Research Paper Assignment
The Research Paper gives you an opportunity to investigate a business that interests you and also to learn more about business law. First, choose a business that interests you. For example, you may want to research the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company. Second, choose three topics from the list below. For example, you may choose corporate social responsibility, product liability resulting from failure to warn, and product liability resulting from negligent product design. Third, research your business as it pertains to your three chosen topics. For example, conduct background research about Johnson & Johnson's approach to corporate social responsibility. For your 2 remaining topics, you could explore a recent case or controversy involving Johnson & Johnson and product liability (failure to warn and negligent product design). Finally, research best practices your business or other businesses are using to address challenges in your topic areas. For example, you can describe how Johnson & Johnson handled a case or controversy involving product liability. You can explain the role the company's social responsibility (or lack thereof) played in addressing the case or controversy. You can suggest helpful best practices you think Johnson & Johnson should adopt from other companies involved in similar situations and/or controversies. Your paper should be composed of five major sections: introduction, topic #1 as it applies to your business, topic #2 as it applies to your business, topic #3 as it applies to your business, and conclusion.
Topic List: Choose Three
1. Business Ethics: Corporate social responsibility (e.g. Enron)
2. Business Ethics: Ethical and legal issues concerning sub-prime mortgage lenders
3. Business ethics: Discuss roles of the law and ethics in business decision making.
4. Business ethics: GMO products
5. Business ethics: Encouraging ethical behavior at work
6. Business ethics: Encouraging whistle blowing
7. Business Ethics: Legal and ethical issues concerning payday loans
8. Business Ethics: Loans from employers to employees
9. Business Ethics: Legal and ethical issues concerning sport franchises or sports agents (Try googling the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act to start)
10. Business Ethics: Legal and ethical issues concerning strategic mortgage default
11. Business Ethics/Crimes: Legal and ethical issues concerning the illegal use of free Wi-Fi provided by businesses
12. Business Ethics: Legal and ethical issues concerning the rights of air travelers
13. Business Ethics: Legal and ethical issues concerning whistleblowing
14. Business Ethics/Torts: Legal and ethical issues concerning wrongful lockout (negligent foreclosure and taking possession of the property when house is not in foreclosure or is even paid off)
15. Business Ethics: Legal and ethical issues of marijuana businesses
16. Constitutional law: Takings clause
17. Constitutional law: Rights of business owners
18. Constitutional law: The free exercise of religion as it pertains to employers or employees (Examples: Google Sherbert v. Verner or Burwell v Hobby Lobby).
19. Constitutional law: Commercial freedom of speech
20. Constitutional law: Advertising and free speech (Example: Google Williams-Yullee v. Florida Bar)
21. Contracts: Duress
22. Contracts: Undue influence
23. Contracts: Misrepresentation
24. Contracts: Mistake (unilateral & mutual)
25. Contracts: Non-disclosure agreements
26. Contracts: Exclusionary clauses
27. Contracts: Non-compete clauses
28. Contracts: Breach of contract
29. Contracts: Emancipation of a minor (a.k.a. "divorcing your parents")
30. Contracts: Emancipation and child actors (Examples: Drew Barrymore, Aaron Carter, Macaulay Culkin)
31. Criminal Law: Money laundering
32. Criminal Law: Bribery
33. Criminal Law: Counterfeiting
34. Criminal Law: Mail fraud
35. Criminal Law: Wire fraud
36. Criminal Law: Racketeering
37. Criminal Law: Identity theft
38. Criminal Law: Bankruptcy fraud
39. Criminal Law: Embezzlement
40. Criminal Law: Bank fraud
41. Criminal Law: Tax evasion
42. Criminal Law: Workplace violence
43. Criminal Law: Anti-trust law violations
44. Criminal Law: Employee theft of merchandise or customer theft
45. Criminal Law: Check fraud and check washing
46. Criminal Law: Insider trading
47. Criminal Law: Civil asset forfeiture
48. Defamation of character: Public versus private figures
49. Discuss warranties imposed by law in the sale of goods.
50. Discuss Major League Baseball's exclusion from anti-trust law.
51. Employee Privacy
52. Electronic Communications Privacy Act, amended by the PATRIOT Act
53. Free speech in the workplace
54. Free speech: Employee privacy and social media
55. Gun control laws and the firearms industry
56. International business law: Commercial space law
57. International business law: Best practices of international corporations
58. International business law: Discuss how business laws differ in other countries and how that impacts your business.
59. Intentional torts
60. Liability of real estate agents
61. Liability of a principal for an agent's torts and/or crimes
62. Nuisance law and business compliance
63. Negligence
64. Product liability law (Examples: the Toyota acceleration problem, the Ford Pinto, the Tobacco industry, talc in baby products)
65. Product liability law: Negligent design
66. Product liability law: Failure to warn
67. Product liability law: Negligent manufacturing
68. Product liability law: Breach of warranty
69. Product liability law: The defense of product misuse
70. Religion in the workplace
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.