The game: a business law class competition.

Ostapski, S. Andrew ; Cunningham, Donna J. ; Williams, Jane 等

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, business law and legal environment instructors have left the comforts of the traditional lecture-based style of teaching to explore a variety of innovative teaching techniques that emphasize student experiential learning. These include writing exercises in which students take a few minutes before the end of class to jot down reflections about what they have learned in class that day (Sparrow, 2001), simulations in which students use role playing to understand the relationship between legal concepts and procedures (Corrada, 1996), and games in which students answer substantive law questions in an activity modeled after a popular game show (Rosato, 1995).

There are several reasons for this pedagogical transition from purely lecture-based teaching. Studies have shown that certain students are more motivated to learn when they are active participants in the educational process. (Rosato, 1995) The students attend class more frequently when there are course activities that must be done in class. (Friedman, Rodriguez & McComb, 2001) Perhaps, most importantly, through learner-centered activities, students can practice such necessary business skills as resource management, interpersonal communication, information management, systems management, and the use of technology. (Kendall, 1999) "Practical learning enables young people to enter the world of work with the confidence to tackle everyday problems." (Powell, 2005) Given the positive response of students to these alternative student-centered teaching methods, it should come as no surprise that students categorize teachers as "best" or "worst" based in part on whether the professor utilizes a variety of teaching methods. (Brown & Tomlin, 1996)

One way to think (and teach) outside of the traditional teaching box is to incorporate into business law and legal environment courses (referred to hereinafter as legal studies courses) a content-based, semester-long learning activity called THE GAME. Similar to a board game or quiz show in which participants must perform various tasks and answer questions in order to outsmart each other and be declared the winner, THE GAME motivates students to seek knowledge, document their work, strategize, and cooperate as a team in a way that reflects real life business challenges. And, as in real life, THE GAME also teaches that, despite a person's best efforts, the results may not be as anticipated, and the expected rewards may not materialize.

The instructor's goals of THE GAME are to encourage students to (1) read their textbooks and supplemental materials in preparation for class; (2) work together as accountable team players within an organized structure; (3) use web-based technology to research assigned problems and communicate among the team members to formulate solutions; (4) follow the technical rules of THE GAME as carefully as businesses are required to follow statutes and agency regulations; and (5) keep a detailed record of their activities by means of a LOGBOOK.

THE GAME is designed so that its implementation and administration will not suffer from the negative aspects of most experiential learning activities, such as the sacrifice of substantive learning time, administrative headaches, and unrealistic teacher preparation requirements. (Dallas, 1995) In fact, experience gained over several years with both undergraduates and graduates showed that THE GAME worked best when the instructor allowed the teams to manage themselves and develop their own style of learning.

DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME

An Overview

Student teams will draw at random a card which will assign a task to be performed. This is accomplished by the instructor's preparation of five playing-card-sized index cards which either assign a legal research project, or require the team to create or to answer questions regarding assigned reading materials, or present other options. As they carry on the activities of THE GAME, the teams are responsible for dividing the work among their members, earning points by successfully accomplishing the task assigned, and by recording their activities in a LOGBOOK. Learning activities and record-keeping activities each constitute about half of the team's ultimate score. THE GAME concludes with a FINAL CONFRONTATION, in which all questions are presented and answered, and a winning team is declared.

Group Size

The class is divided into three approximately equal sections. For optimum results, each section should consist of three to sixteen members. A smaller section does not have enough team members to do the work; a larger section becomes unwieldy.

Within the optimum sized sections, smaller or larger-sized groups encounter the kinds of issues which similarly sized businesses encounter. Smaller group sizes are usually easier to manage, but the group members' workloads are greater. In larger groups, the team members' individual workloads decrease, but leadership, communication, and management of human resources become much more important concerns. These are skills that some businesses have sought to develop in employees through the use of games and simulation activities. (Brotherton, 1999) THE GAME also serves this purpose.

The Cards

There are 5 types of cards:

THE PROJECT CARD

THE PROJECT CARD represents a research project involving a humorous, hypothetical legal dispute to be assigned by the instructor to the team drawing the PROJECT card. The team must propose a solution, and present it to the class on the due date a few days in the future (Game Day). THE PROJECT presentation has a scoring value of zero to ten points, in the discretion of the instructor.

