Banking, Economics and Finance MSc

Cranfield University

The aims of this module are to equip you with the skills, techniques and knowledge to:

Be proficient in bank risk management in the digital era, considering the several risk categories that result from the nature of banking, the emerging risks, and the consequences of these for the future of bank risk management.

Develop appropriate mitigating strategies and applying a suitable control framework to monitor key risk areas

Examine the changing landscape of the banking industry and main drivers of change;

Develop understanding of change management in banking context andexplore ways of delivering change.

Gain an understanding of financial inclusion and how banks can play a critical role in advancing it.

Evaluate strategic choices in order to inform strategy.

The course begins in Part I with an overview of the international financial markets, the major financial institution participants and product types. You will understand the roles, motivations and behaviours of market players including the importance of risk-taking. The role of regulation will be highlighted and examined in Part II. This will include the aims and structures of regulation. In Part III, you will examine, using a seminal textbook on business ethics the role and limitations of ethics in financial markets, ethical decision-making frameworks, and evaluate real world cases of lapses in culture and impact upon society and the markets. The challenge of identifying and promoting ethical behaviour will be acknowledged.

The aim of the Accounting and Finance module is to introduce a number of traditional and contemporary accounting approaches that will increase the visibility of financial information and support management decision making. It aims to integrate basic financial knowledge in the management of a business organisation.

The aim of the module is to enable you to critically evaluate the rapidly changing field of digital technology including artificial intelligence as it applies to the worlds of banking and financial services more generally. This will be achieved through developing a critical understanding of:

IT in historical perspective: from the 1970s to today

Demand-side and supply-side drivers of digital banking

Consumer Impact: where have we come from and how is the future of banking being shaped by new technology paradigms. Focus on customer experience, key trends that are driving this

The new business models evolving in digital banking including Open Banking, BaaS, BaaP, Banking as a marketplace and ecosystem, etc.

Organisation: what does the digital megatrend mean for how you organise internally? Skills sets are less delineated, agile ways of working etc.

Future: what emerging trends promise the next wave of innovation (e.g. blockchain, AI)? What disruption is this likely to cause?

The module aims to equip you with the knowledge and understanding to better manage digital technology-related decision-making within a banking context.

The module's primary goal is to increase your knowledge, comprehension, and aptitude for applying the fundamental ideas and practices of green and sustainable banking. The module will delve deeper into the development of green and sustainable products and services in the banking and allied sectors; raising awareness of the role of the stakeholders in the banking industry in supporting the transition to a low-carbon world; and increasing the student's awareness and understanding of climate change and its impacts.

This core module aims to develop a critical understanding of key financial decisions in corporate settings. It explores the implications of the separation between ownership, management, and control; the evaluation of capital structure and dividend policy; and the analysis of short-term asset management practices within the business environment. The module also encourages engagement with complex and sometimes contradictory academic literature in financial management and its relevance to professional practice.

Finance is a highly quantitative subject and this core programme provides the relevant mathematical and statistical training necessary to be able to conduct appropriate empirical studies and apply theoretical financial models in practice.

To introduce the concepts and techniques of Microeconomics (e.g. market analysis, price theory, rationality) and Macroeconomics (e.g. inflation, exchange rates and interest rates) in a way which provides a core foundation for later applied financial analysis in a range of other core and elective courses on the MSc in Finance and Management and MSc in Investment Management.

In the Context of the Financial markets, it is imperative that you become aware of the fundamental principles and concepts pertaining to Economic Theory per se. Studying economics not only provides knowledge for making decisions but also offers a tool with which to approach questions such as the desirability of a particular financial investment opportunity, the benefits and costs of alternative careers, or the likely impacts of public policies.

This module is one of key modules for the programme as it deals with foundations of investment and portfolio theory. The module aims to develop an understanding portfolio construction, portfolio management and portfolio evaluation. The module will focus on imparting knowledge of the investment process, portfolio theory, efficient market hypotheses, asset pricing models, analysis and management of common stock portfolio, portfolio evaluation and basic understanding of equity options and futures and their application in management of portfolios. The module’s aim is to help you acquire knowledge of investment and portfolio management. The module introduces some of the principal ideas and concepts underpinning the theory and practice of investment. By the end of the module you will be able to understand the main issues involved in investment management and develop skills to construct equity portfolios and manage their risk.

The aims of this module are to equip you with the skills, techniques and knowledge to:

Assess the role of Banking in the wider economy.

Develop knowledge and skills of pricing financial products and services and evaluate how pricing decisions can be influenced by the changing competitive landscape.

Examine the changing landscape of the payment ecosystem which are usually the gateway for innovations and appreciate the innovations relating and conditions for success.

Grasp nuances of the dynamic lending environment, especially in a digital age, and evaluate how customers perception about lending is evolving.

Examine the personal and private banking landscape in the digital age, the challenges that have been encountered, and the effects on banks and the ways customers interact with their banks.

The module is primarily designed to provide you with an understanding of what is required to undertake successful academic studies and to conduct research in business contexts considering that todays’ managers:

• • are paid to make decisions
  • are expected to make ‘informed’ decisions (i.e. based on evidence)
  • are evaluated on the basis of the outcomes from their decisions

Therefore, understanding the process of producing evidence will ensure you have the core skills to inform management decisions.