Accounting and Finance BSc (Hons)

The aim of this module is to equip you with the appropriate foundation in economic theory to enable you understand the environment within which business functions. Its focus is on the economic decision-making by individuals and businesses. You will be taught to consider the impact of government policies and actions on businesses. Some emphasis will also be placed on looking beyond national policies and its influence on wider economic and political groupings of states.

Indictive Contents are:

• Micro economic concepts: Market systems and competitive process, demand and supply, price elasticity, pricing, government intervention, market structures, perfect competition, monopoly, economic profit and accounting profit, agency theory, consumer behaviour, and output and costs.

• Macroeconomic concepts: national income circular flow of model, trade cycle, public finance  government policy, balance of payments, exchange rate policies, globalisation and economic development, and trade organisations.

This module helps to provide exemption from professional body examinations on Financial Accounting. The module aims to equip you with a thorough understanding of the key principles, concepts and regulations of financial accounting. You will develop the ability to construct and interpret accounting records which is a key part of the accounting and finance profession. 

Some of the key areas to be covered in this module include

• Understanding and applying accounting concepts and conventions;
• Maintaining recording and summarising accounting data using appropriate accounting systems 
• Preparing, evaluating and interpreting simple financial statements while applying appropriate international accounting standards. 
• Understanding the context of financial accounting in commercial organisations and public sector bodies 

The coverage of these key concepts within a 10-week delivery will ensure that your equipped for the second phase of this module in the second year. The identified topics are recommendations from professional bodies and also comparable to accounting and finance subject benchmarks - which has an objective of producing graduates who have achieved key skills and are competitive or employable upon graduation. These foundations are critical in achieving such an objective specifically within the Financial Accounting component of the programme.

This module helps provide exemption from professional body examination linked to Law and Ethics (and the inter-relationship between the two). The intention of the module is to equip you with key skills within legal, ethics and corporate governance within the fields of business and professional accounting. The foundations provided by this module will also equip you to understand some of the key concepts for in your second year (Level 5) and the general requirements of your professional qualification journey of your career. Specifically, this module will focus on the following key areas as recommended by the professional accounting bodies (such as CIMA, ICAEW and CIPFA):

• Ethics in society and the ethical culture and conflict within organisations whilst addressing stakeholder interests.
• The significance of ethics for the accountancy profession and the fundamental ethical principles recognised by the accounting bodies including potential threats, safeguards and the importance of speaking out.
• Corporate governance, controls and corporate social responsibility.
• Essential elements of the legal system, and laws relating to employment, obligations and solvency.
• The formation and constitution of business organisations including the sources of finance.
• The management, administration and the regulation of companies.
• Corporate and fraudulent behaviour and the responsibility of the professional accountant.

The coverage of these key topics are in line with key subject benchmarks covered for any accounting and finance course nationally. The mapping of such contents is to ensure that you become competitive by enhancing your chances getting employability when you graduate. Again, the coverage of these topics will enable you to recognise relevant legal, ethical and corporate governance challenges, to provide strong critical analysis and to suggest solutions to such issues arising in the business context.

The intention of this module is to equip you with the key fundamentals of management and cost accounting. The knowledge and skills acquired from this module will be instrumental in your understanding of key concepts to be during the second phase of this module covered at Level 5 (year 2) of your course. It is also worth noting that, this is an accredited module, implying that it will help you seek exemption from professional bodies when you complete your course.

Regarding the content to be covered, there will be special emphasis on topics which tends to identify and investigate cost and its behaviours, planning, decision making techniques and relevant costing. Specifically, the following indicative topics will be covered to help achieve the intended objectives of the module. 

• Context of Management Accounting - purpose of Management Accounting and role of Management Accountants. 
• Cost identification and behaviour: that is classification, measurement, overheads, absorption and marginal costing and others.
• Planning - functional budgets, cash budgets, fixed and flexible budgets, standard costs and variance analysis, reconciliation of contribution statements, financial and non-financial performance measures.
• Control systems - manufacturing accounts, integrated ledgers and job, batch and process costing, financial statements that inform management and managerial reports in a range of organisations.
• Decision making -contribution, cost-volume-profit analysis, break even charts, relevant costing, make or buy decisions, limiting factors. 

