Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2021-2022 (archived)

Module BUSI45Q15: MANAGING FINANCE (TAUGHT)

Department: Management and Marketing

BUSI45Q15: MANAGING FINANCE (TAUGHT)

Type Tied Level 4 Credits 15 Availability Not available in 2021/22
Tied to N1KS17
Tied to N1KR17
Tied to N1KS14
Tied to N1N317
Tied to N1N417
Tied to N1N517
Tied to N1N617

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • BUSI42S15: Managing Finance (Online)

Aims

  • To provide students with a critical appreciation of the financial tools of business management, in particular, the techniques of financial statement analysis and investment appraisal.
  • To provide a critical evaluation of the factors affecting the financing mix of a firm and of the financial markets in which firms operate.
  • To give insight into topical issues in the area.

Content

  • Fundamental Concepts of Accounting.
  • Evaluating Financial Performance.
  • Working Capital Evaluation.
  • Financial Planning Techniques.
  • Long Term Investment Decisions.
  • Financial Risk Management.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • Upon successful completion of the module, students will have an advanced knowledge and critical appreciation of:
  • the key financial statements;
  • issues relating to working capital management;
  • the concepts of budgeting and short term decision analysis;
  • the factors affecting the capital stucture and financing needs of a firm;
  • the fundamentals of financial markets in which firms operate;
  • the tools and techniques used in managing financial risks.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Upon successful completion of the module, students will:
  • Be able to use key techniques of investment appraisal and have a critical appreciation of those techniques;
  • Have a critical understanding of how managers make financial decisions in a world of uncertainty and imperfect information;
  • Be able to use key techniques for interpreting financial statements;
  • Understand and apply techniques of cash budgeting and working capital management;
  • Identify and evaluate the methods by which financial risks can be managed, and the extent to which such methods should be used.
Key Skills:
  • Written communication;
  • Planning, organising and time management;
  • Problem solving and analysis;
  • Using initiative;
  • Computer literacy.

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

  • Learning outcomes will be met through a combination of taught input, groupwork, case studies and discussion, supported by guided reading and specially-written self-study material. 
  • The summative assessment of the module is designed to test the acquisition and articulation of subject-specific knowledge, and skills of application and interpretation within the business context.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Workshops (a combination of taught input, groupwork, case studies and discussion), timetabled in blocks 35
Preparation and reading 115
Total 150

Summative Assessment

Component: Written assignment based on financial analysis Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Individual Written Assignment 4,000 words max 100% Same

Formative Assessment:

Classroom-based exercises involving individual and group analyses and presentations on specific business situations/problems relevant to the learning outcomes of the module. Oral and written feedback will be given on a group and individual basis as appropriate.


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