Executive Education Single Modules

Available Routes: CBMBA Elective Module Full Programme and Accelerated Routes

Module Overview

This module develops students’ awareness of the changing regulatory environment in global financial markets and how they impact Private Banking & Wealth Management. The operational features of Islamic banks and financial institutions, focussing on their performance and how they compete with conventional interest-based banks is explored. 

The role and developments in distribution, branching, marketing and the treatment and role of customers are considered as is service quality and the associated links to profitability. The dynamics of change in retail banking and the future of retail banks are addressed.

Module Title: Corporate Finance
Module Director: Professor Aziz Jaafar
Available Routes: Core Module Full Programme

Module Overview

Corporate Finance is a key management activity with a broad range of activities to address. The understanding of the financial managers' key decisions forms the heart of this module, with emphasis on the selection of profitable investments, utilising financial instruments, choosing the best mix of funds, risk and dividend policy. The importance of cash flow and the theories underpinning dividend decisions is also emphasised. Students will gain an understanding of the different types of investment and the return expected by investors. The module also examines the concept of risk, moving to a review of the nature of capital markets and the nature of the instruments issued and traded within them.

Module Aims & Objectives:
On completing this module, students will be able to:

• Understand the theories underpinning capital budgeting and be able to apply and discuss these
• Understand the concepts of the costs of capital and funds and be able to apply these to real world scenarios
• Understand the theories and concepts underpinning dividend decisions; analyse and apply these in the real world
• Understand the concepts of discount rates and how these relate to financial instruments and risk
• Understand the issues relating to long-term finance; critically evaluating the relevant models and applying the most relevant when reviewing financial decisions
• Have a thorough understanding of the role of the financial manager and the role played by corporate finance in the banking and financial industries

Key Text:
Corporate Finance (4th Edition) Berk, J and DeMarzo, P - Pearson

Means of Assessment:

This module is assessed by means of an individual assignment (40%) and examination (60%)

The course is divided into three Units which broadly break down as follows:

Unit 1
Unit 1 deals with underlying technical aspects of valuation  time value of money, discounting, etc. and gives us the necessary technical underpinning to move on to making decisions in Unit 2.

Unit 2
The second unit, Unit 2, takes theses technical aspects and starts to apply them to the valuation of projects. It starts with simple problems and moves on to more complicated investment decisions in relation to investment in plant and equipment. The key idea is whether a particular investment promises greater cash flows than the cost of the investment. This, of course, applies to many investment decisions  whether to invest in a machine or to buy a company or to launch an advertising campaign or to initiate a research and development programme. All these opportunities seem very different, but they all have the same goal of generating more cash than the cost of getting the cash!

Unit 3
The third unit, Unit 3, deals with the financing side of the company. Unit 1 and Unit 2 help us to decide whether it makes sense to acquire a particular asset. Unit 3 looks at the financing of that decision in terms of the capital markets, sources of finance and the issues of capital structure (how much you should borrow) and dividend policy.

Each unit of these units is further broken down into individual topics, ten in total.

One point that might strike you as you work your way through the module is that is that some of the material appears a little removed from the financial services industry, because, for instance, there is little investment in plant and equipment in this industry (except for IT equipment, of course). However, do bear in mind that those of you who are lenders will have customers who are (or should be applying these techniques) while others who work in investment banks in the mergers area will have grappled with the problem of valuing possible acquisitions.

Available Routes: CBMBA Core Module Full Programme, Accelerated and Super Accelerated (non MBA) Routes

Module Overview:

Banks and financial markets are inherently vulnerable to crises and how policy makers and institutions have responded to these circumstances is investigated and questioned. The ethical principles and expected professional standards within key financial services areas including lending, investment and trading are explored, as are the role of individuals, organisations and corporate governance arrangements in financial services decision making. Compliance, risk management and corporate governance work as interrelated disciplines to provide essential regulatory assurance to the firm, and to improve the firm’s overall performance is critically examined.

Module Director: Professor (Emeritus) Bob Ryan
Available Routes: CBMBA Elective Module: All Routes

Module Overview:

This module seeks to examine the practical and academic issues in financial analysis, covering financial accounting reports and the needs of the user. Building on the use of such statements as an information source, the module examines the problems associated with their use and enables students to develop an understanding of the place of such accounting analyses in the valuation of businesses. It will reflect on the importance of conventional statements, cash flow statements, current cost accounts and cash flow analysis in both a national and international context. The need for students to understand international reporting standards and their effect upon financial analysis is considered, with particular reference to comparative issues. The module will also consider various business valuation methods, with an emphasis on critical comparison and reflection on the usefulness and accuracy of the various methodologies.

