Financial Reporting and Performance Management will provide you with the skills to read and interpret published financial statements where you will also engage in ‘Financial Information Analysis’. Here, you will learn to identify and extract critical information within annual corporate reports while considering how it is impacted by regulations, concepts and standards, and how this affects its usefulness in decision-making.

You will explore this further in our Financial Markets and Investments unit, that will provide you with knowledge of global financial markets, the importance of liquidity, the distinction between exchange versus OTC markets, primary and secondary markets and the role of intermediaries in their various forms.

Advanced Management Accounting is where you will be equipped with the key tools and techniques used to make decisions, maximise revenue and minimise cost in management. You will combine management accounting and financial planning to make effective management decisions and drive successful businesses.

In our Strategy unit you will develop a critical and informed understanding of business environments and the business opportunities. Here, you will be introduced to a range of tools and concepts for strategic analysis and business modelling that will allow you to assess the strategic position of business organisations, formulate strategies, evaluate options and implement strategic decisions.

Finally, you will complete our Capstone unit that will allow you to bring theory and practice together and research a topic of your interest that is relevant to your field of study. To help you with this, you will be introduced to the processes and techniques of research methods while working with a research supervisor to develop your ideas.

Strategy

The aims of the Unit are: 

• To enable students to develop a critical and informed understanding of the business environment in which organisations operate and of the business opportunities.
• To equip students with a range of tools and concepts of strategic analysis and business modelling that will enable them to assess the strategic position of business organisations.
• To develop strategic thinking and vision that can be utilised in formulating strategies, evaluating options and implementing strategic decisions

Advanced Management Accounting

This unit aims:

• To provide you with a critical understanding of the key tools and techniques used by management to make decisions, maximize revenue and minimize cost.
• To combining management accounting and financial planning, this unit critically explores the application of both traditional and current models necessary to make effective management decisions in order to drive successful businesses.

Capstone

The aims of the Unit are:

• To bring theory and practice together to formulate a topic of your choice relevant to your field of study
• To provide you with the opportunity to explore a topic and appreciate the importance of literature review in the learning process
• To reflect on research methodology and implement the suitable approach for the selected research
• To enhance skills in time-management, research management, project organisation and decision-making for a relevant research outcome
• To apply and reflect on the practicalities of research including access to sources and ethical consideration

Financial Markets And Portfolio Management

The main aim of the unit is to address the skills necessary to gain a critical understanding of the international equity, bond, futures and money market facilitating optimal portfolio selection.

The central question that the syllabus is intended to address in this Unit is how Finance Managers access global financial markets in order to select and manage optimal portfolios and the various challenges they face in doing so. In addition, the unit provides you with knowledge of global financial markets, the importance of liquidity, the distinction between exchange versus OTC markets, primary and secondary markets and the role of intermediaries in their various forms.

Financial Reporting And Analysis

The main aim of this Unit is to provide a deep and systematic understanding of published financial statements and the ability to read and interpret them. The unit examines the concepts, principles and assumptions upon which financial statements are based and uses an evaluative approach in applying and explaining the impact of alternative treatments and regulations on published financial statements. You will engage in “Financial Information Analysis” which is described as the process and techniques used to identify and extract critical information contained within the annual corporate report.

The central question that the unit intends to address is: What is the role and impact of regulation on the decision usefulness of financial information?

Management Accounting And Financial Planning

The main aim of this unit is to provide you with a critical understanding of the key tools and techniques used by management to make decisions, maximise revenue and minimise cost.

By combining management accounting and financial planning, this unit critically explores the application of both traditional and current models necessary to make effective management decisions in order to drive successful businesses.

Strategic Management

This unit covers the field of strategy-making and strategic management. You will consider current issues and challenges facing directors, senior managers and entrepreneurs in guiding the long-term development of organisations. The objectives of organisations and the means of achieving these objectives through the mobilisation and deployment of assets and resources and the integration of the various functions of the organisation will be the focus of the unit.

Performance Achievement Planning

This short course is a professional development course that is designed to support all PG students in the University of Bedfordshire Business School to enhance their employability and develop a professional profile through their journey in the Masters. The specific aims are to:

1. Enhance students’ professional, personal development and communication skills.  
2. To support students to evidence how their experience at masters level has contributed to the development of their professional profile as required after graduation.
3. To support students to develop the necessary academic skill required for successful completion of postgraduate research

Business Dissertation

Aims:

• To bring theory and practice together to formulate a  topic of your interest whether it is a research-oriented topic or a more clinical topic that is relevant to the context of business and conduct research on your choice of topic relevant to your field of study
• To stimulate you to reflect on issues critically and to identify aspects that need further research
• To provide you with the opportunity to explore a topic and appreciate the importance of literature review in the learning process
• To critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of other people’s research to formulate your own study
• To enhance skills in time-management, research management, project organisation and decision-making
• To apply and reflect on the practicalities of research including access to sources and ethical considerations

Relevance

An important aim of a Master’s degree is to master and apply your knowledge and skills independently so that you can successfully carry out research. This dissertation provides you with the opportunity for sustained independent study that builds on your research proposal and represents the culmination of your Master’s level studies.