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Everett Lupton




FIN331




FIN331


SYLLABUS
for
FIN 331
Introduction to the Legal Environment of Business
OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY

 
Everett Lupton, Adjunct Professor, elupton@odu.edu

Office Hours:  Sundays 5pm-6pm EST & By Appointment

Faculty Website:  http://www.odu.edu/~elupton

Blackboard is utilized often and frequently in this class.


Course Description:

Introduction to the legal environment of business, providing you with an understanding of the nature of public law and the regulation of business and of the basic principles which control business practices.


Course Content: 

See Schedule.


Required Resources:
Textbook: 

James. P. Mallor, Barnes, et al., Business Law: the Ethical, Global, and E-Commerce Environment, 15th Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2012.  

BlackBoard Access:

During the semester, I will be using Blackboard regularly for this class, including, posting discussion Q&A, answering student questions, and tests.

Prerequisite:

Junior or Senior standing.

Grading Criteria:
Five (5) Tests (i.e., Exams) (Each Test is 18% of Final Grade) 90 %
Participation 10 %

Each test is a non-cumulative exam.  So, each test covers only a certain section of the course.  I use the standard University grading scale.:

93-100=A,   90-92.99=A-, 
87-89.99=B+,  83-86.99=B, 80-82.99=B-,
77-79.99=C+, 73-76.99=C,  70-72.99=C-,
67-69.99=D+, 63-66.99=D, 60-62.99=D-,
0-59.99=F.

* I DO NOT give extra credit as a general rule and DO NOT allow make-up work!
(unless you have documented extreme & extenuating circumstances).

All tests are taken via Blackboard.  I generally make the test available by Friday midnight and allow students to take the test at your convenience over the course of the following week. 

Course Objectives:

This course is designed to afford undergraduate business and engineering students with a better understanding of important legal principles and laws, with particular focus on those impacting upon business. In the course students will study a wide range of pertinent legal topics with the assumption that increased familiarity with legal issues and the legal system will improve the evaluation and management of legal problems and allow for better business decisions.


Learning Goals:
 * Understand basic principles of dispute resolution, tort, constitutional, intellectual property, and contract law
 * Apply the law to fact specific business situations and draw appropriate conclusions
 * Better recognize legal issues that arise in the course of business to avoid risk and assist legal counsel
 * Consider the ethical as well as legal implications of contemporary events that effect business and society.

 

Class Policies:

Regular attendance can only help students' grades.  Excessive absences and/or excessive late arrivals will directly and negatively affect your participation grade as well as your final grade.  Final grades will not be posted, but students should be able to track their test grades through BlackBoard.  Students are required to know about all matters treated in every class, whether or not you are present during lectures. This includes the lecture, class discussion, handouts, announcements about changes in the course outline, and announcements about changes in test dates or test matter.  Check the Announcements on BlackBoard, each week.  Class time will be used for lecture, class activities, Q&A, and discussion.  Please refrain from interrupting me or other students and reserve your questions for Q&A sessions.  Students are expected to behave in a professional manner.  Obviously, I do not allow students talking during my lectures, surfing the web, text or IM messaging, e-mailing, web surfing, being disruptive, and/or sleeping.  No ringing cell phones or pagers.  You may bring food and drink into the classroom provided that you are not disruptive and so long as it is permitted at the individual sites.  All University rules governing student conduct, including the Honor Code, shall apply and are incorporated by reference.  The following honor pledge applies to all work that you do in this course:  "I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic community, it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the Honor System. I will report to a hearing if summoned." (It is your responsibility to know what plagiarism is and to avoid even the appearance of it.) You should read and know the university's policies and procedures, including misconduct and inclement weather in the Student Handbook and/or Catalog.  A reminder about the university policy on withdrawal from classes: If you formally withdraw before the end of the 6th day of the semester, no record of the course will appear on your transcript. If you formally withdraw before the end of the eighth week of the semester, the grade of W will be assigned.  Withdrawal after that date is not normally permitted.  However, you may withdraw after that date if you submit a formal petition (that I and the Dean or department chair must both approve and sign) in which you provide evidence of illness or other severe hardship.  If you stop attending and do not submit and have the formal petition approved, then the grade of WF will be assigned, unless your performance up to the date you stopped attending was F, in which case F will be assigned.  The grade of WF will carry no grade points but will be computed in the grade point average.  In order to ensure a successful semester, I reserve the right to make any changes I deem necessary to this syllabus, course material, or class as I deem necessary.  If you have any problems, questions, or concerns during the semester, please contact immediately so that we may resolve them!  You may e-mail me at anytime.  I will respond as soon as possible or during my office hour/s.  Also, please email me with any questions during office hour/s.  Email is the easiest and most efficient way to reach me outside of class time.  I will attempt to respond to your email during my office hour/s or before.  My goal is to provide you with an enjoyable and complete learning experience. I am looking forward to this semester!

      

Everett Lupton