Course overview

Develop sound knowledge and skills in areas such as finance, business, management and leadership for a future career in the business and financial sectors.

Employers in the business and financial sector seek a broad range of financial knowledge and professional skills. This course is designed to help you gain a solid understanding of business organisations, finance, operations and management while also developing practical skills to help you succeed in the job market.

Cover key topics from business strategy, managing finance, management and leadership, operations and markets.
Develop specialist knowledge in areas such as investment analysis and e-commerce, depending on the path you wish to follow in your potential future career.
Explore a wide range of professional skills, including team working; critical evaluation; self-directed learning; problem-solving; action planning and organising; written and oral communication; presentation; questioning and listening.

What you'll study

The main study themes covered on this course are:

Business policy and strategy – Explore the development of appropriate policies and strategies within a changing global environment to meet stakeholder interests.
Finance fundamentals – Explore the basic principles, rationale and methods used in analysing, planning and managing finances.
Operations – Explore the management of projects and day-to-day business operations, including scheduling, resource planning, quality assurance and operations.
Markets – Explore the development and operation of international markets for resources, goods and services, including considerations of customers and their expectations.

In the first year, you will have the opportunity to study a range of modules that cover the basics of business and finance alongside professional and mathematical skills.

Modules

Fundamentals of Finance

Fundamentals of Business Organisation

The aim of the module is to provide you with an introduction to business organisation. The module will give you the opportunity to develop a good understanding of how organisations are structured and managed as well as offering you a pragmatic insight into the role and importance of some of the typical functional areas of organisations (Marketing, Finance, Human Resource Management and Supply Chain Management).

Compulsory

Academic and Professional Skills in Finance

This module aims to provide you with a range of discipline specific and professional skills enabling them to become effective and autonomous learners, with particular emphasis on personal development planning. It will develop a range of transferable capabilities such as research, writing and presentation skills, as well as training on the use of financial databases and spreadsheets. The module thus integrates academic and practical skills to enhance learning and ultimately employability.

Compulsory

Fundamentals of Business Economics

This module aims to introduce you to the economic environment in which a business organisation operates and to develop an understanding of basic economic concepts that are applicable to careers in business, accountancy, and finance. The module considers how resources are allocated in a market economy; alternative market structures and their implications for business and consumers; the role of government; macroeconomic issues; and the international economic environment.

Compulsory

Marketing Essentials

This module has two main aims: the first is to introduce you to the fundamental theoretical concepts that underpin the marketing function, in particular the role of consumer behaviour, in marketing and selling situations. The second aim is to build the collection of skills required to apply these fundamental concepts to a case study and other scenarios in order to produce basic marketing and sales solutions.

Compulsory

Mathematical Techniques for Finance

This module aims to develop your ability to apply appropriate mathematical techniques to financial problems. It starts by applying basic mathematical methods, and then introduces you to other techniques in the context of financial applications. It will also offer students with A-level mathematics the opportunity to apply their mathematical skills to more complex applications.

Compulsory

In your second year there is a greater emphasis on ﬁnance, business management and leadership. There is also a module designed to give you the opportunity to gain employability skills specific to finance. We focus on threshold concepts, for example, the relevant knowledge and understanding of organisations, the external environment in which they operate, books of accounting entry, marginal costing, opportunity cost, finance theory and market forces. These concepts unlock the basic principles of business and finance theory, allowing you the opportunity to view these functions in a wider real-world context.

Modules

Principles of Finance

This module aims to introduce you to relevant concepts in finance. You will seek to learn about the workings of the equity and bond markets, gain quantitative skills to price stocks and bonds, acquire techniques to exploit the trade-off between risk and return to an optimal effect, develop critical understanding of theories and empirics of asset pricing models and market efficiency hypothesis, and become aware of key financial decisions taken by firms. The module elucidates the basics of the financial theory and how they are applied in the real world. It also provides you with structured opportunities to develop quantitative and analytical skills for more advanced undergraduate studies in finance.

