Overview
This unit introduces students to the key topics and concepts of law relevant to management decision making in an engineering context. While the topics present as typical for business and management students, the materials are contextualised and integrated with management-decision making, challenges and dilemmas. This unit traverses the following themes: The nature of law and legal institutions in the Australian context; ethical challenges and dilemmas for enigineering managers within a regulated environment; law of professional negligence; general law of contract, contract processes and e-contracting; consumer protection and competition law under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth); and the law and regulatory framework on employment in Australia. If you have successfully completed the unit LAWS20037 you should not enrol in this unit.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2017
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Internal review
Few high grades
Further clarification on assessment tasks and expectations - More information on assessment tasks and expectations will need to be delivered during class and online.
Feedback from Internal review
Student evaluation response rate needs to be improved
Teaching staff will need to encourage students to increase the response rate for teaching evaluations. Students need to be reminded more of the importance of their participation in this exercise.
Feedback from High Academic Misconduct cases, Review of Grades and complaints from Melbourne campus.
Issues concerning teaching and assessment at Melbourne campus were not satisfactory and these relate to (1) teaching quality, (2) feedback on draft assessments that contributed to failures (3) clarity on assessment tasks and expectations and (4) High incidences of copying.
(1) Teaching quality - Appointment of sessional teaching staff will need to be revisited. (2) Feedback on assessment - Teaching staff must not provide direct feedback on the draft assessments. However, they can and should provide guidance to students by way of similar case studies discussed in class. (3) Clarity on assessment tasks and expectations - More information on assessment tasks and expectations will need to be delivered during class and online. (4) High incidences of copying resulting in large number of Academic Misconduct cases - Teaching staff need to remind students more about the severe consequences.
Feedback from In-class feedback
Course material can be delivered with basic concepts in a more easier to understand manner.
Course material will be delivered with more emphasis on helping students understand better basic concepts.
- evaluate and discuss the nature and framework of the Australian legal environment;
- evaluate and discuss the ethical perspectives and values as part of the context of management law and engineering practice;
- critically analyse the framework of the law of professional negligence and contract (including e-contracting) as integrated into management decisions;
- critically analyse and evaluate the application of consumer and competition law to management decsions and conduct; and
- critically appraise the evolving legal framework in relation to workplace relations.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% | |||||
| 2 - Presentation - 10% | |||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 60% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||
| 4 - Research | |||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 30% | ||||||||
| 2 - Presentation - 10% | ||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 60% | ||||||||
Textbooks
Law and Business
Edition: 4th (2014)
Authors: Tony Ciro Vivien Goldwasser Reeta Verma
Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand
South Melbourne South Melbourne , VIC , Australia
ISBN: 9780195524048
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
Students will receive access to the accompanying O-Book and online learning materials with the purchase of the textbook .
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Australian Guide to Legal Citation, 3rd ed
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.huang@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Week 1 - Introduction to Australian Legal System
Chapter
Tony Ciro, Vivien Goldwasser and Reet Verma, Law and Business, (Oxford University Press Australia, South Melbourne, 4th ed, 2014), Ch 1-2.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 2 - Business Ethics for Managers
Chapter
Materials uploaded to Moodle website for Topic 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 3 - Contract (Formation Part I)
Chapter
Tony Ciro, Vivien Goldwasser and Reet Verma, Law and Business, (Oxford University Press Australia, South Melbourne, 4th ed, 2014), Ch 4-5.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 4 - Contract (Formation Part II)
Chapter
Tony Ciro, Vivien Goldwasser and Reet Verma, Law and Business, (Oxford University Press Australia, South Melbourne, 4th ed, 2014), Ch 5.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 5 - Contract (Contents & Consent)
Chapter
Tony Ciro, Vivien Goldwasser and Reet Verma, Law and Business, (Oxford University Press Australia, South Melbourne, 4th ed, 2014), Ch 6, 7 and 9.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 6 - Contract (Discharge & Remedies for Breach of Contract)
Chapter
Tony Ciro, Vivien Goldwasser and Reet Verma, Law and Business, (Oxford University Press Australia, South Melbourne, 4th ed, 2014), Ch 8 and 12.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 7 - Australian Consumer Law
Chapter
Tony Ciro, Vivien Goldwasser and Reet Verma, Law and Business, (Oxford University Press Australia, South Melbourne, 4th ed, 2014), Ch 10-11.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 8 - Tort Law and Business
Chapter
Tony Ciro, Vivien Goldwasser and Reet Verma, Law and Business, (Oxford University Press Australia, South Melbourne, 4th ed, 2014), Ch 3.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 9 - Choice of Business Structure
Chapter
Tony Ciro, Vivien Goldwasser and Reet Verma, Law and Business, (Oxford University Press Australia, South Melbourne, 4th ed, 2014), Ch 14-15.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 10 - Agency
Chapter
Tony Ciro, Vivien Goldwasser and Reet Verma, Law and Business, (Oxford University Press Australia, South Melbourne, 4th ed, 2014), Ch 13.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 11 - Employment and Industrial Relations Law
Chapter
Tony Ciro, Vivien Goldwasser and Reet Verma, Law and Business, (Oxford University Press Australia, South Melbourne, 4th ed, 2014), Ch 18.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Week 12 - Unit Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Unit Coordination: Johnny Huang (j.huang@cqu.edu.au)
1 Online Quiz(zes)
The assessment is an online quiz comprising of 30 randomly selected multiple choice questions, covering topics 1 to 6, each worth 1 mark and students have 60 minutes to complete the task individually.
