Chabot College
Fall, 2006
Course Outline for Business 10
BUSINESS LAW
Catalog Description:
10 - Business Law
4 units
Legal setting in which business operates, with emphasis on legal reasoning and resolution,
contracts, torts, intellectual property, agency and employment law, partnerships and corporations.
4 hours.
[Typical contact hours: 70]
Prerequisite Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
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utilize basic business law terminology;
select the best option from the alternative methods to settle a case out of court;
describe how cases are brought to court, legal procedures and methods involved, court
decisions, and appeals;
analyze business situations to identify negligence and product liability risks and risk
reduction methods;
define opportunities to protect the creative capital of businesses through intellectual
property law;
evaluate contracts for validity and enforceability;
articulate the principles and importance of agency relationships in a business
organization;
identify employment law risks;
evaluate and select an appropriate business structure given a set of criteria;
define the major legal issues that arise in the small business environment;
recognize the differences between business law and business ethics, and understand
the need for both in a successful business;
demonstrate critical thinking skills in class discussion and researched, written analyses
of legal issues.
Course Content:
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Basic legal terminology
Legal research methodology
Background of law, courts, and ways to resolve conflict
Torts, including negligence and product liability
Intellectual property law
Contract law
Agency law
Employment law
Business structures, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and
limited liability structures
Small business law
Ethics and the law
Chabot College
Course Outline for Business 10, Page 2
Fall 2006
Methods of Presentation:
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Lectures
Discussion
Analysis of cases
Guest speakers
Mock trials/debates
Video
Library orientation
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
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Typical Assignments
a. In a 2-3 page paper, describe your dream business in terms of sales, number of
employees, type of product or service, initial investment, and management
structure at start-up, in 5 years, and in 25 years. Define your criteria for selecting a
business structure at each of these stages. Select and defend your optimal
structure at each stage based on your business description and criteria.
b. Assume that you are the owner of a successful restaurant. Define ten major
negligence and product liability risks you would encounter in this business. How
could you reduce each of those legal risks? Present your risks and risk reduction
methods to the class in a 5-minute presentation.
c. Research a topic from a list of current legal issues provided by your instructor.
Your research must include at least 10 sources, including at least two magazine
articles, 3 relevant and current cases from legal databases, and one book other
than your textbook. In a 2-3 page paper, summarize the issue, recent
developments in this area, and the implications of those developments for the small
business owner.
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Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Midterm examination
b. Final examination
c. Case studies and legal analysis assignments
d. Presentations
e. Group projects
Textbook(s) Typical:
WEST's BUSINESS LAW, Clarkson, Miller, Jentz and Cross, 10th edition, Thomson SouthWestern, 2006
BUSINESS LAW: LEGAL, E-COMMERCE, ETHICAL AND INTERNATIONAL
ENVIRONMENTS, 5th edition, Henry R. Cheeseman, Prentice Hall, 2004
Special Student Materials:
None
jn 11/05
Bus 10 course outline.doc