GB 432 – Spring 2014
22563 GBK 432.120 – Business Law 1 Syllabus Online – Spring 2014
Instructor: Jeffrey Taylor, B.A., J.D.
Office Location: Remote
Phone: 910-581-5495
Email: jefftaylor1942@ct.tamus.edu or through Blackboard (BB) email
Office Hours: I am a remote instructor. There will be online office hours once a week
(mandatory) and I will be available through BB Chat, email, text, or phone at any time by prior
arrangement.
You may contact me at any time on my cellphone. Please do not hesitate to contact me with
questions. In the event I am unable to answer please leave a voice mail with your name and
phone number. I will return all calls as soon as possible. I do not expect to be unavailable for
any extended period of time but I will notify you if I will be unable to return messages for any
period exceeding 48 hours.
Mode of instruction and course access
This course is a 100% online course and uses TAMUCT’s Blackboard system (referred to by me
hereafter as BB). http://tamuct.blackboard.com The instructions in section 7 of this syllabus
will assist you with gaining access and technical support. Once you are in BB, there is tab on
the left labeled “Online Learning” that will have additional BB resources if you are unfamiliar
with BB. Though no specific legal knowledge is required as a prerequisite to this course (only
junior standing per the catalog), it will be essential that you have a familiarity with the use of
Power Point, Microsoft Word, the Internet, copying and pasting information and attaching
documents at a minimum.
The posted resources for this course are (1) a Study Guide with videos and other links for
each Chapter; (2) PowerPoint presentations for each chapter; and handouts. In addition
to the posted resources there is a Special Introduction to Contract Law (Unit 2) and the
same for Chapter 18, 19, 21, 22, and 23, the material on Commercial Transactions (Unit 3).
Obviously your text is a significant resource. Careful reading of each chapter using the
Study Guide is mandatory.
1|Page
GB 432 – Spring 2014
UNILERT - Emergency Warning System for Texas A&M University – Central Texas
UNILERT is an emergency notification service that gives Texas A&M University-Central Texas
the ability to communicate health and safety emergency information quickly via email and
text message. By enrolling in UNILERT, university officials can quickly pass on safety-related
information, regardless of your location. Please enroll today at http://TAMUCT.org/UNILERT
1.0 Course Description
The study of the basic, though it may not seem that way, principles of law relating to law and
ethics, the judicial system, constitution, tort and criminal law, common law contracts, the
laws of sales, warranties and banking.
2.0 Overall Course Objective
To acquire basic knowledge of the legal system and laws critical for the operations of a
business will be the core of this course. This course is the first course of two courses directed
at providing coverage of the legal environment facing business organizations in today’s
society. This course is required for most majors within the School of Business Administration.
2.1 Course Level Objectives (CLO’s)
At the conclusion of the course, the student should be able to, at an acceptable level per
the grading scale found in syllabus section 5.0 (Minimum of 715 total points):
1. Explain the impacts of the Constitution and Judiciary on business law. (Chapters 1 and
2 – Week 1)
2. Recognize when a tort has been committed and discuss the ways an individual’s
rights may be enforced. (Chapters 3 and 4 – Week 2)
3. Classify violations of one’s intellectual property rights, as well as crimes committed
against them. (Chapters 5 and 6 – Week 3)
4. Describe what constitutes ethical behavior and is required for a legally
enforceable contract. (Chapter 8 – Week 4; Chapters 9 and 10 – Weeks 5 and
6)
5. Identify when a contract must be in writing, is supported by legally sufficient
consideration, and when a contracting party has capacity to contract. (Chapters 11, 12,
13 and 14 – Weeks 7, 8 and 10) Note: I have given the period of March 10-14 which is
Spring Break, the designation of Week 9. I do not have any work due that week but
you are free to continue working on the course.
