Professional Financial Management module (BU53001)

This module is a core component of the MSc Professional Accountancy course.

The module explores the nature of financial management within a company context. It considers the techniques which financial managers employ when evaluating financial decisions as well as the issues which financial managers face within a business context.

The module also examines the insights from finance theory as well as the empirical findings from studies of practice in order to help understand the actions and motivations of financial managers.

Being part of the MSc Professional Accountancy course, the module is designed to meet the accreditation requirements of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Paper ‘Financial Management’.

What you will learn

In this module, you will:

• develop an understanding of the financial management environment and the financial management function within a firm, the various investment appraisal techniques, the nature and importance of working capital management and sources of business finance
• develop an understanding of the theoretical and practical issues which the financial manager must consider in dividend policy choices, cost of capital and gearing decisions, the valuation of business and financial assets and the types of risks and approaches to risk management.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• discuss and evaluate the role and purpose of the financial management function, the impact of the economic environment on financial management and the alternative sources of business finance
• discuss and apply various investment appraisal techniques, working capital techniques, the principles of business and asset valuations and risk management techniques in business
• develop a critical understanding of contemporary issues in academic and professional literature relating to financial management
• gather information from a number of sources and communicate it in a clear, concise and coherent manner
• use computing resources and work to a strict deadline when undertaking your assessed coursework

Assignments / assessment

Class test (20%)

• In June

Coursework (20%)

• Due in June/July

Final written exam (60%)

• In June

Teaching methods / timetable

You will learn via on-campus (face-to-face) lecture sessions and tutorials. This will involve taking part in tutorials and practical sessions. Learning material is provided through videos, review notes, examples, and tutorial questions.

This module is delivered over 5 weeks during the summer semester. There will be a total of 12 contact hours per week, which consists of:

• 4 x two-hour lectures
• 2 x two-hour tutorials

During certain weeks additional sessions may be arranged to provide further examples.