This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2025-2026 (archived)
Module ACCT2131: Business Law
Department: Accounting
ACCT2131: Business Law
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tied | 2 | 20 | Available in 2025/2026 | Durham |
Tied To
- N201: Business and Management
- N203: Business and Management with Placement Year
- N204: Accounting and Management with Placement Year
- N206: Accounting and Management with Study Abroad
- N207: Business and Management with Study Abroad
- N302: Accounting and Finance with Placement Year
- N304: Accounting and Finance with Study Abroad
- N408: Accounting
- N409: Accounting with Placement Year
- N410: Accounting with Study Abroad
- NN42: Accounting and Management
- NN43: Accounting and Finance
Pre-requisites
- None
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combinations
- ACCT1131 Business Law for Accountants
- ACCT1137 Business Law
- ACCT2041 Principles of Business Law
- ACCT3161 Corporate and Business Law
Aims
- This is a law module for non-law students on accounting and business programmes.
- It is important for those students studying in the fields of accounting and business to have an understanding of the legal framework within which businesses operate and the requirements and restrictions imposed on a business by the different aspects of the law of England and Wales that are relevant to the operation of a business.
Content
- The English Legal System
- The law of obligations (contract and selected torts, e.g. negligence)
- Agency law
- Employment law
- Business organisations (sole traders, partnerships and companies)
- Company law (formation, constitution, financing, management, administration and regulation)
- Insolvency law
- Corporate criminal behaviour
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- Knowledge of the regulatory framework with which businesses must comply, and of significant aspects of the law of England and Wales as they appertain to the operation of a business
Subject-specific Skills
- Be able to analyse and offer advice on common legal issues facing a business
Key Skills
- Skills of enquiry, analysis, judgement and problem solving
- The ability to communicate complex issues, ideas, analysis and judgement orally and in writing
- The ability to think critically and to argue coherently
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Learning takes place through attendance at, preparation for, and participation in workshops, and independent study.
- Formative assessment is by means of a practice test.
- Summative assessment is by means of an in-person timed invigilated written examination.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workshops | 20 | Weekly | 2 hours | 40 | Yes |
| Preparation and Reading | 160 | ||||
| Total | 200 | ||||
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 100% | On Campus Written Examination | 2 hours | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Practice test
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.