The calendar years 2016 and 2017 witnessed several very important
macroeconomic policy announcements. You are required to select one of the
following three policy initiatives from 2017, and write an essay not exceeding
1500 words analyzing the possible macroeconomic effects on the country or
economic regions which, in your opinion, are most impacted by the relevant
policy change(s). You should consider potential short and long-term effects of
the policy change(s) you select.
1. The projected interest rate increases and the end to the policy of
quantitative easing by the Federal Reserve, combined with the
personal and corporate tax cuts, announced in the USA in October and
November 2017, respectively.
2. The European Central Bank’s announcement in October 2017 of a
further tapering (reduction) of its bond-buying programme.
3. The UK Government’s announcement, subsequent to the Brexit
referendum, that the UK would terminate its membership of both the
European single market and the customs union when the UK leaves
the EU.
Your essay should include all of the following elements:
An introductory section discussing the context and implications of the
policy you have chosen to analyse. This section should generally
include some summary data to “set the scene”
A main section which discusses an appropriate macroeconomic model
which is then used as the basis to analyse and evaluate the policy
decision you have selected.
A concluding section giving the main arguments and possibly some
thoughts for future policy direction.
Line diagrams to illustrate the economic implications of the policy
changes, although equations may also be used as appropriate.
Some use of charts to illustrate patterns of economic activity
Some use of data to back up your analysis.
Coursework deadline: noon on Thursday, 10th May 2018.
Coursework is to be submitted electronically via Blackboard 9. Further
information on the procedure for coursework submission will be
provided on the Blackboard site later in the semester.
BMAN 31722: Coursework 2017-18
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COURSEWORK FAQs/ Advice
What sources shall I use for writing the essay?
A good start is to make sure you understand the material presented in the
lectures and in the course text. However, simple regurgitation or rewriting of
this will not achieve a high mark, no matter how well it is done. The quality
and quantity your research effort is a significant assessable component of this
coursework. Therefore, you will not be provided with extensive references.
You will be given credit for the research effort undertaken (i.e. reading around
the topic, reading journal articles & your understanding of technical material in
these, and following up of references from these).
Avoid an over-reliance on web-based resources. The internet is the starting
place for most research these days, but only including references to web
pages only reflects a superficial and lazy approach to research.
How will I be assessed?
The general criteria used for the marking of the coursework is at the end of
the document “AMBS Reduced Scale Step Marking UG Grade Descriptors”
which is posted on the Blackboard webpage for the course unit. More
specifically you will also be assessed on:
How well you apply the selected macroeconomic models and the other
concepts we have covered in this course in your essay to an analysis
and evaluation of the selected policy.
The quality of your writing.
How well you have organized your thoughts.
The quality of your referencing and general research effort.
The use of original, relevant examples as appropriate.
Whether you have made an effort to find and critically evaluate some
original research material and data.
Are there any allowances regarding the word limit?
You are also allowed to go 10% over the limit (i.e. 150 words). This is
because Turnitin tends to overestimate the word count in documents by
about 10% words. This means that the total easy word count (excluding
references) should not exceed 1650 words. If your essay is over this you
will be penalized.
Are references included in the word limit of 1500?
No. You are also allowed 100 words for diagram labels, chart labels, etc.
Can I use diagrams from the lecture slides? If so, how do I reference them?
Yes you can use diagrams, etc. from the lecture slides. To reference them
use the following format:
“BMAN 31722 lecture slides, Powerpoint title [***], slide no. [***]”
BMAN 31722: Coursework 2017-18
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How much help will I receive?
As final year students you will be used to writing essays and assignments by
now. As such, there should be little if any need for advice from academic staff
members on how to structure your work or how to reference properly, etc.
Will a member of academic staff be able to read a draft of my coursework?
No. Coursework is University examined material and regulations insist it must
be 100% the student’s own work. To preserve the integrity of this process,
members of academic staff are unable to look at drafts of essays or essay
plans. Nor can they provide detailed advice on what to write in the essay –
apart from what is written in this document. Academic staff will be happy to
speak to students at an appropriate time (office hours), but the previous
statements apply about assistance.
Have you got any general advice on what to write in this essay?
Here are some helpful “do’s” and “dont’s”
DO
Structure the essay properly.
Use original real-world examples wherever possible.
Define any technical terms you may use.
Important: Really try to include at least two line diagrams1
in your
essay to illustrate your policy analysis and evaluation. Properly used
and understood, this demonstrates advanced knowledge and an ability
to integrate concepts and theories into your analysis.
Use equations where appropriate.
Carefully explain any diagrams you include.
Use data to illustrate and support your arguments. This doesn’t need to
be fancy statistics, charts or graphs will do. Macroeconomic data is
plentiful and easy to access. See the course outline for some
references.
Construct a proper reference list (including web sites) at the end of the
essay, including ALL the references you have made. No need for a
separate bibliography.
DON’T
Make unsupported statements or quote facts without references or
explanation.
Include diagrams or graphs with little or no reference to them or
explanation in the text.
Omit references.
Include long, rambling sections of description or anecdote. Try and be
analytical.
PLAGIARISE!!
1 See below for a definition of “line diagram”
BMAN 31722: Coursework 2017-18
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What is meant by a “line diagram”?
A line diagram is a graph of the type you have looked at a lot in this
course, in both lectures and seminars. An example of a basic line
diagram is the simple supply and demand diagram used in the
introductory economics courses you studied. (see below)
How many references should I include?
There is no prescribed number of references. The number of references you
include depends on the number of times you cite other authors, or use
references to back-up facts you have stated. We cannot overemphasise the
importance of proper referencing in academic work.
How should I reference?
Any consistent referencing style is acceptable (footnotes, endnote, etc.).
However a popular style is Harvard referencing. The University guide to
Harvard referencing can be found at:
http://subjects.library.manchester.ac.uk/referencing/referencing-harvard
A line diagram
This is a chart
NOT a line
diagram
BMAN 31722: Coursework 2017-18
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An example is given below:
Statement: “The UK economy grew by 2.6% last year”
Reference: The Economist, 19 Sept. 2015, p 65
See also the material available under the Learning Resources tab on the
Blackboard website for more information.
Is text from the diagrams and references included in the word limit?
No. Only words in the main body of the essay are included in the 1500 word
limit. However, the allowances for references stated above apply.
Penalties for exceeding the length of the coursework:
Any words exceeding the stipulated maximum length of the essay (1650
words) will not be taken into consideration when awarding the final mark.
Should I include diagrams and tables in an Appendix?
No. we prefer all diagrams, tables etc to be in the main body of the essay.
What happens if I miss the deadline?
In general the following rules apply. If you have a genuine reason for missing
the deadline, you should contact the undergraduate assessment office in
Alliance MBS as soon as possible. You should be aware that documentary
proof will be required if you are to avoid penalties.
Penalties for Late or Non-Submission of Assignments
In accordance with the University’s Policy on Submission of Work for
Summative Assessment on Taught Programmes, work submitted after the
deadline will be marked but the mark awarded will reduce progressively for
each day, or part thereof, by which the work is late.
Please see the document entitled Penalty and Plagiarism which is
posted in the Coursework Information 2017-18 folder on the course unit
Blackboard page for details.
Plagiarism:
Please refer to the Plagiarism section on your online handbook to s
