The Legal Ethical Environment of Business

BLAW 3175-17 & BADM 3720-17 May Term2017

The Legal Ethical Environment of Business

Mark DeAngelis, J.D., Asst. Prof. in Residence

mark.deangelis@.uconn.edu

SYLLABUS OUTLINE

This is a draft syllabus outline only. A detailed syllabus with due dates will be posted at the HuskyCT site at the opening of the course. You may rely on this draft syllabus outline to describe course materials to be purchased, the grading methods and descriptions of the assignments.

“We must educate students to understand the effects that the conduct of business and free markets have on our national and global societies. Our world needs business leaders who comprehend both the power and limits of market-based solutions to social issues; leaders who understand social as well as economic benefits and costs in decision making. We also need students educated about the interface between the public and private sectors.

“To do this, we need to re-examine how we orientate students to the study of business – redefining their maps of the world to include a vibrant respect for the role of law and regulation in fostering capitalism’s best successes.”

-Dean Sally Blount, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, October 10, 2011

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION

Using this syllabus: This syllabus describes and explains the requirements and expectations for this course.

On-Line Course: This course is delivered on-line. As a result, you must have access to a computer and a reliable internet connection, as well as a back-up plan in the event of computer emergencies. No consideration can be given for failed assignments or course responsibilities on the basis of computer or internet problems.

Most of the on-line class material is delivered through an online text supplemented by websites and on-line library reserve readings. Also, required movie viewing may be conducted online.

Compressed Semester – 30 hour work week:This course is delivered in a compressed format of 3 weeks. In order to approximate the work that is required to complete this course in the regular semester, students should expect to dedicate approximately 30 hours per week for each of the three weeks in order to meet the requirements of this Intersession course.

(Regular semester: 15 weeks x [3 hours in class + 3 hours out of class work] = 90 hours).

That means that you should expect to work 5 hours per day for 6-7 days for each of the 3 weeks.

[For example,from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. (1 hour off for lunch) six days per week, for 3 weeks.]

In addition, you will see that assignments and assessments are due on weekend dates as well. You may always complete these assignments in advance in order to keep your weekends free. But, if you need the extra time, the weekend due dates allow you some extra time for completion. I have tried to space out the course requirements in a way that will not be overwhelming. But you will not complete this course successfully without expecting to work on weekends or for extended time on weekdays.

HuskyCT: This course is accessed through HuskyCT and significant interaction with the HuskyCT site is expected. It is the student’s responsibility to check the site regularly for announcements, messages, assignments and grades.

Questions and Communication: All of our interactions must take place within the HuskyCT format so that there is a record of everything that we do. Therefore, all course related communication must take place within the HuskyCT course system. I have set up two Administrative Discussion Forums:

1. General Administrative Discussion Forum: Post here questions that you may have about a reading, an assignment, the course material and scheduling or any other course subject matter or administrative requirement.

2. Text Discussion Forum: Post here questions or issues arising out of use of the on-line text, including assessment questions (see more below).

E-mail communication is not recorded within the HuskyCT system and, therefore, is NOT to be used for course related questions. You may contact me by e-mail if you have a personal emergency or other private matter that does not involve substantive questions about the course material, schedule, syllabus or text.

HuskyCT Help: You have access to the 24/7 Online Course support by clicking on the "24/7 HuskyCT Support" link on the left menu at our HuskyCT site or by clicking on the following link:

Intellectual Property Notice: The online text and other course materials provided to you, including the online text, polling questions, assessment questions, quiz questions, presentations, PowerPoint slides, lectures, tests, assessments, outlines, HuskyCT posts, and similar materials, are copyright protected by the faculty member teaching this course and the University of Connecticut. You may make copies of course materials solely for your own use. You may NOT copy, reproduce, or electronically transmit any course materials to any person or company for commercial or other purposes without the express permission of the instructor and/or the University of Connecticut. Likewise, you may not make or transmit any audio, video or digital recording of any lecture, class presentation or materials without the express consent of the instructor and/or the University of Connecticut. You may not share these materials with any other person or student under any circumstances. Posting any of these materials to an online study sharing site such as Study Blue or Course Hero is a copyright violation. Violation of these prohibitionswill subject the student to discipline under the University of Connecticut Student Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity Policy, and subject the violator to civil and criminal penalties for violation of federal copyright law.

