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Unit of study_

PMGT6873: Project Economics and Investment

Semester 2, 2022 [Block mode] - Remote

Building on the student's pre-existing knowledge base and team skills this course is designed to develop understanding and core competencies relating to project economics and investment. It includes coverage of portfolio decisions, project selection, prioritisation, justification, appraisal and financing using pragmatic case studies similar to those likely to have been encountered in professional work. These case studies are then used to build up detailed financial appraisal and decision-support models that can be extended to any project valuation exercise and incorporate practical economic data in order to better understand the corporate, regional and global positioning of a project in terms of factors both internal and external to the project. This is clearly and concisely built into the examples and excel workbooks that are used as the work tools for this course.

Unit details and rules

Unit code PMGT6873
Academic unit Project Management
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
PMGT5873
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Shahadat Uddin, shahadat.uddin@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Amela Peric, amela.peric@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Short Assessment 1
Summary of research related to topics covered in class
5% Week 02
Due date: 15 Aug 2022 at 23:59
1-2 pages per assessment
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO10 LO9 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Short Assessment 2
Summary of research related to topics covered in class
5% Week 04
Due date: 29 Aug 2022 at 23:59
1-2 pages per assessment
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO10 LO9 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Short Assessment 3
Summary of research related to topics covered in class
5% Week 06
Due date: 12 Sep 2022 at 23:59
1-2 pages per assessment
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO10 LO9 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Short Assessment 4
Summary of research related to topics covered in class
5% Week 08
Due date: 03 Oct 2022 at 23:59
1-2 pages per assessment
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO10 LO9 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Short Assessment 5
Summary of research related to topics covered in class
5% Week 09
Due date: 17 Oct 2022 at 23:59
1-2 pages per assessment
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO10 LO9 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Short Assessment 6
Summary of research related to topics covered in class
5% Week 11
Due date: 24 Oct 2022 at 23:59
1-2 pages per assessment
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO10 LO9 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment group assignment Assessment 2
Project valuation and appraisal
35% Week 12 Spreadsheet + 10-12 pages report
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO10 LO9 LO8 LO7
Assignment Assessment 1
Literature review on financial valuation techniques employed in projects.
35% Week 13
Due date: 06 Nov 2022 at 23:59
5-10 pages
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

  • Assignment 1: This assignment covers literature review on financial evaluation techniques employed in projects. Students are expected to review several atricles and prepare a 5-10 pages report that will demonstrate understanding of the key topics associated with project valuation.
  • Assignment 2: This is a group asssignmnent focusing on a comparison of two projects as investment opportunites. Students are expected to prepare an appraisal report, supported by Excel spreadsheet, demonstrating the ability to perform financial analysis and comparison of different investment options.
  • Assingment 3: Students are expected to prepare 6 short assessments, responding to key topics covered in this unit of study. 

Individual group assessment marks will be adjusted based on peer reviews. SparkPlus tool will be used for this purpose.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

For every calendar day up to and including ten calendar days after the due date, a penalty of 5% of the maximum awardable marks will be applied to late work. The penalty will be calculated by first marking the work, and then subtracting 5% of the maximum awardable mark for each calendar day after the due date.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Ongoing Independent study guided by the online contents and lectures. You are expected to undertake 8-10 hours of independent study in addition to the workshops. Independent study (110 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10
Week 01 Online workshop Online class (4 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 04 Online workshop Online class (4 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 08 Online workshop Online class (4 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10
Week 10 Online workshop Online class (4 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

  • Jeffrey K. Pinto, Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage (3rd edition). Pearson Prentice Hall, 2012. 9780132664158.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. develop and make operational the management and execution of a project's financial objectives, including adequate awareness of both the internal and external operational risks, that can be either economic or financial in nature
  • LO2. demonstrate a working knowledge of the fundamentals of project economics and finance, and a practical understanding of the framework typically used to analyse proposals
  • LO3. demonstrate a working knowledge of the tools and techniques for financial appraisal of projects, using excel as the base case tool for the quantitative and risk analysis
  • LO4. demonstrate a working knowledge of the techniques for evaluating the various perspectives of stakeholders in relation to projects appraisal and development
  • LO5. demonstrate a working knowledge of valuation, depreciation, and capitalisation methods
  • LO6. demonstrate a basic understanding of the various methods for life cycle cost determination, and their application in capital asset renewal decisions
  • LO7. perform multi-criteria analysis, using a variety of typical financial analysis techniques, for optimum selection and application of a given project appraisal, to meet specific business objectives
  • LO8. understand the analysis of various funding options, and their effective selection and management in order to ensure the project's business objectives
  • LO9. develop financial modelling vis-a-vis strategic analysis techniques, including development of a framework for sensitivity analysis such as risk identification, minimisation, allocation, documentation, and management in economic appraisal
  • LO10. combine these attributes into a coherent report that draws upon both the technical and qualitative fundamentals, as well as a business case level of awareness that can be clearly and coherently communicated at a managerial or executive level.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit has not changed since it was last delivered.

Study Commitment:
Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Text-matching software for Assignment Submission:
As part of the assessment process, text matching software such as Turnitin will be used to identify plagiarism and/or be used for providing feedback. 

Confidential Peer Evaluation:
As part of the group contribution assessment process, collaborative & self-peer evaluation tools (e.g. SparkPlus, CATME, etc.) may be used, either on a confidential or non-confidential basis, to understand contributions and interactions amongst group members. Marks may be adjusted for an individual team member, following on from the peer evaluation process.

Mark Moderation:
Mark moderation: There may be statistically defensible moderation when combining the marks from each component to ensure consistency of marking between markers, and alignment of final grades with unit outcomes.
 

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.