Course Title: Business Law

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Business Law

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

JUST2226

City Campus

Postgraduate

615H Accounting

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2006,
Sem 2 2006,
Sem 1 2007,
Sem 2 2007,
Sem 1 2008,
Sem 2 2008,
Sem 1 2009,
Sem 2 2009

Course Coordinator: Clare Miller

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 1388

Course Coordinator Email: clare.miller@rmit.edu.au


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

The course introduces you to important legal issues in the commercial environment and enhances your information literacy skills with a particular focus on legal related resources and research. The complexities of modern business have made the providers of professional advice more accountable than ever before. The study of business law provides you with the opportunity to develop skills in reading, understanding and applying statute, case materials and journal articles. These skills and legal knowledge are essential for practicing accountants in providing professional services.

While many aspects of legal knowledge are continually changing, the development of the above generic skills will enable you to learn how to update your knowledge and provide appropriate professional advice.

This course is a prerequisite to the study of Corporations Law and Taxation Law and Practice which will further develop legal skills in the context of complex and dynamic legislation. Together, these law courses emphasise language and presentation skills combined with the formulation of arguments based on legal principle. As such, law courses play a vital role in the professional development of accountants.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Successful completion of this course means that you should have developed the following capabilities:
Research and analytical skills
You are required to evaluate and analyse factual situations according to their legal effect. You will start to develop an appreciation of the sources of legal information required to assist in decision making
Communication skills
The course commences developing your ability to decode and use specialist language effectively. In addition you will explain legal principles and their practical application


On completion of the course, students should be able to:

- Effectively research electronic data bases and internet resources relevant to law and extract meaningful information.
- Have an appreciation of aspects of the legal framework within which businesses operate.
- Exercise skills in legal methodology in selected areas of business law.
- Understand the underlying principles of business law and how to apply these in various situations.
- Evaluate policy issues discussed in law reform proposals and journal articles dealing with current business law issues.
- Develop awareness of how changes in the law may affect business practice and the provision of advice.


Overview of Learning Activities

The course requires you to participate in various learning activities. These activities comprise the following:

  • Engaging in legal research by means of searching electronic legal databases, internet resources and law journals
  • Participation in class discussion
  • Resolving legal questions within case study problems
  • Undertaking reflective journals and preparing case study reports using the skills developed in this course


Overview of Learning Resources

Information will also be provided online using the Learning Hub of the Distributed Learning System. The Learning Hub gives access to important announcements, staff contact details, the teaching schedule, assessment timelines and a variety of important teaching and learning materials. The Learning Hub can be found at http://www.rmit.edu.au/online.


Overview of Assessment

Assessment of Business Law may take the form of the following:
• a mid semester test designed to test your analytical and report writing skills and to provide timely feedback to assist in ongoing improvement
• an end of semester exam consisting of fact-based problems and legal discussion questions. The exam assesses your ability to apply your knowledge to various practical scenarios, to communicate information in accurate, clear, concise and coherent English and to demonstrate relevancy and accuracy in your discussion of the law
• In addition and where relevant you may be required to critically evaluate, reason and discuss legal argument based on differing legal perspectives or thought.