Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Business
Unit 7: Business Law
Assignment Brief
Part 1
Centre code 01018
Unit Number and Title Unit 7: Business Law
Unit type Core
Unit credits 15
Unit code H/617/0736
Academic Year 2022
Unit Tutor
Assignment Title Legal Systems and the potential impact of law on
business operations and decision making
Issue Date 05 September 2022
Submission Date 05 December 2022 (Please submit Part1
and Part 2 as one document on Moodle)
Unit Introduction
The aim of this unit is to enhance students’ understanding of how business law is applied
to the running of a business organisation. Students will gain knowledge of business law
and examine the impact of the law on business operations and decision making.
Throughout the unit, students will identify the legal solutions available to business owners
and assess their suitability. The experience that students gain in this unit will help them to
better understand the different areas of law that apply. The unit will enable students to
illustrate the impact of the law on normal business operations and when registering a
company and inviting shareholders to invest in it. They will gain an understanding of the
law in relation to market abuse and director responsibilities.
Students will be able to recognise the application of employment law while gaining a
practical understanding of the skills and experiences undertaken by those practising in a
business law context.
Unit Theme Introduction
NA
Unit Theme Question
NA
Vocational Scenario
You have recently joined a law firm as a legal Helpant and your manager asked you to
write an essay which will help the new start-up companies to get the information on the
legal system and about the key legislations that they are required to know for effectively
running their businesses. This essay must contain all salient legislation and the impact of
the law on business operations and decision making.
Submission Format
You have recently joined a law firm as legal Helpant and your manager asked you to
prepare an essay which will help the new start-up companies to help gain knowledge of
business law and examine the impact of the law on business operations and decision
making. The essay should include information about the key legislations that they are
required to know for effectively running their businesses.
Please also provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system. The
recommended word limit is 3,000 (+ /- 10%) words, although you will not be penalised for
exceeding the total word limit.
Unit Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit a student will be able to:
LO1: Explain the nature of the legal system
LO2: Illustrate the potential impact of the law on a business
Transferable skills and competencies developed
• Explaining different sources of law, role of government in law making
• Evaluating the effectiveness of legal system in terms of recent
reforms and developments
• Critically evaluating the legal system and law, with evidence drawn from
a range of different relevant examples to support judgments
• Illustrating , critically analysing and differentiating different legislation, regulations
and standards
Assignment activity and guidance
Your essay should include details of the legal system, the purpose, evolution and different
sources of law. You should explain the legislation, directives, case law and treaties
relevant to country. The information and details provided in the essay should include key
terminologies of the legal system, court structures and divisions. You should also critically
reflect on the justice system, the role of the government in law making and evaluate the
organisation of the judiciary.
In your essay, you should illustrate the potential impact of the law on businesses. This
should include a coherent and critical Assessment of laws available to businesses, such as
contract law, e.g. the formation of contracts, the elements and terms of contract; competition
law and data protection. Your Assessment should include a detailed evidence of the tort of
negligence, consumer protection, health and safety and product liability. The essay should
include an Assessment of duties of employer and employee, e.g. the employment contract,
employer obligations and employee rights in the workplace. Also provide a detailed analysis
of examples which demonstrate managing cases of dismissal, redundancy, discrimination,
health and safety.
Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Explain the nature of the legal system
LO1 and LO2
D1 Provide a coherent
and critical Assessment of
the legal system and law,
with evidence drawn from
a range of different
relevant examples to
support judgments.
P1 Explain different
sources of law.
P2 Explain the role of
government in law
making and how statutory
and common law is
applied in the justice
courts.
M1 Evaluate the
effectiveness of the
legal system in terms
of recent reforms and
developments.
LO2 Illustrate the potential impact of the law on a
business
P3 Using specific
examples, illustrate how
company, employment
and contract law has a
potential impact upon
business.
M2 Analyse the
potential
impact on business
through differentiation
between legislation,
regulations and
standards.
