Undergraduate Course: Corporate Finance (BUST10012)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This is a course on empirical research in mainstream topics in corporate finance, for example debt policy, dividend policy, the financing of companies, corporate governance, and the effects of family ownership and private equity.
The course is intended for, though not restricted to, Year 3 or Year 4 students on the following degree programmes:
- MA Accounting and Finance
- MA Finance and Business
- MA Economics with Finance
The listed entry requirements are applicable to all students. |
| Course description |
Honours Corporate Finance considers aspects of the financial management, financing and governance of companies believed to be of academic interest and practical importance. The aims are to introduce students to current thinking and empirical research on the chosen topics, and to develop skills of understanding, analysis and explanation. The course builds on the finance and accounting learned earlier in the degree programme, and so it assumes some knowledge of companies and financial reporting, and concepts such as discounted cash flow and the cost of capital. The course adds to students' knowledge mainly by examining empirical research on the topics studied. Research in corporate finance is a social science, the aim of which is to understand about value creation and financial decision-making as observed in the corporate sector. Students will learn about the current state of knowledge on each topic studied and about how research in corporate finance is conducted, through studying the research design and contribution to knowledge of carefully selected papers.
Outline Content
The syllabus will vary somewhat from year to year, depending on developments in the literature, the interests of the lecturer(s), and the content of other Honours courses in finance offered by the Business School. The course is helpful to students in thinking about dissertation topics, because it focuses on the design and results of empirical research projects.
Student Learning Experience
Tuition consists of ten two-hour lectures together with a number of seminars in which we discuss specific questions relating to papers on the reading list. In each lecture an overview of the topic is presented and several papers are reviewed in some detail, to give insight into the current state of research on the topic.
Students learning occurs primarily through engagement with the lectures and seminars, and through reading and thinking about the papers and other literature recommended. The assessed assignment for the course is currently an individual presentation of two empirical papers of the students choice. This assignment provides further opportunities to engage with the literature, and develops students skills of communication and explanation.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students must have at least 4 Business courses at grade B or above. This MUST INCLUDE at least one Finance course at intermediate level. This course cannot be taken alongside BUST08003 Principles of Finance or BUST08030 Introduction to Corporate Finance. We will only consider University/College level courses.
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| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 7,
Summative Assessment Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
166 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
70 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Feedback |
Summative: Feedback will be provided on assessments within agreed deadlines. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Knowledge and insight into companies' financial behaviour, as conveyed in recent academic research, and an appreciation of ongoing questions about our understanding of companies' behaviour.
- An ability to understand, explain and evaluate empirical research in corporate finance.
- Knowledge and understanding of research methods used in research in corporate finance.
- Experience in written and verbal communication, including making a presentation.
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Reading List
| A programme of study with topics and selected readings will be provided at the start of the course. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Communication, ICT, and Numeracy Skills
After completing this course, students should be able to:
Convey meaning and message through a wide range of communication tools, including digital technology and social media; to understand how to use these tools to communicate in ways that sustain positive and responsible relationships.
Critically evaluate and present digital and other sources, research methods, data and information; discern their limitations, accuracy, validity, reliability and suitability; and apply responsibly in a wide variety of organisational contexts.
Knowledge and Understanding
After completing this course, students should be able to:
Demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of contemporary organisational disciplines; comprehend the role of business within the contemporary world; and critically evaluate and synthesise primary and secondary research and sources of evidence in order to make, and present, well informed and transparent organisation-related decisions, which have a positive global impact.
Identify, define and analyse theoretical and applied business and management problems, and develop approaches, informed by an understanding of appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative techniques, to explore
and solve them responsibly. |
| Keywords | CF |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Seth Armitage
Tel:
Email: Seth.Armitage@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Ewan Henderson
Tel:
Email: ehende2@ed.ac.uk |
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