| Semester 1, 2020 Online | |
| Short Description: | Strategic Investments |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts |
| School or Department : | School of Commerce |
| Student contribution band : | Band 3 |
| ASCED code : | 081105 - Investment and Securities |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Requisites
Pre-requisite: FIN8201 or FIN5000
Other requisites
Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to UConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at .
Rationale
In business and investment, risk has traditionally been interpreted in a negative way. Traditional investments focus on risk minimisation either by eliminating risk or reducing risk exposure. However, in recent years, many companies have found traditional investments are too narrow and constrain their activities. They have realised that what is needed is a calculated risk taking. This course provides an opportunity to learn how to exploit risk and investigate alternative investment strategies.
Synopsis
This course introduces the student to contemporary financial investment theory, analysis, and practice. Students should gain an understanding of major investment instruments such as debt and equity securities and company funds. Students also will have an appreciation for making strategic investment decisions with the consideration of risk. The course structure helps the student to build up mathematical literacy sufficient to understand investments.
Objectives
On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- describe financial products used for strategic risk taking;
- calculate bond value, yields and duration;
- value equities using appropriate techniques and metrics;
- show using behavioural finance how decisions can be suboptimal;
- discuss the salient features of different kinds of investment companies;
- explain modern portfolio formation using appropriate statistical concepts and measurements.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Foundations of financial mathematical literary | 15.00 |
| 2. | Financial products | 30.00 |
| 3. | Financial techniques and technologies | 30.00 |
| 4. | Strategic risk taking | 25.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=FIN8203)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Mayo, HB 2017, Investments: an introduction, 12th edn, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, Ohio.
Reference materials
Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
Bodie, Z, Kane, A & Marcus, A 2018, Investments, 11th edn, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New York.
Brailsford, T, Bilson, C & Heaney, R 2015, Investments: concepts and applications, 5th edn, Cengage Learning Australia, South Melbourne, Victoria.
Malkiel, BG 2016, A random walk down Wall Street: the time-tested strategy for successful investing, Revised and updated, WW Norton, New York.
Reilly, F & Brown, K 2018, Investment analysis and portfolio management, 11th edn, Cengage, Mason, Ohio.
Shiller, RJ 2016, Irrational exuberance, Revised and expanded, 3rd edn, Princeton 精东传媒app Press, Princeton, New Jersey.
Student workload expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Directed 精东传媒app | 36.00 |
| Independent 精东传媒app | 129.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ONLINE QUIZ 1 | 15 | 15 | 27 Mar 2020 | |
| ONLINE QUIZ 2 | 15 | 15 | 07 May 2020 | |
| ASSIGNMENT | 10 | 10 | 21 May 2020 | (see note 1) |
| ONLINE EXAM | 60 | 60 | End S1 | (see note 2) |
Notes
- The assignment details will be posted on 精东传媒appDesk.
- This will be an online exam. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the exam by their course examiner via 精东传媒appDesk. The examination date will be available via UConnect when the Alternate Assessment Schedule has been released.
Important assessment information
-
Attendance requirements:
Online: There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
On-campus: It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item.
Requirements after S1, 2020:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.) -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Requirements after S1, 2020:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle), and have satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), i.e. the end of semester examination by achieving at least 40% of the weighted marks available for that assessment item.
Supplementary assessment may be offered where a student has undertaken all of the required summative assessment items and has passed the Primary Hurdle but failed to satisfy the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised), or has satisfied the Secondary Hurdle (Supervised) but failed to achieve a passing Final Grade by 5% or less of the total weighted Marks.
To be awarded a passing grade for a supplementary assessment item (if applicable), a student must achieve at least 50% of the available marks for the supplementary assessment item as per the Assessment Procedure (point 4.4.2). -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course. -
Examination information:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: There is no examination in this course.
Requirements after S1, 2020:
This will be an open examination. Candidates may have access to any printed or written material and a non-programmable calculator during the examination. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: There is no examination in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations.
Requirements after S1, 2020:
Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period. -
精东传媒app Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene 精东传媒app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
Assessment notes
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Referencing in assignments:
Harvard (AGPS) is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use Harvard (AGPS) style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (AGPS) style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide at .