1 Central Ohio Technical College Division of Business, Engineering and Information Technologies Business Management Department FALL Semester, 2015 August 19, 2014 January 15, 2015 Class Syllabus Course Title: Business Law Course Number: BUS-120 Instructor: John Maher Office: Utica High School Room 105 Office Phone: (740)892-2855 COTC Email address: jmaher@uhs.laca.org Required Materials:Textbook(s): Liuzzo, A.J. (2013)Essentials of business law (8 th ), New York, New York: McGraw-Hill ISBN: 978-0-07-351185-6 Packets: N/A Supplies: N/A Additional Materials: N/A ITS Resources: Student Services: Library: http://www.cotc.edu/faculty-and-staff/it-support/pages/index.aspx http://www.cotc.edu/student-life/pages/default.aspx http://www.cotc.edu/libraries/pages/default.aspx College Wide Policies: 1. Assessment -- As part of COTC s campus-wide assessment initiatives (quality assurance program), samples of student performance such as test results, projects, papers, etc. may be used. The data gathered will not identify individual students and are not related to the student s grade for the course, but this data will be used to improve student learning at COTC. 2. Disability -- Any student who has need for accommodations due to a disability must first register with the Office for Disability Services (ODS). Please call ODS at 740-366-9441 to discuss your needs and the procedures for getting accommodations. Students then must notify the instructor of their authorized accommodations, preferably within the first week of class. For online information about the Office for Disability Services, see http://www.cotc.edu/studentlife/ods/pages/index.aspx 3. Plagiarism Statement Submitting plagiarized work for an academic requirement is considered academic misconduct. Plagiarism is the representation of another s work or ideas as one s own; it includes the unacknowledged word-for-word use and/or paraphrasing of another person s work, and/or inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person s ideas. For
2 additional details, see http://www.cotc.edu/student-life/documents/handbook.pdf 4. Diversity Statement It is the responsibility of the faculty member and the student to foster and maintain a harmonious, non-threatening, and non-discriminating environment in the classroom. The College is committed to follow a non-discriminatory policy and encourages diversity as part of the community environment. Therefore, all individuals are to be respected as equal and contributing partners of our society. 5. Withdrawal Date Statement -- Students enrolled in regular semester courses should check the Official COTC Calendar or with the Gateway Office of Student Records for last date to withdraw from this class. Students enrolled in flexibly scheduled courses should check with the Gateway Office of Student Records for the last date to withdraw from the flexibly scheduled course. For a full list of College policies, see http://www.cotc.edu/current-students/policiesprocedures/pages/index.aspx General Policies: a. Assignments: Throughout the semester, assignments will consist of individual assignments and group assignments. Some assignments may require you complete research and read additional materials in order to complete the assignments. b. Assignment Due Dates: Weeks for the semester begins on Monday and end the following Monday at noon. Students will find assignment due dates in the Course Calendar section of the syllabus. Assignments will not be accepted if submitted to the instructor s e-mail. c. Attendance: good attendance and participation are vital to a successful class and stimulating learning environment. Please be prepared, prompt ad ready to participate. Students will demonstrate attendance through completed course assignments submitted on time. d. Communications: Students should plan to communicate with the professor and with classmates throughout the course. Students must use their Utica email account for correspondence. Students are required to review their Utica email account for emails concerning course updates, course changes, and college updates. The instructor will respond on a timely manner during the week. Students are required to include the course number and assignment name in the subject line for email communication with the instructor. e. Evaluation of assignments: Assignments will be evaluated on the relevance, clarity, grammar and overall depth of the subject being learned. Each assignment will provide learning opportunities concerning business and it application in the workplace. f. Grading: The instructor will post grades to the online grade book the following week after the assignment is due. It is the student s responsibility to review his/her grades to verify awarded assignment points. Any grade dispute MUST be made one week after the professor has posted grades. With the online grade book, students can track the points earned throughout the semester to know where they stand according to the grading scale located in the syllabus. Please keep in mind grades in the Moodle grade book are cumulative. g. Late Assignments: The instructor will not accept late assignments. In case of emergencies/illness, the instructor will review the policy for exceptions. The instructor will deduct 25% for approved assignments submitted late. No assignments will be accepted if submitted to the instructor s e-mail. h. Location of Assignments: Students will find assignments with instructions and details on the
