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.

2026 10

Campus offering

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Unit offerings may be subject to minimum enrolment numbers.

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  • Term Mode
  • Semester 2Campus Attendance
  • Term Mode
  • Semester 2Campus Attendance
  • Term Mode
  • Semester 2Campus Attendance
  • Term Mode
  • ACU Term 2Online Unscheduled

Prerequisites

LEGL101 Introduction to Business Law: Legal Frameworks for Businesses

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

Evaluate legal issues influencing business organisations and their contribution to sustainable and ethical practices
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC7

Analyse the relationship between common law and st...

Learning Outcome 02

Analyse the relationship between common law and statute law
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC12

Examine the current status of corporations’ law wi...

Learning Outcome 03

Examine the current status of corporations’ law within Australia
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC3

Analyse legal problems in a business context and c...

Learning Outcome 04

Analyse legal problems in a business context and commercial setting
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2

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

Weighting

20%

Learning Outcomes LO2, LO4
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC12

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

Weighting

35%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC3, GC7

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

Weighting

45%

Learning Outcomes LO2, LO3, LO4
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC12

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.

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Harris J, Hargovan A, Adams M, Australian Corporate Law, 6th Edition, Lexis Nexis Australia, 2018.

Harris J., Corporations Law – Butterworths Questions and Answers series, 4th ed., Lexis Nexis Butterworths, 2013.

Hanrahan, Ramsay & Stapledon, Commercial Applications of Company Law, 19th Edition, OUP, 2018.

Lipton, Herzberg, Welch, Understanding Company Law, 19th Edition, 2018 Thompson Reuters, NSW.

Commonwealth legislation

www.comlaw.gov.au

Federal Acts and Regulations

Austlii

http://www.austlii.edu.au

Federal, State and Territory court decisions, Acts and Regulations

FindLaw

http://www.findlaw.com.au

Coverage of cases and articles on legal subject areas

High Court 

https://www.hcourt.gov.au/

High Court decisions 

ASIC 

http://www.asic.gov.au

Australian Securities and Investments Commission

ASX

http://www.asx.com.au

Australian Securities Exchange

Locations
Credit points
Year

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