This document provides instructions for a writing assignment due on December 9th. Students must write a 4-page report on an investment company type, financial market participant, or financial market that interests them. They should address basic questions about the history, structure, regulation, and state of the topic. Students also need to summarize 3 recent articles from publications like the Wall Street Journal or Economist relating to their topic. The report will be graded based on how well it addresses context/purpose, develops content, incorporates sources/evidence, and maintains syntax/mechanics. Visiting the writing center for feedback on a draft is required.

1. FIN 340
Writing Assignment
Due date: Friday, December 9nd, 5 p.m.
This assignment provides you with the opportunity to
investigate in more depth an area/topic that has been introduced
in class. The audience for your report will be the general public,
so assume that your audience is not well-versed in finance-
related concepts. Consider this an opportunity to learn more
about an area that interests you, and that you may want to
explore from a career perspective.
Please select one from the list of companies, participants or
markets provided below to explore in more depth. Although
there is flexibility in the structure and content of your report, I
have provided some guiding questions that can help frame your
report. Please also include in your write-up a summary of three
articles that relate to your choice. These articles should be
published in 2016, and they should be from publications such as
the Wall Street Journal, Economist, Forbes, Investor Business
Daily, Financial Times, Barron’s. This summary can be
incorporated into your write-up or be separate. You will be
expected to visit the OSU Writing Center (123 Waldo Hall) to
have a draft of your report reviewed. Details provided below.
Investment Companies:
Regulated:
Open-end funds (mutual funds)
Closed-end funds

2. Unit Investment Trusts (UITs)
(Relatively) Unregulated:
Hedge Funds
Private Equity Funds
Questions/areas to address in your write-up:
1. Describe the basic structure of the investment company type
that you have selected.
2. How has the investment company type evolved in the U.S.?
3. What is the regulatory environment for the investment
company type?
4. Provide some basic descriptive statistics of the investment
company type: size, major players, etc.
Financial Market Participants:
Retail Broker
Prime Broker
Credit Rating Agency
Investment Bank

3. Questions/areas to address in your write-up:
1. Describe the functions and roles of the financial market
participant that you have selected.
2. How has these functions and roles evolved in the U.S.?
3. What is the regulatory environment for the market participant
you have selected?
4. Provide some basic descriptive statistics of the market
participant you have selected: major companies, size, major
players, etc.
Financial Markets:
NASDAQ
NYSE
Questions/areas to address in your write-up:
1. Describe the structure of the financial market that you have
selected, how securities are traded, and major roles within each
market.
2. How has the market that you have selected evolved?
3. What is the regulatory environment for the you have
selected?
4. Provide some basic descriptive statistics of the market
participant you have selected: number of securities traded,
market share, major competitors, etc.

4. Format
The report should be a maximum of four pages, double-spaced,
with 10 point Times New Roman font. If you are providing a
summary table (for descriptive statistics), this does not count
towards your four-page maximum. In addition to the three
current event articles, you should use a minimum of three
references for your report. These can be online references. You
must cite your references using APA citing convention. Your
reference list does not count towards your four-page maximum.
Submission
Please submit your report through Canvas by the deadline –
December 9, 2016, 5 p.m.
Grading
There are a total of 20 points available for this report allocated
in the following way:
16 points: Based on the attached rubric on the following page.
Your report will be evaluated across each of the following
areas: Context and purpose of writing; Content development;
Sources and evidence; Control of syntax and mechanism.
Detailed descriptions of each area are provided in the rubric.
You can achieve a maximum of 4 points in each area.
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
Context of and purpose for writing
Includes considerations of audience, purpose, and the
circumstances surrounding the writing task(s).
Demonstrates a thorough understanding of context, audience,

5. and purpose that is responsive to the assigned task(s) and
focuses all elements of the work.
Demonstrates adequate consideration of context, audience, and
purpose and a clear focus on the assigned task(s) (e.g., the task
aligns with audience, purpose, and context).
Demonstrates awareness of context, audience, purpose, and to
the assigned tasks(s) (e.g., begins to show awareness of
audience's perceptions and assumptions).
Demonstrates minimal attention to context, audience, purpose,
and to the assigned tasks(s) (e.g., expectation of instructor or
self as audience).
Content Development
Uses appropriate, relevant, and compelling content to illustrate
mastery of the subject, conveying the writer's understanding,
and shaping the whole work.
Uses appropriate, relevant, and compelling content to explore
ideas within the context of the discipline and shape the whole
work
Uses appropriate and relevant content to develop and explore
ideas through most of the work.
Uses appropriate and relevant content to develop simple ideas in
some parts of the work.
Sources and evidence
Demonstrates skillful use of high quality, credible, relevant
sources to develop ideas that are appropriate for the discipline
and genre of the writing
Demonstrates consistent use of credible, relevant sources to
support ideas that are situated within the discipline and genre of
the writing.
Demonstrates an attempt to use credible and/or relevant sources

6. to support ideas that are appropriate for the discipline and genre
of the writing.
Demonstrates an attempt to use sources to support ideas in the
writing.
Control of syntax and mechanics
Uses graceful language that skillfully communicates meaning to
readers with clarity and fluency, and is virtually error-free.
Uses straightforward language that generally conveys meaning
to readers. The language in the portfolio has few errors.
Uses language that generally conveys meaning to readers with
clarity, although writing may include some errors.
Uses language that sometimes impedes meaning because of
errors in usage