Syllabus LEB f 323 Business Law & Ethics Summer 2016 Instructor: Bradley M. Gold, Esq. Time: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday 8:00am - 10:00am Location: UTC 1.102 Unique #: 71350 Office: CBA 5.252 Office Hours: Monday / Wednesday 10:00am - 11:30am or by appointment Office E-mail: bradley.gold@mccombs.utexas.edu Note: Please contact me with questions and concerns throughout the semester via McCombs email. Course Objectives: After taking this course, students should be able to: 1. Identify legal and ethical issues that arise in common business transactions. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of business law and business ethics, and be able to apply such knowledge to real world business situations and transactions. 3. Apply legal reasoning and critical analysis to business issues involving legal questions. 4. Become aware of ethics issues in business and formulate defensible resolutions. Introduction: In our class, we will work to familiarize you with various concepts of business ethics and several areas of business law - all with a strong focus upon practical lessons and real world case studies that are intended to help expose you to and prepare you for the business world. In the 2015-2016 long session, we applied our knowledge to case studies including: Volkswagen s diesel emissions scandal, Whole Foods overcharging customers in New York, Bayer food and pharmaceutical labeling gaffes, General Mills selling gluten free Cheerios that were not actually gluten free, how Teflon Tom Brady seems to get away with breaking rules, and why Lil Dicky may be smarter than he appears in a YouTube video. The single guiding principal for teaching this class is that I am heavily focused on providing information that you will actually need after graduation. (I do not wish to fill your heads with useless information.) And last, while this course is not a complete primer for starting your own
business, this course will increase both the knowledge and tools you will have at your disposal to start your own business. As an ETHICS & LEADERSHIP flagged course, at least 1/3 of your grade will come from work in practical ethics applications, such as analyzing a product, business, or market from an ethical perspective. As a part of the BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS curiculum, we will have a strong emphasis placed upon giving you business knowledge that will compliment the knowledge you gain in your non-business major. Pffft! Facts are meaningless. You can use facts to prove anything that s even remotely true. - Homer Simpson Course Materials: 1. BUSINESS LAW: TEXT & CASES, by Allison & Prentice (15th Edition by University Co-op). Available in electronic and / or paper format. 2. Your head bring it to class every day 3. Your heart please bring it too, even if your Schmoopy broke it last weekend General Grading Information: Attendance = 5% or 50 points Pop-up Ethics Quiz = 25% or 250 points Midterm Exam #1 = 20% or 200 points Midterm Exam #2 = 20% or 200 points Final Exam = 30% or 300 points Total Points Available: 1,000 930+ points = A 900 points - 929 pts = A- 880 points - 899 pts = B+ 820 points - 879 pts = B 800 points - 819 pts = B- 700 points - 799 pts = C 600 points - 699 pts = D 599 points or less = F Note: Zero exceptions will be made for being x points short of the next grade. If you don t think a single point is important, you must have also missed our lecture on publicly-traded stock markets.
Exams: Sharing information about exams with other classes / students is strictly prohibited. Any students found to be engaging in unauthorized collaboration with other students may be subject to disciplinary action. I explicitly prohibit students from classes earlier in the day posting information about an exam on social media sites so students in later classes gain an advantage in taking an exam. Pop-up Ethics Quiz: At some point during the summer session, you will be asked to complete an ethics exam. The exact date has not been set purposely, because in the real world of business, a true ethics test occurs when you may not be expecting it. As long as you comply with the attendance policy and show up to class, I offer my word that while the timing of the exam may be unexpected, the material tested on the exam will be very familiar to you if you attend class on a regular basis. The date of the exam will be announced 24 hours in advance. Midterm #1: See course schedule information below regarding topics / chapters expected to be on this exam. Exam is scheduled for June 16th. Exam will be multiple choice, approximately 50 questions. Midterm #2: See course schedule information below regarding topics / chapters expected to be on this exam. Exam is scheduled for June 22nd. Exam will be multiple choice, approximately 50 questions. Final Exam: The final will be cumulative and held during the finals period / day. The final will be multiple choice, approximately 75 questions. * All exams will be open book & open note. Attendance: Class attendance is mandatory, and will constitute 5% of your grade for the semester. Given that flat tires, hangovers, and broken alarm clocks happen, all students are allowed to miss a single (1) class without penalty. The second day a student is absent, the participation grade will be lowered by 5 points. Students will lose 5 points of their grade for every class day missed. EVERY STUDENT STARTS THE SEMESTER WITH ALL 50 ATTENDANCE POINTS, THEREFORE THEY ARE YOUR POINTS TO LOSE, not points to be gained. Attendance points may be deducted for tardiness. Why? So you won t be that person that always shows up to business meetings late. This is a lecture style course and failure to attend class will not only impact your grade negatively, but you will miss substantial amounts of information that will help you perform well on exams, and more importantly, in the real business world too. If you do not show up to class, you will miss critical information that will be tested on our exams. Likewise, you will miss
