Department of Financial Management Prof. Dr. Pascal Gantenbein Phone +41 61 267 2459 Fax +41 61 267 2463 Internet www.wwz.unibas.ch/fmgt Email pascal.gantenbein@unibas.ch 24254 Seminar “Bachelor Thesis in Financial Management” (English, 12 KP) Module Bachelor Thesis, Spring Term 2014 I. Objective and Content This seminar is intended to expand the participants' knowledge and understanding of the most relevant concepts in financial management. Students will be given the opportunity to work on a particular topic of their own interest and present their bachelor thesis in class. Based on the subject matters they have learnt in previous courses, participants will gain insights on the empirical relevance of certain concepts and their potential for practical application. Furthermore, they will get a broad perspective on the vari‐
ous topics that will be presented and discussed by other participants. In addition, they learn how to pre‐
sent and defend their analyses in English. II. Important Dates Date* Content 19.02.2014, 16‐18h Introduction (S13, WWZ) ** 10.03.2014 Submission deadline for the proposal (earlier submissions are welcome) 03.05.2014 Submission deadline for the written paper 15.05.2014 (S3), 8‐18 h Block Seminar: Presentations and Discussions 16.05.2014 (S3), 8‐18h Block Seminar: Presentations and Discussions *Times and dates may be subject to changes
** Please let us know in case you’re unable to attend the intro session! III. Assignment Details In terms of assessment please note that your analysis should be a contribution of your own. Apart from the usual criteria, the degree of innovation (in research focus, methodology, and presentation of re‐
sults), the structure and logic of arguments, the research method, and the relevance of the topic will be particularly important. The assessment comprises four parts: 1. Proposal (weight 10%): The proposal (approx. 2 pages) explains the suggested topic, the objec‐
tive of research, the suggested research method, the structure of the paper, and previous aca‐
demic research on the topic. In case of empirical work, the proposal should also contain infor‐
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mation about the data sources. From the proposal, it should become clear that the student is able to write a good paper on the selected topic. 2. Seminar paper (weight 50%): Your paper should demonstrate in which respect it is related to the existing literature and why it is different. It should have a minimum of 20 pages and a maximum of 40 pages (text only, this number of pages does not contain the appendices). 3. Presentation (weight 30%): The presentation will be 15‐20 minutes, followed by a discussion. It is suggested that you prepare slides for your presentation. Handouts (b/w, 4 slides on 1 page) will be appreciated by the other participants. 4. Discussion (weight 10%): Each participant will review a paper of someone else and give a presentation of about 5 minutes on it including a short summary as well as an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the respective paper. The discussion should comprise both positive and negative (!) aspects of the discussed paper. It is suggested that you prepare slides for your discussion. The allocation of discussion papers will be made by the lecturer after the submission of the written paper. IV. Assessment Criteria The evaluation is based on the structure of the written report, the degree of innovation and the stu‐
dent’s own contribution, the scope and depth of the analysis, the integration of relevant academic liter‐
ature, the structure of arguments, the stringency of logic as well as the formal quality of the paper. For the presentation, the clarity of arguments and the ability to present the topic within the given time frame are further important criteria. We strongly suggest that the thesis follows the standards in academic literature (in terms of argumenta‐
tion style, language, structure, citation, tables, exhibits, etc.). Examples of excellent articles can be found in journals such as the Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, and Journal of Financial Econom‐
ics. We both welcome topics which involve empirical analyses as well as participants’ own suggestions (if topics are innovative and allow for an empirical investigation). Please also refer to the guidelines for writing papers on http://wwz.unibas.ch/finanzmanagement/masterarbeiten/abteilung/fmgt/ Proposals and papers should be submitted in electronic format (as pdf files). V. Support Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Pascal Gantenbein, Department of Financial Management, WWZ, Peter Merian‐Weg 6, 4002 Basel. +41 (0) 61‐267‐2459. Mail: pascal.gantenbein@unibas.ch Assistant: Christoph Winter, M.Sc., +41 (0) 61‐267‐2461, christoph.winter@unibas.ch and Simon Bader, M.A. HSG, +41 (0) 61‐267‐3249, simon.bader@unibas.ch 2/2