GEORGIA HIGHLANDS COLLEGE
Course: BUSA
2106 Environment of Business (3 semester hours)
Semester: Spring
2007
Instructor:
Dr. Jed
Gillespie
E-mail: jgillesp@highlands.edu
Course website: www.highlands.edu/jgillespie
Office: 220C Cartersville Campus
Division
Office Phone: (706)
295-6327
Division Secretary: Candace
Clifton, cclifton@highlands.edu
Course
Locations & Cartersville Campus (CRN #20287)
Meeting Times: M-W
3:30PM-4:45PM (Cartersville)
Office Hours: M-W
1:30-2:00 PM (Cartersville)
Additional Office Hours: By Appointment
Text
(required): Reed, O. Lee, et al. 2007.
The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business. McGraw-Hill Irwin, 14th edition.
Other Materials: Handouts, cases, internet sites, & exercises as assigned
Pre-requisites: READ 0099; ENGL 0099A
Course
Description: This course is
intended to introduce students to the legal environment of business in the
United States. The course provides an
introduction to the political, social, ethical, environmental, and
technological issues which form the context for business. The course includes an overview of the
American legal system, a review of trade regulation and antitrust laws, a
review of employment law, and discussion of selected issues such as consumer protection,
product liability, and the UCC.
Course
Objectives: The objectives of this course are:
·
To understand law, rule of law, classifications of law,
& sources of law
·
To understand the court system and litigation process
·
To distinguish law from ethics – and their different
relation to society, government, & business
·
To understand the how the US Constitution applies to
business
o
how regulatory agencies apply constitution to businesses
·
To understand tort cases in business
·
To understand the specific laws affecting business:
o
Securities regulation
o
Trade and antitrust laws
o
Employment laws
o
The UCC
·
To write and speak logically and clearly about legal
issues in business.
Course
Drop/Add: This
procedure is performed through the admissions office and your academic advisor.
The steps are identified in the Catalog under Class Schedule Changes Drop/Add
and Course Drop. The deadline is published in the Georgia Highlands College
Schedule of Academic Classes for the current semester.
Withdrawal: See Catalog under Course Drop and
Withdrawal from All Classes. Deadline for withdrawing without penalty is
normally prior to mid-semester (March 1).
Attendance: Attendance is not required. However, you
should note that reflections cannot be made up. If you are not in class to
prepare a reflection, then you will receive a 0 for that assignment. In
addition, make-up tests are not given in this course. If you miss a test, it
will count as your drop. Finally, you must be present for the final exam. If
you are not present and we have not made a confirmed alternate arrangement, you
will receive a 0.
Extended Absences: Students, who have circumstances that
prevent them from continuing to attend classes over an extended period of time,
sometimes request that the faculty member permit them to submit work in
absentia to receive credit to complete the course.
If the concurrent absences will constitute
more than 15% of the class sessions for the term, then written permission from
the Division Chair is required before any course assignments can be completed
while missing class. The student must be
in good academic standing in the course to make the request. All approved coursework must be completed by
the end of the semester in which the course was begun.”
Disability
Statement: Any student who feels they may need an
accommodation based on the impact of a disability should make an appointment
with the College Access Center (706) 802-5003 to coordinate reasonable
accommodations. You are also welcome to contact me privately to discuss your
specific needs.
Financial
Aid Statement:This
statement applies only to students receiving financial aid. Federal regulations
state that if a student did not attend classes and received failing grades,
then the grades were not earned and financial aid needs to be reduced
accordingly. Please be advised that any
student receiving a 0.00 GPA will be required to prove that the 0.00 GPA was
earned by attending classes or completing requirements for each class. Students
who have earned at least one passing grade for the semester will not be
affected by this regulation. If a student has properly withdrawn from all
classes, the student’s financial aid should be adjusted from the time they
signed the withdrawal form.
Cell
Phones, Pagers, etc: Cell Phone usage and text messaging are
prohibited in class. All cell phones should be turned off before entering
class. Failure to comply with this policy will result in a diminished
assignment grade. In addition, all computers will be turned off unless used for
in-class assignments.
