HOLY CROSS COLLEGE

	HOLY CROSS COLLEGE
	Notre Dame, Indiana
BUSINESS 203 (3 sem cr hr)	(574) 239-8414 Office	Brother James Leik, c.s.c.
Bus Law / Legal Environ of Business	E-mail: jleik@hcc-nd.edu	FALL, 2005-06
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The one semester course acquaints the student with the basic legal concepts of torts, contracts, agency, legal process, and the judicial system as it is related to business organizations. Influences from social, governmental, ethical and international business on the legal environment of business are considered.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
Acquaint a student with the basic legal concepts of torts, contracts, agency, legal process and the judicial system as it is related to the business organizations in general. Partnership and corporation organizations are examined lightly. The student is acquainted with the legal environment of business as influenced through warranties and product liability; governmental regulation by administrative law and anti-trust legislation; consumer and environmental protection; and labor legislation. The legal environment is examined within the parameters of ethical and international business considerations. A student's proficiency of the course objectives is examined by 6 major exams, plus occasional 5-minute quizzes unannounced during the semester. The final exam is cumulative.

Internet web sites: Students are acquainted with researching legal topics and judicial decisions through projects utilizing
available internet web sites such as at Cornell University and research program sources of Lexis-Nexis.

In addition to the above content objectives there are also transferable skill objectives. They are as follows:

1. To generate legal ideas and synthesize results.

2. The student should be able to ask relevant legal questions.

3. The student should be able to distinguish among legal fact, opinion and judgment.

4. Collect and evaluate available legal information from original sources such as cases, library and internet sources

(Cornell Univ.) utilizing current internet and Lexis-Nexis technology and program sources.

5. Develop skills of legal case analysis resulting in oral and written cases indicating facts, legal issues and reasoning for positions taken.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Texts: Business Law, Principles and Cases, Davidson, 8th edition, West Legal Studies in Business, 2004

Study Guide for the above text - advised, but OPTIONAL

Wall Street Journal reading advised

Tests: 6 major – examinations

5-minute short answer quizzes unannounced but nearly every class meeting

l cumulative final examination

A student will be excused from the cumulative final examination if an "A" average (91-100) is maintained on all work prior to the final examination.

Cases: Case Briefs only - not class notes

Other: See attached Notes for Business Law Students for specifics involving: Grading scale, Semester mark composition, Test and quiz make-up, Case Brief Notebook completion and collection times, Cut policy, and office hours

COURSE SYLLABUS - Major Areas to be Covered (See attached daily calendar)

Legal system, torts, alternative dispute resolution, crimes, lawsuit structure, contracts, mutual assent, consideration, illegal agreements, genuiness, proper form, rights of third parties, discharges, remedies, agency - creation and termination, liability, partnership formation, operation and termination, warranties, governmental regulation, anti-trust, consumer and environmental protection, labor and employment practices, international business, ethics, corporation formation, operation and dissolution.

	HOLY CROSS COLLEGE
	Notre Dame, Indiana
NOTES FOR BUSINESS LAW		Brother James Leik, c.s.c.
STUDENTS		FALL, 2005-06

GRADING SCALE

A =	95 - 100	C+ =	76 - 79
A- =	91 - 94	C =	72 - 75
B+ =	87 - 90	C- =	69 - 71
B =	83 - 86	D =	65 - 68
B- =	80 - 82	F =	64 -

SEMESTER GRADE
COMPOSITION	Exams (6)	600 points
	Case briefs(2)	200 points
	Quiz results	150 points (approx)
	Total	950 points (approx)
	(Class participation to be used for borderline grades)
	Final Exam is cumulative

FINAL EXAM WEIGHT
	34% if final exam grade is GREATER than the average to date
	25% if final exam grade is LESS than the average to date
MAKE UP
QUIZ -	No make up. Grade result of next quiz will be used for missed quiz
EXAM -	Major exams are to be taken on the dates scheduled. A 5% gross grade reduction per each class day missed may be applied to the exam result when made up. Students are to contact the instructor immediately for make up arrangements

