The Legal Environment of Business (BA 301-02E) Course Information and Syllabus Fall 2013 Heather Flores-Ricks, JD Office: Office Telephone: Email: Office Hours: Class Meetings: N/A N/A hfloresricks@gmail.com Before each class and by Appointment Monday, Wednesday & Friday: 8:00-8:50 AM in BA-346 COURSE MATERIALS Textbook: Supplementary Materials: Miller & Jentz, BUSINESS LAW TODAY (9 th ed.) ( Miller ), (South- Western, Cengage Learning 2012) Comprehensive Edition ISBN 978-0- 538-45280-9 or 0-538-45280-3 In addition to Miller from time to time I will assign other materials that relate to the subject matter of this course. COURSE OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES Course Description: This course is a study of the legal environment of business including elements of tort and contract law, product liability, employment law and discrimination, consumer law, and the basics of the legal system. The thrust of this course is to introduce legal concepts and reasoning that the student can apply in a business context. This is more than merely studying laws; this course is the study of how laws come to be and how they are applied in business. Business ethics will be discussed throughout the course. Course Objective: 1. To provide an overview of the basics of the legal system, both nationally and internationally. 2. To develop skills in working with legal materials and understanding the language of the law. 3. To provide a general understanding of the major legal issues that impact the business environment, both nationally and internationally. 4. To provide knowledge of specific basic laws which affect business structure and finance. The Legal Environment of Business Page 1
COURSE REQUIREMENTS Class Preparation: Attendance: Class preparation is required. It is to your benefit to be prepared for each and every class. A considerable amount of material is covered in this course. If you do not regularly prepare for class meetings, you will have difficulty mastering the material. You should prepare the reading materials fully for each class. The honor of your presence in class is requested on a regular basis. I will be using a roll sheet to take attendance. The roll sheet will be passed out at the start of each class. Please note that this course intended to cover a lot of material quickly, use your absences prudently. No Missed Classes + 5 points on final grade 1 Missed Classes + 3 points on final grade 2 Missed Classes +1 points on final grade 3 Missed Classes - 1 points on final grade 4 Missed Classes - 3 points on final grade 5 or More Missed Classes - 5 Points on final grade Class Participation: Assignments: Participation in class dialogues and discussion is required (10%). Your final grade may be adjusted to reflect the quality of your participation and your preparation, when called upon. I may reward a student whose class participation over the course of the semester I find to be particularly valuable. Note that it is the content and qualify of your participation that is the basis for the award, not the quantity. Failure to be prepared when called upon or disruptive classroom behavior may result in a penalty such as dismissal of the student from the class meeting and/or a reduction in the student s final grade for each occurrence. All assignments will be typed or points will be deducted. ly Discussion Assignment: Each week on Monday there will be 2-4 discussion questions assigned to you. A well thought out response will be due and discussed in class the following Monday. Extra Credit: The extra credit interview is due on or before November 25 th. I will provide the instruction for the extra credit exploratory interview on September 23. Participation is not required but will be worth a maximum of 5 extra points on your final grade. Examinations: There will be 4 exams. Each exam will include a combination of multiple-choice questions and an essay/performance task. The multiple-choice question portion of the exam will be in class and closed- The Legal Environment of Business Page 2
