MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
BUSINESS LAW ONE - HRM 215
COURSE OUTLINE - 2010
1. MEANING OF LAW
 Definition of law, purpose or function of law, Criteria or principles of a just law,
Classification of law
2. SOURCES OF LAW
 Common law, Customs, Legislation, Jurists/Authoritative works,
 Case law/ Judicial Precedence/Judge made law
 Doctrine of stare decisis, ratio decidendi, obita dicta
3. HIERARCHY , STRUCTURE AND JURISDICTION OF ZIMBABWEAN COURTS
 Community, Magistrate, High and Supreme Court
4. LAW OF CONTRACT
 definition
 essential elements of a valid contract
 rules of offer and acceptance
 terms of a contract-implied, express, special, signed and unsigned documents
 contracts induced by duress, undue influence and misrepresentation
 contractual capacity
 termination/discharge of contracts
 types of breach
 remedies for breach of contract
5. SPECIAL CONTRACTS
 contract of sale-essential elements, passing of ownership and risk, duties of
buyer and seller, delivery, voetstoots sales, breaches and remedies
 lease-definition, duties of lessor/landlord and lessee/tenant, landlord’s tacit
hypothec, hoor gaat voor koop, termination of lease agreements
 agency-creation of agency, agency authority, types of agents, duties and rights of
agents, termination
 contract of employment-definition, duties of the employer and employee,
vicarious liability, contracts in restraint of trade, termination
 partnership-definition, formation, types of partnerships, distinguishing a
partnership from a company, partners as agents, duties and rights of partners,
termination and effects of termination
 property-definition and classification of things, real and personal rights,
acquiring ownership
 insurance-definition, insurable interest, good faith, indemnity principle,
proximate clauses, doctrine of subrogation and salvage, warranties and
conditions,