Strategy

The PROJECT CARD TEAM's presentation may be challenged by another team, and if that team's presentation is better, some or all of the points awarded for the PROJECT TEAM'S presentation may be taken away. This gives the PROJECT CARD team a great incentive to create an excellent presentation. Just as in business, even a likely sale may be lost to a competitor.

THE TEN QUESTIONS CARD

The team that draws THE TEN QUESTIONS card must create a set of ten objective questions derived from the assigned reading, to be approved by the instructor. (In order to accomplish this, the team prepares twenty questions, and the instructor uses discretion to choose the ten most appropriate ones.) The questions will be administered as a quiz to be answered on Game Day by another team (or possibly two teams; see infra). The TEN QUESTIONS have a scoring value of up to ten points for correctly answered questions.

Strategy

The team drawing the TEN QUESTIONS card does not earn points for creating the questions. The TEN QUESTIONS team may earn points only if the team answering the questions fails to "pass" the test. (In order to "pass" a test, 70% of the team members must earn 70% or more. However, the team of test-takers will always earn the average score of its members, expressed in whole numbers, even if they "fail" the test.) If the team answering fails, all points that team could have earned will be awarded instead to the TEN QUESTIONS team. The objective, then, for the TEN QUESTIONS team is to make the questions challenging. The instructor must make certain that the questions are fair.

THE O CARD

The team that draws this card must answer the TEN QUESTIONS. The TEN QUESTIONS will be administered in writing, as a quiz, which takes about five minutes. If at least 70% of the O CARD team members earn 70% or more, the O CARD team will have "passed" the test, and will earn up to 10 points. The O CARD team's score is computed by taking the average of the scores for each team member. However, if the O CARD team does not meet that passing threshold, it "fails" the test, and earns only the average of the team members' scores. In that case, ten points are awarded to the TEN QUESTIONS team.

Strategy

If the O CARD team is to earn any points, it must be well-prepared. In addition, for the O CARD team, a complication arises if the X CARD team also decides to answer the TEN QUESTIONS, as is their right (see infra). In that event, each team may earn up to ten points, but the failing team can only lose 5 points. If both teams fail, the total points lost would be ten. Thus, the O CARD team is competing not only with the TEN QUESTIONS team, but also, perhaps, with the X CARD team.

THE X CARD

The team that draws the X CARD may answer the TEN QUESTIONS, challenge the team that has made THE PROJECT presentation, or do both. If the X CARD team chooses to answer the TEN QUESTIONS, the members must "pass" the test to prevent the TEN QUESTIONS team from scoring. (Recall that to "pass" the test, at least 70% of their members must earn at least 70% on the test). If they fail, they will nevertheless earn the average of the scores earned by their team members, expressed in whole numbers.

If the X CARD team instead chooses to challenge the presentation made by the PROJECT CARD team, they must work to deliver a better presentation at the next class meeting. If the X TEAM's presentation is better than that of the original PROJECT team, the X team may be awarded some or all of the points awarded to the original PROJECT team, in the discretion of the instructor, up to a possible ten points. It is possible for a team to have a total negative number of points.

Strategy

If the team's members decide to answer the TEN QUESTIONS, they may earn up to ten points. If they decide to challenge the PROJECT team, they may earn up to ten points. Their first strategic decision is to decide which task(s) to undertake, or to undertake both at the cost of additional time and effort. In making that decision, they must consider not only the potential points to be made, but the strengths and weaknesses of their team members, the workload involved and the time available. Just as in business, a multitude of factors must be considered in making a strategic business decision.

THE WILD CARD

If a team first draws THE WILD CARD, the instructor turns over the remaining cards, and the team may choose from among those. The team will then have the option(s) presented by that card, along with its scoring possibilities.

Time Required

The luck of the draw determines the number of activities to take place on Game Day but both THE PROJECT and the TEN QUESTIONS quiz can be easily completed within a half hour, leaving enough time for lecture or other activities.

Presentation of THE PROJECT should be limited to twenty minutes. The TEN QUESTIONS test should last no more than five minutes. Administrative issues concerning THE GAME, such as discussion of the rules, may consume an additional five to eight minutes. In a typical Game Day class period, the total time commitment should be less than thirty minutes. The term's FINAL CONFRONTATION, the activity that reviews all of the sets of TEN QUESTIONS used throughout the term, should stop after one hour or when all the questions have been correctly answered.

