BE304-4-SP-CO:
Introduction to Finance

The details
2023/24
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Monday 15 January 2024
Friday 22 March 2024
15
21 June 2023

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

BSC N400 Accounting,
BSC N401 Accounting (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N402 Accounting (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N404 Accounting (Including Placement Year),
BSC N420 Accounting and Finance,
BSC N422 Accounting and Finance (Including Placement Year),
BSC NN43 Accounting and Finance (Including Foundation Year),
BSC NNK3 Accounting and Finance (Including Year Abroad),
MACCN440 Accounting and Finance,
MACCN441 Accounting and Finance (Including Placement Year),
MACCN442 Accounting and Finance (Including Year Abroad),
BSC NN24 Accounting and Management,
BSC NN27 Accounting and Management (Including Placement Year),
BSC NN42 Accounting and Management (Including Foundation Year),
BSC NNK2 Accounting and Management (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N4L1 Accounting with Economics (Including Foundation Year),
BSC NKL1 Accounting with Economics (Including Year Abroad),
BSC NL41 Accounting with Economics,
BSC NL44 Accounting with Economics (Including Placement Year),
BSC N233 Actuarial Science (Including Placement Year),
BSC N233DT Actuarial Science (Including Placement Year),
BSC N323 Actuarial Science,
BSC N323DT Actuarial Science,
BSC N324 Actuarial Science (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N324DT Actuarial Science (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N325 Actuarial Science (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N390 Banking and Finance,
BSC N391 Banking and Finance (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N392 Banking and Finance (Including Placement Year),
BSC NH90 Banking and Finance (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N300 Finance,
BSC N301 Finance (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N302 Finance (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N304 Finance (Including Placement Year),
BSC GN13 Finance and Mathematics,
BSC GN15 Finance and Mathematics (Including Placement Year),
BSC GN18 Finance and Mathematics (Including Foundation Year),
BSC GN1H Finance and Mathematics (Including Year Abroad),
BA L147 Financial Economics and Accounting (Including Placement Year),
BA L148 Financial Economics and Accounting,
BA L149 Financial Economics and Accounting (Including Year Abroad),
BA LX14 Financial Economics and Accounting (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N344 Finance and Management,
BSC N345 Finance and Management (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N346 Finance and Management (Including Placement Year),
BSC N347 Finance and Management (Including Foundation Year),
LLB MN10 Law with Finance,
LLB MN11 Law with Finance (Including Year Abroad),
LLB MN12 Law with Finance (Including Placement Year),
LLB MN13 Law with Finance (Including Foundation Year),
MSCIN399 Actuarial Science and Data Science

Module description

The module is designed to give you an introduction to the finance subject area. In particular, the module gives an overview of the financial system, instruments and markets, and ideas about finance concepts and problems.


The topics covered include investment companies, return and risk, and behavioural finance.

Module aims

The aims of this module are:



  • To develop and transmit knowledge about the financial system, instruments and markets and ideas about finance concepts and problems at an introductory level.

  • To make students aware, at an introductory level, of different ways of thinking about and analysing financial phenomena.

  • To give students an appreciation of the role that finance plays in society.

  • To provide students with a firm foundation for further studies in finance.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:



  1. Discuss the various traditions, concepts and techniques within finance as a subject discipline.

  2. Describe the major features of the financial system including markets and institutions.

  3. Understand the relationship between risk and return and the concept of diversification.

  4. Understand the role of present value in bond and equity valuation models.

  5. Have an appreciation of the issues underlying the efficient market hypothesis.

Module information

Syllabus



  • Introduction to securities markets.

  • Risk and return.

  • Portfolio theory and diversification.

  • Single index model (CAPM) and returns.

  • Stock valuation.

  • Topic in portfolio management: Mutual funds.

  • Bonds: Valuation.

  • Efficient market hypothesis.

  • Banking in the UK.

Learning and teaching methods

This module will be delivered via:

  • One 2-hour lecture per week.
  • One 1-hour problem solving class per week.

Extensive online support is available.

Bibliography*

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   MY LAB ONLINE TEST     
Exam  Main exam: Remote, Open Book, 120 minutes during Summer (Main Period) 
Exam  Reassessment Main exam: Remote, Open Book, 120 minutes during September (Reassessment Period) 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
50% 50%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
0% 100%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Senyu Wang, email: senyu.wang@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Senyu Wang & Dr Jiahua Zhu
ebsugcol@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
Yes
No
No

External examiner

Dr Hf Guo
University of Durham
Assistant Professor in Finance
Resources
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.

 

Further information
Essex Business School

* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.

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