Management 330
The Legal Environment of Business
Prof. Britt – crbritt@uncg.edu
Course Syllabus (Summer 2013)
The labels in the Table of Contents, below, are hyperlinks to the corresponding section.
Use the [TOC] icon beneath each section header to return to the Table of Contents.
Table of Contents
About MGT 330 ................................................... 2
Athletics ............................................................ 6
Prerequisites .................................................... 2
Disability ........................................................... 6
Course Description ........................................... 2
Academic Integrity .............................................. 7
Rigor & Diligent Independence ......................... 2
Adjunct Professor Robin Britt, Jr. ..................... 8
Topics Addressed............................................. 2
Student Learning Outcome Goals .................... 3
Student Study Program .................................... 3
UNCG Faculty and Student Guidelines ............. 3
Materials Needed ................................................ 3
Reliable Hardware and Internet Access ........... 3
Textbook & Aplia Access Code Options ........... 4
Accessing Aplia ................................................ 4
Mozilla Firefox .................................................. 4
Due Dates and Due Times .................................. 4
Grading Policy .................................................... 5
Late Work ......................................................... 5
Grading Categories .......................................... 5
Grading Scale .................................................. 5
Exceptions and Accommodations .................... 5
Technology Failures ......................................... 5
Technology Help .............................................. 5
Technology Exceptions (Maximum is 2) ........... 6
Medical Exceptions .......................................... 6
Inclement Weather ........................................... 6
Not Legal Advice ................................................. 8
MGT 330 Syllabus (Summer 2013)
Prof. Britt
crbritt@uncg.edu
Page 2 of 8
About MGT 330
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Prerequisites
Students must have a GPA of 2.0 or above to enroll in MGT 330.
Course Description
We live in a litigious era where skillfully navigating the legal environment in which a business
operates is as important to business success as divining and meeting subtle nuances in the market
environment. Most students of business administration, however, focus exclusively on the marketplace.
UNCG, therefore, offers MGT 330 as an opportunity for students to develop a working knowledge of the
legal environment in which businesses operate today as a complement to their market environment
education.
As a 300 level law course, MGT 330 is planned for students majoring in a subject offered through
the Bryan School of Business and Economics or the Department of Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality
Management. It is also for students of all majors who are interested in learning about the law and its
application to business administration.
Rigor & Diligent Independence
The online section of MGT 330 is a rigorous, swiftly-moving, reading-intensive course designed for
motivated and independent learners whose learning style or life circumstances favor or necessitate
independent learning on a flexible schedule. You will be exploring concepts and vocabulary with which you
are very likely unfamiliar. Moreover, you will be working without lectures and without regular Q&A with an
instructor. Thus, to be successful, you will need to exercise diligent independence to ensure that you invest
adequate time and energy into the learning activities of the course and that you keep up with deadlines. If
you prefer or need the exterior discipline imposed by a live class, lectures, and Q&A, then you are better
suited taking a live section of MGT 330.
Topics Addressed
MGT 330 is a survey of the legal environment in which today’s businesses operate. The course
will address a wide range of legal topics, including:
Administrative Regulation
Agency
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Antitrust Law
Bankruptcy
Constitutionality
Consumer Protection
Contracts
Corporate Governance
Corporations Creditor-Debtor
Relations
Criminal Law
Cyber Crime
Cyber Torts
Employment Law
Environmental Law
Ethics
Immigration
Intellectual Property
International Law
Strict Liability
Torts
Internet Law
Investor Protection
Labor Law
Land-Use
Product Liability
Real Property
Small Business Organizations
Each of these topics is vast enough that legal professionals can make entire careers in only a small
portion of one topic. Thus, you are not expected to become an expert on all the legal topics this course will
examine. You are, however, expected to develop a working knowledge of each of topic. As you apply this
working knowledge to your career, you will likely find it to be a professional competitive advantage.
MGT 330 Syllabus (Summer 2013)
Prof. Britt
crbritt@uncg.edu
Page 3 of 8
Student Learning Outcome Goals
Upon completion of this course you should be able to:
1. Comprehend basics concerning the legal, ethical, and international environment in
which business function.
