BUS325 Legal Environment of Business
Great Basin College Syllabus
Semester Offered: Spring 2011
Credits: 3.0
Instructor: Thomas Matula
Office Hours: 10:00-11:30 am M-Th
Office: Online
Office Phone: 775-753-2104
Email Address: thomasm@gwmail.gbcnv.edu
Course Dates: Jan. 24, 2011 to May 20, 2011
Format: Online - WebCampus
Course Goal/Objectives
Understand and be able to manage an enterprise within the legal environment of business
Student Learning Assessment:
Assessment Devise: Standard College grading scale will be used. The following items will be
graded accordingly and will carry the assigned grading values:
A) Discussions
100 pts
B) Term Paper
100 pts
C) Assignments (2)
100 pts
D) Midterm Exam
100 pts
E) Final Exam
100 pts
Total Points
500 pts
Passing grades for this course range from “A” through “D”. Grade values are as follows:
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = 59% or less
Course Expectations
Academic Dishonesty: Each student is expected to be honest in his or her work. Students will not
get outside help for taking exams or quizzes. Cheating of any kind and plagiarism are both forms
of dishonesty. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation,
of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It
also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency
engaged in the selling of term papers and/or other academic materials. Academic dishonesty will
not be tolerated and may result in a failing grade and/or reporting to GBC Administration. Please
be aware that faculty members have easy access to databases to double check any student work
against published books or internet resources. You are therefore strongly encouraged to cite
published work within quotation marks, e.g.: “As Dr. Melsin mentioned in his book …” or with
appropriate referencing, e.g.: (Melsin 1999).
As per Great Basin College policy, plagiarism is defined as:
“Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s words, ideas or data as one’s own. When a student submits work
that includes the words, ideas, or data of others, the source of that information must be acknowledged
through complete, accurate, and specific references; and if verbatim statements are included, through
quotation marks as well. In academically honest writing or speaking, the students will acknowledge the
source whenever: 1) Another person’s actual words are quoted, 2) Another person’s idea, opinion or theory
is used, even if it is completely paraphrased in the student’s own words, 3) Facts, statistics, or other
illustrative materials are borrowed, unless the information is common knowledge.”
Student Conduct: Students are expected to follow the Student Conduct Policy for students in the
Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) outlined in the GBC Catalog. Because this is a online
class through WebCampus, students will specifically be held accountable for behaving in a civil
and respectful manner toward other students and the professor in all online communications.
The college catalog states, “Messages, attitudes, or any other form of communication deemed to
be outside the bounds of common decency/civility as judged by common standards of classroom
behavior (determined, as they would be in a regular classroom, by the instructor) will not be
tolerated.”
Any student who behaves rudely or inappropriately to another student or to the instructor will be
dropped immediately. During the first week of class, students will be required to respond to an
email from the instructor acknowledging that they have read the Student Conduct Policy and
understand that they will be dropped from the class for violating it.
Attendance/Participation: Being that this is an online course it is not required for students to attend
an actual class at a GBC campus, however regular assignments, quizzes, tests, etc. will be posted
weekly. Students will need to log into the class at a minimum once a week in order to fully
participate in the course. This is not a self-paced course and it is essential to academic success
for the student to stay attuned to all course developments. Students who check their Webcampus
course daily for any new announcements, class discussions, etc., perform much better than
students who check in only once a week. When course discussions occur, it will be imperative to
log in frequently to fully participate.
Assignments: Course work is due on the day it is assigned. Assignments turned in late will drop
one letter grade for each day late. This means that an “A” quality assignment turned in more than
3 days late would receive an “F”. All assignments, including discussion posts and replies, are due
on Sundays at midnight. Discussions will be due every week. All attempts will be made to grade
and return assignments within 1 week of the date they were due.
What you can expect from your instructor: Since this class will be conducted online, many of you
may wish to email me with questions rather than call on the office or cell phone. During the week
(Mon-Thurs), I will respond to your emails within 24-48 hours. During the weekends (Fri-Sun),
Tracy sometimes travels for recruiting or field trips and may not be available to respond back to
your questions by email in a timely manner. Please contact me on my cell phone when you have
questions during this time.
Use of computers in this course: This course will make use of WebCampus. To log in, go to
webcampus.gbcnv.edu. Your WebCampus ID is your Great Basin College email address ID. If you
don't have a GBC email address or don't remember your address go to the Technology Help Desk,
email the Help Desk at helpdesk@gwmail.gbcnv.edu, or call them at 775-753-2167. Passwords will
be sent by mail to students who register for their course(s) 5 days before the semester begins. If
you register after this time or did not receive a letter by mail, contact the Help Desk as soon as
possible. If you have never taken a class online or are unfamiliar with Webcampus, you may want
to attend one of the student Webcampus workshops that will be held at the beginning of the
semester (http://www.gbcnv.edu/techdesk/webcampus/orientation.html).
I do not have the capacity to help you with computer-technical issues. You will receive much faster
and more knowledgeable assistance from the Help Desk. Please go to them for technical
assistance. You bear the responsibility for getting the technical aspects of the course to function
properly so that you can participate fully.
GBC Helpdesk:
Website: http://www.gbcnv.edu/~techdesk
Phone: 775-753-2147, Monday-Friday 7am to 10pm, Saturday 8am- 5pm
For In person assistance: Elko: High Tech Center Open Lab, Monday-Friday 7am to 10pm,
Saturday 8am to 5pm; Battle Mountain, Ely, Pahrump, & Winnemucca check center for times
ADA Statement: Great Basin College is committed to providing equal educational opportunities to
qualified students with disabilities in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations,
including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973. A qualified student must furnish current verification of disability. The ADA Officer (Julie G.
Byrnes) will assist qualified students with disabilities in securing the appropriate and reasonable
accommodations, auxiliary aids, and services. For more information or further assistance, please
call 753-2271.
Additional Considerations:
Prerequisite: Completion of the associate’s degree or instructor’s approval.
Required Text: The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business, 15/e, Reed, O.L.,
Shedd, P.J., Pagnattaro, M.A., and Morehead, J.W. McGraw-Hill
Additional Reading: None
Course Goals and Objectives: Understand and be able to manage an enterprise within the legal
environment of business
Expected Learner Outcomes:

