Learning Guide

FIN201 - CORPORATE FINANCE

Trimester 2 - 2024
 FIN201 - CORPORATE FINANCE
TRIMESTER 2 - 2024

Course Detail
Course code FIN201

Course name CORPORATE FINANCE

Unit overview
The Corporate Finance course is designed to introduce the theoretical basis and empirical framework for
corporate financial decision making. It is concerned with various essential topics in finance, including financial
statements analysis, making capital investment decision, bond & stock valuation, risk & return, capital structure,
and leasing.

Pre-requisites
Principles of Economics.

Contacts
Below is a list of contacts for this unit. Please liaise directly with your unit instructor regarding appropriate
consultation times. It is usually best to contact the staff via email.
Dr. Nguyen NGUYEN
Unit Coordinator
Email: nguyen.nguyenduc@westernsydney.edu.vn
Dr. Thoa TU
Email: thoa.tuthikim@westernsydney.edu.vn
Mr. Long TRAN
Teaching team*
Email: long.trandinh@westernsydney.edu.vn
Ms. Mai NGO
Email: mai.ngocaongoc@westernsydney.edu.vn
Student Inquiries Contact the Admin Team – Please click HERE.
Note:
* Please direct your email to an appropriate lecturer. In addition, please refer to the Email etiquette section
for guidance.

Page | 1
 FIN201 - CORPORATE FINANCE
TRIMESTER 2- 2024

Course Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes for the unit are outlined below. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
LO1 Summarize basic concepts regarding types of financial management decisions, the roles and goals of the
financial manager, and forms of business organization.
LO2 Interpret basic accounting items and the information provided by financial statements.
LO3 Compute a firm’s operating cash flows and important financial ratios indicating a corporate's financial
position.
LO4 Calculate the valuation of discounted cashflows and different types of securities.
LO5 Analyse the capital budgeting process and lease-versus-buy decision based on relevant cash flows.
LO6 Express the relationship between risk and return and the Capital Asset Pricing Model.
LO7 Compute indicators of risk and return of an individual stocks as well as a portfolio of multiple stocks, the
weighted average cost of capital, the cost of equity and the cost of debt.
LO8 Distinguish relevant theories and assumptions associated with the firm’s capital structure.
LO9 Construct various indicators associated with the operating cycle, cash cycle and demonstrate the cash
budgeting process.

Assessment
Assessment structure
This course contains 5 (five) assessments, structured as follows:

ASSESSMENT LEARNING WEIGHT

ASSESSMENT ITEM AND DUE DATE TYPE THRESHOLD
NUMBER OUTCOMES (/100)

1. Class participation and discussion Individual LO1 to LO9 10% No

72-hour Take-home exercises (4
2. Group LO4 to LO7 20% No
assignments)
3. Pre-lecture online quizzes (weekly) Individual LO1 to LO9 10% No
4. Post-lecture online quizzes (weekly) Individual LO1 to LO9 10% No
5. Final examination Individual LO4 to LO9 50% Yes – 35%
Final marks and grades are subject to confirmation by the School Assessment Committees which may scale,
modify, or otherwise amend the marks and grades for the unit, as may be required by the University policies.
Note: To successfully complete this unit, students must:
- Achieve a minimum of 50 marks,
- Complete all assessment items; and
- Attend 80 percent of class time. See attendance requirements in the section of class policies and rules
below.
- Assessment 5 has a threshold mark of 35%, i.e., you are required to achieve a minimum 35% mark for this
assessment and an overall pass mark (at least 50%) to pass the unit.

Assessment Details
Assessment 1: Class participation and discussion (10%)
Due: Ongoing throughout the duration of the course.

Details
Class participation includes taking part in class discussions (this involves listening/reading as well as
writing/speaking and completing all in-class activities), asking questions, contributing your knowledge and
insights in whatever form is appropriate, and striving to make all your contributions excellent. It also includes
doing quick quizzes and the required reading and writing for each class.

Page | 2
 FIN201 - CORPORATE FINANCE
TRIMESTER 2- 2024
Attendance is checked by the lecturer. You are permitted no more than 20% absences during the term. Coming
late by 15 minutes at the beginning of the class, coming late by 5 minutes after the break, or leaving prior to
the scheduled end time without the permission of the lecturer will equate to an absence.