Module Aims & Objectives:

On completing this module, students will be able to:

• Be able to apply financial analysis techniques to financial statements and to understand the strengths and limitations of such analyses
• Be able to apply appropriate ratio analyses to assess current performance and indicate future performance of a company
• To understand and compare the major accounting system statements
• To critically evaluate the major valuation techniques and their limitations and be able to apply these to real world scenarios
• To understand and apply the key theories of financial analysis to specific real-world cases and reflect upon the value of the results of such analyses

Means of Assessment:

This module is assessed by means of a single mini project of 3,500 words in length.

Key Text:

Business Analysis & Valuation IRFS Edition (4th Edition) Palepu, Healy & Peek - Cengage Learning

Available Routes: Core Module, Chartered Banker MBA – Full Programme, Accelerated and Super Accelerated Routes, CertBMT

Module Overview:

This module explores the risk management function in modern, shareholder owned banks. A fundamental approach adopted is that financial institutions risk management is a central element of practical bank financial management. In this context risk management is seen practically as linking risk-taking (an essential economic role of banking firms) and financial management (managing these risks and the respective risk and return trade-offs in the most efficient way). The nature, strategic context and management of bank risks are examined.

Module Aims & Objectives:

Successful completion of this module will enable students to:

• Understand the role of risk management
• Be able to undertake a risk management role in their institution
• Understand the theories underpinning risk management
• Understand the regulations relating to risk management within the banking and financial services sector
• Understand their responsibilities under the regulations and how to meet them

Key Text:

Financial Institutions Management: A Risk Approach (9th Edition) Saunders, A & MillonCornett, M —McGraw Hill

Means of Assessment:

This module is assessed by means of an individual assignment (40%) and examination (60%)

Unit One covers:

An introduction to FIRM and explains the main themes that run throughout the module. The structure of the module is outlined, and the main text introduced. An overview is provided of banking and its role in the modern financial services industry. The nature of bank competition, regulation and their impact on FIRM are explored. Finally, the imperative on efficiency and marked-based valuation are explored as fundamental themes in modern FIRM.

Unit Two aims:

• To examine a bank’s main financial statements and their relationship to the risks inherent in banking
• To understand how a bank’s performance can be evaluated
• To understand the &banking significance of bank Asset and Liability Management and risk management
• To analyse the nature and BFM significance of interest rate risk and liquidity risk to BFM
• To examine the off-balance-sheet activities carried out by banks and to appreciate their BFM significance
• To consider the impact of the crisis (the ‘credit crunch’) on these areas
• To appreciate the impact of the credit crunch on the banking risks covered in this unit and, especially, on capital adequacy management and regulation
• To understand the nature and key importance of bank corporate governance

Unit Three aims:

• To examine the nature and role of product and geographic diversification within a bank’s risk management
• To examine and understand how banks use derivative contracts to hedge their asset-liability risk exposures
• To analyse how loan sales and securitisation techniques are used by bank managers to control credit risk
• To consider some further changes to the banking risk landscape in the wake of the credit crunch

Module Director: Professor John Ashton
Available Routes: CBMBA Elective Module: All Routes

Module Overview:

The module considers emergent and developing fields of green finance and methods of enhancing sustainable practice in finance.The module reflects the growing importance of adapting methods and the practice of finance and banking to the changing realities of climate change and growing concerns as to the sustainability of finance.

On successful completion of the module, the Certificate in Green & Sustainable Finance offered by the Chartered Banker Institute can be claimed by the participant.

Aims & Objectives:

The module will introduce and evaluate financial implications of the new green and sustainable economy required for the 21st century. The module will examine the rationale, ethical dimensions, regulatory aspects and practical industry implication of sustainable and green finance. In this module we will explore what are the responsibilities and expectations of firms, regulators and finance professionals in tackling these new realities and a range of methods and approaches adopted to achieve these goals.

Key Text

Green and Sustainable Finance: Principles and Practice: 6, Simon Thompson

Means of Assessment

This module is assessed by means of a single mini project of 3500 words in length.

Module Director: Mr Stephen Jones
Available Routes: CBMBA Core Module: Accelerated route; Elective Module: Full programme

Module Overview:

This module critically evaluates the contributions of various schools of thought in marketing and examines the relevant analytical models and management practices, with emphasis on the strategic importance of marketing to all organisations. It makes use of appropriate case studies and discussions to examine the key features of successful marketing campaigns and equips students with the skills necessary to critically evaluate the various theories and apply those most relevant within their companies / organisations.

