UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA Faculty of Business
Department of Marketing, Business Economics & Law
THE LEGAL REGULATION OF CANADIAN BUSINESS
BLAW 432 – LEC – X5 Winter Term 2008
COURSE OUTLINE
Note: Policy about course outlines can be found in §23.4(2) of the University Calendar
Instructor: Edward Gallagher Time: Thurs 18:30 – 21:20 Class Room: CEB 231
Office: School of Business
Sessional Instructors Office, HUB Mall Telephone: 967-2550
Fax: 967-2447
E-mail: [email protected] Web Site: https://ulearn.ualberta.ca
A. COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course focuses on the law that governs the exercise of delegated decision-making by various government agencies (i.e. the
bureaucracy) and its impact on business and commercial operations.
This area of the law is known as “administrative” law.
This area of the law of encompasses:
a. An understanding of the Canadian governmental system and the place of the bureaucracy in it;
b. An understanding of the nature of discretionary decision making;
c. An understanding of the substantive and procedural law governing the exercise of discretion;
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d. An ability to apply all the above to the resolution of hypothetical and practical problems.
Law as an academic subject places somewhat different demands on a student than would be encountered in many other university courses.
It requires that the student be able to communicate clearly and effectively in the English language even when dealing with fact
situations in which there is not always a clear right or wrong answer.
B. COURSE SCHEDULE
A Course Schedule is posted on Blackboard. (This detailed outline will be updated periodically as necessary.)
C. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER MAJOR COURSE MATERIALS
a. Required: There is no required textbook. Various cases will be required reading, and will be posted on Blackboard.
b. Recommended: David J. Mullan, Administrative Law (Irwin Law, 2001). While now somewhat dated, this book provides valuable explanatory material in respect of the various cases we will study.
c. PowerPoint slides used in class will be provided on Blackboard following each class.
D. ACCESS TO INSTRUCTOR:
a. Office Hours: It is my desire to be readily accessible to
students. If you are having difficulty with any part of the course, please come to see me after class or by appointment. The best time to ask questions is after class.
b. E-mail: The best way to contact me is by email:
c. Phone: 967-2550 (Please note that this is my law office
number, and my availability to take telephone calls immediately is normally quite limited.)
E. EVALUATION
a. You will be graded in this course by means of your performance on two closed book examinations and one take-home
examination based on the material in the cases, handouts and PowerPoint slides, and the material presented in the lectures.
Your ability to understand factual situations and solve problems will be of primary importance in grading.
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b. This is the evaluation schedule:
Exam Value Date & Time Material Covered Mid-term 30% 28 Feb 08 at 6:30 pm Weeks 1-6
Take-Home 30% Handed out: 6 Mar 08 Due: 20 Mar 08
1-9 (focus on Charter) Final 40% 10 Apr 08 at 6:30 pm Entire course c. Students are expected to write the examinations at the assigned
times. Except in extenuating circumstances (as set forth in the University Calendar), no make-up exams will be given for missed mid-terms. If a student misses the mid-term examination or the take home examination due to illness (doctor’s note required) or other valid reason approved by the instructor, the weight of the examination will be added on to the final examination. If you must miss the final examination you can make arrangements to write a deferred final according to University Policy.
d. Grading:
i. Grading of each exam is by numerical percentage (e.g.
80%). Your final grade will be a letter grade, converted from your cumulative weighted grade, according to the following:
A+ 93 or higher A 87-92 A- 80-86 B+ 77-79 B 74-76 B- 70-73 C+ 67-69 C 64-66 C- 60-63 D+ 57-59 D 50-56
F Below 50%
ii. You will be graded only against other students in your section.
iii. Your useful input in class may be used to increase, but not to decrease, your letter grade by up to ½ grade (e.g., C+ to B-, or A to A+).
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4 F. STUDENT CONDUCT
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior (online at www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behavior which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
