By Jing Zhao, MSC Human Resource Management with CIPD Pathway
Starting my course, I already knew I would love the HR-related modules, such as ‘Managing People in Organisations’ and ‘Industrial Relations’, but what came as a shock to me was that one of my favourite modules in the first semester turned out to be ‘Accounting and Financial Management’.
While I was choosing where I would like to study for my Master’s degree, I did not just think about deepening my knowledge in my area of expertise but also broadening the horizon of my professional field, concerning marketing, consulting, information systems or finance-related topics. Thus, I was thrilled to find an accounting module within the Human Resource Management programme at Sheffield University Management School. You may wonder how accounting and financial management is relevant to HRM students. As a student with years of human resources experience, I have found that knowing how to read and interpret financial reports is a vital skill. It’s also beneficial to be able to grasp financial concepts, as this helps to provide an understanding of the company’s profitability and business model. If you’re hoping to eventually progress to HR Business Partner, or to be a professional external HR Consultant, all of this knowledge will be valuable.
So, why was this my favourite module? Firstly, the module leader, Barry Pierce, is committed to making sure that everything within his lectures is accessible for students with no prior knowledge of accounting or finance. The main accounting and financial management topics, such as business strategies, governance, and how to interpret accounting reports, are all covered in the module, and give you a really helpful basis on which you can build your learning. Both lectures and tutorials are used in order to impart information, and make sure that you know how to practically apply it to real-life situations. The module is assessed in two ways, with a group-based coursework and a final exam. Working on the group work was an inspiring experience. The report that we created was based on a real quoted company case in the UK, which was really interesting and gave us a lot to think about. As the module is made up of students from lots of different postgraduate Management School courses, carrying out group work gave me an amazing opportunity to get to know and make friends with students from outside of my course.
I am quite delighted to say that this module of Accounting and Financial Management completely exceeded my expectations, and was an enjoyable and informative module. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who has the option of taking this as an optional module!