Module ECOS2291: Financial Management

Department: Business School (Economics and Finance) [Queen's Campus, Stockton]

ECOS2291: Financial Management

Prerequisites

• Business and Finance ECOS1241 AND Management Information ECOS1271

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To provide students with an understanding of how businesses operate and how accounting and finance functions support businesses in achieving their objectives.
• To enable students to recommend relevant options for financing a business, recognise and manage financial risks and make appropriate investment decisions.

Content

• Key principles of corporate finance
• Different forms of business and organisational structure
• Corporate governance and corporate responsibility
• The role of the accountant
• Financing options
• Managing financial risk
• Investment decisions and valuation

Learning Outcomes

• On completion of this module students should:
• Have an awareness of the key principles of corporate finance
• Have an understanding of the general objectives of businesses and the functions and tasks that businesses perform in order to meet their objectives
• Have knowledge of the nature, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of different forms of business and organisational structure
• Have an awareness of the financial risks facing a business and the principal methods of managing those risks

• On completion of this module students should:
• Be able to identify the purpose of financial information produced by businesses, specify how accounting and finance functions support business operations, and identifying sources and methods of financing for businesses and individuals
• Be able to specify the role of the accountancy profession and why the work of the profession is important
• Be able to identify the role that governance plays in the management of a business and specify how a business can promote corporate governance, sustainability, corporate responsibility and an ethical culture
• Be able to specify the impact on a business of the economic environment in which it operates
• Be able to identify the capital requirements of businesses, assess financing options and recommend relevant methods of financing
• Be able to apply appropriate investment appraisal techniques taking into account other factors affecting investment decisions

• Have developed a range of generic transferable skills relating to library research
• Have acquired appropriate skills for synthesis of data
• Be able to show critical thinking and creativity
• Have developed problem solving skills
• Be able to apply numerical, information and IT skills at an appropriate advanced level

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Learning will be based on knowledge transfer from lectures, seminars and personal study; investigation of cases and real world organisations which will underpin the seminars will encourage students to develop awareness of cultural differences and apply these to the development of their skills in managing themselves and others in such contexts.
• Seminar activities and discussions will provide the technical understanding of the main corporate finance and financial management techniques.
• Background research on the relevant key concepts of corporate finance will provide the basis for critical review of different financial management theories to understand the motive behind each corporate financial technique; this will be examined through the summative assignment, which will require students to collect financial and non-financial data for a selected company, conduct a financial analysis, and provide advice and recommendations to different sets of stakeholders with respect to the risk, performance and sustainability of the selected company.
• The summative examination will assess students’ understanding of the main corporate finance theories and technical mechanisms through problem solving and reflection on learning.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

2 hours 30 minutes mock exam

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University