Course content
Prerequisites
Prior knowledge of Accounting and Corporate Finance is required in order for students to be able to follow the courses of the minor. It is recommended that students have a minimum of 5 ECTS in Accounting and a minimum of 5 ECTS in Corporate Finance - both at bachelor level.
Purpose
The aim of this minor is to equip students with key business economics competences. It provides an opportunity to enhance competences in managerial accounting, financial statement analysis as well as in corporate finance. The minor will allow you to develop competences in analyzing and applying financial models to the business situations that your main field normally leads you to. This will be helpful in almost all decisions, as the economic consequences are a central part of the decision critieria. In unison the three courses will give you the competences to analyze other companies’ situation, communicate your own, back up your internal proposals with the relevant financial analyses and understand the economic infrastructure of your organization.
Why would accounting and finance be of interest to you if it is not the main focus of your study program? The minor offers a financial approach to your own subject of study, be it related to business & management, human resources, logistics, or marketing. It provides you with a sound economic foundation of business decisions helpful for most future jobs in the business environment. For example, knowledge in accounting and finance will be useful for your studies in …
- … business & management. If you are educated to combine various perspectives across business divisions, macroeconomic, political, and cultural differences, and strategical choices within a world of continuous change, then finance and accounting are two key business areas in which firms face ongoing changes from markets and regulation. Further, in a globalized world, understanding international and country-specific differences are key to a successful management. For example, financial reporting offers the management a way to communicate with their stakeholders. A thorough analysis of the provided statements is thus the first step in understanding a firm’s profitability, growth and risks. From an internal perspective, knowledge about accounting and finance could help you write convincing business proposals for innovations and future developments.
- … People and Business Development. Your education covers many theoretical and practical topics around employees being the key resource to every business. Accounting and finance might enhance your skills related to in-depth knowledge about agency conflicts, incentive systems, or bonus schemes. These topics are not only related to human resources but are also at the core of Management Accounting. This minor could thus support you in strengthening your economic foundations in a human resource decision context.
- … Supply Chain Management. Your education focusses on designing, managing, and controlling global supply chains. Efficient and strategic decision-making plays a central role therein, but it is also a key element of corporate finance and accounting. The minor can provide you with management tools enriching your context specific education. It allows you to understand two key areas along the supply chain. This minor enables you to apply an integrated view on supply chain management, accounting, and finance when working in logistics.
- … marketing. If you study marketing your education is centered around customer insights and understanding customers within global markets. Strategic choices are key in these processes. This minor can help you to measure the impact of marketing initiatives by adding a long-term investment perspective. Likewise, the understanding of customer profitability and costs to serve are central topics to enhance the company’s customer portfolio. Further, Financial Statement Analysis and Corporate Finance will provide you with various measures of financial performance and approaches to value a firm. For example, understanding and linking changes in valuation and financial performance to strategic marketing decisions can be of tremendous help to analyze the impact of marketing choices.
See the description of the Minor in Accounting and Finance in the programme regulations.