How to Manage Project Risk: A 5-Step Guide
February 11, 2025
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This course is part of Essentials of Corporate Finance Specialization
Instructors: Paul Kofman
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In this course, participants will develop an understanding of the intuitive foundations of asset and investment valuation, and how alternative valuation techniques may be used in practice. This is part of a Specialization in corporate finance created in partnership between the University of Melbourne and Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon).
View the MOOC promotional video here: http://tinyurl.com/h75pzt6
This week we will define a statistical measure of stand-alone risk as being the standard deviation of returns. We will describe three alternative attitudes towards risk, settling on risk aversion as being the standard assumption made in financial markets. We will then analyse the impact of combining assets into a portfolio upon both risk and return and then quantify the benefits from diversification by comparing performance against a suitable benchmark.
6 videos7 readings2 assignments
This week we differentiate between systematic and unsystematic risk and explain how the expected returns that are reflected in the prices of assets should be linked to only one type of risk. We illustrate how the Capital Asset Pricing Model might be used to link systematic risk with expected return and then discuss the empirical shortcomings of the model. This leads to a description of more advanced models and we conclude with a review of survey evidence that considers the approach taken by finance mangers of large listed firms in practice.
7 videos1 reading2 assignments
This week we will explain the logical underpinnings of the Weighted Average Cost of Capital Formula and show how it might be estimated in practice by a firm. We will also consider the many challenges that might be faced in using this approach to estimating hurdle rates and conclude with a warning about the perverse outcomes that might occur if the technique is used in a haphazard manner.
5 videos1 reading2 assignments
This week we describe how standard NPV analysis might lead to incorrect decisions when we fail to account for the impact of (or upon) firm flexibility. We then describe the three most common types of real options that firms face in practice and then explain how decision trees might be used to arrive at an approximation of the value of the real option that is embedded within a project. We conclude by considering empirical evidence on the take-up of real options analysis and discuss the situations in which real options analysis might most be needed.
5 videos4 readings3 assignments1 peer review
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
Instructor ratings
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
The University of Melbourne is an internationally recognised research intensive University with a strong tradition of excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement. Established in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest University.
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Reviewed on Oct 7, 2017
A truly enjoyable course from start to finish! An excellent accompaniment to any aspiring portfolio manager
Reviewed on Mar 7, 2020
Very good for refreshing basic investment theory & some exercises with real numbers. Nice literature is available
Reviewed on Feb 5, 2016
The pinnacle of all of the course. Overall, the structure is very well established from course 1-4 in the specialization.
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