FT

Faculty of Business and Law

MAF203 Business Finance

Deakin University Unit Guide
Trimester 2, 2015

CONTENTS
WELCOME ........................................................................................................................................................ 2
2
2
2
2
3
3

UNIT OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................

Unit code ...................................................................................................................................................
Unit title ....................................................................................................................................................
Contact hours ...........................................................................................................................................
Study commitment ....................................................................................................................................
Unit prerequisite(s) ..................................................................................................................................
Unit corequisite(s) ....................................................................................................................................
Unit incompatible(s) .................................................................................................................................
DESCRIPTION OF UNIT .................................................................................................................................

3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4

FT

CONTACT DETAILS .........................................................................................................................................

Unit chair ..................................................................................................................................................
Unit chair details ......................................................................................................................................
Other staff .................................................................................................................................................
Administrative queries ..............................................................................................................................
IMPROVEMENTS IN RESPONSE TO STUDENT FEEDBACK ....................................................................

ACADEMIC CALENDAR .................................................................................................................................. 4

UNIT TIMELINES ............................................................................................................................................ 4
UNIT LEARNING OUTCOMES ....................................................................................................................... 5

UNIT LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................ 6

UNIT ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................................................ 7

Overview ................................................................................................................................................... 7
Hurdle requirements ................................................................................................................................ 7
Summative assessment ............................................................................................................................. 7
- Summative assessment task 1 ................................................................................................................ 7
- Summative assessment task 2 ................................................................................................................ 8
- Summative assessment task 3 ................................................................................................................ 8
Note .......................................................................................................................................................... 9
Assignment submission ............................................................................................................................. 9
UNIT LEARNING RESOURCES ...................................................................................................................... 9
Essential learning resources ..................................................................................................................... 9
Recommended learning resources ......................................................................................................... 10

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Deakin University, Faculty of Business and Law

MAF203 Business Finance - Trimester 2, 2015
WELCOME

CONTACT DETAILS
Unit chair

FT

Welcome to MAF203 Business Finance. This is an extremely interesting and rewarding Unit for students
who are keen to understand how financial decisions are made by business organisations.
The theory of finance plays a significant role in effective financial management of firms. Financial managers
must have solid finance foundation to develop sound financial policies to benefit their firm and its
shareholders. This course provides an introduction of key theories and skills required for good financial
management. It introduces financial concepts, analytical tools and issues that provide the necessary guidelines
to solve many corporate finance problems.
To successfully complete this unit you will need the Unit Guide and the Workshop Program which are available
for you to download from CloudDeakin website. You will also need the prescribed textbook. The printed book
or e-text can be purchased from the University bookshop. The textbook will also give you the access to iStudy,
an interactive learning tool. There are a 2-hour lecture and a 1 hour workshop each week. The workshop
covers material from the previous weeks lecture. However, please note that workshops start in week 1. The
first workshop serves as an introduction of some important material from MAF101. In addition, you are
encouraged to purchase a finance calculator (e.g., Sharp EL738 or Sharp EL-735S), which will be useful for
this subject as well as other finance subjects.
There are three assessments in this Unit: online multiple choice test, group assignment and the final
examination.
It is important to note that Business Finance is taught on the assumption that students have an understanding
of the basic concepts, principles and analytic techniques found in MAF101.
If you need any assistance on any academic matter related to this unit, please do not hesitate to contact your
lecturer or the unit chair. You will find their contact details in the unit guide.
Please note it is absolutely essential that you have the prescribed textbook and a financial calculator before
the commencement of the trimester.
We wish you all the best.
MAF203 Teaching Team.

