Energy, Trade and Finance

• Accounting for Managers

  • 10 credits
  • 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
  • 70 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study

  Introduces the principles of accounting and finance in business and the main techniques in management accounting, planning and control.

  Covers the interpretation and use of annual reports and accounts, financial and ratio analysis, and their use for managerial decision-making, and budgetary control systems.

• Energy Economics

  • 10 credits
  • 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
  • 70 hours, over ten weeks, self-directed study

  This module provides the fundamental knowledge of energy market economics, upon which the rest of the degree is built. It is one of the four cornerstone modules which define the MSc in Energy, Trade and Finance programme.

• Oil and Energy Transportation and Logistics

  • 10 credits
  • 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
  • 70 hours, over ten weeks, self directed-study

  The aim of the module is to equip you with tools necessary to think skilfully and maturely, but also independently, on matters relating to the transportation aspects of the energy industry.

  Industry trade journals and shipbroker reports contain vast information,

• Principles of Finance

  • 10 credits
  • 46 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
  • 54 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study

  To cover essential skills and knowledge in finance that will assist you in gaining an in-depth knowledge in the subject area as it is later taught in Corporate Finance.

  The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to the area of corporate finance.

  This will be achieved through the development of a common vocabulary and a set of tools that will assist students in gaining a basic understanding of what is corporate finance and it will lay the foundations for further study in this area.

• Quantitative Methods

  • 10 credits
  • 36 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
  • 64 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study

  Following the induction course, it covers descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as regression analysis techniques. Develops skills that are essential for other modules and the dissertation and is designed to ensure relevance to everyday business problems.

• Research Methods and Professional Skills

  • 10 credits
  • 45 contact hours
  • 55 independent learning hours

  Strong research is a key element of development strategy for companies and institutions, large and small.

  This module aims to provide a grounding in financial research, particularly financial modelling and information gathering which you will be able to use to support your learning on the rest of your course.

  The module will utilise specific training in a financial modelling package in order to provide a strong foundation for the in-depth and specialist teaching and learning of terms two and three of your course.

  You will also learn how to gather information through database research, which you will be able to use to support your learning, substantiate your arguments and make assessments about the nature of the evidence you are using.

  Finally, you will bring these skills together by working in small groups for the preparation and presentation of a business plan proposal.

• Advanced Quantitative Methods

  • 10 credits
  • 26 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
  • 74 hours, over ten weeks, self-directed study

  Builds on the knowledge acquired in Quantitative Methods in Part one and focuses on skills required for advanced analysis in areas such as risk management and forecasting.

• Corporate Finance

  • 15 credits
  • 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
  • 120 hours, over ten weeks, self-directed study

  The aim of the course is to develop an understanding of modern corporate finance so that the corporate manager, the investment banker and the financial analyst will have the conceptual foundations for making informed corporate assessments of key financial decisions.

• Financial Markets

  • 15 credits
  • 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
  • 120 hours, over ten weeks, self-directed study

  Covers the global economic and financial environment within which business corporations operate. Globalisation and integration of markets for debt, equity and risk management have created new opportunities in the capital formation process, but pose great difficulties in navigating successfully. Where should capital be raised? How does one manage the risks from certain currencies and certain sovereign regions?

  In the context of the globalisation of capital markets, considers the structure, functions and performance of financial markets on an international basis and how they facilitate real economic activity; and the role of institutions operating as global intermediaries within these same markets.

• Oil and Energy Trading

  • 15 credits
  • 45 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
  • 105 hours, over ten weeks, self-directed study

  This extended module provides the opportunity to focus on issues of particular importance to the specialist field of Energy, Trade & Finance.

• Research Methods and Professional Skills

  • 10 credits
  • 45 contact hours
  • 55 independent learning hours

  Strong research is a key element of development strategy for companies and institutions, large and small.

  This module aims to provide a grounding in financial research, particularly financial modelling and information gathering which you will be able to use to support your learning on the rest of your course.

  The module will utilise specific training in a financial modelling package in order to provide a strong foundation for the in-depth and specialist teaching and learning of terms two and three of your course.

  You will also learn how to gather information through database research, which you will be able to use to support your learning, substantiate your arguments and make assessments about the nature of the evidence you are using.

  Finally, you will bring these skills together by working in small groups for the preparation and presentation of a business plan proposal.

• Power and Renewable Markets

  • 15 credits
  • 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
  • 120 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study

  The module focuses on the value chain of electricity, from its sourcing and generation to its supply, including the economics, pricing, policies and other pertinent issues.

  The module aims to place environmental and energy policies in context of the power sector, since governmental targets and the integration of renewable energy sources bring new challenges to these relatively new markets.

