Accountancy and Finance

View detailed information about the Academic Practice for Study course

This course aims to provide students with relevant competencies and skills in the use of English for academic purposes, to critically engage with reading and listening material, and to develop skills for analysis and critical assessment.

View detailed information about the English for Academic Purposes course

The Business, Culture and Society course is designed to cover broad issues and trends in business, and to do this in a way that encourages students to understand what is that makes up appropriate university level practice.

View detailed information about the Culture, Society and Business in the Twenty-first Century course

This course aims to equip students with the foundational academic and practical skills to enable the further study of business, finance, statistics, and economics.

View detailed information about the Data, Information and Knowledge for Business course

This is an introduction to accounting which aims to provide an understanding of how organisations – particularly small and medium sized businesses – capture, create and use accounting information both to guide their activities internally within the management function and to communicate their financial performance and position to external users of the accounts.  This course allows students to develop practical and analytical skills through a problem-solving approach to accounting-related aspects of business performance reporting and control, particularly in relation to bookkeeping, accounts preparation, budgeting and management accounting.

View detailed information about the Introduction to Accounting course

The course is an introduction to Economics and aims to develop an understanding of the economics of the markets at a microeconomic level and  the economy at the macroeconomic  level. It will include the study of the behaviour of economic agents such as consumers, workers, households, firms, central banks and governments. It seeks to investigate how objectives such as utility, social welfare, profits, GDP and growth are pursued. The course allows students to acquire skills in positive analysis to gain a deeper understanding of the factors determining trade in markets, whilst also start to develop some of the normative analytical policy tools, with attention given to optimal industry specific, monetary and fiscal policy recommendations.

View detailed information about the Introduction to Economics course 

This foundation course in finance, risk and investment is the requisite for several degree programmes and for level 2 real estate and finance courses. The module considers the nature and operation of investment markets, focusing on three asset classes; shares, bonds and real estate. It looks at the characteristics of these investment options in terms of their risks and returns. The module introduces basic financial mathematics: time value of money, calculation of present values and investment rates of return. Finally, it considers the role of financial institutions and regulatory bodies in personal finance, where consumers and financial markets interact.

View detailed information about the Introduction to Finance course

A level 1 Introductory course to introduce theoretical and management concepts of organization in order to develop and understanding of their relevance and application in today’s world of business.

View detailed information about the Introduction to the Management of Organisations course

This course provides students with an overview of the underpinning concepts of marketing, and the requirements for the development of a market oriented organisation. Specifically introduces the basic concepts of buyer behaviour, market research, the marketing mix and the strategic context of marketing. The linkages between marketing and other key functional areas of management, notably operations and human resource management are highlighted by this course, encouraging the adoption of a systems perspective.

View detailed information about the Marketing course

This course extends the operational tools and techniques introduced in AC1514.  It develops more complex problem-solving techniques in the planning, control and decision-making process.  It shows how quantitative methods and analytical techniques can be applied in management accounting solutions to management problems.  It also emphasises the diverse industrial, commercial and not-for-profit settings in which management accountants work.  It seeks to develop in students an understanding the organisational context as well as the nature of management accounting information.  The focus is to enhance students’ problem-solving and communication skills, and develop their ability to select and apply appropriate techniques in specific contexts.

View detailed information about the Management Accounting 2 course

The objective of the course is to introduce the concept of personal financial management. This is done by developing financial awareness and capability in evaluating contemporary products of the financial services industry through an understanding of the industry's institutions, regulation, marketing and products. The aim is to give students the knowledge that they need to make long term decisions about their own and other people's finances that will increase life-time wealth. They will also learn about the role of the financial advisor and the qualifications required both from the perspective  of a consumer and as a potential career option.

View detailed information about the Personal Investment course

The main aim of this course is to develop a sound understanding of fundamental principles underlying the theory and practice of finance, thereby providing a strong basis for further study of advanced finance theory and cognate disciplines. The course introduces students to important concepts in finance: principles of assets pricing,  concept of risk and return, theory of interest rates and pricing fixed income securities, evaluation of investment project with a focus on embedded real options. It equips students with good analytical skills in order to understand the implications of financial decisions by understanding  the fundamentals that govern them.

View detailed information about the Finance 2: Business Finance course

This course provides students with an understanding of the financial system, primarily from a UK perspective, introducing students to the reasons for, and nature of, financial markets and institutions before moving on to explore the need and importance of financial regulation, and investigating the causes and consequences of the recent global financial crisis. The course will introduce students to a variety of topics including the role of wholesale and retail banks, non-bank financial institutions, the debt and equity markets, and the derivative markets; market efficiency, UK and international regulation, consumer protection and market abuse.

View detailed information about the Financial Markets and Regulation course

The objective of FA2 is to build upon material introduced in first year in order to develop students'  technical skills in financial statement preparation. Students will gain an appreciation of the regulatory framework for financial reporting. They will examine the usefulness of financial statement information, by looking at the form and content of accounts produced by partnerships and public limited companies.  Students will explore how to account for basic transactions through the implementation of current accounting standards and apply their knowledge in both the manual and the computerised environment, the latter through the SAGE accounting package.

View detailed information about the Financial Accounting 2 course

This course is designed to provide non-LLB students with an understanding of the main issues in business law. Topics will cover elements of the Scottish law and legal system concerning Contract Law (including the unfair contract terms), Agency, Delict Employment Law, Intellectual Property, Trusts, Partnership and Company Law.

View detailed information about the Business Law course

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of statistical concepts and methods relevant to accounting, management, finance, real estate and economics.