CUT POLICY	There is a direct correlation between attendance and learning/mastery of business law subject matter. Business Law is 3 credit hour course BUT meets only two times (Tu – Th) per week. Students are permitted 1 week of cuts which equals 2 cuts in Business Law Lates: 3 lates = 1 cut. (Late = 15 minutes) Mid-Semester and Final Course grade will be reduced after calculation by 3% per excess cuts over the 2 cuts permitted. Example: 1 week (2) cuts = 6% grade reduction (A- to B+) 2 week (4) cuts = 12% grade reduction (B+ to B-) 3 week (6) cuts = 18% grade reduction (B- to C+)

CASEBOOKS	Case Brief Notebook with cases is to be completed according to the separate cover sheet of instructions for the cases listed. Notebooks will be collected and graded TWICE approximately 1 week before the due date of the mid-term evaluations and 1 week before the last day of classes.

OFFICE HOURS	Room V - 184, Regular Hours; 8:30am – 9:30am T-Th and other times by appointment. I am generally available daily (M-Fri) from 8 - 4pm except during classes.

ACADEMIC HONESTY	Please refer to the College policy on academic honesty contained in the Student Planner/handbook. Generally a student involved in dishonest work/assignment/test etc. shall receive a grade of zero for the product involved

	HOLY CROSS COLLEGE
	Notre Dame, Indiana
BUSINESS 203		Brother James Leik,c.s.c
Business Law /Legal Environ of Bus		FALL, 2005-06
TEXT: Business Law, Principles and Cases, Davidson, 8ed, West Legal Studies in Business, 2004
Website: http://www.swlearning.com/blaw/davidson/davidson8e/davidson8e.html

DATE	CHAP	SUBJECT	Video	QUESTIONS	CASES
Tu. Aug 23	Chap 1	Introduction to Law		7,9,10	1,3,5,6?
Th. Aug 25	Chap 4	American Legal System and Court Jurisdiction		2 - 9	1,3,4,5,7?8
Tu. Aug 30	Chap 7	Torts		1 - 5,8,10	1,3,4,5,6,?7
Th. Sep 1 Th. Sep 1	Chap 6	EXAMINATION - Chapters 1 - 4 - 7 Dispute Resolution		Some 1-5,8,10	Some 3,4,5,7
Tu. Sep 6 Tu. Sep 6	Chap 8 Chap 9	Crimes and Business Introduction to Contract Law and Contract Theory		1 ,2, 4 - 6 1 - 3, 5 - 10	4,5 1,2,3,4,5,7,8
Th. Sep 8 Th. Sep 8	Chap 9	Continued EXAMINATION – Chapters 6 - 8 –9		Some	Some
Tu. Sep 13	Chap 10	Contractual Agreement: Mutual Assent	V 5	1 - 10	1,2,3,4,5,6?,7
Th. Sep 15 Th. Sep 15	Chap 10 Chap 11	Continued Consideration & Reality of Consent	V 6	1 - 10	1,2,3,4,5,6?,7
Tu. Sep 20	Chap 11	Continued	V 7
Th. Sep 22	Chap 12	Contractual Capacity – Ability to Agree	V 9	1 - 10	1,2,3,4,5,6?,7
Tu. Sep 27 Tu. Sep 27	Chap 12 Chap 13	Continued Legality of Subject Matter and Proper Form	V 11	1 - 10	1,2,3,4,5,6?,7
Th. Sep 29 Th. Sep 29	Chap 13	Continued EXAMINATION – Chapters 10 - 11 - 12		Some	Some
Tu. Oct 4 Tu. Oct 4	Chap 13 Chap 14	Continued Interpretation of Contracts/Rights of Third Persons	V 12	1 - 10	1,2,3,4,5,6?,7
Th. Oct 6	Chap 14	Continued	V 13
Tu. Oct 11	Chap 15	Contractual Discharge and Remedies		1 - 10	1,3,5,7
Th. Oct 13 Th. Oct 13	Chap.15	Continued EXAMINATION – Chapters 13 – 14- 15		Some	Some
15 - 23		MID- SEMESTER BREAK
Tu. Oct 25	Chap 29	The Creation and Termination of an Agency		1 - 10	1,3,4,5,7
Th. Oct 27 Th. Oct 27	Chap 29 Chap 30	Continued Agency: Liability for Contracts	V 25	1 - 10	1,2,4,5,6?,7
Tu. Nov 1 Tu. Nov 1	Chap 30 Chap 31	Continued Agency: Liability for Torts and Crimes		1 - 10	3,4,5,6?,7
Th. Nov 3 Th. Nov 3	Chap 31 Chap 32	Continued Formation of a Business (Partnership/Corporation)		1,2,3,4,7,10	1,2,3,4
Tu. Nov 8 Tu. Nov 8	Chap 32 Chap 19	Continued Warranties and Product Liability		1 – 10	1,2,3,4,5,7
Th. Nov 10 Th. Nov 10	Chap 19	Continued EXAMINATION – Chapters 29 - 30 - 31 - 32		Some	Some
Tu. Nov 15 Tu. Nov 15	Chap 5 - - -	Constitutional Regulation of Business - Administrative Law Handout		1,2,6 - 10	1,2,3,4,5,6?,7

