Courses
Business Law and Ethics
- BUS–L 100 Personal Law (3 cr.) Effects of law on everyday lives. Topics may include family law, criminal offenses and traffic violations, personal injury and property damage claims, employee rights, landlord-tenant law, consumer rights, debt collection, selected real and personal property issues, wills and estates, selected contract law issues, and forms of business organization (partnership, proprietorship, and corporation).
- BUS–L 201 Legal Environment of Business (3 cr.) P: Sophomore standing or Hutton Honors College freshman. L201 is an I-Core prerequisite that is required of all business majors. Emphasis on understanding the nature of law through examining a few areas of general interest, such as the duty to avoid harming others (torts), the duty to keep promises (contracts), and government regulation of business. Credit not given for both L201 and L293.
- BUS–L 250 Law and the Arts (3 cr.) Examines legal issues of importance to visual or performing artists and persons involved in arts-related businesses. Subject areas may include copyright and trademark law; First Amendment concerns; the right of publicity; advertising law; and selected issues of tort, contract, personal property, and agency law. Legal aspects of organizing a business may also be addressed.
- BUS–L 255 Topics in Business Law & Ethics (1–3 cr.) Variable topics course dealing with current legal issues and trends in Business Law and Ethics.
- BUS-L 271 Global Business Analysis (1.5 cr, 8 wks) P: D270 with C. Students apply the country analysis skills, learned in BUS-D 270 Global Business Foundations, to a specific country or region. Many Kelley departments offer versions of this course. This means that, while all versions focus on business analysis, each could emphasize a different field of business and/or region of the world.
- BUS-L 272 Global Business Immersion (3 cr, 8 wks plus travel) P: D270 with C. Students begin this course with eight weeks on campus, studying similar topics as those in Global Business Analysis. In addition, after completing this on-campus work, students spend approximately 10 days – with the class – in the country they have studied. There, they participate in cultural and business site visits while completing their assigned research.
- Sample Topic for L272: Business and Human Rights in South Africa P: D270 with C. Students examine businesses’ role in protecting human rights and remedying abuses, and learn to analyze a human rights crisis and recommend a course of action.
- BUS–L 293 Honors Legal Environment of Business (3 cr.) P: Sophomore standing or Hutton Honors College freshman. L293 satisfies the L201 prerequisite for I-Core that is required of all business majors. Emphasis on understanding the nature of law through examining a few areas of general interest, such as the duty to avoid harming others (torts), the duty to keep promises (contracts), and government regulation of business. Credit not given for both L293 and L201.
- BUS-L 302 Sustainability Law & Policy (3 cr.) The primary aim of the course is to provide students with a basic working knowledge of sustainability generally and environmental law and policy in particular, focusing on the United States but put in a global perspective. The course is designed to give students a deeper sense of the important relationship between law, ethics, business, and the natural environment and to encourage them to think critically about how best to manage these relationships. Core course content includes U.S. statutes, regulations, and international treaties dealing with managing waste, air and water pollution, public lands, and global environmental resources. Alternative ways of addressing environmental problems, such as market-based incentives, information disclosure requirements, and voluntary programs will also be considered.
- BUS-L 304 Critical Thinking, Decision Making, and Advocacy (1.5) This course will improve students’ ability to understand and evaluate their own and others’ reasoning, which will develop their capacity to construct, advocate, and defend strong arguments in the business context.
- BUS-L 305: Business Planning and Corporate Law (1.5 cr.) P: L201 or L293. This course examines the law governing business organizations--partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies, and others--and the social policy underlying the law. The primary focus is on corporations, including such topics as fundamental corporate transactions and the role, rights, powers and duties of the various corporate actors.
- BUS-L 307 Forms of Business & Commercial Finance Law (3 cr.) P: L201 or L293 with C or higher. This course explores legal concepts crucial to the operation of businesses, including selecting the appropriate form of business, operating partnerships, and managing corporations. It also focuses on payment mechanisms, the law of ownership, and the use of secured transactions to protect creditors.
- BUS–L 311 Law for Entrepreneurs (3 cr.) P: Completion of BUS-L 201 suggested, though not required. Focuses on legal issues affecting new and growing businesses. Topics include choosing a legal form for the business; financing-related legal issues; avoiding employment-related liability; contracts and sales; marketing and intellectual property laws; and legal issues concerning business sales, mergers, acquisitions, and liquidations.
- BUS–L 312 The Ethical Responsibilities of Business (3 cr.) This course is designed to help students develop their abilities to identify and address real world ethical dilemmas. The course is case-based, with discussions focusing primarily on ethical situations that confront individuals engaged in business. Topics covered include honesty, privacy, diversity/ discrimination, harassment, free speech, whistle-blowing, intellectual property rights, ethics in finance, ethics in marketing, corporate social responsibility, globalization, and ethics in international business. L312 satisfied the L375 graduation requirement. Credit not given for both L312 and L375 or L376.
- BUS-L 314 International Business Law (3 cr.) Covers the law and practice of international trade, licensing, and investment. Subjects include the legal risks of international business, international public law, international organizations, and private dispute settlement procedures. Also discussed are the risks associated with importing and exporting, foreign licensing and franchising, and foreign investment.
