Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW3083: Company Law Foundation

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

The aim of this module is to introduce you to some of the key topics and themes in Company Law.  It is not an ‘introduction’ to the subject in the sense of providing you with relatively shallow knowledge over a wide range of topics; instead it considers in depth some of the main ideas underpinning Company Law and thus provides a foundation in the subject.  (A wider range of topics within Company Law are considered in the 30-credit module LAW3043 (Company Law).)

Having completed the module you should have gained an appreciation of the role of the company as a form of business enterprise and a thorough understanding of some of the aspects of its legal regulation, focusing on the nature of the company and the positions of directors and shareholders within the company. The module aims to enable you to identify legal issues and problems arising through the use of a company, to consider and analyse areas of legal complexity within the topics covered and advise appropriately on the legal resolution of problems. The module covers various topics concerning the use of the corporate form, in particular looking at issues arising on incorporation, issues arising from the company's structure, administration and management and issues with directors' obligations and minority shareholder protection.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. demonstrate detailed understanding of the role and principal features of companies in England & Wales
2. demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of the principal features of company law in the areas considered in the module: (a) corporate form and structure; (b) ownership and control; (c) duties and remedies
3. identify, explain, assess and analyse issues and problems of differing levels of complexity arising in the areas of company law considered in the module and identify and apply relevant legal rules to those issues and problems and reach appropriate conclusions
4. understand and access a range of different sources of company law and use them appropriately to explain issues, reach conclusions and critique arguments and problems in the areas of company law considered in the module
Discipline-Specific Skills5. apply legal knowledge to a problem/ case study and to suggest a conclusion supported by relevant arguments
6. select, integrate and present coherently and reflectively, relevant law and legal/theoretical arguments
Personal and Key Skills7. manage relevant learning resources/ information/ learning strategies and develop own arguments and opinions with minimum guidance;
8. communicate and engage in debate effectively and accurately in a manner appropriate to the discipline/ different contexts; and
9. work independently, within a limited time frame, with access to external sources, to complete a specified task.