Postgraduate Course: Entrepreneurial Finance (CMSE11539)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course provides students with a clear understanding of issues associated with the financing and financial performance of new ventures as they develop. In particular, students will gain an understanding of the financial fundamentals of new venture financing, how to assess financial performance and how finance needs change as the business develops through to exit. |
| Course description |
The course provides a research-led, practice-orientated understanding of Entrepreneurial Finance. It is research-led because students are expected to engage actively with the academic evidence base on entrepreneurial finance. It is practice-orientated because students are expected to develop their ability to use financial information to understand and evaluate a business start-up. The course aim is that students have a greater understanding of entrepreneurial finance and a practical set of tools to assess a business idea.
This course is taught alongside its sister course, Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation in Context. Both courses make use of lectures, workshops, case studies and guest speakers to help students to develop an awareness of, and competency in, start-ups. In terms of Entrepreneurial Finance, the sessions aim to develop student's financial literacy by understanding the fundamentals of financial information (e.g. Balance Sheet, Cashflow, Profit and Loss (Income) statements and financial ratios). They are expected to build on this to develop their financial intelligence by being able to analyse key financial information.
This course is oriented around a group venture creation project in which participants develop a pitch and a plan to assess the feasibility and desirability of their chosen business. The topics discussed in the class will be applied through the process of working on assessments that include an individual academic essay and an individual financial plan based on the business idea developed in the sister course, Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation in Context.
|
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 27,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
159 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
50% coursework (Individual) - Assesses course Learning Outcomes 1, 2
50% coursework (Individual) - Assesses course Learning Outcomes 3, 4 |
| Feedback |
Formative: In-class tests will be conducted to support student learning particularly in terms of developing their financial literacy
Summative: Feedback will be provided on the assessments. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the key financial statements (Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow) and be able to prepare financial forecasts for a new start up
- Evaluate the financial performance of a new start up
- Critically appraise the market for entrepreneurial finance as a business grows
- Understand and appreciate business valuation and exit strategies
|
Reading List
Core text(s)
Simon Hulme, Chris Drew, Entrepreneurial Finance, MacMillan International - Red Globe Press, 2020.
Da Rin, Marco, and Thomas Hellmann. Fundamentals of entrepreneurial finance. Oxford University Press, 2020 |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Knowledge and Understanding
After completing this course, students should be able to:
Demonstrate a thorough knowledge and understanding of contemporary organisational disciplines; comprehend the role of business within the contemporary world; and critically evaluate and synthesise primary and secondary research and sources of evidence in order to make, and present, well informed and transparent organisation-related decisions, which have a positive global impact.
Identify, define and analyse theoretical and applied business and management problems, and develop approaches, informed by an understanding of appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative techniques, to explore and solve them responsibly.
Cognitive Skills
After completing this course, students should be able to:
Be self-motivated; curious; show initiative; set, achieve and surpass goals; as well as demonstrating adaptability, capable of handling complexity and ambiguity, with a willingness to learn; as well as being able to demonstrate the use digital and other tools to carry out tasks effectively, productively, and with attention to quality.
Communication, ICT, and Numeracy Skills
After completing this course, students should be able to:
Convey meaning and message through a wide range of communication tools, including digital technology and social media; to understand how to use these tools to communicate in ways that sustain positive and responsible relationships.
Critically evaluate and present digital and other sources, research methods, data and information; discern their limitations, accuracy, validity, reliability and suitability; and apply responsibly in a wide variety of organisational contexts.
Practice: Applied Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
After completing this course, students should be able to:
Apply creative, innovative, entrepreneurial, sustainable and responsible business solutions to address social, economic and environmental global challenges. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Francis Greene
Tel: (0131 6)50 3798
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Lauren Dunn
Tel: (01316) 513758
Email: |
|
|
University Homepage