Course Outline

BUS203 Business Law

Course Coordinator:Craig Cameron (ccameron1@usc.edu.au) School:School of Business and Creative Industries

2026Trimester 2

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Online

Online You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

Students will explore the legal frameworks that shape business activity in Australia. This course introduces students to the Australian legal system, and the law which regulates business structures, contracts, consumers, employment, workplace health and safety, property, native title and privacy. Students will learn how to recognise legal risks and apply key legal principles to business situations. Overall, this course will provide students with broad legal knowledge and skills to identify and analyse legal risks in business.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled face to face workshops. 2hrs Week 1 11 times
Online
Learning materials – Interactive online learning activities. 1hr Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Scheduled online workshops (Recorded). 2hrs Week 1 11 times

Course Topics

  • Course Introduction and History of Australian Law
  • The Australian Legal System and Finding Legal Information
  • Business organisations 
  • Contract Law
  • Australian Consumer Law
  • Civil Liability (negligence, workplace health and safety)
  • Employment Law 
  • Ethics
  • Privacy Law 
  • Property Law and Native Title
  • Dispute Resolution

What level is this course?

200 Level (Developing)

Building on and expanding the scope of introductory knowledge and skills, developing breadth or depth and applying knowledge and skills in a new context. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally, undertaken in the second or third full-time year of an undergraduate programs.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... Professional Standard Mapping * Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
1 Explain the legal principles, systems, and structures that affect business operations in Australia. Knowledgeable
PC6.2
2 Identify and analyse legal issues that affect business operations. Creative and critical thinker
PC3, PC3.1, PC6.2
3 Apply legal reasoning to examine practical business problems and to form conclusions. Engaged
PC3, PC3.1, PC6.2
4 Communicate legal issues, principles, and concepts to business stakeholders. Engaged
PC1, PC1.1, PC1.2, PC6

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE COMPETENCY
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
PC1 Communication
PC1.1 Written Communication
PC1.2 Oral Communication
PC3 Creative and Critical Thinking
PC3.1 Problem Solving
PC6 Career-ready
PC6.2 Discipline Knowledge

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

Not applicable

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

BUS103 or LAW101 or LAW102 or LAW201 or LAW202 or LAW203 or LAW204

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

Workshops will involve the completion of individual and group tasks and the provision of answers to enable early feedback.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Written Piece Individual 35%
1000 words
Week 7 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 2 Written Piece Individual 35%
1000 words
Week 11 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Oral Individual 30%
Up to 10 minutes
Exam Period Online Submission
All - Assessment Task 1:Risk Management Report 1
Goal:
To demonstrate knowledge of legal issues (or risks) in a business by providing a risk management report
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format:
A risk management report. Further information is available on Canvas.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Identification of legal issues in a business context
2
2
Identification and explanation of legal principles in a business context
1
3
Critical analysis of legal issues in a business context
2 3
4
Demonstration of critical thinking to develop appropriate legal and business solutions
3
5
Demonstration of communication skills, including expression, discipline-based vocabulary, presentation, grammar, spelling, and punctuation
4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation
All - Assessment Task 2:Risk Management Report 2
Goal:
To demonstrate knowledge of legal issues (or risks) in a business by providing a risk management report
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format:
A risk management report. Further information is available on Canvas. This task is being used for measuring assurance of learning towards Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. The following Program Learning Objective will be assessed: Program Learning Objective 3.1 - Demonstrate critical and creative thinking to identify and solve business problems and arrive at innovative solutions.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Identification of legal issues in a business context
2
2
Identification and explanation of legal principles in a business context
1
3
Critical analysis of legal issues in a business context
2 3
4
Demonstration of critical thinking to develop appropriate legal and business solutions
3
5
Demonstration of communication skills, including expression, discipline-based vocabulary, presentation, grammar, spelling, and punctuation
4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation
All - Assessment Task 3:Virtual client meeting
Goal:
To explain the legal risks and risk analysis from the Risk Management Report 2, and to communicate clearly and professionally in a simulated client meeting.
Product: Oral
Authorship Statement:
Format:
Students will have access to a booking application in which they will schedule a time to conduct the virtual client meeting on an online platform.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1
Understanding of legal risks in a business context
1 2 3
2
Response to client questions
1 2 3
3
Communication and client engagement
4
4
Professionalism
4
Generic Skills:
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation

Assessment to competency mapping

Programme Delivery Mode Assessment Type Title Competency Teaching Methods
2020 UniSC Business School Standards Undergraduate
All delivery modes Oral Virtual client meeting PC1.2 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
PC3.1 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
PC6.2 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
Written Piece Risk Management Report 1 PC1.1 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
PC3.1 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
PC6.2 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
Risk Management Report 2 PC1.1 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
PC3.1 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
PC6.2 Taught, Practiced, Assessed

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Required Nickolas James 2024 Business Law 7th Wiley

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: