Topics of research based group assignment and presentation
International finance is dynamic – this is what makes it so interesting. You can select a topic from the following. However, if you have a specific topic that you find topical and interesting, you can discuss it with the Unit chair. Remember select something new and interesting.
1. Greece Crisis and its Impact
2. Chinese stock market crash and its impact
3. Flash crash 2010
4. GFC and Aftermath of GFC
5. Lehman Bros and Bear Stearns. Why did they collapse?
6. Sovereign risk in EURO Zone
7. US credit rating downgrade 2011 and its impact on international financial markets
8. International asset allocation and FX risk hedging
9. Algorithm trading
10. Gold as a hedge/haven
11. Impact of carbon tax on financial markets
12. Islamic financial markets and products
13. Linkages within the international economy and financial markets and Contagion in financial markets
14. The growth of exchange traded funds
15. A financial product, eg Quanto swap, Collateralised Debt Obligations
16. Are international markets correlated? Recent evidence from the GFC.
17. Hedge Funds – recent developments
18. The bond market and its role in international markets.
19. The key financial analysis tools (CAPM, time-varying volatility, time-varying correlations)
Group Assignment
Title of report
MAF760: International Finance
Lecturer: Dr Sohel Azad
List group members: Names, IDs
Date submitted: dd/mm/yy
Word count: xxxx words
Assignment declaration form
ASSIGNMENT TITLE: GROUP NUMBER:
Lecturer: Tutor:
Date received:
Online submission – this coversheet must be completed and submitted with your assignment. Submission is taken as your having signed it.
Student ID: Campus:
Last Name: First Name:
Student ID: Campus:
Last Name: First Name:
Student ID: Campus:
Last Name: First Name:
Student ID: Campus:
Last Name: First Name:
PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION
Plagiarism occurs when a student passes off as the student’s own work, or copies without acknowledgement as to its authorship, the work of another person. Collusion occurs when a student obtains the agreement of another person for a fraudulent purpose with the intent of obtaining an advantage in submitting an assignment or other work. Work submitted may be reproduced and/or communicated for the purpose of detecting plagiarism and collusion.
DECLARATION
I certify that the attached work is entirely my own (or, where submitted to meet the requirements of an approved group assignment, is the work of the group), except where material quoted or paraphrased is acknowledged in the text. I also certify that it has not been submitted for assessment in any other unit or course.
A typed signature is acceptable.
Group Contribution Declaration
Group members must agree on the % contribution of each member. The total contribution of all members must add up to 100%.
% of Member Contribution
Name Student ID
Contribution
Contribution: %
Contribution: %
Contribution: %
Contribution: %
Total 100%
Details of Member Contribution
Criterion Team-member 1 Team-member 2 Team-member 3 Team-member 4
topic selection; literature coverage; research methods
Report structure and presentation
Critical analysis and interpretation of the literature, data and key findings
Relevance of the study to finance profession and wider community
Supporting team-dynamics
Total contribution
Using heading styles
Heading styles are an effective way of keeping the formatting in professional documents consistent. If you have used heading styles in a document you can also create an automatic table of contents.
Heading 1 style
Use this style for main headings.
Heading 2 style
Use this style for subheadings.
Heading 3 style
Use this style for sub-subheadings. Note that the table of contents in this document does not include heading 3.
How to change the format of heading styles
To change the format of the heading styles:
• Right mouse click on a heading style in the Styles toolbar in the HOME tab.
• Select Modify and change the options under Formatting and Format.
How to create an automatic table of contents
To create your own automatic table of contents:
1. First type your headings in the body of the document.
2. From the HOME tab, apply Heading styles.
3. To change the look of a heading you can select the heading and modify the font and size. Then Right click the Heading style and choose Update to suit selection.
4. Add numbering after you have applied the heading style.
5. Place your cursor where you want to insert the table of contents.
6. In the REFERENCES tab select Table of Contents and choose one of the automatic tables. (On a Mac INSERT Index and tables).
In-text citations
When you draw upon ideas from the sources you have read, you should put the ideas in your own words, and reference each sentence by indicating the author and date.
Your reference can emphasise the author:
Christopher, Kim and Wu (2012) found that sovereign rating upgrades are beneficial to neighbouring countries in a region. However, they observed that when a country’s rating is downgraded investors move funds away from that country to the surrounding region.
Alternatively, your reference can emphasise the information:
Sovereign ratings upgrades are beneficial to neighbouring countries in a region while downgrades lead investors to move funds to surrounding countries in that region (Christopher, Kim & Wu 2012).
Short quotations (less than about 30 words)
Use quote marks to show where you have copied exact words from your source when using a few words from the original. Remember to include page numbers in your in-text citation:
Christopher, Kim and Wu (2012, p. 1086) advise that rating agencies need to monitor countries and revise their ratings ‘so as not to exacerbate the procyclical effects of sovereign ratings in international debt markets’.
Block quotations (30 words or more)
You should avoid using block quotes. They do not show your understanding. If you do quote thirty words or more, you must set aside the chunk of text as an indented paragraph as in the example below.
