This module introduces basic financial and managerial accounting topics aimed to give you an appreciation of financial statement construction as well as how accounting information is used by the various stakeholders both internal and external to your firm.

The module will enhance your technical skills in analysing business events and transactions, solving problems and cases, applying financial statement information to decision making and problem assignments. Hopefully, the knowledge gained will also facilitate personal decision making in your future everyday affairs.

The increasing availability of data is changing the way organisations think about themselves and the way they interact with the world. Data is helping improve the profits of businesses, the quality of life of individuals, the performance of sports teams, and social interactions. In this course, you will learn how to use data and analytics to assist in the decision-making process. The module will expose you to real-world examples of how descriptive, predictive, diagnostic and prescriptive analytics are used in various domains. Through these examples, you will learn how to use tools of analytics such as linear regression, logistic regression, classification and regression trees, random forests, clustering, matching, and optimisation, and visualisation techniques in practice. The statistical software R will be used in the course, and class demonstrations will be presented in R Notebooks. You are encouraged to create your homework and project reports using R Notebooks.

This module aims to provide you with fundamentally important ideas about what to look for in making good and informed investment, financing and dividend decisions. Our analysis will focus on how the right decisions can lead to the enhancement of your firm’s value.

In examining investment decisions, we will evaluate existing investments in terms of their fit to a firm’s overall strategy and economic value. To the extent that new investments are essential to the future growth and development of a firm, the assessment of new investments will be a critical area of study. We will also explore the various means of financing a firm, including the appropriate sources of funding in the various stages of development of a firm, the suitability of the vast array of financial instruments in the financial markets and the achievement of an optimal financing mix.

In essence, dividend decisions involve the determination of how much to reinvest and how much to return to shareholders. As such, we shall look at the impact of dividend policy to future growth and development of a firm, and the rationale behind the return of cash to shareholders.

The concepts of risk and returns, of options value and applications in corporate finance, and of how to balance off the risks versus returns in asset pricing models will be discussed. This trade-off is equivalent to finding optimal value or valuation of the opportunities that present themselves to corporate business. In addition, the module will also cover important valuation principles/methodologies, applications to mergers and acquisitions situations, and value enhancement models.

Your professional success in any complex organisation today depends not only on technical, functional and professional skills, but also on the ability to navigate the people side of organisations: to successfully work with and through others to achieve individual, group and organisational objectives. You will benefit from a deeper understanding of, and an ability to apply, a range of concepts and frameworks for managing people and organisations that this course provides.

This module introduces you to the theoretical concepts and analytical tools required for formulating and implementing appropriate strategies that affect the enduring success of the entire organisation. Topics covered include external and internal environmental analyses, business-level strategies, corporate-level strategies, strategy process and implementation, and special topics such as competitive dynamics and competition in high-tech industries. This module emphasises the application of theory to a number of real-world strategic issues. You are encouraged to synthesise knowledge from other business courses into a comprehensive understanding of corporate competitive advantages.

This module presents the design of new supply chains and the restructuring of existing supply chains to be sustainable and provide better value in a global context. We will analyse the design of innovative supply chains that provide firms with a strategic and sustainable competitive advantage and utilise global resources and markets.

This module should be of particular interest if you aspire to a career in designing and managing business processes, either directly (e.g., V.P. of Operations, Logistics Manager) or indirectly (e.g., management consulting). It will also be useful to entrepreneurs who intend to serve new markets, or use new technologies, or to those who wish to strategically reposition their offerings in an existing market. The module should also be of interest to those who manage interfaces between operations and other business functions such as finance, marketing, managerial accounting and human resources.

This module provides a broad but rigorous look at the international aspects of economics. It is divided into two sections: the microeconomic section with a focus on trade, and the macroeconomic section with a focus on international finance. The trade section establishes the foundations of comparative advantages and the benefits of trade, and assesses the issues of international policy concerning trade, including current contentions and controversies. The finance section looks at international payments and flows of money, the issue of surpluses and deficits and international policy concerning exchange rates and monetary regimes.

