Finance and Business Law (FBL)
The Department of Finance and Business Law (FBL) is a high quality provider of Accounting, Finance and Business Law for the School. We have specific expertise in the areas: Pensions, Financial Services, Management Accounting, Accounting Policy, Financial Accounting, Financial Strategy, Corporate Finance, International Finance, Quantitative Finance, Investments, Financial Markets and Institutions, Modern Portfolio Theory, Derivatives, Financial Econometrics and Business Law.
Teaching
The Department has 35 permanent members of academic staff supplemented by 15 visiting lecturers. Building on our excellent reputation we host the following degrees:
- BSc Accounting with Management
- BSc Finance with Management
- MSc Finance and Accounting
- MSc Investment and Risk Finance
- MSc International Finance
All of our postgraduate courses are taught by staff that are actively involved in research, and/or have industrial experience. Students may have access to the Financial Markets Suite, using the Bloomberg platform. This will enable students to study the latest development in their subjects and provide a firm grounding for an array of specialist careers including those in Accounting, Financial Risk Management, and Financial Services.
We endeavour to provide a friendly and supportive learning environment and are able to provide individual support to our students.
Research
The Centre for Finance and Financial Services (CFFS) contributes to the development of finance and financial services research at the highest level. It integrates PhD students into the School, links research into key areas of teaching, whilst promoting and advertising the School's research externally. The CFFS group brings together staff specialising in the study of issues related to pensions, international financial markets, fixed income markets, financial econometrics, accounting, comparative international accounting, social and environmental accounting, accounting in less developed countries and various aspects of business law.
Research on pensions is also linked to our established Pensions Research Network whose aims and objectives are to primarily create an online network for sharing information and presenting new research or work in progress relating to pensions. Face-to-face network meetings on a three monthly basis are organised, giving members and other interested parties the opportunity to meet, present, discuss and collaborate on research projects.
Business services
The Department has established a prominent role as a leading provider in helping institutions and individual enhance their knowledge in pensions and financial services. We have a close relationship with leading asset management institutions, for example Goldman Sachs.
Staff undertake consultancies for many companies and organisations in the private and public sector.
Head of Department: Professor Orla Gough
Professor Gough and her team of over 30 staff play a dynamic role in ensuring that the courses we provide will prepare students for careers in the business world.
Professor Gough is an expert on Pensions. Her research covers pension reforms, saving for retirement, age of retirement, occupational pensions, women’s retirement-income planning decisions and retirement behaviour of ethnic minority groups.
Professor Ben Nowman is an expert in Finance. His research covers continuous time interest rate models, yield curve models, continuous time econometrics and continuous time modelling.
FBL staff produce an impressive quantity of publications, including over 75 articles in international academic journals, as well as articles in practitioners' outlets. Staff have also published books with leading publishers, eg Cambridge University Press and McGraw Hill International.
