Description

Course Description – Fundamentals of Finance

This course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental principles of finance and the structure and functioning of financial systems. It covers key concepts including money and monetary aggregates, financial markets and institutions, financial instruments and derivatives, interest rates, exchange rate regimes, the time value of money, and the role of banking and corporate finance in the economy.

The course examines the operation of financial systems at both national and international levels, with particular emphasis on the role of financial institutions, the European Central Bank, and the European Monetary Union. Students develop an understanding of financial decision-making by analysing concepts such as present value, yield, risk and term structures of interest rates, and the valuation of financial assets.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to explain the core concepts of finance, evaluate the functioning of financial markets and institutions, interpret fundamental financial indicators, and apply financial principles to business and economic decision-making while considering ethical and professional standards.

Learning Outcomes

Cognitive/Intellectual skills: Students: 1. Can analyse with guidance using given classification/principles. 2. Can collect and arrange data and ideas in a standard way. 3. Can evaluate the reliability of data using defined techniques and under guidance. 4. Students develop greater independence of thought and the ability to solve problems. Key/Transferable skills Students: 1. Develop professional ethics. 2. Develop learning techniques and strategies for individual study, permanent reflection and evaluation. 3. Develop interest for lifelong learning. Practical skills: 1. Can operate in predictable, defined contexts that require use of a specified range of standard techniques 2. Is able to act with limited autonomy, under direction or supervision, within defined guidelines