Compulsory

Business Management

The aim of this module is to provide you with an appreciation and in-depth understanding of the key and practical issues in management within global organisations. These areas will include the role management plays within an organisation, the development and motivation of people and the management of a culturally diverse workforce.

Compulsory

Financial Services

This module intends to provide you with an understanding of the functions and operation of retail financial services in the UK. It aims to provide an advanced knowledge of the main financial products offered by UK financial service industry. These will include investment, savings, borrowing, insurance and pension alternatives available to individuals. It also provides a background to financial advice at the personal level through an understanding of the regulation framework and the decision-making process.

Compulsory

Employability Skills in Finance 1

This module aims to ensure you have a clear understanding of the expectations internships and placements employers have and how to best prepare to face the job market at this level. The module begins with an opportunity for self-evaluation where you complete a skills audit in order to identify strengths and weaknesses relative to the applications for relevant internships and placements. Once this reflective exercise is completed, you will address and enhance the areas of weaknesses identified and also be supported and mentored towards job opportunities that would best utilise their strengths.

Compulsory

Principles of Management and Leadership

This module aims to develop your professional edge and enhance your personal effectiveness. Being equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours to manage and lead in a variety of business or finance organisational settings is essential if an individual and their organisation are to succeed. You will evaluate the impact of an organisations structure and governance on management and leadership. You will explore theoretical models, management and leadership styles and approaches designed to promote a culture of mutual trust, respect and support.

Compulsory

Business Accounting

The final year of study offers you the chance to pick an optional module, designed to enable you to develop specialist knowledge in areas such as investment analysis and e-commerce, depending on the path you wish to follow in your potential future career. You will be required to conduct a project; students often choose a specific contemporary issue of interest to them. Examples of previous topics chosen include impact of financial crisis on financial markets and effect of regulation on financial services.

Modules

Corporate Strategic Management

Strategic management has now evolved to the point that its primary value is to help the organisation operate successfully in a dynamic, complex environment. To be competitive in this environment, businesses have to become less bureaucratic and more flexible, embracing the ability to shift from one dominant strategy to another. This strategic flexibility also demands a long term commitment to the development and nurturing of critical resources in an environment driven by technical and social change.

Compulsory

International Corporate Finance

The overall aim of this module is to provide you with a deeper understanding of the scope and nature of the financial management issues that exist within modern international corporations. The module covers the major strands of corporate finance theories and applications such as financing of the firm, capital management, and risk management in the context of the current globalisation of financial markets.

Compulsory

Project

This module will provide you with an opportunity to apply and develop your research skills by extending your knowledge, understanding and powers of critical analysis within a specialist domain. You will choose an academic area related to your programme of study and apply your independent learning skills to research this area in depth. You will receive academic support through a series of group supervisions and will be allocated a project supervisor.

Compulsory

Employability Skills in Finance 2

This module aims to ensure you have a clear understanding of the expectations graduate employers have and how to best prepare to face the graduate market. The module begins with an opportunity for personal evaluation, where you complete a skills audit in order to identify strengths and weaknesses. Once the self-evaluation is completed, you will have the opportunity to develop and enhance areas of weakness and also be guided towards schemes that would best utilise or match your strengths.

Compulsory

Managing and Leading Individuals and Teams

Leading individuals and teams to success is arguably the most important skill a manager can possess. This module focuses on the essential management and leadership skills required to fulfil this role in the business and finance context. The module begins with focusing on the theoretical and practical approaches to developing, leading and managing teams. You will look at techniques to assess team capabilities, including the role of recruitment, selection and staff development. On successfully completing the module, you will not only know the principles of managing individuals and teams, but will also understand approaches for supporting, motivating and inspiring teams and individuals to exceed expectations.

