BSc Management / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Business Law 2: Law and the Modern Corporation in an International Context

Course unit fact file
Unit code BMAN24052
Credit rating 10
Unit level Level 2
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

A broad coverage of international legal issues including: corporate law, insolvency, corruption, competition law, IPR and international contracts.

The necessary legal coverage – from compliance to governance – is actually increasing rapidly in the international context, and any modern international business professional is now expected to have at least a basic awareness of a far wider range of legal issues than previously. ‘Red flag’ awareness needs to be addressed as a basic standard, especially as senior managers have now become an enforcement target in a vast range of international scenarios.

Coverage here is based on the legal concerns of companies, from inception, through every day functions, to insolvency, taking a practical, integrated approach rather than the traditional ‘learn and repeat’ style.

Open-source databases are used a great deal for class exercises and other unique features include the emphasis on criminal liabilities and international investigations, as well as broader, contextual discussions of international policy, corporate strategy and international risk.

Pre/co-requisites

Only available for students on: Mgt/Mgt (Specialism), IM, IMABS, BA Econ & IBFE. Core for BSc Management A&F Specialism and level 3 BSc Accounting.

Aims

- To introduce students to contrasting international attitudes to legal regulation and usage;
- To familiarise students  with  legal terminology and institutions;
- To introduce students to substantive law in the basic areas of international corporate law;
- To enable students to identify international legal risk and avoid liability where possible, or to recognise when expert advice is necessary;
- To enable students to analyse potential legal problems and work effectively alongside expert advisers.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module students should be able to :
- Identify key institutions, concepts and definitions in this area ;
- Use  the correct legal terminology;
- Research  and evaluate  a variety of specialist  sources of law;
- Understand and apply substantive law  ( civil & criminal ; national & supra-national ) ;
- Recognise and comply with  a range of attitudes to the legal regulation of business ;
- Recognise, evaluate and resolve a variety of legal issues arising in international commerce.

Teaching and learning methods

Methods of Delivery

Lectures and seminars

Virtual Learning Environment

Lecture  slides and seminar materials will be provided on Blackboard

Informal Contact Methods

  1. Peer Assisted Study Sessions
  2. Email

Employability skills

Other
Skills highlighted include: Precision-based subject Group study & team work : allocation ; co-ordination; application & presentation Individual cold-start research Recognition & evaluation of new developments in the field Hands-on application of primary resources Practical case study analysis

Assessment methods

Group Presentation exercise 40%

Examination  60%

The examination will consist of problem-style analytical questions.

The coursework will consist of a 15 minute group presentation, recorded by the group and submitted as a video file. Assessment is on an individual basis. Full instructions will be given.
 




 

Feedback methods

In class and ad hoc as required.

Recommended reading

This list contains suggested texts and websites for research and reference purposes. You may find it useful to purchase a Company Law textbook; any general Business Law textbook you may already have will usually contain a section on Company Law

n.b. page numbers will not be given – you are expected to locate information as part of your skills development.
n.b. always double check you are using the latest edition!!!


GENERAL REFERENCE 
Hanson,  Learning Legal Skills & Reasoning   ( Routledge )
Haigh, Legal English  ( Routledge )
www.westlaw.co.uk
www.lexisnexis.co.uk
www.lexology.com

COMPANY  LAW
www.gov.uk
(  now  the portal   for  Companies  House, Revenue & Customs, Business & Innovation, Competition & Markets Authority, Office of Fair Trading, Financial Conduct Authority  etc – transitional stage -  some original hyperlinks  are still  being used in tandem    )
www.ec.europa.eu/competition
www.internationalcompetitionnetwork.org
www.london-gazette.co.uk
www.competitionpolicyinternational.com

 


Sealy & Worthington,  Cases & Materials in Company Law  ( OUP )

Hannigan,Company Law (OUP)
Roach, Company Law (OUP)
McGaughey, Principles of Enterprise Law  ( CUP )

GOVERNANCE
www.unescap.org
www.frc.org.uk
www.ibe.org.uk
www.oecd.org
www.ceres.org
www.pwc.co.uk
www.cauxroundtable.org
www.bsr.org
Ecgi.global
Clarke, International Corporate Governance ( Routledge )

BRIBERY , MONEY LAUNDERING etc
as above plus
www.gov.uk    (  for  FCA,SFO, NCA, whistleblowing  etc )
www.lawsociety.org.uk/advice
www.acas.org.uk
www.fatf-gafi.org
www.unodc.org
www.worldbank.org
www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt
Sec.gov/whistleblower
Transparency.org.uk
Nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk

I.P.R.,  ADR
www.gov.uk   (  for Intellectual Property Office  as well )
www.asa.org.uk
www.marketinglaw.co.uk
www.wipo.int

INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTS
www.uncitral.org
www.unidroit.org
Wto.org
Zimmerman & Whittaker (eds), Good Faith in European Contract Law ( CUP )

COMPARATIVE LAW
Cheeseman,  Contemporary Business Law   (Pearson)  
Zweigert & Kotz, An Introduction to Comparative Law ( OUP )
Casebooks for the common law of Europe  - ius commune series ( Hart)
Bussani & Mattei,  The Cambridge Companion to Comparative Law (CUP )
Kraakman et al, The Anatomy of Corporate Law ( OUP )
Andenas & Wooldridge, European Comparative  Company Law ( CUP  )
Cahn & Donald, Comparative Company Law ( CUP  )
Munkert, Stubner & Wulf, Founding a Company : Handbook of Legal Forms in Europe   ( Springer-Verlag    )
Siems & Cabrelli (eds), Comparative Company Law  ( Hart   )
Siems, Comparative Law   ( Law in Context Series : CUP )

GENERAL BUSINESS LAW
Keenan & Riches, Business Law  (  Pearson )
Marson & Ferris,  Business Law  (  OUP )
Jones,  Introduction to Business Law   (  OUP  )   
Carr, International Trade  Law  ( Routledge )
DiMatteo, International Business Law  & the Legal Environment ( Routledge )

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 22
Seminars 10
Independent study hours
Independent study 68

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Fiona King Unit coordinator

Additional notes

Pre-requisites: N/A

Co-requisites: N/A

Dependent course units: N/A

Programme Restrictions: Available only on the following programmes: Level 2 BSc Management/Management (specialism), BSc International Management, BSc International Management with American Business Studies and Level 3 BSc/BA IBFE, BA (Econ). Core for Level 3 BSc Accounting.

For Academic Year 2024/25

Updated: March 2024

Approved by: March UG Committee

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