Category: Assignment Help

Project description
he corporate governance reporting explored in the exam concerns whether the comply or explain /principle approach to corporate governance reporting in the UK gives good quality corporate governance information for investors or whether it is merely boilerplate de minimus compliance
You will need to understand:
What quality of corporate governance communication could be defined a:
o This requires a consideration of the agency theory,
o the issue of information asymmetry,
othe purpose of governance disclosure as defined in the CCCG
oand the appropriate level of investor engagement.

What is the problem with governance disclosure from both academic research and the reports given by the FRC annually.
What are the issues of boilerplate disclosure and the challenge to discern best practice from minimum practice.
How is best practice developed and encoded and, using a key challenge of governance behaviour such as board diversity, risk management, remuneration practices or corporate ethics/culture discuss how pressure on the legitimacy of corporations drives voluntary disclosure in this arena.
What evidence is there whether the flexibility to disclose does result in corporations signalling or legitimising their positions to create a social consensus to change behaviour without recourse to legislation?.
Is there evidence of development of best practice within the code from the legitimacy challenge into a committee/report and thence into the code?.
This is a very wide question and I think only those of you who have studied either the optional module on Corporate Governance or positioned your dissertation in this area may wish to attempt it. Key information to start your research here is around the comments from the FRC regarding the quality of corporate reporting and the ideas of Michael Power in the Audit Society of accountability being used to drive change in society. If you get stuck with studying in this area email me for advice and Ill make sure you are on the right lines

Some References for this section by no means exhaustive:
Davison J (2014) Visual rhetoric and the case of intellectual capital Accounting Organizations and Society Volume 39, Issue 1 pp20-37
Niamh M. Brennan, Encarna Guillamon-Saorin, Aileen Pierce, (2009) “Methodological Insights: Impression management: Developing and illustrating a scheme of analysis for narrative disclosures a methodological note”, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Vol. 22 Iss: 5, pp.789 832
Beattie V.A., McInnes, B., Fearnley, S. (2004), “A methodology for analysing and evaluating narratives in annual reports: a comprehensive descriptive profile and metrics for disclosure quality attributes”, Accounting Forum, Vol. 28 pp.205-36
FRC (2015) Financial Reporting Review Panel Annual Reports (all prior years) www.frc.org.uk
International Integrated Reporting Council (2013) IIRC Prototype Framework www.theiirc,org
PWC (2012) Integrated Reporting The Future of Corporate Reporting Pricewaterhouse Coopers pp1-45
The Strategic Review Companies Act 2013 access through www.legislation.gov.org
Beretta,S & Bozzolan, S (2008) Quality vs Quantity: the case for forward looking disclosure Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance, Vol.23 (No. 2) pp 333-76
Black Sun Plc (2010) Rethinking reporting available at www.blacksunplc.com
Courtis J (2004) Corporate report obfuscation: artefact or phenomenon? The British Accounting Review Vol 36 (No. 3) pp291-312
Deegan C (2002) The legitimising effect of social and environmental disclosures a theoretical foundation Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal Vol. 15 (No.3 ) pp 282 -311
Tilling M V (2004) Some thoughts on legitimacy theory in social and environmental accounting Social and Environmental Accountability Journal Vol 24 (No 2) pp3-7
Bird R and Smith E (2005) Signalling Theory, Strategic Interaction and Symbolic Capital Current Anthropolgy Vol 46, No 2
Flower J (2015) The International Integrated Reporting Council: A story of failure Critical Perspectives on Accounting Volume 27 pp 1-17
Adams C (2015) A rebuttal of the position of John Flower Critical Perspectives on Accounting Volume 27
www.theiirc.org explore their website for key documents on their developing perspectives and policies including the discussions of the different interest groups

www.frc.org explore this website for criticisms of financial reporting especially the current weaknesses that they report each year and the work of the financial reporting laboratory

Project description
Throughout this term, you learned a number of key concepts in leading a company in quality assurance techniques. However, rarely can a company be led to these standards by just one person. Instead, a team of people will be gathered in order to ensure that each department is upholding their quality assurance standards.

Research a company of your choice to determine an area where quality may need to be improved. This might be a company you currently work for, a company you have worked for in a past, or a company that you have done business with and realized that there may be an underlying issue in their processes. Feel free to change the name of the company to protect their identity. If you are at a complete loss of what company to use, you may create a fictional company, however, you must adhere to all of the parts of the assignment.

