Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit offers a comprehensive foundation for understanding Australian corporate law and its application in professional contexts. Students will explore key legal principles governing business entities, including legal capacity, legal personality, and professional responsibility. The unit examines the characteristics of companies, partnerships, joint ventures, trading trusts, co-operatives, and other legal structures. Students will study the company constitution, the company’s relationship with outsiders, and the legal framework surrounding share capital, membership, and dividends. The unit places particular focus on corporate governance, directors’ duties of good faith, care, skill, diligence, and conflict management. Students will also analyse procedures for members’ meetings, members’ remedies, and liquidation. Through problem-based learning, students will develop legal reasoning and argumentation skills essential for identifying, analysing, and resolving legal issues in corporate practice. This unit equips students with the ability to assess legal risks, apply statutory and case law, and support ethical governance, preparing them for roles across legal, financial, and business professions.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Evaluate legal issues influencing business organis...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse the relationship between common law and st...
Learning Outcome 02
Examine the current status of corporations’ law wi...
Learning Outcome 03
Analyse legal problems in a business context and c...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Legal capacity, legal personality, professional responsibility, general duty of care
- Characteristics of a Company
- Partnerships, joint ventures, trading trusts
- Co-operatives and other legal entities
- The Company Constitution
- Company’s Relations with Outsiders
- Share Capital, Membership and Dividends
- Directors and Corporate Governance
- Directors’ Duties: Good Faith
- Directors’ Duties: Duty of Care, Skill & Diligence
- Directors’ Duties & Conflicts of Interest
- Members’ Meetings and Members’ remedies
- Liquidation
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. Such procedures may include, but are not limited to: essays, reports, online quizzes, examinations, student presentations, tutorial participation and engagement or case studies.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Individual Presentation This ...
Assessment Task 1: Individual Presentation
This assessment task consists of an individual presentation and a submission of the PowerPoint slides. This task requires students to demonstrate their spoken communication skills to share their knowledge and skills in understanding common law and statute law in in a business context and commercial setting.
Submission type: Individual
Assessment Method: Presentation
20%
Assessment Task 2: Research Report This assessme...
Assessment Task 2: Research Report
This assessment task consists of a written report that requires students to demonstrate the ability to research an area of business and corporation law and to provide written advice that is supported by relevant legal principles.
Submission type: Individual
Assessment Method: Research Report or Online Quiz
35%
Assessment Task 3: Exam This assessment ta...
Assessment Task 3: Exam
This assessment task requires students to sit for the final exam. This task requires students to demonstrate their knowledge in applying common law, statue law, corporations’ laws in a business context and commercial setting.
Submission type: Individual
Assessment Method: Exam
45%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
ACU’s teaching approach focuses on achieving learning outcomes by engaging students as active participants in constructing knowledge. Learning involves both independent inquiry and collaboration with others, allowing students to critically engage with material, apply higher-order thinking, and develop real-world problem-solving skills. The unit follows an experiential learning model, encouraging students to apply legal concepts in practical scenarios. Learning activities are scaffolded, building skills progressively to support student development and professional readiness.
Mode of Delivery:
The unit is offered in three modes—Attendance, Multi, and ACU Online—to accommodate diverse learning needs and increase accessibility.
Attendance Mode: Delivered in a flipped classroom format with face-to-face lectures and workshops. Students complete preparatory work before attending, followed by revision and practice. Online resources supplement in-class learning through interactive content.
Multi-Mode: Combines online learning with scheduled face-to-face workshops. Students engage with recorded lectures, complete online tasks, and apply knowledge during in-person sessions.
ACU Online: Delivered fully online through asynchronous learning. Students explore content independently, contribute to online discussions, and apply learning to real-world situations. Ongoing feedback supports their progress and achievement of learning outcomes.