Overview

This unit equips students with the key legal principles required to establish and manage businesses in Australia. The unit fosters innovation by providing practical knowledge of company structures, governance, principles of contract law, intellectual property, and legal compliance. Students will gain the tools to navigate legal frameworks, mitigate risks, and position their businesses for sustainable growth and investment.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Term 4
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
22-September-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
22-September-2025
Census date
10-October-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
17-October-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Analyse and compare key legal considerations when establishing different types of business structures in Australia, including sole traders, partnerships, and companies
  • Evaluate the needs of a particular new venture to set up the best governance structure for the business
  • Evaluate the needs of a particular new venture to determine how best to safeguard the interests of the entrepreneurs by means of contract or intellectual property
  • Apply practical knowledge of legal and procedural requirements for business establishment, including ASIC registration, ABNs, reporting, and regulatory compliance
  • Develop strategies to prepare for investment readiness by applying the legal principles of corporate finance
  • Work as an effective member of a team to produce an appropriate legal strategy for the start-up of a new venture

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)

On-campus Class 1

 2 12 weeks 24
Online Lecture (asynchronous) 1 12 weeks 12
Unspecified Activities Independent Learning 9.5 12 weeks 114
Total     150

Swinburne Online 

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		12.50 12 weeks 150
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULOs
Assignment 1 Group 30-50% 1,2,3,4,5,6
Assignment 2 Individual 20-40% 1,2,3,4,5
Assignment 3 Individual 10-30% 3

Content

  • Legal implications of the choice of business form
  • Fundamental principles of contract law
  • Pre-incorporation contracts and non-disclosure agreements
  • Incorporation process
  • Legal principles of corporate finance
  • Setting up the board of directors
  • Legal compliance landscape
  • Intellectual property law for start-up businesses

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.