Module LAW3195C for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW3195C: Corporate Law, Theory and Governance
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
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. You will also have a deeper appreciation of effective corporate governance and will have developed a strong theoretical foundation for management, corporate structuring and policy, corporate social responsibility, the regulation of corporate or other profit-oriented organisations.
This module is designed to students with a clinical and practice-oriented understanding of corporate law, in order to prepare them for a career in the commercial, legal or financial sectors. It also prepares students for careers in public policy, governance, management and working with charitable organisations in the third sector.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. demonstrate detailed knowledge and understanding of the principal features and different aspects of corporate law and governance; 2. identify and critically evaluate theoretical or practical challenges in corporate law and governance, leading to justified solutions, arguments or hypotheses; 3. evaluate and criticaly discuss issues and challenges arising in the areas of corporate law and governance. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. understand and access a range of different sources of law and learning materials, using them appropriately to explain issues, critique arguments or provide answers; 5. select, integrate and present coherently and reflectively, relevant law and legal or theoretical arguments. |
| Personal and Key Skills | 6. manage relevant learning resources or learning strategies to develop own arguments and opinions with minimum guidance; 7. communicate and engage in written arguments effectively and accurately in a manner appropriate to the discipline or in different contexts |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- The Role of Companies in Society
- Corporate Form and Structure
- The Veil of Incorporation and Corporate Personality
- The Process of Incorporation and Promoter Liability
- Differing Interests between Ownership and Control
- The Internal Laws, Dynamics and Culture of a Company
- Corporate Governance
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Contractual, Tortious and Criminal Liability
- Agent and Director Liability
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 120 | 0 |
...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 Activities | 10 | 10 x 1hr lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 20 | 10 x 2hr seminars |
| Guided Independent study | 33 | Individual reading and lecture preparation |
| Guided Independent study | 44 | Seminar preparation |
| Guided Independent study | 13 | Formative written work preparation |
| Guided Independent study | 30 | Summative written assessment preparation |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formative written essay | 1,000 words | 1-7 | Self and tutor feedback |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini-Exams (in-class tests) | 25 | Five Mini-Exams over the course of the term, each 5 minutes long and worth 5% | 1, 4 | Self and tutor feedback in the week following each test |
| Written Essay | 75 | 3,000 words | 1-7 | Self and written tutor feedback |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series of Mini-Exams | An exam covering the subject matter of each missed or failed section (5 minutes per section) (25%) | 1, 4 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Written Essay | Written essay on selected topic (3,000 words) | 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.
- Hannigan, B., Company Law (OUP 5th Edn, 2018)
- French, D. et al, Mayson, French and Ryan on Company Law (OUP 36th Edn, 2019)
- Sealy, L. and Worthington, S., Worthington’s Texts, Cases and Materials in Company Law (OUP 11th End, 2016)
- French, D., Blackstone’s Statutes on Company Law 2020-21 (OUP 2020).
- Moore, I., Q&A Company Law (OUP 2nd Edn, 2018)