Aims & Objectives

On completing this module students will:

• Understand the key theories and concepts of marketing strategy and its applicability to the banking and financial industries
• Understand how market research and information can be used to assist companies in reaching and expanding their customer base
• Analyse the marketing techniques and strategies used by their own and competitor companies and critically evaluate the success / appropriateness of these strategies
• Be able to critically evaluate the various marketing strategies and decide upon the most appropriate for use within their company
• Understand the role of marketing strategy in all companies and its contribution to the overall success of the company

Key Text:

Principles and Practice of Marketing (8th Edition) Jobber, D. and Ellis Chadwick, F. - McGraw Hill

Means of Assessment:

This module is assessed by means of a single mini project of 3,500 words in length.

Unit One:

The Unit examines how organisations can operate this philosophy by analysing their customers and how decisions are made about purchases.

On completion of this unit, you should appreciate:

• How the philosophy of marketing has developed over time
• The benefits of planning marketing
• How individual consumers behave
• How organisations buy
• The forces operating in the marketing environment
• How marketing research and information systems can assist in understanding environmental change
• Why and how markets should be segmented
• The unique characteristics of the marketing of services

Unit Two:

Unit Two starts from a recap of an organisation’s orientation towards marketing & how this relates to a range of stakeholders in the marketing environment. It then examines how competing solutions can be analysed.

On completion of this unit, you should appreciate:

• How to analyse competitors
• The sources of competitive advantage
• The management of existing products with a particular emphasis on the role of branding & re-branding
• The process of developing new products
• The pricing of products
• The issues of creating service offerings

Unit Three:

In this unit a broad outlook on “communicating” is presented:

• An awareness of the need to market not only to external customers, but also to internal customers to behave ethically in communicating with all stakeholders the benefits & challenges of a particular form of direct communication – the Internet
• The need for an Integrated Marketing Communications strategy
• The role of communication in the marketing of service activities

Module Director: Dr Olga Suhomlinova
Available Routes: CBMBA Core Module, Full Programme, Accelerated and Super Accelerated (non MBA) Routes

Module Overview:

This module looks at the key issues arising from contemporary research into human resource management (HR) and organisational behaviour (OB). It provides an integrated analysis of management, organisations and people and develops the conceptual, strategic and practical skills necessary for managers.

Module Aims & Objectives:

On completing this module students will:

• Be able to critically evaluate management & organisational theory and practice
• Be able to relate management theory to personal experience of a working environment
• Distinguish between types of organisational structure, culture and job design
• Appreciate the human resourcing aspects of managing and leading people
• Be able to critically assess the management processes involved in managing in an increasingly complex environment

Key Text:

Organisational Behaviour: Improving Performance and Commitment in the Workplace (6th Edition) Colquitt, J. Lepine, J. and Wesson, M. - McGraw Hill

Means of Assessment:

This module is assessed by means of an individual assignment (40%) and examination (60%)

Unit One – Individuals & People

This unit aims to introduce you to the whole area of organisation and management. Unlike other MBA disciplines, this cannot be described as a precise area of study with a clear and absolute list of contents. Instead, just like the groups of people you lead, it is a collection of disparate areas that collectively provide us with some insight into how we address this important area of management. At no point will we be talking about ‘right answers’ to people management problems. Instead, we will be looking at some of the cumulative knowledge that has been acquired over time, discussing alternative views and assessing potentials for successful application into the future.
For your ease of study, this unit is divided into seven parts, each section first identifying its learning objectives, the part of the textbook to be read, before providing you with additional knowledge and discussion if needed. Throughout the unit it is important for you to reflect what you are reading and learning back upon yourself and your own experiences.

Unit Two – Managing Organisations & People

The second unit introduces you to the area of Human Resource Management; how it came to be recognised as such an important area of organisational study and application; its link to the wider issue of strategy; its relationship with organisational structures and finally to begin our review of the key processes, concepts and practices that make up people management.
After the first section of this unit (which involves a discussion of what is commonly regarded as the historical development from what was originally known as ‘personnel management’ into today’s more commonly accepted ‘human resource management’), we will explore all relevant personnel-related issues, policies, systems and procedures.