S Deb (Trimester 1), D Doan (Trimester 2)

Unit chair details

Unit Chair Name Dr. Daisy Doan

School Department of Finance
Faculty Business and Law
Campus Melbourne Burwood Campus
Email d.doan@deakin.edu.au
Phone +61 (03) 92446563

+61 3 9244 6633

Other staff

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Deakin University, Faculty of Business and Law

MAF203 Business Finance - Trimester 2, 2015
Burwood Teaching
Staff

Samson Ekanayake

Campus

Melbourne Burwood Campus

Email

samson.ekanayake@deakin.edu.au

Phone

+61 3 92446563

Geelong Teaching
Staff

Stephen Williams

Campus

Geelong Waterfront Campus

Email

stephen.williams@deakin.edu.au

Phone

+61 3 5227 2126

Geelong Teaching
Staff

Rebecca Ratcliffe

Campus

Warrnambool Campus

Email

rebecca.ratcliffe@deakin.edu.au

Phone

TBA

+61 3 92446563

Administrative queries

Enquiries can be made via email to:

FT

+61 3 5227 2126

Faculty of Business and Law - student advisers

Tel 03 9244 6555
Email buslaw@deakin.edu.au

IMPROVEMENTS IN RESPONSE TO STUDENT FEEDBACK

Towards the end of the teaching period you will be emailed a link to the Student Evaluation of Teaching and
Units (SETU) survey for this unit. I encourage you to complete this as the results are used to help assess
curriculum, teaching and assessment directions in this unit.
The following aspects of the unit have been introduced or enhanced in response to feedback from students
who have undertaken this unit in previous Trimesters:
Videos, highlighting the important issues and concepts in each topic, are made available on CloudDeakin.

UNIT OVERVIEW
Unit code
MAF203

Unit title
Business Finance

Contact hours

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Deakin University, Faculty of Business and Law

MAF203 Business Finance - Trimester 2, 2015
Campus: 1 x 2 hour class and 1 x 1 hour seminar per week
Cloud (online): Learning experiences are via CloudDeakin

Study commitment
Students will on average spend 150 hours over the trimester undertaking the teaching, learning and
assessment activities for this unit. This will include 3 face-to-face contact hours per week (1 x 2-hour lecture
and 1 x 1-hour workshop) and online and other problem-based exercises.

Unit prerequisite(s)
MAF101

FT

Unit corequisite(s)
Nil
Unit incompatible(s)
Nil

DESCRIPTION OF UNIT

The focus of the unit is the finance function of a typical firm. The finance manager's role in financial decisions
is emphasised. Topics include: valuation concepts; risk and rates of return; capital budgeting and project
evaluation; working capital management; capital structure; cost of capital; and dividend policy.

ACADEMIC CALENDAR

Trimester 2 teaching period begins

Intra-trimester break
Teaching period ends
Study period
Examinations begin
Examinations end
Inter-trimester break
Results released

Monday 13 July 2015

Monday 10 August to Sunday 16 August 2015
Friday 2 October 2015
Monday 5 to Friday 9 October 2015
Monday 12 October 2015
Friday 23 October 2015
Monday 26 October to Friday 6 November 2015
Friday 6 November 2015

UNIT TIMELINES

UNIT PLANNER and LECTURE SCHEDULE

The following table lists the dates of lectures, topics and other activities in the unit week-by-week during the
trimester.
It is a guide only and there may be variations in order to accommodate any special needs of the class, public
holidays or other circumstances.
Week Commencing Topic

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Special learning activities

Assessment due
date

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Deakin University, Faculty of Business and Law

MAF203 Business Finance - Trimester 2, 2015

13 July

Financial manager of the

company
Reading: chapter 1 of the
prescribed textbook.

20 July

Discounted cash flows and

valuation
Reading: chapters 5 and 6.

27 July

Risk and return

Reading: chapter 7.

3 August

4 &5

17 August

Fundamentals of capital
budgeting
Reading: Chapter 10.

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Topic 4: Bond valuation and the

structure of interest rates
Reading: chapters 2, 5 and 8.
Topic 5: Share valuation
Reading: chapter 9.

24 August

7&8

31 August

The cost of capital

Reading: chapter 13.

7 September

10

Working capital management

Reading: chapter 14.

Topic 11: Capital financing

Reading: chapter 15.
14 September 11 & 12 Topic 12: Capital structure
policy
Reading: chapter 16.

