Investment Management and Portfolio Analysis (IMPA – UG070)

COLLEGE OF BANKING AND FINANCIAL STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME

B.Sc. in Accounting, Auditing and

Group Assignment

Weightage: 20%

Student declaration:

I certify that the work contained in this assignment was researched and prepared by me:

Signature: ___________________________ Date: ___________________

The user ID and Password for submitting the soft copy of the report through TURNITIN is as follows:

Class ID: 27380933 Enrolment Password: finance

Submission time and date

You should submit the assignment by the time and date mentioned otherwise a ‘NA’ will be awarded. Fill in the form cover and staple it with your assignment. Make sure that all the relevant details are complete. Assignments must be submitted by the due date. You may include diagrams, figures etc without word penalty.

Plagiarism Writing

Summary

1. Plagiarism occurs if you use somebody else’s work in an assignment or exam answer, but fail to state where you got the material from. You need to be also very careful about the amount of words you are using from somebody else’s work.
2. It can happen in any type of assessment where you are given the questions or tasks in advance.
3. If another student uses your work in his/her answer(s), both you and he/she will be punished when caught.
4. Punishments for committing plagiarism can be very severe.

Details

Plagiarism is a form of cheating in which students use the work of others and present it as their own. It may include all or any one of the following –

1. Copy extensively from the work of others (from sources such as books, magazines, journal, web-sites etc) and submit the work as your own.

1. Copy another students’ work and submit it for assessment under your own name.
2. Allow another student to copy your work and then submit it for assessment under their own name.

What happens if you get caught?

The examining body of CBFS may punish offending students in any manner that they deem fit. Typical punishments may range from reduction in grades, making students re-sit modules and even failing students on a module or an entire award. The college considers this form of cheating as a serious offence. Therefore be forewarned!

Instructions:

Group size: 2 to 3 Students

Total Marks: 20 Marks

Marks allocation:

Theory, Conceptualization, Analysis and Interpretation: 15 Marks

Presentation : 5 Marks

Scenario 1

“Back in 1958, Modigliani and Miller (M&M) suggest that the value of a firm is independent of its capital structure (its debt/equity ratio). Since then, the optimal balance between debt and equity financing has been a central issue in corporate finance.”

You are required to:

Task 1 (500 words – 3.75 Marks)

Discuss the extent to which capital structure decisions can affect the value of a firm.

Task 2

Discuss the different theories on capital structure and evaluate the extent to which these theories are supported empirically.

(500 words – 3.75 Marks)

Scenario 2

“For the first time in history, access to the observations, wisdom and emotional reactions of millions of people globally is available in real time. Social media data represents a collective barometer of thoughts and ideas touching every aspect of the world.

As social platforms increasingly become a primary means of communication for our age, asset managers, equity analysts and high frequency traders are incorporating leading indicator data from these platforms into investment decisions…”

You are required to:

Task 3: Explain the concepts of Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) with appropriate supportive examples with reference to Muscat Securities Market (MSM).

(500 words – 3.75 marks)

Task 4: Critically discuss: (500 words – 3.75 marks)

• 1. The impact of social media on stock market efficiency and
  2. The wisdom of using information from social media to make investment decisions.

You are expected to refer to text books, academic journals and other relevant academic sources. Your assignment will be assessed for style, demonstration of depth of knowledge, rigor, and clarity.

END OF THE ASSIGNMENT