Unit Three – Employee performance, development and relations

The aim of the third of unit is to provide you with an overview of the key issues, systems and processes involved in managing human resource performance, employee reward, development and involvement. Some of the key concepts you will come across whilst studying this unit include:

• Performance Plans (linking of organisational objectives with an individual employee’s responsibilities to produce a measurable list of the competencies and behaviours expected in performing a role)
• Performance Appraisal
• Employee Benefits (i.e. any tangible or intangible benefit an employee enjoys by being employed by an organisation)
• Training (employee learning directed towards defined role-based activities and employee competence in their completion - most often skill or knowledge based)
• Development (the process to maximise the capabilities of the organisation in line with its evolving strategy through maximising the long-term learning of employees. This learning may be skill, knowledge, philosophical or behavioural based)

Module Director: Dr Rick Audas
Available Routes: CBMBA Core Module, Full Programme and Accelerated Routes

Module Overview:

The overall aim of this module is to equip students with research tools which can be used in their study of other modules and in their mini projects. The course also serves as a foundation for further study of more advanced research methods for those students who wish to pursue higher degrees. The module starts with an introduction to research methodology and information technology tools. The main part of the module comprises an introduction to techniques of describing and summarising data; elements of data modelling; principles of probability and inference; regression analysis, time series analysis and survey methodology.

Aims & Objectives

On completing this module students will:

• Understand how and why research methods is a key component of the global economy
• Provide a good foundation in research methods and techniques that students can use and build up on when writing any academic or non-academic report
• Critically analyse data from primary and secondary sources
• Formulate feasible research questions and assemble, select and present the results of data analysis and modelling
• Be able to critically evaluate and interpret research data presented to them in their day-to-day roles 

Key Text:

Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach (7th Edition) Uma Sekaran & Roger Bougie

Means of Assessment:

This module is assessed by means of an individual assignment (40%) and examination (60%)

Unit One - Introduction to Research, Data sources and Descriptive Statistics

The broad objective of this section is to provide an overview of the role of research in business and to provide a description of the data sources that are available to facilitate research. The unit concludes with an introduction to descriptive statistics and graphical methods.

Unit Two - Introduction to Inferential Statistics: Hypothesis Testing, Correlation and Regression Analysis

In this unit we focus our attention on more advanced (or inferential) statistical techniques. At the heart of this is the idea that we can use data and statistical analysis to inform decision making. The unit will begin by describing the basic process of hypothesis testing and some of the statistical theory that underpin these techniques. Then the unit will go on to describe and demonstrate several different scenarios and accompanying techniques that can be used to extract information from data. This unit relies on the us e statistical tables and several different statistical tests that can be conducted to test hypotheses or theories.

The second section in this unit will introduce students to correlation and regression analysis. In this section we will delve more deeply into the underlying relationships that may exist between variables. The broad idea is to examine how data can be used to increase our understanding of outcomes that may be of interest to our organizations.

Unit Three - Research Design

In this study guide we introduce the concept of research design and highlight some of the main forms of research design, highlighting the relative strengths and weaknesses of each. The introductory section of this unit will introduce several key concepts in research design, before going more deeply into the various ways in which quantitative research studies can be conducted.

We will then turn to research design, commencing with what is, at least in theory, the best form of research design – experimentation – and describe why it is generally viewed as being the ‘gold standard’ for research. It is also the most difficult to conduct and in many cases, not possible. If we are unable to inform research questions through experimental methods, then it is important to understand the compromises being made in the use of different methodologies. A key objective of this study guide is to establish the limits of what different research designs can tell us. A serious concern is that we over-estimate what we think we can learn from research. The key to making good use of research is knowing its limitations and shortcomings.

The study guide concludes with a discussion on sampling techniques. A recurring theme in this module is that doing good, rigorous research is difficult and can be expensive and time-consuming. A key objective is to identify the compromises that we must make when we trade rigour for expedience – sometimes a necessary trade-off. The options for sampling techniques follow a similar discussion.

Module Director: Mrs Deborah Mitchell
Available Routes: Subject-Specific Module on the Financial Crime & Compliance MBA programme

Module Overview

The module introduces the concept of money laundering, and common typologies of these behaviours. This includes consideration of legal obligations, regulation risk assessment and the levels of diligence and reporting which are required to counter money laundering. In this introductory module learners are introduced to aspects of critical thinking to inform the tasks of due diligence and problem solving for financial intelligence purposes. They develop the ability to research academic and professional literature, present information in appropriate manners both written and oral for different audiences (regulatory, corporate as well as academic).

Module Aims & Objectives

The module provides an introduction to the wider programme, and provides an education base for considering anti-money laundering. This includes an introduction to issues of money laundering and regulation, and the need for critical thinking and reflection in financial investigations. The module also reviews the fundamentals and standards necessary to produce information in a concise manner both written and oral to produce informative reports on financial intelligence for different stakeholders with an interest in scrutinising ‘compliance’.

