Course Title: Establish business and legal requirements

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2011

Course Code: BUSM9931C

Course Title: Establish business and legal requirements

School: 650T TAFE Business

Campus: City Campus

Program: C5180 - Diploma of Financial Services (Conveyancing)

Course Contact : Paul Ryan

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925-5466

Course Contact Email:Paul.Ryan@rmit.edu.au

Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Paul Ryan

email: paul.ryan@rmit.edu.au

telephone: 9925 5466

office:108:13:08

Nominal Hours: 35

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

None

Course Description

The unit involves identifying and complying with business and legal administrative requirements.It is suitable for settingg up or existing micro and small businesses or a department in a larger organisation.

National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:	BSBSBM401A Establish business and legal requirements
Element:	Comply with legislations, codes and regulatory requirements
Performance Criteria:	Comply with legislation, codes and regulatory requirements
Element:	Identify and implement business legal requirements.
Performance Criteria:	Identify and implement business legal requirements
Element:	Negotiate and arrange  contracts
Performance Criteria:	3.1] Legal advice on contractual rights and obligations is sought, if required, to clarify business liabilities. [3.2] Potential products / services are investigated and assessed to determine procurement rights and to ensure protection of business interests where applicable. [3.3] Conditions applying to production / provision of relevant products and services are investigated to ensure compliance with legal and contractual requirements as required. [3.4] Contractual procurement rights for goods and services including contracts with relevant people, negotiated and secured as required in accordance with the business plan. [3.5] Options for leasing / ownership of business premises identified and contractual arrangements completed in accordance with the business plan.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course, students should have studied various aspects of the law to enable them to apply legal principles in the later courses, and understand some of various legal concepts relevant to operating a small business , including:
- the Australian legal system
- statutory interpretation and case law
- business structures
- introduction to agency and insurance
- law of torts, basic principles
- debt collection and taxation principles

Details of Learning Activities

Students will study Small Business Law skills and theory in class sessions and through prescribed exercises and assessment work. These concepts will also be explored through the investigation of appropriate real world and simulated environments.

Teaching Schedule

Week beginning                 Topics                                                                                                     Assessment
Week 1 - 7 February      No class – Joanne to hand out t summary of course
Week 2 - 14 February    Australian Legal System                                                      Case study test handed out for return week 8
Week 3 - 21 February    Legislation as a source of law                                                  
Week 4 - 28 February    Modern approach to statutory interpretation                                                                                                                                                                                           Week 5 - 7 March           Business structures - sole traders & partnerships                                                                                                                                                                             Week 6 - 14 March         Labour Day holiday                                                                                Case study due (20 marks) 
Week 7-  21 March         Business structures – Corporations and Trusts                                                                                                                                                                                 Week 8 – 28 March        In class test  -                                                                 Multiple choice/ short answer Test (open book) (20 marks) 
Week 9 - 4 April              Consumer Law                                                                      Give out assignment due week 14
Week 10 –11 April         Insurance Requirements for Small Business                                                                                                                                                                                        Week 11 - 18 April          Law of Torts - negligence 
21-27 April                       Mid semester break                                                               EASTER HOLIDAY including ANZAC Day Holiday
Week 12 - 2 May            Agency                                                                                                    Assignment due (20 marks)
Week 13 - 9 May            Debt collection                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Week 14 - 16 May          Taxation Principles                                                    
Week 15 - 23May           Final test open book                                                                    Final test open book (40 marks)
Week 16 - 30 May          Probably final test in Joanne’s class                                                                                                                                                                                                                Week 17 - 6  June                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Week 18 - 13 June        Queen’s Birthday holiday

Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts

There is no prescribed text, but students should obtain a legal dictionary.

References

Australian Business Law 5th edition by Vickery + Pendleton- publisher Prentice Hall Business, Society and the Law 4th edition by Terry + Giugni- publisher Thomson Butterworths Concise Australian Legal Dictionary Cornerstones of Australian Law 3rd edition by Callie Harvey Publisher Tilde university Press A Guide to Business Law 15th edition by Carvan Miles + Dowler – publisherThomson LawBook Co Fundamentals of Business Law 4th edition by Baron + Fetcher - publisher McGraw Hill Laying Down the Law 5th edition by Morris et al- Butterworths Legal aspects of your Small Business 3rd edition by Ian Birt publisher Pearson Prentice Hall Legislation by Kath Hall - Butterworths Guides Osborn’s Concise Law Dictionary

Other Resources

Online Resources:
Australasian Legal Information Institute (www.austlii.edu.au)
CCH Online (www.cch.com.au)
ComLaw (www.comlaw.gov.au)
Department of Infrastructure www.doi.vic.gov.au
LexisNexis Butterworths Online (www.butterworthsonline.com)
State Revenue Office www.sro.vic.gov.au
Supreme Court of Victoria (www.supremecourt.vic.gov.au)
VCAT www.vcat.vic.gov.au
Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents (www.dms.dpc.vic.gov.au)

Overview of Assessment

Assessments may include: short in class exercises, class tests, question and answer activities, assignments and open book exams.
Students will be provided with formative feedback to establish their progress in the course and identify areas which need more work.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment that learning outcomes have been achieved will be by:

Case study due Week 06         20%
Multiple choice test Week 08   20% 
Assignment Week 12               20%
Final Test Week 15                   40%
                                                     100%
Case study: You will be given a short reported case and a series of questions relating to the case which you will be required to answer in your own time and return in week 6. The reported case and questions will be given out in week 2 or perhaps earlier. The maximum mark is 20%.

Multiple choice test will be conducted under open book conditions which allows students to bring into the test in any written materials they wish. It will be for one hour in week 8.   There will be multiple choice, true and false and short questions requiring answers not exceeding 20 lines. Maximum mark 20%. It will be on the materials covered in weeks 2-7.

Assignment: You will be given details of three fact situations in class in week 9 and you are to provide written advice on one problem in week 12. The assignment will cover all material covered to week 1411, but emphasis on weeks 9-11 . The maximum mark is 20 %

Final test: In week 15, under open book conditions, covering the whole course. You will be asked to give written advice on two problems you are given. One problem covering the topics in weeks12-14 will be compulsory. The maximum mark is 40% and the time allowed for the test 1 hour 30 minutes plus 15 minutes reading time.

Assessment Matrix

Other Information

The week by week teaching programme and dates for assessment are subject to negotiation and variation.   The course is more interesting than this boring Part B indicates.

Course Overview: Access Course Overview