MSc Finance (QFBA, Qatar)

This module will provide you the knowledge and skills of empirical finance that are important in the field of banking, finance and investment. The module will deliver you the knowledge of econometrics that is required to understand and analyse the real world financial data. You will learn about classical econometric models such as linear regression involving Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method, time series regressions, hypothesis testing. Furthermore, you will be introduced to forecasting methods and their applications. You will also learn panel data analysis.

The content of the module that you will study comprises four key blocks, which are listed below.

Block 1 - Properties of financial data, Classical Linear Regression Methods, Time series models and Hypothesis testing
Block 2 – Introduction to forecasting methods in Finance and their applications such as forecasting stock market returns and trading strategies.
Block 3 – Application of Classical Linear Regression models
Block 4 – Panel Data Analysis

In this module you will learn about a comprehensive range of research methods and business analytics techniques. This will equip you with the knowledge and practical skills necessary for you to conduct research at Masters’ level and prepare you to complete a Master’s Dissertation, Consultancy Project or Management Enquiry. By the end of the module you will know how to apply both quantitative and qualitative data collection and business analysis techniques. In quantitative techniques you will learn about sampling, questionnaire design, statistical inference, and hypothesis testing while qualitative techniques covered will include methods such as interviewing and focus groups. Analysis methods such as content analysis and thematic analysis will also be covered. In addition, you will gain some understanding of research philosophy (positivism and interpretivism) and research ethics and you will be able to write a research proposal to bring these ideas together.
Furthermore, this module will provide clear, critical, and analysis of data, you will also be able to consider the use of analytics implementation skills, where you will be introduced to analytics software such as SPSS. SPSS statistics analysis is one of the powerful solutions that is designed to help businesses and researchers to solve problems by various methods (geospatial analysis, predictive analytics and hypothesis testing).

Corporate governance offers the foundation for establishing transparency and accountability within organisations as well as support their strategic success. It plays a pivotal role in shaping the relationship between the organisation and its shareholders, other stakeholders, and the society at large. This module will explore various internal and external mechanisms of corporate governance that supports the organisation as a responsible member of the society and how this relates to the concepts of social responsibility, sustainability and business ethics. The module will also establish the links between responsible business practices and wider sustainable development initiatives such as the UN sustainable development Goals (SDGs).
The module will then consider the dynamic and complex landscape of sustainable finance which includes a myriad of players including security issuers, regulators, standard setters, rating agencies to investment companies. The module will introduce various sustainable and green investment vehicles. The module will consider green washing/impact washing, individual and collective actions among other contemporary issues in this area. Finally, the module will consider some of the technological innovations in the area of sustainable finance including innovations in banking and payment systems, applications of blockchain technology including digital assets and big data analytics including the use of AI. A key feature of the module are the workshops that will enable you to acquire data analysis skills using specialist software.

The module will also develop your curiosity and interest of ethical decision making in business, and to help you understand what ethics means from both an individual and organisational perspective. The module will enable you to develop an awareness of ethical dilemmas in business and challenge you to discuss and debate ethical decision-making as a future employer or employee
Topics

1 Responsible business and Sustainable development
2 Corporate governance and accountability
3 The use of ethical frameworks to aid the decision-making process
4 Sustainable finance landscape and issues
5 Fintech innovations in sustainability
6 Ethics and professionalism

The module aims to provide you with the knowledge and skills pertinent to responsible financial decision making practices. In doing so, this module will equip you with both theoretical and practical knowledge regarding corporate governance, social responsibility and sustainable strategic decision making in finance.

Within the module, you will cover the following five main topics:

• The role of finance, operations and marketing functions in strategic decision making
• Financial evaluation of sustainable investment projects
• Corporate governance, accountability and disclosure
• Socially responsible investment
• Corporate social and environmental reporting


The module will lead you to the development of critical evaluation of strategic decisions in finance and how they are affected by the governance, sustainability and ethical aspects of the business within an international context. You will become aware of how responsible decision-making can contribute towards meeting sustainable strategic objectives for companies operating in competitive global business environment.

On completing the module you will be able to apply knowledge of responsible and ethical behaviour to corporate financial decision making and critically appreciate the relevant factors influencing sustainable strategic decisions whilst being able to analyse corporate performance using corporate governance and ethical screening techniques.

The module introduces you to core concepts regarding the objective of finance, how capital is first raised and then deployed into wealth creating operations and then how wealth is then returned to the providers of capital in an optimal way. At the end of the module you should be able to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the fundamentals of corporate finance and develop the skills and ability to analyse corporate finance decisions in both quantitative and qualitative terms. You will also undertake an individual research project looking into capital market efficiency.

In this module you will gain a fundamental understanding of the concepts and theories operating within international financial markets, the financial institutions/participants that comprise the market and its regulation. Your learning will begin a the macro level, examining the financial system as a whole, the different institutions that comprise it, their roles within it and how they are regulated (with specific reference to banking). You will learn about market dynamics – what drives markets and finally what drives the markets for specific instruments, namely money market instruments, equities and fixed income. To apply the knowledge acquired in this module, you will be using financial information and data. You will also use basic financial arithmetic and statistics through Microsoft Excel.

