Textbook Recommendation for FINA 2244
by Sammie Raper
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Executive Summary
Purpose
This is a report that recommends a textbook for the FINA 2244 - Legal
Environment of Business coarse here at ECU. The two books examined were
Contemporary Business Law by Henry R. Cheeseman and Business Law and
the Legal Environment by Jeffrey F. Beatty and Susan S. Samuelson.
The analysis of each text was based on the following criteria:

Organization and layout of both the style of text and of chapter content.

Required subject matter for the coarse and its arrangement within.

Opportunities for further research.
Analysis
The results of each criterion were as follows

Overall document design and style of fonts, headings, graphics, table of
contents and the appendix was better in the text by Beatty and
Samuelson.

Chapter layout including introduction, summary, case tables, and
questions for reflection was better designed in the Cheeseman text.

Essential subject matter of the coarse was well represented in both texts,
with no real advantage for either book.

The Cheeseman book provides the essential information in a more
straightforward manor.

Both texts provide substantial opportunities for further research, but the
Cheeseman book has less expensive options to both student and
instructor.
Recommendation
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Considering the evaluation of all criteria the recommendation is made for the
Contemporary Business Law textbook.
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................ i
Introduction ........................................................................................... 2
Criteria .................................................................................................. 3
Evaluation/Analysis............................................................................... 4
Textbook Design ................................................................................. 4
Document Design ............................................................................ 4
Chapter Design ................................................................................ 5
Subject Matter .................................................................................... 7
Opportunities for Further Research..................................................... 8
Conclusion........................................................................................... 10
Appendix ............................................................................................. 11
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Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide a recommendation for an appropriate
textbook for the Legal Environment of Business (FINA 2244) coarse here at
ECU. The two books that are being considered are Contemporary Business
Law by Henry R. Cheeseman and Business Law and the Legal Environment by
Jeffrey F. Beatty and Susan S. Samuelson. Going forward, the Contemporary
Business Law book will be referred to as the Contemporary textbook, while the
Business Law and the Legal Environment will be referred to as the Legal
Environment text.
The criteria that will be used to evaluate each text are book as follows:

Textbook Design

Topic Coverage

Opportunities for Follow Up Research
The textbook design will be determined by analyzing page layout and design,
graphics used, chapter summary and questions for reflection content, and
Glossary, Appendix and Index content. Topic coverage to be discussed is
outlined by the Coarse Description in the ECU handbook and analysis will be
based on the availability and extent of subject coverage. Lastly, any
opportunities to carry on further research beyond what the book provides will
be evaluated as well.
This report will present which criteria weighed more in the decision, followed by
an evaluation of each text using said criteria. A synopsis of how the
recommendation was determined will be provided with supporting analysis and
a recommendation for the most suitable textbook for FINA 2244 will be made.
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Criteria
The design of these textbooks will be evaluated to determine whether one book
is easier to read and teach from versus the other. Each of the following
elements will be evaluated and compared:

Document Design - including fonts, headings, visuals, table of contents,
glossaries, and appendices.

Chapter Design - including Introduction, summaries, and questions for
reflection, etc.
According to the coarse description provided by the ECU website, this is a
freshman level coarse "designed to educate future professionals on a wide
variety of legal topics that have significance for their business operations." This
is the most vital part of the recommendation. In order to meet the goals of this
description all subject matter must be presented and thus makes this criterion
the most important when determining a suitable text. All subject matter will be
examined to make sure sufficient information of each topic is provided as well
how each subject is covered throughout the text. Though most subject matter
is presented in some way throughout each text, it is the placement of this
information that will be the biggest deciding factor for this criterion. The
subject matter that is to be discussed is

The US System of Jurisprudence.

Sources of Law.

Regulation of Business.

Principles of Tort Law, Contracts, Labor Law, and Property.
Resources that can be used to further the quest for information must also be
considered when teaching students who wish to have an even greater
understanding of the subject matter being covered. The final criteria that will
be discussed, opportunities for further research:

Websites

CD/DVD ROMs

Other Teaching Tools
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Evaluation/Analysis
Each criterion will be analyzed separately. An evaluation of each text will be
presented for each criterion followed by a synopsis of the results. The first
criterion evaluated will be the textbook design, followed by the subject coverage
and placement, and last will be opportunities for further research.
Textbook Design
Textbook design will be broken down into two major categories, overall
document design and chapter design. Document design will focus solely on the
look of the textbook including:

Headings, Text, and Lists.

