Studying at York
Company Law - MAN00003H
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Spring Term 2022-23 to Summer Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
This module looks at some basic principles of English Law and how they impact upon the business organisation from a finance and accountancy perspective. It does not try to cover all aspects of the law as this would not be possible in a single module. Instead it covers aspects most relevant to accountants and those working in finance. It is not intended to make legal experts of students but to raise awareness of how the law impacts upon a business organisation in certain aspects of its trading activities. It assumes no prior knowledge.
The module begins with a brief introduction to the English legal system. This discusses the law in general, the reasons for which a system of law is necessary, the main sources of law, the institutions that create the law and the differences between the criminal and civil legal systems. It then proceeds to examine the different legal structures that business organisations can adopt before concentrating on the limited company, both in terms of its external and internal relationships. The module next considers the business organisation from two different perspectives: as an employer and as a user or provider of goods and services. The former involves examination of certain aspects of employment law, whilst the latter looks at the basic principles of the tort of negligence and the elements of a legally binding contract including the impact of statutory intervention on behalf of the consumer. The module concludes with an overview of the impact of the criminal law on a business organisation.
Module learning outcomes
On completion of the module students will be able to:
- Identify the sources of law and distinguish case law from legislation
- Distinguish different forms of business organisation, understand the concept of legal personality and analyse the relationships between a company and its directors, shareholders and creditors
- Analyse different forms of employment relationship and evaluate an employerâ approach to termination of the employment relationship
- Understand different forms of civil obligations and apply them to given factual circumstances with reference to the liabilities that they give rise to
- Evaluate the impact of the criminal law on the activities of a commercial organisation.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled) | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled) | 100 |
Module feedback
Written guidance on the tasks set for seminars is provided to students at the end of each seminar cycle and they are actively encouraged to hand in work for diagnostic purposes throughout the module. Sample questions are also provided during the revision period for further formative feedback.
A two hour revision and feedback session covering the whole course is scheduled in Week 1 of the Summer Term. This is supported by a cycle of seminars where students can raise any particular areas of concern to them personally.
The module tutor is also accessible to students to meet with them to offer personal feedback and further assistance.
Indicative reading
- Business Law, James Marson and Katy Ferris (OUP 2015, 4th ed.)
- Introduction to Business Law, Lucy Jones (OUP 2015, 3rd ed.)
- Essentials of Business Law, Ewan MacIntyre (Pearson 2015, 5th ed.)