ASQCFBL 15-05-5

Faculty of Business
and Law
Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance

ACADEMIC YEAR 2017/18

ASSESSMENT BRIEF

Module Code: UMAD5T-15-3

Module Title: International Financial Management
Submission Deadline: 18th April 2018 2pm
Assessment Component B Coursework
Assessment Weighting: 40 per cent of total module mark

Assessment Instructions
This is a group assignment, to be carried out in groups of 4 or 5 students (module leader’s approval
must be given for groups of any other size). One member of your group should send an email
registering your group to the module leader . The email must give the following details for all
students (see Appendix A):
 Family name
 First name
 Student number
 UWE student email address

Requirements: Read the scenario below. Starting from the week commencing 2nd February, and for
the following four weeks, questions for your group to consider and research will be released each
Friday in the assessment tab on BB.

Each week your group should research answers to the questions, and put them together in a
portfolio. The answers to this question(s) each week must be very concise and MUST NOT be more
than ONE-PAGE long. The answers must contain evidence of research (in form of citations). Once
you have answered all the questions, you should produce a 1,500-word report summarizing the
position of the business, based on your research and information contained in the questions. In
addition, each member of the group should submit a 500 word individual piece giving conclusions
and recommendations for the future of the business.

One final submission should be made per group, which should comprise the following:
1. One 1,500 word summary of the position of the business
2. One individual 500-word conclusion per group member (each clearly marked with student
number).
3. Appendices numbered 1 to 4, which should contain the group’s responses to each week’s
questions.
4. One bibliography/reference list, which should be in UWE Harvard format and should cover
the whole submission.

The scenario:

You are the members of the Board of Directors of a manufacturing company, Eco Technology
Systems (ETS) Plc, based in the United Kingdom. Your company manufactures batteries used in the
manufacture of various types of electric cars. You supply a number of major car producers
worldwide, exporting to Germany, China, and the United States. With the global car industry going
through a significant transformation and the progress in lithium-ion batteries technology, the price of

1
electric vehicles is declining. Electric cars have lower operating costs than fossil fuelled vehicles,
even at today’s oil prices.

In January 2017 (a year ago), ETS set up a subsidiary in China to develop a prototype for a new
integrated solar energy powered “plug-in” and rechargeable battery packs. This research and
development (R&D) was carried in a small factory near Beijing, with staff sourced locally and
managed by one of ETS top Executive. The new integrated “plug-in” (Lit1 Plug) prototype is now
ready for production, and could be produced in either China or the UK, or both, for sale worldwide.
The company would need to source additional funds to execute the production project and this
comes with an added cost. Marketing plans and production facilities are under discussion.

In January 2018, you attended the World Future Energy Summit:

https://www.worldfutureenergysummit.com/#/

At this summit you met the Head of Japan Government Trade delegate, who has suggested that tax
breaks and other incentives could be available for manufacturer of electric vehicle charging plugs in
Japan, and has offered to broker talks with top Japanese car manufacturers looking to improve their
electric car component inputs and expand within the market. The official suggested that these
incentives could result in an accelerated growth in the ‘eco’ car sector and could be available to
manufacturers of electric car charging components in Japan. You could either enter into a supplier
agreement with the Japanese car manufacturer (for sole distribution into the Japanese market),
supplying them with your efficient Lit1 Plugs or a joint venture to manufacture the charging
components in Japan, in which case bigger incentives could be available.

The company wishes to make a decision on where to set up its production line (in UK, China and/or
Japan) in order to maximise shareholders’ returns.

Required:
1. Analyse and present a critical evaluation the company’s position (drawing on the company’s
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats).
2. Write a conclusion/recommendation based on this analysis .

Marking Criteria

This will be provided as a separate document in Week 3

Format

All work should be word processed in 12 point font Arial and double spaced.

Please use the following file format: Word.