2. Know the basic operation of the Courts, and be able to apply real fact situations to and
through the court system while formulating and evaluating possible causes of action
and defenses.
3. Analyze the many ways in which business activities are affected by laws and
regulations.
4. Identify and apply legal basics concerning: civil law, torts, constitutional law,
administrative law, contracts, product liability law, principal/agent law, employment law,
antitrust law, securities law, unfair and deceptive trade practices law, landowner
liability, and international law.
Student Study Program
Students in this course are invited to participate in the Student Study Program, a program that
offers additional academic support for students enrolled in large classes that have historically proven to be
exceptionally challenging. The purpose of the Student Study Program (SSP) is to provide undergraduate
students with the opportunity to form collaborative study groups of up to 4 students. Students are matched
by the program coordinator with other students in the same course and section number. To sign up or to
learn more about the Student Study Program, visit http://success.uncg.edu/ssp/. You can also contact the
Coordinator of the Student Study Program at ssp@uncg.edu.
UNCG Faculty and Student Guidelines
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Please review UNCG’s Faculty and Student Guidelines. You and I must both uphold the values
and expectations expressed in these guidelines throughout the course.
Materials Needed
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Reliable Hardware and Internet Access
This is an entirely online course. Thus, the two most important things you need are a reliable
computer and a reliable Internet connection. Know up front that there is limited forgiveness for technology
failures and that such failures (if your Internet connection drops in the middle of a test, for example) can
have deleterious effects on your grade.
In addition to those two items, you will need three additional items for this course
1. a textbook (The Legal Environment Today: Business In Its Ethical, Regulatory, ECommerce, and Global Setting, 7th Edition)
2. an Aplia access code, and
3. the Mozilla Firefox browser.
MGT 330 Syllabus (Summer 2013)
Prof. Britt
crbritt@uncg.edu
Page 4 of 8
Textbook & Aplia Access Code Options
You will need a textbook and an Aplia access code for this course. You have a few options in how
you acquire them.
Aplia With Included E-Book Your Aplia code includes an e-book online. Thus, one option is to
purchase just an Aplia access code and use the e-book that comes with it. This is the least expensive
route, but you will not have a physical textbook. Click here to purchase the Aplia code with included e-book
instantly from the publisher (ISBN 9781133629207). You can also purchase this at the UNCG bookstore
(ISBN 9781111968038).
Aplia Bundled With Hardcopy Book If you prefer a physical textbook, then you may purchase a
textbook bundled with an Aplia access code (ISBN 9781133288022). Click here to purchase this directly
from the publisher. You can also purchase this from the UNCG bookstore.
Textbook Only If you wind up needing to purchase just a textbook without the Aplia access code
(say, for example, you tried the e-book and decided you didn’t like it), the ISBN for that is 9781111530617.
Click here to order directly the publisher (there are a variety of purchase and rent options). You can also
purchase or rent a textbook from the UNCG bookstore.
Accessing Aplia
Aplia is part of CengageBrain, which allows you to sign in to a single site to access your Cengage
materials and courses.
1. Connect to http://login.cengagebrain.com/
2. If you already have an account, sign in. From your Dashboard, enter the MGT 330 course key
(below) in the box provided, and click the Register button.
3. If you don't have an account, click the Create a New Account button, and enter the MGT 330
course key (below) when prompted. Continue to follow the on-screen instructions.
Course Key: K898-HJZ5-R7JT
Mozilla Firefox
Blackboard at UNCG will only work reliably with Mozilla's Firefox browser. It will not work reliably
with Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser or Google’s Chrome browser. To avoid frustration (and
heartache, if you were to have a glitch during an exam), please download and use Firefox.
Due Dates and Due Times
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In an attempt to allow you a flexible work schedule but also create responsible milestones that
ensure you keep pace, the coursework for MGT 330 is broken into modules. Each module contains one or
more assignments and has a single deadline for all the work it contains. The due time for each module is
11:59 PM on the module’s due date. The due dates and due times for each module are totally inflexible,
except for technology and special exceptions described below. Please consult Blackboard for the specific
details on each module’s contents and due date.
