Module Identifier LA31810  
Module Title COMMERCIAL LAW 2  
Academic Year 2004/2005  
Co-ordinator Ms Uta Kohl  
Semester Semester 2  
Pre-Requisite LA10110 or LA30110 or LA15710 and LA15830 or LA35830  
Course delivery Lecture   20 Hours Two one hour lectures per week  
  Seminars / Tutorials   4 Hours Four one hour seminars during the semester  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam2 Hours Open Book Examination  100%
Supplementary Assessment By Examination   
Professional Exemptions Not Required for Professional Purposes  

Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of the module students will have acquired a working knowledge of those particular aspects of commercial law selected for detailed study in the semester. Students will accordingly be encouraged to analyse and solve problems on a range of situations within those areas of law studied and will have acquired an appreciation of the interaction between commercial practice and commercial law.

Brief description

Commercial law forms much of the background against which society functions. It is essential to the operation of the business world. However the legal aspects of transactions are not always at the forefront of the minds of those entering into them or carrying them through. Legal rules may not be considered until one side finds that something has gone wrong and a legal remedy is required. In the Second Commercial Law Module commercial law concepts, such as agency and insurance, will be examined from the perspective as to how they facilitate trade through pragmatic legal rules, balancing the need for certainty with the requirement of flexibility to accommodate business needs. From this rather orthodox approach to the subject, Commercial Law 2 moves on to examine how some of the existing commercial-legal certainties are challenged in new environments such as the Internet, as well as the various attempts and strategies of businesses and law-makers to rise to some of these challenges. This will help to illustrate the highly dynamic nature of commerce and commercial law. Finally, the module will bring in yet another perspective on commercial activities and law which is the perspective of the consumer and to what extent the law forces or should force businesses to be receptive to their needs and legitimate expectations. A theme which runs through all the topics covered in the module is that of risks, what types of risks businesses or consumers vis-a-vis businesses face and to what extent the law and regulation does, can or should deal with these risks or at least play a complementary role in reducing them.

Aims

This module aims to introduce students to fundamental aspects of commercial law (other than those considered in LA 31710 - Commercial Law 1), and to the commercial environment within which commercial law develops.

Content

Teaching
The course is taught by lectures and seminars. It is intended that the lectures will introduce the student to the essential elements of the subject and encourage the further development of the student's understanding of the functioning of the common law. Seminars should then build upon the lectures and the student's own reading. Seminars are intended to further develop the student's ability to analyse problems and present a reasoned argument.

Syllabus

1. Agency
2. An introduction to Insurance Law
3. Some Aspects of E-Commerce
4. A Consumer Perspective on Commerce

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Robert Bradgate (2000) Commercial Law 3rd. Butterworths
L S Sealy & R J A Hooley (2003) Commercial Law - Text, Cases & Materials Butterworths

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6