FINANCIAL PLANNING & MODELLING - 2024/5

Module Overview

The prime motivator in business activity is sustainable profitability for shareholders' wealth maximization. It follows that all managers are likely to perform better towards that goal if they understand the mechanisms for achieving sustainable profit by acting in the interest of stakeholders. This module is designed to give students the necessary basic background in finance to enable them to be effective business managers. It covers the fundamental principles of corporate finance and investment in bonds, stocks, and projects, along with day-to-day working capital management.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

HAN Liang (SII DUFE)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• The importance of Corporate Finance within a business and the role of the Corporate Treasurer.


• Corporate Financial Goals -including not-for-profit entities and sustainability goals.


• Financial Analysis and Planning including performance against stakeholder goals and planning for growth.


• Time Value of Money: discounted cash flow valuation for multiple periods and compounding over period of less than a year including application to investment and financing sources.


• Asset Valuation: valuing bonds and equities.


• Capital Investment Appraisal- using tools such as average accounting return, net present value, internal rate of return, payback, discounted payback and profitability index.


• Working Capital Management and Cash Models - including operating cycle and the management of cash, inventories, accounts payable, accounts receivable and factoring.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

None

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate: Their knowledge of principles of financial management. Their ability to evaluate financial needs of a business. Their ability to apply their knowledge to scenarios given in the assessments.
The summative assessment for this module consists of: 

• A midterm test that addresses learning outcomes 1, 2 and 3.


• A final term examination covering all learning outcomes.

Formative assessment and feedback
Students will receive verbal feedback during lectures through direct questioning, also from class exercises which will challenge their understanding of the building blocks, Class exercises and indicative questions given before the test will be the basis of the midterm test, students will be encouraged to research these and ask questions.

Module aims

• Provide an understanding of the principles of financial management and an appreciation of the role of the finance function in the commercial life of a global business.
• Provide techniques and digital capabilities for use in evaluating the financial needs of a business and in financial planning.
• Evaluate and compare different investment opportunities and sources of short and long-term finance.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy:
Give students the opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding of relevant finance theory and current business practices.
Equip students with a practical awareness of investment, financing and working capital requirements in a business organisation.
The learning and teaching methods include:
Elements of seminars, lectures, guided reading and captured content including illustrative practice exercises.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN2203

Other information

Surrey Business School is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities particularly in the following areas:
Global and Cultural Capabilities: The module includes financial planning and modelling applicable to companies across the globe. Students are familiarsed with concepts that are standard all over the world with some variations depending on country regulation and/or cultural differences.
Digital Capabilities: Students will use excel to better understand time value of money concept and capital budgeting decisions. The excel skills aid the development of finance related modelling and enhance their digital capabilities.
Employability: The module aims to develop financial awareness and financial modelling skills that are highly sought after by employers. During the course of module delivery, students develop the ability to evaluate problems, devise solutions, and critically analyse the solutions. As a result, students build and enhance individual and professional skills.
Resourcefulness and Resilience: Since the introductory finance module builds on concepts from basic accounting and mathematic modules, the module reinforces and further develops knowledge and skills related to financial modelling. Students solve problems as well as critically analyse the solutions, thereby fostering an openness to different perspectives and developing their own viewpoint. In addition, through the independent and guided learning, students develop attributes such as confidence, adaptability, self-regulation, self-efficacy, problem solving and decision-making abilities.
Sustainability: The module discusses stakeholders and ethical issues in the form of corporate governance, a key issue in environment, social, and governance (ESG) principles. Students are familiarised with governance problems that can affect the well-being of shareholders, employees, and outside stakeholders. Afterwards students attempt to devise solutions to the sustainability problems.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2024/5 academic year.