BSB107 Financial Performance and Responsibility
The Complete Exam Bible · S2 2026BSB107 Overview
- Queensland University of Technology
- Semester 2, 2026
- Introductory business core unit
- Weekly lecture and tutorial
- Excel used every week
- No prescribed textbook
BSB107 Financial Performance and Responsibility is one of the six core units of the QUT business degree, an introductory unit that teaches the accounting and finance every businessperson needs and asks, at every step, whether a financial decision is responsible as well as profitable. It runs in two modules.
- Assessed by A personal finances portfolio with a recorded presentation, then an invigilated final exam.
- Hardest step Keeping revenue and expenses apart from the cash actually received and paid.
- Most repeated skill Choosing the right Excel function and giving every cash flow the right sign.
- How to prepare Rebuild each tutorial problem in a blank workbook with every working visible.
What you get in the full BSB107 Exam Bible
- 10 chapters, 55 pages — every examinable topic, week by week
- 31 original practice questions, each with a model answer in the Final Exam format
- 10 worked examples, solved the way BSB107 marks
- 19 computed figures, redrawn from the course’s own numbers
- Exam-morning plan for the Final Exam (60%) — what to revise last, where marks are lost
Free on this page: assessment table, chapter map, one worked example, key terms, FAQ. The rest is in the full exam bible.
How BSB107 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Personal finances portfolio and presentation | 40% | Individual; Excel workbook on Topics 2 to 5 plus a 7 to 10 minute recorded video, each submitted on Canvas; due Week 6 |
| Final Exam | 60% | Individual; invigilated and in person; Central Exam Period |
Weights are from the unit's assessment overview and total 100%. Every task carries an automatic 48-hour extension; work submitted later without an approved extension is not marked. Check the unit outline on HiQ for the exam's length and permitted materials and for any pass requirements.
What other students are asking about BSB107
- Where can I find lecture notes or study guides for BSB107 at QUT?
- The BSB107 study guide in AskSia Library covers Financial Performance and Responsibility in 10 chapters, with the assessment table, a chapter-by-chapter topic map, key terms and a worked example, free to read on this page.
- Is there a final exam in BSB107, and how much is it worth?
- Yes. In the offering this AskSia Library guide is built from, Final Exam carries 60% of the BSB107 mark; the full split is Personal finances portfolio and presentation 40%, Final Exam 60%.
- What does BSB107 cover on net income, net worth and the financial statements?
- In AskSia Library's BSB107 guide, the Net Income, Net Worth and the Financial Statements chapter explains period versus point in time, the three financial statements, accruals, prepaid assets and reconciling net income with cash.
- What does BSB107 cover on analysing transactions with the accounting equation?
- In AskSia Library's BSB107 guide, the Analysing Transactions with the Accounting Equation chapter explains the five elements, the signed transaction table, interest versus principal, non-cash items and the satisfaction trap reading.
- What does BSB107 cover on investing: risk, return and compound interest?
- In AskSia Library's BSB107 guide, the Investing: Risk, Return and Compound Interest chapter explains risk and return, diversification, asset classes, simple and compound interest, and the FV, PV, RATE and NPER functions.
Current BSB107 dates
| Date | Item | Control |
|---|---|---|
| August 14, 2026 | Census date | Last day to withdraw without financial penalty |
| September 18, 2026 | Withdrawal date | Last day to withdraw without academic penalty |
Dates are as published in the Semester 2, 2026 unit schedule on Canvas. Confirm exact deadlines and submission settings in the live LMS.
What BSB107 covers
Ten chapters follow the unit from financial wellbeing and the accounting equation through investing, scams, borrowing and payday lending to ethical investing, Excel skills and project evaluation.
Financial Literacy and Financial Wellbeing
OECD definitions, the drivers and outcomes of financial wellbeing, Australian survey evidence on young adults, and a first monthly budget.Literacy as a means, wellbeing as the goal
Topic 1 asks whether you are financially literate and why it matters.
- Financial literacy in the OECD definition
- Financial wellbeing: objective and subjective sides
- Drivers: literacy, planning and behaviours
- Outcomes: hardship, autonomy and satisfaction
- Survey evidence on young Australians
- Building a monthly budget in Excel
Net Income, Net Worth and the Financial Statements
Period versus point in time, the three financial statements, accruals, prepaid assets and reconciling net income with cash.Two measures, three reports
Topic 2 defines net income, revenue minus expenses over a period, and net worth, assets minus liabilities at a date.