Physical Setting

Ordinarily, a regular classroom should be sufficient for conducting THE PROJECT or THE TEN QUESTIONS exercises. For the FINAL CONFRONTATION, it may be helpful to use a lecture hall, which would allow the instructor to segregate the teams into different sections of the hall, and also to designate an area as the PIT. (See infra.)

E. Materials & Equipment Needed

Students may require a computer station with appropriate software and Internet access to make PROJECT presentations in the classroom. If they are unavailable, an overhead machine or handouts for each student would be adequate substitutes.

THE PROGRESS OF THE GAME

Formation of Teams

First, the instructor reads the rules of THE GAME. (The SHORT FORM rules of THE GAME, to be distributed to class members, may be found in Appendix 1.) Next, teams are formed. Students are asked to divide themselves into three more or less equally numbered teams: THE RED, THE WHITE, and THE BLUE teams, within two minutes. After the time elapses, the instructor randomly assigns any participants without a team in order to equalize the groups. Then, each team must elect a leader and a co-leader within two minutes. After the time elapses, any team without a leader or co-leader will have one randomly assigned by the instructor. Leaders can be removed and their replacements elected at any time by majority of the team members.

The Game Begins

The instructor brings the five "task" cards (PROJECT, 10 QUESTIONS, X, O and WILD), and lays them face down on a desk or table.

THE GAME begins when a representative of each team chooses one of the cards. The card drawn will determine the team's first assigned task. However, if a team draws the WILD CARD, then the instructor will turn over the cards remaining, and the team will choose from among those.

The Game Progresses

PROJECTS are presented and perhaps challenged, and X and/or O teams answer the TEN QUESTIONS, each team improving its score with good presentations and correct answers, losing points to better presentations, or failing to earn points because of incorrect answers. If a PROJECT challenge is successful, the instructor will award to the challenging team some of the points previously awarded to the original presenting team for its presentation. If a team fails the TEN QUESTIONS test, then the TEN QUESTIONS team will earn ten points. The team of test takers will always earn the average score of its members expressed in whole numbers. THE GAME continues in this fashion throughout the semester, addressing each topic chosen by the instructor.

THE FINAL CONFRONTATION

Lessons learned throughout the term are put to the test during the final phase of THE GAME. In open class, the instructor will verbally ask a question drawn from the pool of all of the sets of TEN QUESTIONS used during the course of the term. Any member from any team may answer. The first person to respond to a question gets the opportunity to answer verbally. If the student answers correctly, the student becomes a WINNER; the WINNER's team earns one point and the WINNER gets a token reward, such as a penny.

If the student answers incorrectly, the student giving the wrong answer becomes a LOSER and is held in the PIT (an area designated by the instructor), isolated from his or her teammates. The LOSER may not participate in THE GAME until the student's release is earned. If the LOSER's team subsequently answers a question correctly, then the LOSER may be released, but no points will be earned. However, the team may make the strategic decision to leave the team member in the PIT and instead earn points.

A question which is answered incorrectly may be asked repeatedly until it is correctly answered. If one team is completely eliminated, then the remaining two teams may continue to compete until (1) all the questions in the pool have been asked, (2) only one team remains, or (3) the instructor decides to end the game.

FOR THE INSTRUCTOR: OPERATIONAL DETAILS OF THE GAME

The Project Card

One or two legal issues are contained in THE PROJECT scenario, which is a humorous, hypothetical situation relating to the recently covered material. THE PROJECT, researched and presented by the team that draws THE PROJECT card, should demonstrate, within twenty minutes, how the legal issue may be practically resolved. Legal and business issues should be presented in a humorous way to maintain the interest of the students. However, the more practical the situation presented is, the more immediate and effective are the learning results. (Smith, 2005) Hypothetical situations for undergraduate and graduate PROJECTS may be found in Appendix 2.

THE GAME SUPPLEMENTS LECTURE

Anecdotal evidence, derived mostly from students' comments, supports the conclusion that greater learning takes place when students experience THE GAME along with traditional lecture. (See BUSINESS LAW: THE GAME Message Index at http://www.valdosta.edu/cgi-bin/sostapsk/classbbs/thegame/config.pl for a partial list of comments. One student stated, "The ten questions helps me stay on top of my reading in class." Another student commented, "The Game has helped me learn and prepare for the tests better than just reading the book. I have learned to apply the information in real life situations (sic)."

