ACCT/GBUS 3923 ADVANCED BUSINESS LAW/ETHICS
SCHOOL:
DEPARTMENT:
CREDIT HOURS/NUMBER/TITLE:
INSTRUCTOR:
School of Professional Studies
Business
3 Hours, ACCT/GBUS 3923,
Advanced Business Law/Ethics
Dr. Steven Palmer
NWOSU E-Mail: scpalmer@nwosu.edu
Office Hours: MWF 8:00-11:30 A.M.
TR 9:15-11:30 A.M.
Office hours conducted by email.
Other times by appointment
TEXTBOOK: This class requires a custom printed textbook from McGraw-Hill/Create. The only
place the textbook can be purchased is the NWOSU bookstore. This text has not been used on this
campus in the past. Do not purchase a used custom-printed book from any source.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND PREREQUISITES: An in-depth examination specific topic of
law and ethics that affect business in America. Prerequisite: GBUS 2903.
COURSE GOALS/OBJECTIVES
This course is designed to introduce the students to the general legal principles of the subject matter.
Unlike GBUS 2903 Legal Environment which was designed to stress breadth of topics, ACCT/GBUS
3923 is designed to stress depth of specific topics. The subject matter, materials, and the instructor’s
lectures should not be considered providing legal advice. Legal advice should only be provided after full
disclosures of all material facts and with a licensed attorney.
By the end of the semester a student should be able to:
1) Summarize forms of business organization, including advantages, disadvantages, formation, financial
structure, owner liability, taxation, operation and termination. (BUS DIV 1, ACBSP 3)
2) Describe contract elements, formation, performance, termination, breach, discharge and remedies.
(BUS DIV 1, ACBSP 3)
3) Explain agency relationships including the formation, classification, authority, duties and liabilities
involved in such relationships. (BUS DIV 1, ACBSP 3)
4) Compare and contrast the various forms of bankruptcy. (BUS DIV 1, ACBSP 3)
5) Summarize the government regulation of securities focusing on Securities Act of 1933, Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 and Sarbanes-Oxley, as amended. (BUS DIV 1, ACBSP 3)
6) Discuss the Uniform Commercial Code and its impact on business regarding negotiable instruments,
letters of credit, sales, secured transactions, and documents/transfer of title. (BUS DIV 1, ACBSP 3)
7) Apply concepts of ethics and professionalism to business professions such as accounting and law.
(BUS DIV 5, ACCT 2, ACCT 3, ACBSP 5)
8) Prepare a professional paper analyzing and evaluating a controversial issue associated with business
law, business ethics or corporate social responsibility. (BUS DIV 2, BUS DIV 3, BA 2, OL2, TM 2,
ACBSP 1, ACBSP 2)
Standards:
Bus Div = NWOSU Business Division goals for all Business programs
BA = Division goals for the Bachelor of Science with Business Administration major
OL = Division goals for the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership
TM = Division Goals for the Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences
ACBSP = Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs Assessment Standards
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
Assessment will be based on: (1) Mini-Tests; (2) Discussion Board; (3) Assignments; (4) Opinion Paper
(5) Reflection Papers and (6) Final Exam. Such assessment will focus on the course and chapter
objectives of the class.
Mini-Tests:
At the end of each week there will be a mini-test (quiz) on the
chapter(s)/issue(s) assigned for that week. The mini-test, except as
noted in the syllabus, will be due by Sunday night at 11:55 p.m. The
mini-tests for the last week are due by 11:55 p.m. on Wednesday,
April 27. The mini-tests will be objective questions (true-false,
multiple choice, matching, etc.). Mini-tests are open book/open
notes; however the mini-test will have a relatively short time limit.
Significant points will be deducted for exceeding the time limit.
Collectively, the mini-tests will be 25% (12½% if final exam is
taken) of your overall grade. No make-up or late mini-tests are
allowed. More information regarding mini-tests can be found in
Appendix B.
Discussion Board:
Each week the instructor will have new topics for consideration on
the Discussion Boards on Blackboard. (NOTE: Most weeks there
will be at least two new discussion boards for student participation.)
