IB3G4-15 Law for Entrepreneurs
Introductory description
Warwick Business School aims to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit of its students. This module is aimed at providing the essential legal knowledge required by a potential entrepreneur in the UK. The module will afford WBS students a broader insight into business law and encourage post-graduation entrepreneurialism. As such, it has the potential to become a USP for the accounting, finance and management degrees offered by the School.
Module aims
The module aims are to enable students:
- To understand the basic principles of copyright and intellectual property as applied to new business ventures.
- To understand the legal requirements relating to trades descriptions, sales of goods and distance selling.
- To understand the basic legal regulations applied to data protection and privacy.
- To understand the concept and application of standard term contracting in business, the key contractual terms and terms deemed unfair at law.
- To understand the methods by which a business may pursue payment of debts and the potential penalties for late payment of commercial debts.
- To understand the regulation of health and safety in the workplace.
- To understand the legal requirements involved in lawfully hiring, managing and dismissing workers or employees.
- To develop legal research skills, the ability to analyse legal problems and to apply problem-solving techniques to hypothetical problems.
- To develop the ability to critically evaluate legal principles and law in practice.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
The module includes the following:
Law regulating business:
Intellectual property with reference to patents, designs, trademarks and copyright. Sales of Goods Act 1979, consumer protection from unfair trading and Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations. The Data Protection Act 1998, Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Commercial and consumer contracting including standard terms and unfair contract terms. Debt recovery and the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
Law regulating employment:
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, penalties and legal enforcement, Environmental Protection Act 1990, employees and other workers, employment contract and written particulars, itemised pay, protection from discrimination in employment, terminating employment including unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal and remedies at the Employment Tribunal.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Understand the basic legal principles underlying UK law on copyright and intellectual property.
- Understand the basic legal principles underlying UK law on trades descriptions, sale of goods and distance selling.
- Understand the basic legal principles underlying UK law on data protection.
- Understand the basic legal principles underlying UK law on standard terms for customers and suppliers.
- Understand the basic legal principles underlying UK law on debt recovery and late payment of commercial debts.
- Understand the basic legal principles underlying UK law on Health & Safety and the environment.
- Understand the basic legal principles underlying UK law on employing others lawfully.
- Analyse texts and oral presentations.
- Communicate complex ideas effectively.
- Test and refine hypothesis.
Indicative reading list
There is no textbook available which covers all of topics relating to law for entrepreneurs. To overcome this, relevant sections from suitable text books will be copied (with permission of the publishers) and provided to students. Relevant text book sources could include the following:
Intellectual Property Law, 5th Ed, Tina Hart, Palgrave Macmillan.
Business Law, 4th Ed, Stephen Judge, Palgrave Macmillan.
Employment Law in Context, Brian Willey & others, 3rd Ed, Pearson Longman.
Subject specific skills
Analyse legal problems.
Conduct research using official sources of legislation and relevant case law.
Prepare and present legal arguments for both sides in a legal dispute.
Critically evaluate current law and make proposals for reform.
Transferable skills
Conduct independent research of legal issues using library and electronic sources.
Present reasoned arguments orally and in writing.
Work in teams to prepare and present case studies and critically reflect on personal learning.
Supporting legal arguments by reference to appropriate sources.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 sessions of 2 hours (13%) |
| Seminars | 9 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Private study | 49 hours (33%) |
| Assessment | 72 hours (48%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
Private Study.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group D3
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Group Project Presentation (15 CATS) | 15% | 11 hours |
| Individual Contribution - Group Project Presentation (15 CATS) | 10% | 7 hours |
| Online Examination | 75% | 54 hours |
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Exam ~Platforms - AEP
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Feedback on assessment
Feedback via My.WBS
Courses
This module is Optional for:
- Open to all courses external to WBS
- Open to all courses external to WBS