AF5030 - Financial Markets and Institutions

You will be supported by a teaching and learning plan (TLP), which outlines the formal sessions, together with tutor-directed study and independent reading. The module will be taught through lectures (24 hours) and a combination of seminars (7 hours) and workshops (5 hours). The lectures are the primary medium used to deliver the subject material required to enable students to meet the module learning outcomes. Lectures will be research-led with a significant practical components. The seminars are an opportunity for you to further develop your understanding and knowledge of the topics and will be structured to incorporate numerous exam-style questions to provide formative feedback. The workshops will make use of the NBS trading room to help you understand and apply the theories and concepts using real world data from financial software.

The seminars will also involve individual and group work to develop your skills of discussion and analysis. These will provide an opportunity for you and the teaching team to interact and discuss the materials with other students in diverse contexts from around the world. You can therefore expect the reflective-practitioner approach to learning to be embedded in the online workshops by undertaking activities that will allow you to apply the key concepts and principles to ‘real-life’ situations.

Directed learning plays a key part in the achievement of the module learning outcomes and provides an opportunity for self-assessment of your progress throughout the semester. Directed learning may include a range of activities including pre-reading, preparation for seminar activity etc. Independent learning is learning which you identify by pursuing areas of interest that provides deeper or broader knowledge of the subject, through a range of learning activities that might include reading and research.

You will be supported throughout by the module teaching team who are available to answer your questions either in person or by email/telephone. You are encouraged to contact a member of the tutor team for additional support and guidance as necessary throughout the course. Your module is supported by the e-learning portal, which includes lecture, seminar and workshop materials as well as additional material for independent study, presentation and examination preparation. Your lectures will be recorded and uploaded to the e-learning portal (which you will be able to access in order to consolidate your knowledge and develop understanding). Your electronic reading list includes core material to support your lectures/seminars and a comprehensive range of professional accounting and finance reports/articles and academic journal articles relevant to your studies. You will be fully supported to learn the financial software via tutorial recordings and the workshop tutor guidance.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
• Awareness of the institutions and the principal products and services that comprise the financial services industry (MLO1).

• An awareness of the regulatory approach to the financial services industry and application of these to case studies relating to financial crime (MLO2).

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:

• Critically analyse different financial instruments to make appropriate risk and pricing judgement for institutions to assist them in achieving their commercial goals (MLO3).

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

• An awareness of the role of professional bodies and ethics in the financial services industry (MLO4).

Formative Assessment:
Formative assessment will take place through individual and group activities, discussions, presentations, case study activities and theory/practice related discussions.
In addition, in the seminars/workshops and on blackboard you will provided with a range on practise examination questions with marking criteria and feedback.

Summative Assessment:

Your understanding of the learning outcomes will be assessed by two elements:
1. Group presentation on contemporary issues in financial professional body ethics to be presented during the semester (30%). (MLO2 and MLO4)
2. A 2 hour closed book, written examination. The exam will use a selection of question styles including, short answer questions and essay style questions (70%). (MLO1, MLO2, MLO3, MLO4)

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Do you want to know more about financial markets, the institutions that operate in them and the key mechanisms they use? Would you like to build your knowledge of the rules under which financial transactions take place? Have you ever wondered about the role of the professional bodies?
This module will help you explore all these topics in more detail. You’ll develop a strong understanding of financial markets, the way they operate, the regulations by which they must abide and the ethical considerations that practitioners are confronted with daily. Lectures are research-led, while more contemplative seminar sessions encourage you to consider the interaction between regulations and practice to build your knowledge into understanding. You’ll also explore financial software data to understand how markets operate and securities are priced.