Law for managers

The courses are organised in the following teaching units of comparable length and volume: 1. Introduction What is the law, where can you find it, how does it work, how does it apply locally and internationally? 2. Interacting with the authorities I Usual pattern of regulation at international, national or local level: crisis – reaction – lobbying – enactment – enforcement (the example of the international financial crisis of 2008) 3. Interacting with the authorities II Business criminal law: usual rules – procedures – sanctions (the example of the Madoff case) 4. Interacting with the authorities III Paying taxes (international tax planning, the example of Google) – receiving subsidies (forum shopping, the example of the car industry) 5. Interacting with the authorities IV The EU as an example of international organisation: how does it work, what does it do, how to adapt (the example of Brexit)? 6. Interacting with suppliers Supply contracts: short introduction to general contract law - main points of attention on the supply side (the example of the energy industry) 7. Interacting with clients Client contracts: short introduction to general contractual liability - main points of attention on the demand side – consumer protection (the example of e-commerce) 8. Interacting with competitors Competition law: cartels – merger control – dominant position – state aid – level playing field (the example of the airlines industry) 9. Interacting with the environment Duty of care: short introduction to general torts and insurance law – environmental law – health and safety rules (the example of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill) 10. Interacting with the employees Short introduction to employment law – trade unions - international mobility (the example of the French employment law reforms and counter-reforms) 11. Integrating the law in business decisions The law as a limitation (the example of international customs duties) – the law as an asset (the example of IP) – the law as a tool for improvement (the example of diversity rules and policies) 12. How to organise the legal function in a (multinational) company function and reporting lines – role of law firms – how to cope with different laws

The three main objectives of the course are for the students: 1. to understand the impact the law has on the businesses they will be expected to manage; 2. to learn how to take legal considerations into account, alongside all the other relevant factors, when making management decisions; and 3. to know how to best organise the legal function in a management structure. The objective would NOT be for the students to learn or know the law itself. The expected learning outcomes for each of the above-mentioned objectives would be for the students: 1. to have understood which impact the law has on businesses in general and to have learned how to identify and assess the impact specific rules have on specific sectors, activities and decisions; 2. to have learned how to take into account and weigh legal considerations, whether they are constraints or create opportunities, alongside strategic, financial, commercial and organisational factors, when making management decisions; and 3. to have gained basic knowledge about how (multinational) companies usually organise the legal function in their overall management structure. There would not be any expected learning outcome to learn, know or improve knowledge of the law itself.

Except for the first lesson, which is mainly an interactive refresher of basic concepts, and the last lesson, which is an illustrated description of best practices, each lesson is based on the following methodology: 1. ask the students to prepare the following lesson by getting (re-)acquainted with the (non-legal) aspects of the case study to be used as an illustration for the following lesson; 2. provide a framework explanation for the topic of each lesson, focusing on processes and business impact; 3. illustrate that topic by a case study showing the impact of legal considerations on the economic aspects and the impact of the economic aspects on the law, also stressing the interaction with other key factors; and 4. answer questions from the students and debate potential differences of opinion.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Beyond the preparation of each case study, for which the students receive one document to read and are free to identify and read the references which they find relevant, there are no compulsory references to have read or bring along to the lessons. However, students will be provided basic references (mainly research tools and database resources) for future use if they feel the need or wish to find answers to legal questions.

Contacts

Paul.Hermant@ulb.ac.be

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• written examination

written examination

Students’ evaluation will be based on: - Final exam (Certificatif) - Cases studies at the end of each class (formatif)

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

100% of the final grade is based on the final exam

Language(s) of evaluation

• english