Starting in September 2019, our BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance (Top-Up) offers you the opportunity to gain highly in-demand skills in accounting and finance in an international context, exploring up-to-date theories and techniques whilst developing cultural awareness and ethical business practice competence.
Technological advancements in the accounting and finance sector are accelerating at pace, transforming the sector has meant organisations’ operations of all sizes becoming increasingly global in nature. Through global supply chains and consumers, businesses are having to deal with and comply to various standards and are required to be culturally sensitive to differing systems around the world.
These advancements are producing numerous opportunities and as such, great wealth. For example, the Global Accounting Services industry is worth $464bn per year. The trend of economies becoming increasingly interconnected is largely driven by, or exemplified by, the flow international finance. The number of Global Financial Centres are growing, with the global financial services industry estimated to be worth $13.1tn in 2014.
The demand for graduates with the skills and expertise to operate in this international environment, identifying opportunities in the market whilst being sensitive to market customs, is increasing. Studying this BA Accounting and Finance (Top-Up) in the heart of London’s financial district is the best preparation for making the most of this growing and dynamic field.
You’ll be studying specialist accounting and finance modules alongside career and employability focused modules. Investigating contemporary accounting techniques, you will have a deeper understanding of corporate reporting and best practice, whilst in Contemporary Issues in Business you will gain the all important research and problem solving competencies.
A valuable asset for a company is to be able to identify the impact of financial trends of the day and show how this will then affect the company accounts and strategy. You will develop this skill-set through exploring companies and the financial issues affecting them, taking the approach of a manager. The programme also takes a managerial and strategic view of accounting and finance, where you will build on the knowledge gained to then begin applying techniques and theories to data and situations that arise from the external environment.
In this complex and ever-changing environment, independent thinking and the ability to learn quickly in response are essential for employers. Through an independent literature review, as part of the employment development plan, you will choose a contemporary business issue to investigate where you will demonstrate this skill-set.
In order for graduates to transition from education to a successful career in the sector, it’s vital you have some experience on the tools you will have at work. That’s why this programme provides access to databases such as FAME and ORISIS, so you will have first-hand experience on financial databases before you make the step up to employment.
Technology is undoubtedly transforming the accounting and finance sector, but another trend uprooting the traditions of industry is properly accounting for the social and environmental impacts of an organisation, with implications for the access of finance for those that fall short in their corporate social responsibility.
At the start of 2018, major asset manager firm Blackrock, with assets worth $6tn, wrote to CEOs of major public companies with a warning that they must start to contribute to society, reduce their impact on the environment and have a purpose beyond profits to access their finance in the future.
It was a major development that demonstrates the significance of the issue, and that the trend is here to stay. Many organisations now include their social responsibility reporting in their company reports, and investors are targeting companies that do so. This programme will teach you how to manage the corporate, social and environmental responsibilities and remain economically competitive.
To find out more about this programme, please visit the course page.
