LEGL2114 Regulating Small Business

2016

4.5

1 x 2-hour seminar weekly

1 of CREA3002, LEGL2100, LEGL2101, LEGL2102 has been successfully completed

Small businesses operate in a complex and rapidly changing environment. A range of legal issues, in particular, increasingly shape the environment in which small businesses operate and develop. Many graduates will manage and/or work in such businesses and therefore need to understand the legal issues involved. In this topic students will be introduced to the more important legal issues including taxation, agency, insurance and negligence, licensing, intellectual property, contracts and fair trade. The topic will provide a critical overview of the principles, policies and laws involved in running a small business. Students will develop their knowledge of these legal issues, acquire practical skills by applying that knowledge to small business problems, and become familiar with the range of assistance offered to those businesses in Australian society. While the material will focus on small businesses much of it also applies to large business.

This topic aims to:

• introduce students to the range of legal issues that arise in a small business context

• analyse the legal risks small businesses face

• develop students' ability to identify, respond to, and devise practical solutions to a number of important workplace problems

• develop students' research and group-work skills

Upon the completion of the topic it is expected that students will be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of the different parties' legal rights and responsibilities in a small business context

• demonstrate their knowledge of the legal and operational implications of the range of small business structures

• identify situations that present legal risks to small businesses

• understand and be able to apply regulatory guidelines to a workplace setting

• assess and compare workplace policies

• use the internet to locate resources for a range of business-related topics