University of Melbourne - BLAW10001: Principles of Business Law

Whether you’re buying your groceries, returning a faulty product, or mowing the lawn for your neighbour, law is always in the background, shaping what you and others you can do, and what happens when things go wrong. Principles of Business Law gives you some of the basic tools to understand the legal landscape of the world of legal transactions, and how law affects everyday decisions.

This subject offers a broad introduction to law from a business perspective, designed for students from all disciplines. You’ll explore the nature and purpose of law, how laws are made, how they evolve, and how they’re enforced. You’ll learn to read and interpret legislation and case law, and apply them to practical, real-world situations.

Key topics include how legally binding contracts are formed (and what happens when they’re broken), consumer protection, property law, negligence and liability in tort, and the law of agency. Along the way, you’ll build essential legal literacy that will help you spot issues, assess risks, and make informed decisions, whether you're working in a business, protecting your rights as a customer, or simply navigating adult life.

No prior legal knowledge is required. This subject is an ideal starting point for students curious about the law or looking to build foundational knowledge that supports other fields like commerce, engineering, science, and the arts.

• Principles of Business Law is a prerequisite for Corporate Law (BLAW20001) and Taxation Law I (BLAW30002).

• The course is delivered online and partly on campus, with a compulsory on-campus final exam at the end of semester.

• Principles of Business Law is open to and recommended for students from all faculties as a Level 1 Breadth subject.

✔ By the end of this subject, students should be able to:

• Identify and explain the main sources of Australian law, including legislation and case law, and their role in shaping business transactions.

• Analyse and apply the principles of contract law to evaluate the creation, performance, and breach of business agreements.

• Evaluate and apply the principles of tort law, statutory consumer protection, and agency to resolve business disputes.

• Explain and apply the basic principles of property law in a commercial context.

SUBJECT CODE

SUBJECT NAME

ACCT10001

Accounting Reports and Analysis

ACCT10002

Introductory Financial Accounting

ACCT20001

Accounting for Management Decisions

ECOM20001

Econometrics 1

ECOM30001

Basic Econometrics

ECOM30002

Econometrics 2

ECON10003

Introductory Macroeconomics

ECON10004

Introductory Microeconomics

ECON10005

Quantitative Methods 1

ECON20002

Intermediate Microeconomics

ECON20003

Quantitative Methods 2

FNCE20005

Corporate Financial Decision Making

FNCE30001

Investments

FNCE30007

Derivative Securities

FNCE40001

Advanced Corporate Finance

MAST10010

Data Analysis

MAST20005

Statistics