BFX4060 - Issues in corporate finance - 2019

The objective of this course is to develop critical economic reasoning and understanding of important empirical regularities in corporate finance. This unit builds on introductory corporate finance studies and analyses a variety of issues by introducing a study of recent empirical literature. There is a strong focus on research with a selective and critical examination of theoretical and empirical research in corporate finance. The advanced topics covered include market efficiency and event studies, security offerings, corporate takeovers, and capital structure, dividend policy, corporate governance and financial tunnelling.

The learning goals associated with this unit are to:

1. acquire knowledge of empirical findings in corporate finance
2. develop an ability to conceptualise and analyse issues in corporate finance at a sound level of understanding and be in a position to make a significant contribution in setting firm financial policy
3. critically evaluate underlying theories, concepts, assumptions, limitations and arguments in corporate financial theory
4. develop analytical skills via understanding the intuition and logic behind recent academic research and the possible extension to the recent research
5. demonstrate in an individual summative assessment tasks the acquisition of a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered by BFX4060.

Within semester assessment: 50% + Examination: 50%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information