10

Topic 7:Cash flows and capital

budgeting
Reading: chapter 11.
Topic 8: Project economics and
capital budgeting Reading:
chapter 12.

21 September 13

Dividends and dividend policy

Reading: chapter 17.

11

28 September 14

Revision

CloudDeakin online
test covers topics 1
to 6.
The test opens at
9.00 am Friday 28th
August and closes at
9pm Sunday 30th
August.

Group Assignment
Due at 5pm on
Friday, 18th
September.
(To be submitted on
CloudDeakin- No print
or e-mail submission)

UNIT LEARNING OUTCOMES

The Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) listed below describe what you are expected to have achieved on
completion of this unit. Each ULO relates to one or more of the Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs)
which describe the knowledge and capabilities you should acquire and be able to apply and demonstrate at the
completion of your course (see below). Not all of the GLOs are developed and assessed in every unit.

ULO: At the completion of this unit students

can:

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The ULO relates to the

following DGLO/s:

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Deakin University, Faculty of Business and Law

MAF203 Business Finance - Trimester 2, 2015
ULO: At the completion of this unit students
can:

The ULO relates to the

following DGLO/s:

Comprehend conceptual foundation for

ULO1 financial decision-making in a typical
business firm.

DGLO1: Discipline-specific
knowledge and capabilities

ULO2

Evaluate risk-return trade-off in firm's

financial decisions.

DGLO4: Critical thinking

Apply relevant analytical techniques for

valuation of bond and share, short-term and DGLO4:Critical thinking
ULO3
long-term investment and financing decisions DGLO5: Problem solving
and working capital management.
Analyse implications of alternative methods of
DGLO1: Discipline-specific
capital financing and of alternative capital
ULO4
knowledge and capabilities.
structures to cost of capital and value of a
DGLO4: Critical thinking
firm.
Analyse theory and practice of dividend
policy.

DGLO1: Discipline-specific
knowledge and capabilities.
DGLO4: Critical thinking

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ULO5

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) are systematically integrated into courses by contextualising
them as Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) which are then mapped to the units of study that make up the
course. Up to six Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) are developed and assessed for each unit that describe what
students are expected to have achieved on successful completion of the unit. All ULOs should be assessed via
summative assessment. For more information about the development of CLOs and ULOs see the Guide to
Course Enhancement
at: http://www.deakin.edu.au/learning/designing-assessing-and-evaluating-learning/enhancing-courses.

GLO1 Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities:

appropriate to the level of study related to a
discipline or profession
GLO2 Communication: using oral, written and
interpersonal communication to inform,
motivate and effect change
GLO3 Digital literacy: using technologies to find,
use and disseminate information
GLO4 Critical thinking: evaluating information using
critical and analytical thinking and judgment

GLO5 Problem solving: creating solutions to authentic

(real world and ill-defined) problems
GLO6 Self-management: working and learning
independently, and taking responsibility for
personal actions
GLO7 Teamwork: working and learning with others
from different disciplines and backgrounds
GLO8 Global citizenship: engaging ethically and
productively in the professional context and
with diverse communities and cultures in a
global context

UNIT LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Learning approach and activities
This unit comprises 2 hours of lectures and a 1-hour workshop per week. Teaching methods will be based on
collaborative learning. All students have access to communicate electronically with staff and fellow students.
The text book is the first hand resource for this unit and provides extensive supporting materials. This is
where most of the workshop questions are taken from. Extended use of online facilities including CloudDeakin
will be applied for teaching and further discussions. Online teaching methods require Internet access and
online communication via CloudDeakin. All students are expected to participate in and contribute to
class-room/CloudDeakin-based discussions.
CloudDeakin
Students should constantly refer to the MAF203 - Business Finance CloudDeakin venue to find specific
information with regard to the Unit. The workshop program will be provided on CloudDeakin at the beginning

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Deakin University, Faculty of Business and Law