Please ensure that you provide the following details on the first page of your coursework:
 Student Number
 Module Name and Number
 Word Count
Please also ensure that your student number is shown clearly on your individual contribution.
Word Limit

The word limit for this coursework is 1,500 words for the group summary report and 500 words for the
individual conclusion.
Word count includes everything in the main body of the text (including headings, tables, citations,
quotes, lists, etc.).
 The references, bibliography and footnotes (provided footnotes only include references) are
NOT included in the word count.

2
  There is no direct penalty for exceeding the word count but the marker WILL stop reading
once the word limit has been reached and nothing further will be taken into account in the
allocation of marks.
You can view the UWE word count policy here: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/aboutus/policies

Referencing:

Please ensure you adhere to the principles of good academic practice and ensure you use the UWE
Harvard system to reference your work. Failure to properly reference your work to original source
material can be grounds for the assessment offence of plagiarism and may result in failure of the
assessment or have more serious implications.

For further guidance on correct referencing go to:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills/referencing.aspx

Details of what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it can be found here:
http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills/readingandwriting/plagiarism.aspx

For general guidance on how to avoid assessment offences see:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessments/assessmentoffences.aspx

Instructions for submission

You must submit your assignment before the stated deadline by electronic submission
through Blackboard. Notification that the electronic submission portal is open for your assignment is
displayed (usually two weeks before the submission date) in the Coursework tab in myUWE, the
Coursework tab in Blackboard and via an announcement in the Blackboard course.

Please ensure you allow sufficient time to upload your script, noting that the system becomes busier
and slower as the deadline approaches. Only your final upload will be counted. Ensure all your
information is submitted at one attempt to avoid ‘overwriting’ your intended submission. Always check
and retain your receipts.

Late submission in the 24 hours following the deadline will be accepted but the assignment mark will
be capped at 40%. Submissions after 24 hours will not be accepted. For full guidance on online
submission through Blackboard, see:

http://info.uwe.ac.uk/online/Blackboard/students/guides/assignments/default.asp

Submissions of coursework by any other method (including a paper copy, on disc, by email or by fax)
are NOT permissible for this module unless specifically agreed in advance of the submission date.

Before submitting your work, please ensure the following:

 That you have proof read you work thoroughly to ensure your work is presented
appropriately
 That you have addressed all the required elements of the assessment
 That you have referenced in accordance with the guidance provided
 That you have addressed each of the marking criterion
 That the submission is in the correct format

Feedback
Students will normally receive marks and feedback on their submission within 20 working days of the
submission deadline (not including any public holidays or university closure days). Any delay in
returning students’ work will be communicated by the module leader via Blackboard.
Please note feedback can take many forms and can be summative (provided for work completed) or
formative (provided for on-going work or activities). Feedback on this module is not limited to the
written comments you will receive on individual written assessment submissions .
For further guidance on feedback, please refer to the module handbook.

3
Further Guidance

Guidance on study skills: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills.aspx

Support from the FBL Academic Success Centre (2B076):

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/bl/bbs/aboutus/studentexperience/academicsupportcentre.aspx

Guidance on UWE assessment regulations and terminology:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessments/assessmentsguide.aspx

Guidance on using the library: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/library/usingthelibrary.aspx

Extenuating Circumstances

If you are experiencing difficulties in completing a piece of assessment on time due to unexpected
circumstances (for example illness, accident, bereavement), you should seek advice from a Student
Support Adviser at the earliest opportunity.
Please note the module leader cannot grant extenuating circumstances or extensions.

Appointments with a student adviser can be made via an Information Point or online at:
http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/studentadvisers.aspx

The Student Support Adviser will advise as to whether you should submit an application for
‘Extenuating Circumstances (ECs)’, how to do so and what evidence is required to support the
application.

Further details on ECs can be found here:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessments/extenuatingcircumstances.aspx

APPENDIX A: GROUP REGISTRATION FORM

Group members - groups must comprise 4 or 5 students. Module leader approval must be
given for any other group size, and this will not normally be permitted.

Student name (family name Student number UWE Student Email

first)