- Net income over a period
- Net worth at a point in time
- The three financial statements and what each reports
- The accounting equation in three forms
- Receivables, payables and prepaid assets
- Reconciling net income with net cash flow
Analysing Transactions with the Accounting Equation
The five elements, the signed transaction table, interest versus principal, non-cash items and the satisfaction trap reading.Every transaction moves two things
Topic 3 records each transaction in the accounting equation, assets minus liabilities equals opening equity plus revenue minus expenses, and checks that both sides move by the same amount.
- Keeping the equation in balance
- Four common transaction patterns
- The five elements and their examples
- Assets versus expenses
- Sign conventions in the expense column
- Interest versus principal
Investing: Risk, Return and Compound Interest
Risk and return, diversification, asset classes, simple and compound interest, and the FV, PV, RATE and NPER functions.Two principles behind every investment
Topic 4 rests on risk and return, where a higher expected return comes with more risk, and on the time value of money, where a dollar today is worth more than a dollar later.
- Risk, return and risk profiles
- Diversification and concentrated portfolios
- Asset classes and kinds of return
- Simple versus compound interest
- Future value and present value formulas
- FV, PV, RATE and NPER in Excel
Investment Scams and How Scammers Operate
National scam loss data, Ponzi schemes, scammer tactics, payment channels and the protections run by regulators and banks.The scale of the problem
The Topic 4 lecture closes with investment scams.
- Reported scam losses in 2025
- Investment scams as the costliest type
- Who loses and how they pay
- How a Ponzi scheme works
- Scammer tactics and red flags
- Protections from regulators and banks
Borrowing: Loan Payments and Repayment Schedules
Borrowing as investing in reverse, PMT, NPER, CUMIPMT and CUMPRINC, kinds of credit and a repayment schedule that ends at zero.The same mathematics, the other way round
Topic 5 treats a loan as an investment made by the lender: the amount borrowed is the present value and the balance at the end is zero.
- Borrowing as the converse of investing
- PMT for the regular repayment
- NPER for the length of a loan
- CUMIPMT and CUMPRINC
- Building a repayment schedule
- Secured loans, credit cards, overdrafts and BNPL
Payday Lending and the Wonga Case
What payday loans are, the rise and fall of Wonga, the UK cost cap and the ethical frameworks the case applies.Credit at a high price
Payday loans are short-term, high-cost and usually unsecured, repaid from the next pay and easily rolled over.
- What payday lending is
- Rollovers and escalating balances
- Wonga's growth and fall
- The UK cost cap and its three parts
- Comparing short-term credit options
- Ethical arguments for and against
Impact Investing, Effective Altruism and Careers
The spectrum from financial-only investing to philanthropy, ESG integration, screening, impact measurement, effective altruism and professions.Money with a purpose
Topic 6 widens personal finance beyond yourself. Investing aims range from financial return only, through responsible, sustainable and impact-driven approaches, to philanthropy.
- The spectrum of investing aims
- ESG integration and screening
- Thematic and impact investing
- Greenwashing
- Effective altruism and the FTX case
- Job, career and calling
Excel Skills for Financial Problems
Chart presentation rules, references and ranges, formatting, workbook hygiene, portfolio deductions and choosing the right function.The skill the unit assesses twice
Excel is assessed in both the portfolio and the final exam.
- Nine rules for chart presentation
- Cell references, ranges and the fill handle
- Absolute references with $ signs
- Number formats, borders and headings
- Error messages, circular references and links
- Choosing the function by the unknown
Evaluating Business Investments with NPV and IRR
Discounting project cash flows, the NPV and IRR functions, the NPV profile, Solver and Goal Seek for a target profit.Cash flows, discounted
Module 2 evaluates business investments on their cash flows.
- Why undiscounted cash flows mislead
- Discounting each cash flow
- NPV by hand and with the NPV function
- IRR and the NPV profile
- Solver, XNPV and XIRR
- Goal Seek for a target profit
Module 1 is about your own money: financial literacy and wellbeing, net income and net worth, the accounting equation and how individual transactions move it, investing and the time value of money, investment scams, borrowing and loan schedules, payday lending, and the social and ethical side of personal finance, from ESG investing to effective altruism and the choice of a career.
