Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
About FMAA ............................................................................................................................................... 4 Preface .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Getting the most from your Commerce degree ......................................................................................... 9 Compulsory subjects....................................................................................................................................11 ACCT1101 Accounting for Decision Making ......................................................................................11 ACCT2101 Financial Reporting ........................................................................................................... 12 ACCT2102 Principles of Management Accounting ........................................................................... 13 ECON1010 Introductory Microeconomics ......................................................................................... 14 ECON1020 Introductory Macroeconomics ........................................................................................ 15 ECON1310 Quantitative Economic & Business Analysis A ............................................................. 17 ECON1320 -- Quantitative Economic & Business Analysis B............................................................. 18 FINM2401 Financial Management ..................................................................................................... 19 LAWS1100 Business Law ................................................................................................................... 20 MGTS1201 Introduction to Computer Based Information Systems ................................................ 21 MGTS1301 Introduction to Management ........................................................................................... 22 MKTG1501 Foundations of Marketing ............................................................................................... 23 Accounting Major ...................................................................................................................................... 24 ACCT3101 Auditing and Public Practice ........................................................................................... 24 ACCT3102 External Reporting Issues ................................................................................................ 25 ACCT3103 Accounting for Corporate Structures ............................................................................. 26 ACCT3104 Principles of Management Accounting .......................................................................... 28 ACCT3105 (awaiting response) ............................................................................................................ 29 LAWS3100 Corporations Law .............................................................................................................30 LAWS3101 Income Tax Law ............................................................................................................... 31 Business Information Systems Major ....................................................................................................... 33 ACCT3201 Business Information Systems ........................................................................................ 33 INFS3222 Systems Analysis and Design ............................................................................................34 MGTS2202 Data and Information Management ...............................................................................36 MGTS3203 Database Management in Business .................................................................................38 MGTS3207 Managing the Virtual Organisation .............................................................................. 40 MGTS3208 Managing Information Systems and Services ............................................................... 41 Finance Major ............................................................................................................................................ 42 2
ECON2200 Management of Financial Institutions .......................................................................... 42 ECON2300 Introductory Econometrics .............................................................................................43 ECON3210 Financial Markets and Institutions .................................................................................45 FINM3401 Corporate Finance ............................................................................................................ 46 FINM3402 Investments and Portfolio Management ........................................................................ 48 FINM3403 International Financial Management ............................................................................. 49 FINM3404 Banking and Lending Decisions ......................................................................................50 FINM3405 Derivatives and Risk Management .................................................................................. 51
About FMAA
The Financial Management Association of Australia was established in 1990 at The University of Melbourne. With the continuing support of Gold and Founding Sponsor, the Macquarie Group, the FMAA actively promotes the career awareness of students and facilitates involvement in business-related activities. At UQ, The FMAA is an incorporated student society affiliated with the UQ Union. At UQ we run a number of events including:
Down-to-Business Luncheon 21 March Corporate Cocktails 15 May Mid-tier Accounting Event 19 March (TBA) Professional Services Evening 14 August International Students Careers Forum - TBA First Year Event/ Intern Speaker Night - TBA And firm-specific events such as barbeques and innovation cafs - TBA
The UBS Investment Banking Challenge End of Semester 1 (TBA) FMAA Management Consulting Competition Start of Semester 2 (TBA) DCM Blue Lake Share Trading - TBA The CFA Analyst Competition - TBA
In addition, we have started a Peer Mentoring program to make the transition into your first year at UQ easier. For more details on this program, including how to register, head to our Facebook page or website. Nationally, we benefit from strong connections with other universities and a broad variety of sponsors. In 1994 the University of Sydney branch opened, followed by the University of Queensland in 1995, the University of New South Wales in 2009 and Monash University in 2012. Today we have about 4,500 members nationally, making us the largest professionally-focused student organisation in Australia.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
CONSULTING
LEGAL SERVICES..
PROFESSIONAL BODIES.