Professor Michael Tamvakis talks about the Power and Renewable Markets module in this short video.

Option 1: Students can take five specialist elective modules (5 x 10 credits) including “Business Analytics for Energy, Shipping, Trade and Finance” (required).

Option 2: Students can opt to write a 10,000-word Business Research Project (40 credits) and take one specialist elective module (1 x 10 credits).

Option 3: Students can opt to write a 5,000-word Applied Research Project (20 credits) and take three specialist elective modules (3 x 10 credits) including “Business Analytics for Energy, Shipping, Trade and Finance” (required).

Electives offered in 2021

Please note that electives are subject to change and availability.

• Ethics, Society and the Finance Sector
• Hedge Funds
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Technical Analysis and Trading Systems
• VBA with Application for Finance
• Big Data in Commercial Shipping & Trading
• Chartering
• Shipping Risk Management
• Trade Finance.

• Business Analytics for Energy, Shipping, Trade and Finance

  • 10 Credits
  • Compulsory elective for Option 1 and Option 3.

  This module introduces the concepts of data science and business analytics in the energy, shipping, trade, and finance sectors. In particular, it teaches you how to work efficiently with commodity, shipping, and financial big data so as to make (big) data-driven business decisions

• Commodity Derivatives & Trading

  • 10 credits
  • Elective for any of the term three options

  The aims of this module are to expand the knowledge already acquired in the area of commodities and commodity derivatives and   provide you with the analytical and technical skills required in financing and hedging commodities

• Energy Project Investment & Finance

  • 10 credits
  • Elective for any of the term three options

  This elective module provides the opportunity for students to focus on issues of particular importance to the specialist field of valuation of energy projects, investment analysis, and financing oil and gas, refining, power generation, transportation and other segment of the energy industry.

• Fintech in Shipping and Energy Trade & Finance*

  • 10 credits
  • Elective for any of the term three options

  This module covers the impact of Fintech and its ecosystem at a high-level, with focus in the areas of Shipping, Trade and Finance. The aim is to stimulate and inspire you towards innovation and entrepreneurship.

• Introduction to Python

  • 10 credits
  • Elective for any of the term three options

  This module is designed to provide a fundamental understanding of Computer Programming with Python and its applications in Finance, utilizing coding and scripting using  Python’s Shell and Integrated development Environment  (IDLE).

*The Captain Tasos Politis Prize

Every year, since 2021, the Best Fintech Innovation project is awarded the Captain Tasos Politis Prize, which comes with a £1,000 cash award to the winning group of the FinTech in Shipping and Energy Trade & Finance elective. A shipowner, innovator, serial entrepreneur and Pireaeus patriarch, Captain Tasos Politis was a close friend to Bayes Business School, mentor and sponsor to a number of ambitious students in the UK, Europe and Greece.

International electives

• Project Finance and Infrastructure Investment (taught in Madrid, Spain)
• Shipping Company Management (taught in Greece)

See the Energy, Trade and Finance programme specification.

Projects

• Business Research Project

  It is important for aspiring professionals to demonstrate, on an individual basis, their ability to apply concepts and techniques they have learned in an in-depth study of a topic of their choice and to organise their findings in a report, all conducted within a given time limit.

  To train you to undertake individual research and provide you with an opportunity to specialise in a contemporary business or finance topic related to your future career aspirations. You are required to submit a project of approximately 10,000 words on any subject area covered in the Energy, Trade and  Finance course.

  Among the topics of research interest could be: energy finance and economics; commodity risk management; commodity pricing; exhaustible and renewable sources; demand and supply determinants; transportation; commodity and energy trading; green finance.

  A typical project can involve any of the following research methods: extracting data from either electronic databases or/and by hand; statistical analysis of large or small populations; interviews; case studies of an industry or a sector or of a business/finance issue in a particular country setting.

• Applied Research Project

  The aim of this module is to enable you to demonstrate how to integrate your learning in core and elective modules and then apply this to the formulation and completion of an applied research project. You will be required to demonstrate the skills and knowledge that you have acquired throughout your MSc studies on the Energy, Trade and Finance programme.

  You will undertake a short piece of applied research on a question of academic and/or practical relevance. Among the topics of research interest could be: energy finance and economics; commodity risk management; commodity pricing; exhaustible and renewable sources; demand and supply determinants; transportation; commodity and energy trading; green finance. Based on your chosen topic, you must write a report of around 5,000 words that summarises and critically evaluates your method and findings.

Some of our students are given the opportunity to conduct their research projects (either BRP or ARP) in association with the UK Department for Transport (DfT) or as part of the Masters Programme of Maritime UK or the Research Support Programme of the Bank of England. Upon completion, their findings are presented to senior policy makers and businessmen.