The questions may be theoretical and/or problem-based, and students are encouraged to revise contents in the textbook and materials provided in Moodle.
1
Week 7 Thursday (31 Aug 2017) 9:00 pm AEST
Week 10 Friday (22 Sept 2017)
This assessment is designed to test students' understanding and application of:
1. basic framework of Australian Legal System;
2. various ethical theories; and
3. principles of Australian Contract Law.
In order to achieve a high score in this assessment, students need to have an understanding of the various components of the Australian Legal System and their functionality; the various ethical theories; and be able to identify correct legal issues and apply Australian Contract Law principles to problem-based scenarios.
- evaluate and discuss the nature and framework of the Australian legal environment;
- evaluate and discuss the ethical perspectives and values as part of the context of management law and engineering practice;
- critically analyse the framework of the law of professional negligence and contract (including e-contracting) as integrated into management decisions;
- critically analyse and evaluate the application of consumer and competition law to management decsions and conduct; and
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
2 Presentation
Students will be assigned to groups of 3 by their campus based teacher to complete this assessment in a simulated management decision-making context.
The exercise will assess students' understanding and application of concepts covered in this unit on a topic chosen by the students in consultation with either their campus based teacher or for distance learning students the unit co-ordinator.
The presentation assessment will be completed by the groups between Week 3 and Week 9 and will be graded in class for campus based students and by the unit co-ordinator for distance learning students.
Week 9 Friday (15 Sept 2017) 9:00 pm AEST
To be completed variously over the period Week 3 to Week 9 inclusive
Week 12 Friday (6 Oct 2017)
The presentation assesment will be assessed in class or by the unit co-ordinator for distance learning students.
Students will be assessed individually for this assessment according to the following criteria:
o Make more than minimal eye contact throughout presentation with rest of the class
o Expresse confident body language
o Use minimal reliance on notes
o Is well rehearsed and prepared
o Speak with clarity, good volume and voice modulation
o Use effective pacing and pauses
o Demonstrate little nerves
o Speak close to the 3 minute time limit per student
o Facilitate audience participation
o Provide an enthusiastic discussion of topic
o Well synchronised with power point which follows a logical structure
- evaluate and discuss the nature and framework of the Australian legal environment;
- evaluate and discuss the ethical perspectives and values as part of the context of management law and engineering practice;
- critically analyse the framework of the law of professional negligence and contract (including e-contracting) as integrated into management decisions;
- critically analyse and evaluate the application of consumer and competition law to management decsions and conduct; and
- critically appraise the evolving legal framework in relation to workplace relations.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
3 Written Assessment
This Final Written Assessment takes place at the end of the unit and will be submitted through the Moodle unit website. This is an individual assessment.
It will be a case study requiring students to advise a fictional client of a legal problem using the materials and concepts covered in unit.
Students have 24 hours to undertake the Final Written Assessment.
There can be no extensions granted in relation to the Final Written Assessment in accordance with University policy and procedures.
Week 12 Friday (6 Oct 2017) 9:00 pm AEST
The marks for this assessment will be released to the students following the certification of grades.
This assessment will be assessed according to the following criteria:
1. Correct and thorough identification of the legal issues (20%);
2. Discussion of relevant legal rules and principles (20%);
3. Correct and thorough analysis of the legal issues with reference to relevant legal rules, principles and cases (40%),
4. Well thought-out conclusion (10%).
Correct language and terminology, and observance of proper structure and format will also impact on the marking of the above criteria.
- critically analyse and evaluate the application of consumer and competition law to management decsions and conduct; and
- critically appraise the evolving legal framework in relation to workplace relations.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
