University of Technology Sydney

21882 Legal Issues for Sports, Events and Not-for-Profits

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Business: Management
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level:

Postgraduate

Result type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 24 credit points of completed study in Must have completed at least Business Faculty Master's Coursework OR 24 credit points of completed study in Must have completed at least Business Faculty Graduate Diploma Extending Previous Area of Study OR 24 credit points of completed study in Must have completed at least Business Faculty Graduate Diploma New Area of Study OR 18 credit points of completed study in Musthave completed at least Business Faculty Graduate Certificatec Must have completed at least Business Faculty Graduate Certificate
The lower case 'c' after the subject code indicates that the subject is a corequisite. See definitions for details.
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses. See access conditions.

Description

This subject offers an introduction to areas of law and regulation that impact on organisations and their managers in the sport, events and not-for-profit industries. Its objective is to provide students with an awareness of potential legal issues as well as a level of understanding of where and how legal obligations arise and how the law is used to balance freedoms in society.

The subject introduces the key legal principles of contract and tort law as well as the legal frameworks surrounding topics such as consumer protection, intellectual property, business structures and those laws which are specific to sport, events and not-for-profits. It encourages students to develop skills around legal research, application of legal principles and legal reasoning such that they are equipped to recognise and engage with legal and ethical obligations in the management context.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
1. Identify and analyse legal and regulatory issues within management contexts relevant to the sports, events and not-for-profit industries
2. Research and interpret the different sources of law and regulation, including ethical or voluntary standards, Indigenous values and underlying policy perspectives
3. Critically evaluate and assess legal protections, relationships, responsibilities and liabilities and how legal and regulatory risks can be managed or mitigated

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject also contributes specifically to the following program learning objectives:

  • Interact with colleagues and stakeholders to work effectively in teams and deliver agreed project outcomes that contribute to the public good (2.2)
  • Evaluate and apply principles of law, ethics, sustainability and Indigenous values as advocates and not-for-profit managers (3.1)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

This subject develops business practice-oriented skills around identifying and understanding legal risks, obligations and protections for the sports, events and not-for-profit industries. In-class activities such as reviewing a contract or legal case, will be used to develop students’ capacity in this field. The subject develops professional competence through increasing awareness of potential legal issues and the circumstances in which industry practitioners ought to seek legal advice. Students will apply the legal and ethical principles introduced in the subject to factual management scenarios. They will develop the graduate attribute of communication and collaboration through interacting in teams to use legal methods to manage and mitigate business risks. This subject also aligns with the graduate attribute of social responsibility and cultural awareness by emphasising the need to adhere to and respect principles underpinning law, ethics, Indigenous values and sustainability.

This subject also contributes specifically to the following program learning objectives within the Master of Sport Management, the Master of Event Management and the Master of Not-for-Profit and Social Enterprise Management:

  • Interact with colleagues and stakeholders to work effectively in teams and deliver agreed project outcomes that serve community and commercial interests and contribute to the public good (2.2)
  • Evaluate and apply principles of law, ethics, sustainability and Indigenous values as advocates and sport, event and not-for-profit managers (3.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

There will be a weekly lecture and tutorial on each topic as well as assigned preparation tasks, including legal research questions, readings and guided analysis of legal documents. The learning management system will be used as the primary means of communication with students, enabling access to learning resources. Lectures will provide an introduction to key legal principles and will include interactive online quizzes to enable students to obtain feedback on their learning progress. Tutorials will provide opportunities for students to work collaboratively on tasks that seek to apply their knowledge of legal principles to industry-based scenarios. A range of teaching strategies will be used to create an authentic learning experience, including role play, group debate, problem-based questions, reviewing legal materials and conducting legal research. Tutors will assume that all preparation tasks have been completed and will build on these in tutorials explaining answers to set questions and introducing strategies for approaching legal analysis. This will provide feedback to students on their readiness for assessment tasks. Assessment is designed to be authentic and to develop business practice-oriented skills around identifying the legal issues relevant to different organisations and understanding how legal risks can be managed. Marking criteria are used to give specific feedback on students’ progress against learning objectives.

An aim of this subject is to help you develop academic and professional language and communication skills to succeed at university and in the workplace. During the course of this subject, you will complete a milestone assessment task that will, in addition to assessing your subject-specific learning objectives, assess your English language proficiency.

Content (topics)

  • Different types/sources of law and regulation
  • Legal business structures, governance and compliance
  • Contract law principles and types of contracts
  • Tort law with a focus on negligence
  • Legal risk management and mitigation
  • Consumer protection, privacy law and data protection
  • Intellectual property
  • Standards, codes and ethics

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Legal Research Report (Individual)

Objective(s):

This addresses subject learning objective(s):

1 and 2

Weight: 30%
Length:

Length 1200 words

Criteria:
  • Application of relevant sources of law and/or regulation to management contexts
  • Extent, depth and relevance of research undertaken
  • Critical analysis of legal process and underlying policy perspectives

Assessment task 2: Risk Management Presentation (Group)*

Objective(s):

This addresses subject learning objective(s):

1 and 3

This addresses program learning objectives(s):

2.2

Weight: 30%
Length:

15 minute maximum presentation - usually 10-15 slides

Criteria:
  • Evaluation of the relevant legal relationships, responsibilities and liabilities
  • Analysis of legal risks and consequent risk management recommendations
  • Effective teamwork evidenced by a coherent and professional presentation

*Note: Late submission of the assessment task will not be marked and awarded a mark of zero.

Assessment task 3: Legal Case Analysis (Individual)

Objective(s):

This addresses subject learning objective(s):

2 and 3

This addresses program learning objectives(s):

3.1

Weight: 40%
Length:

Length 1500 words

Criteria:
  • Depth of research, interpretation and critical analysis of case law and understanding of its relationship with statutory law
  • Analysis of legal issues within management contexts and understanding of the interplay between facts and legal principles

Minimum requirements

Students must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total marks.

References

  1. Gibson (2018), Business Law, 10th ed, Pearson
  2. Thorpe et al (2017) Sports Law, 3rd ed, Oxford University Press
  3. Dal Pont (2017) Law of Charity, 2nd ed, Lexis Nexis Butterworths
  4. Barron (2014) Fundamentals of Business Law, McGrawHill
  5. Ciro et al (2014) Law and Business, Oxford University Press
  6. Chew (2014) Business Law Guidebook, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press
  7. For Chinese-speaking students Li (2018) Business and Corporate Law Guidebook, Lawbook Co.