Four comments, on at least two different days (at least 24 hours
apart), with the initial comment being made by Tuesday, is the
MINIMUM acceptable performance PER DISCUSSION BOARD. By
Tuesday of each week, students should contribute their comments,
initially setting forth their opinions and positions. Then later in the
week, students should comment on the postings made by other
students. These responses should be meaningful and contribute to
the discussion. Discussion boards collectively are worth 35%
(17½%) of the final grade. Minimum acceptable work results in
minimum passing grade. Less than minimum acceptable
performance will result in a less than acceptable grade. Students
cannot make up missed discussion boards. Read Appendix C for
important information on Discussion Boards in this class. [NOTE:
There may be more than one discussion board in any given week.
Students are required to participate in every discussion board.]
Opinion Paper:
There will be one paper, an opinion paper, due during the semester.
Papers are due by 11:55 p.m. on the due date, March 27, 2011.
The student must have his/her topic approved by the professor before
11:55 p.m. on February 27, 2011. See the paper requirements
contained in Appendix D. The paper is worth 20% (10%) of the final
grade. The assignment must be done in MS Word (.doc/.docx)
format. All papers will be submitted through www.turnitin.com.
The time stamp when received by turnitin.com will be the official
time the paper is submitted. Turnitin.com will be set such that late
papers will not be accepted. Remember do not wait until the last
minute to submit your paper. Technical problems/unforeseen
circumstances will not be an acceptable excuse for a late submission.
Reflection Paper:
After each chapter is covered, each student must write a reflection
paper on that chapter. The reflection paper will only be one to two
pages in length. The student should follow appropriate
sentence/paragraph style and meet the requirements of the style
guide. Reflection papers should be submitted through turnitin.com
by 11:55 p.m. on the Sunday evening at the end of the week the
chapter was covered in class. The reflection papers for the last week
of class will be due by 11:55 p.m. on the last Wednesday of class
(April 27). (NOTE: Due dates are listed below in the course
schedule.) See Appendix E for more details regarding the reflection
paper. The reflection papers are a combined worth 10% (5%) of the
final grade.
Assignments:
During the course of the semester the professor will make
assignments that collectively will be worth 10% (5%) of the grade.
The assignments will be found in Assignments folder on Blackboard.
Assignment due dates are 11:55 p.m. on February 6 (#1), February
27 (#2), March 13 (#3) and April 10 (#4).
Final Exam:
All students must take Part A of the final exam. Part B of the final
exam is an optional cumulative examination. The format may
include essay, short answer or objective questions. More information
on the final exam is contained in Appendix F. The final exam will be
50% of your grade if you elect to take it.
EVALUATION AND GRADING
ITEM
% of
Grade
(No Final)
%
of Grade
(With Final)
Mini-Tests (Quizzes)
25
12½
Discussion Boards
35
17½
Reflection Papers
10
5
Opinion Paper
20
10
Assignments
10
5
Final Exam
---
50
Total
100
100
Grading Scale: A=90%-100%
B=80%-89%
C=70%-79%
D=60%-69% F=Below 60%
DISABLED STUDENT SERVICES: Any student needing academic accommodations for a physical,
mental or learning disability should contact the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities,
or faculty member personally, within the first two weeks of the semester so that appropriate
accommodations may be arranged. The Alva location for ADA assistance is the Fine Arts building
room 126. The location for ADA assistance on the Enid campus is Room 102 and the contact is Lori
Coonrod. The location for ADA assistance on the Woodward campus is the Main Office and the
contact is Dr. Deena Fisher.
ADDITIONAL COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Academic Integrity:
Academic integrity is vital. The professor has a zero tolerance policy
regarding academic dishonesty. Any act of dishonesty will be penalized
severely. See Appendix A for a discussion of academic honesty.
Communication:
The professor will use NWOSU email as the primary means of
communicating with students, Students are responsible for e-mail
messages sent to their NWOSU email account; thus, students should
regularly check their NWOSU email accounts.
Blackboard:
It is the duty of the student to check Blackboard on a regular basis
because students are responsible for any information or material posted
to Blackboard during the semester.
Late Work:
NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED IN THIS CLASS.
Failure to timely take quiz or test or timely complete assignments or
discussion boards will result in a zero on that item.
Make-Up Policy:
NO MAKE-UP WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED IN THIS CLASS.
Students should plan in advance so work is completed prior to a
scheduled absence. Likewise, students should complete work far
enough in advance that it is completed in case of an unexpected event.
Tests may not be taken in advance.