MGT 330 Syllabus (Summer 2013)
Prof. Britt
crbritt@uncg.edu
Page 5 of 8
Grading Policy
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Late Work
Scores for assignments completed after the assignment’s due date will be deflated 20%. For
example, if you score a 100 on an assignment but it is late, your score will be deflated to an 80.
Assignments for which no work is submitted by the end of the course will earn a grade of zero. Thus, it is
prudent to work ahead of the deadlines. If you find yourself behind, however, the old adage applies: better
late than never.
Grading Categories
Each graded assignment falls into one of the categories below. All of the graded assignments for
each category will be averaged and then weighted against the other category averages using the
percentages shown. This weighted average will constitute your overall grade.
Graded for Completion
Three Attempts
Aplia Problem Sets
10%
Graded for Accuracy
Unlimited Attempts
Chapter Quizzes
40%
Graded for Accuracy
One Attempt Only
Unit Exams
35%
Cumulative Final Exam
15%
Grading Scale
The grading scale for this course is the standard 10 point scale shown below. In keeping with the
standard practice at UNCG, scores within .5 points of the next-higher scale level will be rounded up to that
level. For example, a 96.8 (A) would be rounded up to a 97.0 (A+). A 96.49 (A), however, would not.
A+
A
A-
100-97
<97-94
<94-90
C+
C
C-
<80-77
<77-74
<74-70
B+
B
B-
<90-87
<87-84
<84-80
D+
D
D-
<70-67
<67-64
<64-60
F
<60
Exceptions and Accommodations
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Technology Failures
This is an entirely online course. Knowing this, you assume the risk that your technology will fail
and that such failure will have academic consequences. Thus, please heed the warning given above that
you should take precaution to use only reliable hardware and Internet connections. Please also be mindful
that, if you work ahead, you can rectify some technology failures before they impact your scores.
Technology Help
Please refer to Blackboard for information on how to get help with technology issues.
MGT 330 Syllabus (Summer 2013)
Prof. Britt
crbritt@uncg.edu
Page 6 of 8
Technology Exceptions (Maximum is 2)
Despite the best laid precautions, technology failures can still occur. Recognizing that, I offer each
student two Technology Exceptions wherein you are given an extension of time to complete an assignment
or I will reset a test that was only partially completed. In both cases, the need must arise directly from a
genuine technology failure. If you have a technology failure that prevents you from completing an
assignment (like being locked out of a test) or from completing an assignment on time, please send me an
email with the assignment, what the technology failure was, and how your need for an exception arises
from the failure.
Please notice that the maximum number of exceptions is two. That means that, if you have a third
failure, the impact that the failure has on your score for that assignment will not be reversed. You are well
on notice after the first two failures to take greater precaution.
Medical Exceptions
We can probably all agree that life is full of surprises, not all of which are happy or welcomed.
While most of these surprises are simply vicissitudes of life that require you to be strong and carry on,
some do create legitimate needs for an extension of time to complete your work. For the purposes of this
course, there are two such unwelcomed surprises:
1. a serious illness or medical condition that prevents you from completing one or more assignments,
or
2. the death or grave hospitalization of an immediate family member that prevents you from
completing one or more assignments.
In those cases, and only those cases, I will grant you an exception for your assignments, allowing you
to complete them once you are medically and emotionally fit to do so. In either of these events, please
send me an email with the assignment(s) for which you need an exception, an explanation of how the
illness or medical condition prevented you from completing the assignments, and documentation
substantiating that one of these two scenarios did, in fact, occur.
Please notice that these are the only two situations that will justify a Medical Exception and they will be
narrowly construed.
Inclement Weather
If we experience severe weather, we will follow the University’s guidance as to whether to enforce
or extend a deadline. The University will publish its decision on its Adverse Weather Line (336.334.4400)
and/or online.
Athletics
If you are a UNCG student-athlete and your athletic event will interfere with an exam or
assignment, you must complete the exam or assignment in advance of the deadline. Also, you will find it
much easier to manage your athletic conflicts if you work ahead.
Disability
UNCG seeks to fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you request that
accommodations be made for you in this course based on a disability, register that request with the Office
of Disability Services. That office can be reached at 215 Elliott University Center, 336.334.5440, or online.
