UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING
Class: LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS
MGT 1040-01 & MGT 1040-02
Fall Semester 2016
Class Times: Section 1
Mondays/Wednesdays
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
- AND/OR-
Section 2
Mondays
6:00 p.m. - 8:50 p.m.
Location: Section 1: College of Business, Auditorium
Section 2: College of Business, Room 127
Instructor: Tori R.A. Kricken
Office: TBA
Office Hours: By appointment
Phone Numbers: 760-4947 (cell)
Please call only between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Email:
Use this e-mail only. Do NOT use my uwyo.edu email.
E-mail is usually the best way to reach me and I will check it throughout the weekday. I usually do not check my e-mail in the evenings or on the weekends, so please call me if a question or problem arises during these times.
TEXTBOOK (e-book)
MindTap Business Law with Digital Video Library Instant Access for Miller’s Cengage Advantage Books: Business Law: Text and Cases - The First Course, 1st Edition, Roger LeRoy Miller, ISBN-10: 1-285-77430-2, ISBN-13: 978-1-285-77430-5
Note: You must have MindTap (which also comes with an e-book). If you want a “regular” book in addition, it is your option (and costs just a little more).
COURSE PREREQUISITES AND REQUIREMENTS
This course does not require any prerequisite classes. However, the student is required to read all materials and to be prepared to discuss the material in class.
HANDOUTS
There may be additional handouts or assigned reading for each student to read in addition to the required test readings. Please routinely check your email and our MindTap site.
PURPOSE
This course is an introductory survey course covering a variety of legal topics related to business and business law. Students are familiarized with the nature and sources of law, court systems, common law, torts, product liability, cyber law, criminal law, and contract law. Students will gain an appreciation of essential legal matters in business and a recognition of when professional legal advice should be sought.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:
1. Define and explain legal terms;
2. Explain the litigation process and the various alternative dispute resolution methods and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each;
3. Recognize many of the legal issues involved in business and some of the ways to minimize risks;
4. Explain the difference between what is legal and what is ethical;
5. Explain how contracts arise and how they are enforced;
6. Distinguish and explain between the different types of contracts and explain when each is appropriate and why;
7. Explain the elements of a contract, that is: contractual capacity, consideration, legal purpose, and mutual assent; and
8. Analyze a situation to determine and explain the remedies available.
ETS EXAMINATION
All College of Business students are required to complete a comprehensive assessment during their senior capstone course, MGT 4520. This test, known as the Major Field Test in Business is developed by the Educational Testing Service and is given locally in a computer-based format. The Major Field test covers basic business knowledge and skills in eight areas: accounting, economics, finance, international issues, legal and social environment, management, marketing, and quantitative business analysis (decision science). The purpose of this test is to assess the student’s mastery and retention of basic business concepts. A minimum score is required as a condition for passing MGT 4520. Failure to obtain this minimum score will require remedial work on your part. Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to keep your materials from these courses to help you prepare for this examination.
ATTENDANCE
All students have a responsibility to attend and participate in class. “Roll call” may be taken during each class. This includes being prepared for class and to participate in class discussions. In general, students who miss a part or all of a class are responsible for obtaining class notes and learning the missed information on their own. The professor will not meet separately with students to “catch them up” on information they missed. Students will not be permitted to make up missed work that was completed during a class for which the student was absent.
EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS
In addition to attending every scheduled class session, students are expected to check the MindTap Website and emails weekly for updated notices, reminders, and assignments. Students should bring paper and pens/pencils to class for in-class quizzes and assignments. Students are expected to have read the assigned chapters and to be able to discuss this information/participate in class.
EXAMS and GRADING
Your grade in this course will be based on three (3) unit exams, one (1) comprehensive final exam during finals week, and several quizzes and/or homework assignments.
All exams will be closed book. Students may not bring any material with them to the exam other than #2 pencils and blue bubble sheets. Bubble sheets are available at the UW Bookstore and other various locations. I will not have extra bubble sheets for you. No electronic devices may be used or even present during the exams. Students may not communicate with anyone (except for the professor or proctor) in any manner during an exam. Student conduct during exams will be subject to the Academic Integrity standards to be discussed in this Syllabus. Any student who arrives more than fifteen (15) minutes late on the day of an exam will not be permitted to take that exam. Pay attention to when your exams are scheduled, particularly the final exam, and show up on time for them. Both test material and class lecture material will be covered on exams.
