FNCE90018 Corporate Financial Policy
FNCE90018 Overview
- Faculty of Business and Economics
- Semester 2, 2026
- Postgraduate coursework
- Graduate finance subject
FNCE90018 Corporate Financial Policy develops capital-budgeting, financing, payout, acquisition and risk-management decisions. It is taught within Faculty of Business and Economics. It is Postgraduate coursework.
- FNCE90018 grading Assessment weighting: 20% for in-class tests, 20% for the mid-semester test and 60% for the final examination; the best five in-class results count.
- FNCE90018 exam control The Subject Guide gives a two-hour final; the timetable and live LMS control the sitting details.
- FNCE90018 reasoning load Value the incremental cash flow first, then test financing, tax and risk consequences.
- FNCE90018 rule check Confirm any component-level pass requirement in the live LMS before relying on the aggregate mark.
How FNCE90018 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| In-class tests | 20% | The best five results from eight lecture tests contribute to the grade |
| Mid-semester test | 20% | A one-hour test covering the opening teaching period |
| Final examination | 60% | A two-hour examination covering the subject |
The current LMS assessment page and Subject Guide agree on the three weights. Live LMS instructions control the exact test and examination operation.
What FNCE90018 covers
Read Investment Decisions and NPV as the foundation, Capital Structure and Tax Shields as the main change in method, and Risk Management and Hedging as the final application of the course.
Investment Decisions and NPV
Net Present Value · Discount Rate · Mutually Exclusive Projects · compare stand-alone and mutually exclusive investments using cash-flow timing and value creation02Project Cash Flows and Capital Budgeting
Incremental Cash Flow · Opportunity Cost · Net Working Capital · construct free cash flow without mixing project consequences with sunk or financing items03Equity and Debt Financing
External Equity · Initial Public Offering · Debt Contract · compare financing instruments through control, promised payment, information and flexibility04Leasing and Financing Alternatives
Operating Lease · Finance Lease · Lease-Equivalent Loan · compare leasing with ownership on an after-tax present-value basis05Cost of Capital and Project Risk
Weighted Average Cost of Capital · Cost of Equity · Cost of Debt · match a projects risk and financing assumptions to a defensible required return06Capital Structure and Tax Shields
Levered Firm Value · Interest Tax Shield · Debt-Equity Ratio · separate operating value from the financing side effects of leverage07Financial Distress, Agency and Information
Financial Distress · Agency Cost · Trade-Off Theory · evaluate leverage after adding distress, incentive and information consequences08Payout Policy
Dividend · Share Repurchase · Ex-Dividend Price · compare dividends, repurchases and retention through investor cash flow and firm value09Mergers and Acquisition Value
Synergy · Control Premium · Acquisition NPV · value an acquisition without confusing total synergy with value captured by the acquirer10Risk Management and Hedging
Risk Exposure · Hedge Position · Forward Contract · design a hedge that matches the direction, amount and timing of the corporate exposureIt is positioned as Graduate finance subject.
The subject links project value to the design of claims on corporate cash flow, so the same policy must be tested from firm, debt-holder and equity-holder perspectives.
Assessment in FNCE90018 is distributed as follows: In-class tests 20%; mid-semester test 20%; final examination 60%.
The current Subject Guide states that the best five of eight in-class tests count.
The operational assessment conditions matter here.
The final assessment is a two-hour examination during the examination period and covers all subject topics; check the live LMS and timetable for its style, permitted materials and exact sitting.
What makes FNCE90018 demanding is concrete: Students must connect valuation, financing, tax, agency and risk-management consequences without allowing a familiar ratio to replace incremental cash-flow reasoning.
Hurdle status is unknown from the verified course material and must be confirmed in the live LMS.
For enrolment planning, Confirm current prerequisite and enrolment rules in the University of Melbourne Handbook or live enrolment system.
Read Investment Decisions and NPV as the foundation, Capital Structure and Tax Shields as the main change in method, and Risk Management and Hedging as the final application of the course.
Integrated practice: resolve the changed evidence
- 3Fix the case-specific meaning and evidential scale of Levered Firm Value.
- 3Show the operation or inferential link carried by Interest Tax Shield.
- 3Use Debt-Equity Ratio to test the strongest plausible alternative.
- 2Report the answer within this limit: The tax benefit of debt must be weighed against assumptions about debt permanence, distress and incentive costs.
Key terms
- Net Present Value
- The present value of incremental project cash flows after subtracting the initial investment.
- Discount Rate
- The required return used to translate cash flows at different dates into a common valuation date.
- Mutually Exclusive Projects
- Projects for which accepting one prevents acceptance of another because they compete for the same opportunity.
- Incremental Cash Flow
- A cash-flow change that occurs because the project is accepted and would not otherwise occur.
- Opportunity Cost
- The value of the best feasible alternative use sacrificed by committing a resource to the project.
- Net Working Capital
- Operating current assets minus operating current liabilities committed to support the project.
- External Equity
- Ownership funding raised from investors outside the existing shareholder group.
- Initial Public Offering
- The first public sale of a private firms shares under the applicable issuance process.
- Debt Contract
- A financing agreement that specifies promised payments, priority and enforcement rights for lenders.
- Operating Lease
- A lease arrangement whose economic analysis emphasises access to the asset and operating flexibility.
- Finance Lease
- A lease arrangement that transfers a substantial financing exposure associated with the leased asset.
- Lease-Equivalent Loan
- The borrowing pattern whose payments and tax consequences replicate the relevant lease cash flows.
FNCE90018 FAQ
Where is the hardest reasoning in Corporate Financial Policy?
Students must connect valuation, financing, tax, agency and risk-management consequences without allowing a familiar ratio to replace incremental cash-flow reasoning. FNCE90018 Corporate Financial Policy develops capital-budgeting, financing, payout, acquisition and risk-management decisions.
How does assessment work in Corporate Financial Policy?
In-class tests 20%; mid-semester test 20%; final examination 60%. The current Subject Guide states that the best five of eight in-class tests count. The final assessment is a two-hour examination during the examination period and covers all subject topics; check the live LMS and timetable for its style, permitted materials and exact sitting.
What form does the exam or final task take in Corporate Financial Policy?
The final assessment is a two-hour examination during the examination period and covers all subject topics; check the live LMS and timetable for its style, permitted materials and exact sitting.
Which pass conditions apply in Corporate Financial Policy?
Hurdle status is unknown from the verified course material and must be confirmed in the live LMS. In-class tests 20%; mid-semester test 20%; final examination 60%. The current Subject Guide states that the best five of eight in-class tests count.
Which teaching period does this Corporate Financial Policy resource cover?
It is aligned to Semester 2, 2026; confirm your enrolled class and timetable in the current institutional system. FNCE90018 Corporate Financial Policy develops capital-budgeting, financing, payout, acquisition and risk-management decisions.
Who controls the official rules for Corporate Financial Policy?
The university does. This is an independent FNCE90018 study resource; current institutional instructions remain authoritative for assessment operation. FNCE90018 Corporate Financial Policy develops capital-budgeting, financing, payout, acquisition and risk-management decisions.
How to study for the exam
Rebuild each finance model from its cash-flow logic, solve a changed scenario, and interpret the result for the relevant claim holder before checking the live assessment instructions.
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