Once you have chosen your company, it would be beneficial for you to establish a contact within the organization in order to communicate with. This is not mandatory, but is definitely recommended. Again, you may change the name of your sources to ensure privacy.

The next step in the project is to assume the role as the lead of the Quality Assurance project team. You will conduct a proposal to develop a quality assurance plan to put in place to ensure that the company is offering the utmost quality in their service/product.

There are four main parts to your proposal:

Part I – Quality Objectives: This portion of the proposal will require you to define what needs to be changed and the steps that you intend to make it happen. You must also determine the tools and quality techniques that will be necessary in implementing the change.
Part II – Roles and Responsibilities: This portion of the proposal will require you to determine the roles and responsibilities individuals will play throughout the process. This is a very important part of the plan. Itemizing roles and tasks is beneficial throughout the process to ensure that each party understands their position within the project.
Part III – Coordination with Other Plans: This portion of the proposal will require you to determine what other plans are currently in place for the company to run smoothly. You must do your research to ensure that you do not risk contradicting or compromising other plans currently in place.
Part IV – Tasks and Scheduling: This portion of the proposal will allow you to begin assigning and scheduling tasks. It is very important to determine the time frame allotted and plan accordingly.

Project description
QUESTION: To what extent does the present law relating to company directors duties and remedies for breach strike an appropriate balance between promoting economic activity and safeguarding shareholder interests.

Formulate reasoned proposals for how, in your view, the system could be improved. In preparing your report you need to address the following areas

1. The historic basis and rationale of directors duties;
2. The current rules governing directors duties;
3. A review of the literature to assess the advantages and disadvantages of the current system and proposals for reform;
4. Your proposals (including the rationale) and how they compare to other jurisdictions, and
5. What those proposals would achieve by reference to striking a balance between competing considerations.

the structure of the paper is as follow:
TITLE: To what extent does the present law relating to company directors duties and remedies for breach strike an appropriate balance between promoting economic activity and safeguarding shareholder interests.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: A summary of your personal conclusion in relation to the issues raised in the assessment question.
REPORT: The detailed research, critical evaluation and analysis of it which lead you to your conclusion. Each aspect considered in your research and analysis should be covered by separate headings.

(Bibliography) –

Word count is 3000 excluding footnotes and bibliography
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Added on 04.05.2016 18:19
Assessment Criteria
Your report should meet the following ten assessment criteria, where appropriate:
1. Demonstration of a high level of knowledge and systematic understanding of the subject.
2. Critical evaluation of current knowledge, research and advanced scholarship.
3. Application of knowledge and understanding to the clients objectives.
4. Comprehensive analysis of complex issues.
5. Arriving at a clear and reasoned solution to the clients problem.
6. Adopting a clear and logical structure.
7. Systematic use of appropriate information in support of the argument.
8. Correct use of English language.
9. Addresses relevant ethical and commercial issues.
10. Application of appropriate practitioner skills to a high level.

Project description
1-First, paper answer is questions format 1,2,3 etc. Answers must be directly responding to the question, and what the question is asking.
2-Points grades are giving to the answer analyzing and linking to cases and rules and law discussed in the course. No grade is giving to answer from another sources.
3-It is highly recommended to respond to the question, and then, bring cases, and analyze your thoughts linked to cases and rules.
4-Grade goes up as much as issues are found and analyzed with cases and rules. No point will be given for finding issue without analyzes.
5-The minimum is 2500, so, do not waste with any unrelated information.
6-Sources: There are two sources MUST rely on. The main one is the one will be used. Any additional explanation or supporting example can be found and taken from the second Sources. However, first must analyze mainly from the main sources. Second sources is additional and worth nothing if the first one is not completely used. That mean, you can not bring cases from the second one, and ignoring those cases in the main sources. Thus, you should first analyze cases from the main sources, after you discuss them, you can go and bring cases from the second cases.
7-In your answer show that you understood the big concept. It is a hypo and fact, and spots the issue as much as you see them, and applies the contest and concept.
8-Think and structure the answer show that you understood the issue and how you resolve it.
9-Do not say everything in arbitration just answer the question.
10-The question will be Do you think this or that and why? Try to convince. Do you think the administrative secretory draft this award and why? So most of the answers will be it depends (take a position and support it).
11-So you need to be familiar with the concept or the issue.
12-She is not looking to cite every case only cases and rules you think support your position.
13-If you think that something messing, you can add or make an assumption or do it in two parts. Always see, according to present fact . You can assume new important fact that might affect the case and your answer.
14-IBA, ICC and others related rules you need to use them and look for it to support and analyses your answer according to the governing rules mentioned in the question. It is very important to start with answer, rules and cases and analyze.
15- Finally, no citation is needed other than citing and referring to cases and rules and regulation numbers. Do not cite to book or article.