Scheduling; Frequency

No fixed schedule is required for playing THE GAME. Based on class considerations, the instructor decides how to integrate THE GAME into the course curriculum to achieve the objectives stated in the syllabus. THE GAME may be played when a key topic is discussed in class. If a structured time frame is important, the instructor may schedule each round of play every other week, or some other period, during the semester to maintain a learning momentum. THE PROJECT and the TEN QUESTIONS exercises may cover the same material to reinforce students' understanding or may be applied to different topics for increased coverage of the materials.

Topics

Absent special circumstances, THE GAME may be played whenever a new area of law is covered. A group of suggested topics would be, for example, the Judicial System and Litigation, Contract Law, Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions, Agency and Private Employment Law, Non-Corporate Business Entities, Corporate Law, and Securities Regulation. On the average, THE GAME may be played, time permitting, about seven times during the academic term.

THE LOGBOOK

At the inception of THE GAME, no particular instructions are given for maintaining the logbook. However, the instructor makes a preliminary review of each team's log within the first three weeks of class and issues a brief memo to each group as to how it may be improved. Students learn that adequate documentation must be created to build team unity and to properly record events pertaining to THE GAME, including individual student contributions to game play. Accomplishing this task is a significant learning activity. Unlike other exercises, THE GAME stresses the importance of effective documentation, which can be crucial in real business situations. (Kreiter, 2006; Morris, 2006; Wagner, 2006) The students' efforts to prepare complete documentation pertaining to THE GAME provide experience which may help them to better document during their business careers. The importance of documentation cannot be understated. To emphasize this point, the LOGBOOK accounts for about one-third of each student's possible score.

Graded Activity & Scoring

A student's individual grade for THE GAME is determined from the average of (1) the score for PROJECTS and TEN QUESTIONS, (2) the LOGBOOK grade, and (3) the score for the evaluation done by the leader and the assigned peer. However, the instructor may award extra credit points.

Scores earned by a team for PROJECTS and TEN QUESTIONS are averaged, and then converted to a scale of 100 points. After the FINAL CONFRONTATION, the overall point standing among the teams may be used as the basis for awarding extra credit points. For example, a distribution could be as follows: third place would earn no points; second place would result in one extra point; the winning team would earn two extra points to each member's final grade.

The team's LOGBOOK, both hard-copy and on disk, along with each student's documented contributions, are graded on a 100 point scale, awarding individual grades to each team member based upon participation, and then this individual grade is assigned to the respective team member.

Peer and instructor evaluations make up the third main component of a student's score. Each team leader makes random evaluation assignments within the team, so that each team member evaluates the leader and one other assigned peer on a scale from 1-10. The leader evaluates everyone in the group on that same scale. In addition, the instructor assigns grades to all the leaders on a scale of 1-10. These scores are then averaged on a scale of 100 for an evaluation score that is assigned to each individual player.

The scores for PROJECTS and TEN QUESTIONS (including any extra credit points), for the LOGBOOK, and for the evaluations, are averaged to determine each student's final grade for THE GAME.

DEBRIEFING AND ASSESSMENT

At the conclusion of the FINAL CONFRONTATION, the instructor should solicit student comments concerning THE GAME, either in writing or orally, or both. What were the lessons learned, the values taught, and what was the nature of the experience? The players should also honestly assess themselves, each other, and their leadership. The discussion of all of these matters should emphasize how the experience parallels real life and all of its complexities.

RESULTS

THE GAME has been used in both the graduate and undergraduate classes of the first author of this paper since the summer semester of 1999, with positive results. Overall, students were better prepared for class, performed better on tests, and seemed to have a greater appreciation of class time. Graduate students generally outperformed the undergraduates as to content and presentation, but both groups displayed creativity in dealing with the assigned tasks. Undergraduate night students, who worked full-time, did not particularly like THE GAME because they perceived it as overly time consuming in relation to the time available for study and meeting with teammates.

Over time, experience with THE GAME has led the first author, as instructor, to allow the team's group development to progress with little interference. As procedural issues arose, the instructor referred the students to the handout (Appendix 1), which contained the short form rules of THE GAME. On substantive matters, the instructor refrained from correcting erroneous information on minor issues during PROJECT presentations. However, corrections were immediately made concerning key points stated erroneously where accurate understanding by the class was vital.