Week 7 turns to critical thinking and self-reflection. Module 2 applies the same ideas to organisations: business financial statements, evaluating financial information, break-even and profitability, evaluating investments on their cash flows, and the social and ethical impact of business finance.
Microsoft Excel runs through the whole unit.
The weekly tutorials solve each topic's problem in a workbook, and the unit assesses Excel skills in both the portfolio and the final exam. The portfolio, worth 40%, is an individual Excel workbook built week by week on Topics 2 to 5, together with a recorded video in which you explain your answers and solve the Week 5 problem live. The final exam, worth 60%, is individual, invigilated and in person in the Central Exam Period.
There is no textbook; each week brings readings, a vocabulary sheet and a key concepts note. This guide works through every Module 1 topic, the Excel skills the unit assesses, and the Module 2 tools for evaluating investments, with a worked example and practice in every chapter.
Worked example · free
Simple versus compound interest over twenty years
- +1Simple interest pays 5% of the original $10,000 every year: 10,000 × 0.05 = $500 a year.
- +1After 20 years the simple balance is 10,000 × (1 + 0.05 × 20) = $20,000.
- +1Compound interest uses FV = PV × (1 + i)n: 10,000 × 1.0520 = $26,532.98, or =FV(0.05, 20, 0, −10000).
- +1The $6,532.98 gap is interest earned on earlier interest, which grows every year the balance grows.
Key terms
- Net income
- Revenue earned minus expenses incurred over a period such as a month or a year; when expenses are larger the result is a loss.
- Net worth
- Total assets minus total liabilities at a point in time, also called equity, net assets or capital.
- Accounting equation
- The identity that assets minus liabilities equals opening equity plus revenue minus expenses, which every transaction keeps in balance.
- Prepaid asset
- A cost paid ahead of use, such as a year of insurance, that is expensed gradually as each month's share is consumed.
- Receivable
- An amount someone owes you, recorded as an asset; the person who owes it is a debtor.
- Time value of money
- The principle that a dollar today is not worth the same as a dollar in the future.
- Compound interest
- Interest added to the balance at the end of each period so that later interest is calculated on the larger total.
- Present value
- The value now of an investment or loan, or the amount that must be invested today to reach a future sum.
- Ponzi scheme
- A fraud in which money from new investors pays fake returns to earlier investors because nothing is actually invested.
- Payday lending
- Small, short loans at very high interest, meant to be cleared out of the borrower's next pay packet.
- Impact investing
- Investing that deliberately pursues a social or environmental benefit which can be measured, while still seeking a financial return.
- Net present value
- The sum of a project's cash flows after each is discounted to today, including the initial outlay.
- Internal rate of return
- The discount rate at which a project's net present value is exactly zero.
BSB107 FAQ
How is Financial Performance and Responsibility assessed at QUT?
There are two tasks. The personal finances portfolio and presentation is worth 40%: an Excel workbook on Topics 2 to 5 and a recorded video, both due in Week 6. The final exam is worth 60%, individual, invigilated and in person in the Central Exam Period. Every task has an automatic 48-hour extension, and later work without approval is not marked.
What do we know about the final exam?
It carries 60% of the grade and is sat individually, in person and under invigilation during the Central Exam Period. The topic pages say your Excel skills are assessed in it, as are Topics 3, 4 and 5. Its length, sections and permitted materials are not given in the materials available here, so read the unit outline on HiQ and the Canvas announcements.
How are the portfolio marks awarded?
Up to 25 marks go to correct Excel answers in an error-free workbook, with clear workings and a video explanation that shows understanding; a mark needs all three. Up to 15 more reward oral presentation skill. Deductions apply for error messages, circular references, links to other workbooks and removed sheet protection, so check the file before you upload.
What is the difference between net income and net worth?
Net income is revenue minus expenses over a period, reported in the income statement. Net worth is assets minus liabilities at one date, reported in the balance sheet. Net income for a month explains the change in net worth across that month, but it is not the same as net cash flow, because earning and spending are recorded when they happen.
Which Excel functions should I be able to use?
SUM and cell references for statements; FV, PV, RATE and NPER for investments; PMT, NPER, CUMIPMT and CUMPRINC for loans; and NPV, IRR and Goal Seek for business decisions. Learn each argument order, enter money paid out as a negative, and match the rate to the compounding period. Chart presentation rules matter as well.
Is there a textbook to buy?
