Assessment Brief 2024/2025
Assignment Information
|
Course Code
|
ACCFIN5234
|
|
Course Title
|
Foundations of Financial Technology
|
|
Weighting
|
100%
|
|
Question release date
|
17th October 2024
|
|
Submission date:
|
15th November 2024
|
|
Grades and Feedback to be released on:
|
|
|
Word limit
|
4000 words (+/- 10%) Refer to word limit policy
|
|
Action to be taken if word limit is exceeded
|
Please confirm
|
1. QUESTION/ DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY
100 % Individual Assignment (Essay)
Throughout the course you have had exposure related to the main themes and principles of Financial Technology (FinTech) and FinTech’s dynamic expansion and growth. The main message being brought forward over the last weeks is that FinTech and Blockchain are here to stay as enabling technological and innovation forces. Nonetheless, it has become apparent over the last few years that FinTech can become disruptive for financial services and present major challenges for entrepreneurs’ decision making and the shaping of the future corporate world.
Required: Given the above statement, you are expected to provide a critical essay of around 4000 words that will:
A) Provide a descriptive and critical discussion about the evolution of FinTech from 2019 to 2024 based on the two ‘Pulse FinTech’ reports from KPMG
Report 1 (February 2024): https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2020/02/pulse-of-fintech-h2-2019.pdf
Report 2 (August 2024): https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/uk/pdf/2024/08/pulse-of-fintech-h1-2024.pdf
(around 1500 words)
B) Present your critical view of the future, the impact and challenges of FinTech alongside with a FinTech application/start-up.
(around 2500 words)
Further comments:
Within this essay you are expected to critically analyse and provide an informed opinion on FinTech and its interaction with financial institutions, Blockchain and its potential for the future and the strategic value that FinTech solutions offer for firms. As part of this discussion, you should explore different literature and reports around FinTech’s expansion and trends. You also should include an application/start-up which you believe encompass the several benefits that FinTech in general is expected to offer. An indicative structure of the essay is:
· Introduction/motivation
· Literature review
· Discussion
o Evolution of FinTech
o Future challenges
o Selected application/start-up
· Conclusion
2. ASSESSMENT RUBRIC/ CRITERIA
Assessment Rubric
|
Criteria
|
Excellent
|
Very Good
|
Good
|
Satisfactory
|
Weak
|
|
Provide a clear, well-structured and well-written essay according to the academic expectations of the School and based on the required task.
|
Excellent structure, writing, referencing, clear arguments utilized towards the questions at hand.
|
Very good structure, writing, referencing, clear arguments utilized towards the questions at hand.
|
Good structure, writing, referencing, arguments utilized towards the questions at hand could be clearer, while the written language could be better.
|
Satisfactory structure and writing, improved language/ referencing need, the arguments utilized towards the questions at hand are not very clear.
|
Not appropriate structure, use of references, inappropriate use of language, lack of focus to the research questions at hand.
|
|
Demonstrate the student’s ability to analyse, elaborate and critical discuss the relevant literature and provide meaningful and coherent arguments regarding the required FinTech elements.
|
Excellent coverage of literature, clear understanding of the FinTech topic and very critical arguments towards the research questions at hand. Excellent effort to connect/compare different literature towards the investigated topic.
|
Very good coverage of literature, clear understanding of the FinTech topic and critical arguments towards the research questions at hand. The connections/comparisons drawn in the literature are very good but could be improved.
|
Good coverage of literature, clear understanding of the FinTech topic, but the critical arguments could be improved to show the depth of knowledge. The literature comparisons/connections are evident but could be clearer.
|
Appropriate coverage of literature, sufficient understanding of the FinTech topic, but the depth is not very evident. There is not sufficient critical analysis of the literature and the comparisons drawn are not very effective.
|
inappropriate coverage of literature, insufficient understanding of the FinTech topic, without showing depth on the topic discussed. Critical analysis is weak and not effective.
|
|
Demonstrate deep knowledge on how FinTech disrupts financial services and provides opportunities for value gains for banks and startups.
|
Excellent demonstration of deep knowledge on the way Fintech startups disrupt and affect financial services, very efficient illustration of the opportunities Fintech creates in relationship to the strategic value brought forward, very suitable selection of startup example.
|
Very efficient demonstration of deep knowledge on the way Fintech startups disrupt and affect financial services, the illustration of the opportunities Fintech creates in relationship to the strategic value brought forward is done in very good way, very good selection of startup example.
|
Good demonstration of knowledge on the way Fintech startups disrupt and affect financial services, however there could be more effort towards making the depth of this knowledge clearer. The illustration of the opportunities Fintech creates in relationship to the strategic value brought forward is done in an appropriate way, but there could be more examples of startups to look at for this.
|
Satisfactory demonstration of knowledge on the way Fintech startups disrupt and affect financial services, but there could be much more effort in showing the depth of this knowledge, The illustration of the opportunities Fintech creates in relationship to the strategic value brought forward is not very clear and more effort is needed, the selection of the startup is appropriate but there could be other examples illustrating what is asked more efficiently.
|
The demonstration of knowledge on the way Fintech startups disrupt and affect financial services is weak, much more effort should be made in showing the depth of this knowledge. The illustration of the opportunities Fintech creates in relationship to the strategic value brought forward is not effective, the selection of the startup is not appropriate for the research questions at hand.
|
Assessment Criteria
Overall, successful individual essays should:
• Provide a clear, well-structured and well-written essay according to the academic expectations of the School and based on the required task.
• Demonstrate the student’s ability to analyse, elaborate and critical discuss the relevant literature and provide meaningful and coherent arguments regarding the required FinTech elements.
• Demonstrate deep knowledge on how FinTech disrupts financial services and provides opportunities for value gains for banks and startups.