Assessment 2: 72-Hour Take-home Exercises (20%)

Due: Ongoing throughout the duration of the course.
Details
Four assignments will be delivered to students after relevant lectures. Students are allocated into groups. The
groups will have up to 72 hours, after the relevant lecture, to complete the exercises and submit them to the
system.
Assignments 1, 2, 3 and 4 cover sessions 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively. All assignments contain written
questions with extensive calculations. Students must explain their answers clearly and ensure that the
assignments are free from typos and grammatical errors before submission.
Answers to the questions are typed in Microsoft Word which is then converted into PDF for submissions.
Please note that hand-written answers, which are then copied as the images into the Word documents, will NOT
be accepted. In addition, the cover sheet and peer-review form need to be attached with all assignments. Finally,
only ONE submission for each group is required. Multiple submissions of the same exercises will be penalised
(10% of the mark given to that assignment).

Assessment 3: Pre-lecture Online Quizzes (10%)

Due: Set online for each quiz before the lecture.
Details:
The pre-lecture online quizzes will be in the form of multiple-choice questions, which are uploaded on LMS with
specified due dates. The online quizzes are compulsory and should be fully completed. Missing any quiz can be
considered not complete and receives a zero mark. It should be noted that the quizzes cannot be reopened for
any reasons.
Note: Technical issues affecting the completion of the quizzes need to be reported within one week from the due
date.

Assessment 4: Post-lecture Online Quizzes (10%)

Due: Set online for each quiz after the lecture.
Details:
The post-lecture online quizzes will be in the form of multiple-choice questions, which are uploaded on LMS with
specified due dates. The online quizzes are compulsory and should be fully completed. Missing any quiz can be
considered not complete and receives a zero mark. It should be noted that the quizzes cannot be reopened for
any reasons.
Note: Technical issues affecting the completion of the quizzes need to be reported within one week from the due
date.

Assessment 5: Final exam (Individual) (50%)

Due: TBA.
Length: 2 hours.

Details
Analytical Calculations & Written Answers based on Required Readings, Lectures, and Case Studies covered in
relevant chapters. The final exam will test on Learning Outcomes 6 to 9 and Chapters 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 21, and
26 of Ross, Westerfield & Jaffe, 13th Edition.
Note:
- Students are required to show their work for all questions. Students will receive no credit for answers without
work even if it is correct. But they may receive partial credit for wrong answers with partially correct work.
- Students are expected to leave plenty of decimal places (>=4 decimal places or following the guidance in each
question) for intermediate steps.

Page | 3
 FIN201 - CORPORATE FINANCE
TRIMESTER 2- 2024

Marking criteria and standards

Based on logic, accuracy, correctness, and comprehensiveness of answers.

General submission requirements

Assignment cover sheet
All assignments are to be submitted with an Assignment Cover Sheet. Group assignments are to be submitted
with a Group Assignment Cover Sheet. Non-contributing team members can sometimes be an issue with group-
work structured assessment. Individual student group work scores may be adjusted as a result of peer
dissatisfaction with a particular student’s contribution to group work assignments, as reflected in additional
submissions of the evaluation form.

Note: Assignment cover sheets and the evaluation form can be located on E-learning system
(https://lms.westernsydney.edu.vn/). Students are to keep a copy of all assignments submitted for marking.

Submission style and method

A professional standard of presentation is expected for all assignments. Assignments should be typed, one and a
half spaced, on A4 paper. Use a simple clear format, suitable for a report to senior management in a commercial
organisation.

All assignments are required to be submitted electronically via E-learning system

(https://lms.westernsydney.edu.vn/) and lecturer’s email by 11:55 PM on the due date and if required, in hard
copies to the unit coordinator by the due date. The title of assignment submitted via E-learning system shall
be as follows: Student name_Unitname_Name of Assignment.

Late assignment and make-up policy

Coursework and assignments are expected to be completed within the stated time frame. No late assignments
will be accepted unless prior authorisation granted by the coordinator. In case such an authorisation is not
granted, grade deduction will be applied. The coordinator may decide not to accept assignments that are not
submitted within 3 days after the assignment due date. However, if there are extenuating or unforeseen
circumstances, an exception may be granted at the discretion of the unit coordinator and based on a Special
Consideration Application for assessment task extension.

All quizzes, group assignments, and final exam must be taken on the assigned dates. If there are extenuating or
unforeseen circumstances, the unit coordinator must be contacted prior to the quiz or exam dates to authorize
a make-up if required. No make-up quiz or exam will be accepted unless a prior approval granted by the unit
coordinator based on a Special Consideration Application for a supplementary examination.

