ACF5130 Financial statement analysis and business valuation Unit Guide Semester 2, 2014 Copyright Monash University 2014. All rights reserved. Except as provided in the Copyright Act 1968, this work may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the host Faculty and School/Department. The information contained in this unit guide is correct at time of publication. The University has the right to change any of the elements contained in this document at any time. Last updated: 27 Jun 2014
Table of Contents ACF5130 Financial statement analysis and business valuation - Semester 2, 2014...1 Mode of Delivery...1 Workload requirements...1 Unit Relationships...1 Prohibitions...1 Chief Examiner(s)...1 Campus Lecturer(s)...1 Caulfield...1 Your feedback to Us...1 Previous Student Evaluations of this Unit...2 Academic Overview...3 Learning Outcomes...3 Unit Schedule...4 Teaching Approach...6 Assessment Summary...6 Hurdle Requirements...7 Second marking...7 Return of final marks...7 Exam viewing...7 Assessment criteria...8 Assessment Requirements...9 Assessment Tasks...9 Assessment task 1...9 Assessment task 2...10 Examination(s)...11 Examination 1...11 Learning resources...11 Feedback to you...11 Assignment submission...11 Online submission...11 Required Resources...11 Prescribed text(s) and readings...12 Recommended text(s) and readings...12 Other Information...13 Policies...13 Graduate Attributes Policy...13 Student Charter...13 Student services...13 Monash University Library...13 Moodle 2...13 Disability Liaison Unit...14
ACF5130 Financial statement analysis and business valuation - Semester 2, 2014 The focus of this unit is on the process of business valuation. Topics include capital markets issues, evaluation of industry profitability, accounting analysis including evaluation of earnings management techniques, preparation of pro-forma statements, forecasting, bankruptcy analysis, and business valuation techniques. Mode of Delivery Caulfield (Day) Caulfield (Evening) Workload requirements Minimum total expected workload equals 144 hours per semester. Unit Relationships Prohibitions ACC5130, AFF5090, AFF5130 Chief Examiner(s) Mr Mukesh Garg Campus Lecturer(s) Caulfield Ms Cynthia Cai Campus: Caulfield Email: Cynthia.Cai@monash.edu Dr Dean Hanlon Campus: Caulfield Email: Dean.Hanlon@monash.edu Your feedback to Us Monash is committed to excellence in education and regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through the Student Evaluation of Teaching and Units (SETU) survey. The University s student evaluation policy requires that every unit is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement. 1
ACF5130 Financial statement analysis and business valuation - Semester 2, 2014 For more information on Monash s educational strategy, see: www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions/ and on student evaluations, see: www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html Previous Student Evaluations of this Unit If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to https://emuapps.monash.edu.au/unitevaluations/index.jsp 2
Academic Overview Learning Outcomes The learning goals associated with this unit are to: 1. compare and contrast approaches to business valuation 2. apply economic, industry and business analysis in the valuation process 3. evaluate an entity's accounting information and perform fundamental and financial analysis using a contemporary approach 4. apply prospective analysis including forecasting and valuation to a merger and acquisition case 5. develop capabilities to work effectively in a group; and/or demonstrate effective individual research skills to produce a professional quality business document to solve a valuation problem; and/or deliver a professional quality presentation; and/or develop oral communication skills and demonstrate independent thinking through contributions to class discussions; and demonstrate in individual summative assessment tasks the acquisition of an comprehensive understanding of the topics covered by this unit. 3
Unit Schedule Week Activities Assessment 0 No formal assessment or activities are undertaken in week 0 1 Introduction to the unit: Introduction to investing and valuation; Introduction to the financial statements; Steps to equity analysis; The role of eval software. Readings: Chp 1 and seminar notes Task: Students to form groups and start thinking of a company for their project. List of companies will be provided by the lecturer 2 Capital market analysis: Capital markets; Stock exchange listing; Share ownership; Company data and information collection; Information disclosure and information asymmetry. Readings: Chp 2 and seminar notes; Task: Finalise your groups; Project in progress by all groups; Discussion on project and team formation Seminar questions: Discussion questions from past exams. Questions on Week 1 topic available on Moodle Seminar will be held in the STAR Lab for disclosure and price reaction exercise. 