This consists of two individual coursework assignments, each worth 50% of the total marks for the module.Â
You are required to select a large deposit-taking bank and a large life insurance company that have their headquarters in different countries.
Support your answers to the questions below with relevant data and references.
a. Compare and contrast the latest year-end balance sheet structures of the bank and the life insurance company.Â
b. Analyse how the differences in the roles of the two types of organisation are reflected in the differences in the structure of their balance sheets.
c. Answer the following questions, which relate to the bank only:
i. Justify the use of two appropriate financial ratios to measure the bank's capital adequacy.
ii. Compare and contrast how the bank's capital adequacy has varied over the last five years.
To obtain the material that you need, use either:
The balance sheets from the companies' latest annual reports or the companies' latest full year balance sheet information from Bloomberg. Use pie charts to help you compare and contrast the companies' holdings of different assets and liabilities.
Explain why the bank holds the different types of assets and liabilities shown in its balance sheet, why it holds them in the proportions shown and how, and why, they differ from those held by the life insurance company.Â
i. You will need to research the different ways that capital adequacy can be measured in a bank. You will then need to justify the ratios that you use by emphasising their advantages, recognising any limitations and using supporting references.
ii. Use the ratios to compare and contrast how capital adequacy has varied over the last five years. This part of your answer must be supported with the use of relevant data from Bloomberg or from the bank's last five years' reports and accounts. You should include graphs based on the use of this data.
Please note the following important points:Â
⢠The assessment criteria for this assessment task are shown in the grid in page 12.
⢠Word limit: 2000 words. Adding on the 10% leeway allowed by the university, this means that you can go up to a maximum of 2200 words. Any words in excess of 2200 will not be assessed.
⢠The word limit does not include references, your bibliography or any appendices.
⢠The word-count must be clearly marked either at the beginning or end of your answer.
⢠Please do not include your name in a header or footer.
⢠For the deadline date please see your assessment diary in Blackboard. xxxxxxxx Business School operates a deadline time of 3:00 pm for all coursework submissions.  Submissions should be online via the Blackboard submission point.  Please be aware that if you do not submit via the Blackboard submission point it will be deemed a non-submission and therefore receive a mark of zero.
⢠If you submit work after an assessment deadline without an authorised extension but within 24 hours (excluding the weekend period) of the original submission time you will receive either a capped mark at the minimum pass mark or the full uncapped mark for your work, whichever is the lower. If you submit work after this period you will not receive a mark for your work but you will receive feedback comments from your tutor.
⢠A 'final copy' electronic version of your assignment should also be submitted prior to the deadline via Turnitin. If this is not done your assignment will be deemed as being late.Â
⢠Several days before the deadline, you are advised to submit one draft submission of your assignment to TurnitinUK to check that there are no problems with the originality of your work.
⢠Late submission, plagiarism and cheating will be dealt with under standard University regulations, which are available via MyHallam.
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⢠Students who achieve less than 50% for this piece of work may undertake in-module retrieval. This is a 'making good' on the original assessment - i.e. students will be required to use the tutors' feedback to re-work the original assignment, focusing particularly on the parts where they scored badly.
⢠Students who submit work for in-module retrieval will not receive any further feedback and the mark for the work will be capped at 50%.
⢠The deadline for submission of in-module retrieval work will be two weeks after release of feedback on the original piece of work.
â¢In-module retrieval only applies to assignment one submitted during the normal delivery of the module.
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Criteria and weighting Assignment 1 |
0-39% Work does not meet the assessment criteria |
40-49% Work does not meet the assessment criteria |
50-59% Satisfactory work |
60-69% Good quality work |
70-79% Excellent work |
80%-100% Outstanding work |
Comparison of the balance sheet structures of the bank and the life insurance company. Â 20 Marks |
No use of pie charts and/or no comparison of the balance sheet structures. |
Incorrect use of pie charts and/or no clear comparison of the balance sheet structures. |
Correct but limited comparison of the balance sheet structures. Pie charts clear but some of the key assets/liabilities not included. |
Clear and correct comparison of the balance sheet structures. Very clear pie charts and all of the key assets / liabilities included. |
Excellent comparison of the balance sheet structures. Pie charts include all of the key assets / liabilities and are extremely clear. |
Outstanding comparison of the balance sheet structures. Pie charts include all of the key assets / liabilities and are extremely clear. |
Analysis of differences between the balance sheet structures of the bank and the life insurance company. Â 40 Marks |
Inadequate, inaccurate and confused use of the terms, concepts and relationships. Â Â Â Â No use of supporting financial information. Â Â No use of relevant supporting references. Â |
Inadequate, inaccurate and confused use of the terms, concepts and relationships. Â Â Â Â Incorrect use of supporting financial information. Â Â Inadequate use of relevant supporting references. Â |
Correct but limited analysis of how the differences in the roles of a bank and a life insurance company are reflected in their balance sheets. Â Sound but still limited use of supporting financial information. Some sound use of some relevant supporting references. |
Clear and correct analysis of how the differences in the roles of a bank and a life insurance company are reflected in their balance sheets. Â Good use of a greater range of relevant supporting financial information. Good use of a greater range of relevant supporting references. |
Excellent analysis of how the differences in the roles of a bank and a life insurance company are reflected in their balance sheets. Â Â Excellent use of relevant supporting financial information. Â Excellent use of a range of relevant supporting references. |
Outstanding analysis of how the differences in the roles of a bank and a life insurance company are reflected in their balance sheets. Â Â Comprehensive use of relevant supporting financial information. Â Comprehensive use of a range of relevant supporting references. |
Justification for the use of appropriate ratios. Â Â 20 Marks |
No appropriate justification. Â Â Â No consideration of their advantages and possible limitations. Â No use of relevant supporting references. Â |
Incomplete, confused, and/or inappropriate justification. Â Little or no consideration of their advantages and possible limitations. Â Inadequate use of relevant supporting references. Â |
Correct and sound justification for the use of appropriate ratios. Some sound consideration of their advantages and possible limitations. Â Some sound use of some relevant supporting references. |
Correct and detailed justification for the use of appropriate ratios. Good consideration of their advantages and possible limitations. Â Good use of a greater range of relevant supporting references. |
Excellent justification for the use of appropriate ratios. Â Excellent consideration of their advantages and possible limitations. Â Excellent use of a range of relevant supporting references. |
Full and detailed justification for the use of appropriate ratios. Comprehensive consideration of their advantages and possible limitations. Â Comprehensive use of a range of relevant supporting references. |
Comparing and contrasting how profitability has varied over the last five years. Â 10 Marks |
No use of supporting financial information / graphs. |
Incomplete, confused, and/or inappropriate use of supporting financial information / graphs. |
Sound use of supporting financial information / graphs. Some aspects not as clear as they could be. |
Good use of supporting financial information / graphs. All aspects clear and correct. |
Excellent use of supporting financial information / graphs. Professional presentation with no errors. |
Outstanding use of supporting financial information / graphs. Professional presentation with no errors. |
Presentation  10 Marks |
Extremely confused and unclear. Â No referencing / bibliography. |
Confused and unclear. Â Â No referencing / bibliography. |
Clear but with some errors. Â Some errors in referencing /Â bibliography. |
Clear with almost no errors in exposition. Correct and complete referencing / bibliography. |
Clear and professional presentation. |
Clear and professional in all respects |