information regarding changes and updates to the course that occur throughout the semester. So, if you don t want to get left in the dark, come to class! If I announce ANYTHING in class and you miss it, it is YOUR responsibility to communicate with your classmates and obtain this information. Therefore, you must communicate with your classmates to obtain notes, announcements, slides, etc. Assignments & Homework: We will not have regular homework assignments in this class. The best way for you to gauge your progress in this class is to attend class and participate in discussions. Extra credit may be offered at the instructor s discretion. Canvas: Privacy in Canvas: Information in Canvas is protected by your UTEID login. Please be aware that I may use a merged Canvas site for all sections of the course that I am teaching this semester. This will allow students in other sections to see that you are enrolled in the course and send you email from within Canvas. However, they will not actually learn your email address and no other personal data will be revealed through Canvas. If you have any concerns, please contact the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400 for help removing your name from view of other students. Technology Policy: No laptops, no cell phones, no head phones. It will be a bit annoying at first, but studies repeatedly show that students distracted by electronic devices perform worse on exams and miss opportunities to form new interpersonal relationships. And by the way, in business, if there s anything that is often more important than money, success or the law, it is our relationships. Topics to be Covered: You may expect for us to cover the following material / topics, sourced from the Business Law textbook, and please note that we will tend to cover one chapter per lecture period, but actual lecture:chapter ratio may vary: UNIT 1 - A FOUNDATION OF ETHICS Ch. 36 - Business Ethics & The Law Ch. 37 - Business Ethics & Individual Decision Making Ch. 38 - Ethics, Organizations, and Corporate Social Responsiveness UNIT 2 - FOUNDATIONS OF THE LEGAL SYSTEM Ch. 1 - Nature & Sources of Law Ch. 2 - Court Systems, Jurisdiction, and Functions Ch. 3 - Litigation and Alternative Methods of Dispute Resolution Ch. 4 - Common & Statutory Law Ch. 6 - Lawmaking by Administrative Agencies
UNIT 3 - THE BACKGROUND OF CORPORATE LAW Ch. 5 - Constitutional Law Ch. 7 - Criminal Law & Business Ch. 8 - The Law of Torts Ch. 9 - Intellectual Property UNIT 4 - CONTRACTS, THE FRONT LINES OF BUSINESS Ch. 10 - Nature & Classification of Contracts Ch. 11 - The Agreement Ch. 12 - Consideration (for Contracts) Ch. 13 - Illegality (of Contracts) Ch. 14 - Voidable Contracts UNIT 5 - THE CORPORATE ENTITY Ch. 25 - Corporations: Nature, Formation, & Powers Ch. 26 - Corporations: Rights & Liabilities of Shareholders & Managers Ch. 27 - Corporations: Mergers, Consolidations, & Terminations UNIT 6 - A BRIEF LOOK AT THE BREADTH OF OTHER BUSINESS LAWS Ch. 32 - The Legal Environment of International Business Ch. 28 - Securities Regulations Ch. 30 - Employment Law Tidbits: On exam days, please bring a #2 pencil to class. On non-exam days, consider learning about #1 and #3 pencils Mike Rowe got his first job knowing about pencils. Please email me with questions about course material. DO NOT email me if you missed class and need help. I will do my best to respond to all emails in a timely manner, and you can help me by keeping emails short and pointed. Do not ask me for legal advice, and nothing I convey to you during class is intended to be legal advice. If you find yourself having a legal issue and have nowhere to turn, you may ask for a referral, and I ll gladly put you in touch with someone that can help. I conduct my class in a way that is similar to having all of you as employees in a business I own. Therefore, I expect some basic decorum such as keeping the classroom clean. We may have a review session for our final, time permitting. UT - Austin provides, upon request, academic accommodations for students with disabilities. For more info, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259 or TTY 471-4641.
If you require accommodations for testing, you must turn in your letter from SSD a minimum of two weeks prior to any test dates, per SSD Office rules. To view the date and time of your final, please visit the UT Registrar s web page. Wear orange. Go to football games, softball games, and track meets. Support art clubs and join an activity group for an activity you ve never done. Do not stereotype your fellow students based on any student group associations they may have. I am a Longhorn and I once sat where you sit today. I am a spirited supporter of all things Texas and am honored to be teaching all of you. Be thoughtful, be professional, and be well enjoy the class!