Key Text

The three course handbooks used on this module are accessed through the ManchesterCF platform. ManchesterCF is a specialist training provider in financial crime, and continually update their materials in response to changes in regulation. The materials will explore the theoretical concepts and practical aspects of fundamentals of anti-money laundering, critical thinking and information presentation to introduce a wide range of real-world cases.
Unit 1 - FIU Connect Critical Thinking
Unit 2 - FIU Connect Fundamental AML
Unit 3 - FIU Connect Report Writing

FIU Connect Financial Investigations unit will also be provided as an overarching reader across the programme, and will be introduced during the  Introduction to Financial Crime & Compliance module.

Means of Assessment

The module is assessed by 2 components:

A report addressing the topic set about ‘Fundamentals of Anti-Money Laundering’, including reflection on the process of research and report preparation (4000 words)

Preparation and recording of a presentation related to the Fundamentals of AML component of the report (10 minutes duration)

Module Overview

The module considers the legislative and regulatory environment that defines and seeks to control financial crime associated with inappropriate exploitation of the physical environment, and money-laundering based on trade. The resulting economic sanctions that are often introduced to encourage compliance are assessed. The motivations for initial development and persistence of each crime are outlined and how they may be detected. Appropriate policy responses are introduced to counter and combat such crimes.

Module Aims & Objectives

The module considers the broader institutional context of societies around the world that are increasingly emphasising their concern about damage to the physical environment - both for current and future generations of citizens. Environmental crime ranges from pollution in-situ to the trade of environmental resources between nations. Sovereign governments often introduce economic sanctions on other nations or individual organisations (including banks) to restrict such trade. Providers of financial services require an appreciation of these forms of crimes in order to effectively engage with the sustainability agenda.

Key Text

The three course handbooks used on this module are accessed through the ManchesterCF platform. ManchesterCF is a specialist training provider in financial crime, and continually update their materials in response to changes in regulation. The materials will explore the theoretical concepts and practical aspects of trade-based, environmental crime and economic sanctions to introduce a wide range of real-world cases.

Unit 1 - FIU Connect Economic Sanctions
Unit 2 - FIU Connect Trade-Based Money Laundering
Unit 3 - FIU Environmental Crime

Means of Assessment

The mini-project assessment for Institutional Perspectives of Global Financial Crime comprises two parts:-

1. Research that requires the student to identify the ‘current state-of-play’ for the Institutional Perspectives of Global Financial Crime in their product & geographic areas of operation for each of the three topics in the module, & assess how these compare to developments in the industry globally. (5500 words and carries 75% module weighting).
2. A critical evaluation of ‘best practice for risk mitigation’ for Institutional Perspectives of Global Financial Crime as indicated in the study materials & supplementary readings, across the three topics in the module (1500 words and carries 25% module weighting).

Module Director: Dr Tanya McCartney

Available Routes: Subject-Specific Module on the Financial Crime & Compliance MBA programme

Module Overview

The legislation and wider legal and regulatory environment for defining, identifying and countering criminal behaviours is discussed in the context of human trafficking, corruption, and cryptoassets. The module also considers techniques and methods of detection of these crimes and appropriate approaches to monitoring and reporting of these behaviours – from individual suspicious transactions to comprehensive law enforcement investigations.

Module Aims & Objectives

The module considers human behaviour in three contemporary and growing areas of financial crime – corruption, human trafficking, and cryptoassets. For each of these fields of financial crime, the module will outline how such crime develops, can thrive, can be detected and how such crime may be countered and combated. The module discusses appropriate responses for organisations and managers when confronted by such behaviour.

Key Text

The three course handbooks used on this module are accessed through the ManchesterCF platform. ManchesterCF is a specialist training provider in financial crime, and continually update their materials in response to changes in regulation. The materials will explore the theoretical concepts and practical aspects of corruption, human trafficking and cryptoasserts to introduce a wide range of real-world cases.

Unit 1 - FIU Connect Corruption
Unit 2 - FIU Connect Human Trafficking
Unit 3 - FIU Connect Cryptoassets

Means of Assessment

The mini-project assessment for Human Aspects of Global Financial Crime comprises two parts:-

1. Research that requires the student to identify the ‘current state-of-play’ for the Human Aspects of Global Financial Crime in their product & geographic areas of operation for each of the three topics in the module, & assess how these compare to developments in the industry globally. (5500 words and carries 75% module weighting).
2. A critical evaluation of ‘best practice for risk mitigation’ in Human Aspects of Global Financial Crime as indicated in the study materials & supplementary readings, across the three topics in the module (1500 words and carries 25% module weighting).