COURSE CONTENT

Catalogue description: The meaning of law and the structure of the legal and regulatory system are studied with a view toward the impact of law upon the operation of global business. Key philosophies of ethics and social responsibility are examined through the lens of stakeholder analysis and other analytical tools. This course examines the institutional foundations of law including court systems, court procedures, and constitutional law. The application of law to shape the legal environment of business through government regulation and legal liability is examined through exploration of tort and product liability, worker protection, and business organization law.

Instructor’s Statement of Course Objectives:One cannot expect success in business or even successful engagement as a citizen without understanding how to navigate the legal landscape upon which the daily activities of business and life in general are conducted.

In the speech referenced here: Obama is speaking about the social environment of business. The government provides schools to educate workers, roads and airports to ship goods, law enforcement and firefighters to protect property, customs system for trade enhancement and other services that businesses do not need to provide for themselves. These systems are already in place, embedded in the social landscape. The law also lays out an environment for business. There are laws to protect intellectual property as well as physical property. Contract law allows for reasonable expectations of performance to be relied upon in business, Tort law protects against wrongful injury. Businesspersons choose from among an array of legal business entities or enterprises all set up by law to enhance business performance. Business does not just happen. It happens in a space and time that has been created both for it and by it. That is the Legal and Ethical Environment of Business.

The student who successfully completes this course will have considered the various ways that government, business and society interact through a system of “law.” Law affects business conduct principally through three mechanisms; civil liability, criminal liability and administrative regulation. In this course, the student will learn some of the legal principles that support these mechanisms of business regulation. Perhaps, more importantly, the student will also examine the public policy and “real life” implications and effect of these systems. Ethical constraints, though not technically “law” are also explored as a fourth mechanism for societal influence on business conduct. “Ethics laws” are explained and distinguished.

This course has 4 practical learning goals:

1.Debunk Legal Myths and Folklore: The fictionalized portrayal of the legal system through TV shows and movies for entertainment purposes as well as inaccurate and sensationalized reporting of legal proceedings in the press have resulted in a culture of legal myths and folklore that are readily embraced as true by the public at large. These false understandings often prove to be particularly durable, even in the light of incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. You must be open to the prospect that what you think you already know as certain truth about the law is, in fact, bunk. In the words of a Jedi mentor:

2. Increase Legal Literacy: Most press reports about the law and legal proceedings are vague and incomplete. This is inherent in the nature of press reporting. An Associated Press (AP) report may be originally written by a legal expert with full explanation. But as the report is picked up and published by members, it is culled by editors who have no legal training or understanding of the legal proceedings. Consequently, important explanatory paragraphs are deleted as unnecessary. The reader must possess sufficient legal understanding to fill in the gaps.

3. Develop an Adult Understanding of Law and the Legal System:The student will view the legal system “unmasked,” allowing for a mature and educated understanding of American laws and justice that transcends the platitudes of high school civics classes and the myths of popular culture. This class does not involve the memorization of legal information. Reflection and analysis in required in order to properly transform information into understanding. Knowing what the rule IS, is less important than understanding WHY it is the rule and HOW it works. Remembering what the rule is today is merely retaining information without understanding. Understanding is necessary in order to anticipate how law may evolve in the future or be extrapolated to apply today to other circumstances.

4. Issue Recognition:Ultimately, the student will acquire the knowledge necessary to anticipate what factual situations tend to lead to legal liability. The ability to anticipate, and thereby avoid, legal problems is perhaps the most important skill that a student can acquire from this course.