Page | 4
 FIN201 - CORPORATE FINANCE
TRIMESTER 2- 2024

Teaching and Learning Activities

Course Schedule
SESSION LECTURE TUTORIALS READINGS
Introduction to Corporate Course overview, teaching Chapter 1, Ross, Westerfield,
Finance. and learning policy. & Jaffe, 13th Edition.
Discussion on assessments,
expectation, and deadlines for
all assessments.
1
Financial Statements and Cash ▪ Recommended problems Chapters 2 Ross, Westerfield,
Flow (In-class and homework): & Jaffe, 13th Edition
Chapter 2: 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 13,
14, 18, 20.
Financial Statements Analysis ▪ Recommended problems Chapters 3 Ross, Westerfield,
(In-class and homework): & Jaffe, 13th Edition
2
▪ Chapter 3: 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13,
19, and 20.
Discounted Cash Flow Valuation ▪ Recommended problems Chapters 4, Ross, Westerfield,
(In-class and homework): & Jaffe, 13th Edition
3
Chapter 4: 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13,
18, 23, 25, 36, 45, and 48.
Making Capital Investment ▪ Recommended problems Chapter 6, Ross, Westerfield,
Decisions (In-class and homework): & Jaffe, 13th Edition
4
Chapter 6: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11,
20, and 23
Bond Valuation ▪ Recommended problems Chapters 8, Ross, Westerfield,
(In-class and homework): & Jaffe, 13th Edition
5 Chapter 8: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10,
17, 18, and 28.
▪
Stock Valuation ▪ Recommended problems Chapters 9, Ross, Westerfield,
(In-class and homework): & Jaffe, 13th Edition
6 Chapter 9: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11,
12, 13, 14, 15, and 16.

Risk and Return ▪ Recommended problems Chapter 10, Ross.,

(In-class and homework): Westerfield, & Jaffe, 13th
Chapter 10: 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, Edition
13, 19, and 23. (Skip parts related to the U.S.
Market history)
7
The Capital Asset Pricing Model ▪ Recommended problems Chapter 11, Ross.,
(CAPM) (In-class and homework): Westerfield, & Jaffe, 13th
Chapter 11: 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, Edition
13, 14, 15, 16, 22, 23, and 27.
Risk, Cost of Capital, and ▪ Recommended problems Chapter 13, Ross.,
Valuation (In-class and homework): Westerfield, & Jaffe, 13th
8
▪ Chapter 13: 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, Edition
17, and 19.
Capital Structure ▪ Recommended problems Chapter 16, Ross.,
(In-class and homework): Westerfield, & Jaffe, 13th
9 ▪ Chapter 16: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, Edition
13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, and
25.
Leasing ▪ Recommended problems
Chapter 21, Ross.,
(In-class and homework):
10 Westerfield, & Jaffe, 13th
▪ Chapter 21: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
Edition
9, 10, 13, 14, and 15.
Short-Term Finance and Planning ▪ Recommended problems Chapter 26, Ross.,
(In-class and homework): Westerfield, & Jaffe, 13th ed.
11
▪ Chapter 26: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
and 12.
12 Revision Exercises of Chapters 10, 11, 13, 16, 21, and 26.

Page | 5
 FIN201 - CORPORATE FINANCE
TRIMESTER 2- 2024

Tutorials
Tutorials following the lecture in each session provide students the opportunity to apply and share knowledge
by doing a variety of in-class activities individually or in groups such as exercises and discussion. These activities
focus on demonstrating your skills and help you build your ability to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit.
It is required to set tutorial appointments with lecturer in a prior notice via email.
Tutorial questions/exercises will be regularly set. You will be expected to have completed specific reading and
exercises from the textbook and other required materials prior to attending each lecture and tutorial class. If
you have not prepared adequately, you will not get the full benefit from this learning opportunity.

Learning resources
List of readings
Prescribed Ross, S., Westerfield, R., Jaffe, Corporate Finance (13th ed.).
Textbook
Recommended Brigham, E.F., & Houston, J. (2009). Fundamentals of Financial Management (12thed.). Cengage
readings Learning.

Online resources
Smart Library
E-library https://smartlib.ueh.edu.vn/
Sign in with student email and password.
E-learning https://lms.westernsydney.edu.vn/

Referencing requirements
Student assignments are to contain original content created by the students. Assignments will be rejected if they
include plagiarised content or contain excessive amounts of quoted/cited material and minimal original content.
Students will receive a grade of ZERO (0%) for any assignments rejected for this reason. Written assignments
WILL BE RANDOMLY checked by the lecturer with Turnitin.com, an online plagiarism-checking tool.

