Students

LAWS5036 – Modern Corporate Governance

2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor, Lecturer, Tutor
Dr Hannah Harris
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(80cp in LAW or LAWS units incl LAWS2300) or (130cp including (MMCC2014 or MAS214) or (BUSL250 and BUSL301) or (BUSL251 or ACCG2051)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

What exactly is a corporation? Whose interests do corporations serve? How should corporations be held responsible for social or environmental harms? These are just some of the questions this course addresses. Corporations are powerful and complex legal creations with immense influence over society, economy, politics and environment. In this advanced unit, students will build on existing knowledge of business organisations and corporate law to gain deeper insight into how corporations govern themselves and how they are regulated by external actors, both in Australia and internationally. Students will engage in research and critical analysis of existing corporate governance strategies and the laws that govern corporate interactions, advancing their understanding of the actors and organisations that impact corporate governance, including: corporate boards, corporate regulators, auditors and stock exchanges. This course provides an opportunity to explore concepts such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Environmental and Social Governance (ESG), and Business and Human Rights. Students will analyse the relationships and legal obligations between corporations and their shareholders, creditors, employees and customers. 

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Understand and convey key concepts related to corporate governance and corporate regulation.
  • ULO2: Describe and analyse the context in which corporate governance policies and practices operate
  • ULO3: Examine alternative corporate law and regulatory models and assess their application
  • ULO4: Review and critique existing corporate law and regulatory strategies domestically and internationally

General Assessment Information

All written assessments submitted electronically must be submitted through the link provided in iLearn. This unit will utilise Turnitin plagiarism detection software. Students should carefully check that they submit the correct file for an assessment, as re-submissions will not be accepted after the due date and time, including instances where students upload an incorrect file in error. The design, moderation and feedback of all assessments is in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Procedure (link provided under ‘Policies and Procedures’ below). Late Submission Policy A maximum penalty of five (5) percentage points of the total possible marks will be applied per day to late submissions, for up to a maximum of seven calendar days. Tasks that have not been submitted within the maximum number of additional late days will receive a mark of zero. This provision does not apply to online exams or other assessment with a time limit of less than 24 hours. Penalties for late submission will be applied consistently and equitably to all students enrolled in the unit. Where short-term, serious and unavoidable circumstances have affected their ability to submit an assessment task, a student must submit a formal application for Special Consideration as per the Special Consideration Policy. Students should not request an informal arrangement from their tutor, lecturer or Unit Convenor. Where an application for Special Consideration is approved, and the outcome is an extension to the due date of a task, submissions that are received after the new due date will be subject to late penalties that are calculated from the new due date. This only applies where the outcome is an extension to the due date – see the Special Consideration Policy for a schedule of all possible outcomes. Special Consideration Students should submit applications for Special Consideration electronically via the Service Connect portal, along with the supporting documentation. Before submitting their applications, students should refer to the Special Consideration Policy (link provided under ‘Policies and Procedures’ below).  

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Professional Skills 20% No Ongoing
Case Studies 40% No 29 August; 19 September
Professional Writing Task 40% No 31/10/2025

Professional Skills

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will engage in classroom activities including mooting, presentations or demonstrations, structured discussion and problem solving, doctrinal analysis, simulated client consultations, and collaborative legal research. Through these activities students will develop skills in oral advocacy, legal analysis, critical reasoning, teamwork and team leadership, and/or strategic problem-solving. These activities are designed to strengthen students' ability to communicate legal concepts verbally and engage professionally within a supportive learning environment.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and convey key concepts related to corporate governance and corporate regulation.
  • Describe and analyse the context in which corporate governance policies and practices operate
  • Examine alternative corporate law and regulatory models and assess their application
  • Review and critique existing corporate law and regulatory strategies domestically and internationally

Case Studies

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 29 August; 19 September
Weighting: 40%

 

A series of case studies throughout the semester that incorporate a number of tasks described on iLearn

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Examine alternative corporate law and regulatory models and assess their application
  • Review and critique existing corporate law and regulatory strategies domestically and internationally

Professional Writing Task

Assessment Type 1: Professional writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 31/10/2025
Weighting: 40%

 

Students will research and produce a piece of writing that demonstrates professional skills relevant to modern corporate governance.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Understand and convey key concepts related to corporate governance and corporate regulation.
  • Describe and analyse the context in which corporate governance policies and practices operate
  • Examine alternative corporate law and regulatory models and assess their application
  • Review and critique existing corporate law and regulatory strategies domestically and internationally

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

The required text book is: du Plessis, Hargovan & Harris, Principles of Contemporary Corporate Governance (5thh Ed, 2024).

Other required readings and resources will be provided via iLearn.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2025.03 of the Handbook