3 Business analysis: Macroeconomic analysis; Industry analysis; Business strategy analysis. Readings: Chp 3 and seminar notes Seminar questions: Discussion questions from past exams; Questions on Week 2 topic available on Moodle 4 Corporate governance analysis: Corporate governance regulation; Analysis of earnings quality and earnings management studies; Corporate governance literature. Readings: Seminar notes, ASX CGCBPR; Seminar questions Text book: Bally Total Fitneess (Q1); Boston Chicken (Q1, 2 and 3) Discussion questions from past exams; Questions on Week 3 topic available on Moodle 5 Accrual quality analysis: Discussion on earnings attributes; Measure of accruals quality using quantitative methods; Earnings persistence; Discretionary accruals measures - times series and cross sectional. Readings: Seminar notes; Seminar questions: Discussion questions from past exams ; Questions on Week 4 topic available on Moodle Presentations of project: Capital market analysis 6 Overview of accounting analysis: Understanding accounting information; Accounting information and valuation; Limitations of accounting information. Readings: Chp 4 and seminar notes Seminar questions: Discussion questions from past exams; Questions on Week 5 topic available on Moodle Revision of accrual quality measure; with illustrations, questions on accrual quality; Presentations of project: Introduction to the unit: â Introduction to investing and valuation â Introduction to valuation project requirements â Steps to equity analysis â Company data and information collection â Introduction to the financial statements â The role of eval software 4
Unit Schedule Macroeconomic, business strategy & industry analysis 7 Implementing accounting analysis: Sources of accounting measurement errors; Detection of red flags; Recasting financial statements. Readings: Chp 4 and seminar notes Seminar questions: â Netflix Inc. (Q3, 4 and 5) Discussion questions from past exams ; Questions on Week 6 topic available on Moodle Presentations of project: Corporate governance analysis 8 Financial analysis: Times series and cross sectional; Financial ratio analysis; Modelling credit risk; Evaluating past and future cash flow. Readings: Chp 5, chp 6 and seminar notes Seminar questions: Overstock.com (Q3, 4, 5, and 6) Discussion questions from past exams ; Questions on Week 7 topic available on Moodle Presentations of project: Accrual quality analysis 9 Forecasting: Structure of forecasting and framework; Forecasting horizon; Terminal period assumptions; Forecasting assumptions; Forecasting with eval; Forecasting items of balance sheet and income statement. Readings: Chp 7, chp 8 and seminar notes Seminar questions: Overstock.com (Q7, 8 and 9); Bally Total Fitness (Q 2, 3, 4 and 5) Discussion questions from past exams ; Questions on Week 8 topic available on Moodle Presentations of project: Accounting analysis and implementation 10 Risk analysis and measures of cost of capital: Analysis of types of risk; Risk disclosure; Risk mitigation; Realised measures of cost of capital; Implied measures of cost of capital; WACC. Readings: Chp 9 and seminar notes Seminar questions: Overstock.com (Q10, 11, 12 and 13) Discussion questions from past exams ; Questions on Week 9 topic available on Moodle Presentations of project: Financial analysis 11 Valuation theory and implementation: Residual income valuation; Discounted cash flow valuation; Present value computation; Valuing contingent claims and other adjustments. Readings: Chp 10 and seminar notes Seminar questions: Discussion questions from past exams ; Questions on Week 10 topic available on Moodle Presentations of project: Forecasting 12 Valuation ratios and other complications: Market to book ratio; Price to earnings ratio; PEG ratio; Negative values and abandonment; Analyst reports; Revision; Exam discussion. Readings: Chp 11, chp 12 and seminar notes Seminar questions: Overstock.com (Q14, 15, 16 and 17) Discussion questions from past exams ; Questions on Week 11 topic available on Moodle Presentations of project: Risk analysis, cost of capital and valuation 5
Unit Schedule SWOT VAC Examination period No formal assessment is undertaken SWOT VAC LINK to Assessment Policy: http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/ academic/education/assessment/ assessment-in-coursework-policy.html Teaching Approach This unit will be taught as a three-hour seminar tutorial each week for 12 weeks. You are expected to attend all seminars. The seminars will not cover every aspect of each topic listed in the Unit Schedule as you are expected to acquire a comprehensive understanding by undertaking the prescribed and recommended reading and by completing the week-by-week tutorial activities and other in-semester assessment tasks. In general you are expected to spend two to three hours of self-directed study for each hour in class. Some of this time should be devoted to discussions with other students. The benefit of such discussions