Compulsory

Optional modules

Choose one from the following modules:

Investment Analysis
The module focuses on the bond and equity markets. You are introduced to discounted cash flow related bond pricing techniques along with bond portfolio managements and the associated risk immunisation methodologies. In respect to equity valuation, you will compare and contrast discounted cash flow methods with fundamental valuation approaches associated with approaches such as value investing and growth investing. Market timing is also explored through the application of technical analysis.

Insurance and Pensions
This module provides you with an understanding of the nature and purposes of insurance and pensions. By the end of the module, you should have acquired the ability to critically evaluate alternative insurance and pension products in relation to the needs of individuals. You should also be able to communicate the relative merits of alternative insurances and pensions, and the implications of inadequate cover and provision.

Management of E-Commerce
This module aims to introduce you to e-commerce concepts by giving an integrative perspective of front and back end online commerce. Specifically, it provides you with an understanding of e-commerce, different types of e-commerce global business models (i.e. B2C and B2B), e-commerce information systems (i.e. TPS, MIS, ECRM, and DSS), and management of e-commerce issues (i.e. security and trust).

Optional

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

Combining theory and practice, our course is designed to give you the opportunity to gain the practical skills and experience needed for your potential future career. Learning and teaching incorporates lectures, seminars, tutorials, presentations, projects, workshops, simulation and practical exercises.

Draw on real-world case studies and use a range of innovative practical exercises, such as trade games. You may be tasked, for example, with advising a UK company with overseas subsidiaries to gain experience of international strategy and financial planning.

Teaching contact hours

We set out below the typical teaching contact hours that you will receive on this course. Teaching contact hours will vary in different semesters and years of study and may vary due to module selection. In addition to the contact hours below, we offer the opportunity to attend additional optional sessions, including sessions with the faculty’s progress coaches, or to meet with staff during their advice and feedback hours.

Within your first and second year, you will have around 12 contact hours of teaching a week which includes:

Medium group teaching: seminars or workshops per week
Large group teaching: lectures each week

In your final year, if you are undertaking a project/dissertation, there is a greater emphasis placed on independent study and therefore total contact hours may be reduced. In addition, you will be expected to undertake a significant amount of self-directed studying and revision in your own time each week, which may include, for example, guided study using hand-outs or online activities.

As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.

Assessment methods can include:

Formal examinations
Phase tests
Essays
Group work
Presentations

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

Contact PSB Academy

Fees and funding

Student	Full-time	Part-time
International	Contact PSB for fees per year	Not available

Careers and opportunities

On successful completion, you will be able to:

Understand how businesses work and suggest solutions to business problems.
Formulate and suggest solutions to business problems.
Analyse and produce financial solutions to complex business decisions.
Evaluate different types of data in the areas of business and finance.
Apply numerical skills which will include analysing and interpreting data.
Communicate effectively using a wide range of media which will include the preparation and presentation of business and financial reports.
Learn how to evaluate statements in terms of evidence and generalise appropriately whilst being able to detect false logic or reasoning.
Create, evaluate and assess a range of options together with the capacity to apply ideas and knowledge to a range of situations.
Conduct research into business, finance and management issues, either individually or as part of a team for projects/dissertations/presentations.

You should have the confidence to give sound financial advice and make effective financial decisions, and be well placed to pursue a wide variety of potential future careers options in areas such as:

Accounting
Finance
Management
Banking
Personal and corporate finance
Business
Education in private, public and third sector organisations.

Where our graduates work

Graduates from this course have gone on to work for prestigious companies including BDO, Fidelity, Santander and Nationwide Building Society.

Typical roles graduates could progress to include Client Services Associate, Business Analyst, Statistician or Audit Graduate Scheme.

Further study

Upon successful completion of our Business and Finance BSc (Hons) course, you may wish to continue to further your studies at postgraduate level with our MSc Finance here at Coventry Business School. You can explore all of your options using our postgraduate course search tool.

Please note that further study opportunities are subject to competitive application, availability, meeting any applicable visa requirements and additional costs may apply.