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See Most Recent Edition

The Legal Environment of Business, 12th Edition

Roger E. Meiners, Al H. Ringleb, Frances L. Edwards

  • Copyright 2015
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Published', '2014-01-01T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At $77.95 See pricing and ISBN options
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The Legal Environment of Business 12th Edition by Roger E. Meiners/Al H. Ringleb/Frances L. Edwards
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Overview

THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS provides a practical introduction to the structure and function of the legal system from the perspective of the professional nonlawyer. While noting our legal heritage, there is a strong emphasis on the nuts and bolts of basic legal rules that most impact business today. This popular text effectively adapts a traditional case focus for the unique needs of business students. Incorporating clear and concise coverage of a wide range of up-to-date topics, the twelfth edition of this trusted text introduces key points of law through business-specific examples and realistic scenarios that students can appreciate. The authors' readable style complements their extensive knowledge of domestic and international business to make the text both an exceptional teaching tool and a favorite among instructors and students alike. To complement this edition, CourseMate and CengageNOW are available as online solutions to help engage and prepare students for this course.

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Meet the Authors

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Roger E. Meiners

Roger Meiners is the Goolsby-Rosenthal Chair in the College of Business at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he teaches Legal Environment of Business.

Al H. Ringleb

Al Ringleb is President of the Consortium of Universities for International Studies, Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa.

Frances L. Edwards

Frances L. Edwards is an Associate Professor of Legal Studies in the College of Business and Behavioral Studies at Clemson University.

What's New

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  • To complement this edition, CourseMate and CengageNOW are available as online solutions to help engage and prepare students for this course.
  • New Part III brings together three chapters that concern the employment relationship. As the Supreme Court reminds us, employment law builds on agency; so THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS begins with agency and employment-at-will. Then the many legal requirements imposed on employers at the state and federal levels, especially employment discrimination law, are covered. Employment law is a subject relevant to all people in business, so most instructors cover this material. As a result, it is given more prominent placement.
  • Other chapters have been reordered in response to user surveys. Business Organizations now comes before the chapter Negotiable Instruments, Credit, and Bankruptcy, fleshing out Part II. Securities Regulation has been moved up in Part IV on the regulatory environment for more prominence as more instructors are covering the subject.
  • Most students show less interest in material they do not think is relevant to their immediate world. Hence, many new cases have been chosen that show contemporary, ordinary business situations to which students can relate, while the court decisions provide discussion of legal principles to teach the key concepts and show the importance of knowing the law in day-to-day business.
  • The text is written to be accessible to today's students. Ordinary examples are built into the text so that explanations of law are not abstract. Similarly, social media applications are included where relevant, focusing on the advancement of technology, such as the use of mining social media data for credit scoring.

Features

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  • Each chapter features excerpts of multiple cases that are integrated within the text to provide immediate practical examples of key concepts and illustrate legal reasoning applied to common business situations. Cases demonstrate that judges apply legal reasoning to resolve disputes--not just to give personal opinions.
  • Issue Spotters provide immediate application of legal principles to a common business situation so that students see the relevance of the material they are studying.
  • International Perspective features are integrated in every chapter to highlight variations in the law around the world to provide a broader perspective on legal concepts that apply to global businesses.
  • Test Yourself feature boxes appear two or three times in each chapter so that students have feedback to see if they have the necessary mastery of material covered in the past few pages. Several true/false, multiple-choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions, with answers provided below, make clear to students whether their reading comprehension is adequate.
  • The Lighter Side of Law features give a few brief cases or legal situations to provide an appealing break for students to show the strange and humorous issues that can occur.
  • Cyberlaw features in each chapter provide short explorations of applications of the law to the many developments arising from technology and e-commerce.
  • Each chapter concludes with a set of practice real Case Questions to apply legal reasoning. Some questions are answered online for students; others can be used for guided discussion. Also included are a practical Ethics Question and a Discussion Question.
  • Pulling It Together case questions conclude each major set of chapter units to help students tie together multiple legal issues in business situations to widen their understanding of the interrelationships of key legal concepts.

Table of Contents

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Part I: ELEMENTS OF LAW AND THE JUDICIAL PROCESS.
1. Today's Business Environment: Law and Ethics.
2. The Court Systems.
3. Trials and Resolving Disputes.
4. The Constitution: Focus on Application to Business.
5. Criminal Law and Business.
Part II: ELEMENTS OF TRADITIONAL BUSINESS LAW.
6. Elements of Torts.
7. Business Torts and Product Liability.
8. Real and Personal Property.
9. Intellectual Property.
10. Contracts.
11. Domestic and International Sales.
12. Business Organizations.
13. Negotiable Instruments, Credit, and Bankruptcy.
Part III: THE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP.
14. Agency and the Employment Relationship.
15. Employment and Labor Regulations.
16. Employment Discrimination.
Part IV: THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS.
17. The Regulatory Process.
18. Securities Regulation.
19. Consumer Protection.
20. Antitrust Law.
21. Environmental Law.
22. The International Legal Environment of Business.
Appendix A: Legal Research and the Internet.
Appendix B: Case Analysis and Legal Sources.
Appendix C: The Constitution of the United States of America.
Appendix D: The Uniform Commercial Code (Excerpts).
Appendix E: National Labor Relations Act (Excerpts).
Appendix F: Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Excerpts).
Appendix G: Americans with Disabilities Act (Excerpts).
Appendix H: The Antitrust Statutes (Excerpts).
Appendix I: Securities Statutes (Excerpts).

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Media Options

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  • ISBN-10: 1285435982
  • ISBN-13: 9781285435985
  • RETAIL $149.95
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Students: Buy now

Textbook Only Options

Traditional eBook and Print Options

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  • ISBN-10: 0357696816
  • ISBN-13: 9780357696811
  • RETAIL $77.95

  • ISBN-10: 1285428226
  • ISBN-13: 9781285428222
  • RETAIL $448.95
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Supplements

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Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

FOR INSTRUCTORS

Business Law Digital Video Library 1-Semester Instant Access Code for Meiners/Ringleb/Edwards' The Legal Environment of Business

ISBN: 9781285435985
This dynamic video library features more than 60 video clips that spark class discussion and clarify core legal principles. The library is organized into five series: Legal Conflicts in Business (includes specific modern business and e-commerce scenarios), Ask the Instructor (presents straightforward explanations of concepts for student review), Drama of the Law (features classic business scenarios that spark classroom participation), Real World Legal (explores conflicts that arise in a variety of business environments), and LawFlix (contains clips from many popular films).

FOR STUDENTS

Business Law Digital Video Library 1-Semester Instant Access Code for Meiners/Ringleb/Edwards' The Legal Environment of Business

ISBN: 9781285435985
This dynamic video library features more than 60 video clips that spark class discussion and clarify core legal principles. The library is organized into five series: Legal Conflicts in Business (includes specific modern business and e-commerce scenarios), Ask the Instructor (presents straightforward explanations of concepts for student review), Drama of the Law (features classic business scenarios that spark classroom participation), Real World Legal (explores conflicts that arise in a variety of business environments), and LawFlix (contains clips from many popular films).