6. Indicate the level at which a contract has been performed and discuss the
remedies for a breach. (Chapters 15, 16, and 17 – Weeks 11 and 12)
7. Apply the provisions of the UCC to contract situations and recognize breaches of duties
with warranties and products liability. (Chapters 18, 19 and 21 – Weeks 13 and 14)
8. Explain the requirements of and liabilities surrounding negotiable instruments.
(Chapters 22 and 23 Weeks 15 and 16)
2|Page
GB 432 – Spring 2014
2.2 Course Activities and Schedule
Activities: Each week of the course you will have certain activities, they include:
1. Reading Assignment by Chapter. You will be provided with a Study Guide for each
chapter to assist you with the material. The Chapter PowerPoints are also available.
2. Discussion board posts. You are responsible to post at least one comment or question
and to respond to at least two of the comments of your fellow students. There is a
discussion board for each chapter (total of 21). If you post, on time, the three required
posts you will receive 10.95 points. If you post twice you will receive 5 points and if
you post once or not at all no points will be given.
3. Chapter Quizzes. We are covering 21 Chapters. There is a 20 question, multiplechoice/matching/True-False quiz for each chapter. On some weeks we will be covering
two chapters. On those weeks you will have two quizzes due. All quizzes will be due at
11:59 pm on Sundays. Each quiz is worth up to 20 points.
4. Journal Entries. On three occasions during the course you will describe what you have
learned from the recently covered material and ask any questions you have about the
material. This will be done using the Blackboard Journal Tool. There are three sets of
journals reflecting that we are covering three different units in the text. Each journal is
worth 50 points
In addition to weekly activities the following additional activities are part of the Course grade
structure:
1. Final Exam. The final exam in the course will cover all of the material from the 21
chapters. The final will consist of 100 multiple-choice questions, some of which will be
scenario based. The final exam is worth up to 200 points
2. Extra Credit – Written Project. I will post a list of acceptable topics. The assignment will
be a 4-6 page paper (double-spaced) on one of the topics. Any extra points earned will
be applied to the total of all points earned. I suggest that you wait until at least the
halfway point in the course before you decide whether you need extra points to
receive a grade acceptable to you. The extra credit paper is worth up to 50 points and
I will provide you with a breakdown of the requirements for the papers (called a
rubric).
5. Extra Credit - Collaboration Sessions. This will be done using the Blackboard Chat tool.
I have arbitrarily selected Friday evenings at 7 pm. Each session will last 60 minutes.
While you do not have to be logged on for the entire session you must log in for at least
15 minutes at some point during the session in order to get credit for attendance. The
session topics are the assigned chapters for that week. By participating on Friday before
the quizzes are due you will have an opportunity to get any questions answered. You
earn extra credit points each time you log in a chat session. The points are not quality
points. They strictly relate to participation. There will be one session per week; a
3|Page
GB 432 – Spring 2014
total of 16. Each session is worth 3 points. This activity is strictly optional. In the
sessions I will be conducting real-time communication with everyone who is logged in.
It works like IM or cell phone chat except with more than two people involved at the
same time. You may ask questions, make comments or discuss anything about the
course material. You can also interact with any of the other students who are logged
in at the time.
Schedule:
Week
Chapters
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Final Exam
1&2
3&4
5&6
8
9
10
11
12
Spring
13 & 14
15
16 & 17
18 & 19
21
22
23
all
Dates
Chat (Optional)
Jan 13-19
Jan 20-26
Jan 27-Feb 2
Feb 3 – 9
Feb 10-16
Feb 17-23
Feb 24-Mar 2
Mar 3-9
Break
Mar 17-23
Mar 24-30
Mar 31- Apr 6
Apr 7-13
Apr 14-20
Apr 21-27
Apr 28-May 4
Jan 17 7:00 pm
Jan 24 7:00 pm
Jan 31 7:00 pm
Feb 7 7:00 pm
Feb 14 7:00 pm
Feb 21 7:00 pm
Feb 28 7:00 pm
Mar 7 7:00 pm
Mar 21 7:00 pm
Mar 28 7:00 pm
Apr 4 7:00 pm
Apr 11 7:00 pm
Apr 18 7:00 pm
Apr 25 7:00 pm
May 2 7:00 pm
Discussion Board &
Quiz Due Dates
Jan 19 11:59 pm
Jan 26 11:59 pm
Feb 2 11:59 pm
Feb 9 11:59 pm
Feb 16 11:59 pm
Feb 23 11:59 pm
March 2 11:59 pm
March 9 11:59 pm
March 23
March 30
April 6
April 13
April 20
April 27
May 4
May 9
11:59 pm
11:59 pm
11:59 pm
11:59 pm
11:59 pm
11:59 pm
11:59 pm
11:59 pm
3. 0 Textbook and Required Materials
th
Business Law Today: Comprehensive Edition, Gaylord A Jentz and Robert Miller, 9 Ed. – ISBN – 978-0538-45280-9 This is also the same text that we will also use for Business Law II through at least the summer of
2014. Note: A student of this institution is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from a universityaffiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an
online retailer.
