You are required to select any merger; acquisition deal of your choice within one of the following sectors that has occurred within the last 5years

i.    Aviation/Airline Industry
ii.    Retail Industry
iii.    Banking
iv.    Media/Advertising and
v.    Pharmaceutical.

Perform the following analysis for the acquirer (an if possible the target):

o    Critically reflect on the rationale for the merger/acquisition;
o    Compare the profitability; liquidity and other performance related ratios pre and post merger/acquisition;
o    Examine whether the official announcement elicited stock market reaction in the context of shareholder value;
o    Examine the corporate strategy of your chosen firm (s) and impact (potential impact) this deal may have on the corporate objectives
o    Also, examine the key challenge(s) that the firm is facing after this deal

Data:
Use relevant databases or annual reports to extract financial information for the companies (s) in question. Your data should be comprehensive enough to investigate the potential differences in the average profitability before and after the merger/acquisition using relevant statistics.

CORPORATE FINANCE ASSIGNMENT (MBA)
Assessment
The assessment for this module is 4000 word coursework worth 100%
Learning Outcomes
1.    Undertake investigative analysis and evaluation of a variety of financial problems and/or financial opportunities and financial contexts, which may be faced by an organisation within its life cycle and within global contexts.

2.    Critically explain decision making in institutional environments related to corporate finance utilisation and planning and evaluate the sources of finance available to an organisation in global contexts and environments

3.    Evaluate advantages and disadvantages of alternative sources of organisational finance and how these contribute to organisational growth including investment, financing and dividend policies and strategies and the conceptual and practical rationales for these in global contexts.

4.    Align finance, financial planning, decision making, and financial strategies to concepts of delivering shareholder value within international environments

5.    Discuss and evaluate the methods by which a company can grow: (e.g. through organic strategy or through mergers and acquisitions) and conceptually and practically value a company on a variety of different bases

6.    Discuss and evaluate the determinants of a firm’s cost of capital and capital structure and demonstrate a critical awareness of the role and importance of research in the evolution of corporate finance and international environments.
1.    Report Structure
1. Introduction [400 words]
o    Clearly state the rationale of the assignment and the key highlights to be discussed in the report;
o    The major sources of financial data should be clearly presented;
o    The methodology employed in the analyses;
[You presentation should be robust and should include one or two citations]
o    Provide a rationale for the choice of your firm and sector – comments on the suitability for the use of these firms. Ensure your discussion is as critical as possible.
[Your presentation should be robust and should include one or two citations]

2.  Rationale & Theory of the merger/Acquisition & Corporate Strategy [1400 words]
o    Examine some of the theories of takeovers in the context of your chosen firm(s);
o    Examine the unique reasons, which necessitated this merger/acquisition. Ensure your discussion is as critical as possible./ Discussion in the context of the corporate strategy
[Your presentation should be robust and should include several academic peer-reviewed citations]

3.  Financial Performance Pre and Post Merger/Acquisition [1200 words]
o    Examine profitability ratios
o    Use relevant statistics to examine potential differences;
o    Your discussion should make use of relevant graphical presentation
[Your presentation should be robust and should include several citations]

4.  Impact of official announcement [500 words]
o    Perform an event analysis and examine the impact of the announcement
o    Synthesis of the event analysis should be robust. Your discussion should provide evidence that you understand the statistics and its corresponding literature. [Your presentation should be robust and should include several academic-peer reviewed citations]

5.  Conclusion and Recommendations [500 words]
o    Provide a reflective summary of the entire report
o    Provide suitable recommendations in the context of financing decisions
[Your presentation should be robust and should include one or two citations]

6.  List of References
o    Provide a comprehensive list of references cited in the report
o    Minimum reference required is 20 from books and journals

7.  Appendices
o    Append relevant information to the report
o    Some of your statistical output should be summarised and attached as an appendix

Word Count for the Assignment
In determining the text to be included within the word limit, the following items are excluded:
o    Abstracts
o    Indented quotations (of more than 50 words)
o    Tables, Figures, Diagrams
o    Footnotes/endnotes used for reference purposes and kept within reasonable limits
o    List of references and/or bibliography
o    Appendices.”

