Award in Essentials of Financial Management

The Award in Essentials of Finance is an EQF/MQF Level 5 course accredited with 8 ECTS credits. The course will provide tools and necessary knowledge and the skill in financial management practices which would help grow a business. It is based on current best practices, which we ourselves apply in the consultancy roles in applying management practices in different organisations. Particularly, the course deals with the core concepts of accounts, financial statements, ratios, investment appraisal, and core concepts of finance. The course is delivered fully online over a period of 6 weeks.

Sessions Covered:

Session 1 – Basic Principles of Accounting

Session 2 – Using Financial Statements

Session 3 – Using Ratio Analysis

Session 4 – Basic Principles of Budgeting

Session 5 – Accounting Fundamentals – Costs & Costings

Session 6 – Accounting Fundamentals – Cost of Sales

Session 7 – Financial Regulatory framework

Session 8 – Assistance Provided to SMEs

Session 9 – Investment Appraisal I

Session 10 – Financing Our Business

Session 11 – Raising Finance & Company Valuation

Session 12 – Financial Mistakes to Avoid

Hours of Total Learning for this module:

• Contact Hours: 42
• Self-Study Hours: 144
• Assessment Hours: 14
• Total Learning Hours: 200

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the following skills:

1. Match the role of different asset classes, their behaviour in isolation and in relation to other asset classes, and an understanding of how portfolios of investments can be constructed and analysed
2. Apply the criteria that companies use to make investment decisions
3. Estimate cash flows for investment projects.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of how the elements of the financial setup affect the operations of a business
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the risks of misinformation
6. Employ critical thinking skills to analyse data reported in the financial statements
7. Analyse budget assumptions and variances
8. Analyse products costs vs period costs
9. Determine the basic concepts in job costing and information systems for job costing environments
10. Describe risks and the management of the firm
11. Describe the Risk assessment process and determine ways to controlling risk
12. Analyse a simple and expanded model of income determination
13. Integration of the real and monetary sectors of the economy
14. Advise on the purpose of regulations within financial services
15. Prepare Company’s Policies that are required by regulations
16. Gain a general understanding of the financial services regulations and European Union and the role of new players such as ESMA, EIOPA and the European Banking Regulator

Each module will be assessed based on the following components:

1. Quality of Contributions in Forums: 30%
   • Evaluation of participation and the quality of insights shared in online discussion forums.
2. Quality of Contributions in Tutorials: 20%
   • Assessment of engagement and contributions during tutorial sessions.
3. Research-Based Assignments: 50%
   • Completion and quality of research-based assignments that demonstrate understanding and application of the course material.

Passing Criteria:

• Students must achieve an aggregate of 50% or higher across the three components to pass each module.

Scholarship Schemes for Maltese residents:

• MySkills Scheme: Malta residents are eligible for up to 80% reimbursement, capped at €5,000, subject to eligibility criteria. International students would be able to apply for the MySkills Scheme once they obtain their Student Temporary Residence Card (TRC). (For individual modules only)
• Get Qualified Scheme ( Scheme available for Maltese residents ) – 70% refund of course fee as a tax rebate