Successful firms are those that integrate the objectives and resources of the organisation with the needs and opportunities of the marketplace better than their competitors. They identify untapped sources of customer value, and deliver and capture more customer value than their competitors. The role of marketing management in organisations is to identify customers' unfulfilled desires, determine which customers the business should serve, decide on the appropriate products and services, and determine the optimal methods of pricing, promoting and distributing the products or services.

Using a country-specific study as its base, the ‘Business Study Mission’ module examines the rapidly developing business environment and the available opportunities in a particular city or region. Emphasis is placed on the socio-political, cultural and legal environments, and the influence they exert on business practices.

The competencies to communicate cross-culturally well are indispensable in this age of globalisation. This module looks at corporate culture and provides strategies on how to read a person. We will explore features of culture such as individualism/collectivism, power distance, masculinity/femininity, and issues related to intercultural adaptation, ethnocentrism, prejudice, stereotyping and racism. The aim of this module is to develop intercultural competencies, which will make business practices more meaningful and significant.

This module aims to help you instil and apply an entrepreneurial mindset in the context of business planning. We will achieve this through a number of ways including the generation of business ideas and the identification of business opportunities to commercialise those ideas. This module covers some ongoing management challenges for entrepreneurial ventures and integrates inter-disciplinary knowledge customised by your personal experiences and goals.

Professional success is largely dependent on success in managing differences and fostering collaboration among people and organisations. However, in today’s highly dynamic and complex managerial environment, which is marked by increasing interdependence and often by conflicts of interest, it can be extremely challenging to bring together the relevant “players” – internal and external stakeholders who have different interests, perceptions, attitudes, behaviours, or values – to forge efficient, profitable and lasting agreements. Professionals who understand the science and practice of negotiation are much better equipped to navigate these differences and create agreements that advance their own interests, and also the interests of the other parties involved.

This module will equip you with strategies to successfully communicate solutions to organisational problems. Since the course emphasises the importance of effective written and spoken communication within a business setting, you will be exposed to strategies that will enable you to communicate your ideas and values in a clear, persuasive and memorable way. You will, therefore, learn the art of producing impactful business documents and delivering engaging presentations in various business contexts. By the end of the module, you will be able to function as proficient communicators who are ready to embrace the communicative challenges inherent in today’s dynamic business environment.

This module introduces you to new venture creation and design thinking tools for identifying new and better ways of providing products and services that meet customer expectations. In Part 1, the opportunity recognition process is introduced. We will look at how external factors (context, available resources) and intrinsic factors (motivation, network, risk propensity) interact to create opportunities that an entrepreneur then chooses to seize.

In Part 2, the qualitative design thinking process (based on the IDEO/Stanford Design School process) is introduced (empathise, define, ideate, prototype, test). We will discuss applications of design thinking to product and service innovation, along with variations in design contexts, including the private sector, government and social sectors. You will learn to think like an innovator, from the initial idea to managing resources, building partnerships with committed stakeholders and dealing with contingencies. In parallel, you are encouraged to consider your individual accomplishments and how these might support new venture creation. You will work on past accomplishments, gaining the skills, knowledge and abilities that create a unique set of means by which to drive your own innovation projects.

This module focuses on the role of financial markets in facilitating the flow of funds to finance investments by corporations and governments. It builds on the foundations provided by FNCE680 Corporate Finance & Financial Management and our focus will be to understand how financial markets work practically. We will systematically examine equity, debt, foreign exchange, derivative, real estate and insurance markets and describe the participants and types of instruments offered. We will learn how and whether one should invest or participate in each of the different markets and also examine the role of financial institutions such as commercial banks and mutual funds.

This module is a blend of theory and practice that begins by describing the investment environment, developments in investment theory, and the principles and practices of valuation. The focus is on the analysis of equities and equity portfolio management. The topics covered include the valuation of companies, stock valuation, the portfolio investment process, asset allocation, portfolio construction and portfolio performance evaluation. Throughout the course, we will place emphasis on a global perspective.

