Heller School for Social Policy and Management

Brandeis University Heller School for Social Policy and Management HS 270 F-1 Business Law Fall 2014

Instructor: Jeffrey Rudin Office: Phone: Email: [email protected] Time: Friday 9:00-11:50 am

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:

The purpose of this course is to provide a general introduction to US legal concepts and issues with which contemporary managers should be acquainted. Managers must not only be aware of the legal requirements related to their particular function, but must also be cognizant of the broader ramifications of legal matters on the enterprise as a whole. This course will provide students with an understanding of legal issues from both of these perspectives guiding them with regard to appropriate legal treatment in a variety of settings. Further, discussions of ethical dilemmas that potentially present challenges to managers dealing with business and legal issues within organizations will be explored and discussed.

LEARNING GOALS:

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:  identify common legal issues that may arise in day to day business operations such as those relating to contracts, employment law, tortious behavior, product liability, and criminal actions.  appreciate the significance of a broad range of legal issues related to the organization as a whole and identify appropriate alternatives available to the manager.  enhance their understanding of ethical issues while exploring and reflecting upon potential courses of action within such dilemmas.  understand the range of legal structures available to set up businesses as well as their respective advantages and disadvantages.  improve the ability to critically analyze issues, including articulation and defense of one’s position.

TEXTBOOK: The Legal Environment of Business, Cross-Miller, Ninth Edition (Cengage Learning)

Additional readings will be made available on latte, as necessary.

GRADING: Mid-Term Exam 40% Final Exam 40% Class Participation 20% GENERAL POLICIES:

ATTENDANCE: Attendance is REQUIRED. Please notify me in advance when you are unable to make it to class.

CLASS PARTICIPATION: Students are expected to attend all class sessions and to actively participate in class discussions. Class participation involves being regularly engaged in the discussion/lecture and making a positive contribution by asking thoughtful questions, sharing relevant experiences, requesting clarification and making comments. All forms of participation should be conducted in a manner that is respectful of fellow students and the professor.

EXAMS: Please make every effort in advance to ensure that you will be in attendance on the exam dates shown on the syllabus. Make up exams will only be given with a valid excuse related to illness or a personal/family crisis. Further, there will be absolutely no opportunity to assign the weight of a missed exam to another exam.

Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is central to the mission of educational excellence at Brandeis University. Each student is expected to turn in work completed independently, except when assignments specifically authorize collaborative effort. It is not acceptable to use the words or ideas of another person- be it a world-class philosopher or your lab partner - without proper acknowledgement of that source. This means that you must use footnotes and quotation marks to indicate the sources of any phrases, sentences, paragraphs or ideas found in published volumes, on the internet, or created by another student. Violations of university policies on academic integrity, described in Section 3 of Rights and Responsibilities, may result in failure in the course or on the assignment, and could end in suspension from the University. If you are in doubt about the instructions for any assignment in this course, you must ask for clarification.

Notice: If you have a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and require accommodations, please bring it to the instructor’s attention prior to the second meeting of the class. If you have any questions about this process, contact Mary Brooks, disabilities coordinator for The Heller School at [email protected].

The reading and assignment schedule presented in this syllabus is a tentative schedule and is subject to change.

Class Schedule (Readings and assignments are to be completed before each week’s class)

Week 1 Meta Law Chapter 1, Sections 2, 3, 4, 5 (Complete Business Scenarios 1-1 through 1-4) Court System Chapter 2, Section 1, 2, 3 (Complete Business Scenarios 2-1 and 2-2) ADR Chapter 3, Sections 1, 2 (pages 62-63) (Complete Business Scenarios 3-1 through 3-3) Business Ethics Chapter 4, Sections 1, 3, 4 (Complete Business Scenarios 4-1 and 4-2) Federalism Chapter 5, Sections 1, 2 (pages 109-110) (Complete Business Scenario 5-1) Admin. Agencies Chapter 6, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Complete Business Scenarios 6-1 and 6-2)

Week 2 Criminal Law Chapter 7, Sections 1, 2, 3 (pages 144-149), 4 Torts Chapter 12, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (Complete Business Scenarios 12-1 and 12-2) Product Liability Chapter 13, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 (Complete Business Scenario 13-1 through 13-3)

Week 3 Contracts Chapter 9, Sections 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Contracts Chapter 10, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 (Complete Business Scenarios 10-1 through 10-3) UCC Warranties Chapter 11, Section 6

Week 4 Midterm Business Orgs. Chapter 17, Sections 1, 2, 3 (pages 406-407) (Complete Business Scenario 17-1) Business Orgs. Chapter 18, Sections, 1, 4, 5

Week 5 Corporations Chapter 19, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 7 (Complete Business Scenario 19-2 and 19-3) Immigration Chapter 23, Section 1

Week 6 Intellectual Property A Classroom Introduction Employment Chapter 21, Sections 1, 6 (Complete Business Case Problem 21-6) Employment Chapter 22, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Complete Business Scenarios 22-1 and 22-2)

Week 7 Final Exam