Project description
Scenario for the report

Mills and Mopps LLP, a small property development company, have been contacted by an independent school, Grove Park, seeking a developer JV partner to develop land next to the school as the site for their new sports centre and a mixed use development.

The land currently has two vacant low rise light industrial buildings on it: a car maintenance workshop Windmill Motors, and a metal fabricators workshop. The site was abandoned following the demise of both small businesses and has been left in a bad state with rusting cars and other debris. It has been the victim of fly-tippers and there is also an electrical sub-station at the back of the site and some buried power cables, the location of which is unknown.

The site is bordered on one side by the river Quaggy, a small London watercourse that has become silted up and polluted, and by a small low- rise housing estate on the other side.

In the middle of the site are the remains of an old windmill, dating from the mid-19th century and a reminder of the areas rural past, which has been used for storing scrap metal. The windmill is not a listed building but it appears in the local list as a building of historic interest.

The local council which owns the site had hoped to sell the site for housing but there has been little interest. It has now offered it to the school at a discount so that they can build a new sports centre but they still require flats developed on the site as well as some commercial use (artists studios), and they have indicated that the developer selected by the School to build the new sports centre should also develop the rest of the site to provide the residential accommodation and artists studios.

Grove Parks initial budget for the purchase of the site and the construction of the sports centre is 2.5m., and they look to the developer to offset some of their costs through the sale of the commercial and residential units.

The Developers have been asked by the school to submit a preliminary written proposal for the use of the site and, as it looks as if the restoration of the windmill will become a condition of the planning consent, they have also been asked to investigate the options for the old windmill. Can it be demolished, for example?

Writing on behalf of the developer you are required to report to the School Governors as follows:

oDiscuss the key statutory issues that need to be considered and any other matters that may affect the future use of the site.

oWhat statutory applications are required for the development of the site?

oThere appears to be some serious land contamination and the presence of invasive weeds, such as Japanese knotweed. What are the implications of this?

oThe school is very interested in pursuing a green agenda. What would be the key statutory considerations and what sustainable options are available for the development?

oThey are particularly concerned about the site clearance and how to protect the windmill which they intend to mothball until funds are available for its restoration. Discuss the different methods of procurement and recommend the one you consider most relevant to the project. Set out your preferred tendering procedures and state your choice of contract giving the reasons for your choice. In your answer you should make reference to how you would deal with the windmill.

oThe school has raised that, in developing the site, the new buildings will be considerably higher than the low-rise housing estate bordering the site, and this may reduce the level of light to the houses. Also, some of the buildings may abut or be located less than 1 metre from the existing buildings. Indicate how to deal with these matters so as to minimise disputes with the neighbours.

