BUSINESS LAW AND ETHICS (ACCREDITED) - 2025/6

Module Overview

This course provides an understanding of the principles of English law and the legal system and how this legal framework impacts on business and professional services.  Emphasis is placed upon the relationship with ethics and ethical codes in a professional context.

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

BURNS-PEGLER Debbie (SBS)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

The following areas of Law will be covered:

English Legal System including sources of Law

Law and consequences of negligence

Contract Law

Partnership and Agency

Company Law 

Insolvency Law 

Impact of Criminal Law on Business

Information and the Legal Environment

Employment Law

Professional  Ethics

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the ability to identify and explain the main principles of the law relating to the legal areas covered in this module and to apply these in practice in both the coursework and the final examination.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:  An individual written assignment and a final examination.

The first element of the summative assessment is  based around a case study and will require explanation and application of relevant concepts.  Students will be required to demonstrate individual knowledge and research with a structured, reasoned and logical approach. 

The second element is a final examination which contains a mix of question types.

Formative assessment will take the form of in-class discussion exercises with in-class tutor feedback and self test questions.

 Feedback:

Students will receive verbal feedback during seminars related to case study analysis and individual feedback on their coursework

 

Module aims

• To enable students to develop an understanding of the general legal framework and principles of English law of obligations.
• To enable students to develop knowledge of the impact of business law in the professional context
• To enable students to gain an appreciation of the ethical obligations of a professional accountant

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

  The learning and teaching strategy is designed to develop an understanding and critical awareness of the essential principles of the law relating to the fundamentals of business law and ethics, so as to develop an ability to apply the principles in an appropriate way.

The learning and teaching methods include online lectures and interactive seminars.  Using a flipped learning approach, the online content will introduce the students to the subject areas and provide an overview to enable students to understand the basic principles and underlying concepts.  The content is designed to stimulate private study using directed reading and self-test questions.

The seminars will open out the subject, consider key principles and legislative provisions. Students will be expected to prepare for seminars and to take an active role in discussing the issues.  The form of the seminars will include problem-based learning, the consideration of legal questions and scenarios based on real life case studies, group discussion and presentations.   Special importance will be assigned to the student’s ability to analyse legal issues and present realistic conclusions in language comprehensible to commercial clients. 

 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN1094

Other information

This module promotes the Student Competency Framework Pillars as follows:

Global and Cultural Capabilities

Students on this module work together in groups to solve legal issues raised in case studies as required in the problem based learning approach taken in seminars. This provides students  with an opportinuty to develop their intercultural awareness and to develop their compencies to work with others from a broad international and culturally diverse backgrounds. Each week the group is tasked with providing advice on legal issues based on real world case studies and students are encouraged to share perspectives and experiences in in-class discussion providing an opportunity to develop an appreciation of a diversity of cultural experience.

Digital Capabilities

Team work for this module requires students to sometimes work in digital teams, to use MS Teams to collaborate and share their legal research and prepare presentations in advance of seminars.  Business law is a dynamic area and this module will provide an opportunity for students to develop their legal research skills so that they have the skills to make judgements based on the most recent legal developments. Legal research requires students to become familiar with specific legal databases including Westlaw and LEXIS to find relevant legislation and case law to support their advice.

Employability

The module is designed to equip students with people management knowledge, skills, and competencies - a fundamental requirement for a career in people management. Additionally by learning to work together to inevitably resolve any minor disagreements, overcome any initial setbacks and pool ideas students develop a range of soft skills.

Resourcefulness & Resilience

Group work will provide an opportunity to contribute to an affective learning community and to show respect and empathy to support other learners.  Inevitibly there will be set-backs  and challenges will be addressed through agile thinking and decision making processes to achieve solutions.  Seminar and Independent Learning Activities provide scaffolded learning opportunities which enable students to work at their own pace, and students should reflect on their learning experience and respond to feedback to stretch and challenge themselves.

Sustainability

The module requires students to consider a range of ethical issues facing modern business and to develop an ability to provide responses based upon understanding of relevant human rights and legal principles.  The module aims to develop critical awareness of the essential principles of corporate governance and ethical considerations facing a professional in accountancy and financial management.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.