Registry

Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2012 - 2013
Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title	Investment Analysis
Module Code	EF589
School	DCUBS
Online Module Resources
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	5
Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

Description

This module addresses the investment appraisal and analysis of equity securities. In this module students develop knowledge of the theoretical framework of equity analysis. They will also develop their practical understanding of this form of financial anaylsis as well the quantitative tools necessary to perform detailed analysis. Emphasis will be placed on students developing their knowledge of the application of these tools and techniques in investment and financial decision making.This module is delivered through a combination of weekly lectures and tutorials. Students are expected to attend lectures, to contribute to tutorials and to engage in on-line learning and research activities on a regular basis. In addition students may be required to engage in group or other collaborative work in the context of continuous assigment work. In tutorials students will discuss solutions to problem sets and as well as expert articles.

Learning Outcomes

1. Distinguish between income based, asset based and market based approaches to firm valuation.
2. Provide an in-depth analysis of a firms financial statements
3. Outline and discuss the steps an analyst may follow in evaluating a firms accounting quality.
4. Identify the primary distortions in financial statements and how to deal with them.
5. Describe the process and motivations involved in mergers and takeovers

Workload	Full-time hours per semester
*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Lecture	24	No Description
Tutorial	8	No Description
Independent learning	11	Library
Independent learning	15	Reading
Independent learning	11	Collaborative learning
Independent learning	10	Research
Independent learning	15	Problem sets
Examination	12	Preparation, research and writing up of assessment
Examination	19	Preparation for examination
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Students will focus on the following topics.
Introduction to Equity Investment Analysis.

This section will introduce the fundamental principals and techniques of equity investment analysis. This section will address these objectives in the context of asset based valuation, income based valuation and market based valuation appproaches..
Financial Statement Analysis.

This section will present a detailed analysis of standard construction and interpretation of a firm's financial statements, as this forms the foundation of the equity valuation process. This section will also deal in detail with the distortions that may occur in these financial statements and offer remedies..
Equity Valuation, Mergers and Acquisitions.

This section will examine the framework for equity investment appraisal in the context of mergers and acquisitions activity. It will do so with reference to the expert literature in this area. It will also examine this activity from a quantitative perpsective and review recent empirical evidence in this field..

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	25%	Examination Weight	75%

Course Work Breakdown
Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Group assignment	Corporate analysis, individual assignment delivered in report form	25%	Week 28

Reassessment Requirement
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; 1 = A resit is available for all components of the module 2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module 3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

Krishna G. Palepu, Erik Peek, Victor L. Bernard, Paul Healy,: 2010, Business Analysis and Valuation, IFRS Edition, 978-1-4080-1749-4

Other Resources

None

This is module EF589 - for some reason it isn't appearing on the website - perhaps because the name was changed for this year from 'Equity Investment Analysis' to 'Investment Analysis'. I have updated the course textbook, but no significant other changes.

Programme or List of Programmes

IFPFCM

Pre-Masters Intl. Foundation Programme

MFCM

MSc in Finance

PBSSA

PG Exchange(Business School)

PBSSAO

PG Study Abroad(Business School)

Timetable this semester: Timetable for EF589

Date of Last Revision

16-FEB-12