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FINN2041: Corporate Finance

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Type Tied
Level 2
Credits 20
Availability Available in 2025/2026
Module Cap None.
Location Durham
Department Finance

Prerequisites

  • Foundations of Finance (FINN1011)

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • The module aims to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices that underpin the role of a finance manager. It seeks to develop both theoretical knowledge and practical skills that are essential for effective decision-making in the areas of investment decisions and valuations, managing financial risks and financing options.
  • It also aims to provide students with a sound foundation to enable them to undertake a dissertation in managerial and corporate finance.

Content

  • The role of finance manager
  • Short-term financing and working capital management
  • Investment appraisal
  • Long-term financing
  • Market efficiency and practical considerations in the valuation of shares
  • Capital structure and cost of capital
  • Managing financial risks
  • Corporate payout policies
  • Mergers and acquisitions

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • On completion of the module, students will develop:
  • a critical understanding of relevant investment appraisal methods and valuations
  • comprehensive knowledge of financing options and the management of financial risk in a corporate finance context

Subject-specific Skills:

  • On completion of the module, students will be able to:
  • Identify and process relevant information to support the analysis of relevant financial decisions
  • Discuss and apply working capital management techniques
  • Apply appropriate investment appraisal techniques while considering other factors affecting investment decisions
  • Assess financing options and recommend relevant methods of financing
  • Identify the financial risks facing a business and the principal methods of managing those risks
  • Recognise key environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) challenges associated with corporate financial decision-making
  • Evaluate international differences with regards to the operation of the relevant financial markets and corporate financial decision-making

Key Skills:

  • Written Communication - through summative assessment.
  • Planning, Organisation and Time Management - e.g. by preparing for workshops and examinations.
  • Working effectively within time constraints - e.g. by taking time-limited assessments.
  • Operating to a brief within a given scenario - e.g. by answering scenario-based questions in workshops and the in-person exam.
  • Ability to identify and prioritise key issues and stay on task.
  • Problem Solving and Analysis - e.g. by applying the necessary analytical and quantitative skills.
  • Numeracy - e.g. by applying core mathematical and statistical skills to answer a range of class and examination questions

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

  • Teaching is by lectures and workshops. Learning takes place through attendance at lectures, preparation for and participation in workshops, and private study.
  • Formative assessment is by means of online tests.
  • Summative assessment is by means of an in-person written exam.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures101 per week2 hr20 
Workshops4Fortnightly2 hr8Yes
Preparation and Reading172 
Total200 

Summative Assessment

Component: ExaminationComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Written in-person exam3 hours100same

Formative Assessment

Online tests

More information

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