The Advanced Financial Management module develops core financial management knowledge and skills and prepares students to advise management and/or clients on complex strategic financial management issues facing an international organisation.

Students will be expected to demonstrate an integrated knowledge of financial management and an ability to relate the technical understanding of the subject to issues of strategic importance to the organisation. Financial managers are required to look across a range of issues which affect an organisation, its finances and stakeholders; accordingly students will be required to understand case studies focusing on a range of issues and from varying perspectives.

More specifically, this module aims:

1. To provide a detailed examination of the principles of financial management and their links with accounting, economic and organisational theory, highlighting their associations to corporate governance and stakeholder institutions;
2. To explain the role and responsibility of senior financial advisers;
3. To examine sources of finance;
4. To comprehend, analyse and apply advanced mechanisms for financial planning and investment evaluation in a variety of organisations, together with a range of financial management tools and concepts available to managers to facilitate financial decision-making;
5. To improve academic skills including academic reading and writing, oral communication, team working, analysis, critical thinking and research.

Note: If there are not sufficient student numbers to make a module viable, the School reserves the right to cancel such a module. If the School cancels a module it will use its reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable alternative.

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Principles of financial management and the role and responsibility of financial management. (LO1)

Financial planning and analysis and interpretation of financial statements. (LO2)

Advanced investment evaluation: payback period, accounting rate of return, discounted cash flow methods of net present value and internal rate of return. (LO3)

Short-term and long-term financing. (LO3)

Valuation for Mergers and Acquisitions. (LO4)

Valuing Projects and Firms: Investments decision rules, fundamentals of capital budgeting. (LO4)

Financial reconstruction and business reorganisation. (LO4, LO5)

Advanced risk management techniques. (LO5)

The module facilitates the development of key career management skills.

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

1. Understand and valuate the role and responsibility of the senior financial executive in meeting conflicting needs of stakeholders and recognise the role of international financial institutions in the financial management of international organizations;
2. Critically evaluate the appropriateness of financial information to meet stakeholders’ needs;
3. Evaluate potential investment decisions and assess their financial and strategic consequences;
4. Evaluate and advise on alternative corporate re-organisation and growth strategies, such as mergers and acquisitions;
5. Critically evaluate the value of financial decision-making and risk management techniques in the successful development of business strategy.

The assessment strategy for the module will comprise two elements. The in-class test for 30% will assess the students’ knowledge of financial management and planning.

The coursework (70%) will assess students’ relevant financial management skills in financing, investment and decision making. To pass the module, a student must obtain an overall 50% pass mark.

Reflective and formative assessment will take place on a weekly basis in seminars to develop theoretical, analytical, critical thinking, oral and written communication skills.

In particular, as part of the formative assessment in Week 9-10 students will be required to review a colleague’s draft of coursework. Students will have the opportunity for peer review and for receiving feedback on the coursework before the final submission.

The first summative assessment will take place in Week 7 with a 1.5-hour in-class test, which will assess student’s theoretical knowledge of LO1 and LO2 on financial management.

For the second summative assessment, students will be required to undertake an individual piece of research (minimum 1,500 words; maximum 1,700 words) into an interesting issue about financial management. This assessment will address Learning outcomes 3, 4 and 5, testing students’ ability to apply theoretical principles to real-life case studies, and evaluate students’ knowledge and understanding of the themes developed in the module. Research, reflection, critical thinking and written communication skills will be assessed.