Business Law II

Curriculum Guideline

Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course Code
BUSN 2420
Descriptive
Business Law II
Department
Business
Faculty
Commerce & Business Administration
Credits
3.00
Start Date
End Term
201430
PLAR
No
Semester Length
15 Weeks X 4 Hours per Week = 60 Hours
Max Class Size
35
Contact Hours
Lecture: 3 Hours Seminar: 1 Hour Total: 4 Hours
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Learning Activities

Lectures, videos, analysis of legal issues, discussion of legal cases, case assignments, and group activities

Course Description
The course will build upon the business law foundation provided in the pre-requisite course, BUSN 1320 (Business Law). The course will provide students with a fluency in a wide range of legal topics needed in the modern business world. The areas of law that will be covered in this course include business organizations (sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations), agency, corporate governance, secured transactions, employment and labour law, bankruptcy and insolvency, real property, personal property, intellectual property, bailment, guarantees, insurance, negotiable instruments, and trusts.
Course Content

1.  Business Organizations

  1. structure of business organizations – sole proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, corporation
  2. features of the various types of business organizations including advantages and disadvantages of each

2.  Law of Agency

  1. creation of the agency relationship
  2. authority of the agent
  3. duties of the agent and the principal
  4. liability of the agent and the principal
  5. termination of the agency relationship
  6. general nature of a franchise relationship including its advantages and disadvantages

3.  Corporate Governance

  1. the role of officers, directors, and shareholders in the corporation
  2. the fiduciary duty and duty of care required by management
  3. situations of conflict of interest between directors/officers and the corporation
    • competition with the corporation
    • taking a corporate opportunity
    • transactions with the corporation
  4. shareholders’ rights and remedies
  5. liability of directors and officers   

4.  Secured Transactions

  1. nature of a security interest
  2. creation of a security interest
  3. registration of a security interest and the British Columbia Personal Property Security Act
  4. determination of priority of a security interest
  5. enforcement of a security interest

5.  Employment Law

  1. employer’s obligations under the British Columbia Employment Standards Act
  2. human rights under the British Columbia Human Rights Code
  3. issues relating to the termination of employment
    • just cause dismissal
    • wrongful dismissal
    • bad faith dismissal
    • constructive dismissal
    • severance packages and settlement packages

6.  Labour Law

  1. union certification and decertification under the British Columbia Labour Relations Code
  2. the collective bargaining process
  3. key provisions of collective agreements - grievance arbitration and union security
  4. grievance arbitration and the Labour Relations Board
  5. industrial conflict and the Labour Relations Board – strikes, picketing and lockouts

7.  Bankruptcy Law

  1. the role of bankruptcy and insolvency in business
  2. the bankruptcy process under the federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act
  3. filing for bankruptcy
    • bankruptcy by assignment
    • bankruptcy by petition
  4. creditor rights in a bankruptcy proceeding
  5. proposals in bankruptcy

8.  Law of Real Property

  1. possessory interests in land – fee simple, life estate, leasehold
  2. ownership of land – joint tenancy, tenancy-in-common, strata ownership
  3. non-possessory interests in land – easements and restrictive covenants
  4. leases
  5. land registration systems
  6. sale agreements – real property
  7. mortgages – rights and remedies

9.  Law of  Personal Property

  1. acquisition and loss of rights
  2. bailment and licences
  3. property insurance
  4. business insurance

10.  Law of Intellectual Property

  1. copyright
  2. trademarks
  3. patents

11.   Negotiable Instruments

  1. cheques
  2. bills of exchange
  3. promissory notes

12.  Law of Trusts

  1. general nature of a trust
  2. relationship of trustee and beneficiary
Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the successful student should be able to:

  1. distinguish between the main forms of business organizations;
  2. identify the important legal aspects pertaining to corporate governance including the powers, duties and liabilities of officers and directors and the rights and remedies of shareholders;
  3. describe the use of security interests to finance personal property and set out the rights available to creditors to enforce their rights;
  4. recognize the main requirements for a bankruptcy claim and outline the key aspects of a bankruptcy proceeding;
  5. summarize the different interests and legal mechanisms relating to real property, personal property, bailment, licensing, and intellectual property;
  6. recognize the main legal elements of the employment relationship and know the general principles of labour relations;
  7. identify the main legal principles relating to negotiable instruments, guarantees, insurance, and trusts;
  8. apply the legal principles that are contained in this course to real world situations and cases;
  9. state the more significant provincial and federal statutes pertaining to the foregoing areas of law.
Means of Assessment
Term examination 30%-40%
Mid-semester examination 20%-25%
Final examination 25%-35%
Class participation and/or assignments      
and/or quizzes
  5%-10%
       100%
Textbook Materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students

 

McInnes, Kerr, VanDuzer and Carmody, Managing the Law: The Legal Aspects of Doing Business

 Latest Edition, (Toronto: Pearson Education Canada).  also used in BUSN 1320

 (or such other textbook as agreed upon by the Business Law Instructors)

Prerequisites

BUSN 1320 (Business Law) with a letter grade of ‘C’ or higher

Which Prerequisite

BUSN 4490 (Legal and Ethical Decision Making for Managers, Professionals and Executives)