If your book is going to be delayed, you might look into at least purchasing e-chapters to
stay up to date. E-Chapter Link
4|Page
GB 432 – Spring 2014
4.0 Course Requirements
There are three things you must do to master the material in Business Law 1.
1. Read the assigned Chapters using the Study Guides to provide you with questions
which will cause you to focus on the most important concepts.
2. Think about the concepts. For years I have advised students to “draw a picture of how
it works” – this is still good advice and I will provide an example
3. Apply the legal principles you have learned to the facts of a case.
Here is your example: On page 154 I read the material on double jeopardy. (Item 1 above)
After reading the material I think about what the term means in practice and I drew this picture
of it
Joe Smith is tried for burglary
This diagram relates to
and is found not guilty
The State cannot try
Joe again for the
same crime. Joe is off
the hook.
Joe Smith is tried for burglary
and is found guilty
Joe appeals his
conviction and it is
reversed because the
trial court made an error
This diagram relates to
Item No. 2 above
The State tries Joe
again on the same
charge. Isn’t this
double jeopardy?
Then I need to deal with Item 3 – Apply. This should give me the answer to the question in
the green box. The question I need to ask is “what happened to Joe’s conviction?” The
answer is it no longer exists. When the appellate court reversed the conviction it ceased to
have any legal effect. It is as if Joe was never convicted. So if Joe has never been convicted of
a crime for which the State believes he is criminally responsible, it is free to try Joe a second
time. This does not violate the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Learning about the law is a matter of asking questions of yourself, your fellow students, and
your instructor, and then applying what you have learned to the facts of a case. Questions
and Answers; Questions and Answers – there is always another question and another answer.
This is how we learn about the law.
Another important aspect of this course is to be absolutely on time with all assignments.
Every year a number of attorneys are disbarred for missing a deadline. Even if you pursue a
career in business and not law, there will be a time when you will need to work with an
attorney regarding important matters related to your business. The attorney will have
deadlines and will depend on you for the information he or she needs to meet the deadline.
5|Page
GB 432 – Spring 2014
5.0 Grading Scale
******Note the C, D, and F
Your grade is determined by the total number of points earned during the semester.
895-1000
795-895
715-795
645-715
645 or less
= A - Excellent
= B - Good
= C - Acceptable
= D – Needs significant improvement
= F - Unacceptable
Graded Activity
Total Points
Chapter Quizzes 21 @ 20 pts.
420
Discussion Boards 21 @ 10.95 pts.
230
Journals 3 @ 50 pts.
150
Final Exam
200
Total
1000
Extra Credit - Paper
Extra Credit Chat - 16 @ 3 pts.
Weight
42%
23%
15%
20%
100%
50
48
Grades may also be adjusted at the end of the semester based on class results, meaning an
average may qualify for a higher letter grade than the scale normally provides for, to
facilitate an appropriate grade distribution. Since I don’t have you in class to hear your
responses to questions I ask, your work/effort needs to impress me if your average is close
to a grade border.
