Outline

Overview

The objective of this unit is to provide students with an introduction to a number of areas of international business law and to provide an opportunity to study some of those areas in more detail. It begins with an examination of the concept of free trade, the international structures and organizations that have been created to foster the liberalization of international trade, and the scope of the law relating to international business transactions. The unit highlights the importance of ethics in international business and introduces students to the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act 1977 (US) and the Bribery Act 2010 (UK). It then focuses on the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale Goods (CISG), followed by a consideration of International Commercial Terms (Incoterms 2000 and Incoterms 2010) and carriage of goods, especially carriage of goods by sea. The course then deals with the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits (UCP600), financing of exports and methods of doing business in foreign markets, including through agents and distributors and international licensing transactions. Other topics may vary from year to year and may include an introduction to international tax, the World Trade Organization (WTO), including anti-dumping and countervailing duties law and international dispute settlement, especially international commercial arbitration.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Law
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	LAWS3438 or LAWS5138
Assumed knowledge ?	Students who do not hold a law degree from a common or civil law jurisdiction must either have completed or be concurrently enrolled in LAWS6252 Legal Reasoning and the Common Law System before enrolling in this unit.
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Vivienne Bath, vivienne.bath@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Mid-Term Assignment Short answer questions on first half of course.	50%	Week 09 Due date: 06 Oct 2020 at 12:00 Closing date: 13 Oct 2020	four days
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Final Essay Essay on second half of course.	50%	Week 12 Due date: 16 Nov 2020 at 12:00 Closing date: 23 Nov 2020	4000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Mid-Term Assignment: worth 50%, short answer questions on first half of course (sale of goods, finance and carriage of goods).
Final Essay: worth 50%, with a word limit of 4000 words, on the second half of the course.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Completely answers the question. Contains striking originality of approach or analysis. Demonstrates exhaustive or innovative research (where independent research required). Exceptionally well written, structured and expressed. Is otherwise exceptional in some way.
Distinction	75 - 84	Completely answers the question. Achieves a critical and evaluative approach to the issues. Content and structure is well organised in support of the argument. Demonstrates extensive research and analysis to support a well-documented argument. Generally well expressed and free from errors. Has a clear structure and is well articulated.
Credit	65 - 74	Covers main issues fairly well in answering the question. Contains no significant errors. Demonstrates an attempted critical approach to the issues. Demonstrates reasonably sound research and analysis in addressing the key issues. Has a clear structure and reasonably clear expression.
Pass	50 - 64	Identifies the key issues, but does not follow through with a reasoned argument. Contains some significant errors. Displays satisfactory engagement with the key issues. Offers a descriptive summary of material relevant to the question. Superficial use of material, and may display a tendency to paraphrase. Demonstrates little evidence of in-depth research or analysis. Adequate expression. Overall, demonstrates the minimum level of competence in the assessment and satisfies the requirements to proceed to higher-level studies in the degree or subject area.
Fail	0 - 49	Does not answer the question. Contains significant or numerous errors. Few or no identifiable arguments. Content that is inappropriate or irrelevant. Lack of research or analysis. Difficult or impossible to understand through poor grammar, expression or structure. Overall, does not demonstrate the minimum level of competence in the assessment.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Late submission of mid-term assignment will attract a penalty of 5 marks per calendar day or part thereof. Late submission of final essay will attract a penalty of 2 marks per calendar day or part thereof.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 06	1. Introduction; 2. Ethics and international business; 3. United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 06	Incoterms 2010 and international carriage of goods	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 07	International payments and finance – methods of financing trade; bills of exchange and letters of credit 7(UCP600), operating in foreign markets	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)
Week 07	1. International dispute settlement: arbitration (including arbitration essentials, enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and investor-state arbitration); 2. World Trade Organisation (WTO), The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), Free Trade Agreements (FTA)	Lecture and tutorial (7 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: Please refer to information on Canvas
Word Count: A piece of assessment which exceeds the prescribed word limit will attract a penalty of 2 marks for every 100 words, or part thereof, over the limit.. The total word count will exclude bibliography; footnote numbers; footnote citation; cover page and include body text; headings and sub-headings; quotations; anything other than numbers and citations in footnotes.
Referencing: The Sydney Law School expects you to use the most recent version of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th edition, 2018) for your footnoting style, although you should confirm this with your lecturer.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Vivienne Bath and Gabriël Moens, Law of International Business in Australasia (2nd ed.), Sydney, The Federation Press, 2019).

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate a reasonable understanding of the law relating to international sale of goods, carriage of goods and financing of international sales transactions
LO2. demonstrate a general understanding of issues involved in choosing a method of entering into business transactions in another country
LO3. demonstrate a general understanding of the essentials of international commercial arbitration
LO4. demonstrate a reasonable understanding of how to conduct research in the area of the law of international business transactions

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

Additional information

Resources - Sydney Law Students

Disclaimer

Important: the University of Sydney regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

LAWS6059: International Business Law

Intensive September - October, 2020 [Block mode] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links