The rapid proliferation of the World Wide Web (Web) has seen the emergence of a multitude of Web sites and the use of Social Media. While there is no certainty of who will survive in the competitive Social Media Web environment, one thing is for certain: the Web has changed the way business is conducted. The intent of this term paper is to heighten the awareness and understanding of an organization’s Social Media Web strategy by critically evaluating their Social Media presence.Select a Social Media Web site to evaluate the key elements supporting  an organization’s Web Strategy.Critically evaluate an organization’s Social Media Web presence.Identify the key elements of an organization’s Social Media Web presence.Evaluate an organization’s Social Media Web site from the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) perspective.Identify the nature of site (product/service) provider. Develop a brief industry profile.What is the value source from the customer vantage point?Identify their revenue model (i.e., how do they generate revenue?). Is their path-to-profitability clearly identified?Source of volume: Which non–web-driven activity is being replaced (substituted) by the Web site?Target market: Develop a detailed profile of consumers attracted to Web site and why. (What share of the existing business volume do they represent?)If this is a Social Media Web site for a traditional business, what is the value addition for the current or new customer base?Traffic/growth: What are the primary methods used to drive traffic to the Web site? What is the implication of this strategy on profitability? Who are the main non-Web competitors? What are their main competitive strengths?Who are the Web competitors? What are their Web strategies? What are their unique strengths? Are their sources of volume and target market shares different from ours?How does this Web site rate or rank relative to the respective competitors’ strengths?Is this Web site crossing traditional competitive boundaries and forming a new basis of competition?What is the main competitive threat to this Web business?The Web brand: provide a brand positioning statement (the value proposition).How is the end user’s (and intermediary user’s) value proposition redefined? Compare the old benefits structure with the new Web site–driven benefits structure.How is the delivery system redefined?What is the economic benefit (to the customer and to the business)?What benefits provided by the Web site (individually or in combination as a bundle) are truly unique and provide the potential for sustainable competitive advantage?What is the likely competitor response to this Web benefit structure?Does this Web site provide a personalized and convenient shopping experience? Does it build a customer profile? Is this profile automatically deployed on subsequent visits?Is the Web site easy to use? Is it involving? Can it generate loyalty? Will it be in business five years from now (why)?Evaluate customer service or contact options provided.Is the Web site actively involved in conducting marketing research?What is the adopted privacy policy of the organization?What are some suggested improvements or modifications? How will they make for a more competitive or profitable and sustainable business? Discuss how this Web presence parallels the organization’s overall marketing strategy.Identify and match common elements of the creative strategy along with the media utilized in the promotional process.Evaluate the clarity and consistency of message componentsEvaluate the tonality of the promotional campaign.Your report should be a maximum of 8 double spaced pages, plus a title page and a reference page. Please follow MLA guidelines in your formatting. Use facts from the text book, the online library and the Internet to support your analysis. 

Project description
There are two topics, plz write 750 words for each topic

Presentational Issues/ Integrated Reporting and Cutting the Clutter/ Sustainability Reporting/ Corporate Governance Reporting
Presentational Impacts on Communication Quality
Definitions of quality of information in financial statements
The importance of voluntary communication and the role of imagery and design within this
What disclosure theories may explain voluntary disclosure in financial statements?
Consider legitimacy/signalling/attribution behaviour. Also consider whether the behaviour is always conscious.
Does the voluntary communication matter? Do investors use this? Does this create subconscious priming to receive information?
What is the role of impression management? How does it work? Why do managers do this? What is the role of imagery/ paratext in impression management?
Definitions of paratext and the role of paratextual analysis in understanding messages in financial statements
How can paratext/visual imagery develop positive information about the company?
How may this compromise the information communicated by the company?

Integrated Reporting impact on Communication Quality
What is the debate around the development of voluntary and mandatory corporate reporting?
What is the debate around narrative reporting?
What is problem with corporate reporting especially narrative reporting?
(proliferation; issues with understandability; transparency, relevance, reliability; contents of narrative reporting (should CSR be included for example); ideas of IIRC)
What are the main drivers of the debate ( FRC;IIRC; Accounting Profession: Academic Community) and what do each seem to believe is the correct way forwards
What are the benefits and challenges/problems/limitations of expanding or contracting narrative disclosure?
Where should the balance be placed:
Relevance vs reliability
Front end accessible but subject to bias vs back end reliable due to audit but lacking in transparency
Is it the narrative nature of the disclosure that causes the issue and could it be regulated in any way?
Can narrative ever be trustworthy?
What is evidence that narrative is not trustworthy ( all the stuff about impression management)
What drives the information not to be trustworthy? (Legitimacy theory; signaling theory; attribution theory) and caused by asymmetry of information between shareholders and directors and the conflict of interest this creates. Is this unreliability of information always conscious?
What is role of audit in this and can it solve the problem? Could narrative be standardized? Could other ideas improve the quality of this disclosure ethics and integrity of accounts preparers in support of the principle of faithful representation and objectivity but again think about the issue with subconscious bias.
Where does Integrated reporting sit in all of this? What is their vision and agenda? What do their pilot reports and best practice reports look like? Do they answer the criticisms of the FRC and others in cutting the clutter?
What do the pilot best practice reports produced by the FRC and Financial Laboratory look like? Do these do a better job at resolving problems than integrated reports?
What do each organisation claim around their reports and do either appear to be a solution?