Assessment
A. Tests 70%
B. Quizzes, Problems,
Reflection Assignments, Projects 15%
C. Final Exam 15%
Total 100%
Explanation of
Assessment
WARNING! The
Environment of Business is a fun but challenging course. What makes this class
so challenging is that you will have to learn a new language (legalese), the rule,
and the exception to the rule. Reading the chapter is a MUST and be prepared to
commit 1 to 3 hours outside of class for studying, reading, and completing homework
assignments. Selected problems, cases, and exercise will be discussed in during
class.
Tests (70%)
You will have 4 tests
during the semester. You will be able to drop your lowest test grade. Each test
will cover 3-4 chapters. The tests will employ a number of different types of
questions (multiple choice, short answer questions and application problems). See statement regarding make-up work for
missed exams.
Quizzes, Problems, Reflection Assignments,
& Projects (15%)
Reading is an
essential aspect of this course. If you neglect your reading assignments, you
will fall behind and struggle mightily with the tests. Four components will
comprise this grade.
The first is quizzes.
I will administer quizzes the first day of a chapter. Each quiz will be worth 3
points. See statement regarding make-up quizzes.
The second is problems.
I will check homework the first day of coverage for a new chapter. Substantially
complete problems and exercises will receive a grade of 3. Moderately completed
problems and exercises will receive either a 1 or 2 and no attempt will be
graded as a 0.
The third component
is reflection assignments. At the end (or beginning) of each class you may be
asked to prepare a brief statement on the day’s activities, for example: “the
most significant item I learned today was…..” Each is worth 3 points. See statement regarding make-up work for late problems and reflection
assignments.
Finally, you
will be asked to complete various projects for the course. Each project is
designed to extend what we learn in class to the real world. Each project is
worth 3 points (with exception of the case brief which is worth 6 points). See statement regarding make-up work for
late projects
Your problem,
homework, and reflection assignment grade will be calculated as the total
number of points earned divided by the total number of points possible. You
will be able to drop you two lowest grades (excluding the case brief).
Project Topics
Project 1: Your experience
with the legal system.
You will prepare three brief paragraphs on the following topics:
(Paragraph
1) Your experience with the legal system for example: do you have any relatives
that are lawyers or judges? what court cases that have impacted you personally?
(Paragraph 2) What legal cases are memorable to you? (Paragraph 3) List a T.V.
show or Movie that you have watched lately dealing with the legal system. What
was the legal issue?
Worth: 3 points
Due: 1/17/2007
Project 2: Case Brief. You will chose one case from text and
prepare a case brief. Please see Page 582 for a sample case brief. I will
provide a list of the cases and topics by the 2nd week of class.
Worth: 6 points
Due: Variable depending on
the chapter that your selected case in is.
Grading Criteria
Case Brief Format & Write-up 2 points (must follow format on page 582
of text)
Content 2
Correct Verdict 1
End of Case Questions 1 point
Project 3: The Legal World Around You. During the semester you will be asked
to report on various legal topics. You may view Legal Television Shows on Court
TV (NOT CSI), Legal Movies, Newspaper Articles or Internet Articles to discuss
the issue at hand. To receive a full
credit (3 points per assignment), you must (a) Reference the Time, Date,
and Title of the Item, (b) Summarize the legal issue and the facts(s), (c)
Relate the topic and the T.V. show etc., and provide your opinion on the item.
Topic 1: The Court System Due
1/24/2007
Topic 2: The Constitution and Business
Due 2/21/2007
Topic 3: Intellectual Property Due
4/4/2007
Topic 4: Sarbanes Oxley Due 4/25/2007
Worth: 12 points
Statement Regarding
Make-up Work & Exams
Tests: NO MAKE UP TESTS WILL BE ADMINISTERED during the semester. If you miss a test, you may use your one drop. If you miss a second test, you may substitute your final exam grade for that test. If you miss a third test, you will receive a grade on 40 on that test.
Quizzes, Homework & Reflection Assignments: NO MAKE UP HOMEWORK OR REFLECTION ASSIGNEMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED. If you are to miss class or do not have your homework assignment with you, you may e-mail the assignment by 11 p.m. of the due date. Quizzes and reflection assignments must be completed in class. If you submit your homework or reflection assignment late, or do not complete a quiz you will receive a 0.
