This course examines the fundamental laws governing corporations in Australia. Corporations now exist at the centre of Australian society and affect many areas of economic, political and social life. As a result, this course discusses important issues such as What is a corporation? What is a separate legal entity? How do corporations enter contracts? Who makes decisions within corporations? What happens if a corporation fails? To what extent are directors or shareholders liable for corporate wrongs?
Understanding these issues is essential in all areas of legal practice – not just commercial law. It is as important to family specialists as it is to those wishing to work with NGOs or in government practice. This course therefore provides an introduction to Corporations Law and covers topics such as – incorporation, corporate powers, corporate decision making, directors’ duties, corporate finance, insolvency and shareholders’ rights and remedies.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
By the end of this course, you should be able to do the following tasks:• Analyse the fundamental rules and concepts of corporate law, such as separate legal personality, limited liability, corporate contracting, directors’ duties, insolvency and the rights of shareholders;
• Articulate the policy foundations and implications of corporate law rules such as the law on dividends, directors’ duties and maintenance of share capital.
• Critically evaluate the broader social, political and economic issues underlying corporate law;
• Analyse complex sections of the Corporations Act
• Evaluate detailed legal problems involving corporate law issues;
• Synthesise corporate law rules into cohesive arguments in response to corporate law problems
Indicative Assessment
The assessment will consist of the following three (3) compulsory components:1. Tutorial participation (15%)
2. Mid-semester research essay (30%)
3. Take-home examination (55%)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Students are expected to spend about 4 hours per week in classes/tutorials and about 4 hours per week in private study time.Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
There is no prescribed textbook for 2017 - instead students will be provided with online course materials. Additional reading will include
RP Austin and IM Ramsay, Ford’s Principles of Corporations Law, 16th edition, 2015, published by LexisNexis. Students may either purchase a second hand copy or use it online via LexisNexis.
P Lipton, A Herzberg and M Walsh, Understanding Company Law
18th edition, 2015 published by Thomson Reuters Australia.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 3
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $4080 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $5400 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3718 | 19 Feb 2018 | 27 Feb 2018 | 31 Mar 2018 | 25 May 2018 | In Person | N/A |