This module is part-accredited by CIMA. It will equip you with the  essential skills to analyse, interpret, and present data effectively within a professional setting. It focuses on developing numerical literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. This module has the intention of enabling you address workplace challenges with evidence-based decisions in organisations. 

Core areas of interest covered within this module include basic statistical analysis, investment decisions, financial reasoning, application of numerical tools, data presentation and interpretation, personal management scheduling, professional writing development plans, career awareness and action planning in real-world scenarios.

The module also emphasises effective communication using essays, reports and quantitative information and fosters ethical considerations in professional environment. The intention is to bridge theoretical knowledge and practical applications to prepare you to use data to enhance the quality of decision making within the organisation.

The module explores a number of key themes to introduce students to the concepts of people management and organisations and supports students to develop core skills for managing people and working in teams.  

• The development of management and organisations as subjects - changing theories of management and leadership perspectives.
• People in organisations – indicative content: motivation, culture, personality, identity, how people work in groups and effective teamworking, learning in an organisational context.
• Managing people in organisations - indicative content: organisation and job design, talent management, goal setting, communication, perception and the psychological contract, job satisfaction, stress.
• Skills for managing people in teams and organisations - indicative content: team formation, team working and leading, managing performance, giving feedback, managing conflict.

This module enables students with A-Level German or equivalent to further develop their grammar, vocabulary and expression and apply these to real world situations.You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop your oral and written communication skills at Post-A level.

This module is designed for students that have completed A-Level or equivalent in French. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and expression and apply these to real world situations. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop your oral and written communication skills at Post-A level.

This module is designed for students that have completed a A-Level or equivalent in Spanish. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and expression and apply these to real world situations. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at Post-A level.

This module is designed for students who have completed GCSE in Chinese or equivalent. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and learning conventions for spelling and pronunciation. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at an intermediate level.

This module is designed for students who have completed GCSE or equivalent in French. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and learning conventions for spelling and pronunciation. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at an intermediate level.

This module is designed for students that have completed GCSE or equivalent in Spanish. You will further develop your grammar, vocabulary and learning conventions for spelling and pronunciation. You will work with written and recorded texts on a range of cultural, personal and social topics and will develop oral and written communication skills at an intermediate level.

This module provides the opportunity to study a new language from scratch and introduces you to basic grammar, vocabulary and cultural contexts. You will apply the language to practical situations using both oral and written skills. 

This module builds on knowledge gained from module BU4007 Financial Accounting 1 or equivalent. Key topics covered are:

Regulation of financial reporting (that is framework - GAAP, principles, IASB, IFRSs, role of external auditing. Ethical principles in accounting, corporate governance, compare and contrast the approach to corporate governance in different markets. The concept of financial and physical capital maintenance and standard setting process).

Financial accounting and reporting - single company preparation IAS1 revised, cash flow IAS7, Statement of Profit or Loss and financial position (Balance Sheet). Application of a variety of IASs to a variety of issues including investment properties and non-current assets, impairment. Accounting for taxation, non-current assets held for sale and discontinued operations including relevant disclosures and ethics in financial reporting.

Management of working capital, cash and short-term finance - short-term finance and cash investment. Evaluation of working capital position of an entity and the analysis of short-term cash position of an entity.

Fundamentals of business taxation - rules and regulatory environment, types of taxation, direct company taxation, indirect taxation, employee taxation, international taxation, corporation tax and capital tax calculation.

This module builds on knowledge gained from your first year (Level 4) in Management Accounting. It has a focus on short term decision making techniques and capabilities. Note that is an accredited module and it will be key when you apply for exemptions from professional bodies. Again, note that it will equip you with key knowledge for your final year learning on this module. It will include the following indicative content: 

Cost accounting systems - profit reporting and stock valuation - marginal costing, throughput accounting, activity based costing and absorption costing, environmental costing.

