International Finance and Accounting induction information

About your programme

Module information

You’ll complete your course one block or ‘semester’ at a time. In each semester you’ll study modules. Some are core modules you have to take – others you’ll be able to choose between when you arrive, personalising the course to your interests.

In your first semester you will study the following modules:

• Investment Markets and Investment Decision Making 

Investment Markets and Investment Decision Making

Drawing upon realistic examples and scenarios, this module will equip students to understand effective investment decision making. Students will learn how financial capital can be raised and allocated, how to evaluate investment projects, as well as how to value stocks, bonds and other financial instruments.

You'll also explore the advantages and disadvantages of the most commonly used instruments, and learn to understand the underlying psychology behind financial decision making. By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• Provide students with a framework to assess investment decisions
• Provide students with an understanding of different financial instruments and how companies use them
• Demonstrate how accounting information is used in investment decision making
• Give students a thorough understanding of what efficient market theory means and if it is possible for investors to consistently outperform the market
• Provide students with a critical understanding of the development of behavioural theory, how psychology affects decision making.
• Credits: 20
• International Strategy 

International Strategy

The module has a strong international component, it explores strategies, strategy processes, and strategy concepts associated with multinational organisations. The module helps students to develop an understanding of strategy formation in business organisations, as well as non-governmental organisations and other organisational forms.

The module will provide students with a comprehensive appreciation of strategy formulation and implementation from both an organisational and individual perspective. Themes like strategic decision making, organisational structure, organisational learning, and the organisational environment will feature on this module.

• Credits: 20
• Responsible and Ethical Leadership 

Responsible and Ethical Leadership

This module is concerned with the behaviour of managers and leaders when they are held responsible and accountable by standards other than shareholder value maximisation. The module is designed to ensure students understand how to reason ethically and how to approach ethical decision making within business and other management contexts, such as non-profit and third sector organisations.

Students will understand how unethical or reckless leadership of organisations can give rise to malpractice, undermine organisational viability and lead to reputational collapse whilst also harming wider society. In relation to business corporations, models of governance and frameworks that emphasise the primacy of shareholders will be considered as well as alternative models, and the importance of corporate purpose. In analysing how the principles of responsible decision-making should operate through management, ownership and governance, students will apply ethical thinking to real-life business and leadership situations thus helping them to become ethical decision makers and ethical leaders in the context in which they work.

The module will include a particular emphasis on tools to evaluate ethical behaviour in organisations.

The module will also address ethical and legal obligations in relation to personal data, the treatment of employees and environmental issues.

Assessment focuses on the development of a reflective personal leadership plan and the development of a case study.

Further information about the structure of your course can be found within the programme specification document.