Students who will be absent on the day of an exam due to a University-sponsored event will be permitted to take the exam on a different day or at a different time. It is always the student’s responsibility to notify the professor, in advance of the scheduled exam date, of the conflict and to make arrangements to take the exam at an alternate date/time. A student who has a conflict between a scheduled exam and a non-university-sponsored event must discuss the conflict with the professor at least two (2) business days in advance of the scheduled exam to determine whether, at the professor’s sole discretion, the student will be permitted to take the exam at an alternate date/time. A student who must miss a scheduled exam due to an unforeseen event (e.g. hospitalization, etc.) must contact the professor as soon as possible to determine whether, at the professor’s sole discretion, the student will be permitted to take the exam at an alternate date/time. At the professor’s sole discretion, students may be required to provide appropriate documentation supporting their reason for missing the exam. Students who take an exam at an alternate date/time, regardless of the reason, should expect to take a make-up exam that is different in content and format than the exam given at the regularly scheduled time.
Grades will be determined as follows:
EXAM 1 200 points
EXAM 2 200 points
EXAM 3 200 points
FINAL EXAM (comprehensive) 300 points
ASSIGNMENTS/QUIZZES 600 points (approx.)
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE 1,500 points (approx.)
Exams # 1-3 each will contain 100 questions consisting of multiple choice and True/False questions. The Comprehensive Final Exam will contain 150 questions consisting of multiple choice and True/False questions covering all chapters. The Comprehensive Final Exam will be offered on two days. You may take the exam at either of these scheduled times:
Mon., December 12, 2016, 7:00-9:00 PM
Location: COB Aud.
-OR-
Wed., December 14, 2016, 10:15 AM-12:15 PM
Location: COB Room 127 (or COB Aud. – check both)
NOTE: Final Exam dates and times are subject to change as those dates/times are set by the Office of Registration & Records.
ASSIGNMENTS/QUIZZES
During the semester, there a variety of worksheets and quiz-type assignments associated with each chapter (through MindTap). You are permitted only one opportunity (during that unit’s coverage) to complete each assignment by the deadline. These assignments are “open book” but each must be completed independently by each student (not with others). There will be no “excuses” for failure to complete these assignments (given that you are permitted several weeks to complete each one). Please keep track of these deadlines. If a student does not complete an assignment by the deadline, for whatever reason, that student will receive a grade of zero (0) for that assignment.
EXTRA CREDIT
Throughout the semester, I will offer a few extra credit opportunities. Students can earn up to thirty (30) points (no more than 30 points total!) in extra credit for this course. Extra credit is not mandatory or expected. Generally, extra credit opportunities will involve attending a court proceeding or a law-related event/seminar/lecture and completing a form (on our Course Site) to be signed at that event/proceeding. Each hour that a student spends attending an extra credit opportunity will be worth ten (10) points, but a student may only earn up to twenty (20) points at a single extra credit opportunity. Therefore, a student wishing to earn the full thirty (30) points of available extra credit must attend at least two (2) different extra credit opportunities. I will announce upcoming extra credit opportunities in class and will attempt to post notices of such opportunities on our Course Site. If you become aware of an event or seminar that you think might qualify for extra credit, please ask me in advance so that I can let you (and other students) know about this opportunity. ALL EXTRA CREDIT MUST BE TURNED IN BY THE TIME YOU TAKE THE FINAL EXAM.
GRADING SCALE (approximate based on est. points)
A ≥ 1350 points
B ≥ 1200 points
C ≥ 1050 points
D ≥ 900 points
F < 900 points
NOTE: This course will NOT be using a +/- grading scale.