DATE	CHAP	SUBJECT	Video	QUESTIONS	CASES
Th. Nov 17 Th. Nov 17	Chap 37 Chap 38	Antitrust Law (Short) Consumer Protection		1 - 10 1 - 4, 10	1,2,3,4,5,7? 1,2,3,4,5
Tu. Nov 22 Tu. Nov 22	Chap 38 Chap 39	Continued Environmental Protection		1	2,4
23 - 27		THANKSGIVING
Tu. Nov 29 Tu. Nov 29	Chap 40	Labor and Fair Employment Practices EXAMINATION - Chapters 19 - 5 - 37 - 38 – 39		10 Some	1,2,3,4,5 Some
Th. Dec 1 Th. Dec 1	Chap 40	Continued ??QUIZ - Short - on Chap 40 - Labor
Tu. Dec 6 Tu. Dec 6 Tu. Dec 6	Chap 2 Chap 44 Chap 3	Business Ethics - Video - Ethics on Trial (PBS) Wills, Personal Finances International Law
Th. Dec 8		REVIEW – Last Class Day

Dec 12 - 15		FINAL EXAMS

CLASS	MEETS	SCHEDULED FINAL EXAM

BUS 203 – 1	Tu - Th 10:00AM	Dec. 15, 2005 8:00am - 10:00am (Thur)

BUS 203 – 2	Tu - Th 1:15PM	Dec. 15, 2005 2:45pm - 4:45pm (Thur)

	HOLY CROSS COLLEGE
	Notre Dame, Indiana
BUSINESS 203		Brother James Leik, csc
Business Law / Legal Environ of Bus		FALL, 2005-06

CASE BRIEF NOTEBOOK INSTRUCTIONS

The Case Brief Notebook will contain briefs of selected cases from the end of each chapter. (See the attached list of cases to be briefed for each chapter and the numerical system to be used.) The notebook should contain only briefs, not class notes.

"Briefing" a case means making a brief written summary of the case. The briefs may be typed or written in ball point pen. TYPED OR COMPUTER PRINTOUT IS PREFERRED. Lead pencil, carbon paper, another person's computer printouts or any other duplication is NOT ACCEPTABLE.

FORMAT TO BE FOLLOWED: (AFTER THE COVER SHEET)

Chapter 2
(Name of Plaintiff v Name of Defendant)
1 - 2

Facts:	A brief recital of pertinent facts and disputed point

Issues:	State the law, not the page number of the text or section of the UCC Code. Law must be universal. It cannot contain names or any identifying features which would make it a law applying to the particular case.

Holding:	Generally a Yes or No to the disputed point.

Reasoning:	State in your own words the court's reasons or reply as required for deciding as it should. In Reasoning you apply the law to the facts in the case or situation. THE READER/GRADER RELIES ON THIS.



*Each brief will have 2 numbers written in the LEFT margin on the line with Plaintiff v Defendant. The number at the
extreme left will be a consecutive number (1,2,3,4, etc.) and the number to the RIGHT will correspond with the number
of the case in the text.

The numbers MUST SHOW if you put your loose leaf sheets in a covered binder

Loose sheets with a paper clip or a staple is NOT considered a notebook

Chapter 1	(Introduction to Law)	Chapter 15	(Contractual Discharge & Remedies)
- - -

A =