3 white board in room 105. i. Participation: Class participation is very essential to successful performance in the course. Students should plan to log onto the course website and complete coursework on a regular basis. Participation is demonstrated through student s input and answers through use of discussion boards, email correspondence, timeliness of completions of assignments, and the course website monitoring system. j. Student Responsibilities: a. Students are expected to review the syllabus for knowledge of assignments and assignment due dates. Students are required to make sure they complete the correct assignments on time. Students should review weekly content and assignment details at the beginning of each week. Communication with the instructor is essential to the student s success. Students should communicate any questions concerning assignment instructions early in the week. This ensures students are able to complete assignments before the due date. It is the student s responsibility to complete assignments by the due date. Students will find assignment due dates in the Course Calendar table located in the syllabus. b. Students are required to submit writing assignments as a Word document. A deduction of points will occur for spelling and grammar errors. Documents in any other format other than Word will not be accepted (for example; wps). The professor will provide details of each assignment on the course website. Please take the time to review the college policy on plagiarism. Plagiarism (reviews school s Policy on Plagiarism) of any kind will result in an automatic 0 on the assignment. Be sure to cite your sources effectively and properly. In addition, all incidents of plagiarism are reported to the College's Dean of Student Life. c. It is the responsibility of the student to submit course assignments on time. I suggest you plan early to finish assignments in case you have questions concerning the instructions or experience technical issues at the time the assignment is due. It is also the student s responsibility to submit work free of spelling or grammar errors. I suggest you type your work in Word to check for spelling and grammar errors. Next, copy and paste your answers as a posting to a discussion forum, within the assignment box for activities or as a Word document attachment for assignments with a drop box. d. In order to develop effective business law skills, it is our responsibility to attend class regularly, participate in all class assignments and complete all assignments on time. Irregular attendance and failure to participate in the assignments will seriously jeopardize your learning and, potentially, your grade. Remember, much can be learned from your fellow class members, within class discussion which makes your participation more important to succeeding in the class. e. This course will require students to dedicate 6-8 hours per week (the actual amount of time will be dependent upon each student s background). Planning and time management are essential skills for students. Please allocate the required time each week for the completion of required tasks. k. URLs: Please note, URLs change frequently. Permissions for the links within assignments have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication. While the URLs were current when this course was designed, some may no longer be valid. If you cannot access a specific link, please conduct an online search for resources using key words from the assignment, or contact your instructor for an alternative URL.
4 Course Evaluation: Assessments/Analysis: The student will be responsible for completing the assessments or analysis assignments that involve analyzing cases from a legal perspective. Spelling and grammar are important factors in the grading of the assignments. Detailed learned information is required. Assignments: The student will be responsible for completing writing assignments throughout the course. These assignments may require you complete research in addition to any information provided within the course materials. These submissions will be submitted to the drop box established for the assignment. All submissions are to be clear, concise, complete and free of grammatical errors. Discussion Topics: As indicated above, participation in course discussions are an important element of the course, responding to the discussion topics is an important element of participation. Please make sure you respond to other students posts with detailed learning. Summary papers: In Weeks 4, 7, 9, 11, and 13 you will be submitting a summary paper of the material covered throughout certain sections within the course. Specific instructions are in Moodle with indicating which chapters you are to cover in each summary paper assignment. FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Overview Each student will be required to submit a three to five page paper summarizing what you have learned throughout the course. You need to include information not only from the discussion forums and assignments, but you should also reference research you conducted at the time of the assignment or in completing the final paper. A cover page and reference page should also be included, but are not considered part of the page length requirement. The submission must be clear, concise, complete and free of grammatical errors. The paper should include a cover and reference page. Grading System The student s final grade for this course will be determined on the following basis: Grading Scale: Total Points Grade GPA 1060 996 A 4.0 995 954 A - 3.7 953 922 B + 3.3 921 890 B 3.0 889-848 B - 2.7
