01220651 - Business Law

This course focuses on the fundamentals of law for future managers. The first part of this course provides students with the understanding and mastering of the main juridical mechanisms essential to any legal reasoning (i.e., the legal rule, the sources of law, the classification of subjective rights and evidence, the judicial organisation and the alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, among others). The second part covers an introduction to company law. 

The third and last part addresses the legal aspects of international transactions and the settlement of commercial disputes in the context of growing business digitalisation and internationalisation.

Estimation of private study (outside of contact hours): 50 h

TARGETED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS 

Fundamental competencies in business
Mobilise in an operational manner the main conceptual tools linked to the management of organisations and their environments.

1) Introduction to law and legal methodology

Session 1 : Fundamental notions 
Definitions and purposes of the Law 
The characters of the rule of law 
The branches of law
Sources of law
Learning to use the Legifrance website

Session 2 : The judicial organization
Organization of justice
The main actors of justice
Public and administrative institutions
Reading debate: History in court. The case of the Touvier and
Papon trials in France

Session 3 : Subjective rights and fundamentals of contracts
Legal subjects
Classification of subjective rights
The creation of subjective rights (legal act, contract, legal facts) Proof of subjective rights
Legal methodology

Session 4 : Contractual practices
This session aims to familiarize students with the reading of a court decision while confronting them with several practical cases related to the training and execution of the contract.

2) Business law

Session 1 : The typical entrepreneur Distinction between structure and activity 
The status of sole proprietorship
Liability of the individual entrepreneur Establishment of a sole proprietorship 
Operation of the sole proprietorship
Case study and methodology: reading a Court decision

Session 2 : The legal fundamentals of a company
Main characteristics of companies
Different types of companies and their main characteristics

Session 3 : Understanding taxes
Tax categories 
How tax works
The main principles of taxation 
The taxpayer
Corporate taxation
The taxation of individuals

Session 4 : Digitalized company
Introduction to intellectual property
Content regulation on the Internet
The electronic contract
GDPR

3) International transaction law

Session 1 : International Business Law 
International Trade Framework 
Standardization
Tariffs

Session 2 : International arbitration
Jurisdiction
Practical case
International arbitration 
How arbitration works

Introduction to law :

HARRIS P. (2016), An Introduction to Law, Oxford.

Contract law and labour law :

FINCH E., FAFINSKI S. (2018), Law Express: Contract Law, Pearson. SMITS J.M. (2017), Contract law. A comparative approach, Elgar. DANIELS K. (2019), Introduction to employment law, CIPD.

Corporate law :
DIGNAM A. LOWRY J. (2016), Company Law, Oxford University Press. TAYLOR C. (2016), Law Express: Company Law, Pearson.
SIEMS M. CABRELLI D. (2013), Comparative Company Law. A Case-Based Approach, Hart Publishing.

International Business law :
Wevers, H. (2021). A Basic Guide to International Business Law (5th ed.). Routledge.

Written exams - Individual
Oral exams - Group
Written exams - Individual
Collective oral presentations based on practical legal topics and the study of legal documents provided before each session.