1 book. The essay/performance task distributed on the same day as the multiple-choice portion but will be due the following week. Final Project: One final project is due on or before November 25 th. I will provide the necessary documents to complete this project and the grading rubric on November 11 th. This course is designed to provide a general understanding of the major legal issues that affect the business environment. As such developing the skills to apply the legal knowledge from this course to typical business deal important and will be demonstrated in this project. Grading Policy: Your grade in the class will be based on the 3 out of 4 exams, class participation, weekly class assignments and the final project. At the end of the semester before the final, you will have the option to drop your lowest exam grade or not to take the final. You must make this decision on or before Nov. 25, 2013 and notify me in writing of your choice. Participation: 10% ly Assignments: 10% Final Project: 20% Exam 1: 20% Exam 2: 20% Exam 3: 20% 100% Use of Electronic Devices As a courtesy to your classmates and me, please make sure you turn off your cellphone, pager, or similar electronic device at the beginning of class. If you are expecting an emergency call, please use the vibrate or text message feature on your cell phone and leave class before answering any call. In addition, please be certain that your computer is silent. During class meetings, your use of any electronic devices must be solely for purposes directly related to the class. Your use of electronic devices for any other purpose is prohibited. Examples of prohibited uses of electronic devices include surfing the internet, updating your Facebook page, playing games of any kind, and reading or sending emails. Reading Assignments: We will read and discuss the reading assignments for the course in the order indicated below. Note: I reserve the right to vary this syllabus at any time as I deem necessary. Class Topic Miller Assignments/Due Dates August 26 Introduction ------------------- Class August 28 Chapter 1. Pg. 4-14 August 30 Chapter 2 Pg. 30-40 Quiz over Syllabus The Legal Environment of Business Page 3
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 September 2 NO CLASS LABOR DAY September 4 Chapter 2. Pg. 40-48 September 6 Chapter 8 Pg. 183-197 September 9 Chapter 3 Pg. 53-66 ly discussion responses due September 11 Chapter 3 Pg. 66-80 September 13 Chapter 38 Pg. 830-845 September 16 Review ly discussion responses due September 18 EXAM 1 Chapters 1, 2, 3, 8, Take home portion due next & 38 Wednesday September 25 by 5 pm September 20 Chapter 27 Pg. 572-587 September 23 Chapter 27 --------------------- ly discussion responses due September 25 Chapter 4 Pg. 85-97 TAKE HOME EXAM DUE!! September 27 Chapter 4 Pg. 97-109 September 30 Chapter 39 Pg. 851-860 ly discussion responses due October 2 Chapter 39 Pg. 861-869 October 4 Chapter 6 Pg. 138-149 October 7 Chapter 6 Pg. 150-160 ly discussion responses due October 9 Chapter 7 Pg. 164-178 October 11 Chapter 7 ----------------------- October 14 Review ly discussion responses due October 16 Exam 2 Chapters 4, 6, 7, Take home portion due next 27, & 39 Wednesday October 23 by 5 pm October 18 Chapter 9 Pg. 206-217 October 21 Chapter 10 Pg. 223-232 ly discussion responses due October 23 Chapter 10 Pg. 232-242 TAKE HOME EXAM DUE!! October 25 Chapter 10 ----------------------- October 28 Chapter 16 Pg. 322-334 ly discussion responses due October 30 Chapter 5 Pg. 114-122 November 1 Chapter 5 Pg. 123-133 November 4 Review ---------------------- ly discussion responses due November 6 Exam 3 Chapters 5, 9, 10, Take home portion due next & 16 Wednesday November 13 by 5 pm. November 8 November 11 Chapter 29 Pg. 621-634 Hand Out Final Project, Due Nov. 25, 2013 by 5 p.m. ly discussion responses due November 13 Chapter 29 Pg. 634-646 TAKE HOME EXAM DUE!! November 15 Chapter 30 Pg. 651-660 November 18 Chapter 30 Pg. 660-671 ly discussion responses due November 20 Chapter 40 Pg. 875-889 November 22 Chapter 41 894-904 November 25 ---------------------- ----------------------- Final Project Due by 5 pm ly discussion responses due November 27 NO CLASS THANKSGIVING November 29 NO CLASS THANKSGIVING The Legal Environment of Business Page 4
15 16 December 2 Review Hand out the take home portion of the final exam December 4 NO CLASS December 6 NO CLASS December 9 Final Exam Chapters 29, 30, Take home portion due Friday 40, & 41 December 13, 2013 by 12:00 pm December 13 ------------------- --------------------- TAKE HOME EXAM DUE!! Final Exam: Tentatively scheduled for Monday, December 9, at 8:00 a.m. However this is subject to change and you must check with the Registrar to get the final scheduled date and time for the examination. UNIVERSITY SPECIFIC PROCEDURES: ADA Statement The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact: Student Conduct Office of Student Disability Resources and Services Texas A&M University-Commerce Gee Library 132 Phone: 903-886-5150 or 903-886-5835 Fax: 903-468-8148 StudentDisabilityServices@tamuc.edu or Rebecca.Tuerk@tamuc.edu All students enrolled at the University shall follow the tenants of common decency and acceptable behavior conducive to a positive learning environment. (see Code of Student Conduct from Student Guide Handbook). The Legal Environment of Business Page 5