CANADIAN BUSINESS LAW ARTICLE ASSIGNMENT ALW 381
PURPOSE
The purpose of this assignment is to develop students' understanding of significant issues in Canadian business law and to further their research and analytical skills. Students will select and analyze one current article on an important topic in Canadian business law.
SELECTION OF ARTICLE
Students are required to select ONE significant article related to an issue covered in this course. Avoid selecting a short article; try to find a lengthy one with considerable legal content and discussion. The article must relate to a particular Canadian law or a significant Canadian legal case. All articles must be related to Canadian business law. Criminal law articles that are not directly related to business issues will not be accepted.
Relevant topics for this course would include:
0. negligence (manufacturer's or government negligence)
1. defamation (a libel or slander case)
2. employment law, wrongful dismissal case
3. patent, trademark or copyright laws
4. white collar crimes such as fraud or insider trading
5. computer crimes or privacy law issues
6. bankruptcy law issues or a major bankruptcy case
7. shareholders' rights
8. the impact of taxation laws on Canadian business
9. WSIB or workers compensation issues
This is not an exhaustive list of topics. If you select an article on a topic not listed above, obtain your professor's approval before submitting it. The article must be selected from current newspapers, the Internet, magazines or journals. Some of the best sources you can use are; Lawyers Weekly, Canadian Lawyer, Canadian Employment Law Today and the accounting magazines, all of which are available in the Seneca resource centre. You should use the extensive research resources available through the Seneca resource centre. The article must contain significant information or commentary on a key topic in Canadian business law. Do not submit an article on a routine event of minor significance or it will be rejected. Your professor should pre-screen the articles to determine if you have selected a relevant and appropriate article.
Students are to select their OWN article and should not lend their article to other students. If too many students submit the same article, the article will be rejected and the students will be required to find replacement articles. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and the appropriate college penalties will be applied. It will appear on your transcript that you have been found in violation of Seneca's Academic Policy section on cheating and plagiarism. DO NOT COPY THE ARTICLE. You must summarize the article in your OWN words.
Sometimes students find multiple articles on the same topic. You should select the one best article you find on this topic. Do not hand in more than one actual article. If you use key information from another article that is allowed, but you must then list these others sources for that information at the end of the paper. It is not necessary to use other sources than the article you have chosen, but if you do use actual key information from another source, reference it at the end of the paper in an appropriate format. I want most of your information to come from the actual article you selected. This is not an assignment that requires multiple research sources.
Students MUST include a copy of the actual article you selected so the professor can properly evaluate the analysis. The source, date, page number or URL of the article MUST be provided. All assignments must be produced on a computer or they will not be accepted.
SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
Your assignment should first contain a short introductory paragraph of 1-2 sentences telling the reader what this article is generally about. Then you do a summary of the key facts discussed, the significance of the events discussed, and the author's position (if there is one). DO NOT just copy the article, you must summarize the key information in your OWN words. After the summary, students must then do an analysis of the article with your own comments and opinions and explain its significance and apply the relevant Canadian business law. Your own analysis and insights are the most important aspect of this assignment.
The completed assignment should be approximately 2-3 typed double spaced pages, but this could be longer depending on the length of the original article. Please include a cover page with your name and the name of the article and your section. Be sure to attach the actual article you used with your assignment. Staple it all together with 1 staple in the top left corner, and do not use plastic folders.
The assignment will be evaluated on the basis of the significance of the article selected, and the quality of the student's summary and analysis. The assignment must be in proper essay form using correct grammar and spelling. Criteria for the assignment include; quality of the article chosen, clarity and content of the summary, quality of the analysis, relevant observations and opinions, use of course material and the overall effectiveness of the article and the analysis.