This document outlines the requirements for a corporate finance term project. Students will form groups of 4-5 members to study a particular industry and select companies within that industry equal to the number of group members. For their assigned company, students are to obtain annual reports from 2008-2012 and analyze the company's capital structure, dividend policy, corporate governance, and other financial policies. Students will report their findings through a final report and presentation to a panel including their instructor and industry experts. Important deadlines for the project are provided.

1. Corporate Finance Term Project – FALL 2013; Course Instructor: Maryam Masnoon Shahid
Industry Case Study
 Form a group of 4 to 5 members.
 Select a particular industry (sector) and pick companies belonging to that sector. Number of
companies would be equal to number of members in a group.
 Obtain annual reports for years 2008 till 2012 for the company assigned to you, make a folder of
all five reports for all companies selected, and submit on the first deadline.
 Study its financials to trace its ‘capital structure’, ‘dividend policy’, ‘corporate governance’ and
any other financial policy or practices that you can link with your knowledge from this course
 (Optional) Develop a questionnaire to interview key finance personnel of that company
regarding these policies, include all the relevant factors and issues pertaining the above policies
in that questionnaire, develop proper scales and assign due weight-ages. Get the questionnaire
approved by me, prior to taking it for the interview. There are marks for the quality of
questionnaire)
 Report your findings and analysis in a comprehensive and cohesive fashion
 Present your work to a panel of experts. The panel of examiners will comprise your course
teacher, senior finance faculty members and an industry expert, like a financial analyst or
investment banker.
 Important Dates:
Selected Companies, Reason for selecting a
particular sector, Group composition, Task
Division, Timeline of Project Completion
specifying contribution of each member
Friday, 22nd
November, 2013
Questionnaire Submission for Approval Latest by 29th
November, 2013
Findings of Interview with designation and
contact details of Interviewee
Final Report 19th
December, 2013
Presentation/Viva Date will be communicated later as per
availability of all panel members
 The report should include, and not necessarily limit to, the following sections:
1. Acknowledgement (Max half page) Give due acknowledgements to the people and
entities who have contributed, cooperated and guided you to conduct this study
2. Summary (Max. One page)
3. Introduction (2 pages) (Brief introduction of the industry, company, the policies and
practices to be covered in this report)
4. Secondary Data Analysis (Historical Annual Reports of the company, news articles about
that company, Analyst’s reports, etc.) Give comprehensive analysis supported by tables
and graphs within the text. (2-3 pages for each area, if need be, quote relevant
article/table etc in appendices)
Make sure it is your analysis of the secondary data; do not just reproduce the content
from these secondary sources, rather connect the data with your conceptual
understanding. Make sure you cite relevant sources of secondary information
5. Primary Data Analysis (Optional) (3-4 pages) Connect the data gathered through
interview, with the concepts, theories and models discussed in the class, and present

2. your findings in a meaningful manner. Include sub-headings to organize your findings
and analysis.
Document your correspondence with the interviewee (e.g. emails exchanged, time and
date of meeting etc. to include in the appendices)
6. Conclusion/Final Word (Max 3 pages)
7. References/Sources –Include all secondary data sources, necessary details of the
interviewee
8. Appendices –Include your questionnaire, financial statements, news releases, articles,
analyst reports etc. that were analyzed for the study, your correspondence with the
interviewee (eg. emails exchanged, time and date of meeting etc. to include in the
appendices)
 Formatting
Font Size 12 throughout the document
Font Style Times New Roman / Calibri
Margin One inch all four sides
Binding Spiral
Line Spacing 1.5