EXAMINATION SHEETS
You must bring a blue bubble sheet and a #2 pencil to each exam. Please see attached schedule for dates of quizzes and/or exams. Bubble sheets are available in the UW Bookstore and at other locations. You are responsible for providing your own bubble sheet and #2 pencil. Exams that are not correctly completed on the bubble sheets (with pencil!) will not be graded.
KEEPING YOUR WORK
You must keep ALL of your assignments, exams, and extra credit for the duration of the semester (until final grades are entered) in the event there is confusion over your grade(s) or a missing quiz/exam grade. It is YOUR responsibility to show me what grades you received on assignments, exams and/or extra credit if you dispute your grade (or if there is a missing grade).
STUDENT SERVICES
If you have a physical, learning, sensory or psychological disability and require accommodations, you must register with, and provide documentation of your disability to, the University Disability Support Services (UDSS) in SEO, Room 330, Knight Hall. For more information, please visit: http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UDSS/. I can provide accommodations for you only based on parameters defined by UDSS.
CLASS DECORUM & EXPECTATIONS
It is expected that all students will treat each other, the instructor, and other individuals associated with this class with respect and civility, meaning:
- Be respectful of other students in their desires to participate in discussion or ask questions. Be respectful of the need for the class, as a whole, to cover all of the course information without undue delay.
- Avoid unnecessary talking during class
- No sleeping during class!
- If, on the rare occasion, you find it necessary to arrive late or leave early, you should do so with minimal disruption to the class and should be aware that you are responsible for learning the information you missed.
- Turn off all cell phones, PDAs, pagers, and other electronic devices during class times.
Excessive violations of any one of these standards could lead to a reduction in your final grade by one full letter grade.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Also known as “cheating,” academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. Cases of academic dishonesty will be prosecuted in accordance with UW Regulation 6-802. Cheating in this course may result in an “F”, a permanent notice of academic dishonesty in the student citizenship file, and/or suspension from the University of Wyoming. In this course, academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to):
- Copying the homework of others;
- Fabrication of referenced information;
- Representing the work, thoughts, and ideas of another person as your own (e.g. plagiarism, copying another student’s work, and use of published materials without complete citations);
- Allowing another student to copy your work;
- Being complicit in academic dishonesty by suspecting or knowing of it and not taking action;
- Giving or receiving unapproved assistance on any assignment, quiz, or exam; and
- Using unauthorized notes, books, and/or electronic devices or other material when prohibited from doing so.
- Academic dishonest in this course also includes violating the standards, limitations, and/or requirements set forth in this Syllabus (e.g. consulting your book during an exam or quiz, etc.).
Students caught cheating or otherwise violating UW’s academic dishonesty policy (or the policy set forth in this course) may receive a “zero” on the assignment/exam/quiz; may receive an overall grade of “F” in the course; may receive a permanent notice of academic dishonesty placed in the student’s file, and/or may be suspended from the University of Wyoming. For more information on Academic Dishonesty, see University Regulations.
CHANGES
All of the information contained in this Syllabus is subject to change when deemed necessary by the instructor. Students will be notified verbally in class, via postings on the class homepage, or via a revised class syllabus/schedule if such changes occur. Please be certain to check the course site for updates, materials, and information.
CLASS SCHEDULE: SECTION 1
Date Topic, Chapter(s) & Assignments
8/29 Law & Legal Reasoning (Chapter 1)
Homework for Ch. 1:
Worksheet: Sources of American Law (8 pts)
Worksheet: Common Law Traditions (7 pts)
Worksheet: Classifying, Finding& Understanding Law (4 pts)
Brief Hypothetical Scenarios (7 pts)
8/31 Law & Legal Reasoning (Chapter 1) CONTINUED
Courts & Alternative Dispute Resolution (Chapter 2)
Homework for Ch. 2:
Worksheet: Judiciary’s Role & Basic Judiciary Reqt’s (9 pts)
Worksheet: Court Systems, ADR & Int’l Disputes (12 pts)
Video Quiz: Jurisdiction in Cyberspace (6 pts)
Brief Hypothetical Scenarios (6 pts)
9/5 NO CLASS (Labor Day)
9/7 Courts & Alternative Dispute Resolution (Chapter 2) CONTINUED