Graphics.

The Table of Contents.

Glossary and Appendices.
The chapter design will focus more on how the subject matter is presented and
laid out in each chapter, such as:

The Introduction and Summaries

Court Cases

Questions for Reflection.
Both will focus on readability and how easy it is to pick out differentiating
parts of the text.
Document Design
A basic side-by-side comparison of the document design can be found in table
1 in the appendix.
The Contemporary textbook was efficient with its space, though there are some
parts that look cramped. The outside margin is about two inches from the
page, where explanatory text and glossary definitions are placed to help further
explain the main page. Where there are a lot of notes here is where the pages
can look cramped. Font color is mostly effective with respect to background
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and white space. The only problem is that the headings use color to
differentiate levels, but the colors of each level are hard to discern, as they are
very close in the color spectrum. The level 2 heading is a light blue and the
level 3 is a light purple, which does not contrast well, but they are helped with
the use of bold text for heading 2 and italics for heading 3. The heading use is
ok for the main text, but in the Table of Contents, the heading levels change
back and forth on almost every line. This makes it very hard to differentiate
the information provided, and gives an overall cramped and thrown together
feel. There are some graphics and tables used, but there are not many and the
graphics used are quite small. Most pages look like run on text and do not
provide many breaks for the reader's eye. There is one section in the appendix
that lists the cases described throughout the book followed by a glossary.
The Legal Environment textbook is well organized and designed. There is a twoinch margin on the left side of each page, which shortens the main text for ease
of reading. Font color is effective with respect to background and white space.
Color, italics, and bold text contrast heading levels. Indents are used under
headings to further distinguish levels. Almost every page contains some sort of
graphic like tables with case information, graphs and photographs. The
graphics are large and take up the entire page, ignoring the larger left margin.
There are two sections in the appendix followed by a glossary and a table of all
cases throughout the book. Appendix A is full copy of the Constitution of the
United States and Appendix B is selected provisions of the Uniform Commercial
Code.
Document design edge goes to the Legal Environment textbook. The overall
page design is better with respect to headings, white space and use of graphics.
The headings are easier to follow; the pages do not look cramped, while still
providing good spacing for breaks in reading. The use of graphics is also much
better in this book. The Constitution and Commercial Codes in the Appendix
are good points of reference, which are not provided by the Contemporary
textbook.
Chapter Design
The first page of each chapter in the Contemporary textbook provides a list of
objectives that are to be discussed followed by a table of contents showing each
heading and case within. The contents however do not provide page numbers
for easy referencing. There is a short introduction to the material of the
chapter that relates how the information covered relates to business. The
introduction ends with a descriptive forecasting statement. The chapter
summary is provided in a table that takes each item in the list of objectives
from the first page of the chapter and breaks them down into subsections with
definitions and explanations of each principle. Here in the summary each
listed item provides a page number to refer back to. Each case is presented
throughout the chapter as a graphic with a case number provided and a
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detailed description explaining facts, issues, the decision, and reasoning
followed by questions that apply to critical legal thinking, ethics and business
implications. An example of a case graphic for this text is shown below in
figure1
Case Example from the Contemporary Text
Figure 1-The case is in placed in a graphic that provides background info and detailed
information of the implications of the case with regards to the objectives of each chapter. It
also covers the entire page horizontally into the margin. Notice the case number in the top left
for ease of referencing.
At the end of the chapter there is a list of each case with the case number and
a summary. Each chapter ends with a Critical Legal Thinking Writing
Assignment and Notes, which refer to references used. The writing assignment
refers to a case in the appendix with questions to be answered in essay form.
The chapters in the Legal Environment book begin with a short narrative of a
real life situation that poses a problem and how it relates to the following
subject matter. The first page also includes a small photograph of a random
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natural scene that is purely aesthetic. At the end of the chapter there is a
Chapter Conclusion section, which provides a smaller version of the photo from
the beginning of the chapter, perhaps to incite thoughts about the narrative in
the beginning, with a short summary of the main objective of the chapter.
