Syllabus

Mission Statement:

The Stetson School of Business and Economics of Mercer University delivers 
career focused business education to develop entrepreneurial leaders and responsible global citizens.

Course Description:

This course will explore the legal environment and focus on the formation and operation of a variety of business organizations including the corporation, the partnership and the LLC (Limited Liability Company).  It will examine the roles and obligations of organizational participants - the directors, officers, partners, and members - and examine best practices relating to corporate sustainability and social responsibility.  Additional related topics may include stock trading, valuation, shareholder’s rights, mergers and acquisitions, insider trading and antitrust laws.  The course will also explore topics in contract law and intellectual property.

Course Objectives:

                Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

Prerequisites

             None

Textbooks

Law for Entrepreneurs, Version 1.0.1, by Don Mayer, Daniel M. Warner, George J. Seidel and Jethro K. Lieberman, eISBN: 978-1-4533-5187-1
Available at https://students.flatworldknowledge.com/course/2463039

Class Assignments and Evaluation

Evaluation Criteria

Grading Structure

Note from the Professor

The exams will cover the assigned readings, as well as any additional material covered in class. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what you have missed - both material covered and future assignments.  No make-up examinations will be given. If you cannot be present for an exam (for a legitimate reason), let me know beforehand - call me at my office and tell me, or leave a message on my answering machine. Failure to do so will result in a grade of zero on that test.

Mercer University Honor Code and Council

See Mercer catalog for detailed description.

Honor Code

Mercer University Atlanta expects each and every student to maintain the highest principles of academic honesty and integrity.  Violations of academic honesty represent a breach of the University's expectations and will be regarded as a serious matter.  Violations include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, lying, and stealing.

All work on tests must be your own. Any inappropriate copying or collaboration on any test will result in a grade of 'F' for the course.

Disability Statement

Students requiring accommodations or modifications for a disability should inform the instructor at the close of the first class meeting or as soon as possible.  The instructor will refer you to the ACCESS and Accommodation Office to document your disability, determine eligibility for accommodations under the ADAAA/Section 504 and to request a Faculty Accommodation Form.  Disability accommodations or status will not be indicated on academic transcripts.  In order to receive accommodations in a class, students with sensory, learning, psychological, physical or medical disabilities must provide their instructor with a Faculty Accommodation Form to sign.  Students must return the signed form to the ACCESS Coordinator.  A new form must be requested each semester.  Students with a history of a disability perceived as having a disability or with a current disability who do not wish to use academic accommodations are also strongly encouraged to register with the ACCESS and Accommodation Office and request a Faculty Accommodation Form each semester.  For further information, please contact Richard Stilley (stilley_r@mercer.edu), at (678) 547-6823 or visit the ACCESS and Accommodation Office website at http://atlstuaffairs.mercer.edu/disability-services.cfm

Inclement Weather

If severe weather occurs, classes will be canceled in accordance with the Associate Provost’s decision of Mercer-Atlanta.  Call the Mercer weather phone for information about class cancellations—(678) 547-6111 (Atlanta) or listen to WSB 750 AM.

Course Reading and Learning Schedule:

(Syllabus subject to change at the discretion of the Professor)

Note: SSBE is switching to online course evaluation (from in-class evaluations). You have probably already received an email about this. In order to encourage participation, I will award everyone in the class 1 additional point on their overall class average IF the class as a whole has a participation rate of at least 80% by February 29. So please follow the link you received and complete the evaluation.

Introduction to Law (full version)
Physician Assisted Suicide (full version)
Ethics, Society & the Law
Contract Law (full version)
Business Organizations (full version)
Copyright Law (full version)
Patent, Trademark and Trade Secret Law
Employment Law (full version)
Environmental Law
Covenants Not to Compete
2010 Georgia Ballot Amendment

Your Guide to the Georgia Courts (PDF file)

Exploring Constitutional Law - an interesting site that presents some basic information about the U.S. Constitution (for those of you who would like some more information about the Constitution)

LI & NY Places That are No More

Legal Studies Classroom - Prof. DeAngelis - UConn
    Eminent Domain - The Ballad of Suzette Kelo - video
    Good Samaritan Laws - Seinfeld finale - video

Sample Test Questions (PDF document)        

More Buying 'Natural' Food, But It's Unclear What That Is - USA Today

Sustainability

    Walmart Sustainability 2.0 Videos (we will watch these in class Tuesday)
    Introduction
    Goals
    Seafood
    SEEP
    Packaging
    Waste

    Walmart Sustainability Site
    Walmart Global Responsibility Reports
    Walmart's Sustainability Hits and Misses - SmartPlanet blog
    Wal-Mart Top 10 Sustainability Projects Underscore Global Leadership - Forbes.com
    Walmart's Sustainability Efforts Stall Under New Leadership - TriplePundit.com
    Wal-Mart Leads the Way in Corporate Recycling - Clark Howard.com 
    Wal-Mart Pushes for Collaborative Sustainability Goals - GreenBiz
    Wal-Mart Announces a New Commitment to a Sustainable Food System at Global Milestone Meeting

'Happy Birthday' Song Now in Public Domain -CNBC
Plaintiff Who Challenged 'Happy Birthday' Copyright 'Screamed with Joy' at Ruling - Billboard
Music Publisher Doesn't Own 'Happy Birthday,' Has to Pay Back $14 Million - FoxNews

Amazon Service Terms - look at §57.10

6 High Court Cases That Could Change with Scalia's Death - USA Today
How Scalia's Death Could Affect Major Supreme Court Cases in the 2015-16 Term - New York Times
Do Presidents Stop Nominating Judges in Final Year? - PolitiFact

For those of you who like charts and graphs, here are some interesting ones about the Supreme Court:
Supreme Court Nominees Considered in Election Years Are Usually Confirmed - New York Times (chart with timeframe of nominations within a term)
How Long Does IT Take to Confirm a Supreme Court Nominee? - New York Times
How Scalia Compared with Other Justices - New York Times (interesting graph that shows relative liberalism/conservatism over time and by party nomination)
List of the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States - Wikipedia (complete with chart at bottom showing overlapping terms of the Justices)

A Fair(y) Use Tale - YouTube clip

Justices, 9-0, Bar Patenting Human Genes - New York Times article

Little Asia on the Hill - New York Times article
        The Trouble with Quotas - New York Times

Environmental Law

    How Wolves Change Rivers - video
    Gowanus Canal - Wikipedia article
    U.S. Announces Proposals to Clean Gowanus Canal - New York Times article
    In Gowanus, Big Development Can Wait - New York Times article and Slide Show 
    In Brooklyn, Worrying About Not Only Flooding but Also What's in Water? - New York Times article
    Come On In, Paddlers, the Water's Just Fine.  Don't Mind the Sewage -  New York Times article
    Cleaning Up Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal - video
    The Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club - video
    After Gowanus Canal Floods Its Banks, Fear of What's Left Behind - video 
    New York the Oyster City - video
    Take the Plunge into the Toxic Gowanus Canal - video (optional)