will be enhanced if you have completed relevant prescribed and recommended reading and/or started or completed the current assessment task(s). The prescribed and recommended readings are listed in this guide and on the unit's Moodle web-site. The Moodle web-site provides access to relevant material including past examination papers and model answers. These resources will enable you to develop a mastery of the topics covered by the unit. To ensure a high probability of successfully completing this unit, you need to manage your time and studies in a systematic way. At a minimum this should involve: reading prescribed and selected recommended material prior to attending lectures; completing week-by-week tutorial activities tasks prior to attending tutorials; attempting relevant questions from past final examination papers and in-semester tests; discussions with past and present students; and revision of the semester's work during the SWOT-Vac and prior to the final examination. Assessment Summary Within semester assessment: 35% Examination: 65% Assessment Task Value Due Date Group asignment - business valuation 30% Part 1 is by 4:00 pm on Friday, 19 September AND Part 2 is by 4:00 pm on Friday, 24 October Seminar presentation 10% dependent upon topic: see unit schedule Examination 1 60% To be advised 6
Unit Schedule Hurdle Requirements There is a hurdle requirement for this unit. The learning outcomes of this unit require you to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered in the unit. Hence the hurdle requirement for this unit requires that you must attain a mark of at least 50% in the final examination. If you fail the unit solely because of failure to satisfy the hurdle requirement, a mark of 48 will be determined by the faculty's Board of Examiners on the recommendation of the unit's Chief Examiner. The outcome from application of the hurdle requirement is often misunderstood by students who are awarded 48N. For example, some students mistakenly believe that 48N means they failed the final examination by two marks and that a second re-mark of their examination paper might find two extra marks. Whereas 48N does not provide any indication of the mark attained in the final examination other than a mark less than 50% was awarded. The following example should make the application of the hurdle requirement clear. In this unit 40% of the assessment regime is allocated to in-semester assessment and 60% to the final 3-hour examination. A student enrolled in this unit might achieve 35 out of 40 for their in-semester assessment and 25 out of 60 for the final examination. While the overall total of these marks is 60C the final examination mark is five marks below the required 50%. Consequently a mark of 48N will be determined by the faculty's Board of Examiners on the recommendation of the unit's Chief Examiner. Second marking Where an assessment task is given a fail grade by an examiner, that piece of work will be marked again by a second examiner who will independently evaluate the work, and consult with the first marker. No student will be awarded a fail grade for an assessment task or unit without a second examiner confirming the result. Note: Exceptions to this are individual pieces of assessment contributing 10% or less of the final mark, unless the total of such pieces exceeds 30% of the final mark. Return of final marks Faculty policy states that 'the final mark that a student receives for a unit will be determined by the Board of Examiners on the recommendation of the Chief Examiner taking into account all aspects of assessment'. The final mark for this unit will be released by the Board of Examiners on the date nominated in the Faculty Calendar. Student results will be accessible through the my.monash portal. Exam viewing Feedback on student performance in examinations and other end-of-semester assessment is required. The feedback should be in accordance with the University's procedures on Unit Assessment. Details of the examination script viewing arrangements will be set by the Department of Accounting and Finance. 7
Unit Schedule Assessment criteria Assessment Criteria Grading Descriptors available at: http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/esg/agu/policies/assessment.html. 8
