Overview
• Your summative coursework represents 100% of the final mark for the unit.
• The coursework is in the form of three pieces of reports (see detailed requirements in the below).
• Late penalties will apply if the coursework is submitted late.
• The coursework is an individual work - you must work on this yourself and not as a group. Your
submission will be tested for originality.
• The maximum word allowance has been set for each of the three reports. You must include a word
count for each report at the cover page. There is no minimum word requirement.
Coursework requirement
You are expected to prepare three separate reports in accordance with the below requirements:
Report A (25%, maximum 700 words)
As a financial adviser, you have been approached by one of your clients, Ms. Lucy Smith, a retail investor,
who seeks guidance on forming a new investment portfolio. Lucy plans to invest in two stocks and has asked
for your advice on assessing the companies based on their fundamental financial performance. Additionally,
Lucy would like to understand the benefits of diversification.
• Choose two stocks from any stock exchange in countries of your choice to create a new investment
portfolio for Lucy.
• To analyse the fundamental financial performance, collect historical corporate annual reports for the
two stocks in Lucy's new investment portfolio. Choose two ratios that reflect the company's
profitability. Illustrate each ratio over the past three years with numerical calculations and critically
discuss your results.
• To discuss the benefits of portfolio diversification, you are expected to provide numerical examples to
illustrate the impact of diversification on portfolio risk and return. Collect historical daily price/return
data of the two stocks that Lucy may invest in for at least the past five years. You are expected to
show detailed steps in your calculations and critically discuss your results. You may also explore the
portfolio diversification effect under different correlation coefficient scenarios beyond your initial
calculations.
• You should provide data sources in your report.
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Report B (50%, maximum 1600 words)
You are a financial analyst at an investment firm tasked with evaluating the financial feasibility of a proposed
investment project. One of your key clients, a traditional UK automotive company, is looking into renewable
energy sectors with a vision for a greener future. Choose a hypothetical investment project and conduct a
comprehensive project evaluation for your client.
• Use at least two different project appraisal approaches, with the Net Present Value (NPV) approach
being mandatory.
• Illustrations with numerical calculations based on your own estimated data are required. You may
create your own estimations without using real-world data. For example, you could set the project
length to 5 years with a project size of approximately £1 million. You are expected to establish your
own data for project-related elements and factors, such as project length, project size, projected
revenues, relevant costs, financing channels, tax rates, estimated cost of capital, inflations, etc.
• You are required to show and explain all detailed steps for your numerical calculations. Critical
discussions on how relevant elements or factors could potentially affect your evaluation results should
also be included.
Report C (25%, maximum 700 words)
You are a member of a local investment club. Recently, some of your friends have questioned whether
markets are truly efficient, as suggested by traditional theories like the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH).
They argue that some market anomalies contradict the notion of informational efficiency, allowing some
investors to consistently earn excess returns. You are expected to contribute to the debate and critically
discuss the informational efficiency of the capital market in light of both theoretical and empirical evidence.
• You are expected to discuss the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) and the relevant empirical findings
in the academic literature.
• A minimum of three academic references should be cited in the Harvard referencing style.
Presentation Guidance
Make your report neat, concise and clear. Avoid long and complicated sentences. Your tables (if apply)
should look nice and easy to understand. A good report will be one that has been able to sift through the vast
amount of information and present only what is necessary and important.
Word Count
The maximum word allowance has been set for each of the three reports. This includes everything (main
text, tables, calculations details, headings, appendices, and etc). The word count does not include information
on a cover page (such as title, student number and bibliography) and also does not include the reference list
if applies. You must provide the word count for each of the three reports on the cover page of your
coursework. There will be 10% reduction in mark for every 100 words above the maximum word limits.
Submission
Your final coursework must be submitted via one PDF(.pdf) document on Blackboard before the date and
time stated above. If you have any queries when submitting your work please contact the Student
Administration Team ([email protected])
Coursework Extension Request
If you require a coursework extension, please complete the online form. You must provide supporting
evidence for an extension request. Please see the University website for information on how to submit an
extension request.
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Late Submission
You must submit assessed work before the deadline. Work that has been submitted late without
exceptional circumstances is penalised by a reduction of ten marks (out of 100) for each 24-hour period
after the agreed deadline, not including UK public holidays or University closure days. If the work is
submitted late such that at least four such 24-hour periods have elapsed, the mark awarded will
automatically default to zero. (Please see section 18.3 - 18.6 of the University Regulations and Code of
Practice for further details)
Exceptional Circumstances
If you experience circumstances that impact your ability to submit the essay by the deadline, please submit
exceptional circumstances via the online form. Please see the University website for information on how to
submit exceptional circumstances.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Please read the University rules and guidance about plagiarism and cheating and how they are dealt with by
the University in section 18.1- 18.2 of the University Regulations and Code of Practice
Marking Criteria and Scales
Please read the University rules and guidance about marking criteria and scales in section 15 of the
University Regulations and Code of Practice