No. The unit relies on weekly readings and resources instead: a vocabulary sheet and a key concepts note for each topic, prescribed readings such as the Wonga case study, recorded lectures and tutorials, and a set of short Excel how-to videos made for QUT business students. Work through them before each tutorial, because several feed the assessment directly.
Can I use generative AI in this unit?
For the portfolio you may use it ethically to explore personal finance concepts and to get general advice on using Excel. It must not produce the answers or the working for the workbook problems, and it must not help prepare or record your video. The teaching team's approach is to use AI to help you learn, not to replace your learning.
Questions students ask in each BSB107 chapter
- Why does an accounting unit start with wellbeing?
- Because the unit treats accounting as a tool for transparency: you cannot judge your financial position, or improve it, until you can see it. The wellbeing model then explains why that visibility matters, since planning and behaviour are what move hardship, autonomy and satisfaction. Chapter 01 · Financial Literacy and Financial Wellbeing
- Why is net income not the same as cash flow?
- Net income records revenue when it is earned and expenses when they are incurred, whatever the timing of the cash. Wages earned but paid next month, insurance paid a year in advance and bills received after the month all open a gap between the two numbers. Chapter 02 · Net Income, Net Worth and the Financial Statements
- Can a large purchase leave my net worth unchanged?
- Yes. Buying a car with a loan raises an asset and a liability by the same amount, and paying cash simply swaps one asset for another. Net worth falls only when an expense is incurred or an asset loses value. Chapter 03 · Analysing Transactions with the Accounting Equation
- Why must I enter the deposit as a negative number in FV?
- Excel treats money you pay in and money you receive as opposite flows. The deposit leaves your hands, so it is negative, and the balance you will receive comes back positive; a missing minus sign produces a negative answer or an error. Chapter 04 · Investing: Risk, Return and Compound Interest
- Why do investment scams cause the largest losses?
- They ask for large sums and often target savings built over years. The report notes many Australians lose retirement savings to investment and romance scams, and that people aged 65 and over lost $50.8 million to investment scams in 2025. Chapter 05 · Investment Scams and How Scammers Operate
- Why does the interest part of each repayment fall over time?
- Interest each month is charged only on the balance still owing. As repayments reduce that balance, the interest charge shrinks and more of each fixed repayment goes to principal, which is why the vocabulary sheet says the interest charge decreases as a loan is paid off. Chapter 06 · Borrowing: Loan Payments and Repayment Schedules
- Why were payday loans so expensive for borrowers who rolled over?
- Their high APR was defended as irrelevant for loans repaid in days. Once borrowers extend or take new loans to repay old ones, the case explains, the interest actually paid begins to approach that representative APR, and fees compound the cost. Chapter 07 · Payday Lending and the Wonga Case
- How is impact investing different from socially responsible investing?
- Socially responsible investment aims to make a positive social impact. Impact investing goes further: it deliberately targets a social or environmental benefit that can be measured, and still expects a financial return, so measurement is the dividing line. Chapter 08 · Impact Investing, Effective Altruism and Careers
- What must every Excel chart in the portfolio include?
- A chart title, titles for both axes and a legend that names each line rather than leaving Series 1. The guidance also asks for real dates on the horizontal axis, sensible axis bounds and a secondary axis when two lines are measured on different scales. Chapter 09 · Excel Skills for Financial Problems
- Why can I not just add up a project's cash flows?
- Because the inflows arrive in later years and a future dollar is worth less than a dollar today. Adding them treats every year alike and overstates the project; discounting each flow first gives the true comparison with the outlay. Chapter 10 · Evaluating Business Investments with NPV and IRR
How to study for the exam
Treat this unit as a skill you build every week rather than content you memorise at the end; the coordinator warns that the whole unit cannot be squeezed into the final weeks before the exam. Each week, read the vocabulary sheet and the key concepts note before the lecture, then solve the tutorial problem yourself in a blank workbook before you look at the solution.
Complete the matching portfolio sheet while the topic is fresh, and write your workings in full, because a correct answer without workings earns nothing. Keep a single page of formulas and Excel argument orders, and add to it as each topic arrives.
Spend extra time on Topics 2 and 3: the difference between earning and receiving, the five elements and the signed transaction table come back in Module 2. For investing and borrowing, drill the three habits that prevent most errors: match the rate to the period, choose the function by the unknown, and sign each cash flow.
For the readings on scams, payday lending and ethical investing, practise short answers that tie one principle to one fact.
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