Finance and Financial Law (MSc and Postgraduate Diploma)
Syllabus
Introduction to law and to finance [C338]
The first part of the course provides an introduction to common law. The emphasis is on the fundamental
commercial subjects. In the second part, you will be introduced to the main ideas and methods
in mathematics that are used in financial analysis. It should be stressed that both parts of
the course are compulsory for al students, regardless of their previous qualifications.
Part 1: Introduction to Law
Unit 1: Introduction to Law
Unit 2: Sources of Law and How to Use Them
Unit 3: Introduction to Contract Law
Unit 4: Introduction to Property Law
Unit 5: Introduction to Tort Law
Part 2: Introduction to Finance
Unit 6: Introduction to Finance – Returns, Time and Risk
Unit 7: Returns and Risk
Unit 8: Interpreting Financial Sector Data
Corporate finance [C321]
This course enables you to relate principles and practice to the financing decisions of enterprises
in modern economies. The course analyses the decisions firms make about financing their investments
in productive capital.
Unit 1: Perspectives on Corporate Finance
Unit 2: Net Present Value and Capital Budgeting Decisions
Unit 3: Risk, Capital Market Equilibrium and Capital Budgeting Decisions
Unit 4: Efficiency of Capital Markets and Implications for Corporate Financing Decisions
Unit 5: Dividend Policy
Unit 6: Capital Structure I
Unit 7: Capital Structure II: Information Asymmetries and Agency Costs
Unit 8: Mergers
Financial law [C340]
This course examines the legal approach to dealing with risk and provides an understanding of the
essential elements of financial law. The course is based on Enlish law. It complements the finance
course Risk Management: Principles and Applications by examining the legal approach
to dealing with risk. These courses give a comprehensive and coherent understanding of the financial
and legal aspects of the subject.
Unit 1: Introduction to Financial Law
Unit 2: The Needs of Finance and the Character of English Financial Law
Unit 3: Bank Deposits and Accounts
Unit 4: The Law Relating to Money and Payments
Unit 5: The Law Relating to Loans and Credit
Unit 6: The Law of Secured Finance
Unit 7: The Law Relating to the Control of Financial Crisis
Unit 8: Questions of Liability
Risk management: principles and applications [C323]
This course examines the techniques and the foundation of risk management in corporations. It covers
the use of derivatives, portfolio allocation, the value of risk, and the management of credit
risk and operations risk. The course includes cases and applications.
Unit 1: Introduction to Risk Management
Unit 2: Portfolio Analysis
Unit 3: Management of Bond Portfolios
Unit 4: Futures Markets
Unit 5: Options Markets
Unit 6: Risk Management with Options
Unit 7: Value at Risk
Unit 8: Credit Risk
Legal aspects of international finance [C341]
This course covers the legal aspects that complement the financial courses Finance in the Global
Market and Banking and the Capital Markets. The teaching is based on English law and makes reference
to the law of other jurisdictions where this is relevant. You will be shown how contractual principles
are applied to commercial fundraising transactions and how to differentiate between legal principles
and the market practices that shape these transactions.
Unit 1: Introduction to the law of International Finance
Unit 2: Legal Aspects of International Debt Securities
Unit 3: Legal Aspects of Financial Derivatives
Unit 4: Eurodollar Deposits and Syndicated Loans
Unit 5: Payment and Securities Settlement Systems
Unit 6: Project Finance
Unit 7: Legal Issues of Sovereign Debt
Unit 8: Conflict of Laws and International Finance
Bank financial management [C322]
This course concentrates on the principles of bank management of assets and liabilities. You will
learn about the principles of bank balance sheet management and money market operations as well
as liquidity ratios and capital adequacy ratios. You will also study issues of bank supervision
and regulation.
Unit 1: Banking Innovations and Risk
Unit 2: Bank Accounts: A Useful Tool if Handled with Care
Unit 3: Bank Valuation
Unit 4: Bank Risk Management - Liquidity Management
Unit 5: Bank Risk Management - Interest Rate Risk Management
Unit 6: Cost of Funds and the Funding of Operations
Unit 7: Bank Risk Management - Credit Risk
Unit 8: Capital Management
Law and regulation of electronic finance and internet banking [C345]
In taking this course you will gain a grounding in the legal and regulatory issues concerning electronic
banking and finance in different jurisdictions, including in the UK and at EU level. You will
also acquire an understanding of the impact that this has on financial services in general and
their transactional and contractual aspects in particular.
