Banking & Finance Management Diploma

Major Description

• The Diploma in Banking & Finance Management is designed for those who are, or will be, financial decision makers, working with accountants and are involved in formulating, planning and implementing business strategy.
• It is not designed to turn managers into accountants, but rather to enable them to become fluent in the language, terminology and concepts of banking and finance and to equip them in extracting, analyzing, interpreting and using financial data in decision making.

 

Course Description

1. Managerial Finance
• An introductory course in financial management which addresses topics such as term structure of interest rates, rates of return, bonds & stocks and the cost of capital etc. During the course, emphasis will be placed on financial analysis, planning & control. Furthermore, capital budgeting techniques will be introduced. The course shows how major financial policies are closely tied to issues concerning the organization and governance of firms operations in addition to covering replacements of equity by debt through leveraged buyouts and other forms of debt financed transactions. The course also addresses injection of substantial new equity, either by restructuring of ownership via a sell-off or initial public offerings as another financial restructuring strategy.
2. Financial Market & Institutions
• The first part of the course analyzes financial markets, conceptually and theoretically, emphasizing the role, structure, and activities of financial intermediaries. The dynamic pattern of financial flows is analyzed by flow of funds analysis. The decision processes and market impact of both the suppliers of credit and the users of these funds are examined with highlighting the role, structure, and activities of financial intermediaries.
• In addition, the course will be covering the financial management of the major financial institutions, especially commercial banks, insurance companies and savings institutions, and to a lesser degree with market– related intermediaries such as venture capital companies and investment bankers.
3. Commercial Banks Management
• The first part of the course introduces the students to the diversified services offered by commercial banks through tackling the practical and conceptual grounding in banks management. Emphasis will be placed on the measurement and evaluation of banks performance through bank stock value, spread efficiency and profitability (ROE-ROA).
4. International Finance
• This course analyzes financial problems corporations face that result from operating in an international environment. Major topics covered are corporate strategy and the decision to invest abroad, forecasting exchange rates, international portfolio diversification, managing exchange risk, taxation issues, cost of capital and financial structure in the multinational firm, and sources of financing.
5. Credit Analysis
• By end of this course, the students will be able to develop an understanding of credit management instruments and their applications to meet credit demand. The course is structured to cultivate proficiency in credit analysis pertinent to credit tenor and credit pricing versus risk, loan making, and loan management.
6. Investment & Portfolio Management
• The importance of good portfolio management is more evident during periods of market volatility and uncertainty. While acknowledging the contribution of elegant intellectual constructs such as Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), this course will be far more pragmatic in applying academic theory to real world investment decisions. Through lectures, case studies, and exercises, participants will:
  • Become familiar with appropriate measures of both risk and return when evaluating portfolio performance.
  • Appreciate more fully the importance of asset allocation.
  • Gain a historical perspective on how different investment styles (growth, value, large cap, small cap, indexing) perform over time.