Financial Technology (FinTech)

This exciting module is an introduction to the world of postgraduate study for all of our students. This module brings together students that will have a wide range of prior educational and professional experiences. The focus of this module will be on demonstrating how we can convert this wide range of experiences into the tools and capabilities needed to successfully engage in this postgraduate qualification. As such, it will encourage critical thinking and writing through a range of learning and teaching approaches. At the end of this module, all students, regardless of their prior academic experiences, should feel more confident in their ability to engage with a postgraduate qualification.

Business Model Innovation and Fintech is concerned with the theory and practice of innovation and digital disruption as applied in the context of Financial Services and Financial Processes. While the term disruption is often used to discuss businesses like Uber and Deliveroo that appear to have quickly captured markets and delivered a new approach to service, this module explores what disruption really is in the above context. As such, it provides an opportunity to explore cutting edge activity and research using real life cases.

Most programming languages have similar basic constructs for building logic within them. In this module, students will learn some of these constructs or concepts - including variables, data types, decision and looping structures, basic algorithms, arrays, structured programming and reuse of code. Students will use the C# language because its syntax is similar to Java and C++ which are popular languages used in industry.

As financial technologies become more prevalent in the day to day activities of businesses and individuals, it is essential to understand past business failings. This module will develop student understanding of financial risk and regulation using a case study-based approach to explore historical examples of both corporate and market failings. By exploring this combination of events more thoroughly, you will be better positioned to understand how financial technologies may interact with regulation going forward.

The module is intended to give the student a grounding in financial technologies and their many promising applications within the financial sector. As part of this, the student will critically examine the disruptive impact of these technologies as well the many risks they entail. While many of us are familiar with some of the more prominent financial technologies that have emerged in recent years, the extent to which innovations in technology have captured the market is unprecedented. By exploring innovations in technology through real-life developments and applications, you will have an opportunity to really appreciate the extent to which they have begun to merge and replace traditional activities.

The aim of this module is to develop the strategic thinking and leadership skills required of students for managing the strategic contribution of digital technologies to organisational success and transformation. The module focuses on business transformation and addresses several key areas, including: Strategic Planning, Business Leadership, Change Management, Organisational Learning and Knowledge Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Digital business transformation is a highly contemporary subject in the business world, and the subject of many high profile consultancy projects in digital transformation. Developing effective leaders in this area who understand the complex interplay between technological, operational and business drivers in supporting digital transformation projects is crucial.

In this module, students are expected to identify, structure, frame and investigate a complex managerial or business issue and produce a substantial written document of their achievements and conclusions. This project is split into two different assessment points to allow for targeted activity and feedback to be utilised in specific timeframes.

This module presents a particularly exciting opportunity for students to engage in some independent research, with the support of a dedicated supervisor. The chosen topic will be one that interests and challenges you. If you were intrigued by the social responsibility practices of organisations or fascinated by the dividend decisions made by top management teams, this is your chance to explore these areas in further detail. Perhaps you’ve figured out where you want to focus your graduate career and accordingly engage in some independent study related to that position. As you will be supported by a dedicated dissertation supervisor, you can run ideas and drafts past this person. You can also engage in a wide variety of workshops to support this independent study. But above all, you will be able to develop a whole range of skills that you should feel confident of when seeking future graduate positions.

This module explains what AI is and explores machine learning – the main driver of AI applications. Some simple machine learning algorithms and their implementation are considered to give a deeper insight into the machine learning process. The module explores current and future applications of machine learning in business environments, with a wide range of examples.

Blockchain is a decentralized ledger of records structured in groups of data called blocks that are connected between each other using cryptographic validation. The structure contains blocks containing unique reference to each predecessor using a hashing function, creating a continuous chain. Thus, blockchain is a digital decentralised ledger of cryptographic transactions supporting encrypted messaging which offers the ability to operate a shared ledger which immutable records of all events. Blockchain offers powerful new capabilities in many diverse sectors of business, such as operations, logistics, supply chain, and is fast gaining traction in many fields and industries. It has already found its way into the banking, corporate finance, real estate, customs and excise, discrete industries such as automotive and aerospace and defence, to mention a few.

An investigation of the recent developments linking psychology and finance with a specific focus on behavioural biases affecting institutions, individuals and investors’ financial decision-making.

This module investigates and introduces basic theories, concepts and application of financial accounting, management accounting and finance in a modern organisation. Students are not expected to become proficient in specific aspects of the different financial tools and techniques discussed in the module. Rather, as aspiring middle managers, they are expected to understand how the financial professional in an organisation can integrate with the other management functions to support and achieve the organisational strategic objectives.

The module will equip students with skills and knowledge relating to the handling and analysis of data typically generated by organisations. Students will be introduced to the concept of self-service business intelligence and what impact this will have on their future career path.

The overarching theme of the module will be to consider the core principles of business analytics:

• How can organisations make sense of all their data?
• How can data be harnessed to effectively support the decision making process?
• In what ways can actionable information be created and communicated?

Risk management has never been more heavily scrutinised, particularly following the global financial crisis and the continued negative publicity financial institutions receive. In addition to risk management regarding traditional activities, financial institutions are now also faced with the evolving nature of their product and service offerings and the implications this will have going forward.

This module covers aspects related to the management of risk at commercial and investment banks, investment managers, financial regulators and depositories, etc. It provides exciting insight into the differing requirements of stakeholders and encourages you to reflect on how these are balanced.