5 847 816 C + 2.3 815 784 C 2.0 783 742 C - 1.7 741 710 D + 1.3 709 678 D 1.0 677 636 D- 0.7 < 635 F 0.0 Course Calendar: Changes may occur in this calendar due to unforeseen events. WEEKS BEGIN ON (DETERMINED BY INSTRUCTOR) CLASS WEEK BEGINS ON Wednesday, August 27 ALL WORK IS DUE ON Monday at Noon BUS-120 Business Law Assignment Schedule (subject to change) Instructions for Assignments Located In Moodle Week Topic Readings Assignment Week 1 Introductions Syllabus Review of course documents The 1 st week of the class is a short week since we begin class on a Wednesday. Getting Started Web site Review Netiquette Guidelines
6 Week Topic Readings Assignment Week 2 Aug 24th Introduction to Law Chapter 1 Ethics and Law Chapter 2 Week 3 Aug 31st Criminal Law Tort Law Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Week 4 Sept 7th Constitutional Law Administrative Law Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Week 5 Sept 14th Introduction to Contracts Offer and Acceptance Chapter 7 Chapter8 Week 6 Sept. 21th Mutual Agreement Consideration Competent Parties Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Week 7 Sept 28th Legal Purpose of Contracts Forms of Contract Operation of Contract Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Week 8 Oct 5th Discharge of Contract Transfer of Title Sales Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Week 9 Oct 12th Warranties Agency Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Business Organizations Chapter 20 Week 10 Oct 19th Bankruptcy Introduction to Commercial Paper Chapter 21 Chapter 22
7 Week Topic Readings Assignment Week 11 Oct 26th Transfer and Discharge of Commercial Paper Chapter 23. Real and Personal Property Chapter 24 Week 12 Nov 2nd Bailments Landlord Tenant Relations Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Week13 Nov 9th Wills, Intestacy and Trust Intellectual Property Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Week 14 Nov 16th Computer Privacy and Speech Chapter 29 Conducting Business in Cyberspace Chapter 30 Week 15 Dec 7th The Employer-Employee Relationship Chapter 31 Employment Law Chapter 32 Week 16 Dec 14th Product Liability Professionals Liability Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Week 17 Jan 4th International Business Law Business and the Environment Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Week 18 Jan 11th Grades will be posted
8 Central Ohio Technical College Division of Business, Engineering, and Information Technologies Business Management Technology Standardized Course Syllabus Course Title: Course Number: Course Credit: Business Law BUS-120 3 credit hours Course Contact Hrs: 3 hours of lecture 0 hours of college lab 0 hours of clinical lab/practicum/directed practice 3 Total contact hours Course Prerequisite: None. Course is graded A-F. Course Description: This course presents the student with a survey of the legal environment for business in today s world. Topics of study include civil law and torts, criminal law, constitutional law, cyber law, contract law, sales law, corporate law and securities regulation, negotiable instruments, consumer law, and employment law. The focus of the course will be for the student to identify the relevance of various types of law, and legal issues, in the current business environment. Required Topics: 1. The sources of law. 2. The court system and procedures 3. Alternative methods of dispute resolution 4. Constitutional law 5. Intentional torts and unintentional torts 6. Cyber torts 7. Contracts and their classifications 8. Requirements for a valid contract 9. Third party rights to a contract 10. Remedies for breach of contract 11. Real property 12. Personal property 13. Bailment 14. Sales law 15. Agency 16. Warranties
9 17. Landlord-tenant relations 18. Intellectual property 19. Gifts, wills, and intestacy 20. Commercial paper 21. Debtor-creditor relations 22. Consumer law 23. Environmental law 24. Employment law 25. Product liability 26. Cyber law Course Competencies and Corresponding Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course the student will be able to 1.00 Elaborate upon the legal environment of business. 1.01 Classify the sources of law. 1.02 Analyze the concept of separation of powers under the Constitution. 1.03 Examine the court system and procedures. 1.04 Compare alternative methods of dispute resolution. 1.05 Contrast intentional and unintentional torts. 1.06 Explain the concept of cyber torts. 2.00 Determine the essential elements of contract law. 2.01 Classify types of contracts. 2.02 Compile the requirements for a valid contract. 2.03 Compare the defenses to contract enforceability. 2.04 Develop third party rights to a contract. 2.05 Identify how a contract may be discharged. 2.06 Compare the remedies for breach of contract. 2.07 Summarize the importance of e-contracts. 3.00 Compare the different types of property and how they are protected. 3.01 Identify the nature of real property. 3.02 Analyze the different types of bailment. 3.03 Discuss the nature of personal property. 3.04 Elaborate upon landlord-tenant relations. 3.05 Categorize the types of tenancy. 3.06 Define the landlord s duties. 3.07 Explain tenant duties. 3.08 Identify the nature of intellectual property. 3.09 Compare gifts, wills, and intestacy. 3.10 Elaborate upon the nature of insurance and insurance contracts.
