Charleston Southern University

Contemporary Business Law and the Legal Environment (ONLINE)

Course No: BUSI 620.70
Spring 2011
Blackboard Login: http://online.csuniv.edu

Professor: Mark A. Crawford, JD, MBA

Phone: 863-7906
E-mail: mcrawford@csuniv.edu

Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday: 9 – 11:30

Tuesday & Thursday: 11– 1:00

Other times are available by appointment.

Welcome to Charleston Southern University’s BUSI 620 Contemporary Business Law and the Legal Environment. I hope
you find the class interesting and enjoyable, and that you learn some valuable lessons and concepts you can apply to
current and future personal and business situations. Knowledge of the law is helpful in many areas of your life.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This is the online offering of BUSI 620, which is also on campus in alternating semesters. The content for both the on-
campus and online offering are the same. The course designed to provide graduate students with an evaluation of the
legal, judicial, and regulatory systems influencing organizations in the private sector. Special emphasis will be placed on
the ethical issues facing management. Issues related to social, cultural, and environmental factors will be analyzed as
these factors impact managerial decision-making in the business community.

Although the course is entirely online, it is not self-paced. You complete the assignments for each week generally on your
own time schedule within that week. Your first priority is to be sure all assignments for each week are completed on time.

Of course, if you have extra time, you may read ahead and prepare assignments in advance for any chapter if you like,
but it is not recommended. There is enough work for each chapter and it is very important for an effective learning
experience, comprehension, pacing, and discussion forums that you stay with the schedule. Your cooperation is
appreciated.

You must be PROACTIVE to succeed in an online course. Postings in the Assignments and Announcements sections will
keep you updated as much as possible; however, do not rely on being reminded of upcoming events by the professor.
You are responsible for all activities and deadlines listed in this syllabus. Read it thoroughly and make note of important
dates and deadlines. Make sure you have a backup plan if your computer or Internet has problems. Do not wait until the
last minute to submit assignments. Remember Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Take
responsibility and plan accordingly.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

My goals go beyond having you just learn the subject matter. As you proceed through the course, you will:
• Learn the subject matter and remember the key points
• Develop a good overview of how law and legal issues relate to business
• Be able to apply the concepts to your own business and personal situations
• Think about ethical, social, and business consequences of legal decisions
• Communicate through the discussion forums with other students on legal, ethical, technical, and other issues
• Increase your knowledge and improve your technical computer and Internet skills
• Improve your electronic and written communication skills

The specific subject matter objectives for the course are for you to:
• Develop an understanding of the structure and process of the U.S. legal system, including organization, statutory
law, case law, criminal law, tort law, dispute resolution, and litigation.
• Explore business ethics and social responsibility and how these relate to decision-making by business managers.
• Learn and apply the laws related to the Internet and intellectual property
• Examine the rules related to personal and real property
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 • Explore and utilize the rules and laws related to agency and employment
• Discover the various forms of business organization and how businesses are regulated
• Illustrate the importance of law in protecting competitive advantages that are provided by ownership of intellectual
property.
• Work with and explain the concepts of standing and justiciability.
• Define vocabulary terms applicable to disputes that enter the court system.
• Illustrate a working knowledge of online dispute resolution procedures.
• Discuss the importance of the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses in the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Discuss the main activities of administrative agencies.
• Discuss the language of contract law.
• List the types of contracts that must be in writing to be enforceable.
• Differentiate between the UCC and common law re contracts.
• State the areas of coverage and the intended effects of UCITA, UETA, E-SIGN, and revised Article 2 of the UCC.
• Distinguish between defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
• List methods in which the Federal Trade Commission polices the Internet to guard against unfair and deceptive
trade practices that compromise privacy in cyberspace.
• List basic characteristics of real and personal property and the methods of transferring property ownership.
• Discuss clashes that have occurred between trademark owners, celebrities, and established companies and
domain name owners.
• Differentiate between basic forms of business organization.
• State hazards companies face for wrongful and/or abusive discharges of workers.
• Distinguish between employees, independent contractors, and agency relationships.
• Discuss legal/illegal techniques for monitoring employee performance.
• Identify steps the Federal Trade commission has taken to combat fraud in cyberspace.
• List antitrust laws, employee workplace legislation, and government regulations for online trading.
• Illustrate recent legislation that inhibits illegal hacking, protects IP, and involves preventing terrorism and
espionage.
• Discuss basic principles of international law including comity, sovereign immunity, and act of state doctrine.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

You will need to obtain:

• The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business, Reed, Shedd, Morehead and Pagnattaro, 15th Edition,
McGraw-Hill/Irwin,
ISBN 978-0-07-337766-7

You will also need to have:

• Internet access and an email account that is checked regularly (minimum of 3 times per week)

WEB SITES: Direct hyperlinks at “External Links” on Blackboard course site:

