The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding of how the entrepreneurial organisation is financed;

The student is introduced to important financial tools and methods of managing finance in the context of opportunity, risk, innovation and the change-rich environment of the entrepreneur;

Students will expand their financial management repertoire to include an understanding and critical appraisal of non-traditional sources of financing to meet an entrepreneurial firm’s growth and operational needs.

(LO1) Compare and contrast alternative methods for financing so as to identify how to source finance for specific entrepreneurial ventures;

(LO2) Understand the goals and objectives of different providers of financing or funding;

(LO3) Apply knowledge of entrepreneurship and finance to create global business opportunities, taking into account the interrelatedness of ethical behaviour, social responsibility and entrepreneurial strategy;

(LO4) Prepare a financing plan and determine the costs of capital and thereby apply alternate methods of business valuation;

(LO5) Critically analyse and evaluate the risk-return link between entrepreneurship, innovation and wealth creation;

(LO6) Critically evaluate an early-stage business proposal from the perspective of both the entrepreneur and the investor.

(S1) Communication Skills: Students will have opportunities to develop written and oral communication skills through group discussions, in-class presentations and coursework. This will be assessed by written assignments, reports, the dissertation and short individual and group presentations.Communication Skills: Students will have opportunities to develop written and oral communication skills through group discussions, in-class presentations and coursework. This will be assessed by written assignments, reports, the dissertation and short individual and group presentations.

(S2) Problem Solving and Decision Making: Students will be challenged to think critically about organisational issues and dilemmas. They will do this by gathering and synthesising information, analysing alternative perspectives and options and presenting a considered opinion or course of action in their course assessment.

(S3) Numeracy Skills: Students will learn to apply financial and statistical techniques. These are developed as part of the modules covering finance, accounting, economics and econometrics.

(S4) Information and Communication Technology Skills: Students will have opportunities to improve their ICT skills. Students will demonstrate skills in the use of software applications including word processing, visual presentations, data bases, econometric packages, spreadsheets and using the internet for information searches in the course of researching and presenting coursework.

(S5) Group Working and Networking Skills: In class assignments for students will require them to work in groups and manage the interaction and relationships with other group members. In doing so, they will gain experience in negotiation, persuasion, influencing and managing conflict. Furthermore, students will be required to engage with fellow students and external business contacts in establishing a networked resource for the exchange of ideas and the development of future business relationships.

(S6) Personal Effectiveness: This applies to all modules where students will be encouraged to think critically about theory and practice and to challenge and critique assumptions about management, economic and financial theory.

(S7) Time management. This applies to all modules of the programme and is relevant for planning scheduled work and meeting assessment deadlines. This will be evident in the students’ independent management of their assignments and coursework and by meeting coursework deadlines.

Teaching Method 1 - Virtual classroom hours (for online modules)
Notes: Number of hours per week, per student expected in the virtual classroom in discussion, dedicated to group work and individual assessment is 7.

Teaching Method 2 - Non-classroom hours (for online modules)
Notes: Number of hours per week, per student expected for reading, research and other individual work to support engagement in the classroom is 13.

The nature of entrepreneurship and sources of business ideas; Financial performance; Securities laws and financing; Valuation and risk; Financing options and venture capital; Capital structure; Harvesting business ventures; Turning around financially troubled business ventures.