MAF203 Business Finance - Trimester 2, 2015

FT

of the trimester. This unit utilises CloudDeakin for communication, posting notices and for providing learning
resources. CloudDeakin is an integral part of the unit and therefore students are expected to access the unit
site frequently. Weekly lecture slides, video recordings giving an overview and highlighting the issues
covered in each topic, suggested answers to the workshop questions and other relevant material will be posted
in CloudDeakin. Lectures will be audio streamed to all students through the iLecture facility (Echo) via
CloudDeakin.
Students are highly recommended to read the relevant chapters in the Prescribed Text Book and
short videos available on CloudDeakin before attending the lectures and workshops.
Students are encouraged to use the iStudy which comes wit the textbook and the Quizzes provided
on CloudDeakin
This Unit moves very quickly through a large body of material and knowledge in a progressive manner (i.e., in
a sequential, cumulative manner). Therefore, it is essential to complete the assigned readings, watch the
videos and prepare for workshop questions on a weekly basis. Students who do not spend at least 9 hours
(including 3 contact hours) per week on this unit starting from week 1, may find it difficult to successfully
complete this Unit.

UNIT ASSESSMENT
Overview

Hurdle requirements

Assessment 1 Cloud (Online) Test 10%

Assessment 2 (group of 3-4 students) Assignment 3000 words 30%
Examination 2 hours 60%
Hurdle requirement achieve at least 50% of the marks available on the examination

Rationale

50% of the marks allocated for the final

examination

The hurdle requirement in the unit will ensure students meet

the learning objectives and are assessed on their own merit in
the final examination.

Brief summary of hurdle requirement

Summative assessment

This information must be consistent with the Handbook entry.

- Summative assessment task 1

Summative Assessment Task 1
Brief description of assessment task

The online test is of 1 hour duration.

The test opens at 9.00 am Friday 28th August and closes at
9pm Sunday 30th August.

Detail of student output

The test covers topics 1 to 6. This is an open-book test

Weight
(% total mark for unit)

10%

Unit Learning Outcome(s) assessed

ULOs: 1, 2 and 3.

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcome(s)

assessed

DGLO1 - Discipline specific knowledge and capabilities

DGL05- Problem Solving

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MAF203 Business Finance - Trimester 2, 2015
What early feedback will student get,
how and when?

After the test results are released, students will be provided

with sample answers

Due date and form of submission

Online submission via CloudDeakin between 9.00 am Friday

28th August and 9pm Sunday 30th August.

- Summative assessment task 2

Summative assessment Task 2
Assignment (Group of 3 to 4 students)
Word limit: 3000 words

Detail of student output

A well presented report of maximum 3000 words

Weight
(% total mark for unit)

30%

Unit Learning Outcome(s) assessed

ULO1, ULO2, and ULO3

Deakin Graduate Learning

Outcome(s) (GLO) assessed

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities.

GLO 4: Critical thinking-ability of the students is tested with this
assessment task.
GLO7:Teamwork: the assessment component examines the
student's ability to work in a team from different disciplines and
backgrounds.
GLO8: Global citizenship: engage ethically and professionally in
completing the assessment task.

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Brief description of assessment task

What early feedback will student get, Students will be given timely feedback through a Rubric system.
how and when?
Detail descriptions on the feedback will be placed on CloudDeakin.

Due date and form of submission

Group assignment due at 5pm on Friday, 18th September (

Melbourne Time).
Assignments should be uploaded on CloudDeakin. No e-mail or
postal submission is accepted.

- Summative assessment task 3

Summative assessment task 3

Final Exam

Brief description of assessment

task

The final examination is a closed book. Students are allowed to bring

along a financial calculator in the examination hall. Further details
on the nature and content coverage of the exam will be provided in
due course on CloudDeakin.

Detail of student output

This is a 2-hour examination

Weight
(% total mark for unit)

60%

Unit Learning Outcome(s)

assessed

ULO1, ULO2, ULO3, ULO4 and ULO5.

Deakin Graduate Learning

Outcome(s) (GLO) assessed

DGLO1 - Discipline specific knowledge and capabilities

DGLO4 - Critical Thinking
DGL05 - Problem Solving

What early feedback will student

get, how and when?

