Outline

Overview

This introductory unit provides an overview of commercial law focusing on the broad but fundamental concept of commercial dealings. Areas for analysis include sources and function of commercial law, the legal basis of dealings in contract and property law, dealings by principals and agents, dealings in tangible goods through leasing and sale, dealings in intangibles such as receivables through assignment sources and methods of financing, dealings protecting dealings through insurance regulating, dealings through statute and common law restraints and discharging dealings through a range of common payment methods and instruments.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	LAWS6987
Academic unit	Law
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	LAWS3400 or LAWS2012 or LAWS5008
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	This unit assumes no previous knowledge and is available to non-lawyers and to lawyers who have not previously studied or practised in the area. Students who do not have an undergraduate degree in law from a common law jurisdiction must either have completed or be concurrently enrolled in LAWS6252 Legal Reasoning and the Common Law System.
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Ross Hodgson, ross.hodgson@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Ross Hodgson, ross.hodgson@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Short release assignment	Executive Report Advise one or more parties on a problem question hypothetical	50%	Week 05 Due date: 29 Aug 2023 at 09:00 Closing date: 05 Sep 2023	4,000 words / 10 working days
Outcomes assessed:
Short release assignment	Final Assignment 2 problem scenarios	50%	Week 08 Due date: 22 Sep 2023 at 09:00 Closing date: 29 Sep 2023	4,000 words / 72 hours
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Executive Report (50%):

The Executive Report (Assignment) has a completion time of 10 working days as follows: the assessment is released on Tuesday 15 August 2023 at 9:00am and is due on Tuesday 29 August 2023 by 9:00am (Sydney Australia time). It involves one problem based question, covering the first half of the Unit, and has a word limit of 4,000 words.

This task will satisfy the Unit Learning Outcomes as follows: LO1 will be satisfied by the students demonstrating in their answers an analysis of the relevant legal issues involved in key commercial relationships. LO2 will be satisfied by students explaining in their answers the relevant legal concepts and principles that underpin common commercial dealings. LO3 will be satisfied by students correctly applying the relevant statute law and general law principles to the fact situations in the problem question.

Final Assignment (50%):

The Final Assignment covers the whole unit and involves two problem-based questions.

This short release assignment has a word limit of 4,000 words and has a completion time of 3 days (72 hours) as follows: the assignment will be released on Tuesday, 19 September 2023, at 9:00am and is due on Friday, 22 September 2023, by 9:00am (Sydney, Australia time).

Word limit penalty: A piece of assessment which exceeds the prescribed word limit will attract a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment for every 100 words, or part thereof. The total word count for written assessments will exclude all footnotes and any bibliography (if required).

Use of editors or proof-readers: The use of assistance in preparing and editing assessment tasks in this unit of study is strictly prohibited. Assistance includes human and automated writing tools (not including spell checking). The use of Studiosity does not breach this rule, but must be acknowledged.

Special consideration: Where a student has been granted Special Consideration, alternative tasks may be set (as appropriate).

Assessment requirement to pass a unit of study

A student must attempt all the assessment tasks as set out for this Unit of Study; otherwise, the student's result will be recorded as "Absent Fail".

In order to successfully complete this Unit of Study, a student must achieve a total of at least 50 marks (50%) overall gained by attempting all the assessment tasks as set out for this Unit.

Important: although not an Assessment, students must note the Attendance requirements for this Unit (see Attendance and class requirements below) which, if not satisfied, can lead to the result of "Absent Fail" being recorded.

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 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 sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

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:

Assignment: The late submission of a piece of assessment, without an approved extension, will attract a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment per calendar day or part thereof. For example, a submission after 9am but by 11:59pm on the due date for submission will attract a 10% penalty. A submission after midnight of the due date for submission will attract a 20% penalty. A submission on the following day after midnight will attract a 30% penalty, and so on. This will be strictly enforced, so students are encouraged to submit their assessments at least 15 minutes before the due time to ensure there are no technical or internet problems in submission.

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.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

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
Ongoing	Class 1 (Wed 09/08/23): introduction and key concepts; principal and agent	Seminar (6.5 hr)
	Class 2 (Wed 16/08/23): dealings with goods; Sale of Goods Act 1923 (NSW); consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL); bailment	Seminar (6.5 hr)
	Class 3 (Wed 23/08/23): obtaining finance for dealings by giving security; general law concepts of security; Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth)	Seminar (6.5 hr)
	Class 4 (Wed 30/08/23): contracts of guarantee and indemnity; electronic commerce	Seminar (6.5 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: All students are required to attend at least 70% of the set classes in order to satisfy the pass requirements for each unit of study. Attendance requirements must be satisfied by in-person attendance (as distinct from participation) at the set classes (each student's attendance will be recorded for every class). Failure to meet this requirement can result in a student being precluded from submitting the Final Assignment, whereby the student's result for the Unit will be recorded as "Absent Fail". 

Referencing: The Sydney Law School expects students to use the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th edition, 2018: "AGLC4") for referencing protocols (i.e. footnotes and bibliography) in assessment submissions:

https://law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/4625792/AGLC4-2021-v1.pdf

This is set out comprehensively in the Library website:

https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/c.php?g=508212&p=3476376 

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

The prescribed textbook is:

Clive Turner & John Trone, Australian Commercial Law (Thomson Reuters, 34th ed, 2023) - available in hard-copy and e-book formats

The following books are highly recommended additional resources:

Samantha Traves, Commercial Law (LexisNexis, 5th ed, 2020)

G Pearson, E Peden, GJ Tolhurst, J Paterson, S McCracken, A McNaughton, R Catterwell & A Silink, Commercial Law Commentary and Materials (Thomson Reuters, 4th ed, 2019)

Other required readings are found in the Reading Guide which will be posted on Canvas.

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. identify legal issues in key commercial relationships
LO2. explain legal concepts and principles underpinning common commercial dealings
LO3. apply principles of statute law and general law to fact situations involving commercial relationships and dealings

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

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

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

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

LAWS6987: Fundamentals of Commercial Law

Semester 2a, 2023 [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

Media

Student links

About us

Connect