Standard costing and variance analysis - sales and cost variances, mix and yield variances, planning and operational variances, variances for service industries

Budgeting - different approaches to budgeting, purpose of budgeting. The mechanics of budget construction and forecasting techniques. Budgets as a control system and behavioural considerations.

Short-term decision making - relevant cash flows, pricing decisions, break-even analysis for multiple products. Product mix decisions, joint costs and linear programming using the graphical method.

Dealing with risk and uncertainty - attitudes to risk and sensitivity analysis. Decision trees, probabilistic models, expected values and payoff tables

The intention of this module is to equip you with the skills and knowledge expected of a financial manager in any organisation. Specifically, the unique functions of making an investment, financing and dividend decisions for the organisation. As a result, this module is part of the jigsaw which will broaden your knowledge of the financial strategy of an organisation. It also worth noting that this is an accredited module, implying that it is recognised by professional bodies when seeking an exemption. Again, there is an expectation that this module will equip you with key concepts required for some of your modules to be taken in the final year (Level 6). The indicative contents to be covered to achieve the above objectives include the following:

• Financial management function - the nature and purpose of financial management, financial objectives and the relationship with corporate strategy. Organisational objectives including not-for-for profit organisations will also be covered under this theme.
• Financial management environment, that is, the economic environment of the business including the nature and role of financial markets and institutions. 
• Working capital management, this will focus on the nature, elements and importance of working capital, management of inventories, funding strategies, account receivables, account payable and cash.
• Investment appraisal, that is, the evaluation of investment opportunities in the context of inflation and taxation, adjustment for risk and uncertainty. Decisions relating to lease or buy, replacement and capital rationing will be covered in this area.
• Business finance, this will include, sources of and raising business finance, the estimation of cost of capital, capital structure theories and their practical considerations in the context of the impact on the statement of financial positions of organisations.
• Business valuations, the focus will be on  the nature and purpose of valuations of business and financial assets. Models used for the valuation of shares, debt and other financial assets will be covered. Also, the theories underpinning the operations of financial markets such as the Efficient market Hypothesis (EMH) and the practical implications will be adequate attention within this topic.

These contents have been mapped to relevant subject benchmarks to ensure that  this course makes you competitive upon graduation. Your understanding of the operations within accounting, finance and banking will be significantly enhanced after covering this content. Your enhanced confidence within this subject area will help the quality of financial decision making at the work place.

The intention of this module is to equip you with the key digital skills required to enhance the understanding of key concepts covered on this course. There will be special emphasis on the operationalisation of the concepts at the work environment, that is, how can technology be used to efficiently implement and enhance the level of productivity of the organisation. The operationalisation agenda required to be actioned from the perspective of the finance manager in using key technologies will the direction of the module. The expectation is that you will develop a broad and holistic understanding of the finance functions in the digital world. You will familiarise yourself with how technologies links various operations of the business activities of an organisation to enhance its value creation.
The module will also cover sustainability concepts and data ethics, focusing on responsible data use, regulatory protections, and ethical impacts of technology in finance. Through these areas, you will gain a broad and practical understanding of how digital tools, sustainability, and ethical thinking combine to enhance value creation in modern finance.

To achieve the intentions of the module, the following indicative contents will covered:

• Data analytics (sources of data, descriptive analytics, predictive analytics and prescriptive analytics)
• Data visualisation techniques.
• Accounting software and information systems.
• Artificial intelligence and automation.
• Emerging technologies within accounting and finance
• Cybersecurity within accounting, finance and banking
• Ms Excel for accounting and finance (Analysis ToolPak and Solver, Pivot Tables-including Power Pivot and Power Query, logical functions - lookups, text functions and financial maths with Ms Excel)
• Decision trees and experimentation
• Sustainability and UN SDGs
• Three pillars of sustainability 
• Regulation and organisational roles in sustainability 
• Data ethics and responsible technology use

The coverage of the above contents will provide a certain degree of mastery in the handling of technologies you require to become a competitive graduate. The value associated with the use of technology to implement key concepts within the accounting, finance and banking courses is immeasurable. For example, the provision of an experiential learning environment will enhance your employability skills thus making you a competitive graduate. 

