MSc Finance & Management

Explore the theory and practice of banking in the 21st Century, specifically the facilitation role of banks as intermediaries between borrowers and lenders, and as providers of liquidity.

Psychologists working in the area of behavioural decision-making have evidenced the inadequacies of neoclassical economics. In this module you will study financial markets using models that are less narrow than those based on von Neumann-Morgenstern expected utility theory and arbitrage assumptions.

This module will cover a wide range of cutting edge research in Big Data Analytics, with a particular focus on the extensive value of data from the Internet, much of which is freely available if you have the skills to mine it.

This module involves learning to program in R, but no prior programming knowledge is required.

Module aims will include:

• Linking stock market movements to online data
• Measuring sentiment with online data
• Predicting consumer behaviour with online data
• Getting quicker measurements of key economic indicators with online data
• Measuring where people are and where they are going with mobile phone data and online data
• Predicting crime and epidemics
• Understanding social networks.

The module will also teach you the practical skills needed to work with online data.

You will learn:

• How to mine data on Google searches
• How to mine data on Wikipedia page views
• How to mine data on photographs uploaded to Flickr
• How to make data visualisations
• How to design and execute a small data science project of your own

As part of this, the module will teach you how to use R, an industry standard programming language for data analytics.

Exposure to the global economy brings new ideas, technologies, and management practices to a business. Whether looking to build a new plant, sell to a new market or find global business partners, exploiting opportunities in new markets or regions poses fresh challenges.

Many of those challenges arise from the different business environment that's present in countries around the world. What does an understanding of economics tell us about which countries and regions will see markets develop quickly in the medium term? Which governments act in ways that pose macroeconomic risks and which do not? How can resources and intellectual property be managed effectively? Which economic theories offer strategies to foster talent and help staff respond to new opportunities?

The patterns of world trade and the responses of governments have always been in constant flux. Businesses can't rely on traditional markets in the medium- to long-term. The pandemic has disturbed even the recently-established patterns of global economic growth. Strategic business decisions require an appreciation of the economic thinking that underpins these new patterns of growth and the changes in international finance that support them.

This module will provide real world examples and case studies to illustrate how economic thinking helps businesses make the most of new opportunities, while managing the risks associated with expansion into new markets and regions.

The module has been developed for business and management students across the WBS MSc portfolio and draws on ideas and research from macroeconomics, microeconomics, international finance, business strategy and development economics. No previous experience of economic analysis is required.

This module will equip you with the tools and skills needed to conduct independent empirical research in finance. You will develop an in-depth understanding of relevant research methodologies, receive training in programming and quantitative analysis, and explore the financial data sources available through WBS.

You will be introduced to empirical methodologies commonly used in selected areas of empirical finance, including asset pricing and corporate finance. While some topics may overlap with those covered in concurrent modules, this module focuses specifically on collecting and cleaning data, managing datasets, and implementing quantitative models using a range of software packages.

From the beginning of the module, you will develop your programming and data-handling skills so that you can apply them confidently in workshops and assignments across your core modules.

This module provides systematic understanding of relevant knowledge about key risk factors that firms might face and how firms can reduce their risk using various financial instruments.

The module aims to provide training on methods that aid decision-making when managers face an uncertain future. The module covers methods for short-term and long-term forecasting of product demand and macroeconomic variables. The module discusses how forecasting aids decision-making.

This module will provide you with the theoretical foundations, appropriately supported by real-life examples, to help understand how global business works today.

Anyone who follows the news will immediately understand the importance of global business and how it has become central to decisions made by governments and their regulators. The trade conflict between the US and China, all the problems for global businesses (as well as the people of the UK and Europe) arising out of Brexit and the potential disruption to global supply chains for companies as diverse as car manufacturers and financial services.

Furthermore, environmental crises and disruptions come in various forms: economic recessions, disease outbreaks, as well as terrorist attacks – many of which cannot be easily predicted and impose numerous non-trivial costs on firms, particularly MNEs due to their multi-market exposures. At the same time, MNEs are accused of behaving irresponsibly in their quest for global market growth, which is likely to impose further costs on these firms.

By the end of the module, you will be able to dig deep into these news headlines and gain real insight into the issues in order to discuss how MNEs can build sustainable business models in today’s global business environment.

The main module aim is to build on your knowledge of the global economic and business environment and link this to strategies for managing in changing global contexts.  Key questions are:  How do changes in this environment affect the ways in which companies do business and managers manage across borders:  How should firms and individual managers respond (in theory)?  How can they respond (in practice)?

Topics will include: the drivers and processes of internationalisation, cross-cultural management challenges, the assessment of overseas investment opportunities and the specific challenges of emerging markets.

Extend your knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts of international finance, with emphasis on the operation of the spot and forward foreign exchange markets. You will gain first-hand experience with forex markets via empirical data and trading contest, and develop your critical reasoning skills in the context of international financial risk management.

Gain an introduction to the psychology of human judgement and decision making. This field provides the foundation for understanding the decision-making processes involved in financial markets. The module encourages you to: see how the insights from this work can help understand the origins of rational and irrationality in financial decision makers and financial markets; improve your own financial decision-making; gain a broader understanding of decision-making throughout the finance industry.

Alongside the content of the course, you can choose to specialise in Investment Banking or Investment Management by selecting two specialist electives. On completion, you will gain a letter of acknowledgement from the Dean of Warwick Business School to confirm your success in your chosen area.

Modules may include:

• Banks and Financial Institutions
• Behavioural Finance
• International Financial Management
• Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Control
• Practice of Investment Management.

Incorporating an innovative and exciting team business simulation, you’ll gain an understanding of each business function through a series of real-world play activities, and learn to evaluate business performance through various functional dimensions.

You’ll replicate how a team would work together in a real business, giving you a chance to put all of the learning from your MSc year into practice. Following the simulation you will complete an Individual Reflection and a Business Analysis.

If you select the Dissertation route you will work with an allocated academic supervisor and research a topic relating to business and management. This route will enable you to test and apply the techniques and theories you have learned throughout your MSc year. The module is assessed by a 6,000 word formal dissertation. 

In total you will study eight compulsory modules and one optional module, and complete a Dissertation and a Research Methodology module

This course offers the opportunity to self-source a summer internship, to increase your employability by applying your theoretical learnings to a real-world industry setting. Our careers team will support you through each step of the process.