Legal Foundations for Business

Module title	Legal Foundations for Business
Module code	LAW2112C
Academic year	2022/3
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Caroline Keenan (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	40

Module description

This module introduces you to the potential of law to develop a sustainable business environment. Knowledge of law is an intrinsic part of the effective operation of your business, and will have an impact upon operations from conception to dissolution. Legal knowledge helps you navigate the development of your sustainable business – from how you run the company to employing other people, from considering what you will sell to how you will manage waste, law, whether as international legislation or local policy, will affect and guide your choices. While law often seems like a closed book to those unfamiliar with it, it is actually a tool to be utilised (not least because substantial costs can be saved from simply understanding the legal system and how lawyers navigate it).

There are no pre-requisites for this module. The module is suitable for students entirely new to law as well as those who have studied some law already and may also be appropriate for those studying on a Flexible Combined Honours pathway.

The module may be taken in the second year of an LLB or BBL programme or as a second or third year-module on other programmes of study.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module is an important aspect of your business education, and will provide a foundation for any career that you might wish to pursue when you graduate. A sound grasp of the law is assumed of any accomplished businessperson, and to achieve this as part of your undergraduate study is sure to set you apart from competitors. This module will provide a legal platform in business to ensure compliance, while arming you with the awareness to you need to identify when a legal professional might be required.

This module aims to introduce you to the various sectors of business law which underpin a sustainable organisation, offering an overview of basic principles while providing you with a practical understanding of key legislation.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the key legal mechanisms that impact business
2. Apply law to support sustainable business practice.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Apply foundational principles of legal issue spotting
4. Construct and support an analysis using legal sources

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

5. Demonstrate your ability to communicate appropriately to professionals and lay persons respectively

Syllabus plan

Whilst the precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover all or some of the following topics:

Introduction to law as a foundation for sustainable business
The role of national and international law in the regulation of business
National and local regulation of business
Corporate governance & finance.
The law of contract
Employment law
Intellectual property
_ Property
Land and water use
Sustainable business practices (sustainable business development, eco-efficiency, resource productivity, waste reduction, producer responsibility)
Accountability,
Certification,

Regulation of sustainability standards

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
21.5	128.5	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	11	Lectures (11 x 1 hours)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	7.5	Seminars (5 x 1.5 hour)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity	3	Workshop 1 x 3hrs
Guided Independent Study	70	Preparation of assignments
Guided Independent Study	58.5	Preparing for workshops and reading around the topics covered.

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Assessment-themed exercises in letter writing and opinion drafting	2 x 1 hour exercises	1-6	Oral and written feedbackOral feedback on tasks assigned

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Barristers Opinion	60	2,000 words	1-6	Written
Solicitors letter of advice on a given scenario	40	1,000 words	1-6	Written
	0
	0
	0
	0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Barristers Opinion	Submission of barristers opinion on a new case study (2,000 words)	1-5	August/September reassessment period
Solicitors Letter of Advice	Submission of solicitors letter of advice on a new case study (1,300 words)	1-5	July

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

As this module is unique to the Penryn Campus the weekly reading for this module will be brought together on the ELE page to enable you to study the wide range of law relating to the development of sustainable business practice. This will include readings on different types of law to give you a foundation and then we will look at some more specialist types of law within a business context.

A web-based Electronic Learning Environment (ELE) will accompany the module.

Key words search

Law, business, company, employment, contract, governance, negligence.

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	5
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	08/03/2020
Last revision date	31/01/202