Understand the legal environment of business

Understand basic business documents

Understand the role of government regulations

Demonstrate the ability to research the legal
requirements for starting or expanding a business
Learner Outcome Measurements:
Discussion, Assignments, Term
Paper and Exams
Discussion, Assignments, Term
Paper and Exams
Assignments, Term Paper and
Exams
Assignments, Term Paper and
Exams
Course Catalog Description:
BUS325 Legal Environment of Business
Covers the essential topics of contracts, torts, labor relations and criminal law, and also those legal
issues of vital concern to business managers including consumer protection, administrative
regulations, the interaction of business organizations with the branches of government, and an
overview of the legal environment in which business takes place in our society.
Course Schedule:
The class schedule is subject to change with prior notification by instructor
Date
Jan. 24
We
ek
1
Jan. 31
2
Feb. 7
3
Feb. 14
4
Feb. 21
5
Feb. 28
Subject
Readings/Assignments
Due Date
Chapter 1: Law as the Foundation of Business
Readings: Chp. 1
Chapter 2: The Ethical Basis of Law and Business
Readings: Chp. 2
Management
Chapter 3: The Court System
Chapter 4: Litigation
Chapter 5: Negotiation and Alternative Dispute
Resolution Systems
Readings: Chp. 3, 4
Readings: Chp. 5
Assignment 1
Due: Feb. 20, 2011
Chapter 6: The Constitution and Regulation of
Readings: Chp. 6
6
Chapter 7: The Property-Based Legal System
Readings: Chp. 7
Mar. 7
7
Readings: Chp. 8 & 9
Mar. 14
8
Chapter 8: Introduction to Contracts
Chapter 9: Contractual Issues
Chapter 10: Torts in the Business Environment
Mar. 21
Mar. 28
9
SPRING BREAK
Chapter 11: Intellectual Property in the Property
Readings: Chp. 11
Apr. 4
10
Chapter 12: Criminal Law and Business
Readings: Chp. 12
Apr. 11
11
Chapter 13: International Law
Readings: Chp. 13
Apr. 18
12
Chapter 14: Formation and Operation of Business
Readings: Chp. 14
Business
Readings: Chp. 10
Midterm Exam (Chps 1-10)
Due: Mar. 20, 2011
System
Apr. 25
13
May 2
14
Organizations
Chapter 15: Sarbanes-Oxley and Securities
Regulations
Chapter 17: Consumer Protection
May 9
15
Chapter 17: Environmental Laws and Pollution
Control
May 16
16
Finals Week
Assignment 2
Due: Apr. 10, 2011
Readings: Chp. 15
Readings: Chp. 17
Readings: Chp. 18
Term Paper
Due: May 15, 2011
Online Essay
Due: May 20, 2011