MAF907 - Empirical Corporate Finance

Unit details

Year

2027 unit information

Enrolment modesTrimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne)
Credit point(s)1
EFTSL value0.125
Unit chairTrimester 2: Hong Feng Zhang
Cohort ruleThis unit is only available to students enrolled in M820, M900
Prerequisite

MAF905

CorequisiteNil
Incompatible withNil
Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment

1 x 3 hour on-campus lecture (recordings provided) each week

Typical study commitment

Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit.

This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site.

Content

The unit aims to provide a thorough examination of empirical evidence in main areas in corporate finance, including topics such as investment policy, capital structure, corporate liquidity, payout policy, corporate governance, and mergers and acquisitions. The unit also covers a selection of econometric methods commonly used in corporate finance research, which will enable graduate researchers to test corporate finance theories and analyse corporate finance data using various econometric techniques. This unit will provide graduate researchers with working knowledge of conducting empirical analysis in corporate finance research.

Learning outcomes

ULO These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can:

Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs)

ULO1

Utilise independent research skills to conduct empirical analyses and present empirical results within research projects.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
GLO2: Communication
GLO4: Critical thinking

ULO2

Analyse data to provide empirical evidence on corporate finance issues.

GLO4: Critical thinking
GLO5: Problem solving

ULO3

Critically evaluate empirical methods used in published and unpublished research papers.

GLO4: Critical thinking

Note – From 2026, Deakin commenced introducing Graduate Attributes (GAs), which define the distinctive characteristics of a Deakin graduate. You may notice some units still refer to Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) during this transition period.

Assessment

Assessment description Student output Grading and weighting
(% total mark for unit)
Indicative due week

Assessment 1: (Individual) Project

Part A: Presentation (Live)

Part B: Report 

Part A: 20 minutes
Part B: 1500 words
Part A: 15%
Part B: 15%
Week 5

Assessment 2: (Individual) Report 

2000 words 20% Week 10

Assessment 3: (Individual) Report 

2000 words 50%

Week 14

The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.

Hurdle requirements

Hurdle requirement: Achieve at least 50% of the marks available on each of the three assessments to evidence a minimum proficiency in the aligned finance discipline learning outcomes included in this unit.

Learning resource

The texts and reading list for MAF907 can be found via the University Library.

Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

To fully engage with Deakin's learning experiences, students must be able to access and use internet-connected devices as outlined in computing requirements at Deakin.

To support student success at Deakin, we have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) learning environment that acknowledges that students and educators bring with them the digital tools they regularly use to complete academic tasks. These tools stay with you beyond the classroom, helping you to keep learning, explore ideas more deeply, and connect with knowledge in ways that matter to you.

Students requiring a loan device should visit our Loan Laptop webpage or students requiring longer-term assistance should visit our Student Financial Assistance webpage.

Unit fee information

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.