Real Analysis, Real Business Scenarios
Our students tackle actual working capital challenges from Australian businesses. Not hypothetical exercises — these are messy, incomplete datasets with real consequences. You'll see how theory meets the chaos of actual financial operations, and why that gap matters more than any textbook will tell you.
What Students Actually Build
Starting September 2025, incoming students will work on three main project types. Each one pulls from anonymised business data we've collected over the past year from Adelaide and Melbourne firms.
- Cash conversion cycle analysis for a regional distributor struggling with seasonal inventory swings
- Receivables forecasting model for a manufacturing client dealing with inconsistent payment terms
- Working capital efficiency benchmarking across similar-sized businesses in retail and wholesale
- Liquidity stress testing scenarios based on supply chain disruptions from 2024
Projects run for eight weeks. Students work in pairs, present findings to a panel that includes the business owner (with permission), and revise based on feedback. It's uncomfortable sometimes. That's the point.
Zephyra Keating
Former CFO, Current Troublemaker
Zephyra spent twelve years sorting out working capital disasters for mid-sized firms across South Australia. She's seen businesses with strong revenue choke on poor cash management, and she's watched owners ignore warning signs until they had no options left.
She coordinates the student project program because she got tired of seeing graduates who could recite formulas but couldn't spot a liquidity crisis forming. Her feedback is direct. Students either appreciate that or learn to appreciate it.