Module LAWM105 for 2019/0
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
LAWM105: Corporate Law and Governance
This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.
Module Aims
The module aims to introduce you to some of the important topics and themes in Company Law and give you a strong foundation in the legal regulation of companies, particularly those registered in England and Wales. Having completed the module you should appreciate the legal nature of a company and its role within the business environment and have a strong understanding of key legal issues. The module aims to equip you with the ability to identify pertinent issues and problems in company law and evaluate and assess them from both a theoretical and a practical standpoint.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
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Module-Specific Skills | 1. Understand and critically evaluate the role of companies and company law and the implications of incorporation 2. Demonstrate detailed and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the principal features of company law. 3. Identify, explain, assess and analyse comprehensively issues arising in the areas of company law considered in the module and identify and apply relevant legal rules and theories to those issues |
Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Demonstrate a high level of ability in selecting, integrating and presenting coherently and reflectively, relevant law and legal/theoretical arguments 5. Demonstrate a high level of ability in integrating and assessing information from a wide variety of primary and secondary legal sources, using this to produce reasoned arguments and analysis in relation to legal issues. |
Personal and Key Skills | 6. Demonstrate ability to manage relevant learning resources/ information/ learning strategies confidently and effectively and to develop independently own reasoned arguments and opinions 7. Communicate and engage in debate effectively and accurately, orally and in writing, in a manner appropriate to the discipline and context |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
It is anticipated that the following topics will be considered in the following order, but the precise content and order of delivery may vary:
- Introduction: companies and company law
- Corporate personality and lifting the veil of incorporation
- Directors, the company and stakeholders
- Directors’ duties
- Minority shareholder remedies
- Directors in public companies: remuneration, reporting duties, and strict liability.
- Shareholder democracy and investor protection
- Corporate finance and regulation
- Takeovers and insider trading
- Corporate liability, accountability and governance
- European company law and harmonisation
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
---|---|---|
33 | 267 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
---|---|---|
Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 33 | 11 x 3 hour interactive seminars |
Guided independent study | 120 | Preparation for seminars 2-11 reading and consideration of issues |
Guided independent study | 30 | Preparation of paper and presentation for seminar |
Guided independent study | 117 | Preparation for assessed essay |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Companies House: http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-innovation-skills
Financial Reporting Council: http://www.frc.org.uk/
How this Module is Assessed
In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|
Presentation in seminar; discussion of same | Approx 45 minutes | 1-7 | Feedback provided within seminar; additional oral feedback available on request |
Submission of seminar paper | Approx 1500 words | 1-7 | Written feedback provided; additional oral feedback available on request |
Summative Assessment
A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
---|---|---|
100 | 0 | 0 |
...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
---|---|---|---|---|
Written essay | 100 | 7,500 words | 1-7 | Written feedback; additional oral feedback available on request |
Re-assessment
Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
---|---|---|---|
Written essay | Written essay | 1-7 | August/September re-assessment period |
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Mayson, French & Ryan on Company Law, 30th ed., 2013
Davies & Worthington, Gower’s Modern Company Law 9th ed., 2012
Hannigan Company Law, 3rd ed, 2012
ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/