriate, time, effort and energy to the completion of this assessment task.

    In preparation for the class presentation/role play, students will be expected to undertake research and discussion with group members, enabling them to articulate and communicate a broad range of knowledge and skills relevant to the course. All student groups will be required to provide the class cohort with a summary of their presentation in the form of a written outline and power point document in advance, as well as convey informed, constructive responses to end-of-presentation questions from other groups.

    All group members are expected to be involved in the presentation, however not all groups members will need to present. Each group members will obtain the same result for their group unless particular issues of concern are raised with the Course Coordinator.
    The group presentations will be undertaken in trimester week 9 (Wednesday 31 March) during the first part of the scheduled seminar time, either face-to-face or online via Zoom. Supporting documents for the presentation (written outline and power point document) will be required to be submitted to MyUni by the prior Friday (26 March) by 6pm South Australian time.

    Students will obtain their assessment result for this component in the form of a grade. A Grade Descriptor Summary outlining the basis for the grade allocated together with a reconciliation of the range of marks that a grade approximately represents (for example; a Credit+ grade would range from 69 to 74 marks), will be posted to MyUni during the trimester. This task is allocated 12% of the total assessment marks for the course.

    Further details of this assessment component will be provided on MyUni during the trimester.

    c) Group Peer Review (Group)

    A written evaluation of another group’s class presentation is required to be undertaken by each group – this is described as the group peer review. The groups will be the same as for the allocated presentation groups. As part of this process, student groups are expected to be able to articulate and communicate a broad range of knowledge and skills relevant to the general and specific content included in the course topics.

    The group peer review will consist of the following assessment task components;

    a) group members asking relevant, informed questions of the allocated presenting group, and
    b) providing constructive, critical feedback, each at the conclusion of the presentation, together with,
    c) the preparation and submission of a written peer review report.

    As the group presentations are held in trimester week 9 (Wednesday 31 March), group members will need to be available at this time to review the relevant allocated group presentation and ask the required questions as indicated above. Following the group presentations, a period of 9 days will be given to groups to finalise their written peer review report. Hence the written peer review report will be required to be submitted to MyUni by Friday 9 April (due 6pm South Australian time).

    Students will obtain their assessment result for this component in the form of a grade. A Grade Descriptor Summary outlining the basis for the grade allocated together with a reconciliation of the range of marks that a grade approximately represents (for example; a Credit+ grade would range from 69 to 74 marks) will be posted to MyUni during the trimester. This task is allocated 8% of the total assessment marks for the course.

    Further details of this assessment component will be provided on MyUni during the trimester.

    d) Online Open-book final exam (Individual)

    An open-book online final exam to be completed by students individually as scheduled during the University examination period. The final exam will be held over a duration of 2 hours plus reading time and will cover all 8 topics of the course materials.

    Questions in the final exam will comprise a combination of true-false, multiple choice, discussion / problem / calculation-based and mixed discussion / calculation-based questions. No negative marking will be applied to the final exam so it is in students interests to respond to each question where possible.

    This assessment component is allocated 44% of the total assessment marks for the course.

    Further details of this assessment component will be provided on MyUni during the trimester.


    Submission
    All assessments are to be submitted online via MyUni
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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