Coursework Assignment and Guidance
Assignment and date for submission
Students must deliver a hard copy to iPoint at Craiglockhart by the submission date.
Students must also upload an electronic version of their coursework, to the dropbox set up in Moodle (this will be available for two weeks before the hand-in date). This should not have your name anywhere on the document, but your matriculation number should appear on the first page of the coursework.
Please ensure both versions are identical as we may choose to mark either version.
Coursework Assignment
REQUIRED: Write a report critically assessing the capital structure and long-term financing decisions of a FTSE 100 listed company.
Look through the annual reports of some FTSE 100 companies, you can find a list of which companies are in the FTSE 100 on www.londonstockexchange.com
Find a company that has something interesting to discuss in relation to their capital structure or long-term financing. Look at several companies before making your choice. Your choice should be justified to show that you have given due consideration.
Include a summary of their current position and an assessment of the firm’s financing choices including an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of their current position. Use evidence from the discussion section of the annual report as well as other sources such as credit rating agency statements or analyst reports.
Review the financial statements of the firm and the discussion section of their annual report as well as reviewing recent financing actions taken by the firm. You should also look for comment by financial analysts and rating agencies.
Relate your findings to theoretical underpinnings from academic literature e.g. theories of capital structure.
Guidance Notes for the Assignment
The coursework should be in report format and must be structured, with separate sections and, preferably, headings.
Your report should be 2200 – 2500 of your own words, not including tables or charts. The use of appendices should be kept to a minimum. The report should be word processed and you must keep a copy. Your report should have the feedback form (page 4 of this document) attached to the front and be stapled once in the top left hand corner. It should have no other plastic covers or clear sleeves.
State the word count at the end – this can be found on the ‘Tools’ tab on the menu bar in word. This word limit will require you to be selective in what you include. Marks are available for your own discussion and observations as well as for sections taken from books or websites, try to keep quotes to a minimum.
There are many texts which cover the theoretical aspects of this topic area. Your reference list should indicate that you have considered a number of these sources. Much of your source material may be more recent but you still must reference the newspaper, journal or website.
Any material that you quote or refer to in your work must be referenced fully giving details of its source, author etc. It is not sufficient merely to include a source in your reference list.
It is not acceptable to include large sections from such sources: the vast majority of the report should be in your own words.
Guide to Coursework Feedback Form
Presentation (5%)
A report should have an introduction, a clear and logical discussion and a conclusion. Paragraphs should not be too long or too short and the use of headings can make the layout clearer. The work should be spell checked before submission. The font should be Arial size 12.
Justification for choice of company (10%)
You should explain why the company you have chosen is a good choice based on its recent financing activities and/or its choice of capital structure or changes in the capital structure. The justification should explicitly relate to the items required to be discussed, not because you are familiar with the company or you have studied them in a prior assessment.
Reading and Research (20%)
Up to 20% of your marks are available for the depth and quality of reading & research and providing adequate references to source material. When quoting from text acknowledgement must be made e.g. “The Statement contains eight chapters dealing with key issues” (Arnold 2012, p.164).
Main body of report (45%)
This is the main body of your report. Make sure you answer the question asked.
You should not include lists of items or bullet points without explanation or discussion.
Marks in this section will be awarded for the organisation and structure of your material, the relevance of material and for coherence of your arguments (understandability / quality of discussion)
Conclusion (15%)
You must provide an overall conclusion to your piece of work. This should draw together the areas examined in the main body.
References (5%)
A reference list should be included. This should include all the texts and other sources of information that you have referenced while composing your report. Be careful when using out of date texts (e.g. pre-2000)
The ‘APA 6th’ style should be used (See Moodle for more information), e.g.
In the text “Arnold (2012) has suggested that…….”
And then in the reference list
Arnold (2012), Corporate Financial Management, 5th edition, Pearson Education.
Coursework Assessment Feedback
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Date submitted: 3 Nov 2017
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Matriculation No:
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Date marked:
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Module: Financial Management
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ACC11118
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Category
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Fail
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Weak
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Satisfactory
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Good
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Very Good
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Excellent
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GRADE
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F5-F2
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F1-P1
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P2
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P3-P4
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P5-D1
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D2-D5
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Presentation
(5%)
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Justification for choice of company
(10%)
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Evidence of reading/ research
(20%)
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Main Body
(45%)
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Conclusion
(15%)
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References
(5%)
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General comments on submission
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Overall Grade
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Graded by MB / FK /TB
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Assessment Criteria for the Module Assignment
Below we give you a schedule, which is used as the basis for marking your assignment in Financial Management. This will help you to judge what you need to do to achieve any given grade range.
F2-F5 a poor assignment, the student has not answered the assignment properly. There may be a number of errors including insufficient explanation of the theory, and a limited ability to interpret the ideas to practical situations.
F1-P1 a weak assignment, the student shows partial understanding of the issues but possibly combined with errors and/or insufficient or unclear explanation of the key points. There is limited interpretation of the issues in relation to the real world.
P2 a satisfactory assignment, with most of the key points correctly stated, the student demonstrates an ability to interpret at least some of the issues and makes a reasonable attempt at explaining the theoretical concepts.
P3-P4 a good assignment with minimal errors. Demonstrates an understanding of the key issues and is thorough in its analysis of the issues and theoretical concepts. The student shows some evidence of critical and analytical ability.
P5-D1 a very good assignment which is well written and explained. It will demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues, using a high level of critical and analytical ability.
D2-D5 an excellent assignment, which is sophisticated in its approach while being correct in every particular detail. Extremely high level of critical ability is demonstrated with original thought being evident.
Note that in ALL categories above it is expected that you will provide a reference list (where applicable) of the material used in preparation of your assignment.
Penalties for late submission of coursework
All coursework both at first attempt and reassessment, submitted after the agreed deadline will be marked at a maximum of P1. Coursework submitted over 5 working days after the agreed extended deadline will be given F5.
Edinburgh Napier University
Assessment Brief Pro Forma
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1. Module Number
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ACC11118
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2. Module Title
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Financial Management
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3. Module Leader
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Matthew Bonnett
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4. Tutor with responsibility for this Assessment
Student’s first point of contact
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As above
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5. Assessment
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Report
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6. Weighting
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50% of module assessment.
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7. Size and/or time limits for assessment
Where assignment length limits are imposed, the target length and maximum length should be included here.
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2200 – 2500 words
Maximum length 2500 words
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8. Deadline of submission
Your attention is drawn to the penalties for late submissions
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3rd November 2017 at 1pm
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9. Arrangements for submission
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Hard Copy: iPoint, Craiglockhart Reception
Soft Copy: Turnitin dropbox on Moodle
You must keep your own copy of the assessment
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10. Assessment Regulations
All assessments are subject to the University Regulations
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None.
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11. The requirements for the assessment
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See attached
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12. Special instructions
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See attached
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13. Return of work
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Returned with typed feedback by module teaching team.
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14. Assessment criteria
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See attached
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