In the module, you will learn the knowledge and skills that are important to understand and analyse the performance of portfolio composed of stocks and fixed-income securities. Additionally, you will develop a critical understanding of derivative instruments (options, forward and futures) and about market risk measurement technique (VaR). The module thus provides detail theoretical background where you will also learn the application side of investments in financial assets and portfolio management.

The content of the module that you will study comprises six key parts which are listed below.

Risk Management (VaR)
Derivatives (Options, Forward and Futures Contracts)
Investment Process, Asset Allocation and Developments in Investment Theory
Valuation Principles and Practices
Fixed Income Securities
Evaluation of Portfolio Performance

This option is offered as an alternative to the NBS Masters’ Dissertation on all 1-year MSc programmes and in the second semester of year 2 on the 2-year programme variants with Study Abroad and with Advanced Practice (if the students select an Internship in semester 1), again as a Dissertation alternative. It is also offered as alternative to the Management Investigation on the MBA.

On this consultancy based module you will enhance your individual effectiveness and employability skills by locating the learning and development in an organisational context. In doing so, you will promote personal and group development, commercial awareness, and a range of inter-personal, intellectual and practical skills and knowledge centred on and demonstrated through a group negotiated real-time work-based project.

The content of the management report will be unique. The nature and scope of the area of your investigation will be defined and agreed in collaboration with the organisation and the University supervisor. The syllabus will include:

• Conducting research in organisations.
• Identifying researchable questions.
• Consultancy and project management skills.
• Research methods and doing a literature review
• Presentation, communication and report writing skills.
• Analysing findings.
• Writing recommendations and action plans.
• Reflecting on work based experiential learning.

In undertaking this project based module, you will critically reflect and evaluate upon organisational practices and their relation with academic theory, and in doing so, provide practical and actionable recommendations through an investigative management report.

The assessment for your module consists of a Group Consultancy Report (7,000 words) and Final Client Presentation, weighted at 60%, alongside an Individual Assignment comprising a Literature Review (4000 words) and a Reflective Learning Statement (2,000 words), weighted at 40%.

In this module you will gain an understanding of the academic skills that are required to produce a Masters Dissertation. By the end of the module you will have written a 15000 word Masters dissertation. The areas included are:

• Justification for the choice of topic
• Appropriate understanding, awareness and critical analysis of existing and up to date literature evidenced by a comprehensive and well-referenced literature review with an extensive reference list
• Selection, justification and application of an appropriately rigorous methodology - including limitations of the approach selected
• Clear statement of the findings of the research
• Critical analysis of the findings
• Explicit links between the analysis and the conclusions supported by critical argument
• Evidence of original work or thought for example in the form or context of the data collected, analytical process or application of findings

The Masters’ Management Enquiry module is a student-led individual project that enables you to undertake a significant piece of assessed

work commensurate with a capstone module and is offered as an alternative to the Masters’ Dissertation and Masters’ Consultancy Project.

The module aims to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate an authentic engagement with managers and/or professionals in your

discipline (this enquiry has to be discipline specific), and to integrate the knowledge you have developed during your programme to explore

the theory in practice. The learning on this module is experiential and problem based, where the focus is upon you discovering, probing and

questioning key practice-based issues. Through the module you will be offered the opportunity to develop and enhance key transferable

employability skills including; time management, project management, communication (written, aural and verbal), negotiation, persuasion and

influence, discovery, initiative, problem-solving and analysis.


The module has five thematic areas; explore, review, engage, reflect and connect. These form the key elements of the assessed submission

which is a single 15,000 word report.


Part A (35%, 5,000-5,500 words)

Explore: Interviewing a manager and/or professional in your discipline. In this interview you will either explore a key issue which you feel the

discipline is facing or, alternatively, explore with the manager or professional the key issues that they feel they are facing in practice. It is

expected that you will apply non-verbatim documented conversation and provide evidence of the key ideas emerging within the submitted

enquiry report (e.g. within the appendices).

Review: Critically examining the academic and practitioner literature to support the exploration, displaying an ability to critically assess and

appraise the knowledge of your discipline related to a specific key issue arising from your exploration.


Part B (65%, 9,500-10,000 words)

Engage: Displaying an authentic engagement with the discipline problem/issue identified in Part A, by collecting/generating and analysing

further live data (beyond the initial interview) regarding the discipline problem/issue. This live data may be primary data (e.g. further interviews

with, or questionnaire to, managers and/or professionals in practice) or secondary data (e.g. industry data). Application of appropriate,

ethically-considered, research methods and appropriate qualitative or quantitative data analysis.

Reflect and Connect: Demonstrating an ability to critically evaluate and reflect on the issues arising from the Management Enquiry.

Demonstrating how you have connected and fed-back to the participants of the Enquiry (usually the manager and/or participants) your key

findings to provide clear prioritised, well-justified, practical and actionable recommendations for change/enhancement/improvement to existing

practice to show how the recommendations would potentially affect workplace professional decision making.