• Blackboard course site: http://online.csuniv.edu
• Text web site: http://www.mhhe.com/reed15e
• Law Web Sites of Interest: Direct hyperlinks at “Resources” on Blackboard course site:
o Legal Research Sites: http://www.findlaw.com; http://www.law.cornell.edu; http://www.catalaw.com;
http://www.llrx.com
o Legal Forms & Documents: http://www.ilrg.com/forms
o Legal Self-Help Books/Software: http://www.nolo.com
o Federal Government Sites: http://www.firstgov.gov
• CSU MBA Program: http://www.csuniv.edu/version3/academics/graduate/MBA.asp
• Charleston Southern University Home Page: http://www.csuniv.edu

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COURSE STRUCTURE/LEARNING ACTIVITIES

The course is divided into Class Weeks. In each Class Week, there are several sections. You should start each week by
viewing the “Announcements” section on Blackboard to determine if there are any variations from the syllabus,
clarifications of assignments or other information relevant to the course. Your next stop is the “Assignments” section.
The Assignments section has fifteen folders representing each Class Week. Generally each Class Week will contain
subfolders providing links to “PowerPoint,” “Discussion,” “Exams,” and “Flashcards.” The PowerPoint and Flashcards are
provided to summarize the materials covered in the text and focus on your understanding of basic terms and legal
principles. The Discussion folder links you to the student-led discussions for the week as discussed in detail below. The
Exams folder contains links for timed, online quizzes for each chapter. Additional study aids such as an online glossary,
appendices and additional cases are posted in “Course Documents.” Finally, “Communications” provides email access
to students and the instructor.

Student-led Discussions
In every class week you will find Student-led Discussions. This is the way we cover the content of the textbook. Each
week you will ask a "critical thinking" question about some topic in the chapter(s) covered. If more than one chapter is
covered during a particular week, you still need only provide ONE question for discussion. Other students will respond to
your question, and you will then reply back to those responses. In addition you will answer some of the questions posed
by other students, and they are required to reply to your answers. You are encouraged to keep up these "virtual
discussions" as long as they are productive. The idea here is for each student to lead one discussion with the other
students about some important and/or controversial issue introduced in each chapter, and participate in a few others. A
significant percentage of your final grade is determined by your participation in these discussions. I will grade these
discussions. If the discussion you are leading gets off track, it is your responsibility to refocus it. You are also responsible
for maintaining the quality of the discussion threads you lead. Every posting to a discussion should add something
substantive to that discussion.

Chapter Quizzes
Objective quizzes (multiple choice or true/false) will be taken online for each chapter covered during the Class Week. The
quizzes typically contain 10 questions and are timed (25 minutes) and may not be paused or restarted.

Midterm and Final

These two exams will be taken online on the dates specified in the schedule, below. Both will consist primarily of essay
questions. The final will not be cumulative.

GRADING CRITERIA

• 10%: Chapter Quizzes

• 10%: Weekly Discussions
• 25% Group Paper
• 25%: Midterm
• 30%: Final (non-cumulative)

The letter grading will be:

• A (Excellent): 90% +
• B+ (Nearly Excellent) 88-89%
• B (Good) 80-87%
• C+ (Below Average) 78-79%
• C (Poor) 70-77%
• F (Failure) less than 70%
The instructor retains sole discretion throughout the semester to make adjustments in the scoring, grading, and curving
that he deems appropriate or necessary.

ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS/GRADING CRITERIA

Group Internet-based Research Paper

A group research paper, based on information you locate on the Internet, is required. I will make group assignments prior
to the midterm exam and will make available separate group discussion pages on Blackboard. This paper is to be written
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on a topic agreed upon by members of the group and is subject to my approval. You will fulfill this requirement in two
phases. In Phase 1 - the research & discussion phase - you select a topic from the readings, post the topic in your group
discussion page on Blackboard and locate a few Internet resources that support your topic. All group members are
required to participate in discussions on refining your topic. I will review the postings, making comments where
appropriate. Once the group is satisfied with its topic, have one group member email me a concise but informative
summary of the group topic for my approval. You will have broad discretion in selecting your topics. However, I will not
approve overly general topics (e.g., summary of intellectual property law in America) and strongly advise you to seek out a
topic that has current relevance. In Phase two - the submission phase - you submit your paper to the class for class
discussion.

Here are the 7 criteria I use for evaluating your term paper.

1. You must use a minimum of 8 internet-based resources relevant to your chosen topic. Other sources may also be
used, such as our textbook, journal articles, etc.
2. You must have a minimum of 20 double-typed pages - plus a Works Cited list.
3. You must have the complete URL of each website you use in your paper on your Works Cited list. Do not include
any websites or other sources on your Works Cited list that you have not directly cited in the text of your paper.
4. You must include a reference in the text of your paper whenever information from any source is used. Always
enclose quoted and paraphrased passages in quote marks.
5. Your must submit your paper by the due date listed in the Course Schedule.
6. The content of your paper must be well organized and you must provide a thorough and comprehensive analysis
of your chosen topic.
7. Your use of language and grammar must be appropriate for a graduate-level paper.

