Assessment Brief - Level Five Undergraduate

Northumbria University

NEWCASTLE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Module Title: International Business Finance and Trade

Instructions on Assessment:

The assignment must be word processed and there is a strict limit of 3,000 words (excluding appendices, list of references and bibliography). Marked assignments will be returned to students. However, you should retain a copy of your assignment for your own records. Note that this assignment accounts for 100% of the overall mark for the module. References to relevant academic theory and research should be provided and referenced appropriately. The assignment should be word processed and the word count must be stated in the assignment.

Assessment Requirements

This assignment has 3 sections; A, B and C.

You must select 1 essay question (only) from Section A and 1 essay question (only) from Section B and 1 essay question (only) from Section C.

Section A International Finance (900 words, 1 question only)

1. Using an example of two real world companies, discuss and evaluate the distinctions between the two major forms of management goals: shareholder wealth maximization versus stakeholder capitalism. (900 Words)

2. Using a real world company headquartered in a country with an illiquid and segmented capital market, discuss and analyze the linkage between cost and availability of capital. (900 words)

3. Using an example of a real world cross-border merger and acquisition, discuss the three common elements in the process of acquiring a firm anywhere in the world. (900 words)

Section B International Investment (900 words, 1 question only)

1. Using an example of a real world company, discuss the transaction exposures the company faces and examine the methods of hedging it could engage in to protect itself from transaction exposures. (900 Words)

2. Using an example of a real world currency crisis, discuss and explore how the parity condition approach of exchange rate determination can explain the crisis. (900 Words)

3. Using an example of a real world country (or region), discuss the trilemma the country (or the region) faces when trying to maintain its currency as an ideal currency. (900 Words)

Section C International Trade and Multinational Challenges (1,200 words, 1 question only)

1. Using an example of a real world multinational company from a developing country, identify and discuss the strategies which may be used by that company to compete internationally and examine different types of risks it faces in global markets. (1,200 Words)

2. Using an example of a real world company, discuss how the various stages and their costs impact the ability of the company as an exporter to enter a foreign market and be competitive. (1,200 Words)

3. Using an example of a real world multinational company, discuss and examine how the global financial crisis of 2008 impacted its business and operations and the company's attempts in facing these challenges. (1,200 Words)

All of the essays should be fully referenced by appropriate use of literature and display, through the use of extensive academic citation, relevant independent research conducted by the student. Students can use the seminar cases for their assignments but are expected to go far beyond the core text of the module in their answers.

(3,000 words, 3 questions total, student selects 1 from each section)

Important note about ARNA regulations

The regulations specify that students must complete every assessment component contributing to the modules on their programme. This applies to all forms of assessment as defined in the module descriptor. Please note that:

• if any assessment component is not completed, students will be failed in the module even if the module pass mark has been achieved;

• if the requirements for referral specified in section 5 of ARNA1 are met, a resit opportunity will be given;

• if unable to complete an assessment component because of extenuating circumstances, students should follow the procedure described in the Student Guide to Extenuating Circumstances1.

This change was approved by Academic Board on 12 October 2009 in consultation with the Students' Union. Students should consult their Programme Leader or Guidance Tutor if they have any queries. Independent advice and support is also available from the Students' Union Advice & Representation Centre (su.advice@northumbria.ac.uk) or from a student adviser in Student Services.

1ARNA and the Student Guide to Extenuating Circumstances Affecting Assessed Work are available from http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/lts/assess/assproc/assdocstud/

Word Count

The word count is to be declared on the front page of your assignment. The word count does not include title page, contents page, glossary, tables, figures, illustrations, reference list, bibliography and appendices.

Summarising and compressing the information in your assignment into the word limit is one of the skills that students are expected to acquire, and demonstrate as part of the assignment process.

Referencing your work

The APA method of referencing uses the author's name and the date of the publication. In-text citations give brief details of the work you are referring to in your text. References are listed at the end of the text in alphabetical order by the author's name. The general format of an electronic journal reference in the APA style is shown below:

Coutu, D. (2009). Why Teams Don't Work. Harvard Business Review, 87(5), 98-105. Retrieved 29th April 2012 from EBSCO http://searchebscohost.com

Author/s name and initials are listed first, followed by year of publication in brackets. Then there is the title of article and the journal where the article appears, which is in italics. Then state the volume and issue number (in brackets) along with the pages where article can be located. Finally add the date the article was retrieved and then the name of the database, followed by the web address. Wherever possible use the homepage URL rather than the full and extended web address.

For further information on why it is important to reference accurately go to the Referencing and Plagiarism topic in Skills Plus available from the Library website:

www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus

You will find other useful help guides on Skills Plus to help you with the skills involved in writing your assessments and preparing for exams.

For further information on the APA style of referencing see the Concise Rules of APA style and the APA website http://www.apastyle.org/learn

Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives:

This assessment will contribute directly to the following Undergraduate programme goals and objectives.

1. Knowledgeable about the theory and practice of international business and management.