This unit is a core in the Business Systems Professional Track for the current degrees of the Master of Business Systems (MBS) and the Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS)and for the new Master of Business Information Systems (MBIS)to commence in 2009. This subject introduces the IT students to the fundamentals of operational finance in an IT setting.

9 Oct 2009 - This unit has been updated as part of a 2009 review and comparison of data with current Handbook, Syllabus + and Callista data.

17 March 2010 - After the introduction of FIT9017 Foundations in Programming as a MBIS foundation unit GPC requested that all units with FIT9004 Computer Programming for Business as a Foundation as a prerequisite be reviewed. As a result of this review FIT9017 has been added to FIT5159 as prerequisite requirements. This amendment can take effect immediately as there is no impact on currently enrolled students.

21 May, 2013 - Revised pre-requisites to cater for transition arrangements in relation to the introduction of the new version of the MBIS in 2014.

18 July 13 - Amending prerequisites and prohibitions, effective Semester 1 2014.

13 August 2013 - Amended the objectives to learning outcomes to align with AQF requirements.

22/10/2014 - Amended prerequisite requirements by adding 2015, FIT9xxx version of 2014, FIT5xxx foundation units. Approved at GPC 4/14 (Item 6.2).

24/10/16 - Updating special timetable requirements to be clearer on studio resource requirements.

20/01/2017 - Changed exam time to comply with the maximum 2-hour exam rule. Due to this change, I would like to extend the reading time to 30 minutes reading and noting time so that students would have sufficient time to read and complete their exams.

21/01/2017 - Corrected room number typos in Workload/Special Requirements field. Effective Semester 1, 2017.

21/02/2017- Discussed with Ms Robinson. Amendment to Workload requirements is effective Semester 2,2017 and not S1,2017, as unit is offered in Semester 2,2017.

25/06/2018 - Admin: Update to assessment removing the 30 minute reading and noting time from the exam on behalf of the CE. Fixed formatting in learning outcomes.

21/08/2018 - Changed workload requirements from "laboratories" to "tutorials" to reflect the nature of the classes and to align with the timetabling terminology.

24/9/2019: Admin - adding 10 minutes to the exam duration as per University requirements.

11/11/2019: Removing disestablished units from prerequisite list. Effective 2020.

29/09/2020 - Admin: Update to include new assessment and teaching approach fields as per Handbook requirements.

The role of this unit is to prepare students who may have no or little prior finance knowledge as applied in a computing setting for the business world. In particular, it ensures that students may understand and know how to apply (using computers) the lingua franca' of the business world: finance. The unit scope addresses the strong demand in business and industry for technically sophisticated graduates who are well-versed in analytical and computing techniques but who also understand the rudiments of finance. Students will benefit from exposure to the knowledge and application skills of operational finance using the latest spreadsheet techniques and artificial intelligent techniques in the context of business and corporate settings.

On the completion of this unit students should be to:

1. explain the core foundations of finance, as appropriate to key financial analysis and decision making;
2. analyse the core technologies that support financial analysis and decision making;
3. implement quantitative techniques supporting financial analysis and decision making;
4. apply the technologies and techniques studied to solving financial issues;
5. analyse financial solution requirements and select appropriate technical and quantitative decision aids;
6. interpret outputs from quantitative and technology based finance tools to aid in decision making.

020399

This unit provides students with an understanding of the development and use of IT tools and techniques for modelling and decision support in the field of finance. The unit is designed to give students a broad understanding of the financial subsystems confronting business enterprises. The main focus, besides the traditional modelling of finance decision making process using spreadsheet tools, will be IT tools and related techniques that can aid in the analysis and interpretation of real financial problems confronting an enterprise. This unit will look at business related financial issues in the context of specific case studies.

Technological requirements

You will need access to Expert Choice software and spreadsheets. The software is available in the labs.

On-campus

Peer assisted learning

Examination (2 hours and 10 minutes): 60%; In-semester assessment: 40%

1. Assessment of financial health with spreadsheet tool (Individual assessment task) - 15% - ULO: 1, 3, 4, 6
2. Financial investment analysis using AHP framework (Group assessment task) - 20% (Report: 15%; Presentation: 5%) - ULO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
3. Continual assessment during tutorial participation - 5% - ULO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
4. End of semester exam - 60% - ULO: 1, 2, 3, 6

6

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:

(b.) Additional requirements (all students):

All studios need to be scheduled in 24/7 studios (B3.42B, B3.46, B3.46B and/or B3.48). Software for this unit can be installed in all of these 4 rooms BUT the unit can only have 2 parallel studios running. License restrictions mean that students cannot access the software across more than 2 rooms at one time. Reason: The unit needs to use a licensed software, Expert Choice, which is only installed in the studios that the tutorials are scheduled. Students need to access to the software to complete their assignment. High demand of software usage was observed in the past, and 24/7 studios can accommodate more student demand.

FIT

Callista prerequisites: No prerequisites for MBIS (Professional) (3341.2), MBIS (Honours) (3343), MIT (2402.5), MIT Professional (3348.1), MIT (Professional) (2402.6), MIT (Honours) (3349), PGDIT (2411) and PGCIT (2423)

Callista & Handbook prerequisites: FIT9131 or equivalent