BSc Accounting with Industrial/Professional Experience

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Financial Decision Making M

Course unit fact file
Unit code BMAN10522M
Credit rating 10
Unit level Level 1
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

1. Introduction to finance
2. The time value of money
3. Capital raising and evaluation of securities
4. The firm’s capital budgeting decision
5. Share price behaviour and informational efficiency
6. Security risk and return

Pre/co-requisites

Only available to students on Level 1 BSc Mgt/Mgt (Specialism); IM, IMABS, IBFE, BSc Accounting and BSc Business Accounting.



 

Aims

The aim of the course is to introduce students to finance, giving a foundation for subsequent finance courses in the second and third years. The approach is conceptual, emphasizing general principles, which students should be able to apply to specific problems and issues. The course introduces some of the basic techniques of finance: calculating the time value of money; valuing bonds and shares, techniques for appraising capital investments; characterising share price behaviour and the role of risk in security valuation. The main focus of classes is on problem-solving in particular finance contexts, with some consideration of discursive material.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students should:
• have a basic knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework of finance;
• know some of the basic techniques used in finance;
• have a basic understanding of the role of research in finance;
• can solve problems in a variety of contexts in finance;
• understand
- the time value of money
- how companies raise capital
- how to value bonds and shares
- the firm’s capital budgeting decision
- the concept of informational efficiency and associated share price behaviour
- the relation between security risk and return.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures: 15 one hour lectures (2 hours each week)

Workshops: 6 one hour workshops.

Total study hours: 100 hours split between lectures, classes, reading, self-study and preparation for classes, coursework and examinations.

Employability skills

Other
One of the topics covered in the course deals with the history and institutional setup of the London Stock Exchange. The course will also familiarize the students with reading, analyzing and interpreting financial news through the usage of Financial Times. Students should find this information (complemented with further reading) to be helpful when looking for jobs in the UK financial industry.

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Written exam 100%

Feedback methods

• Informal advice and discussion during a lecture, seminar, workshop or lab.

• Responses to student emails and questions from a member of staff including feedback provided to a group via an online discussion forum.

• Generic feedback posted on Blackboard regarding overall examination performance.

Recommended reading

Hillier, Clacher, Ross, Westerfield, and Jordan (2017), Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, 3rd European Edition, McGraw-Hill.

 



 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Assessment written exam 2
Lectures 15
Practical classes & workshops 6
Independent study hours
Independent study 77

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Arif Khurshed Unit coordinator
Patricia Perlman-Dee Unit coordinator

Additional notes

Length of course: 12 weeks

Pre-requisites: None
Co-requisites: None
Dependent course units:

• BMAN23000(A) or (B) Foundations of Finance.
• BMAN20072 if taken alongside BMAN23000(A) or (B) Foundation of Finance.
• BMAN21011 Financial Markets & Institutions.
• BMAN20081 Financial Statement Analysis (as long as BMAN10501 Financial Reporting or BMAN10621 (A), (B) or (M) Fundamentals of Financial Reporting is also taken as a pre-requisite).

Programme Restrictions: Available to students studying on the following programmes : BSc International Business, Finance and Economics, BSc Management and Management (Specialisms), BSc International Management, BSc International Management with American Business Studies, BSc Accounting.

BMAN10522 is available to study abroad and exchange students admitted through the University of Manchester International Programmes Office.

For Academic Year 2023/24

Updated: March 2023

Approved by: March UG Committee

 

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