APPLIED CASES IN BANKING - 2025/6

Module Overview

Applied Cases in Banking is a compulsory module that will equip students with deep understanding of the processes of collecting, organizing, and analysing bank-level and other financial and economic data to test hypotheses that students develop from the theoretical literature presented in the module. The module facilitates the independent learning process and provides students with the knowledge, skills and understanding required to articulate findings in a structured report format. It will enable students to gain practical knowledge of academic research and can provide a basis for the Project in Banking module that will follow.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

PAPPAS Vasileios (SBS)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

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

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes, but is not limited to:

• Bank financial statements analysis
• Financial development and economic growth
• Politics, the state, & banking
• Banking business models and corporate governance issues in banking
• International banking and the role of geographic location
• Banking competition evaluation
• Market failure & financial crises
• Banking regulatory framework evaluation
• Banking risk assessment (insolvency, credit, liquidity, market etc)
• Bank output, efficiency and productivity modelling

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to:The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the achievements of the modules learning outcomes. Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of: A summative individual written piece of work designed to capture a holistic learning acquired in all the topics and to assess the students ability to source data, identify interesting hypotheses, apply suitable statistical approaches, and analyse results (addresses learning outcomes 1 to 5).Formative Assessment and Feedback The understanding of the topics will be assessed by seminar exercises, open-ended questions or other group learning activities during lectures, seminars, or guided-learning activities. Classes provide a platform of frequent feedback in the topics covered, thus preparing, thus, the student for their success in the final project (a separate module taken subsequently in the summer). Additionally, the module offers a platform for students to give and receive feedback via SurreyLearn. Finally, weekly student feedback and consultation hours aim to provide additional feedback and assist students with the workload. 

Module aims

• To develop students ability to access, manipulate, and analyse a range of banking data through industry-standard databases (e.g., WRDS, BankFocus, Bloomberg).
• To enhance students ability to apply appropriate statistical methods to banking data using econometric software (e.g., Stata).
• To improve students ability to propose testable hypotheses from academic literature.
• To enhance students employability through development of transferable skills and problem-solving abilities through rigorous analysis and practical applications.
• To prepare students for further research through rigorous analysis and training.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:Develop students critical awareness of all the elements included in the module content and to enhance students employability through the development of key transferable skills relevant across a spectrum of financial sector activities. Teaching will be made as interactively as possible in the lectures and seminars.In particular, the teaching and learning methods include the use of weekly lectures and weekly seminars to illustrate relevant theory and allow the student to practice application of such theory with a range of seminar exercises. Lecture material will be supported by directed reading and weekly seminar exercises will test students understanding on an ongoing basis. Students are expected to read widely, carry out independent learning, and reflect on their learning. The weekly seminars provide students with the opportunity to work with peers and to discuss topics and problems presented in class. This will enhance class participation and help students assimilate ideas and develop communication skills. The learning and teaching methods include:LecturesSeminars (computer labs)

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: MANM597

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 in the following areas:

Digital capabilities: Students will develop skills in data collection and analysis as well as gaining knowledge of the methods that researchers use to tackle important issues in banking and finance. 

Employability: Students will be supported to develop a unique set of analytical skills that are relevant to their discipline and career ambitions. Students will develop the ability to critically evaluate research in banking, and practical skills in collecting and organizing data, applying statistical techniques to generate results, and both analytical and presentational skills in interpreting and discussing results. 

Resourcefulness and Resilience: Students will build on knowledge they acquire from other modules. This module reinforces and enhances students knowledge through its review of banking research and in-depth analysis of how research is conducted.

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 2025/6 academic year.