You are required to select any merger; acquisition deal of your choice within one of the following sectors that has occurred within the last 5years

i.    Aviation/Airline Industry
ii.    Retail Industry
iii.    Banking
iv.    Media/Advertising and
v.    Pharmaceutical.

Perform the following analysis for the acquirer (an if possible the target):

o    Critically reflect on the rationale for the merger/acquisition;
o    Compare the profitability; liquidity and other performance related ratios pre and post merger/acquisition;
o    Examine whether the official announcement elicited stock market reaction in the context of shareholder value;
o    Examine the corporate strategy of your chosen firm (s) and impact (potential impact) this deal may have on the corporate objectives
o    Also, examine the key challenge(s) that the firm is facing after this deal

Data:
Use relevant databases or annual reports to extract financial information for the companies (s) in question. Your data should be comprehensive enough to investigate the potential differences in the average profitability before and after the merger/acquisition using relevant statistics.

CORPORATE FINANCE ASSIGNMENT (MBA)
Assessment
The assessment for this module is 4000 word coursework worth 100%
Learning Outcomes
1.    Undertake investigative analysis and evaluation of a variety of financial problems and/or financial opportunities and financial contexts, which may be faced by an organisation within its life cycle and within global contexts.

2.    Critically explain decision making in institutional environments related to corporate finance utilisation and planning and evaluate the sources of finance available to an organisation in global contexts and environments

3.    Evaluate advantages and disadvantages of alternative sources of organisational finance and how these contribute to organisational growth including investment, financing and dividend policies and strategies and the conceptual and practical rationales for these in global contexts.

4.    Align finance, financial planning, decision making, and financial strategies to concepts of delivering shareholder value within international environments

5.    Discuss and evaluate the methods by which a company can grow: (e.g. through organic strategy or through mergers and acquisitions) and conceptually and practically value a company on a variety of different bases

6.    Discuss and evaluate the determinants of a firm’s cost of capital and capital structure and demonstrate a critical awareness of the role and importance of research in the evolution of corporate finance and international environments.
1.    Report Structure
1. Introduction [400 words]
o    Clearly state the rationale of the assignment and the key highlights to be discussed in the report;
o    The major sources of financial data should be clearly presented;
o    The methodology employed in the analyses;
[You presentation should be robust and should include one or two citations]
o    Provide a rationale for the choice of your firm and sector – comments on the suitability for the use of these firms. Ensure your discussion is as critical as possible.
[Your presentation should be robust and should include one or two citations]

2.  Rationale & Theory of the merger/Acquisition & Corporate Strategy [1400 words]
o    Examine some of the theories of takeovers in the context of your chosen firm(s);
o    Examine the unique reasons, which necessitated this merger/acquisition. Ensure your discussion is as critical as possible./ Discussion in the context of the corporate strategy
[Your presentation should be robust and should include several academic peer-reviewed citations]

3.  Financial Performance Pre and Post Merger/Acquisition [1200 words]
o    Examine profitability ratios
o    Use relevant statistics to examine potential differences;
o    Your discussion should make use of relevant graphical presentation
[Your presentation should be robust and should include several citations]

4.  Impact of official announcement [500 words]
o    Perform an event analysis and examine the impact of the announcement
o    Synthesis of the event analysis should be robust. Your discussion should provide evidence that you understand the statistics and its corresponding literature. [Your presentation should be robust and should include several academic-peer reviewed citations]

5.  Conclusion and Recommendations [500 words]
o    Provide a reflective summary of the entire report
o    Provide suitable recommendations in the context of financing decisions
[Your presentation should be robust and should include one or two citations]

6.  List of References
o    Provide a comprehensive list of references cited in the report
o    Minimum reference required is 20 from books and journals

7.  Appendices
o    Append relevant information to the report
o    Some of your statistical output should be summarised and attached as an appendix

Word Count for the Assignment
In determining the text to be included within the word limit, the following items are excluded:
o    Abstracts
o    Indented quotations (of more than 50 words)
o    Tables, Figures, Diagrams
o    Footnotes/endnotes used for reference purposes and kept within reasonable limits
o    List of references and/or bibliography
o    Appendices.”