COMLAW 101 : Law in a Business Environment
Business and Economics
2020 Semester Two (1205) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
An introduction to the legal framework of business and government in New Zealand, including the making and interpretation of legislation, the case law system and judicial reasoning. The course also introduces students to legal concepts of property, ownership and the law of obligations, and includes detailed study of various forms of legal liability relevant to business. As well as providing a knowledge base, the course is taught with the aims of developing the skills of critical thinking and problem solving, and enhancing communication skills. This will provide a sound framework in the concepts and techniques required for any further Commercial Law courses studied.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 2: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 3: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 4: | Communication and Engagement |
| Capability 5: | Independence and Integrity |
| Capability 6: | Social and Environmental Responsibilities |
Learning Outcomes
- Explain the nature of law and its application in New Zealand’s constitutional framework including the functioning of government and the Treaty of Waitangi. (Capability 1 and 6)
- Advise on the likely outcome of legal scenarios by applying the principles of statutory interpretation to legislation and the principles of judicial reasoning to case law. (Capability 1 and 2)
- Explain and apply some of the more significant statutes that directly affect businesses. (Capability 1 and 3)
- Describe and explain in specific business contexts how the law protects commercial interests through the creation of contracts, and the imposition of liability through duties of care and fiduciary obligations. (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 4.2)
- Describe and explain the various different legal concepts of property and ownership, trusts intellectual property and business structures and be able to evaluate their significance in commercial situations (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 4.2)
- Communicate in a well-organised way, by working in a team, key legal business obligations using appropriate technologies, and reflect on the process of team engagement. (Capability 1, 4.1, 4.3 and 5.1)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Online Quizzes | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| Peer Review Assignment | 2.5% | Peer Coursework |
| Group Project | 10% | Group Coursework |
| Reflection | 2.5% | Individual Coursework |
| Tutorial Particiption | 5% | Individual Coursework |
| Test | 20% | Individual Test |
| Final Exam | 50% | Individual Examination |
| 7 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||||
| Online Quizzes | ||||||||||
| Peer Review Assignment | ||||||||||
| Group Project | ||||||||||
| Reflection | ||||||||||
| Tutorial Particiption | ||||||||||
| Test | ||||||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
In order to pass the course students must obtain no less than 45% in the final exam AND at least 50% of the total marks awarded for the course.
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 36 hours of lectures, 5 hours of tutorials, 5 hours of workshops, 54 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 50 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.
Learning Resources
A mix of recommended textbook and Canvas resources (including lecture recordings).
Digital Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.