This module is designed to enhance student’s professional skills in a real-world job setting and is structured to bridge theory and practice, featuring engagement with industry through guest lectures, business networking and practical case study applications. It will enhance student’s practical skills and broaden their professional networks, aligning with the university's goal of preparing students for impactful graduate careers.

It will provide learners with hands-on experience of real-world scenarios in the finance sector and help them understand business expectations on them as professionals, build confidence, and prepare them for the world of work.   

The module will also enhance students’ knowledge of the graduate employment market focussing them on developing their employability skills and build a comprehensive toolkit of skills and knowledge to enable them to stand out from the crowd and achieve success in finding graduate employment.  

This module provides a structured, university-level work placement for 5 weeks as one continuous block / period with a placement provider (i.e. a local employer from the private, public, or charitable sector). It is designed to enhance your professional skills in a real-world job setting.  

The placement can either be organised by you or with support from university staff.  

All work placements within this module must be university-level; this means:  

• Undertaking high-skilled work commensurate with level 5 study (e.g. report writing, attending meetings, delivering presentations, producing spreadsheets, writing content on webpages, social media, marketing services/products etc)  

• Physically placed (albeit part of it can be hybrid) within an employer setting in one continuous block / period for 5 weeks for a minimum of 140-147 hours over the course of the entire work placement 

• Where applicable, your existing part-time employer can be approached/used as the placement provider, if the high-skilled work criterion above is fulfilled for the full duration of the placement.   

• All quality assurances/agreements provided by the University are adhered to, by you and the employer.  

The work placement context may not necessarily, reflect your degree discipline per se, but rather, it will give you an enriched experience to enhance your professional skills in a real-world job setting. 

The module will provide the opportunity to further develop your language skills, building on your previous learning at advanced level. The second half of the module includes a placement abroad or, alternatively, a project on a sustainability issue in a target language country. The first half of the module will prepare you for placements abroad where appropriate as well as a deeper understanding of sustainability in target language contexts. Students of more than one language may take one language in the first half of the module and spend their time abroad developing a different language. 

The module will provide the opportunity to further develop your language skills, building on your previous learning at intermediate level. The first half of the module includes intensive taught sessions in interactive workshop mode which will prepare you for placements abroad or self-directed language development. The second half of the module includes an placement abroad or, alternatively, a project on a business or tourism issue in a target language country. Students of more than one language may take one language in the first half of the module and spend their time abroad developing a different language. 

The module will provide the opportunity to further develop your language skills, building on your previous learning at beginner level. The first half of the module includes intensive taught sessions in interactive workshop mode which will prepare you for placements abroad or self-directed language development. The second half of the module includes a placement abroad or, alternatively, a project on a cultural issue in a target language country. Students of more than one language may take one language in the first half of the module and spend their time abroad developing a different language. 

• The multiple facets of global citizenship
• Ethical engagement and practice
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Intercultural communication
• Culture shock
• Cultural adjustment
• Self- assessment of needs: identification of the range of transferable skills, competencies and attitudes employees need and employers expect graduates to possess-with a strong focus on understanding the intercultural competencies (ICC) needed to live and work abroad.
• Critical analysis/evaluation of individual requirements in relation to culture/cultural adjustment/culture shock/visas/medical.
• Critical analysis/evaluation of skills already acquired in relation to key skills related to ICC.
• Devising strategies to improve one’s own prospects of working abroad in the future.
• Devising an action plan to address gaps in transferable skills based on organisational analysis and sector opportunities.