A block quote can be used for longer quotations. Remember to include your in-text citations using the Harvard style. Put the author and date of publication in brackets, with the page number, again making sure that you have included the full bibliographic details in your reference list. (author, date, page)
Always make sure that the full details of the sources you have mentioned in-text are included in the Reference list. There are examples of references for different types of sources in the References section below.
This is the entry for the in-text citations above:
Christopher, R, Kim, S-J & Wu, E 2012,’Do sovereign credit ratings influence regional stock and bond market interdependencies in emerging countries?’, Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 1070–89, doi 10.1016/j.intfin.2012.01.003

Tables and figures
Formatting tables and figures
Tables and figures should have clear headings, with the source indicated in a caption accompanying the table or figure. A corresponding reference list entry should also be provided.
Example of a figure
Figure 1. Process of measuring market links in a two-component volatility model
Source: Azad, Batten, Fang & Wickramanayake 2015.
Referencing tables and figures
Provide a caption under the table or figure with details of the source
The source for this figure is Azad, Batten, Fang & Wickramanayake 2015.
Give full details of the source in the reference list
Reference list entry
Azad, ASMS, Batten, J, Fang, V & Wickramanayake, J 2015, ‘International swap market volatility and contagion’, Economic Modelling, vol. 47, pp. 355–71,
doi 10.1016/jeconmod.2015.02.00
Numbering tables and figures
Tables and figures should be numbered in sequence separately.
This page includes an automatic table of contents. To update it do not type over the text below.
7. Click in the Table of contents.
8. Press F9 (or click Update under Document Elements on a Mac).
9. Select Update entire table.
10. Click OK.
NOTE: Do not include the Table of contents in your word count.
Table of contents
Using heading styles iii
Heading 1 style iii
Heading 2 style iii
How to change the format of heading styles iii
How to create an automatic table of contents iii
In-text citations iv
Tables and figures vi
Formatting tables and figures vi
Numbering tables and figures vi
Executive summary 1
Introduction 2
Significance of the study 2
Research methodology 2
Research results and discussion 2
Conclusion and policy implications 3
References 4
Harvard referencing 4
Match in-text references to the reference list 4
List references alphabetically 4
Sample reference list formats 4
Appendices 7
Appendix A: Title of appendix 7
Appendix B: Title of appendix 7
Executive summary
The executive summary (up to 200 words) should present a concise summary of the main points of the entire report, including recommendations. Clarify how your study will advance the finance profession and the wider community
It should be presented on a separate page.
Sample: (Topic - GOLD AS A HEDGE)
This report provides an analysis and evaluation about gold being used as a hedge. Methods of analysis include Econometric and Correlation analysis as well as price index and gold price analyses. Results of data analysed show that gold can indeed be used as a hedge. In particular, it provides investors a hedge against inflation, stock market and the US dollar. The report finds the importance of gold as it can provide protection for investors especially in possible catastrophes. Recommendations discussed include: investors should consider using gold as a hedge against inflation, stock market and the US dollar. In particular, in the case of recent market uncertainty, gold emerges as a safety heaven for investors. The report still has some limitations which are: gold may be used as a hedge against other things, limitations of gold when being used as a hedge or possible riskiness of using gold as a hedge.

Introduction
The introduction or background section (up to 700 words) should identify the issue to be addressed and its relevance to international finance. It should clearly summarise the key findings.
It could include the following:
• clear statement of topic
• an overview of gaps in the existing literature Purpose of this study – how will this study address some of those gaps - clearly explained research question(s), hypothesis and methodology(ies)
Significance of the study
Significance/purpose of the study (up to 300 words). In this section you should:
• discuss the importance/significance and/or purpose of the study
• include statistics to show the importance of the study
• describe how will your study advance the finance profession and the wider community
Research methodology
Data and methodology (up to 400 words)
• Describe and justify appropriateness of the data, sample, source of data and methodology used in the research/analysis
• Specify econometric methodologies, if any.
Research results and discussion
Results and analysis (up to 1000 words). Discuss the data used, the sample selected, the source of the data, and the methodology used in the research / analysis.
• Make use of historical data, graphs and charts, and compare the findings with existing research, if any.
• Include research from a range of sources (data, figures, graphs and a minimum of 10 [ten] peer-reviewed journal articles) and use them to support discussion and analysis.
Conclusion and policy implications
Conclusion and policy implications (up to 300 words). Summarise the key elements of the report and reinforce rationale for recommendations made. This section can include:
• a summary of findings
• suggestions to policy makers/international investors
• research limitations and future research directions.

References
Harvard referencing
Use the Deakin Harvard referencing style. Carefully examine the wide range of formats and information on the Deakin referencing website: www.deakin.edu.au/referencing.
Match in-text references to the reference list
Ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list and vice versa. Each source has one entry in the reference list, regardless of how many times it is cited in text.
List references alphabetically
List all references used in alphabetical order by first author. Do not number the entries.
