Assignment - FINM8007 Topics in International Finance (2023S1)
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I. Task – Consulting Team for a Multinational Company (35% of course grade)
You are a team of 6 consultants evaluating a multinational company’s international operations.
Your team will deliver a 5-page typed report (<100MB) and a 15-minute presentation video
(<100MB) based on your evaluations.
Your team will deliver a report (20 marks) and a presentation video (15 marks) that will:
1. Research and summarize the company’s domestic and international operations (include
any announced & planned future expansions) as of 2023
2. Identify advantages and objectives motivating the company’s overseas expansion
3. Identify the company’s major risk exposures of its international operations (include
foreign exchange risks, and any other risks that are relevant as discussed in the course)
4. Select two foreign currencies that pose significant foreign currency risk for the company,
analyse potential movements of these currencies for the next year – i.e., March 2023
through to March 2024 – relative to the company’s functional currency
5. Identify the company’s existing (if any) risk management policies. Evaluate these policies
and assess whether these may or may not be effective. For policies identified as less
effective, propose alternatives that make sense given the company’s existing structure
6. Assess whether the company’s existing international strategy may be value maximizing,
state your recommendations (e.g., expand further into specific areas, or cut back on
international operations in light of risks/potentials)
These deliverables are inter-related, one deliverable leads naturally to the next. In a good
report, analyses presented in each part must be consistent with analyses in other parts.
II. Deliverables & Timelines
Team Formation by Week 3, Friday, 23:59pm Enrol in a team of SIX on Wattle (Assignment Teams - Enrol
in a Team by March 10). If a student isn’t enrolled in a team by the deadline, the student will be randomly
allocated to a team
• In a new job, it is rare we already know the people we work with. If you want to
experience reality and work with classmates you don’t know, enrol in any team
numbered 1 to 50. Otherwise, coordinate with classmates you want to work with and
enrol yourselves in a team numbered 51 and onwards
• If any team contains less than 6 members after Week 3, please expect random additions
or removals to make more groups of 6. Team finalization done on Tuesday of Week 4
Company Allocation on Wednesday of Week 4 Once teams are finalized, a company is assigned
randomly to teams by 23:59pm, Wednesday of Week 4
Submission by Week 10, Friday, 23:59pm Submit report and video via Turnitin on Wattle. Please
designate one member to do the submission. There are separate Turnitin submission tabs for
the report and video, respectively. Do NOT zip the report and the video together. Late submission
of either report or video NOT accepted and the team receives zero for the assignment. Before the
deadline, the most recent submission automatically overwrites older submissions.
For quality control, groups could be selected for an oral interview on any submitted content.
Assignment - FINM8007 Topics in International Finance (2023S1)
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III. Resources & Instructions
Research, Resources & Referencing
The internet is an excellent source of information. Reliable sources include:
• Company webpage, SEC filings, other government and regulatory filing, etc
• Refinitiv Eikon for company and market data via two dedicated kiosks in the Chifley Library
• For tips or support for report writing, please reach out for help with ANU Academic Skills:
https://www.anu.edu.au/files/guidance/Business%20report%20writing%20slides_0.pdf
https://www.anu.edu.au/students/academic-skills/writing-assessment
• All material should be properly cited in the Harvard referencing style. Samples of
“sufficient and correct” reference include:
https://www.anu.edu.au/students/academic-skills/academic-integrity/referencing
https://libguides.scu.edu.au/harvard
Report Format & Instructions – submit the report & video files separately, no ZIP files
All parts of the report MUST be typed. The main body must be no longer than 5 pages.
• Single-sided, single spaced, size 12 Calibri font, no less than 2.2cm margins on all sides
• The 5-page limit does NOT include cover sheet, title page, table of contents,
introduction/executive summary, appendices. Reference/graphs/tables/calculations can
be placed in the appendices, but MUST be properly cross-referenced in the main report
• Specify the team member(s) responsible for each part in the report so that every
member’s contribution is attributed and recognised. E.g., Summary (XXX 70%, YYY 30%);
Competitive Advantage (SSS 60%, ZZZ 40%); Currency Forecasting (YYY 50%, ZZZ 50%); etc
• Submit ONE file (less than 100MB in size, specify team # in file name) that combines all
contents as ONE coherent and well-organised file. Acceptable file formats: *.docx; *.doc;
*.pdf. ANU’s cybersecurity policies prohibit downloading and opening .zip or .exe files,
files other than the specified formats will result in the team be given zero for the report
Presentation Video Format & Instructions
The presentation video based on your report should be at most 15 minutes (less than 100MB in
size), all members should present equally to have the same opportunity to demonstrate their
skills as individuals. Every member’s face and name should be visible throughout the video.
• Good examples of a 15-minute presentation by your peers that are also university
students may be found in the CBS Case Competition series – these teams are given only
24 hours to receive case information, work on their analysis, produce their slides and
prepare their presentations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZVZM0Oqhms
• Submit one video file, specify team # in file name. Acceptable file formats: *.mp4; *.mov;
*.avi; *.flv; *.f4v. Files other than the specified formats will result in the team be given
zero for the presentation video
Please refer to the marking rubric for complete details on marking (base score & penalty).
Please check the course forum regularly for any updates/clarifications on the instructions.
Assignment - FINM8007 Topics in International Finance (2023S1)
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IV. Working as a Team & Making Contributions
“… [T]he ability to work effectively and harmoniously in a group is a strength that employers want
their employees to have. In fact, they will likely ask you how you function in a team during the
interview process, so come prepared with an anecdote that highlights your ability to compromise
and collaborate.” (Indeed.com)
Job applications and interviews look for previous work experience and ability to work in a team.
In this assignment, you will work within a team to accomplish a task - just as in a professional job.
Achievements in this assignment and good team work can enhance your résumé!
To work effectively as a team and to ensure your individual contribution to this team work is
recognised, please:
1. Meet online, discuss your expectations and assign responsibility early on; meet online
regularly (for any offline meetings, please adhere to the required social distancing
requirements)
2. For each part in the report, specify the team member(s) in charge for the part and specify
each member’s percentage contribution. The allocation should be agreed by all members
who sign the submitted assignment coversheet
3. Every member MUST contribute equally to making of the presentation video, and each
member should present for approximately equal time duration
Every team member will have equal opportunity to contribute to the assignment, recognised
with the following:
• Report contribution as indicated in item IV.2 above
• Presentation contribution as evidenced in item IV.3 above
An important aspect of effective team work is to identify teamwork issues EARLY and manage
the situation professionally (see tips below). If there is an unmanageable issue despite best
efforts, please keep a record of the evidence and reach out to the lecturer or marking tutor as
early as possible. Tips for effective team work could be found in the ANU Study Skills website
(https://www.anu.edu.au/students/academic-skills/study-skills/group-work).