ULMS Electronic Module Catalogue

The information contained in this module specification was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change, either during the session because of unforeseen circumstances, or following review of the module at the end of the session. Queries about the module should be directed to the member of staff with responsibility for the module.
Title PROJECT IN FINANCE
Code ACFI318
Coordinator Dr MJ Michalski
Finance and Accounting
M.Michalski@liverpool.ac.uk
Year CATS Level Semester CATS Value
Session 2023-24 Level 6 FHEQ Whole Session 30

Pre-requisites before taking this module (other modules and/or general educational/academic requirements):

ECON212 ECONOMETRICS 1; ECON213 ECONOMETRICS 2 

Modules for which this module is a pre-requisite:

 

Programme(s) (including Year of Study) to which this module is available on a required basis:

 

Programme(s) (including Year of Study) to which this module is available on an optional basis:

 

Teaching Schedule

  Lectures Seminars Tutorials Lab Practicals Fieldwork Placement Other TOTAL
Study Hours     12

12

  12

36
Timetable (if known)              
Private Study 264
TOTAL HOURS 300

Assessment

EXAM Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
             
CONTINUOUS Duration Timing
(Semester)
% of
final
mark
Resit/resubmission
opportunity
Penalty for late
submission
Notes
Assessment 1: Independent Research Project Assessment Type: Coursework Size: 10000 words Weighting: 80% Reassessment Opportunity: Yes Penalty for Late Submission: Standard UoL Penalty Applies An    80       
Assessment 2: Poster Presentation Assessment Type: Practical Assessment Size: Weighting: 20% Reassessment Opportunity: Yes Penalty for Late Submission: Standard UoL Penalty Applies Anonymous Ass    20       

Aims

This module aims to give students anopportunity to conduct an independent piece of research under supervision. Uponsuccessful completion of the project, students will be able to conduct a literature review on a topic related to finance, identify andcollect relevant data, apply their knowledge of econometrics, criticallyevaluate the empirical results and produce a 10,000 word document in the styleof an academic paper.


Learning Outcomes

(LO1) Students will be able to undertake a literature review

(LO2) Students will be able to identifyappropriate research questions

(LO3) Students will be able to select appropriate methodology to collect relevant data

(LO4) Students will be able to apply appropriate models and frameworks in order to critically analyse key issues in finance

(LO5) Students will be able to present oral and written reasoned conclusions and recommendations

(S1) Resilient and adaptable

(S2) An excellent communicator

(S3) A creative problem solver

(S4) Analytical

(S5) Digitally confident

(S6) Globally aware

(S7) Confident

(S8) Ethically aware

(S9) Connector


Teaching and Learning Strategies

Teaching Method 1 - Tutorials
Description: Weekly tutorials taking place in the first semester only. These sessions introduce the various tasks the students will have to successfully complete in order to produce a high-quality dissertation, e.g. identifying and developing a research question, conducting a literature review, designing a sound methodological framework, analysing empirical results, etc.
Scheduled Directed Student Hours: 12
Attendance Recorded: No

Teaching Method 2 - PC Lab
Description: Weekly PC sessions taking place in the first semester only. Their purpose is to equip the students with practical skills they will need to develop in order to produce the empirical analysis part of their dissertations. These sessions will introduce the students to the financial databases available at the School, as well as publicly available economics databases. They will also include practical demonstrations of undertaking empirical data analysis using standard eco nometrics software.
Scheduled Directed Student Hours: 12
Attendance Recorded: Yes

Teaching Method 3 - Supervision
Description: The learning activities to take place in the second semester will be decided upon by the student and their allocated supervisor, so as to provide a tailored training programme which will facilitate a successful completion of the research project. This will be delivered in one-on-one meetings, during which the students will be able to discuss the details of their projects, receive informal feedback from their supervisors, and obtain any additional academic support that may be required.
Scheduled Directed Student Hours: 12
Attendance Recorded: No

Self-Directed Learning Hours: 264

Skills Mapping

Skill/Other Attribute 1: "Resilient and adaptable "
How this is developed: This skill is continuously developed by students while working on their long-term research projects. Each project will seek to address a re search question developed by an individual student, which will require them to engage with several economic issues, analyse those in a creative manner, and, if necessary, adapt the project’s design to ensure its successful completion.
How is it assessed (If Applicable): Project and Poster presentation

Skill/Other Attribute 2: "An excellent communicator"
How this is developed: A good dissertation must communicate the complex ideas introduced within it in a clear and concise manner. The tutorials taking place in the first semester and the discussions with their supervisor in the second semester will introduce students to best practice in presenting their research questions, describing a study’s methodology, and discussing the outcomes of their empirical analysis and key findings.
How is it assessed (If Applicable): Project and Poster presentation

Skill/Other Attribute 3: "A creative problem solver"
How this is developed: Wor king on a dissertation will present the students with many challenges, many of which will require new and creative solutions to address them. The students will be provided with guidance from the module staff and their supervisors, so as to identify and implement steps allowing students to overcome the problems encountered while completing their projects.
How is it assessed (If Applicable): Project and Poster presentation

Skill/Other Attribute 4: "Analytical"
How this is developed: Students are expected to review extant literature, obtain and produce a clean data sample, interpret the results from their econometric models, and identify the implications of their research for policymakers and practitioners. Successful completion of those tasks will require undertaking a comprehensive analysis of economic theory, historical data, and estimated model outputs.
How is it assessed (If Applicable): Project and Poster presentation

Skill/Other Attribute 5: &quo t;Digitally confident"
How this is developed: The module will introduce the students to many publicly available and professional databases with economic information. It will also provide the students with foundations of programming in the chosen econometric software. This will enable students to confidently approach any task requiring data cleaning, analysis, and visualisation, as well as estimation and evaluation of an econometric model.
How is it assessed (If Applicable): Project and Poster presentation

Skill/Other Attribute 6: "Globally aware"
How this is developed: The students will develop an awareness of recent developments in local or global markets or of changes in economic policies while formulating their research questions. Awareness of such matters will also play an important role while identifying the practical or policy implications of their findings.
How is it assessed (If Applicable): Project and Poster presentation

Skill/Othe r Attribute 7: "Confident"
How this is developed: The preparation and delivery of a poster presentation will present the students with an opportunity to become a more confident public speaker. They are also expected to devote considerable time to analysing the results of their empirical analysis, so as to ensure that the findings reported in their dissertations are correct and robust.
How is it assessed (If Applicable): Project and Poster presentation

Skill/Other Attribute 8: "Ethically aware"
How this is developed: The module will introduce the students to a number of ethical issues a researcher needs to consider when designing their project, as well as the guidelines they will need to adhere to in order to maintain the academic integrity of their work.
How is it assessed (If Applicable): Project and Poster presentation

Skill/Other Attribute 9: "Connector"
How this is developed: Making connections between theory and re al world, the proposed research question and findings documented in extant literature, lies at the heart of the process of producing a dissertation. The module staff and project supervisors will encourage the students to read widely around their topics of interest and to think outside the box while analysing the issues underpinning their dissertations.
How is it assessed (If Applicable): Project and Poster presentation


Syllabus

 

Introduction to research projects
Developing an effective research proposal
Literature search and review
Empirical methods in finance and economics research
Analysis of empirical results
Dissertation write up, referencing, best practice in writing
Research databases available at ULMS
Econometrics and statistics software


Recommended Texts

Reading lists are managed at readinglists.liverpool.ac.uk. Click here to access the reading lists for this module.