Assessment Requirements Assessment Tasks Assessment task 1 Title: Group asignment - business valuation Due date: Part 1 is by 4:00 pm on Friday, 19 September AND Part 2 is by 4:00 pm on Friday, 24 October Details of task: Groups will undertake this project for an Australian listed company, chosen by the group from a list of companies. To initially commence the project, you need to obtain the information on the chosen company. The report for this project will be prepared using economic, business strategy and industry analysis, corporate governance analysis, accrual quality, accounting analysis, financial analysis, forecasting, risk analysis followed by valuation of the company s shares. The group (acting as independent consultants) will prepare a report that presents a case for the acquisition of substantial number of shares in the project company. Once the company has been chosen and their financial statements and other information obtained, groups can progressively complete each part of the project once the topic has been discussed in the designated seminar. In this way, students will learn the teaching materials and theories in the seminars and apply them to the particulars of their chosen company. Although this project is due in week 8 and week 12 of semester, each group will present their progress on the project (once) in the seminars throughout the semester. At the beginning of the semester, the lecturer will advise you on which groups will present to the class during which week of seminars. Further details of the above will be provided in the first seminar. The above projects will be undertaken in GROUPS. Depending on the number of students enrolled, groups can consist of 2 to 3 students. Please note that all projects must be typed and have a high level of professional presentation. Full names of the group members, their ID numbers and company name must be printed on the front page of the project report. The due date for submission of part 1 of the assignment is week 8 and for part 2 is Week 12. Note: Project participants MUST attend the same seminar. Word limit: approx. 5,000 in for both parts combined (no appendices or attachments allowed) Weighting/Value: 30% Estimated return date: Marked assignments will be returned to you prior to the Final Examination. Criteria for marking: Overall, the work submitted for assessment will be graded in accord with the table showing examples of grades and corresponding achievement levels published in the Q Manual (2012, p.6). A detailed marking guide will be available via Moodle. Learning objectives assessed: This assessment task is designed to test your group s achievement of learning objectives 1 5. Submission details: Assignments should be submitted via the department assignment box at Accounting and Finance, Caulfield Campus, Building H, Level 3 or by emailing a pdf file to 9
Assessment Requirements Mukesh.garg@monash.edu. Work submitted for assessment must be accompanied by a completed and signed assignment coversheet. Each member of the group must sign and submit an assignment cover sheet. Additional information: Group formation and management Students will form a group of 2 or 3 students from the same tutorial Choose an Australian company from the list provided by the tutor. No two groups can follow the same company in the same tutorial. Complete the group information form and submit it to your tutor. The group members will make a choice on the company and presentation week but final decision is made by the tutor on a first come first serve basis. The lecturer will suggest a day for your seminar presentation There will be 1 or 2 presentation each week and all group members have to present. Notification and resolution of disputes Issues with the group, such as uncooperative individuals or a failure to contribute must be drawn to the attention of the Chief Examiner well in advance of submission of group assignments. In case of a group work dispute students can submit a voluntary task allocation sheet suggesting the contribution made by each group member. Assessment task 2 Title: Seminar presentation Due date: dependent upon topic: see unit schedule Details of task: During the semester, each group will present ONCE on a particular topic as it relates to their company. All members of the group are required to present. Students are marked individually based on their part of the presentation. Each group will have a MAXIMUM of 10 minutes to make their presentation. The presentation may be stopped if a group is not complying with the time limit. Save your PowerPoint presentation on a USB and bring it to the presentation. All presentations will use PowerPoint software available in the seminar rooms. Use of data projectors and overhead transparencies is permitted in the absence of LCD projectors in a classroom. Weighting/Value: 10% Estimated return date: Marks will be made available to students during tutorials two weeks after the presentation. Criteria for marking: The marks will be allocated on the basis of the following: Content of the presentation (in line with the topic of presentation) content should be clearly related to the company being followed Emphasis will be on practical and real link between topic of presentation and the company being followed 10
