Enabling law students to understand business concepts: reflections on developing a business case study for corporate law

Abstract

ABSTRACT For many law students the study of corporate law presents several challenges. In addition to mastering the complexities of corporate legislation and case law, corporate law subjects provide many students with their first detailed introduction to business terminology and processes. For many students without previous backgrounds or studies in business, understanding such concepts can prove challenging. This article discusses the development of a business case study that was incorporated into the teaching of corporate law at the University of Technology Sydney from 2016. Drawing upon the extensive literature on strategies for teaching law to business students, the article explains how the business case study was pitched to progressively develop students’ understanding of business concepts covered in corporate law. A series of voluntary online surveys were used to evaluate students’ perceptions of the usefulness of the business case study in developing their understanding of business terminology and processes, with the overall feedback being highly positive. In light of the findings from this evaluation project, the article concludes by suggesting some strategies for corporate law teachers to consider in order to help students develop their understanding of business concepts.