Learning Outcomes: After completing this course:

Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of key legal principles impacting business and the legal and administrative environment.
Students will be able to identify appropriate actions to address legal issues in a business setting.
Students will be able to utilize ethical analysis methods to resolve ethical issues in an organization.

Course Content Delivery: The course material is delivered on-line through an online text and through UConn’s HuskyCT system.Students are required to work through the course material on their own and complete assignments and unit assessments according to the schedule listed later in the syllabus.

Text: The required materials for this course are as follows:

1) The Legal and Ethical Environment of Businessby M. DeAngelis

Access to this on-line text from Great River Learningmay be purchased here:

Instructionsare found on the Home Page of our HuskyCT site. Students may not share texts as the module assessments are specific to each student’s registration of the textbook

2) Library Resource and Website readings as indicated on the syllabus.

3) Movies on reserve or online rental: The Rainmaker, A Civil Action andHot Coffee.

COURSE GRADING

Course Grading Policy:

This course is graded on a point system. There are a total of 800 points available as follows:

Quizzes:

Syllabus Quiz= 5 pts.
RainmakerQuiz= 20 pts.
A Civil ActionQuiz= 20 pts.
Hot Coffee Quiz= 20 pts.
Weekly Quiz (3)= 30 pts.

Court Observation Paper*= 45 pts.

Video Quizzes= 100 pts.

Module Assessments (20)= 440pts. (see list below)

Discussion Forums (4)= 120pts. (30 pts./ forum)

Total= 800pts.

Grades will be determined by the following point totals:

A =Above736

A- = 735 – 720

B+ = 719 – 696

B = 695 – 664

B- =663 – 640

C+ = 639 – 616

C = 615 – 584

C-= 583 – 560

D+ = 559 – 536

D = 535 – 504

D- =503 – 480

F = under 480

*NOTE: You must complete this court observation in the United States! The Court Observation Assignment is required: The student does not have the option or choice to fail to do the required assignment if otherwise satisfied with his or her point total. That is, the failure to turn in the assignment will mean that the student has failed to meet the required expectations for the course and a grade of “F” will be issuedfor the course (not just for the individual assignment).

ON-LINE TEXT

Online Text: Our online textbook is a brand new publication written specifically for this course at UConn. Some of the modules are being used for the first time in this semester. Therefore, there may be some bugs to be worked out from time to time. If you encounter broken links or material that is unclear, please let me know by posting to the discussion board set up for text problems. This way, I can make one reply that everyone will be able to see.

IMPORTANT: This text is unique in certain aspects. The design of this text is intended to work much more like a web page than a PDF online book. There are many video links and hyperlinks within the text and directions to click on various links to access additional material. It makes liberal use of internet resources. Consequently, as described below, links and videos are not mere extraneous enhancements to the written text to be skipped over. They are oftentimes the main delivery of the lesson while the written words may be simply an introduction or conclusion to the internet material. This text is the main source of delivery of the curriculum in this online course. There are no PowerPoint slides or recorded lectures.

Links that appear in red inkare assigned material and are subject to examination in the module assessment. Video Icon boxes marked “(Required)” are likewise assigned material and are subject to examination in the module assessment.

Hyperlinks within the text that take the reader to definitions of terms and short newspaper articles and web readings are intended as helpful resource to assist understanding of the text concept.Hyperlinks that take the reader to the full text of a case that has already been summarized in the text or to a full research paper or reading longer than 3-4 pages are intended only for support of the text material and need not be read fully, but may be scanned if additional insight is sought.

Polling Questions:The polling questions that are located at the end of each moduleare not assigned. You may use them as review questions to test your knowledge and understanding of the topics in the Module.

End of Module Reflections:Unless specifically assigned in the syllabus, assignments that appear in the End of Module Reflections are not required assignments. However, any links that appear there in red or videos marked as “(Required)”are assignedas part of the module. You are encouraged to consider the reflection questions posed there to test your understanding of the module material.