BE304-4-SP-CO:
Introduction to Finance

The details
2025/26
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Monday 12 January 2026
Friday 20 March 2026
15
12 August 2024

 

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

 

MA212

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 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 N323DF Actuarial Science,
BSC N323DT Actuarial Science,
BSC N324 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),
BSC 5B43 Statistics (Including Year Abroad),
BSC 9K12 Statistics,
BSC 9K13 Statistics (Including Placement Year),
BSC 9K18 Statistics (Including Foundation Year),
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),
MSCIN399 Actuarial Science and Data Science,
BSC N333 Actuarial Studies,
BSC N333DT Actuarial Studies,
BSC N334 Actuarial Studies (Including Placement Year),
BSC N334DT Actuarial Studies (Including Placement Year),
BSC N335 Actuarial Studies (Including Year Abroad)

Module description

The module is designed to give students 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 securities markets, return and risk, and portfolio theory.

Module aims

1. To develop and transmit knowledge about the financial system, instruments and markets and ideas about finance concepts and problems at an introductory level;
2. To make students aware, at an introductory level, of different ways of thinking about and analysing financial phenomena;
3. To give students an appreciation of the role that finance plays in society;
4. To provide students with a firm foundation for further studies in finance.

Module learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students will 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

Skills for Your Professional Life
(Transferable Skills - reflecting the skills mapping recently undertaken in EBS)

1. Improve your literacy and numeracy skills;
2. Develop your core IT skills by learning to work in Excel to solve financial problems with the use of statistical tools;
3. Improve your commercial awareness by familiarising with the current developments in finance;
4. Enhance your communication skills in class discussions;
5. Develop your personal plan of setting targets and time management to undertake coursework and exam.

Analytical Domain
Academic and Cognitive Skills
A1 Synthesis and bringing together concepts and ideas
A2 Critical thinking
A3 Evaluation of evidence
A4 Creative problem solving
Data Analysis Skills
D1 Analysing quantitative data
D3 Analysing financial data
Personal Effectiveness Domain
Soft Skills
S3 Showing adaptability to changing circumstances
S4 Showing own initiative
S5 Demonstrating motivation to succeed
Professional Practice Domain
Technology Skills
T1 Core IT skills (word, excel, PowerPoint, outlook)
T2 Working with data interactively (dashboards, databases)
T4 Understanding data visualisation and manipulation using industry benchmark software
Finance Skills
F1 Understand concepts and methodologies used to explain the behaviour of different
financial market participants and the functioning of different financial market types
F2 Apply key concepts and methodologies used to explain the behaviour of different financial
market participants and the functioning of different financial market types

Learning and teaching methods

1) 2-hour weekly lecture 2) 1-hour weekly problem-solving class

Bibliography

  • Astill, S. et al. (no date) Quantitative Methods and Finance. Available at: https://moodle.essex.ac.uk/mod/lti/view.php?id=1088779.
  • Schoenmaker, D. and Schramade, W. (2021) Principles of Sustainable Finance. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Smart, S.B. and Zutter, C.J. (2020) Fundamentals of investing. Fourteenth edition. Harlow, England: Pearson.
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   Online Test (MyLab)    100% 
Exam  Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 120 minutes during Summer (Main Period) 
Exam  Reassessment Main exam: In-Person, Open Book (Restricted), 120 minutes during September (Reassessment Period) 

Additional coursework information

Online test: Mylab Multiple choice, open book

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
50% 50%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Anna Sarkisyan, email: asark@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Anna Sarkisyan & Yiwei Li
asark@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
Yes
No
No

External examiner

Dr Hf Guo
University of Durham
Assistant Professor in Finance
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 57 hours, 56 (98.2%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
1 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

 

Further information
Essex Business School

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