Each case discussed throughout the chapters is placed in a graphic with a
short summary of the charge and decision. Figure 2 shows an example of how
the case is presented.
Case Example from the Legal Environment Text
Figure 2 - Each case is presented as a graphic that covers the entire page horizontally. There
is a description of the charge followed by the judgment.
After the chapter summary is a chapter review with a list of concepts covered
followed by a practice test in discussion question form. The last part of this
section is an Internet Research Problem that asks the reader to refer to the
book website and discuss information found there.
The Contemporary text provides a better chapter design. The introduction
clearly explains all information to be covered, and it provides contents that give
an outline of the material covered. There is no such reference at the beginning
of the Legal Environment text, just a short introductory paragraph. The
summary in the Contemporary text better ties each chapter together with
points of discussion repeated from the beginning of the chapter. The cases
reviewed are presented with much more detail in the Contemporary book also.
Both books provide sound exercises for reflection.
Subject Matter
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Table 2 in the Appendix provides quick reference of how the required subjects
are arranged throughout each text.
According to the online handbook, FINA 2244 covers US system of
jurisprudence, sources of law, regulation of business, and principles of tort
law, contracts, labor law, and property. This subject matter will be examined
in each textbook for quality of coverage as well placement throughout the text.
Each subject should be covered thoroughly, but the reader should not need to
skip from section to section to get the full scope of each concept. The following
will address both concerns for each text individually followed by a summary of
these findings.
The Contemporary text covers all topics thoroughly and in a well-structured
manor. Chapter 1 defines the US system of jurisprudence and sources of law,
which are referred to throughout the rest of the textbook. Also in Chapter 1
regulation of business is briefly explained and Unit V is devoted to this
concept. Principles of tort law are covered in Chapter 4 and are covered in
further detail with discussions of varying laws in Chapters 5-7. Unit II is
devoted to principles of contracts. Chapters 8-13 thoroughly discuss different
aspects of contracts as well as Chapters 14 and 15 in the following unit as they
relate to commercial transactions. Chapters 31 and 32 cover labor law.
Principles of property are introduced in Chapter 5 and Unit VI is devoted to
this principle. The most impressive part of my analysis of this book is that
each subject can be expressed almost chronologically throughout this text.
The Legal Environment text covers each topic well, but the structure is not as
straightforward. This text also introduces the US system of jurisprudence and
sources of law in Chapter 1. Chapter 1 introduces administrative agencies in
regulation of business, and then in Chapter 4 these agencies are covered in
detail before finally devoting Unit 6 to regulation by the government. Chapter 6
introduces both Intentional and business torts and further coverage is done in
parts of Chapters 7, 21, 29, and 30 with discussions of liabilities. Unit 2,
Chapters 10-18, is devoted to contract principles. Chapters 30 and 31 cover
labor law. Chapter 5 introduces property and Unit 7 is devoted to property and
cyber law collectively.
Both texts do an excellent job of providing in-depth knowledge of each topic
that needs to be covered, and would therefore be suitable as a textbook for this
coarse. The arrangement of subject matter is the separating criteria, and is
closely won by the Contemporary text. The arrangement of information is
better suited for this coarse, as less jumping around will be required for
coverage of the key subjects.
Opportunities for Further Research
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Further Research allows the student to delve deeper into subject matter and
allows the professor to push the student farther than the text limits.
Opportunities such as accompanying web info, CD or DVD ROMS, etc. can add
to the education experience. Having other materials at the disposal of the class
can be vital to research projects. Each text will be evaluated for these tools
separately, and then a comparison will conclude this criterion.
The Contemporary text lists several supplements that can be used along with
this text in the preface. The book also comes with a CD ROM that provides
keyword searchable software that contains 30 acts that are referenced
throughout the text. There is an instructor's manual, study guides, test item
files, power point slides, and a video series that may be purchased for
supplementation. There is 10 free hours of access each semester for Lexis, an
on-line legal database, available to each professor of the University that teaches
this coarse. Finally there are websites for support and an online coarse
providing learning option in legal studies.
In the preface of the Legal Environment text, there are several tools that may be
integrated as well. First there is a website that provides quizzes, court case
updates and legal reference material free of charge. Optional packages for