MGT 330 Syllabus (Summer 2013)
Prof. Britt
crbritt@uncg.edu
Page 7 of 8
Academic Integrity
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In such a rigorous and independent course, academic integrity is of utmost concern. You shall
comply with all facets of UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy. If you are unsure about the integrity of a
particular choice, please consult me. Otherwise, follow the old adage, “when in doubt, don’t.”
Moreover, online courses, in particular, present unique academic integrity concerns. This course
responds to those concerns with specific expectations for testing. Those expectations are shown, below.
Violations of these expectations is a violation of UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy and will be prosecuted.
With regards to the topics covered, questions asked, or answer choices offered on any quiz or exam,
you shall not:
o before any quiz or exam: seek, accept, or possess any information.
o during any quiz or exam:
 communicate in any way with any other person,
 make any copy or record, or
 use your textbook, notes, or any other resource whatsoever to assist you.
o after any quiz or exam:
 discuss any information,
 distribute or aid in the distribution of information, or
 possess any information.
These prohibitions do not prevent you from seeking, accepting, or possessing information designed
to help you develop your working knowledge of the content in preparation for a quiz or exam (i.e., learning
the content through reading, discussion, note taking, etc.). Instead, they prohibit you from seeking,
accepting, or possessing information that reveals specific topics, questions, or answers on a given quiz or
exam (i.e., cheating).
MGT 330 Syllabus (Summer 2013)
Prof. Britt
crbritt@uncg.edu
Page 8 of 8
Adjunct Professor Robin Britt, Jr.
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Online courses can be tricky for people who, like me, have a unisex name. So, to remove the
mystery, I am a man, not a woman. For those of you who enjoy enigma, I apologize for ruining all the fun!
That said, I am a Greensboro native and a professional educator who believes that our greatest
hope for tomorrow lies in educating students – young and old – today. Thus, it is my hope that you will use
the knowledge and skills you develop here at UNCG to make the world a better place. In the immortal
words of Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, "use your power for good, not evil."
In my years as a student (as if we ever really stop being one), I went to college at UNC Chapel Hill
where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Athletic Coaching. During those years, I was an
active intramural participant, coached little league sports, was a member of a fraternity, and was awarded a
Chancellor's Award for Contributions to the Community. After college, I worked with families in a public
housing community around issues of education and poverty. Seeking to better equip myself to address
those issues, I returned to UNC Chapel Hill to earn a Juris Doctor (law degree) and a Master of Business
Administration.
After finishing my time at Chapel Hill, I moved back to Greensboro and worked around the edges of
education. I practiced education law (primarily representing Guilford County Schools) while also starting a
nonprofit organization focused on the role technology can play in equipping pre-k teachers to teach and
pre-k children to learn. Also during that time, I started a technology company that built software tools for
teachers to track student progress and differentiate their instruction.
These were professionally challenging endeavors, but I eventually realized that working around the
edges of education wasn't scratching my itch. The real change in the world, I decided, is happening in
classrooms. So, I became a full time teacher. I started teaching at the middle school level and then moved
to elementary school. In both places, I used technology to personalize learning – so students could choose
their own path and pace. I have since joined a team that is helping Guilford County Schools implement this
approach in all of its middle schools.
For anyone who knows me, there is no question that I married up. (I hope each of you is as lucky
as I in that regard.) My wife is a physical therapist and we have two delightful and energetic young
children. They are each a varied mix of reader, writer, mathematician, and athlete. They are also very
attractive (a trait they got from their mother) and can be, at times, curious troublemakers (a trait they got
from me!).
Not Legal Advice
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Perhaps the italicized statement, below, seems obvious, but take the fact that it is included here as
evidence for why you need to learn as much as possible in this class.
BE NOTIFIED that this syllabus; the content, materials, and links on Blackboard; your
communications with me; and any other statement or representation associated with this class do
not constitute legal advice or a legal opinion. I AM NOT YOUR ATTORNEY AND WE ARE NOT IN
AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP. None of the items referenced above should be used as
a substitute for the advice of your own legal counsel.