6.0 Other Grade Issues
My Grading Policy: I will try to have all homework graded the day after it is due and most
likely before an exam window covering that material opens. I do grade thoroughly and try to
provide feedback where feasible, especially on Discussion Board postings and quizzes. Exams
will hopefully be graded within 48 hours of the exam windows closing. Your grades are
always posted and available in the Blackboard Gradebook on the left side of our BB course.
Late work penalties:
1. NO credit will be given for late postings/submissions.
2. If you miss the exact deadline in a graded segment of the course, and it is turned in
within one week of the original deadline, you will lose up to 25% of the points
available for that assignment. Assignments not received within one week of the
original deadline will not be graded.
3. I f you fail to take an exam without notifying me prior to the exam window, you can
score no higher than the lowest grade a class member received who took it on time
and only if I feel the excuse warrants allowing a make-up.
6|Page
GB 432 – Spring 2014
7.0 Semester Calendar – Our week will begin on Monday and end on the following
Sunday – All Assignments are due as stated above. Pay attention, as there are multiple
things due many weeks! All times are Central Standard Time!
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS AND SUPPORT
8.1 Technology Requirements
This course will use the new TAMU-CT Blackboard Learn learning management system for
class communications, content distribution, and assessments.
Logon to http://tamuct.blackboard.com to access the course.
You will use a unique username (yourfirstname.lastname) and password (your UID) to
access the course. Your access to this course will be different than your access to all
other courses.
For this course, you will need reliable and frequent access to a computer and to the
Internet. You will also need a headset with a microphone or speakers and a microphone to
be able to listen to online resources and conduct other activities in the course.
If you do not have frequent and reliable access to a computer with Internet connection,
please consider dropping this course or contact me at
jefftaylor1942@mail.ct.tamus.edu/ or by phone at 910 581-5495 to discuss your
situation.
Blackboard supports the most common operating systems:
PC: Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 2000,
Mac: Mac OS 10.6 “Snow Leopard®”, Mac OS 10.5 “Leopard®”, Mac OS 10.4 “Tiger®”
Check browser and computer compatibility by following the “Browser Check” link
(http://www.ct.tamus.edu/departments/instructionaldesign/browsercheck.php) on the
TAMUCT Blackboard logon page. This is a CRITICAL step as these settings are important for
when you take an exam or submit an assignment.
Upon logging on to Blackboard Learn, you will see a link to Blackboard Student Orientation
under My Courses tab. Click on that link and study the materials in this orientation course.
The new Blackboard is a brand-new interface and you will have to come up to speed with it
really quickly. This orientation course will help you get there. There is also a link to
Blackboard Help from inside the course on the left-hand menu bar. The first week of the
course includes activities and assignments that will help you get up to speed with navigation,
sending and receiving messages and discussion posts, and submitting an assignment. Your
ability to function within the Blackboard system will facilitate your success in this course.
Technology issues are not an excuse for missing a course requirement – make sure your
computer is configured correctly and address issues well in advance of deadlines.
7|Page
GB 432 – Spring 2014
8.2 Technology Support
For technological or computer issues (for content issues call or email me), students should
contact the TAMU-CT Blackboard Support group (NOT TARLETON SUPPORT) - :
For technological or computer issues, students should contact the TAMUCT Blackboard Support Services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:
Support Portal:
http://www.ct.tamus.edu/bbsupport Online
chat (through the support portal at:
http://www.ct.tamus.edu/bbsupport)
Phone: (855)-661-7965
For issues related to course content and requirements, contact your instructor.
9.0 Drop Policy
If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the Records Office and ask for
the necessary paperwork. Professors cannot drop students; this is always the responsibility of
the student. The record’s office will give a deadline for which the form must be returned,
completed, and signed. Once you return the signed form to the records office and wait 24
hours, you must go into Duck Trax and confirm that you are no longer enrolled. If you are still
enrolled, FOLLOW-UP with the records office immediately. You are to attend class until the
procedure is complete to avoid penalty for absence. Should you miss the deadline or fail to
follow the procedure, you will receive an F in the course.