Assessment Requirements Presentation style Learning objectives assessed: This assessment task is designed to test your achievement of objectives 1 and 5. Examination(s) Examination 1 Weighting: 60% Length: 3 hours Type (open/closed book): Closed book Electronic devices allowed in the exam: Calculators with an 'approved for use' faculty label. For locations to get your calculator approved, please go to: http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/acc/student/calculators/ Learning resources Monash Library Unit Reading List (if applicable to the unit) http://readinglists.lib.monash.edu/index.html Feedback to you Types of feedback you can expect to receive in this unit are: Assignment submission Online submission If Electronic Submission has been approved for your unit, please submit your work via the learning system for this unit, which you can access via links in the my.monash portal. Required Resources Virtual learning environment (VLE): Moodle Material used in class together with other information of importance to you will be published online via the unit s site on Moodle. In order to access information about this unit in Moodle you must be enrolled in the unit and have a valid student account with authcate username and password. Moodle is accessed through my.monash portal. When you log in to the portal you access Moodle in the home page by clicking on the Moodle 2 link under Online Systems. Q Manual Work submitted for assessment must be consistent with the guidelines set down in the Q Manual, which is the faculty's student guide for producing quality work on time. Copies of this manual can be purchased at the bookshop or accessed online. 11
Assessment Requirements Calculators Electronic devices (including calculators) are not permitted in tests and examinations in this unit unless identified with an approved for use label.these labels are available from: Caulfield campus: Faculty Student Services (building N, level 4) Prescribed text(s) and readings Lundholm, R. J., & Sloan, R. G. (2013). Equity valuation and analysis with Eval (3rd ed.) Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Students can choose not to buy the book. Recommended text(s) and readings Reading any financial statement analysis text book would be useful as long as the focus is on the contemporary, rather than traditional, issues. For example, the following texts are suitable and are available from the library: Benninga, S., & Sarig, O. H. (1997). Corporate finance: A valuation approach. New York: McGraw Hill. Palepu, K. G., Healy, P. M., Bernard, V. L., Wright, S., Lee P., & Bradbury, M. (2010). Business analysis and valuation: Using financial statements (5th ed.). Thompson, South Western. Penman, S. H. (2012). Financial statement analysis and security valuation (5th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Soffer, L. C., & Soffer, R. J. (2002). Financial statement analysis: A valuation approach. Prentice Hall. Stickney, C. P., Brown, P. R., & Wahlen, J. M. (2007). Financial reporting, financial statement analysis, and valuation: A strategic perspective (6th ed.). Mason, Ohio: Thomson South Western. 12
Other Information Policies Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University s academic standards, and to provide advice on how they might uphold them. You can find Monash s Education Policies at: www.policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html Key educational policies include: Student Academic Integrity Policy and Student Academic Integrity: Managing Plagiarism and Collusion Procedures ; Assessment in Coursework Programs; Special Consideration; Grading Scale; Discipline: Student Policy; Academic Calendar and Semesters; Orientation and Transition; and Academic and Administrative Complaints and Grievances Policy. Graduate Attributes Policy http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/ education/management/monash-graduate-attributes-policy.html Student Charter www.opq.monash.edu.au/ep/student-charter/monash-university-student-charter.html Student services The University provides many different kinds of support services for you. Contact your tutor if you need advice and see the range of services available at http://www.monash.edu.au/students Monash University Library The Monash University Library provides a range of services, resources and programs that enable you to save time and be more effective in your learning and research. Go to www.lib.monash.edu.au or the library tab in my.monash portal for more information. Moodle 2 All unit and lecture materials, plus other information of importance to students, are available through the virtual learning environment Moodle site. You can access Moodle via the my.monash portal. Where to go for help If you're stuck, confused or simply not sure how to approach Moodle, there are a number of Moodle resources that you can tap into. 13
Other Information Disability Liaison Unit Students who have a disability or medical condition are welcome to contact the Disability Liaison Unit to discuss academic support services. Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) visit all Victorian campuses on a regular basis. Website: http://www.monash.edu/equity-diversity/disability/index.html Telephone: 03 9905 5704 to book an appointment with a DLO; Email: dlu@monash.edu Drop In: Equity and Diversity Centre, Level 1, Building 55, Clayton Campus. 14