Unit 1: Introduction to Electronic Finance and Internet Banking
Unit 2: Basic Legal Concepts and Foundations of Electronic Banking and Financial Activities
Unit 3: Electronic Finance and the Globalisation of Financial Markets
Unit 4: Prudential Regulation and Supervision of Electronic Finance and Banking
Unit 5: Law of Electronic Banking in the United Kingdom
Unit 6: Regulation of Securities Activities over the Internet
Unit 7: EU Law - The Financial Services Action Plan
Unit 8: Cross-Border Electronic Contracts
Finance in the global market [C342]
The main objective of the course is to enable you to understand some of the main characteristics
of that globalised financial world. Because of the centrality of foreign exchange markets to international
finance, we regard understanding foreign exchange markets as the core of that objective.
Unit 1: The International context of finance
Unit 2: The markets for foreign exchange
Unit 3: Exchange rates and prices
Unit 4: Exchange rates and interest rates
Unit 5: Managing foreign exchange exposure
Unit 6: International corporate financing and project finance
Unit 7: Capital structure and cost of capital in international financing
Unit 8: Corporate finance and currency crises
Regulation of international capital markets [C343]
You will study the regulatory issues that relate to the international capital markets and to several
important domestic and regional capital markets, such as the US, the UK and the EU.
Unit 1: Introduction to Financial Regulation
Unit 2: Central Banking and Banking Regulation
Unit 3: Introduction to International Capital Markets
Unit 4: Regulation of Primary Securities Markets in the United States
Unit 5: Financial Integration and Regulation of Primary Securities Markets in the European Union
Unit 6: International Regulation of Securities Firms
Unit 7: International Regulation of Secondary Securities Markets
Unit 8: Global Capital Markets and Development of International Rules
Corporate governance [C344]
This course is specially designed for the postgraduate study of such areas as management, finance,
financial law, corporate law, economics and related subjects, and has been designed to increase
the depth of your understanding of corporate government issues. The course places a strong emphasis
on the relationship between theoretical concepts and real world issues, making a real contribution
to your in-depth understanding of the relevant corporate governance issues and future career
development.
Unit 1: Introduction to Corporate Governance
Unit 2: Theory of the Firm
Unit 3: Corporate Governance and the Role of Law
Unit 4: Corporate Governance around the World
Unit 5: Board Composition and Control
Unit 6: CEO Compensation
Unit 7: International Governance
Unit 8: Overview of Corporate Governance Codes
Legal aspects of corporate finance [C339]
The essential legal principles relating to the incorporation, running and financing of companies
are the subject of this course. The teaching is based on English law as it forms the model for
the company law structures of many jurisdictions around the world.
Unit 1: Incorporation and the Corporate Constitution
Unit 2: Financial Structure and Membership
Unit 3: The Taxation of Companies
Unit 4: Corporate Governance
Unit 5 Public Disclosure of Information
Unit 6: Raising Capital from the Public
Unit 7: Regulation of Takeovers and Mergers
Unit 8: Corporate Collapse
Banking and capital markets [C326]
This course examines the underlying principles and characteristics of banking and financial markets
that are the foundation for understanding both their normal role in economies and the headline
events. It concentrates on the theoretical and empirical scientific knowledge produced by modern
research on banking. Since such knowledge is never fully established or ‘proven’,
it enables the student to examine opposing points of view and to discuss the published studies.
Unit 1: Bank-Based vs Market-Based Financial Systems
Unit 2: Why do Banks Exist?
Unit 3: Why Banks Exist: Explanations Based on their Lending
Unit 4: Banks vs Capital Markets
Unit 5: Credit Rationing and Overlending
Unit 6: Bank Runs and Regulatory Responses
Unit 7: Financial Crisis
Unit 8: Portfolio Analysis
Research methods [C353]
This course will develop your research skills, which you can later apply to research projects.
It will provide you with a thorough understanding of the theoretical concepts, methodological
approaches and reporting issues that underpin good quality research projects, and has a specific
emphasis on how to evaluate the merits of existing research. It is also a prerequisite if you
have decided to write a dissertation.
Unit 1: The Nature of Research
Unit 2: Planning and Designing Research
Unit 3: Reviewing the Literature and Making Methodological Choices
Unit 4: Data
Unit 5A: Interviews, Focus Groups and Surveys
Unit 5B: Introduction to Data Analysis I
Unit 6A: Fieldwork and Observation
Unit 6B: Introduction to Data Analysis II
Unit 7: Validity and Reliability
Unit 8: Writing and Presenting Research
Dissertation [C354]
The dissertation is a supervised piece of research on a topic that we will agree with you. It should
be 10,000 words long. Before we can consider your proposal to submit a dissertation, we will
need to review you academic performance so far. Completion of the Research Methods course is
a prerequisite for writing the dissertation.