Part 2
Centre name CECOS College London
Centre code 01018
Unit Number and Title Unit 7: Business Law
Unit type Core
Unit credits 15
Unit code H/617/0736
Academic Year 2022
Unit Tutor
Assignment Title Legal solutions for dispute resolution
Issue Date 05 September 2022
Submission Date 05 December 2022 (Please submit Part1 and
Part 2 as one document on Moodle)
Unit Introduction
The aim of this unit is to enhance students’ understanding of how business law is
applied to the running of a business organisation. Students will gain knowledge of
business law and examine the impact of the law on business operations and decision
making. Throughout the unit, students will identify the legal solutions available to
business
owners and assess their suitability. The experience that students gain in this unit will
help them to better understand the different areas of law that apply.
The unit will enable students to illustrate the impact of the law on normal business
operations and when registering a company and inviting shareholders to invest in it.
They will gain an understanding of the law in relation to market abuse and director
responsibilities. Students will be able to recognise the application of employment law
while gaining a practical understanding of the skills and experiences undertaken by
those practising in a business law context.
Unit Theme Introduction
NA
Unit Theme Question
NA
Vocational Scenario
You have to cover various legal problems affecting local businesses and suggest solutions
for them. The areas of law to be considered contain company Law (including insolvency
and liquidation); contract Law (including termination of contract) and employment Law.
The three cases which you need to cover in your report are given below. For each case,
you need to apply and justify a legal solution to the problem.
Submission Format
Your work should be in a Report Format to your manager and should include situational
solutions for each case scenario provided below to show application of legal judgement.
The report should be referenced using the Harvard referencing system. Please also
provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system. The recommended word
limit is 3000 (+ /- 10%) words, although you will not be penalised for exceeding the total
word limit.
Unit Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit a student will be able to:
LO3: Examine the formation of different types of business organisations
LO4: Recommend appropriate legal solutions to resolve areas of dispute
Transferable skills and competencies developed
• Researching data to explore and find solutions
• Examining how organisations are managed and funded
• Comparing different sources of legal advice and support for dispute resolution
• Critically evaluating the effectiveness of legal systems
Assignment activity and guidance
In part 2, you are required to examine the nature and formation of different types of
organisations and their legal structure. Classify the companies according to their nature and
legal structure from the given solutions. The case solutions should include details of how
business organisations are formed and registered, appointment of directors, company
secretary and auditor as well as the role of shareholders. Your report should include
application of company law in forming different types of business organisations and
companies, raising capital and liquidation. Through your report, you should demonstrate
your understanding of relevant case law, indicating the importance of both common law and
legislation to the development of company law and business formation and practice.
You are required to provide legal solutions to various disputes provided in the cases.
Analyse which areas of legal solutions apply to the disputes ranging from health and safety,
equality of pay claims, compromise and severance agreements, wrongful or unfair dismissal
claims; corporate and commercial disputes, e.g. breach of contract, contesting a damages
claim, dispute between directors; commercial property, e.g. commercial lease transactions,
real estate and investment properties.
Recommend alternative dispute resolution where relevant. Through dispute resolutions, you
should demonstrate your professional skills such as negotiation skills, communication skills,
critical analysis skills and problem solving. The report should include:
• Analysis and application of employment laws
• Legal formations of each case
• Suggest an appropriate legal solution to each of the problems mentioned in the
cases
• Provide justification for the advice and solution given;
• Compare & contrast the effectiveness of these recommendations given in your
presentation;
• Critically and evaluate the use of the appropriate legal solutions suggested in
comparison with alternative legal advice.
Case 1:
Gordon works as a salesman in the Orange Computers Ltd store. His contract of
employment provides for an annual salary of £10,000 and commission payments (at 9%)
on any computers and peripherals he sells. In the last three years, the commission
payments have amounted to an average of £11,000 per annum.
In 2015, due to cut throat competition in the local market, the business is adversely
affected. The manager, Fred, informs Gordon that the business is in severe financial
trouble and that he must reduce the firm’s outgoings. In response, Fred asks Gordon if he
will forgo his salary for 2015, 2016 and 2017, and simply accept payments of commission.