Project description
The due date is 12th of May at 12 noon.
Your essay should:
1.)Critically link case study discussion to the relevant theoretical and policy-focused literature;
2.)Use graphical and visual sources where appropriate, e.g. maps, urban plans, policy diagrams, etc.

You may choose to use appendices in this coursework, but there is no expectation that you will do so. Appendix material does not count towards the word count. However, appendices should not be used for the discussion of material that is central to your discussion and analysis.
The core reading:
Brand, P. and Thomas, M. (2005) Urban Environmentalism: Global Change and the Mediation of Local Conflict, London, Routledge.
Brenner, N., (2004), New State Spaces: Urban Governance and the Rescaling of Statehood, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Cochrane, A. (2007) Understanding Urban Policy A Critical Introduction, Oxford, Blackwell.
Flint, J. and Raco, M. (eds) (2012) The Future of Sustainable Cities: Critical Reflections, Bristol, Policy Press.
Kjaer, A. (2004) Governance: Key Concepts, Cambridge, Polity Press.
Krueger, R., Gibbs, D. (eds) (2007), The Sustainable Development Paradox: Urban Political Economy in United States and Europe, New York, Guilford Press.
Whitehead, M. (2006) Spaces of Sustainability: Geographical Perspectives on the Sustainable Society, London, Routledge.
Other Reading:
Brenner N. and Theodore N. (Eds.) (2002), Spaces of Neoliberalism. Urban Restructuring in North America and Western Europe, Oxford, Blackwell.
Bulkeley H. and Betsill M. (2003), Cities and Climate Change: Urban Sustainability and Global Environmental Governance, London, Routledge.
Crouch C. (2004), Post-Democracy, Cambridge, Polity Press.
Davies, J.S. and D.L. Imbroscio (eds.) (2009) Theories of Urban Politics. Second edition, Sage, London.
Dean, M. (2007) Governing Societies, Sage, London.
Hajer M. (1995), The politics of Environmental Discourse: Ecological Modernisation and the Policy Process, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Healey, P. (2006) Collaborative Planning: Shaping Places in Fragmented Societies, Palgrave, New York.
Hodson, M., and Marvin S. (2011), World Cities and Climate Change, Milton Keynes, Open University Press.
Kooiman, J. (2003) Government as Governance, Sage, London.
Simm, A. (2007) Tescopoly, London, New Economics Foundation.
Rydin, Y. (2010) Governing for Sustainable Urban Development. Abingdon & New York: Earthscan.

Useful web sites:
The Audit Commission has written a number of reports on urban regeneration and urban policy: http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation provides a good summary of the findings of its research projects at: www.jrf.org
Excellent summary articles and case studies can be found at the Guardian Unlimited webpage on urban regeneration: www.societyguardian.co.uk/regeneration
http://www.poverty.org.uk – a useful source of stats on poverty in the UK.
The DCLG webpage www.communities.gov.uk
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Added on 03.05.2016 17:31
Hello There! Thank you for the last 3 essays. I have passed them all. I hope this topic will be easy for you. I will copy-paste the feedback from the last year so that you can see where the essay can be improved.

FEEDBACK: Students took a broad range of approaches to answering the two essay questions. They demonstrated creativity in drawing on a wide range of case studies to illustrate their arguments, sometimes producing interesting and original lines of thought. Many students went beyond core course readings to develop their arguments. Some of the best papers drew on primary sources, demonstrating solid capacity for original research. Similarity scores were generally low. There were three with similarity scores above 20%. For two of these this was due to justified measures (a disability form and a long bibliography). There were a few essays with extremely sloppy referencing.

Areas for improvement and lessons for next time

Very few essays were clearly linked to relevant theoretical literature. Some did not try to do tis at all while others did so in a very superficial way.
There were a lot of issues with structure, even in some of the strongest essays. Very few had strong introductions that clearly set out their argument and the structure of the essay and the main points that it would argue.
It can be difficult to strike the right balance of theory, literature review and case studies in a 2000 word essay, and a number of students clearly struggled with this. The best essays had a single case study. Some students tried to discuss two or even three cases and their analysis ended up being rather superficial as a result. Many had very short introductions and conclusions, perhaps because they had run out of words.
Many students did not take strong stances in response to the essay questions, instead largely re-hashing arguments from the literature.