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Academic Year 2021 – 2022

ECN6006 International Trade and International Finance

Assignment 2

Deadline: Thursday 13th January 2022, 3pm

_____________________________________________________

This assignment is worth 50% of the module mark.

The deadline time for the submission of the second assignment is 3pm on
Thursday 13th January 2022.

Work may be submitted on any date prior to the deadline. All assignments must
be submitted electronically via the module site on Moodle. The file format has
to be either MS Word or pdf. You can submit only one file.

Instructions

 This is an individual piece of work.

 The assignment consists of one question.

 Word Limit: 1800 words

 Include one reference section covering all questions at the end of your
assessment.

The word count must be stated clearly on the cover page of your submission.
If you exceed or fall short of the stipulated word limit by more than 10%, you
should expect to be penalised. For this coursework, you will find below what
is/is not included in the word count.
Included: Quotations
Excluded:
 Cover page, list of contents, list of tables and figures.
 List of references / bibliography (in-text Harvard style references are
also excluded).
 Appendices (be careful on their use)
 All table row and column titles, labels on diagrams / graphs etc.
 In-text table content that exhibits numerical, primary or secondary data


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Question

Explain the causes of the main short- and long-term risks faced by large firms that result
from exchange rate fluctuations (assume that the firm imports a proportion of its raw
materials and exports a proportion of its production). Briefly suggest how firms may
manage and / or reduce these risks using financial markets.

Assessment criteria

Marks will be awarded according to the following main criteria:

 Achievement of the objectives of the question
 Accurate explanation and appropriate use of relevant economic theories,
concepts, analysis and methods including a critical assessment
 Logical structure of the arguments
 Clarity of explanation – fluency and conciseness of written exposition,
grammar and correct spelling
 Demonstration of knowledge of the relevant literature and proper citation of
sources.
 Keeping to the word limit, inclusion of word count.


Further Information

Coursework including feedback will normally be returned within four working
weeks of the due date.


Academic Offences

Academic offences, including plagiarism, are treated very seriously. A student
who is proven to have committed an academic offence may be placing his or
her degree in jeopardy. It is your responsibility as a student to make sure that
you understand what constitutes an academic offence, and in particular, what
plagiarism is and how to avoid it.

All your work must contain references to your sources, however acquired. To
copy another person’s work is viewed as plagiarism and is not allowed in UK
academic institutions. All your work must be your own and other sources must
be identified as being theirs, not yours. The copying of another person’s work
will result in you receiving a zero for your assignment and could result in expul-
sion from the university altogether.

Some useful guidance on how to reference correctly, and avoid plagiarism can
be found on the following websites:

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/student-life/your-studies/essential-
information/regulations/plagiarism

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http://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/referencing/

Students are strongly recommended to self-review coursework prior to submis-
sion using the University’s Turnitin software. You can get information here. This
tool assesses the originality of pieces of academic writing and detects potential
academic offences such as plagiarism. The use of Turnitin is becoming stand-
ard practice at most UK universities as a way of ensuring academic standards.
Plymouth Business School has introduced the sampling system following
recommendations from our external examiners about the use of Turnitin. If you
have any concerns about the use of Turnitin please contact your Programme
Manager and/or personal tutor.


Extenuating Circumstances

The University operates a ‘fit-to-sit’ policy. If you think that your ability to attend
or complete an assessment is being affected by extenuating circumstances,
you must not sit or complete a time-specific assessment and must submit a
valid Extenuating Circumstances form. If you attempt a time-specific
assessment, then this is normally taken as your declaration that you consider
yourself fit to do so.

Extenuating circumstances are circumstances which:
 have a significant impact on your ability to attend or complete
assessment(s), and
 are exceptional, and
 are outside your control, and
 occurred during or shortly before the assessment in question.

If you have a long-term health condition, then you are advised to complete a
‘long-term health condition notification’ form (and submit it with evidence to
AHBAadmin@plymouth.ac.uk) and to consider contacting Disability Services,
who may be able to provide further support for your learning.

If you wish to claim for extenuating circumstances or to find out more on our
policies in this area then please consult the relevant university web page:

(https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/student-life/your-studies/essential-
information/exams/exam-rules-and-regulations/extenuating-circumstances).

This page includes information on circumstances that might be considered
valid and requirements for the submission of corroborating evidence.

In the case of assessed coursework, or equivalent, your extenuating
circumstances claim should be submitted as soon as possible, and normally
no later than ten working days after the deadline for the submission of your
work. If students wish to submit extenuating circumstances for a group work
submission then all students within the group must submit a claim.

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Where extenuating circumstances are not considered valid any coursework
which is percentage marked and submitted after the deadline date and time
will be capped at the minimum pass mark within the first 24 hours of the
deadline, or will be awarded a mark of zero if submitted more than 24 hours
late.

Where extenuating circumstances for coursework are considered valid you will
normally be permitted a maximum of 10 working days (excluding any holiday
period) from the original deadline for the submission of the work. During the
summer referral period extensions are given for five working days or non-
submission.

Grades and degree classifications

Each assessment will have its own set of assessment criteria. The following
briefly describe what is required to for work to be awarded a grade within each
degree classification. More precise grade descriptors are available in the
economics programmes’ handbook.

• First class (70%+). Work considered excellent. The submission will be
critical and analytical throughout. Any question will be answered directly, using
a coherent set of arguments that are informed by an appropriate range of
literature. The presentation will be highly fluent and articulate throughout.

• Upper second-class (60%-69%). Work considered very good. The
submission will contain a full understanding of the issues and be well reasoned.
Any answer will have a good appreciation of the required tasks, and
demonstrate a highly competent set of arguments that are built on a good
selection of appropriate literature. The presentation will be fluent and
articulate.

• Lower second-class (50%-59%). Work considered good. The
submission will understand the required task and address it with competence.
However, some aspects of the way material is used will be lacking. For
example, explanations of relevance or application may be partly unclear or
ineffective. The presentation of material may lack fluency and clarity in places.

• Third class (40%-49%). Work considered satisfactory. The submission
will address the required task in a basic manner. The submission will
understand the required task and show some appreciation of what is required.
The submission may be flawed and not address all aspects fully or clearly. The
presentation of material may have problems with fluency and clarity.

• Fail (<40%). Work that does not pass the assessment. The submission
may not have addressed the required task or addressed it in an inadequate
manner. It will fail to demonstrate an understanding of the relevant theory and
/ or principles underpinning a satisfactory submission. The presentation may
contain serious problems.

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Once provisional assessment marks are released they will have gone through
the University’s moderation process. This process ensures that the marks are
fair, reliable and consistent with marking criteria. At this point marks can only
be changed for two reasons (1) there has been a procedural error (e.g. there
has been an error in data entry) (2) an external examiner chooses to