Weekly Discussions

Your assignment is to ask one good critical-thinking question for each week (choose ONE of the assigned chapters for the
week) and facilitate the discussion of that question. In addition to leading the discussion of your question, you must
participate in the discussion of at least 3 additional questions in each chapter.

Discussion Rubric:
Each discussion post is graded according to the following rubric.

95 - 100 Excellent
The comment is accurate, original, relevant, teaches us something new, and is well written. Adds substantial
teaching presence to the course, and stimulate additional thought about the issue under discussion.

90 Above Average
The comment lacks at least one of the above qualities, but is above average in quality. Comment makes a
significant contribution to our understanding of the issue being discussed.

85 Average
The comment lacks two or three of the required qualities. Comments which are based upon personal opinion or
personal experience often fall within this category.

80 Minimal
The comment presents little or no new information. However, these comments may provide important social
presence and contribute to a collegial atmosphere.

75 Unacceptable
The comment adds no value to the discussion.

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 The THREE KEY RULES of Discussions:

Rule #1: Your comment must introduce relevant, new information. Your job here is to provide new information that
is appropriate to the issue being discussed.

Rule #2: You must create a subject field that conveys the essence of your main point. You are required to create
a "Subject" for your discussion posts that conveys the main point of your comment. It is not enough to use the
topic, or just a "keyword" or "key phrase" as your subject - you must create a short (no more than about 10 words)
summary of the main point you are making in your comment.

Rule #3: Discussions in this course are not "chat rooms". This is a college course, and each post should be well
written, use correct punctuation and grammar, and contribute to the academic authenticity of the course.

PLAGIARISM AND ETHICS POLICY:

Each student agrees to the following statements of student behavior:

• I agree that I, and only I, will be the one completing and submitting class materials (homework, quizzes, exams,
written projects, etc.) in my name.
• I agree that I will not directly copy or plagiarize material from books, publications, the internet, other students’
work, or any other source. I am familiar with, and I agree not to violate, copyright laws. If small amounts of material from
other sources are used as part of any class assignment, I agree to clearly indicate such and properly cite the source.
• I agree that, unless approved by the instructor, I will not share answers to homework assignments, quizzes,
exams, or any other course material with fellow classmates.
I acknowledge that failure to comply with any of the above statements may result in failure of an assignment, removal
from the course, failure in the course, and discipline action deemed appropriate by the instructor and/or policies and
procedures set forth by Charleston Southern University.

NOTE: The plagiarism rule will be strictly enforced for your midterm and final exam. Although the exams are
open-book and open-notes, it is NOT ACCEPTABLE to copy material from internet sites and “paste” that material
directly into your Blackboard answer sheet.

FEEDBACK SCHEDULE
• Chapter quizzes will be graded automatically. You will get immediate feedback on your score. You can review
your scores in the Online Gradebook. (Tools: My Grades section)
• Other items will be graded and posted periodically by the Instructor. Be sure to check the Online Gradebook
regularly.
• The Instructor will monitor and periodically respond in the Discussion Boards.
• REMEMBER: if you have a question, feel free to email me.

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 WEEKLY SCHEDULE: BUS 620

Week Date Chapter and Topics Assignments

1 1/10 Chapter 1 Course Overview
Law and the Foundations of Business

2 1/17 Chapter 2 The Ethical Basis of Law and Business Management

Chapter 3 The Court System

3 1/24 Chapter 4 Litigation

Chapter 5 Negotiation and ADR

4 1/31 Chapter 6 The Constitution and Business

Chapter 7 The Property Based Legal System

5 2/7 Chapter 8 Introduction to Contracts

Chapter 9 Contractual Issues
6 2/14 Chapter 10 Torts in the Business Environment
Chapter 11 Intellectual Property

7 2/21 MIDTERM EXAM

8 2/28 Chapter 12 Criminal Law and Business

Chapter 14 Business Organizations

9 3/7 Chapter 16 Anitrust Laws

Chapter 17 Consumer Protection

10 3/14 SPRING BREAK NO ASSIGNMENTS

11 3/21 Chapter 18 Environmental Laws and Pollution Control

Chapter 19 Agency and Employment Laws

12 3/28 Chapter 20 Discrimination in Employment

Chapter 21 Labor-Management Relationship

13 4/4 Chapter 13 Chapter 13

14 4/11 TBD TBD

15 4/18 GROUP PAPERS DUE

16 4/25 FINAL EXAM