To sort your reference list alphabetically
1. Select the list of references.
2. In the HOME tab, click the A-Z button.
3. In the Sort Text box, select Sort by Paragraphs, Type: Text Ascending.
Sample reference list formats
To use these sample formats select the format appropriate to the type of resource. Replace ‘Author’ with the family name of the author or authors. Replace ‘B’ with the author’s initial(s).
Book
Author, B Year, Title of book, Publisher, City.
Example:
Butler, KC 1997, Multinational finance, South-Western College Publishing, Cincinnati, OH.
Work other than a first edition
Author, B year, Title of book, edition number, Publisher, City.
Example:
Butler, KC 2008, Multinational finance, 4th edn, Wiley, Chichester, West Sussex.
Edited book
Editor, B (ed.) year, Title of edited book, Publisher, City.
Example:
Das, DK (ed.) 1993, International finance: contemporary issues, Routledge, London.
Edited book, multiple editors
Editor, A, Editor, B & Editor, C (eds) year, Title of edited book, edition
number if not first edition, Publisher, City.
Example:
Clarke, T & Branson, DM (eds) 2012, The SAGE handbook of corporate governance, SAGE, London.
Chapter or article in an edited book
Author, B year, 'Chapter title', in C Editor (ed.), Title of book, edition number
if not first edition, Publisher, City, page numbers.
Example:
Smith, C 1979, ‘Application of option pricing analysis’, in J Bicksler (ed.), Handbook of financial economics, North Holland Publishing, Amsterdam,
pp. 80–121.
Book, online
Author, B year, Title of book, Publisher if provided, date retrieved, URL .
Example:
Clark, E 2002, International finance, CENGAGE Learning EMEA, retrieved 5 June 2015, https://books.google.com.au/books?id=UztXu_p46CYC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false .
Journal article
Author, B year, ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number, issue number, page numbers.
Example:
Jensen, M 1986, ‘Agency costs of free cash flow, corporate finance, and takeovers’, American Economic Review, vol. 76, pp. 323–29.
Journal article, online
Author, B year, ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal, volume number, issue number, page numbers if given, doi OR date retrieved, name of database or URL .
A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a unique identifier with a more stable link to a publication than a URL. If a DOI is provided for a source then it should be given in the reference list entry. However, if no DOI is available then the name of the database or the URL should be given. Date of retrieval is not required if providing a DOI. No concluding full stop is necessary following a DOI.
Examples:
Azad, ASMS, Batten, J, Fang, V & Wickramanayake, J 2015, ‘International swap market volatility and contagion’, Economic Modelling, vol. 47, pp. 355–71,
doi 10.1016/jeconmod.2015.02.00
Hung, C-H D, Azad ASMS & Fang, V 2014, ‘Determinants of stock returns: factors or systematic co-moments? Crisis verses non-crisis periods’, Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, vol. 31, pp. 14–29,
doi 10.1016/j.intfin.2014.03.005
Working research paper (or dissertation)
Author, B year, ‘Title of paper’, unpublished working paper, organisation.
Example:
Hermalin, B & Weisbach, M 1995, ‘Endogenously chosen boards and their monitoring of the CEO’, unpublished working paper, University of California, Berkeley.
Group or organisation as author
Sometimes an author is an organisation, a government agency, an association, a corporate body or the like. Cite the full name of the group the first time and give the abbreviation in brackets. Use the abbreviation in subsequent references.
According to the International Monetary Fund [IMF] (2009) …
Note: In the reference list, give the bibliographic details under the full name of the group or organisation, i.e. International Monetary Fund. A cross-reference from the abbreviation to the full name of the organisation should also be given.
IMF – see International Monetary Fund
Web page or document from a website
Author, B year, Title of webpage or document, Organisation responsible for site, date retrieved, URL .
Example:
Clinch, M 2013, Italy launches tax on high-frequency transactions, CNBC, 4 June 2015, http://www.cnbc.com/id/101002422 .
Further information on the Harvard referencing style used is available on the Study Skills referencing website www.deakin.edu.au/referencing
Harvard: http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/referencing/harvard
Appendices
This is where you put very detailed information, or large diagrams, which would have interrupted the flow of the information in the body of your report. You can have more than one appendix. Make sure appendices are clearly labelled (using letters or numbers) and that each one is given a title. You should clearly refer to each appendix in the body of your report. The order in which appendices are referred to in your paper is the order in which letters or numbers are allocated and it is the order in which the appendices should appear at the end of your paper.
Appendix A: Title of appendix
Appendix B: Title of appendix
List of databases for assignment:
1. UNCTAD: http://unctadstat.unctad.org/wds/ReportFolders/reportFolders.aspx?sCS_ChosenLang=en
2. World bank: http://www.worldbank.org/en/research
3. IMF: http://www.imf.org/external/data.htm
4. OECD: http://www.oecd.org/statistics/
5. Coface (country risk data): http://www.coface.com/Economic-Studies-and-Country-Risks
6. Euromoney (country risk and other data): http://www.euromoney.com/Poll/10683/PollsAndAwards/Country-Risk.html
7. Vlab (volatility, correlation and systemic risk analysis): http://vlab.stern.nyu.edu/
8. Global financial database: online access through library