Advanced Financial Management

This course is designed mostly for students that intend doing research in the broader financial management discipline. The course is very flexible and allows students to specialize in various areas of financial management. The assignment are:

•An in depth review and analysis of an article

•A literature review

There are examples of article reviews and a literature review that students can folow as a guideline.


This course exposes students to the most recent research in the broader financial management discipline. This course is very flexible so that students can specialize in the area of finance that they are interested in. No text books needed.

This course equips you to analyse and review the latest published research in financial management with specific emphasis on its impact on decision making in commerce and industry. This course requires a broad overview of various topics included in the latest published research on finance.

In this course, you are required to investigate and criticize an article (as though you were a reviewer). This will help you to understand why articles get published and you will also learn about the latest research in finance. You will then present the article. This is intended to hone your presentation skills.

For the second assignment you will be required to do a literature review of a topic of your choice in the broad field of finance. This will help you to obtain an overview of the published articles on your chosen topic.

Advanced Financial Management is designed for students that want to do research in Finance

Introduction. 

Review of article

Sample reviews

Literature review

Evaluating literature review

Sample literature review

On successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • demonstrate a critical awareness and understanding of Advanced Financial Management at the master's level that provides a basis for developing and/or applying new ideas, often within a research context.
  • apply knowledge, critical understanding, and problem-solving abilities in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study (Advanced Financial Management)
  • assimilate knowledge and formulate opinions with incomplete or limited information, but that include a reflection on social and ethical responsibilities.
  • communicate their assumptions, and knowledge regarding Advanced Financial Management and the rationale underpinning these, to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously.
  • use the acquired skills to allow them to continue to study in a manner that may be largely self-directed and autonomous.
  • integrate knowledge from other courses of the master program and practical business and formulate critical judgments with incomplete data.

The course is offered as self-study in e-learning. The learning material is provided in the form of lectures, literature, and lecture notes. Independent learning is required. In the case of paper submissions, further research is expected in compliance with the given scientific standard. LIVE course sessions are offered to support the students with questions regarding the content. Students are supported in their scientific work by corresponding online seminars.

All lectures and learning materials are made available in the online campus GHU Campus. All lectures are recorded and are available for download 24/7. The lecture notes, as well as additional material provided by the lecturer, can also be accessed in the GHU Campus.

Documents for exam preparation consisting of lectures and lecture notes. Additional material provided by the lecturer serves as independent files and can be used to work on the exams. The examination comprises theory questions, reflection, and case study and is intended to confirm all learning objectives.

The assessment consists of a 5000-word Advanced Financial Management homework and assesses all learning outcomes. As a master-level assignment, the homework requires a command of a complex and specialized area of knowledge and skills. This implies that, in addition to demonstrating a sound grasp of the ideas and concepts relevant to the topic of thehomework, students will show that they can evaluate aspects such as conventions of approaches, their internal consistency, relevance, and applicability, as well as strengths and weaknesses.

To reach an assessment, students will consider competing approaches and draw on critiques put forward in scholarly literature. The position adopted in the assignment and any claims made must be based on a careful, coherent, and logical arguments, need to be appropriately supported with evidence from relevant scholarly sources, and should be presented in a coherent piece of writing. Sources must be referenced appropriately in-text and in a quote/reference list as set out in the GHU Referencing Guidelines.

Jan Walters Kruger

- Univ.-Prof. -