Business Law is fundamental in creating reliable standarts for companies to follow. This course provides students with fundamental elements of company law , by focusing on the following topics of SA companies and limited liability companies : basic principles of company law, separate legal personality, formation – registration- articles of association, Board of directors, appointment and removal of members of Board of directors, directors duties and liability, share issues- share capital- shareholders, resolutions and meetings, termination of company. The course also presents basic regulation on negotiable instruments as payment systems (banking cheques – bills of exchange), and an introduction to competition law and unfair business practices law . By the end of this course the student will have acquired the skill to apprehend :

1. Statutory distinctions of companies
2. The economic and legal environment of S.A companies
3. The legal specificities of limited liability companies
4. The legal rules of operation of bank cheques and bills of exchange
5. Main issues of competition law and business unfair practices law.

1. Introduction to company law
2. Types of companies
3. Sources of company law
4. Regulation of SA companies- principal provisions: formation – registration -articles of association, – share capital – shareholders: general meetings of shareholders, rights of shareholders- Board of directors : appointment – dismissal – general duties of members of the Board of directors . Resolutions and meetings. Accounts and reports- audit – mergers – termination – dissolution of company
5. The regulation of limited liability companies – general provisions- limited liability, formation – registration -articles of association, capital- members- meetings of members, directors: appointment – dismissal. Termination of company.
6. Legal rules on cheques and bills of exchange
7. Introduction to Competition Law and unfair business practices law.

Lectures (3 hours per week)

Final exam with Multiple choice questionnaires and developing questions

Communication with students using the campus LMS (eclass)