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EC2601 Detailed Coursework Guidance

This document aims to provide a comprehensive guidance for the preparation of your EC2601 coursework. It is structured using a step-by-step approach. However, please be aware that most of the following points are only suggestions to you; they are not rules, and you are not required to follow them strictly. In fact, the design of the coursework is to give you plenty of flexibility to study what you like within the topic area.

Preparation stage:

1. Before you start the coursework, you need to have access to Fitch Connect database. Most of you who attended the classes should already have your own accounts and know how to download data from Fitch Connect website anywhere. If you still don’t have a Fitch Connect account or do not know how to get the data that you need, you need to contact Fitch Connect client service by emailing them at ([email protected]).

2. You should start by answering the following three questions:

a. Which UK commercial bank to be included in your study?

i. There is no restriction on your choice, but if you can choose the bank based on a clear rationale, this will make your report more interesting and you may get a higher mark.

ii. Some suggestions: you can choose a bank by its size (big or small) or by its targeted business regions (national or international) or by its business focus in particular sector (universal, mortgage-market, commercial loans), etc.

iii. Be creative and innovative on the choice!

b. Have you understood the meaning of capital adequacy?

i. Capital adequacy is a very important management in banks; before you start looking for any data, you need to make sure you understand its meaning, so that you can get relevant data that can help you with insightful analysis.

c. Which ratios should you use to study the capital adequacy of your chosen bank?

i. There are a few different ratios or indicators that can measure capital adequacy of a bank. Make sure to understand them and distinguish their differences, so that you interpret them correctly.

ii. Please don’t use a ratio that you don’t understand well; if you do, you will end up having a very weak analysis section with very low mark!

iii. Still don’t know what to choose? Take a look at the Ratios section in Fitch Connect; the ratios/indicators are well organised under different categories.

iv. Lastly, you should NOT choose too many ratios. The most important marking criteria in the report is the analysis of each ratio; if you choose too many, then your analysis for each ratio will be very short and shallow. The mark will be low.

Writing and analysis stage:

1. Some of you asked me how to structure the report. In the following, I will provide a ‘suggested’ structure. As I said earlier, this structure is only a suggestion, not a requirement; if you have a better idea in structuring the report, I would recommend you follow your idea.

a. Cover page:

i. This page should include the topic of the report, your name and student ID.

b. Table of Contents.

c. Introduction:

i. In this first section, you need to clearly explain the objectives of your report, the choice of bank, why capital adequacy is important in bank management, the ratios that you choose to evaluate capital adequacy, and the source of your data. You may include some relevant background information but don’t forget to cite and reference them properly.

d. Main Analysis:

i. In the second section, you need to first define and explain each of the ratios that you have chosen; in particular, clarify how these ratios explain the capital adequacy of a bank, and how are they different from each other.

ii. And then, for each ratio, clearly present the data with a table/diagram of your choice.

iii. Carefully explain and analyse the changes in each ratio for the past decade. In particular, you should highlight and explain some important observations. You may need to include further data or cite some important news to provide a good analysis here.

e. Conclusion:

i. In the last section, you need to summarise the report, and highlight the key findings from your analysis section.

f. Reference:

i. Include a list of references that you have cited in your report; use Harvard referencing style only.

g. Appendices (optional):

i. Any additional information that is less directly related to the discussion can be put here.