instructors includes a manual, test bank and testing software, resource CD,
power point slides, video library, a handbook of basic law terms, and access to
LegalTrac, a database of law reviews, legal newspapers, journals and articles.
There is a package available for students that include 15 weeks of The Wall
Street Journal. Finally the authors invite instructors to contact them with any
concerns they may have and provide phone and email information for doing so.
Each text provides website support, and several options for purchasing
upgrades for both the learning and teaching experience. The Contemporary
provides a CD ROM free of charge that provides further research, as well as 10
free hours to there legal database, both of which must be paid for in the Legal
Environment text. This gives the edge to the Contemporary textbook because no
addition costs are associated with these items.
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Conclusion
To sum up, this report has compared the two textbooks, Business Law and the
Legal Environment by Jeffrey F. Beatty and Susan S. Samuelson and
Contemporary Business Law by Henry R. Cheeseman, to determine which
would better suit the FINA 2244 - Legal Environment of Business class here at
ECU.
The criteria for which these texts were compared were the textbook design,
including overall document design, and chapter layout design, the required
subject matter and its layout, and the resources provided for additional
research. The Legal Environment textbook proved to have a more eye appealing
design. It provides better page layout, with respect to headings, lists, graphics,
white space and more information within the appendix. However, the
Contemporary textbook seemed to win every other category that was evaluated.
The Chapter Design provides a superior introduction and summary and more
informative case tables. The subject matter was sufficiently covered in both
text, but was easier to follow in the Contemporary text. Also the Contemporary
textbook better represented all the supporting opportunities for further
research because it offered more free information, while both offered a wealth
of additional resources when purchasing upgrade packages. Therefore my
recommendation for FINA 2244 is the Contemporary Business Law textbook by
Henry R. Cheeseman, which in fact seems to be the more contemporary piece.
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Appendix
Table 1 - Document Design Comparison by Category
CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS
LAW
BUSINESS LAW AND THE
LEGAL ENVIRONMENT
Headings, Text,
and Lists
Heading levels are clearly
defined. Good use of font,
color, italics, and bold to
differentiate headings. Nice
contrast of text and
background. Problem with
lower levels of text being too
small especially in the lists.
Heading levels are clearly
defined. Font color, bold,
and italics used to
differentiate headings. Nice
contrast of text and
background.
Graphics
Somewhat lacking in
graphics. Some pictures,
drawings, and tables,
though small. Some
drawings are very plain, with
just black and white. Some
tables seem to blend in to
the main body text.
Also lacking in graphics.
Some pictures, drawings
and tables. Tables and
drawings really stand out
with color scheme.
Table of Contents
2 separate ToCs. First table
is a basic table followed by a
more detailed one. Detailed
table has various headings
that are very confusing.
Each line seems to change
level and it has very poor
readability.
2 separate ToCs. First on is
a basic overall view.
Second table is very
detailed and well contrasted
with easily distinguished
heading levels.
Glossary and
Appendices
Utilizes a running glossary
within the body of the book.
Has a case appendix as well
as a glossary.
Appendix A is Constitution
of the US. Appendix B for
Uniform Commercial Codes.
Has a glossary and a Table
of Cases.
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Table 2 Subject Matter Comparisons by Category
CONTEMPORARY
BUSINESS LAW
BUSINESS LAW AND THE
LEGAL ENVIRONMENT
US System of
Jurisprudence
Chapter 1 introduces this
and Chapters 2 and 3
explain the rationale behind
this concept.
Chapter 1 introduces this
and Chapters 2 and 3
explain the rationale
behind this concept.
Sources of Law
Chapter 1 briefly explains
each source on pages 7-9.
Chapter 1 briefly explains
each source on pages 9-12.
Regulation of
Business
Chapter 1 briefly explains
different types of regulation.
Unit V is devoted to
Regulation by the
Government.
Chapter 1 briefly
introduces Administrative
Agencies. Chapter 4
covers these Agencies in
more detail. Unit 6 is
devoted to Regulation by
the Government
Principles of Tort
Law
Chapter 4 is devoted to Tort
Law. Torts are also covered
in Chapters 5, 6, and 7 with
discussions of other Laws.
Chapter 6 is devoted to
Intentional and Business
Torts. Torts are also
covered in Chapters 7, 21,
29, and 30 in discussions
of liabilities.
Principles of
Contracts
Unit II is devoted to
Unit 2 is devoted to
Contracts. This includes
Contracts. This includes
chapters 8-13. Lease
chapters 10-18.
contracts are also discussed
in the following unit in
chapters 14 and 15.
Principles of Labor
Law
Chapters 31 and 32 are
devoted to Labor Law.
Chapters 30 and 31 are
devoted to Labor Law.
Principles of
Property
Property rights are
introduced in Chapter 5
and Unit VI is devoted to
Property.
Property rights are
introduced in Chapter 5
and Unit 7 is devoted to
Property and Cyber law