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High School
Business Law 1a
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Whether you plan on starting your own business or being in charge of one, it is crucial you understand how to keep the company compliant. Explore what it means to run an ethical business, how to keep intellectual property, technology, and e-commerce safe and protected, understand insurance and taxes, and how to have a healthy workplace environment. Keep the business safe and growing by following the law.
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Major Topics and Concepts
Unit 1 Ethics and Business
- Distinguish between ethical and legal behavior as well as unethical and illegal behavior
- Describe the tools a company uses to make ethical business decisions
- Examine case studies of corporations acting unethically
- Appreciate the regulations that govern lawyers’ ethical conduct in their relationship with clients
- Understand when public officials and lobbyists may or may not accept gifts or money from a company
Unit 2 Developing and Protecting Your Business
- List the different types of patents and the steps to obtain a patent
- Distinguish between a trademark and service mark
- Describe copyright and the process for obtaining a copyright
- Compare the civil and criminal remedies for violations of intellectual property protections
- Critique the use of trade secrets and the use of confidentiality agreements
Unit 3 Getting A New Business Started
- List the key steps to building a strong strategic business plan
- Explain the advantages and disadvantages of a sole proprietorship
- Analyze the risks and benefits that come with general partnerships and limited partnerships
- Argue why starting a corporation may be preferable to entering into a partnership
- Identify hybrid business organizations
Unit 4 The Employer/Employee Relationship
- Critique various types of employees and employer/employee relationships
- Understand what guidelines employers must follow to hire and retain employees
- Investigate current trends in employment and how the human resources department fosters a relationship between employees and employers
- Analyze characteristics of the changing workforce in today’s society
Unit 5 Workplace Behavior
- Critique how successful businesses train employees to facilitate growth and anticipate pitfalls they may encounter
- Analyze how an effective boss or manager acts as a role model and leader among their employees
- List the expectations that companies, employers, and supervisors have for their employees
- Evaluate and explain the important role employers take in creating a safe work environment for their employees
Unit 6 Technology and eCommerce Best Practices
- List the key components of a technology plan, along with essential business hardware
- Determine the type of software applications that will improve the financial and collaborative well-being of a company
- Identify the strengths and weaknesses of a company’s online presence
- Recognize common cyber-crimes and how they impact a business
- Discuss issues involved in government oversight of the internet
Unit 7 Property and Insurance
- Differentiate between real and personal property
- Understand how property rights are earned, transferred, and relinquished
- List the types of insurance coverage a business should purchase to protect its property
- Distinguish between insurance that a company must purchase to protect its employees and health insurance coverage, as well as major types of life insurance
Unit 8 Taxes
- Identify how tax requirements might differ depending on the organizational structure of a business
- Recognize how sales tax rates differ among varying localities and the impact these rates have on online sales
- Understand how governments use tax laws to regulate the business industry as well as consumer behavior
- Appreciate the obligation employers have to withhold income from employees in order to ensure compliance with federal and state law
Competencies
Business Ethics
Students will demonstrate an understanding of business ethics by explaining the role of ethics in business, comparing case studies in consumer ethics, and explaining the role of ethics in the legal and political arenas.
Business Safeguards
Students will demonstrate an understanding of business safeguards by summarizing intellectual property laws and describing remedies for violations of intellectual property rights.
Starting a New Business
Students will demonstrate an understanding of how to start a new business by summarizing steps in the planning process and explaining types of business structures.
Employees
Students will demonstrate an understanding of employee relations by describing hiring considerations and summarizing laws of ethical hiring.
Workplace Culture
Students will demonstrate an understanding of workplace culture by describing characteristics of a positive workplace culture and explaining criteria for acceptable workplace behavior.
Business Technology
Students will demonstrate an understanding of business technology by describing technology essential for business and explaining principles of successful e-commerce.
Property Management
Students will demonstrate an understanding of property protection by explaining the principles that determine property ownership and explaining the role of insurance as a risk-management practice.
Taxes
Students will demonstrate an understanding of taxes by explaining taxes applied based on business structure, explaining taxes applied based on commercial activity, and explaining payroll taxes.