Projects: YOU WILL LOSE 10% of your grade each day your project is late (including weekends). If you are to be absent or do not have your project with you in class, you must e-mail me your project by 11 p.m. of the due date.
Final Exam: YOU MUST TAKE the final exam during the
time designated in class. I DO NOT GIVE make-up final exams. Failure to
complete the final exam will result in a 0. If you have a conflict with the
time and date, let me know as soon as possible so that we can make arrangements.
Grading Scale
A 90-100
B 80-89
C 70-79
D 60-69
F Below
60
Student Conduct &: Policy statement is posted at www.highlands.edu/subwebs/academic
Academic Integrity affairs/academicintegritypolicy.htm
Course Policies: Tips
to be successful in this course
§
I
expect you to check your e-mail routinely (at least twice a week). It is my only method of communication.
§
Please
assume that nothing will go right. Do
your work early and be pleasantly surprised when all goes well.
§
Do
not discard the syllabus. I use the syllabus as a template for everything we do
in the course
§
Use the course website as a resource. I will post solutions to the problems
we discuss in class as well as all the problems in the Chapter. I will also use
website to post sample exam problems and to post exam solutions.
§
Your
success depends on your discipline. To
be successful, you must stay on time and on task.
§
Stay
on top of your homework and projects. These two items are designed to keep you
focused in class and gain practice with problems and concepts.
§
Don’t
miss class.
§
Don’t
be late. Homework checks are administered at the beginning of class. All tests
will begin at the designated time.
§
Please
contact me if you are having trouble. I
will do all I can to make you successful.
§
Send
yourself a copy of anything submitted electronically. On rare occasions, electronic communications
disappear. If something goes missing, I
will ask for your copy (complete with its time and date stamp).
§
Find
a study partner and compare notes & instructor problem solutions. However,
all homework must be completed individually unless noted otherwise by the
instructor.
§
Tests
& Exams must be completed during the class period allotted.
§
The
College has an academic integrity, please become familiar with it. I have no latitude for exceptions.
§
Incompletes
are only allowed when “…a student who is performing satisfactory work is unable
to meet the full course requirements for non-academic reasons beyond the
student’s control.” (The grade becomes
an F in two semesters or one calendar year.).
Course Schedule for Spring
2007
Note: Test days will not change regardless of course coverage.
In addition, the instructor reserves the right to make changes in course
coverage with due notice provided to students.
Topic
Week 1 (Jan 8 & 10) Course Introduction & Syllabus, Chapter
1 (Law as the Foundation of Business)
Week 2 (Jan 15 & 17) MLK Holiday, Chapter 1, Project 1 Due
Week 3 (Jan 22 & 24) Chapter 2 (The Ethical Basis of Law and
Business Management), Chapter 3 (The Court System), 1st writing due for Project 3
Week 4 (Jan 29 &31) Chapter 3 (The Court System), TBD
Week 5 (Feb 5 &
7) Test #1, Chapter 4 (The Litigation Process)
Week 6 (Feb 12
& 14) Chapter 4, Chapter 5 (Alternative
Dispute Resolution Systems),
Week 7 (Feb 19
& 21) Chapter 5, Chapter 6 (The
Constitution and Business), 2nd writing
due for Project 3
Week 8 (Feb 26
& 28) Chapter 6, Test #2
Week 9 (Mar 5
& 7) Chapter 7 (Principles
of Contract Law)
Week 10 (Mar 12
& 14) Chapter 8 (Torts in the Business
Environment)
Week 11 (Mar 19
& 21) Spring Break
Week 12 (Mar 26
& 28) Chapter 9 (Criminal Law)
Week 13 (Apr 2&
4) Test #3, Chapter 10 (Intellectual Property), 3rd writing due for Project 3
Week 14 (Apr 9
& 11) Chapter 10, Chapter 11
(Agency Law & Business Organizations),
Week 15 (Apr 16
& 18) Chapter 13 (Antitrust
Regulation)
Week 16 (Apr 23
& 25) Test #4, Chapter 14 (Sarbanes Oxley and Securities Regulation), 4th writing due for Project 3
Week 17 (Apr 30) Chapter 15 (Employment & Labor Law)
Final Exam date to be determined by Campus Coordinator