10.0 Academic Honesty
Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of
personal and scholarly conduct. Students guilty of academic dishonestly are subject to
disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an
examination or other academic work, plagiarism, collusion (working together), and the abuse
of resource materials, including faculty designated resources. The faculty member is responsible
for initiating action for each case of academic dishonestly. More information can be found at
www.ct.tamus.edu/StudentConduct.
All work in this course is individual (including Homework). You may get the rare/occasional
assistance from other students about where you found certain information/answers, but I
don’t want to see close/identical answers. I have a pretty good eye for this, as my memory is
pretty good! If you need help, ask me! Any instance of academic dishonesty will result in an F
in my course. I have taught this course long enough that I can tell if you are collaborating or
not, despite the fact that your answers may differ slightly. Also, you may not use the internet
to look up exam questions. You’re much better off sticking to the text and notes….just trust
me!
8|Page
GB 432 – Spring 2014
11.0 Disability Services
Texas A&M University – Central Texas complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. TAMUCT promotes the use of the
Principles of Universal Design to ensure that course design and activities are accessible to the
greatest extent possible. Students who require reasonable accommodations based on the
impact of a disability should contact Gail Johnson, Disability Support Coordinator at (254) 5015831 in Student Affairs, Office 114E. The Disability Support Coordinator is responsible for
reviewing documentation provided by students requesting accommodations, determining
eligibility for accommodations, helping students request and use accommodations, and
coordinating accommodations.
12.0 Tutoring
TAMUCT offers its students tutoring, both on-campus and online. Subjects tutored include:
Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, and Writing (MLA and APA). For hours, or if
you're interested in becoming a tutor, contact Academic Support Programs at 254-519-5496
or by emailing gnichols@ct.tamus.edu.
Tutor.com is an online tutoring platform that enables TAMU-CT students to log-in and receive
FREE online tutoring and writing support. This tool provides tutoring in Mathematics, Writing,
Career Writing, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Spanish, Calculus, and Statistics. Chat live with a
tutor 24/7 for any subject on your computer at www.tutor.com/tamuct, or use the Tutor.com
To Go App on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Visit www.tutor.com/togo to download the
app for free. If you have any questions about Tutor.com, please contact Ryan Thompson at
254-519-5796, or by emailing rthomp8@ct.tamus.edu.
13.0 Library Services
INFORMATION LITERACY focuses on research skills which prepare individuals to live and work
in an information-centered society. Librarians will work with students in the development of
critical reasoning, ethical use of information, and the appropriate use of secondary research
techniques.
Help may include, yet is not limited to: exploration of information resources such as library
collections and services, identification of subject databases and scholarly journals, and
execution of effective search strategies. Library resources are outlined and accessed at
http://www.tarleton.edu/centraltexas/departments/library/
14.0 Other Important Notes and Considerations
1. I will email you through BB to your go.tarleton.edu accounts. If you do not check
your school email account, you should register an email you do check by clicking on
“My Places” at the top of BB. Then, click on “Personal Information.” Then click on
“Edit Personal Information,” which will allow you to enter a new email address that
BB will send announcements and emails to. Also, pay attention to the
9|Page
GB 432 – Spring 2014
announcements tab as well for any updates, though any announcement should
generate an email to the address registered with BB.
3. Respect the thoughts and opinions of your classmates. We may not agree on
everything, but everyone, generally, has the right to be heard in my classroom
(Blackboard for this one). I want everyone to feel comfortable to share their
thoughts on a subject, even if others may disagree.
4. I reserve the right to make reasonable alterations to the course calendar and
syllabus as provided here. It is a guide, not a hard and fast rule. Changes will only
be made that benefit the class as a whole.
15.0 Being an Online Student
Online courses require a great deal of self-discipline. The biggest issue impacting grades I
have seen with my courses is turning in all work when it is due. This syllabus previously
stated that there are definitive penalties when work is not completed or completed on time.
The course calendar will likely not change, so note when all things will happen and plan
accordingly from the beginning.
10 | P a g e