Part A:      

Preparation for Experiential Overseas Learning will take place at the University of Chester during level 5 and will include:  

• The multiple facets of Global citizenship
• Ethical engagement and practice
• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Intercultural communication

Theories, models and strategies of learning

• Theories and models Intercultural competence
• Theories and models of Integration and Multiculturalism
• Critical thinking skills and models of Reflection

• Experiential learning models
• Self-directed experiential learning

Personal and placement-related skills

• Enhanced independence
• Improved command of multicultural behaviour
• Increased knowledge and confidence in their individual facets of personal identity
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Project management – working away from University and independent study
• Self-management and personal development
• Team building and team work

Part B:            Overseas

Students will engage in experiential learning activities overseas for at least 150 hours 

The traditional academic programme structure is not applicable in relation to this experiential learning intern-ship opportunity. The experiential content is freely structured and determined by negotiation between the student, placement supervisor and host organisation. It is generally informed by the aims and learning outcomes and by the objective of optimising added value for both the host organisation and the student experience. 

A placement conference will enable peer to peer sharing of experiential learning permit feedback and allow an analysis of the range of skills and benefits derived from the placement, it will also further develop the construction of learning logs and the portfolio.  For those unable to attend, for whatever reason, online via Teams will permit engagement and feedback.  In addition, the conference will provide an opportunity to acquire an overview of final year options and dissertation and/or project research.

For those students where costs or other geographical/logistical difficulties render visits, conference attendance or participation via teleconferencing prohibitive, there will be an augmented portfolio of activities to substitute the conference activities.

All students will engage in the drawing up of a learning agreement on acceptance of the placement that will cover a contact plan and agreed learning outcomes with their designated academic tutor and placement coordinator.

Preparation for the year abroad will take place in Chester during level 5 and will include:

• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Host-country orientation, study methods– economic, political and social reality of the country
• Orientation specific to exchange – health, education, gender issues
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Practical matters relating to living and studying in the wider world

Theories, models and strategies of learning

• Critical thinking skills, experiential learning and models of reflection

Personal and placement-related transversal skills

• Effective self-motivation and independent resourcefulness
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Project management – working away from University and independent study
• Self-management and personal development

Whilst abroad:

You will undertake study at one of the University of Chester's partner universities or undertake and approved work placement or virtual placement. If you are a student,  it is expected that you will choose a series of modules at the university abroad which must be agreed by the host institution and the Module Leader. you must supply details of you modules on a learning agreement within 4 weeks of arrival at the host university.

This module builds on your knowledge gained from module BU5006 Financial Accounting 2 - performance operations or equivalent. Key topics covered are:

Sources of long-term finance - characteristics of ordinary and preference shares and different types of long-term debt. Operating of the stock and bond markets, share and bond issues and the role of advisors.

The cost of equity using dividend valuation model, post-tax cost of bank borrowings. Yield to maturity of bonds and post-tax cost of bonds, post-tax cost of convertible bonds up to and including conversion. Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) and its use.

Group financial statements - full consolidated statements (single and group), capital schemes, currency, disclosure of interests in other entities, need for and nature of disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. The recognition and measurement of revenue, operating and finance leases including discussion of substance over form, financial instruments, provisions, contingent liabilities and contingent assets, share-based payments and provision for deferred taxation.

Ethical selection and adoption of relevant accounting policies and accounting estimates. Additional acquisition in the period and calculation of gain or loss on disposal of a controlling interest in a subsidiary in the year. Adjustment to parent's equity. Consolidating a foreign subsidiary and calculation of foreign exchanges gains and losses.

Impact of indirect effective holdings on preparation of group financial statements/ disclosure of transactions between related parties, basic and diluted earnings per share calculations. Revenue definition, recognition, measurement, accounting and application

Analysis and Interpretation of accounts -  ratio application and interpretation including EPS, segmentation and limitations of ratios. Advise on actions that could be taken to improve an entity's financial performance and financial position taking into account ethical considerations and internal and external constraints.

Contemporary developments - stakeholder information demands, environmental and social accounting, and non- financial measures.  Human resource accounting and IFRS & GAAP convergence.