Fred explained to Gordon that this was required of him (and all other staff) or the business
would probably not survive and it would have to be wound up owing substantial debts to
creditors. As such, Gordon accepted the variation of the contract.
In 2016, the economy began to grow, and in small part due to governmental incentives for
investment in information technology, the store has managed to trade its way through the
difficult times and is making a healthy profit. As such, Gordon feels that he should be able
to receive his wages for 2017 and not simply have to rely on his commission as agreed in
2015. He also wishes to know if he can claim for his wages from 2015 and 2016 as
Orange Computers Ltd has sufficient profits to repay this money.
Advise Gordon whether he can obtain his wages for 2017, and also whether he would
have any claim for the wages he agreed not to accept in the year 2015 and 2016. Discuss
in context of contract law & employment Law.
Case 2:
After doing some research on the internet, Janet decided to call Virgin Media to arrange
the purchase and installation of the internet package costing £35.00 per month, including
the phone lines (monthly line rental of £11.00). The engineer came on the arranged date
at 9am and installed the internet. However, he could not find the telephone point on the
switchboard and suggested that he will call his supervisor and come back. Janet waited
until 5pm that day for the engineer but he never returned back to complete the task. She
called the Virgin Media and complained about the engineer and that she still hasn’t got the
phone line yet. Finally, after several calls and e-mails they sent another engineer to fix the
phone line after 3 weeks.
When the invoice from the Virgin Media arrived Janet was charged for the whole package
from the day the internet was installed including the monthly phone line rental. Janet is
extremely upset since she believed that her phone line should be charged after 3 weeks
only.
Analyse the legal position of the service provider (Virgin Media) and the consumer (Janet)
on the basis of your understanding on the various elements of contract law.
Case 3:
Blackhorse Limited is a security company providing security guards to other businesses,
which is one of your client. The company has 50 employees. The company has minimal
overheads, apart from the “wage cost” of the employees.
The company had four main customers, the largest of which failed leaving Blackhorse
limited with a bad debt of £100,000. Since that bad debt was incurred three months ago
the company has recovered its previous level of turnover, but that turnover is now spread
over ten customers.
The cash flow reduction of £100,000 caused by the bad debt resulted in Blackhorse
limited “stretching the due dates” of the payments needed to be made to the company’s
creditors. One of those creditors issued a winding up petition two weeks ago and the court
is to consider whether or not to make a winding up order at a hearing set to take place in
three weeks’ time. Discuss the different options available to your client to avoid
compulsory winding up.
Pass Merit Distinction
LO3 Examine the formation of different types of business organisations
P4 Explore how different
types of business
organisations are legally
formed.
P5 Explain how business
organisations are
managed and funded.
M3 Analyse the
advantages and
disadvantages of the
formation of different
types of business
organisations.
D2 Critically analyse the
formation of different
types of business
organisations
LO4 Recommend appropriate legal solutions to
resolve areas of dispute.
D3 Critically evaluate the
effectiveness of legal
solutions, legal advice and
support for dispute
resolution
P6 Recommend legal
solutions for resolving a
range of disputes, using
examples to demonstrate
how a party might obtain
legal advice and support
M4 Compare and
contrast
different sources of
legal advice and
support for
dispute resolution to
make appropriate
recommendations to
legal solutions
Recommended Resources
Please note that the resources listed are examples for you to use as a starting point
in your research – the list is not definitive.
Recommended Resources
Textbooks
ADAMS, A. (2020) Business Law for Students. 11th Ed. London: Pearson.
ELLIOTT, C. and QUINN, F. (2019). The English Legal System. 20th Ed. London: Pearson.
HONEYBALL, S. (2016) Honeyball and Bowers’ Textbook on Employment Law. 14th Ed.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
MACINTYRE, E. (2018) Business Law. 9th Ed. London: Pearson.
