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CE40128: Engineering project management and economics

[Page last updated: 04 August 2021]

Academic Year: 2021/2
Owning Department/School: Department of Chemical Engineering
Credits: 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 120
Level: Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7)
Period:
Semester 1
Assessment Summary: EX 100%
Assessment Detail:
  • Examination (EX 100%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Description: Aims:
To provide an introduction to the business environment in which chemical engineers work, along with economic parameters and methods for evaluating the costs and profitability of engineering projects within the legal framework.

Learning Outcomes:
After successfully completing this unit students should be able to:
* Evaluate the performance of a company;
* Explain the role of the financial climate in determining business performance;
* Make quick engineering estimates of chemical process plant capital and operating costs;
* Determine the profitability of simple projects using traditional and cash flow techniques.

Skills:
Analysis [T,F,A]
Problem solving [T,F,A]

Content:

* Introduction to macro and microeconomics,
* Financial state of the UK and world economy, the economic cycle, economic indicators,
* Classes of company structure,
* Sources of investment capital,
* Entrepreneurship - starting and running a small business,
* Corporate Responsibility,
* Risk Management,
* Capital cost estimation: short-cut methods e.g. ratio methods, use of cost indices, factored estimates, introduction to detailed cost estimation;
* Manufacturing cost estimation: short-cut methods;
* Interest relationships, discount formulas;
* Profit and cash flow relationships; payback period;
* Contribution and variable costing, breakeven production diagrams;
* Basis for rate of return concept, minimum acceptable rate of return, risk factor;
* Profitability methods based on cash flow, cumulative cash flow curves, determination of NPV, DCF rate of return, EMIP, IRR, discounted breakeven point;
* Optimal costing methods, incremental costs and profitability.

Programme availability:

CE40128 is Compulsory on the following programmes:

Department of Chemical Engineering
  • UECE-AKB05 : BEng(Hons) Chemical Engineering with Year long work placement (Year 4)

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2021/22 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2022/23 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2021/22.
  • Programmes and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.