LW1A06-Introduction to Business Law

Module Provider: School of Law
Number of credits: 10 [5 ECTS credits]
Level:4
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites: Not open to students on any LLB programme
Co-requisites: LW1A05 General Introduction to Law
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Mrs Elizabeth Conaghan
Email: e.t.conaghan@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

To provide students with an introduction to the foundations of English law as it impacts upon business and professional services: agency law, company and insolvency law, criminal law, the law relating to information and its legal environment, employment and social security law.Ìý

Aims:
To provide students with an introduction to the foundations of English law as it impacts upon business and professional services: agency law, company and insolvency law, criminal law, the law relating to the handling of information and employment and social security law.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of this module it is expected that the student will be able to:

• Understand the legal implications of incorporation, including the roles of shareholders and directors, and the main implications of insolvency law;


• Identify instances of criminal behaviour that may be encountered by professional accountants;


• Identify other key areas in which the law affects the role and work of the professional accountant, for example, employment and social security law, the law of agency and the law relating to information and its legal environment;


• Display a familiarity with the basic techniques of statutory interpretation and rules of precedent;


• Exhibit a basic knowledge of some fundamental legal rules and an ability to deploy these rules in solving rudimentary problems;


• Formulate and evaluate simple legal arguments; and


• Show some ability to analyse the existinglaw critically.

Additional outcomes:
Students will develop research skills and computer skills in preparing for and completing computer-based exercises.

Outline content:

• The nature of the agency relationship: its creation, the duties and rights of agents, the authority that an agent has to enter into contracts on behalf of a principal, including express, implied and apparent authority, and that given to partners under legislation.


• Company and insolvency law: the differences between sole traders, general partnerships, limited liability partnerships and companies, the fundamentals of the incorporation and operation of a company including the issue and transfer of shares, statutory accounts and audits, capital maintenance, shareholder meetings and resolutions, the relationship between directors and shareholders, appointment and removal of directors and their duties and powers, the law relating to security and the key principles and implications of insolvency law and processes.


• Instances of criminal behaviour that may be encountered by professional accountants including the law relating to whistleblowing, fraud, bribery, money laundering, the relationship between law and ethics, computer misuse and cybercrime


• The impact of other aspects of law in the professional context: information and its legal environment, including the protection of intellectual property, and employment and social security law.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Teaching will be by lectures, and students will also learn through completing interactive computer-based exercises, with on-line feedback. Students will be required to supplement the knowledge they acquire from lectures by independent study, and will be able to evaluate their comprehension through the completion of the computer-based exercises.