Furthermore, your reference to support your statements must be from a reliable source, such as textbooks,
additional reading materials, and reference books. However, many websites are not reliable sources. Examples
are Wikipedia.org, about.com, and ask.com. If you are not sure if a reference is acceptable or not, please contact
the lecturer.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th ed. will serve as the primary
reference materials for all students. Therefore, all papers must be submitted in APA format. The mechanics of
student papers and work will be evaluated, as well as the content. It is imperative that guidelines be reviewed
before an assignment is begun. It is also important that the required submission format be followed in compiling
the final paper or assignment.

Course Evaluation and Quality Assurance

Feedback is regularly sought from students and continual improvements are made based on this feedback. At
the end of this course, students will be asked to complete some surveys, which provide a source of student
evaluative feedback on teaching and on course quality. Your input into this quality enhancement process is
extremely valuable in assisting us to meet the needs of our students and provide an effective and enriching
learning experience. The results of all surveys are carefully considered and do lead to action towards enhancing
educational quality.

Page | 6
 FIN201 - CORPORATE FINANCE
TRIMESTER 2- 2024

Class Policies
Teaching times and location
Please note that teaching times and locations are subject to change. Students are strongly advised to refer to the
ISB website (https://myisb.isb.edu.vn/) for the most up-to-date teaching times and locations.

Attendance requirement
UEH-ISB policy requires to check class attendance for each class. Class attendance is compulsory, and students
should provide reasons for the failure to attend the class on a particular lecture/workshop session. Students are
required to attend a minimum of 80% of all classes to secure class participation marks. Please let your lecturer
and/or UEH-ISB know if you are unable to attend any session.

Arriving to class late by 15 minutes at the beginning, arriving late by 5 minutes after the break, or leaving
prior to the scheduled end time without the permission of the lecturer will equate to an absence. Grade
reductions for the unit will be assessed when final grades are assigned if the above absence rule is violated during
the unit.

Electronic device use

Cell phones will be turned off or switched to vibrate mode before class starts. No phone calls or text messaging
are allowed inside classroom during class time. Portable listening and/or music devices may not be operated in
the classroom. Headphones and/or ear buds of any type may not be worn while in the classroom whether
operating or not. Laptop and other electronic devices are not permitted unless specifically authorised by the
lecturer exclusively for note taking and doing class work. If you are in violation of these policies, you will be
excused from class and an absence will be assessed.

Email etiquette
Your lecturer receives many emails each day. In order to enable them to respond to your emails appropriately
and in a timely fashion, students are asked to follow basic requirements of professional communication. Firstly,
all emails should have a concise and descriptive title, including the class and name of the unit you are enquiring
about as your teacher may be teaching more than one unit/class. Students need to be clear about the intention
of their emails, use appropriate tone and language, proof-read what is written in the email before sending it.
Students should also allow 3-4 working days for a response before following up. If the matter is legitimately
urgent, you may indicate this in the email subject header but be sure that the email does require an immediate
response before using this strategy. If your email request is complex and requires a lengthy response it may be
probably best to make an appointment with your teacher to meet in person.

Student behaviour guidelines

Everyone must behave professionally. Students are expected to always demonstrate respect for teacher and
fellow students. Behaviour that is disruptive to a positive learning environment reported to the teacher will
result in a warning on the first instance; the second instance might result in a failing grade along with expulsion
from the course or program.

Students are to be punctual at every class session and group meeting. Homework, readings, and other required
assignments must be well prepared and completed as scheduled. Students must also actively participate in
classroom activities and discussions.

Any student caught (1) cheating on an exam, (2) collaborating with others on work to be presented, if contrary
to the stated rules of the course, (3) submitting, if contrary to the rules of the course, work previously submitted
in another course, (4) knowingly and intentionally assisting another student in any of the above actions,
including assistance in an arrangement whereby work, classroom performance, examination, or other activity is
submitted or performed by a person other than the student under whose name the work is submitted or
performed, or (5) plagiarising, may fail the class and be subject to further disciplinary action. First violation will
result in a grade ZERO (0%) for that assignment. Second violation will result in a failing course grade.

Page | 7
 FIN201 - CORPORATE FINANCE
TRIMESTER 2- 2024

Disability support services

Students with disabilities are advised that accommodations and services are available at UEH-ISB. It is the
student's responsibility to contact UEH-ISB office and submit appropriate documentation prior to receiving such
services.

Additional information
This Learning Guide may be revised at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator with approval from Program
Academic Director and School Academic Committee where appropriate.

Page | 8