Course Outline of Record

Item	Value
Curriculum Committee Approval Date	05/07/2024
Top Code	050640 - Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Units	1.5 Total Units
Hours	27 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 27)
Total Outside of Class Hours	0
Course Credit Status	Credit: Degree Applicable (D)
Material Fee	No
Basic Skills	Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable	No
Open Entry/Open Exit	No
Grading Policy	Standard Letter (S)

Course Description

Formerly: Legal/Regulatory Essentials for Starting a Business. This course provides an overview of legal issues associated with starting a small business including business formation and structure, intellectual property protection, hiring and managing employees, business agreements, business ethics, and other legal issues facing a new business owner. Transfer Credit: CSU.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

1. Course Outcomes
2. Analyze legal structures and regulatory requirements for forming a small business.
3. Identify best practices to protect business property and minimize liability exposure.
4. Analyze principles of employment and agency law in the hiring and employment of staff and/or independent contractors in a small business.

Course Objectives

• 1. Describe how laws impact business decision-making.
• 2. Identify regulatory tasks and processes for establishing a new small business.
• 3. Analyze methods of protecting intellectual property.
• 4. Describe the role of business ethics and corporate social responsibility in a small business.

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Lecture Content

Selecting the legal form of business Basic legal forms of business Sole proprietorship Partnership Corporation Limited Liability Company (LLC) Special considerations for small, start-up businesses Pre-formation agreements Permitting & licensing State of California and local requirements Online businesses Introduction Federal Trade Commission Acts Jurisdiction Federal and state government processes Overview of government/regulatory processes for business start-up (e.g., how to steps; forms; websites; fees) Federal How to get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) State (California) Business registration process Doing Business As (DBA) process Permits and fees Intellectual property Patents Copyrights Trademarks Trade secrets Best practices for preventing infringement Hiring and managing employees and contractors Title VII Discrimination and harassment Employment at will Workplace regulations Independent contractors Terminating the employment relationship Contract basics Common Law versus Uniform Commercial Code - UCC Article 2 Basic contract requirements Mutual assent Capacity Legality Statute of frauds Contract performance and breach Minimizing business liability Torts Insurance considerations Business ethics Ethical approaches to business decision-making Role of corporate social responsibility in business

Method(s) of Instruction

• Lecture (02)
• DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
• DE Online Lecture (02X)

Reading Assignments

Textbook chapters Online resources Presentation slides

Writing Assignments

Discussion board posts Short writing assignments (essays) on business, legal topics

Out-of-class Assignments

Weekly reading Online research

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Analyze business formation options to determine best choices for a particular type of business. Analyze principles of employment and agency law in the hiring and employment of staff and/or independent contractors in a small business.

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Describe legal and regulatory steps needed to start and maintain a business.

Eligible Disciplines

Business: Master's degree in business, business management, business administration, accountancy, finance, marketing, or business education OR bachelor's degree in any of the above AND master's degree in economics, personnel management, public administration, or Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or Legum Baccalaureus (LL.B.) degree OR bachelor's degree in economics with a business emphasis AND master's degree in personnel management, public administration, or J.D. or LL.B. degree OR the equivalent. Master's degree required. Law: J.D. or LL.B NOTE: Courses in aspects of law for application to a particular discipline may be classified, for minimum qualifications purposes in the discipline of the application. Master's degree required. Small business development (entrepreneurship): Any bachelor's degree and two years of professional experience, or any associate degree and six years of professional experience.

Textbooks Resources

1. Required Valbrune, Miranda. Business Law Essentials, ed. OpenStax (OER), 2023

Other Resources

1. Various Handouts 2. www.michelsonip.com - A free online resource for teaching intellectual property management.