This module aims to provide you with insights into the role of the investment banking industry in facilitating the raising of capital for corporations, in the equity and debt, or mergers & acquisition (M&A) markets, to assist a corporation to grow. The structure of investment banks and how each division inter-relate, will be discussed, e.g. corporate finance, Equity Capital Market (ECM), Debt Capital Market (DCM), Sales & Trading, Operations, Global Markets, Compliance, etc. You will learn about how primary market deals relating to equity, debt and M&A are structured to maximise share value, as well as how these are skilfully executed to ensure that values are preserved and achieved. You will also be taught about the fundamentals of valuation as well as the best practices in financial modelling. This module is not only useful for future investment bankers but also for those interested in learning about raising capital in corporations.

This module aims to provide you with an advanced study of Corporate Finance beyond the essentials. You will be exposed to complex financial issues and be equipped with the necessary analytical tools to make sound financial decisions. The module covers a wide spectrum of topics such as optimal capital structure, mergers & acquisitions, pay-out policy and corporate restructuring . It will focus on understanding core financial tools that help managers understand strategic and tactical financial problems, developing the linkage between corporate financial decisions and value creation in firms and providing a framework to help managers make optimal financial decisions.

The objective of this module is to introduce Decision Analysis, which is the application of the scientific method to managerial and personal decision-making. The decision analysis approach of analysing decisions consists of defining a problem, developing a model, acquiring data, developing and testing a solution, and analysing and implementing results. Decision models can be categorised as Prescriptive, Predictive and Descriptive. This module will discuss some Prescriptive and Descriptive models, particularly quantitative modelling tools such as linear and integer programming, decision tree analysis and simulation.

With the globalisation of operations and the penetration of technology into virtually every business activity, projects are becoming more and more challenging and demanding. Increasingly complex products, processes and services, vastly shortened time-to-market windows, and the need for cross-functional expertise make project management an important skill for success. Project management aims to improve an organisation’s ability to plan activities and control the ways in which it utilises resources, and minimises risks. Professionals launching and managing these projects must understand the concepts, methods, techniques and tools that support modern project management, covering project selection, initiation, planning, implementation, control and evaluation. The participants will get hands-on experience with state-of-the-art software tools for project and project portfolio management.

A supply chain comprises firms, organisations, and individuals, linked through physical (material), information and financial flows, and whose activities enable products and services to be created and reach consumers. In the last few decades, supply chain managers have reoriented their focus beyond the traditional logistics issues towards the development of integrated risk management approaches to handle the multiplicity and magnitude of risk factors in global supply chains. These risk factors include disruptions arising from natural and man-made disasters, fast-changing customer preferences, tight financial credit environments and fluctuating exchange rates and commodity prices. Building a functional supply chain requires careful planning and consideration of a variety of risks, and it is of paramount importance to integrate management of physical flows, information and financial flows in dealing with such risks. All logistics and supply chain organisations that effectively manage their supply chain risks enjoy a level of robustness and resilience that leads to unprecedented levels of operational excellence with all consequential advantages. The objective of this module is to provide you a framework for supply chain risk management and to outline a portfolio of proven strategies to access, reduce, hedge and mitigate supply chain risks.

With the convenience of the Internet at our fingertips, e-commerce has grown into a huge industry and the world of business is changing rapidly beyond brick and mortar. Customers not only shop through different retail channels - in store, on the web and on mobile devices, but also expect a consistent buying experience across these channels. This creates a host of new business models, such as marketplaces and omni-channel retailing, that require new sets of skills to manage. The objective of this module is to provide you with these necessary skills. Topics that will be discussed include online retailing, marketplaces, logistics and technologies, omni-channel retailing, consumer analytics and the sharing economy.

Understanding consumers is at the heart of a successful marketing process. Methods of generating consumer insights such as in-depth interviews and focus groups, ethnography, survey research, systematic observational research and experiments are key to diagnosing both the current status of a market as well as the issues underlying a specific marketing challenge. The course will cover a variety of these methods of generating consumer insights as well as the statistical methods used to analyse survey data.