The role of the professional accountant in sustainability - identify the role of corporate sustainability reporting and the key sustainability reporting requirements for businesses; recognise key sustainability regulations and policies applicable to the work of the professional accountant, including corporate reporting; recognise the role of the professional accountant in sustainability assurance.

This module builds on knowledge gained from module level 4 and level 5 Management Accounting. It has a focus on strategic decision making. It will include the following indicative content: 

Long-term decision making - relevant cash flows, investment decision making, investment appraisal techniques, Payback, ARR, IRR, NPV, annuities, profitability index, capital rationing and pricing strategies.

Cost planning and analysis for competitive advantage - activity based costing, activity based management, Throughout accounting, JIT, TQM, target costing, value analysis, Kaizen costing, life cycle costing, the value chain, direct customer profitability, distribution channel profitability, pricing - elasticity of demand, profit maximisation pricing and pricing strategies.

Management control and risk - sensitivity analysis, risk and uncertainty, decision trees, probabilistic models, Bayes Theorem, TARA framework, business risk, ethical implications, Big Data and data analytics.

Control and performance measurement of responsibility centres -  decision making in different structures, key metrics, benchmarking, Balanced Scorecards, FPIs and NFPIs, analysis of Return on Investment, Residual Income and Economic Value Added and transfer pricing, performance in not for profit organisations.

This module explores the role of auditing and assurance in businesses today. It is primarily concerned with developing the knowledge and understanding of the process of carrying out the assurance engagement and its application within the professional regulatory framework. You will practise the approaches and techniques of auditing by tackling a variety of case studies. Contemporary issues in auditing will also be explored. Specifically the following indicative contents will be covered.

• Audit framework, regulation and the importance of public trust - concept of audit, statutory audits, regulatory environment and corporate governance and ethics.
• Importance of accountability, transparency and independence using professional scepticism and professional judgement to avoid the consequences of unethical behaviour.
• Internal audit- need and elements of corporate governance, external v internal audit , scope of internal audit, outsourcing and nature and purpose of internal audit.
• Planning and risk assessment - principles of risk assessment in relation to audit, avoidance of conflicts of interest, entity knowledge, material misstatement and fraud, procedures and audit planning documentation and third party verification.
• Internal control - systems, access, transaction cycles, tests of control,  evaluation of internal control and communication
• Audit evidence - auditor assertion and testing, procedures, specific items auditing, audit sampling, computer based auditing and not for profit organisations.
• Audit review - subsequent events, going concern, management representations, finalisation and review.  
• Reporting - audit reports , reports to management and internal audit reports.

The modules aims to equip students to progress towards chartered accountant status by providing exemption from professional body taxation exams. It will equip students to critically evaluate tax issues, undertake complex computations and critically examine the findings. 

The key areas that will be covered include the evaluation of tax theory and the taxation system. Students will be required to deploy techniques of advanced computations and analysis to understand tax liabilities. 

Students will learn how to synthesis how different taxes interact with one another. In addition students will learn how to provide relevant advice to clients on managing tax liabilities through tax planning techniques. 

The purpose of the module is to enhance students' understanding of three key drivers of Managing Business Performance:

1) Business in the 21st century is characterised by disruptions to business models by new entrants and incumbents who seek superior performance and competitive advantage. New business and operating models can be developed to improve the performance of organisations and understanding the business model as a framework to understand and manage how to create value is critical. 

2) Human capital is one of the key intangible assets of organisations in an age where intangible assets are the dominant means by which organisations create and preserve value. Leadership is a crucial means for managing individual performance and the relationships between people to best achieve organisational goals. Efforts to understand the concept of whistleblowing or speaking out and specify the potential impact on individuals.

3) Managing projects have become the means by which organisations execute their strategies and understanding of project management concepts and techniques to implement organisational goals and strategies effectively and efficiently.

