Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook
This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.

Undergraduate Handbook 2024-2025 (archived)

Module FINN1011: Foundations of Finance

Department: Finance

FINN1011: Foundations of Finance

TypeLevelCreditsAvailabilityModule CapLocation
Tied 1 20 Available in 2024/2025 500 Durham

Tied To

Pre-requisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations

  • None

Aims

  • Introduce the key principles of corporate finance and their importance to firms.
  • Provide students with a solid grounding in issues of finance as they relate to business and financial markets.
  • Provide students with foundations to build on their knowledge and understanding in level 2.

Content

  • An Introduction to Finance.
  • Basic Mathematics of Finance.
  • Sources and Valuation of Long-term Funds.
  • Investment Appraisal.
  • Risk
  • Capital Structure
  • Dividends and Dividend Policy
  • Climate Finance
  • Green Finance
  • Ethics in Finance

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge
  • Understanding of the fundamental concepts of corporate finance. 
  • Appreciation of the relationship between these fundamental concepts and decision-making by practitioners and participants in financial markets.
  • Knowledge of methods and applications of quantitative techniques relating to essential issues in finance.
  • Appreciation of the framework in which financial issues and problems are presented, providing a foundation for appropriate analysis.
Subject-specific Skills
  • Ability to explain and interpret key implications of fundamental concepts in corporate finance, for example relating to capital structure and dividend policy.
  • Practice in the application of core mathematical skills to foundational concepts in finance, such as the time-value of money and capital budgeting.
  • Critical thinking in terms of core concepts in finance and their application to real-world issues.
Key Skills
  • Problem Solving and Analysis, by applying the necessary analytical and quantitative skills, as well as the ability to demonstrate understanding and manipulate core concepts in finance.
  • Numeracy, by applying core mathematical and statistical skills to answer a range of questions.
  • Planning and Organisation and Time Management, by revising relevant material and preparing for the assessment.
  • Computer Literacy, by accessing and downloading teaching material from Learn Ultra, undertaking bibliographical searches, and information retrieval for classes and assessment.

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

  • Teaching is by lectures and seminars.
  • Learning takes place through attendance at lectures, preparation for and participation in seminar classes and private study.
  • Formative assessment is by means of an online multiple choice test and an online assignment.
  • Summative assessment is by means of a multiple choice test in term and an assignment.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotal HoursAttendance Monitored
Lectures 10 1 per week 2 hrs 20
Workshops 4 Fortnightly 2 hrs 8 Yes
Preparation and Reading 172
Total 200

Summative Assessment

ComponentComponent WeightingElementLength/DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Online Test 50% Online multiple choice test 60 minutes 100% same
Assignment 50% Assignment 1500 words max 100% same

Formative Assessment

Multiple choice tests and an online assignment


Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.