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Business
Law (BUS 316 3.0 Cr)
Business & Management
Course Description
Virtually every business activity is affected
in some way by laws. Legal issues dominate
the commercial world, from the planning stage
of any project to the actual conduct of business,
and a capable business person will be aware
of the importance of knowing about the laws
that govern business activities and the necessity
of abiding by them. It is important to understand
that the law is not ethics, nor is it morals
per se. Rather, what we call "law"
is the set of rules within which a society
operates. For those who are interested in
determining how to stay "within the rules"
or how to avoid or minimize costly problems
or situations, this course will prove useful.
In this course, students will study a wide
variety of legal topics. The areas studied
will be diverse--from criminal law to real
property to employment and worker issues.
The common factor will be that each of the
topics covered directly affects the conduct
of business.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, students will
be able to:
• Describe the federal and state court
system and various alternative systems of
dispute resolution
• Understand the basics of contract
law--how contractual obligations are created,
satisfied and breached
• Comprehend the liability issues associated
with negligent conduct or products
• Describe legal differences among various
business formations and their significance
• Understand the regulation of business
conduct in the areas of antitrust, environmental
controls, and land use
• Discuss the legal implications of
the evolving areas of e-commerce
• Examine a business situation and understand
the legal ramifications of any particular
course of action
• Explore the ethical implications of
different legal positions
Breadth of Assignments
This course utilizes a variety of methods
for explore the topics of Business Law including:
textbook reading assignments, online flash
presentations designed to present the material
in an engaging way, web resources, self-assessment
quizzes, collaborative projects and individual
assignments involving case studies and discussion
boards encouraging students to share opinions
of various subject matter topics.
Required Resources
Cross, Frank B. and Roger LeRoy Miller. (2003).
West's Legal Environment of Business with
the Online Research Guide, (5th Ed). Mason,
OH: South-Western College Publishers. ISBN:
0-324-15465-8
Business Law
Business & Management
Module/Topics
Module 1: Creation of the Legal Structure
• The importance of law in the business
world, and the importance of ethics in decision-making
• The organization of the judicial system
and the structure of the legal process
• Distinguish between the sources of
law, such as constitutional law, statutory
law, administrative law, and case law
• The benefits and procedures of alternate
dispute resolution
Module 2: General Principles of Public
Law
• Constitutional review, the process
by which laws are judged constitutionally
valid or invalid
• How administrative regulations are
proposed and promulgated and how to locate
such regulations through Web resources
• Analyzing a business situation to
see whether criminal liability will attach
to a particular course of action
• Determining what international legal
principles might apply to business conduct
• The ethical implications of some of
the public law and international law issues
Module 3: Private Rights and Liabilities:
Contracts and Torts
• How a valid contract is created and
the potential obstacles to enforcing such
a contract
• Identifying adequate performance of
a breach of contract
• Analyzing a commercial transaction
to determine what provisions of the Uniform
Commercial Code apply
• The principles of negligence law,
including the duty of care, forseeability,
and breach of the duty of care
• The law of product liability
Module 4: Business Organizations: Money and
the Law
• The increasingly complex legal issues
associated with e-commerce and web activities
• Analyzing a commercial situation to
determine the rights and liabilities of parties
in a creditor-debtor relationship and how
to protect your rights in such a situation
• What a partnership is, how it is created,
and the benefits and disadvantages of partnerships
• The different forms of bankruptcy
and the legal characteristics and ramifications
of each
• The corporate form, its characteristics,
structures, and liability implications
Module 5: Agency and Employment
• How an agency relationship is created
and terminated
• The rights and liabilities of both
the agent and the principle in a particular
business situation
• The statutory and regulatory principles
that govern employee-employer relations
• The laws that govern the hiring and
firing of employees, specifically those that
prohibit discrimination in hiring or firing
• The role unions play in the employment
environment
Module 6: The Regulators
• The applicability of consumer protection
laws regarding advertising, sales, and credit
protection to various business situations
• The various environmental protections
and zoning laws that restrict business activity
• The principles of real estate ownership,
leasing and transfer
• The general principles of antitrust
and restraint of trade laws
• The various securities regulations
that control transfer of securities in the
United States
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