4) Sustainability in Business has become a necessity for all firms to identify the influences of their business decisions on sustainable strategy and operations. Efforts to identify barriers to progress in corporate sustainability and understand the importance for business of life cycle assessment has become imperative. The ability to understand measures of sustainability and identify how corporate sustainability is measured against environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors for long-term impact is necessary.

By the end of the module students should be able to achieve the following learning outcomes:

1. Critically assess and evaluate approaches to business strategy through an understanding of business ecosystems and business model formulation and disruption 
2. Critically examine the concepts, models and tools associated with leading and managing organisational relationships
3. Critically discuss the role and importance of project management for contemporary organisations
4. Critically evaluate success factors for the management of business performance 
5. Critically examine the sustainability factors and discuss how sustainability influences corporate strategy and business operations to create long-term impact measured against environmental, social and governance factors"

The aim of this module is to examine strategic finance issues faced by multinational companies from an international perspective. It focuses on how these companies operate within the global financial environment. Students will learn to identify and analyze the various forms and sources of business risks that multinational companies encounter.

Specifically, the module aims to:

1. To enable students to critically evaluate the international financial environment of a multinational corporation, including financial institutions, financial markets and exchange rate systems.

2. To critically examine and evaluate the principal concepts in the theory and practice of international financial management.

3. To analyse, apply and evaluate financial strategies through application of relevant analytical tools to examine and assess major issues and developments in international financial management.

4. To provide a critical understanding of the principles of risk exposures and the management of its international financial operations

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Analyse the environment in which international financial management is undertaken and discuss the structure of a MNC.

2. Critically assess the operations of the currency and derivatives markets and theories of exchange rate determination.

3. Define, assess and apply techniques and methods to evaluate and manage exposures and risks deriving from international business.

4. Apply the principal concepts, theories and appropriate tools in international financial management and reflect upon contemporary thinking to analyse and evaluate the international financial strategies of organisations, capital structure and financing of MNCs.

5. Assess a wide body of empirical research literature on contemporary issues relating to international financial management and critically appraise it. 

This module builds on your knowledge gained from module BU5006 Financial Accounting 2 - performance operations or equivalent. Key topics covered are:

Sources of long-term finance - characteristics of ordinary and preference shares and different types of long-term debt. Operating of the stock and bond markets, share and bond issues and the role of advisors.

The cost of equity using dividend valuation model, post-tax cost of bank borrowings. Yield to maturity of bonds and post-tax cost of bonds, post-tax cost of convertible bonds up to and including conversion. Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) and its use.

Group financial statements - full consolidated statements (single and group), capital schemes, currency, disclosure of interests in other entities, need for and nature of disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. The recognition and measurement of revenue, operating and finance leases including discussion of substance over form, financial instruments, provisions, contingent liabilities and contingent assets, share-based payments and provision for deferred taxation.

Ethical selection and adoption of relevant accounting policies and accounting estimates. Additional acquisition in the period and calculation of gain or loss on disposal of a controlling interest in a subsidiary in the year. Adjustment to parent's equity. Consolidating a foreign subsidiary and calculation of foreign exchanges gains and losses.

Impact of indirect effective holdings on preparation of group financial statements/ disclosure of transactions between related parties, basic and diluted earnings per share calculations. Revenue definition, recognition, measurement, accounting and application

Analysis and Interpretation of accounts -  ratio application and interpretation including EPS, segmentation and limitations of ratios. Advise on actions that could be taken to improve an entity's financial performance and financial position taking into account ethical considerations and internal and external constraints.

Contemporary developments - stakeholder information demands, environmental and social accounting, and non- financial measures.  Human resource accounting and IFRS & GAAP convergence.

The role of the professional accountant in sustainability - identify the role of corporate sustainability reporting and the key sustainability reporting requirements for businesses; recognise key sustainability regulations and policies applicable to the work of the professional accountant, including corporate reporting; recognise the role of the professional accountant in sustainability assurance.