MARSON, J. and FERRIS, M. (2016) Business Law. 4th Ed. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Websites
www.chambersstudent.co.uk
www.lawdonut.co.uk
www.lawinfo.com
Chambers Student
(General reference)
Business Law Donut
(General reference)
Law Info
Legal resources
(General reference)
Links
This unit links to the following related units:
Unit 1: Business and the Business Environment
Unit 29: Managing and Running a Small Business
Unit 31: Employee Relations
Unit 38: Law of Contract and Tort
Unit 39: Company Law and Corporate Governance
Unit 40: Consumer and Intellectual Property Law
Assignment Format/Style
Produce a formal report/paper that addresses all the tasks in the
assignment brief in task 1 and a power point presentation in task 2. You are encouraged to use
diagrams or tables to illustrate and reinforce your findings, using single space and font size 12. Any
references to academic theory should be correctly cited and referenced in a bibliography at the end of
the report. (Please do not copy and paste information).
✔ Fully completed assignment cover page
✔ Title page
✔ Table of contents
✔ Introduction
✔ Main body of the report clearly identifying the separate outcomes and assessment criteria
✔ Conclusion and recommendations (if relevant)
✔ References and bibliography
✔ Appendices only if relevant and necessary
Assignment Content
The assignment brief includes headings relevant to the unit outcomes, read and follow the tasks listed
under each heading and this will make certain that you cover all the outcomes and assessment
criteria to achieve the unit.
Assignment Submission
All assignments must be submitted by the agreed date, via MOODLE. Assignments submitted late,
but with permission, will be marked as a pass only. Assignments submitted late, without permission,
will not be marked until the end of the year, or the next time the unit is scheduled.
Please ensure that your assignment is attached to the assignment submission receipt and that you
read and sign the statement confirming authenticity. Check that all relevant fields are completed fully
before submission.
Assignment Feedback
Once the assessor has marked your assignment, you will receive written feedback, either confirming
that you have met the required standard and grade awarded, or that you have not yet met the
standard and what you need to do to make the necessary improvements. Please note that achieved
and confirmation of grades is provisional until signed off by the Internal Verifier.
Student Guide to Writing an Assignment
This is an assignment guide to help support you while completing your BTEC Assignments.
It includes:
⮚ Assignment writing guidance
⮚ Referencing guidance
Bibliography / References
Please list down “works cited” within the framework of enumerative bibliography – a list of references
to key articles and texts. Verify each reference carefully; the references must correspond to the
citations in the text. The list of references should start on a new page and be listed alphabetically by
the name of the author(s) and then by year, chronologically. Only the first author’s name is inverted.
The name of each author and the title of the citation should be exactly as it appears in the original
work. More Information can be found in the College MOODLE in the General Information about the
Harvard Referencing.
Recommended Reading
Students must consult College and local national library facilities. In addition, they need to read the
broadsheet press and weekly business magazines regularly. You should also use relevant internet
sites regularly and identify key influences and recent and relevant research with regard to your
subject area. You should read topical case studies and read about national campaigns and
government initiatives in your area of interest. Following is the list of indicative resource materials.
Student Assessment Submission and
Declaration
When submitting evidence for assessment, you must sign a declaration confirming that the
work is your own.
Student
Name: Assessor name:
Issue date:
Submission
date: Submitted on:
Programme: Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Business
Unit: Unit 7: Business Law
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a form of cheating. Plagiarism must be avoided at all costs and students who
break the rules, however innocently, may be penalised. It is your responsibility to ensure
that you understand correct referencing practices. As a university level student, you are
expected to use appropriate references throughout and keep carefully detailed notes of all
your sources of materials for material you have used in your work, including any material
downloaded from the Internet. Please consult the relevant unit lecturer or your course tutor if
you need any further advice.
Student declaration
I certify that the assignment submission is entirely my own work. I fully understand the
consequences of plagiarism. I understand that making a false declaration is a form of
malpractice.
Student signature: Date: