Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 16 x 1 Hour Lectures |
| Seminar | 3 x 1 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Exam | 1.5 Hours Exam Students may take into the examination unmarked copies of Blackstones Statutes on Commercial and Consumer Law or Blackstones Statutes on Contract, Tort and Restitution. Unmarked material must remain unmarked for the duration of the examination (highlighting and underlining are permitted). Blank post-it notes can be used to mark pages. | 100% |
| Supplementary Exam | 1.5 Hours Exam Students may take into the examination unmarked copies of Blackstones Statutes on Commercial and Consumer Law or Blackstones Statutes on Contract, Tort and Restitution. Unmarked material must remain unmarked for the duration of the examination (highlighting and underlining are permitted). Blank post-it notes can be used to mark pages. | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
Demonstrate an understanding of sale and supply of goods law. Students will have the opportunity to further develop their understanding of the use of statute and case law. They will also develop skills in applying the law to particular questions and problems.
In particular, by completion of the module the student should have developed and enhanced their understanding of the use of case law and further developed and their ability to use case law as part of a legal argument. The student should be able to understand the scope of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and the significance of its borderlines, particularly in relation to contracts concerned with the supply of services. The module will facilitate the student's learning of property rules and their significance, particularly in relation to the insolvency of the other party to a sale transaction. Also, on completion of the module, the student should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the terms implied by statute into contracts for the sale of goods and / or for the supply of goods, their significance and the remedies available for their breach.
The course is taught by lectures and seminars. It is intended that the lectures will introduce the student to the essential elements of the subject and encourage the further development of the student's understanding of the functioning of the law. Seminars should then build upon the lectures and the student's own reading. Seminars are intended to further develop the student's ability to analyse problems and present a reasoned argument. In order to achieve the learning outcomes, the seminars and assessment method focus on the skills of problem solving and policy evaluation, plus the consideration and interpretation of source material and its practical application.
Brief description
Commercial Law forms the background against which society functions. It is essential to the operation of the business world. The study of Commercial Law will provide the student with an insight into a vital area of modern legal study. In order to facilitate this, the Commercial Law module deals extensively with what is probably the most fundamental commercial transaction, sale of goods. It deals with all aspects of that particular type of contract from the quality of the goods, their delivery, passing of property, to the remedies which are available to the injured party. Some of these matters will be of obvious immediate relevance, concerning problems which students encounter in everyday life. The statutorily implied terms as to the quality of goods may be immediately helpful when consumer goods, such as an I-pod, are purchased and prove to be unsatisfactory, giving the purchaser a right to reject the goods. However, the course also deals with legal problems which are more commonly only encountered in the business world. In considering the law relating to the sale of goods we not only have to consider contractual rights but also property rights. Particularly at times when insolvency rates are high, it will be vital to know which party is the owner of the goods at each stage of the transaction. Retaining title to the goods after delivery is an important way for the seller to protect himself against the buyer's insolvency if he allows the buyer to take possession of the goods before they have been paid for. The module will also complement the study of the sale of goods contract by making explicit reference to its relationship with contracts for the supply of services. The module aims to develop the student's understanding of the relevant principles of the substantive law: it also aims to further develop the student's skills in handling statutory material and case law.
Aims
To give the student a good knowledge of the law relating to the sale and supply of goods and, in doing so, to further the development of an awareness of the need for, and use of accurate language; a logical approach to problems; legal and analytical skills; effective communication skills and a critical approach to law and legal argument.
Content
(a) Introduction - History - Definitions - Distinctions
(b) Implied terms - Sale of Goods Act 1979: Title - Description - Satisfactory Quality - Fitness for purpose - Correspondence with Sample
(c) Implied terms concerning goods supplied rather than sold under a contract - Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 - Contracts for services and the scope of such contracts. Implied terms for: care and skill; time of performance; and in relation to consideration.
(d) Passing of Property
(e) Risk, frustration and mistake
(f) Delivery
(g) Remedies - rejection and acceptance - damages for the buyer - real remedies of the seller - damages for the seller
Students will be issued with a comprehensive reading list at the start of the module.
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6