The results of the final examination will be released as per Deakin

university result release schedule.

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Deakin University, Faculty of Business and Law

MAF203 Business Finance - Trimester 2, 2015
Due date and form of submission

Students are required to check the Trimester 2, 2015 examination

time table to find out the final examination date of this unit.

Note
Full details of assessment tasks will normally be published in CloudDeakin by the week before the beginning of
trimester.

Assignment submission

Essential learning resources

UNIT LEARNING RESOURCES

FT

You must keep a backup copy of every assignment you submit, until the marked assignment has
been returned to you.
In the unlikely event that one of your assignments is misplaced, you will need to submit your backup
copy.
Any work you submit may be checked by electronic or other means for the purposes of detecting
collusion and/or plagiarism.
When you are required to submit an assignment through CloudDeakin, you will receive an email to
your Deakin email address confirming that it has been submitted. You should check that you can see
your assignment in the Submissions view of the Assignment folder after upload, and check for, and
keep, the email receipt for the submission

Fundamentals of Corporate Finance (Australian 2nd Edition) by Parrino, Kidwell, Au Yong, Demsey,
Morkel-Kingsbury, Ekanayake, Kofoed and Murray. Published in 2014 by John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 9781118378076

LEARNING RESOURCES
Prescribed textbook(s) and other resources which you must acquire or to which you must have
access
Fundamentals of Corporate Finance (Australian 2nd Edition) by Parrino, Kidwell, Au Yong, Demsey,
Morkel-Kingsbury, Ekanayake, Kofoed and Murray. Published in 2014 by John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 9781118378076
You may acquire either the printed (hard copy) or the e-text version of the textbook via DUSA
Bookshop. The e-text can also be downloaded from www.wiley.com (Please make sure you download
the Australian 2nd Edition). The e-text is much cheaper than the printed textbook.
You will also get access to the iStudy package (version 2) when you buy the textbook. The
interactive iStudy contains a range of modules, problems, and videos to enhance student
understanding of key concepts.
DUSA Bookshop:
ph 1800 686 681 1800 686 681 FREE (freecall)
email to dusa-bookshop@deakin.edu.au or
order online from the DUSA Bookshop web site at http://www.dusabookshop.com.au
Financial Calculator:
We strongly encourage you to use a financial calculator in this unit. The textbook and lecture
demonstrations of relevant financial calculations will be based on Sharp EL 735S. Using a financial
calculator may save your time when doing calculations in the Test and the Final Examination.
Learning resources provided by the University

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Deakin University, Faculty of Business and Law

MAF203 Business Finance - Trimester 2, 2015
The learning resources listed in the table below are provided to you online via CloudDeakin.
Resource
Description
Weekly lecture recordings
Echo recordings
Workshop program and suggested Suggested solutions will be uploaded only after the completion of the
solutions
relevant workshop session.
Introductory videos
Video recordings highlighting the important issues and areas in each
Concept Videos
topic
Video recordings explaining some of the important concepts of the Unit
Selected Material
Any other current and relevant videos/articles (or links to such material)
which will enhance students broader understanding of the topics.
Further essential resources which you must acquire or to which you must have access
You will require online access. University specifications for online communication and computer standards
are listed in the University Handbooks.

FT

Recommended learning resources

The Deakin Software Library provides students with access to software that you may need or find useful for
your study at Deakin.
The Deakin Learning ToolKit is a CD-Rom containing a number of resources such as:

Web browsers and other software

information about the Library

Financial Analysts Journal

Business Review Weekly
Personal Investment
Australian Financial Review

Internet sites

Aust Financial Markets Association: www.afma.com.au

Australian Stock Exchange: www.asx.com.au
AFR Trading Room: www.tradingroom.com.au
Security Brokers www.comsec.com.au
CNN Financial news www.money.cnn.com
Finance executives website: www3.cfo.com

Other Resources
Read Financial news papers available in the Library, e.g., The Financial Review
Journals

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