DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

COURSE SYLLABUS

FALL 2009

Course title: Business Law, BAD 240-03

Course time: Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 10:30 – 11:20 a.m.

Instructor: Wayne Koprowski

Campus Phone: 708.524.6564

Work email: wkoprowski@dom.edu

Home Phone: 847-239-4807

E-mail: wkoprowski@comcast.net

Office Hours: Mondays/ Wednesdays/Fridays 11:30 to 2:00, or before class, after class or by appointment

Fine Arts 211

I. PREREQUISITES

None

II. COURSE DESCRIPTION

The purpose of the course is to acquaint students with the laws, regulations and court decisions that govern the business environment today. Together these laws, regulations and cases provide the legal framework in which the modern business manager is expected to operate. The course will also highlight ethical and corporate governance issues faced by corporate managers. The course is intended to provide students with a basic understanding of the terminology, fundamental principles and concepts of current business law.

III. LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the conclusion of this course, students should

- be able to recognize business law issues

- be familiar with various laws and regulations facing managers today

- understand how laws affect the business environment

- identify and appreciate the current ethical and corporate governance issues facing the contemporary business person

IV. COURSE METHODOLOGY

Classes will consist of lectures, discussions and cases. Students are expected to read the chapters assigned for class and be prepared to discuss the topics covered as well as the discussion questions and cases assigned for the chapter.

V. TEXTBOOK

Miller & Jentz, Business Law Today, 8^th Ed., Thomson Publishing, 2010. ISBN 9780324654554.

VI. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Exams. There will be a mid-term and a final exam. The exams will be a combination of true and false, multiple choice and essay questions.

Research assignments. There will be six small research projects. The due dates of deliverables are provided in the Course Outline. Students will read the topics covered by the assignment and should be prepared to discuss each assignment in class. The assignments are:

Assignment 1: Find an article on any legal topic from the Wall Street Journal. Summarize the article on one page noting the title and date of the article. Be prepared to discuss the article in class.

Assignment 2: Find a sample of a commercial real estate lease. Read the lease, and answer the following questions: What are the landlord’s responsibilities? What is “rent abatement?” What is “quiet enjoyment?” Describe the section on subleasing the premises.

Assignment 3: Research the Delaware Business Corporation Statute. Read the sections covering indemnification of officers and directors. Answer the following questions: Who is covered? What conduct is covered? What is the standard for determining indemnification? Is insurance available?

Assignment 4: Research online an Asset Purchase Agreement, or Purchase and Sale Agreement. List and turn in the section headings regarding the Representations and Warranties of Seller. Select one section and summarize in no more than one page.

Assignment 5: Research the Securities and Exchange Commission website (www.sec.gov) and link to the EDGAR filings. Find the Form DEF 14A (definitive proxy statement) filed 2009 03-13 for Motorola. Answer the following questions: How many directors are being elected? Who is the CEO? List the Board’s various committees. What is the base salary and total compensation of the CEO? Who is the registered independent public accounting firm? (Hint: The Table of Contents should be a big help).

Assignment 6: Research online and print out a Sexual Harassment Policy for any company. Summarize in one page answering the following questions: What is the definition of harassment? What kind of conduct is prohibited? What is the procedure for filing a complaint?

Research paper. There will be one research paper due at the end of the semester. The due date is indicated on the Course Outline. In addition, there are two other deliverable dates noted on the Course Outline, one of which is an outline of the paper and the other is the paper’s Introduction. The paper should be 5-8 pages in length, space and a half. Any footnotes/bibliography is not included in the 5-8 page length and should be attached at the end of the paper. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Employees should have an expectation of a right to privacy in the workplace, e.g. electronic monitoring of computer usage, phone calls, video surveillance should be eliminated or restricted.

2. Should corporations have a social responsibility to act for the greater societal good and not merely to maximize returns for their investors.

3. Corporate officers should be held personally liable for the acts of subordinates even if they have no knowledge of any wrongdoing.

4. Former employers should be held liable to current employers for the acts of former employees who cause injury or death for failing to disclose violent behavior.

5. Damage awards should be capped for product liability suits.

6. Discuss the various dispute resolution alternatives comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The paper should analyze the topic from both sides of the issue and must have a “Conclusion” section with the student’s own thoughts/suggestions about your point of view.

PLEASE NOTE: This project should be original work. Cutting and pasting in significant amounts, especially without attribution to the author, is not acceptable. If you do quote from a source, please follow proper citation rules.

VII. GRADING

Activity Points

Exams 300 (150 points each)

Assignments (6) 150 (25 points each)

Research project 150

Class participation 75

675

VIII. GRADING SCALE

A = 94-100

A- = 90-93

B+ = 88-89

B = 80-87

B- = 78-79

C+ = 76-77

C = 70-75

C- = 68-69

F = Below 68

IX. CLASS PARTICIPATION

Students will receive 50 participation points for attending class regularly. Five points will be deducted for every unexcused absence after the first absence, i.e. each student gets one unexcused absence. The remaining 25 participation points are discretionary depending on class participation. Students will be evaluated on their contribution to class discussions. The student’s insights, grasp of the topics, concepts and terms will all be taken into consideration. Please note that a portion of the grade is class participation.

X. ATTENDANCE

Attendance is expected since information presented during class and class discussions will enhance the learning experience. NOTE: Five points will be deducted for every unexcused absence after the first absence, i.e. each student gets one unexcused absence. Students who turn in papers late will receive a 5-point reduction in grade for each day the assignment is late. If you cannot make an exam for whatever legitimate reason, please contact me as soon as possible to arrange an alternative time.

XI. RESOURCES

www.sec.gov

Lexis/Nexis is available in the DU library.

PowerPoint slides are posted on Blackboard

See also websites on inside cover of textbook

COURSE OUTLINE

BAD 240

Fall 2009

Week 1 (Aug 31) Introduction to Course; Chapter 1

Week 2 (Sept 7) NO CLASS Sept 7; Chap. 2 & 3

Week 3 (Sept 14) Chap.4 & 21

Assignment 1 due Sept. 18

Week 4 (Sept. 21) Chap. 5 & 6

Week 5 (Sept.28) Chap. 7

Week 6 (Oct. 5) Chap. 28 & 29

Exam 1 Oct. 7 & 9

Week 7 (Oct. 12) Chap. 31 & 32

Assignment 2 due Oct. 14

Week 8 (Oct. 19) Chap. 21 & 44

Week 9 (Oct. 26) TBA; Assignment 3 due Oct 30

Week 10 (Nov. 2) Chap. 8 (p. 230-32; 242-44)

Chap. 9 ( p. 251-54; 259-65

Research paper outline due Nov. 6

Week 11 (Nov. 9) Chap. 10 (p.271-75; 279-82)

Chap. 11 (p. 287-89; 292-94; 297-98)

Chap. 12 (p. 314-21)

Chap. 13 (p. 327-330; 332)

Exam 2 Nov. 11 & 13

Week 12 (Nov. 16) Chap. 15 (p. 364-74)

Chap. 17 (p. 403-13)

Assignment 4 due Nov. 20

Week 13 (Nov. 23) Chap. 33 & 34

Assignment 5 due Nov 23

Thanksgiving Break