View detailed information about the Understanding Statistics course

This course builds upon the material in Financial Accounting 2.  The aim of the course is to strengthen practical and analytical accounting skills through the study of accounting problems and to develop the ability to critically appraise conventional accounting practice through an understanding of alternative accounting theories and their application to topical issues in financial accounting.

View detailed information about the Financial Accounting 3 course

Building upon the material in Management Accounting 2, the course examines in greater detail behavioural, managerial, and strategic aspects of management accounting and management control.

View detailed information about the Management Accounting 3 course

This course introduces students to a number of areas of corporate finance including examining capital structure theory, project valuation models, the financing decisions of the firm, and corporate restructuring (including reorganisations and mergers and acquisitions). The main aim of the course is to equip students with good analytical skills in order to understand the implications of corporate financing decisions by understanding why companies behave the way they do with respect to financing choices and how this interacts with the real world financial markets, and to enable students to understand the theoretical underpinnings of corporate finance theory.

View detailed information about the Finance 3: Corporate Finance course

This course aims to develop the students’ knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of the audit techniques, judgements and practical skills associated with a financial statement audit. The context of the course reflects both the UK and International legal, regulatory and ethical framework.

View detailed information about the Audit Practice course

The aim of this course is to provide knowledge and understanding of the UK tax system and its administration. Students will gain an appreciation of direct taxes payable on income, profits, and other gains by both individuals and by corporations, and indirect taxes on spending. Knowledge application of the different taxes within the UK taxation system will be achieved by solving tax problems and computing tax liabilities.

View detailed information about the Taxation course

Multinational corporations face a range of risks in an international setting, including exchange rate, political and financing risk.  The course considers the complexities of financial management in these settings. It aims to develop students understanding and ability to apply finance theory to international financial management.  
This course will develop student skills in the analysis of issues including globalisation and the multinational corporation; foreign exchange markets and exchange rate determination; international capital markets, debt and banking; risk management and foreign currency derivative securities.

View detailed information about the International Financial Management course

Covering the intellectually and commercially fertile ground at the accountancy/finance interface. Considering financial analysis from both theoretical and practical angles. Do you need to understand financial reporting to be an investor? How should we assess the success of an acquisition? Why do accountants think mergers don’t exist? How do companies decide on financing strategies? Does corporate governance and ethics really matter – do share prices react to it? These are some of the questions we will address alongside using DataStream and the ThomsonReuters Eikon system. The course might give you some ideas for your dissertation too.

View detailed information about the Financial Strategy and Investment Management course

Sustainability, both in its ecological and social dimensions, has now become a challenge that concerns all types of organisations across the world. The media coverage has raised awareness among the general public on different aspects of sustainability and new regulations are emerging on this issue. Thus, a well-structured accountability system capable of managing and disclosing sustainability impact of organisational practices is an essential element for the successful sustainable organisation. Disclosure is an important part of the accountability process. Social and environmental accounting explores how organisations can disclose information to various stakeholders pertaining to issues such as: socially responsible investments, human rights, climate change and other environmental matters. Reporting and auditing of information on sustainability issues are a relatively new practice in the accounting field but rapidly growing in relevance.  Managers will be required to deal with these issues on a frequent basis. Thus, this course will build up strong employability skills.

View detailed information about the Accounting and Sustainability course

This course builds on the knowledge and understanding gained in Audit practice in year 3. It will explore the historical context and current professional, regulatory, ethical and societal challenges and developments facing the audit and assurance profession. As such it contextualises financial statement audit within the expanding audit universe. A main objective of the course is to provide an opportunity for students to think critically about the state and future direction of audit as a profession.

View detailed information about the Audit Theory and Evolution course

All Accountancy and Finance students must undertake a dissertation. Students taking a joint degree may undertake the dissertation in either discipline, but not both.

View detailed information about the Dissertations in Accountancy course

All Accountancy and Finance students must undertake a dissertation. Students taking a joint degree may undertake the dissertation in either discipline, but not both.

View detailed information about the Dissertation in Finance course

This course is about business strategy and covers a broad range of topics that come under the general heading of “Business Strategy” or “Strategic Management”. The course has been designed to help you gain an understanding of the key areas of strategic management including an understanding of: what strategic management is and why it is important; the different types of strategic analysis tools available; the difference between corporate, business and functional strategy;  the complex issues associated with the implementation of strategy;  the concept of strategic fit; and the role for strategic leadership in shaping and implementing strategy.

View detailed information about the Business Strategy Accounting History course

Is knowing the history of accounting useful? Would it make it easier to be an accountant? Would you understand business better? Would you be a better accountant? “Yes”. This course will show you why. In accounting history, we strip back the façade that surrounds accounting. Revealed are the business-driven needs and the financial reporting needs that led us to where accounting is today. You will understand why what accountants do is indispensable, from perspectives only history can bring.

View detailed information about the Corporate Governance course

Corporate governance has become one of the most significant challenges for organisations and for the managers who work within them. The reasons for this include high-profile corporate scandals, conflict of interests, manipulations of financial statements, ethical dilemmas, crises like  the global financial crisis, credit crunch or even pandemic, and a growing need to demonstrate corporate accountability, transparency and ethical practices. The “Corporate Governance and Professional Ethics” course will deepen students understanding and stimulate critical thinking in these areas. Students will have the opportunity to practise problem-focused decision-making on a range of governance and ethical issues that affect the operation of contemporary organisations. The course will be of benefit if students wish to develop further insights into good corporate governance system and professional ethics as part of their career development. 

View detailed information about the Professional Ethics course