A key theme of the module is the impact of digital innovations on bank strategy and operations, and how banks can harness advances in technology to help them grow and flourish in an uncertain future.

Construct a strategy statement that summarises a bank’s mission, vision, values, and objectives, its scope, and how the bank will achieve its objectives in its chosen domain;

Analyse a bank’s strategic position in the external environment, including both the macro-economic environment and the industry or sector environment, with a focus on digital innovations that are affecting banks and banking;

Critically analyse a bank’s resources and capabilities, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the bank and its products and services relative to its competitors, and the extent to which these strengths and weaknesses are capable of dealing with the changes taking place in the external environment and the opportunities and threats arising;

Evaluate a range of strategic options for a bank in relation to environmental and organisation analyses, and propose a bank strategy that supports the bank’s mission, vision, values and objectives;

Assess the physical, financial and people resources a bank would require to deliver its preferred strategy and options for acquiring them;

Assess the implications of a bank’s strategy in terms of key changes that will be required to its structures, systems and culture, and propose how these could be managed through effective leadership and management of operations.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Evaluate the impact of current trends and influences on the types of risk to which banks are exposed due to the nature of their activities, and the implications of emerging risks for effective risk management;
• Assess the extent that regulatory responses to bank failures and financial crises have been effective in improving bank risk management;
• Assess the ways in which banks manage a range of key risks;
• Critically reflect on the extent to which adoption of a holistic approach to risk management is effective in measuring, monitoring and mitigating risks to which a bank is exposed;
• Critically assess the ways in which best practice in risk management could be applied to build and embed an effective risk culture;
• Formulate a view on what the bank of the future may look like and the implications for bank risk management.

Explore how ethical demands might change with future developments such as digital innovations and growing environmental pressures.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Critically reflect on the moral considerations that apply to bankers which derive from the nature of bank products and services, and the ways in which professionalising banking could help ensure those responsibilities are fulfilled;
• Differentiate between a range of theories and approaches to ethical thinking and assess the extent to which these could help resolve ethical dilemmas and ethical arguments;
• Differentiate between several views on the responsibilities of a business, and assess key ethical issues and challenges facing the banking sector;
• Examine the impact on banks, their customers, and their employees, of a range of legislation and regulation on current banking practice and the extent to which it is designed to rebuild trust and confidence in banks;
• Critically evaluate, from an ethical perspective, the impact, and potential impact, of environmental factors and technological developments on current and future banking practice;
• Critically assess a range of theories relating to the ethics of leadership and corporate governance in banking.

You will also develop the ability to implement suitable funding plans with appropriate conditions, including security and covenants that mitigate risk and meet the needs of both the customer and the bank.

This module will develop your knowledge, understanding and skills relating to:

• The business lending environment
• Relationship management
• Sources of information used to analyse a business
• Business analysis and financial accounting funding solutions
• Legal, regulatory and ethical factors that can influence funding solutions.

The impact of the digital revolution on delivery channels and customer demands for a seamless experience are a key focus.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Assess ways in which retail banks anticipate and prepare for the impact of external trends and influences in providing high quality, cost effective services;
• Provide a rationale for how personal and private banking services are managed and distributed through a diverse range of customer channels;
• Assess what constitutes best practices in consumer lending with a focus on credit appraisal and types of available security and managing financial hardship;
• Examine the impact of legislation, regulation and supervision on bank culture, conduct and governance;
• Critically analyse the role and impact of technology in the evolution of the personal and private banking environment;
• Critically analyse the role of a private banking relationship manager and evaluate the proposition in terms of value creation for both the customer and the bank.