This module builds on knowledge gained from module level 4 and level 5 Management Accounting. It has a focus on strategic decision making. It will include the following indicative content: 

Long-term decision making - relevant cash flows, investment decision making, investment appraisal techniques, Payback, ARR, IRR, NPV, annuities, profitability index, capital rationing and pricing strategies.

Cost planning and analysis for competitive advantage - activity based costing, activity based management, Throughout accounting, JIT, TQM, target costing, value analysis, Kaizen costing, life cycle costing, the value chain, direct customer profitability, distribution channel profitability, pricing - elasticity of demand, profit maximisation pricing and pricing strategies.

Management control and risk - sensitivity analysis, risk and uncertainty, decision trees, probabilistic models, Bayes Theorem, TARA framework, business risk, ethical implications, Big Data and data analytics.

Control and performance measurement of responsibility centres -  decision making in different structures, key metrics, benchmarking, Balanced Scorecards, FPIs and NFPIs, analysis of Return on Investment, Residual Income and Economic Value Added and transfer pricing, performance in not for profit organisations.

This module is going to focus on primary, secondary and mixed data and how using data analysis can support decision making. It will equip students with essential skills to analyse, interpret, and present data effectively in professional settings. Equip students with the relevant practical skills through the application of advanced Ms Excel techniques and SPSS usage, to analyse variables to address decisions. Provide students with the critical skills required to collect and analyse data; and its presentation by means of relevant methods. 

Data - databases (such as FAME, Yahoo Finance and Investing.com), types of financial data with emphasis on big data, ethics in data handling, annual reports and other source. Data in SPSS - Entering data into SPSS, measuring and setting variables. 

Data mining - Data Visualisation Techniques in Excel-creation of dashboards using pivot tables, lookups and logical statements, use financial ratios to conduct performance analysis of companies with data on available databases.

Data Collection - Exploring techniques and tools for primary data collection and methods to analyse for understanding and presentation. Transferring and exporting collected data into Excel and SPSS for data analysis. 

Financial Statistics in Excel - use the 'Analysis ToolPak' -  and SPSS, descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, standard deviation and variance), Anova (single factor, 'with and without' replication), correlations, regressions, T-Test, and Excel solver (for linear programming).

Financial Markets - market sensitivity (beta estimation), portfolio diversification (variance and covariance matrix), market reaction to announcement (event study-single and multiple events), market efficiency (use time series models such auto-regression and moving average concepts).

The module aims to develop students' ability to apply financial models and related advanced analytical techniques to inform business decisions and to evaluate possible decision outcomes in a competitive business environment.

This module will include topics such as, but not limited to:

• Principles of business and financial planning
• Introduction to financial modelling for business finance
• Techniques of quantitative and qualitative financial analysis
• Decision Making under risk and uncertainty
• Analysing and interpreting the financial performance

This is a dissertation module for Finance students. The prerequisite will be  Data Analysis for Decision Making. 

The module is designed to enable students to develop and apply business research and analytical skills that will enhance their employability and rapid progression to management positions in the workplace. It requires them to: 

• Undertake a research project that is 'scoped and framed' within a required degree programme of study.
• Design and conduct appropriate in-depth research in an elected area of study.
• Acquire, consolidate and apply theoretical knowledge, methodologies, and research approaches in a ‘real world’ environment.
• Develop and utilise skills in critical investigation; analysis and synthesis of evidence; reflection and autonomous learning.

This is a self-directed module which enables and empowers students to initiate and develop their own project concept appropriate to their discipline of study.

Students within their final year of studies are very focussed on their ultimate work aspirations, and this module aids them to gain 'graduate trajectory' and enable them to better move into their chosen profession / industry as seamlessly as possible upon graduation.  

After the initial lectures setting out the style and scope of the module and opportunities, students decide on the content of their project and assessment (co-creation), and pitch this to staff by way of an initial project proposal.

Students then receive tutorial support and supervision throughout the year and agree the form that their final assessment will take. Students are encouraged to work with other stakeholders (internally or externally) where appropriate in the developing the project or work.