- BUS–L 315 The Business and Law of Entertainment and Sports (3 cr.) L315 explores the legal and practical problems facing executives managing for-profit enterprises in or related to the entertainment and sports industry. Focusing primarily on legal issues, yet necessarily addressing collateral business issues, L315 considers the law affecting the decisions of executives in entertainment companies, including motion picture studios, television broadcasters, and music companies. It also covers the law affecting decisions of executives in sports franchises, leagues, and associations. More importantly, L315 studies the law affecting transactions between businesses with contractual or other relationships with athletes, entertainers, sports franchises, leagues, athletic associations, and entertainment companies, including especially corporate sponsors, manufacturers of licensed apparel, and equipment manufacturers, in addition to owners of stadiums and arenas. The law of intellectual property (including copyright, trademark, and right of publicity), government regulation, labor and employment law, financing alternatives, antitrust, and business ethics are emphasized.
- BUS–L 350 Online Law (3 cr.) Focuses on the management of legal problems that arise from the use of the Internet and other interactive computer networks. The goals of the course are to increase students’ awareness of the legal issues that arise in a variety of online contexts, familiarize students with the legal frameworks that are evolving in the U.S. and other legal systems to resolve those issues, and guide students in strategies for managing the legal risks inherent in communicating and doing business online.
- BUS–L 355 Topics in Business Law & Ethics (1-3 cr.) Variable topics course dealing with current legal issues and trendsin Business Law and Ethics.
- Sample Topic for L355: Law, Ethics & Professional Responsibility in the Financial Markets (3 cr.) This course is designed to provide a legal foundation for students who are interested in investments and/or plan to pursue careers in the financial markets or corporate finance. Specifically, it is designed to familiarize them with basic principles of law and ethics applicable to (i) the securities markets (including types of securities and their respective attributes, registration and issuance of securities, reporting requirements, and market abuses), (ii) corporate governance, (iii) mergers and acquisitions and other battles for corporate control, (iv) bankruptcy reorganization and liquidation, and (v) trade regulation and antitrust. It also will address the law, ethics, and professional responsibilities of financial advisors.
- BUS-L 356 Intellectual Property Law & Strategy in a Global Environment (3 cr.) The course introduces students to the concept of intellectual property (trade secrets, patents, copyrights, trademarks), which accounts for more than two-thirds of the value of large U.S. businesses. It explores the basic framework of legal protection for intellectual property under U.S. and international law, as well as free competition and free speech doctrines that limit the protection of intellectual property and define the boundary between fair and unfair competition.
- BUS-L 360 Topics in Business Ethics (1.5-3 cr.) P: L375/L376 or L312. This course provides an in-depth exploration of a particular dimension or issue in business ethics. The focus of the course will vary from semester to semester. Students may repeat BUS-L 360 for credit so long as the topics differ.
- BUS–L 375 Ethics and the 21st Century Business Leader (2 cr.) P or C: I-Core. This course is a graduation requirement for all Kelley majors. The course is designed to enhance students’ awareness of the ethical dimensions of business decisions and their ability to make reasoned judgments about them. It provides students with basic tools of ethical reasoning and the opportunity to practice these skills and reflect on their responses to ethical dilemmas. Credit not given for both L375 and L376 or L312.
- BUS–L 376 Ethics and the 21st Century Business Leader: Honors (2 cr.) P or C: I-Core and admission to the Hutton Honors College or the Business Honors Program. L376 substitutes for L375, a graduation requirement for all Kelley majors. The course is designed to enhance students’ awareness of the ethical dimensions of business decisions and their ability to make reasoned judgments about them. It provides students with basic tools of ethical reasoning and the opportunity to practice these skills and reflect on their responses to ethical dilemmas. Credit not given for both L376 and L375 or L312.
- BUS-L 405 The Corporation In America Today (3 cr.) The law applicable to business corporations and their directors, officers and employees in the light of current conditions, giving special attention to proposals for protecting interests of stockholders and the public.
- BUS–L 406 Employment Problems and the Law (3 cr.) Examines current legal problems in the area of employment. Topics include race and sex discrimination, harassment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, employment at will, privacy issues such as drug testing, and limits on monitoring and testing.
- BUS–L 408 Real Estate Law (3 cr.) P: L201 or L293 with a grade of C or better. Legal problems related to ownership and transfer of real property; attention to landlord-tenant law and the tools of land-use planning (nuisance law, zoning, private restrictions, subdivision control, and eminent domain).
- BUS-L413 Applied Dispute Resolution (1.5 cr.) P: L201/L293, L304, L305, or consent of department chair. This Law, Ethics & Decision Making capstone course builds upon the argumentation and persuasion skills and the legal and ethical frameworks gained in previous coursework. Through a series of applied exercises, it develops and hones students' skills in legal research, negotiation, written and oral advocacy, and dispute resolution.
- BUS–M 429 Legal Aspects of Marketing (3 cr.) P: M303. Analysis of statutes, regulations, and legal doctrines applicable to marketing practices. Examination of legal issues encountered by marketers in dealing with consumers, competitors, and other marketplace participants.
- BUS–L 455 Topics in Business Law & Ethics (1–3 cr.) Variable topics course dealing with current legal issues and trends in Business Law and Ethics.
- BUS–L 470 Research in Business Law and Public Policy (3 cr.) P: L100, L201, L293, V377, Y304, or permission of instructor. This class is designed to build on the analytical skills that students have acquired in earlier law courses by allowing each student to delve deeply into a legal issue of interest to him or her. Students will learn to frame a research question, navigate legal databases, analyze and cite sources, and hone their writing skills through the production of a meaningful research paper.
- BUS–L 490 Independent Study in Business Law (1–3 cr.) P: Consent of department chairperson and of the instructor. Supervised individual study and research in student’s special field of interest. The student will propose the investigation desired and, in conjunction with the instructor, develop the scope of work to be completed. Comprehensive written report required.
