Financial Report
Saved on: Tuesday 29 March 2016 09:10AM
AF4S31 - Strategic Financial Management 01 SEP 2015 - 31 AUG 2021 | Version 2
Associated Module Information
Module Code: AF4S31
Module Title: Strategic Financial Management
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Society
Faculty Group: Law, Accounting and Finance
Faculty Sub Group: Accounting
Module Leader: Michael G Porch
Module Team: Michael Daniels , Nigel P Brown
First Intended Intake: SEP 2011 Final Year of Intake: SEP 2015
Date Validated: 15 AUG 2011 Date Closed: N/A
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 7 (Masters (M))
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module: N/A
JACS Code:
ASC Code:
Document Version Information
Version: 2
Valid From: 01 SEP 2015
Valid To: 31 AUG 2021
Module Aims
This module aims to provide an understanding of the issues and techniques of strategic financial management from both an internal and external stakeholder viewpoint.
ICIS Module Spec - AF4S31 Strategic Financial Management
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Content Summary
Objectives of financial management: Overview of key financial and non-financial objectives; Agency theory;Corporate governance; Capital markets and efficiency; Risk and return. Financial statement analysis (FSA): The role, purpose and content of financial statements; The use of accounting and economic ratios; Analysis and interpretation using electronic database resources (e.g. FAME, KeyNote); Strengths and limitations of FSA. Capital investment appraisal: Cash flow and profit forecasting, relevant costs, incremental costs, cost behaviour; Non-discounted and discounted appraisal methods; The effects of inflation, taxation and risk; Scarce resource issues. Value, risk and the required return: Analysing investment risk; Portfolio theory; The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM); The required rate of return on individual investments. Strategic Financial Decisions: Sources of finance; Factors affecting interest rates including the yield curve; The cost of debt, cost of equity, and the weighted average cost of capital (WACC); Gearing and capital structure.
This module will facilitate the development of Personal Development Planning through the delivery of the key skills identified.
Learning and Teaching Methods
Activity Type Hours
Lecture 8
Seminar 12
Practical classes and workshops 12
Directed Study 80
Independent Study 80
Formative Assessment - Scheduled 8
Total Hours Selected 200
ICIS Module Spec - AF4S31 Strategic Financial Management
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Learning Outcomes
# Learning Outcome
1 In order to complete the module successfully, students are expected to be able to critically assess, apply and evaluate the issues and techniques of strategic financial management
Module Requisites
Pre / Co Requisites
Not Yet Completed
Other Requisites
Other Prerequisite(s):
N/A
Other Corequisite(s):
N/A
Assessment Criteria
Assessment Category
Assessment Description Duration Word Count
Weight (%)
Best of?
Written Assignment
Essay 1 A written assignment (3,000 words or equivalent) which requires students to apply appropriate financial management techniques to a given scenario and to critically discuss related issues
N/A 3000 50 No
Written Assignment
Report 1 A report (3,000 words or equivalent) which requires students to apply financial statement analysis of a company and to critically discuss related issues
N/A 3000 50 No
ICIS Module Spec - AF4S31 Strategic Financial Management
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Assessment Matrix
Learning Outcomes
Assessment Criteria 1
Essay 1 Yes
Report 1 Yes
Reading List
# Reading List Entry
1 Essential:
2 The latest editions of the following texts:
3 Pike, R., Neale, B. and Linsley, P., Corporate Finance and Investment, Pearson.
4 Further Reading:
5 Atrill, P. and McLaney, E., Accounting and Finance for Non-Specialists, FT Prentice Hall.
6 Watson, D. and Head, A., Corporate Finance Principles & Practice, FT Prentice Hall.
7 Arnold, G., Corporate Financial Management, FT Prentice Hall.
8 Note this represents the indicative reading list as validated. Students will be provided with annual up-dates to this if required.
Key Skills
# Key Skill
1 D1 Problem solving and decision making including identifying, formulating and solving business problems. The ability to create, evaluate and assess a range of options together with the capacity to apply ideas and knowledge to a range of situation
2 D2 Communication, oral/writing, using a range of media which are widely used in business.
3 D3 Numeracy and quantitative skills including data analysis, interpretation and extrapolation. The use of models of business problems and phenomena
4 D4 Applying communication and information technology for business applications
5 D5 Self-Management in terms of time, planning and behaviour, motivation, self-starting, individual initiative and enterprise
6 D6 Learning to learn and developing an appetite for learning; reflective, adaptive and collaborative learning
7 D7 Self aware, openness and sensitivity to diversity in terms of people, cultures, business and management issues
8 D8 Group working and interpersonal skills including leadership, team building, influencing and project management skills together with skills of effective listening, negotiating, persuasion and presentation
9 D9 Application of research skills to business and management issues, either individually or as part of a team for project/dissertations/presentations. This requires familiarity with a range of business data, research sources and appropriate methodologies.
ICIS Module Spec - AF4S31 Strategic Financial Management
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