Corporate Finance (MBA)

Code

BUSI4007

School

Business

Level

4

Credits

10

Semesters

Spring UK

Summary

The module examines the ethical and practical justifications for the idea that companies should operate in the interests of shareholders and also the counter arguments in favour of a stakeholder perspective. The module then deals in turn with the major financial decisions made in organisations (capital budgeting, capital structure, dividends, mergers, working capital). Decisions are analysed first in the context of well-functioning capital markets. Capital market imperfections and behavioural biases on the part of managers and investors are then considered.

Target Students

Available for FT MBA students OR students on one of the Executive MBA variants OR MBA Executive Senior Leadership students who have taken either BUSI4015 Finance and Accounting OR BUSI4002 Accounting and Finance.

Co-requisites

Modules you must take in the same academic year, or have taken in a previous year, to enrol in this module:

• Accounting and Finance (BUSI4002)
• Finance and Accounting (BUSI4015)

Classes

• One 4-hour lecture
• One 7-hour lecture

This module is taught through a series of lectures.

Assessment

• 45% Project 1: 1,500 words. Reassessment method: 4,000-word individual coursework.
• 55% Project 2: 2,500 words. Reassessment method: 4,000-word individual coursework.

Assessed by end of spring semester

Educational Aims

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

This module develops a knowledge and understanding of:

• The ability to recognise and address ethical dilemmas, corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues, applying ethical and organisational values to situations and choices.
• Finance - the sources, uses and management of finance.
• The use of accounting and other information systems for managerial applications.
• Tools and techniques for transforming (big) data into useful information for business analysis and decision support.
• The importance of sustainability issues, including an understanding of the challenges and opportunities arising from the activities of people and organisations on the economic, social and environmental conditions of the future.
• Evaluation of when issues such as sustainability are significant.

Intellectual skills

This module develops:

• Being able to think critically and be creative: manage the creative processes in self and others; organise thoughts, analyse, synthesise and critically appraise. This includes the capability to identify assumptions, evaluate statements in terms of evidence, detect false logic or reasoning, identify implicit values, define terms adequately and generalise appropriately.
• Being able to solve complex problems and make decisions: establish criteria, using appropriate decision-making techniques including identifying, formulating and solving business problems; and the ability to create, identify and evaluate options; the ability to implement and review decisions.
• Using information and knowledge effectively in order to abstract meaning from information and to share knowledge, including the use of quantitative skills.

Professional practical skills

This module develops:

• The ability to conduct research and enquiry into business and management issues either individually or as part of a team through research design, the collection and analysis of quantitative data, synthesis and reporting.

Transferable (key) skills

This module develops:

• Effective communication: networking, listening, oral and written communication of complex ideas and arguments, using a range of media, including the preparation of business reports.
• High personal effectiveness: critical self-awareness, self-reflection and self-management; time management; conflict resolution, displaying commercial acumen, the ability to continue to learn through reflection on practice and experience.

Conveners

• Dr Wei Song
• Professor Sanjay Banerji