B3845 - MANAGING LEGAL RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENTREPRENEURS

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to address and manage legal and economic risks inherent in doing business, while also defining opportunities within the entrepreneurial context. The educational objectives of the course are as follows: Provide a deep understanding of the legal risks that entrepreneurs may encounter during the creation, management, and development of a business. Identify and evaluate legal risks that may impact their entrepreneurial activity and how to develop strategies to mitigate such risks. Understand the importance of complying with laws and regulations and developing a culture of compliance within their organization. Provide participants with an overview of the key legal aspects related to employee relations, including (but not limited to) discrimination issues, workplace safety, and fair treatment. Manage intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and protect their intellectual property rights. Understand the legal implications of international operations. Identify potential legal disputes, including lawsuits, arbitration, and mediation. Provide participants with the tools and skills necessary to develop an ethical and socially responsible corporate culture. Through a combination of theoretical lectures, case studies, discussions, and group work, students in the "Managing Legal Risks and Opportunities for Entrepreneurs" course will be able to communicate legal issues clearly and persuasively to stakeholders, including customers, business partners, employees, and suppliers, while developing an entrepreneurial mindset that includes the ability to think creatively, solve problems innovatively, and leverage business opportunities.

Course contents

Please refer to learning outcomes for course contents.

Readings/Bibliography

The reference text for the course is Suveiu, Virginia A., ed. Routledge Handbook of Risk Management and the Law. Taylor & Francis, 2022.

In relation to the objectives set in the course, for those who wish to deepen their understanding, the following sections of the book can be studied:

1. Provide a deep understanding of the legal risks that entrepreneurs may encounter during the creation, management, and development of a business.
- Operational Risk Management + Deconstructing Risk Practical Understanding And Perspectives: Chapter 1 + 5

2. Identify and evaluate legal risks that may impact their entrepreneurial activity and develop strategies to mitigate such risks.
- Operational Risk Management + Deconstructing Risk Practical Understanding And Perspectives: Chapter 1 + 5

3. Understand the importance of complying with laws and regulations and developing a culture of compliance within their organization.
- The Interplay Between the Company, the Stakeholder, and the Regulators, p. 19 ff.
- Compliance definition, p. 100 ff.
- Apply Compliance Best Practice Principles, p. 177 ff.
- Operationalizing Compliance: Best Practices, p. 185 ff.

4. Provide participants with an overview of the key legal aspects related to employee relations, including (but not limited to) discrimination issues, workplace safety, and fair treatment.
- Uber case, p. 37 ff.
- Identifying and Monitoring Employees Posing Heightened Behavioral Ethics Risk, p. 62
- Mitigating Behavioral Ethics Risk, p. 64
- Internal Investigation, p. 197 ff.
- Employment and Human Resources (HR) Compliance, p. 226 ff.
- Employment-Related Risks, p. 371

5. Manage intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and protect their intellectual property rights.
- The Value of Intellectual Property (IP) Compliance, p. 232 ff.
- Intellectual Property (IP) Issues, p. 365

6. Understand the legal implications of international operations.
- OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, p. 23 ff.
- International Regulations on Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures, p. 28 ff.
- Multinational Companies Applying Ethics in International Business, p. 241 ff.
- Jurisdictions to Choose From, p. 251
- Data Privacy Considerations, p. 351 ff.

7. Identify potential legal disputes, including lawsuits, arbitration, and mediation.
- Resolution, p. 116 ff.
- Arbitration, p. 217 ff.
- Chocolate Cases, p. 32 ff.
- Records Management Enables Appropriate Responses to Litigation, p. 326 ff.

8. Provide participants with the tools and skills necessary to develop an ethical and socially responsible corporate culture.
- Ethics and Compliance Scandals: Wells Fargo, Uber, Google, p. 34 ff.
- Behavioral Ethics Risk: What It Is and How It Spreads, p. 53
- Creating an Ethical Organization From a Human Resources Viewpoint, p. 212 ff.

Teaching methods

The teaching methods include theoretical lectures, case studies, discussions, and analysis of hypothetical scenarios.

Assessment methods

Students will be required to answer three open-ended questions on the final exam, related to the materials discussed in class. Two questions will pertain to the theoretical definitions and frameworks explained during the course, while the final question will involve identifying and resolving a practical case (similar to those mentioned in the book and/or in class). The exam will be graded on a pass/fail basis only.

Teaching tools

At the end of each lesson, the slides and recordings will be made available.

Office hours

See the website of Umberto Nizza