NOT-FOR-PROFIT
Contributors
Special thanks to the following people for their fantastic reviews:
Andrew Lee Ash Joseph Ben Ngo Bryton Chin Fiona Blanch Harry Sullivan Jackson Chen Jacob Casson Jessica Fernandez Johnny Black Joseph Rich Kane Bennett Karim Moummar Rodriguez Kate Williams Katija Lusic Katrina Byrne Laura McKennariey Leong Ooi Martin Rose Matt Smith Melissa Chan Paddy McCann Pippa Leahy Rajat Mathew Samir Bhagat Talisia Conway Tanushree Venaik And extra thanks go to Joel Van Veluwen for his invaluable contribution to the Business Information Systems reviews. Compass publication team Daniel Claes Daniel Mouat Filip Milosavlijevic Hugo Visscher Joseph Rich
Preface
Studying Commerce at UQ can be a highly rewarding, albeit daunting, experience. With up to a thousand students in introductory courses, it can be particularly difficult to navigate your way around campus and receive advice on how best to approach your degree. It is our hope that this guide will make it easier to find out information that until now has mostly been spread by word of mouth. If things go as planned, it will be easier to pick courses and youll be more prepared when it comes time for assessment. Offering more detailed advice on the order in which to attempt courses is more difficult given the variety of dual degree combinations students may be studying. Broadly speaking, you should arrange courses so that you complete prerequisites and recommended courses first, and if we believe a subject will assist you in studying another we have done our best to make a note. If youre unsure of your commitment to Commerce you should also see what courses overlap with Business Management and Economics (there are many) and attempt these courses first: it will make changing later much easier. Some students like to save introductory courses for later in their degree to balance out tougher thirdyear ones and this is a strategy you may wish to pursue. Choosing a major can also be particularly difficult but after having done the first three accounting courses, the one introductory finance course and an introduction to computer-based information systems it should be much easier. If youre in doubt, you have the ability to complete a dual major, although it must be noted that this requires all six of your Commerce electives. You should also think about which career you would like, be it in a professional services firm, a bank or a consulting firm, as this will influence your choice of major. Attending FMAA events to hear from these companies first hand is particularly insightful. Lastly, we would like to wholeheartedly thank everyone who submitted course reviews and encourage you to submit as many reviews as you can in the future: your invaluable gems of wisdom will be of great benefit to your fellow students.
many of the concepts you learn in class will be applicable to the articles you read in the business press. A familiarity with current trends and business personalities in your area will be helpful during the interview process. Additionally, you should be on the lookout for opportunities to enhance your rsum. There are student competitions, volunteer opportunities, and summer internships that can help you stand out from the crowd. Student clubs and societies offer a chance to network with fellow students who may one day be clients, colleagues or contacts in your working life. Above all, have fun. Your years at university are a special time in your life. Enjoy all the university has to offer.
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Compulsory subjects
ACCT1101 Accounting for Decision Making
Course Details Offered: Semester 1 & 2 Prerequisites: None. Assessment: Group Assignment Mid-Semester Exam Final Exam Contact hours: 2L 2T Course coordinator: Robert Ferguson 25% 25% 50% Overview This course is an introduction into accounting practices used by individuals and businesses when making economic decisions. The focus of this course is recording, reading and interpreting financial documents such as a balance sheets and income statements. Advantages The workshops are really good as they go through exam-style questions. The course content is well-structured and the past exams mirror what is on the final. The group assignments procedural nature means obtaining good marks is a matter of commitment, although it is fairly time consuming. Students who have previously had accounting experience will learn to use and interpret documents key for businesses, raising their financial literacy. If you did accounting at high school, youll have an advantage in this course as much of the material will repeat key concepts. Disadvantages While students who have taken accounting courses in high school will have an academic advantage, they may find much of the material repetitive. The group assignment can be challenging for those who dont know their group or who havent done a group assignment before. Tips Attending the workshops can be useful in staying on top of the content. Ensure that each individual group member checks the entire assignment because it forms a large portion of the assessment and a mistake can be easily missed. Past exams are also useful in preparing for the final exam as it will give an idea of what students can expect to see and how questions will be presented. Take care when picking your group; if you know people doing the course with whom you would work well, team up with them. If you dont know your group, forming a Facebook group can help organise tasks and check on members progress.
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PASS sessions are recommended because you receive a summary sheet of the weeks content in addition to revising theory and problem questions. If youre completing this course before, or at the same time as, ECON1010, reading the first four chapters of the textbook is recommended because they cover the main points of assumed knowledge from ECON1010.
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Prerequisites: None.
Assessment: Individual Assignment Mid-Semester Exam Final Exam
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Accounting Major
ACCT3101 Auditing and Public Practice
Course Details Offered: Semester 1 & 2 Overview Topics covered included: financial information; demand & supply; the audit profession and audit process; evidence, program planning, statistical sampling; examinations; analysis of organisation; internal control, testing of transactions, balances and allocations; the computer; reports; and responsibilities of an auditor. 10% 40% 50% Advantages Although the content can be dry, the course is useful for understanding how a company is audited. Most students find the tutorials covered much of the course content so attending tutorials is of great benefit. This course is particularly useful if a student is considering a career in auditing. Disadvantages The questions practiced in the tutorials do not fully reflect the questions in the exam, so preparing for a wide range of questions is recommended. Some students found the content dry. Tips It is useful to complete tutorial questions before attending class to thoroughly understand the processes involved in different types of questions. It is similarly beneficial to attempt lecture examples before the lecturer explains them. Exam questions are theory-based so preparation requires a lot of memorisation and well-reasoned answers. Terminology seemed to be lecturerspecific so use outside resources with caution. Content from the mid-semester was revisited on the final, so make sure you keep revising it.
