Behavioural Finance and Market Efficiency Assignment

BEHAVIOURAL FINANCE AND MARKET EFFICIENCY
SECTION 1: Instructions for the Assignment
This is the second assessed component for the Behavioural Finance and Market Efficiency course that counts for 50% of the overall mark. The assignment is due to be submitted on Friday 10th of December 2021, by 14:00pm (British time).

 

SECTION 2: The assignment
The assignment is as follows:
Is “value” riskier than “growth”? Based on empirical academic evidence, discuss the rational and non-rational explanations of “value investing”.
References for the above assignment are given in the course outline and on the lecture slides, but they can be used as a starting point. You are expected to conduct a further review, identifying and discussing key academic papers in the relevant areas; you will be positively assessed on the resulting original insights they bring to your essay.

 

SECTION 3: Word length and administrative arrangements
The deadline for submission of the assignment: The assignment is due to be submitted on Friday 10th of December 2021, by 14:00pm (British time).
The recommended word limit is 2,000 words, 10% grace is usually permitted so absolute maximum 2,200 words in total including ALL parts of the work, i.e BUT excluding cover page with title, references/bibliography and footnotes.
The assignment will be assessed in accordance to the criteria on:
Content
Structure
Style
Word length 
Late submissions

 

SECTION 4: Guidance on writing style and referencing for the assignment
4.1) Appearance
The appearance of your work is an assessment criterion. You are, therefore, required to type your assignment/essay. Facilities for word-processing assignments/essays are available throughout the University campus. Accuracy and consistency are very important and you should always proof-read your assignment thoroughly before handing it in.
Below are some key aspects to the presentation of your assignment that should be considered. Again, these are intended as a general guideline and you should consult the information provided in your course booklet and on Learn for any specific requirements for a particular course.

 

Font 
There is no specified font type; this is really down to preference although Times New Roman and Arial tend to be the most common. You should avoid using elaborate font styles as this will make your assignment difficult to read. In general, the accepted font size will be 11 or 12 point. 

 

Line 
Spacing Line spacing should ideally be set to 2 lines apart; this makes the text much easier to read. It also leaves space for the marker to add any comments. 

 

Margins 
There is no set guideline for margins but it is advisable to have the left margin slightly larger than the right, e.g. 3cm left and 2cm right. Again this leaves space for markers comments. 

The Assignment

 

Paragraphs 
Paragraphs should be set out clearly and consistently and long paragraphs are not to be encouraged. There are two accepted methods of paragraph format: Indentation where each paragraph begins slightly indented from the left hand margin and the block method where 
paragraphs begin at the margin but are separated by a double-line space – equivalent to a missing line.

 

4.2) Organisation and Structure
Assignments/essays should be systematic. The main points should be organised so that the argument or comment which you are making develops in a logical manner. This should be reflected in the formal structure you adopt; the use of sub-headings can sometimes be helpful. It can be useful to outline the argument at the outset, in terms of headings/subheadings to establish a logical flow to the argument. 
The required layout will vary depending on the type of academic writing you have been asked to produce and you should always consult the course booklet and/or assignment guidelines on Learn prior to writing up.

 

4.3) References and quotations
It is important to acknowledge in your assignments/essays the sources of your information. Where a passing reference is made, then it suffices to refer to the author by name. It is permissible to reproduce passages, provided that these quotations are brief and acknowledged. Use quotation marks, and describe your source in the bibliography. Essays that make use of unacknowledged quotations will be penalised. The whole point of writing essays is to help you develop the ability to express your ideas in your own words. There are different ways of setting forth brief references and quotations. It is recommended that you should use the following method, known as the Harvard style, which has been widely adopted and is increasingly popular. The example below includes both brief references and a longer quotation:
Examples As Lewis (1990, p 60) makes clear: “The complexity of this interaction makes it difficult to measure or even justify law as an independent factor in the conduct of industrial relations.” 

 

Moreover, the work of Brown and Wadhwani (1990) and Kessler and Bayliss (1992) confirm this view.
The example quoted does not cover all cases. For instance, a publication may have no author but is the production of an institution. Thus a book issued by British Telecom in 1992 would be referred to as British Telecom (1992). Again, you may have to quote two works produced by the same author in the same year: they would have to be set out as (1992a) and (1992b).

 

SECTION 5: General Instructions for handing in your assignment
The essay-based coursework must be submitted electronically by 14:00pm British time on the 10th of December 2021.
You are required to submit essay-based coursework for this course in electronic form only. 

 

COURSEWORK SUBMISSION
Instructions for the submission of the electronic copy, via Turnitin on Learn, may be found in Learn. There will be a link on Learn for electronic submission of coursework. Before you can submit your electronic file, there will be a document in the Assignment Submission folder called ‘Own Work Declaration’, the terms of which you must accept. This represents your explicit confirmation that the coursework you submit is your own work.