Student Opinions:
Students’ well-supported opinions are an important element of this
class. Students should express their personal opinions in all
discussion boards, classroom discussions, assignments, papers, etc.
However, it is important that students support their views and
opinions with facts and logic. An unsupported opinion is of no value
in this class.
Deadlines:
Students are urged not to wait until the last minute to submit any
mini-test, discussion board, paper, assignment etc. Blackboard
being down, computer problems, Internet access problems,
turnitin.com unavailability, illness or other reasons will not be
acceptable reasons for missing a deadline. Students have plenty of
notice of all deadlines and therefore should plan accordingly.
Turnitin.com
Unless specifically instructed otherwise by the professor, all
assignments will be submitted through www.turnitin.com. No hard
copy of the assignment will be required or accepted unless the student
is directed to turn in a hard copy. Turnitin.com is a plagiarism
detection program. Papers must be created in MS Word format (.doc or
.docx).
In order to register for turnitin.com you will need the class id and
enrolment password listed below:
Class id = 3028711
Password = Rangers
Style Guide:
All written assignments must comply with the requirements set forth in
the style guide, unless otherwise specifically noted. The style guide
can be found in the Course Documents folder on Blackboard.
Duplication of
Material:
All materials presented and/or received during this class are protected
by copyright law and no reproduction of the lecture or other material is
allowed without specific written permission.
COURSE OUTLINE AND TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Week #
Topic
1
(1/10/11)
2
(1/16/11)
3
(1/23/11)
4
(1/30/11)
1 – Agency and Liability to Third Parties
5 (2/6/11)
6
(2/13/11)
7
(2/20/11)
February
27
2 – Forms of Business Organizations
3 – Partnerships
3 – Partnerships
4 – Corporations: Formation and Organization
5 – Introduction to Contracts and Agreement
6 – Consideration
7 – Capacity and Legality
Assignment 1
8 – Reality of Assent
9 – Contracts in Writing and Third-Party Contracts
10 – Discharge and Remedies
11 – Secured Transactions, Creditors’ Rights, and
Bankruptcy
12 – Securities Regulation
13 – Consumer Law
Assignment 2
Topic Due before 11:55 p.m.
Quiz Deadline
11:55 pm on:
Reflection
Paper Due
11:55 pm on:
1/16/11
1/16/11
1/23/11
1/23/11
1/30/11
1/30/11
1/30/11
1/30/11
2/6/11
2/6/11
2/6/11
2/6/11
2/6/11
2/6/11
2/13/11
2/13/11
2/13/11
2/13/11
2/13/11
2/13/11
2/20/11
2/20/11
2/27/11
2/27/11
8
(2/27/11)
9 (3/6/11)
10
(3/13/11)
11
(3/20/11)
March 27
12
(3/27/11)
13
(4/3/11)
14
(4/10/11)
15
(4/17/11)
16
(4/24/11)
17
(5/1/11)
13 – Consumer Law
14 – Employment and Discrimination Law
14 – Employment and Discrimination Law
15 – Antitrust Law
Assignment 3
SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS/ASSIGNMENTS
16 – Formation and Performance of Sales and
Lease Contracts
17 – Performance and Obligations under Sales and
Lease Contracts
Paper Due before 11:55 p.m. via turnitin.com
18 – Negotiable Instruments: Negotiability and
Transferability
19 – Holder in Due Course, Liability, and
Defenses
20 – Real Property
21 –Insurance
Assignment 4
22 – Liability of Accountants and Other
Professionals
23 – Ethics Foundation for Decision Making in
Accounting
23 – Ethics Foundation for Decision Making in
Accounting
24 - Ethics in Accounting: Ethical Obligations and
Decision Making
24 - Ethics in Accounting: Ethical Obligations and
Decision Making
25 – Professional Responsibilities and Ethical
Obligations in Auditing
FINAL EXAM
PART A – REQUIRED all students before 11:55
p.m. on 5/1
PART B – Optional before 11:55 p.m. on 5/2
3/6/11
3/6/11
3/13/11
3/13/11
3/13/11
3/13/11
3/27/11
3/27/11
3/27/11
3/27/11
4/3/11
4/3/11
4/3/11
4/3/11
4/10/11
4/10/11
4/10/11
4/10/11
4/17/11
4/17/11
4/24/11
4/24/11
Wed. 4/27/11
Wed. 4/27/11
Wed. 4/27/11
Wed. 4/27/11