Prerequisites: ACCT2101
Assessment: Assignment Mid-Semester Exam Final Exam Contact hours: 2L 1T Course coordinator: Debbie Jeffery
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Prerequisites: ACCT2101
Contact hours: 2L 2T
The lecturer hinted at particular questions to focus on and practice - however for the final exam, it is still vital to have been exposed to all accounting scenarios.
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ACCT3105
Course Details: Offered: Semester 1 Prerequisites: ACCT3104 Assessment: Tutorial Exercises Assignment 1 Assignment 2 Presentation Final Exam Contact hours: 2L 2T Course coordinator: Professor Donald Anderson 10% 10% 10% 15% 55% Overview Accounting information relevant for planning, control & performance evaluation decisions by management in business and non-business organisations; alternative analyses and systems; conceptual issues and behavioural implications.
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Students are forced to keep up to date with the course due to tutorial participation marks. This course is recommended for students aspiring to work in small to medium firms or tax.
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The textbook and any databasing materials can be very helpful to clarify your understanding of the material.
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theory are very important for MGTS3207 and MGTS3208 - so take good notes.
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develop your skills further. Revise INFS3222 materials to understand databasing and use textbooks to solidify your database knowledge.
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Finance Major
ECON2200 Management of Financial Institutions
Note: this course is only available with the Finance Major for students who started a BCom before 2012. Students are unable to study this course with ECOn3210 as part of a Finance major. Course Details Offered: Semester 2 Prerequisites: ECON1010 Assessment: Online Tests Mid-Semester Exam Final Exam Contact hours: 2L 2W Course coordinator: Dr Frederique Bracoud Overview The course content is very engaging, covering a wide variety of fundamental financial and economic concepts such as bonds, shares and monetary policy. Aspects of modern banking theory and of financial institutions management are also examined. Advantages 20% 30% 50% The lecture materials and assigned reading aligned very well with the tutorial questions, enabling a full understanding of each topic. The lecturer was excellent in providing students with a wealth of resources: PowerPoint slides provided a good summary of the textbook, saving a lot of time compared to doing extra reading while practice online quizzes so there is immediate feedback available when practicing for multiple choice questions. This course is generally easier than its counterpart, ECON3210, and students should bear this in mind when choosing between them. Disadvantages You wont be able to do this course unless you started your BCom prior to 2012. This course was highly rated by students with few to no listed disadvantages. Tips Taking this course early in your degree (if you can) would be beneficial. The course provides the much needed ground work to understand many of the higher level concepts in the electives. Secondly, its recommended that students take advantage of resources available online. Your result is largely dictated by the time spent using the resources available, so doing the readings and keeping up to date with the course content is essential.
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Course Details Offered: Semester 1 & 2 Prerequisites: ECON1310 Assessment: Online Quizzes Mid-Semester Exam Final Exam Contact hours: 2L 2P Course coordinator: A/Prof A. Rambaldi (Sem 1) Professor Christopher ODonnell (Sem 2)
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Tips Lecture slides are generally helpful, however students would be well advised to listen to the lecture simultaneously with the slides - more than half of the content in the slides consists of practical examples which make little sense without an accompanying verbal explanation. Watching the lectures online is potentially a better approach in this course for some. It requires a methodical approach, and pausing the lecture recordings to understand various topics is particularly helpful in ECON2300. The textbook is overly verbose and at times not well-linked to the course content . The statistical software Eviews is used constantly throughout the course. You will not be able to pass this subject without an understanding of Eviews. It is used in lectures, tutorials, assignments, and exams. Eviews 'outputs' are provided for every exam question, and without an understanding of how to read those outputs, the questions cannot be completed. Eviews can be purchased at a student discount for around $25 online. It is otherwise only available on a limited number of computers in the Colin Clark building (it is, very inconveniently, not available on normal library computers). Past exams were helpful for getting an idea of the structure and content of future exams, especially as the course doesnt tend to drastically change. Tutorial attendance is essential as the answers provided at the end of the week dont go into great amounts of detail.
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This is widely regarded as the most difficult finance elective (dont let the one in 3401 fool you!). Taking courses like FINM3405 (Derivatives) and FINM 3402 (Investments) is highly recommended: these courses are slightly easier and cover the foundations of Corporate Finance.
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In this course it seemed that it was most important that you were able to do the tutorial and practice exam questions. Understanding the processes, rather than memorising them, is essential. Completing this course before Corporate Finance will make your study of the latter easier.
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