10 4.00 Appraise the elements and functions of sales law. 4.01 Compile the types of property subject to sales law. 4.02 Contrast a contract to sell and a contract of sale. 4.03 Compare a merchant and a non-merchant under sales law. 4.04 Apply the concepts of title and risk of loss. 4.05 Elaborate upon when title and risk of loss passes. 4.06 Identify the elements of performance of a sales contract. 4.07 Contrast sales law and the common law of contracts. 4.08 Categorize the remedies for breach of a sales contract. 4.09 Compare a sales contract and a lease. 4.10 Discuss the different types of warranties. 4.11 Elaborate upon the concept of product liability. 5.00 Assess the essentials of debtor-creditor relations. 5.01 Analyze the nature of secured transactions. 5.02 Discover the rights of parties in secured transactions. 5.03 Elaborate upon the nature of bankruptcy. 5.04 Identify the different types of bankruptcy. 5.05 Formulate the consequences of bankruptcy. 6.00 Evaluate the different forms of commercial paper. 6.01 Identify the parties to negotiable instruments. 6.02 Compile the seven requirements for negotiability. 6.03 Contrast the types of negotiable instruments. 6.04 Elaborate upon the rights and liabilities of parties to negotiable instruments. 6.05 Construct the different types of negotiable instruments. 6.06 Identify the four special types of checks. 6.07 Discuss how a negotiable instrument is discharged. 6.08 Compile the remedies for breach of contract for negotiable instruments. 6.09 Elaborate upon the elements of the banking system. 6.10 Discuss the nature and role of e-money. 7.00 Assess the issues in consumer and environmental law. 7.01 Analyze the types of consumer legislation. 7.02 Discuss the effectiveness of consumer legislation. 7.03 Elaborate upon the issue of consumer product safety. 7.04 Categorize the aspects of environmental law. 7.05 Explain governmental regulations in the areas of air and water pollution. 7.06 Contrast governmental regulation of waste disposal, chemicals, and natural resources. 7.07 Compile the standards of pollution in environmental legislation.
11 8.00 Evaluate employer/employee legislation. 8.01 Outline how the employer/employee relationship arises. 8.02 Classify the common law duties, and liabilities, of employers. 8.03 Organize the provisions of the Federal Social Security Act. 8.04 Analyze the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. 8.05 Discuss the major types of labor-management legislation. 8.06 Assess the impact and nature of equal employment opportunity legislation. 9.00 Explain the elements of agency relationships. 9.01 Identify the three parties to an agency. 9.02 Distinguish between general and special agents. 9.03 Elaborate upon the different types of authority in an agency. 9.04 Discuss how an agency is formed. 9.05 Contrast the liability of the principal and the agent. 9.06 Determine how an agency is terminated. 10.00 Assess the relationship between law and ethics. 10.01 Elaborate upon how the law relates to business, ethics, and society. 10.02 Explain the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Approved by Curriculum Committee May 6, 2011