You will learn how to use insights generated to address marketing issues such as uncovering consumer needs, segmentation, product design, pricing structure and evaluation of promotions. The module will be taught using a combination of lectures, case discussions, in-class workshops, guest lectures and a group project. If you wish to work in consulting or in branding/marketing/advertising in B2C organisations, you will find this module particularly useful.

The study of consumer behaviour is an important part of the science underlying the development of marketing programmes. Consumer behaviour is a natural extension of the application of the marketing concept that prefaces the study of marketing. Consumer research is a prelude to the formulation of marketing programmes. This module introduces important theories, methods and findings of research on attention, comprehension, memory, attitude formation and choice.

This module is designed to meet the increasing needs of industry and recruiters in applying quantitative and analytical skills for understanding consumer decision-making. Business managers use marketing data to assess the return on their investments and better understand their customers. The module gives you an opportunity to analyse real-world marketing problems and learn through “hands-on” experience. We will use developments in statistical science to examine solutions to important issues faced in consumer analytics. There will be various datasets and tools provided and used in the class to get practical experience. Specifically, we will discuss market and customer segmentation techniques, regression and choice modelling, economic models of pricing, retail and web analytics, with the emphasis being on understanding, interpreting and the proper use of these research techniques. The primary aim of this module is to learn new skills and tools that will allow you to develop important quantitative acumen for understanding consumer analytics.

The world of commerce is going rapidly beyond brick and mortar, and is increasingly relying on digital technology. Today, customers expect a consistent buying experience across all retail channels - in store, on the web and on mobile devices. This leads to a host of business models that require or can benefit from new functional expertise and processes. The objective of this module is to provide you with the necessary skills to evaluate the changing business world and identify opportunities to harness and optimise businesses through digital technology. The module focusses discussion around digital business and covers aspects relating to business strategies, digital business supply chains, fulfilment technology and innovations, technology leverage for management and consumer insights. The module consists of two parts covered over four weeks each: (i) business strategies and operational challenges for digital business and (ii) the applications of consumer analytics to digital business.

This module examines the terms and meanings of sustainability, including their origins. It discusses the linkages between sustainability and other society challenges and helps you understand how business and society interact within the natural environment. You will learn how to distinguish between effective and rhetorical sustainability strategies. Topics covered in the module include Global Environmental Issues, Origins of Sustainability Thinking, Systems Thinking, Triple Bottom Line, Green Value Chain, IT and Sustainability and Strategic Sustainability.

This module provides you with foundational knowledge and techniques on how to embed sustainability into business operations. You will learn how firms develop effective programmes and strategies in waste reduction, pollution prevention and product stewardship. Topics covered include Ecologically Sustainable Organisation (ESO), Environmental Regulations and Incentives, Environmental Management Systems, Sustainable Supply-Chain Management, Green Purchasing, Green Buildings, Life Cycle Analysis, Product Stewardship, Remanufacturing and Recycling, Industrial Symbiosis and Green Technology.

This module introduces you to a plethora of standards, metrics and reporting requirements to evaluate organisational sustainability performance. You will develop insights on the various approaches to sustainability and make good judgements on the range of standards and goals to evaluate sustainability performance. Topics covered in the module include Financial and Economic Capital, Environmental Sustainability and Natural Capital, Social Sustainability and Social Capital, Environmental Partnerships, Corporate Social Reporting and Disclosure, Environmental Auditing, and Corporate Sustainability Assessment and Financial Performance.

This module helps you understand how sustainability challenges pose risks and opportunities to businesses and investors. It exposes you to emerging theories and practices on how businesses and investors can apply finance to manage sustainability risks and opportunities. You will also learn how to frame managerial and investment objectives that are consistent with business sustainability. Topics covered in the module include Socially Responsible and Impact Investing, Microfinance, Responsible Lending, Green Finance, Climate Change and Finance Implication, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Firm Performance.