Management and Finance

The ever-changing nature of business firms and the markets in which they operate, has made it increasingly important for corporate managers to have a clear understanding of the theory and practice relating to strategic management and the interrelationships between the firm, its employees and its markets, and the implications for corporate financial strategy.

Familiarity with the most recent developments in risk appraisal, valuation, marketing, human resource management (HRM), organisational behaviour and strategic management are essential requirements for all those involved directly in business, or in financing business activities, or those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of these important areas.

Issues you will study as part of your MSc or MA Business and Finance degree programme include:

• How can organisations ensure their own survival in a rapidly changing competitive
• What are the key strategic management problems facing organisations?
• Are organisations as complex as they seem?
• How can you analyse the strategy process, evaluate the strategic choices that may be made and place a value on the strategic options that are available?
• How would you recognise effective approaches to HRM?
• What are the costs and benefits of the alternatives?
• Do contemporary employment practices lessen conflicts and tensions in the employment relationship?
• Which factors are most likely to influence the evaluation and implementation of investment projects?
• How can we calculate a suitable cost of capital to appraise the capital investment decision?
• What are the relationships between risk and return governing investment? Can market risk be priced accurately?
• Can credit risk be priced accurately?
• What are the key principles of international portfolio management in a world of fast and unpredictable movements in exchange rates?
• Can futures, options, derivatives and swaps be used to manage the risks involved?
• How can financial forecasts be used in business valuation, and what techniques should be used to improve trend analysis and interfirm comparison?

With these needs in mind, the MSc and MA Management and Finance programmes at Bangor are designed to develop participants' existing skills through a scheme of specialist advanced study. An important objective is to provide participants not only with an insight into organisational behaviour and strategic choices in HRM and marketing, but also with an understanding of theoretical developments relating to corporate finance and the capital markets, and competence in the techniques required to assess the consequences for business management. These programmes provide a coherent theoretical framework for the various subject areas, but the emphasis throughout is on advanced practical application of business management and financial techniques in a real-world setting.

The availability of parallel MSc and MA degrees in Management and Finance allows you to choose between registering for a more technical MSc degree (including a compulsory element in Financial Econometrics), and a less technical MA degree (for which Financial Econometrics is optional). The MSc degree may be more suitable for applicants with some previous background in mathematics, statistics or econometrics, while the MA degree is more suitable for applicants who prefer to adopt a predominantly non-quantitative approach to their studies.

However, both degrees include a compulsory module in Research Methods, which includes coverage of both quantitative and non-quantitative research techniques. Provided you are registered for the correct modules for your chosen degree, it is normally possible to transfer between the MSc and MA degrees during the first few weeks following your initial registration.

Course Structure

The MSc and MA degrees in Management and Finance are scheduled for a duration of 12 months. Each degree programme consists of two parts.

• Part 1:

Is a wholly taught component, contributing 120 credits. All taught modules carry a credit weighting of 15 credits. Part 1 is taught during the two semesters which make up the academic year. Teaching during semester 1 normally runs from late-September to December, with examinations in January. Teaching during Semester 2 normally runs from late-January to early-May, with examinations in May and June.

• Part 2:

Consists of either a supervised Dissertation of around 10,000 words, or a structured Advanced Taught Programme of Summer Study that is specific to your chosen degree. Part 2 is completed during the summer months, from late-May to September. If you undertake a supervised Dissertation, you are expected to submit your Dissertation by September in the calendar year following your initial registration for your postgraduate degree. The assessments for the Advanced Taught Programme of Summer Study are also completed during September in the calendar year following your initial registration.

• Compulsory modules:

Research Methods: This module develops knowledge of intermediate and advanced research methods, and provides a basis in research methodology for those who may eventually wish to pursue research degrees.

Organisations and People: This module examines key issues arising from contemporary research in organisational behaviour (OB) and human resource management (HRM). It provides an integrated analysis of management, organisations and people, developing the conceptual, strategic and practical skills necessary for managers in complex, global organisational contexts.

Strategic Management: This module analyses strategic decision-making within business. You will develop a critical understanding of the strategic processes of business management, the interconnections with the functional domains of marketing, human resource management and corporate finance, and the management of knowledge systems.

International Financial Markets: This module provides an overview of financial instruments in a multi-currency world, taking account of insights from portfolio theory concerning the relationship between risk and return, the diversification of risk, and the pricing of assets.

International Financial Management: In this module the financial management of multinational companies and the influence of macroeconomic, fiscal, currency and political environments on business and financial decision-making are examined in an international and global context.

New Venture Creation: This module examines the advantages and disadvantages of the various routes to business start-up, including new venture creation, or establishing a business based on your own expertise, experience and ideas; buying an established business; purchasing a franchise; and succession through a family firm, an increasingly common way of becoming involved in entrepreneurial activity.

Financial Econometrics: This module provides advanced coverage of econometric methods and practices that are used to model financial and business data. You will develop the independent capability to design, estimate and evaluate appropriate econometric models using econometric software.

• Optional module (choose 1):

Islamic Finance: This module provides an insight into topical issues relating to Islamic financial instruments and related risk management issues. The first part of the module examines issues relating to financial contracting, instruments and various intermediation issues. The second part focuses on the role of the capital market in providing Islamic financing, and highlights financial engineering and risk management features of this type of business.

Financial Modelling: This module develops a combined theoretical and practical approach to mathematical modelling for specialists in finance. The module emphasises numerical methods and other analytic approaches to financial modelling.

Knowledge Management: This module examines the processes whereby organisations and individuals develop and utilise their knowledge bases. Successful knowledge management hinges on people, culture and technology. As such it has professional and academic links with organisational behaviour and organisational learning.

Contemporary Issues in Management: This module develops several theories and concepts in contemporary management theory and practice. It provides a detailed and critical analysis of management, further developing the conceptual, strategic and practical skills necessary for managers in complex, global organisational contexts.

International Business: This module establishes the relevance of globalisation to all organisations; to recognise the differing objectives of governments and commercial organisations; to identify the opportunities and challenges of integration between nations; and to formulate and implement international business strategies.

Financial Analysis: This module analyses the techniques that are used to evaluate a companys financial position and performance. You will examine the principles underlying inter-firm comparison (comparing the performance of one firm with another) and trend analysis (comparing the performance of the same firm over different periods).

Investment Strategy and Portfolio Management: This module evaluates the development of investment strategies for bonds, equities and derivatives that are designed to achieve optimal risk-return outcomes, and examines the measurement and evaluation of the performance of a portfolio of investments.

Entry to the programme requires a good undergraduate degree in a relevant subject, e.g. economics, finance, accounting or management from a university, or a similar qualification from any other institution. Alternatively, possession of a suitable professional qualification and relevant practical experience may also be accepted.In general, however, applicants are judged on their individual merits and age, work experience and other factors are also considered. A two-year programme, with the first year as a "qualifying year", is also available for students whose backgrounds are different from those outlined above in order to prepare them more fully for studies.We welcome applications from good graduates in relevant disciplines and from those with equivalent professional qualification and work experience.

If your native language is not English, you must provide satisfactory evidence that you have an adequate knowledge and understanding of written and spoken English. IELTS and Internet-based TOEFL test scores of no less than 6.0 and 75 respectively, are usually acceptable. It may be necessary for applicants falling short of this minimum standard to attend an intensive English Language course before registering for the academic programme. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.