The perceptions of the students regarding THE GAME changed over the course of the semester. Initially, some students resisted playing THE GAME because they perceived the rules as complex and too work intensive. But, they soon realized that teamwork was the key to efficiency and that the rules, just like other directions, became more familiar the more they were applied. Many of the key legal concepts that appeared as part of the TEN QUESTIONS also later became a part of a regular test. Because of this consistency, the great majority of students viewed the TEN QUESTIONS as a useful tool for test preparation. Individual test scores generally improved since students made more effort to study the assigned material because of peer pressure to improve the score of their team.

The classroom analysis that followed the evaluations and discussion of THE GAME itself provided a form of debriefing in which students were able to synthesize what they learned through playing THE GAME. They came to realize, both in terms of content and of personal characteristics, the kinds of attributes that were necessary for success in the business world. In many respects, this debriefing analysis was just as important as taking part in the experience itself. (Dennehy, Sims & Collins, 1998)

CONCLUSION

Use of THE GAME in the classroom provides a way to increase student interest in the course material, promote better study habits, and offer an experiential learning process with simulated "real life" challenges. THE GAME has been utilized over several years, with positive results. Students are motivated to excel in ways that traditional lecture cannot achieve. Students gain experience in and learn the importance of knowledge, skills, documentation, teamwork, strategy, timing, and decision-making, and THE GAME exposes them to competition, in preparation for careers in a business environment. The spirit of competition will encourage students to learn from themselves and from each other. A post-competition discussion of the nature of the experience is just as vital as undergoing the experience itself.

Although THE GAME, as developed above, was applied to a legal studies course format, it may easily be altered to be specific to other disciplines.

APPENDIX 1

SHORT FORM RULES OF THE GAME

THE GAME is a learning exercise which demonstrates how law or any set of regulations effects business activity. Everyone in the classroom is in THE GAME regardless of choice. So get ready to play.

When we begin, class members will divide themselves within two minutes into three, more or less, equally numbered teams: THE RED, THE WHITE, and THE BLUE. After the time elapses, the instructor randomly assigns those participants without a team to one of them so that everyone is a member of a team.

Next, each team must elect a leader and a co-leader within two minutes. After the time elapses, the instructor will randomly select a leader and a co-leader for any team that has failed to select one. Leaders can be removed and their replacements elected at any time by majority decision of members within the individual group.

Teams are responsible for determining their own work assignments. Teams must keep a concise written LOGBOOK of their activities. The team must submit THE LOGBOOK for review during the semester, and in hard copy and on disk at the end of the semester for final grading. THE LOGBOOK score will constitute one-third of the grade for THE GAME.

THE GAME begins when each team, through its representative, receives its first task by selecting a card from among five cards presented face down. The card drawn may be any of the following:

THE PROJECT CARD: Due on the assigned date, a project on a given topic is assigned by the instructor. After it is presented, the instructor rates this effort on a scale of 1 to 10.

THE TEN QUESTIONS CARD: The group with this card creates twenty objective questions, ten of which will be approved by the instructor on the assigned reading for those teams that have selected the O or the X cards. If 31% of the test takers get below 70% on the test, then the team producing the questions gains a total of ten points from the sole group taking the test or five points taken from each group, if both teams are involved.

THE X CARD: The group selecting this card can challenge THE PROJECT presentation and deliver a better product at the next class meeting. The X group can take some or all of the points awarded to THE PROJECT team for its presentation, in the discretion of the instructor. As test takers in answering THE TEN QUESTIONS, the X team will be given the average test score from one to ten, expressed in whole numbers.

THE O CARD: Members who hold this card can take the TEN QUESTIONS test but are powerless to do anything else. The average test score in whole numbers will be assigned to the group.

THE WILD CARD allows the team to chose within two minutes what role it will play from the remaining turned over cards. If a choice is not made within two minutes, the instructor will make the choice for the group.

Absent special circumstances, THE GAME will be played whenever possible. At the end of the term, grades for (1) THE PROJECTS and TEN QUESTIONS, (2) the LOGBOOK, and (3) the evaluations will be averaged based on 100, for a final grade for each team player. Extra credit points to the final grade may be awarded by the instructor to the teams in relation to the final score among them.

APPENDIX 2

UNDERGRADUATE PROJECT 1

Temper Tantrum, who lives in Valdosta, Georgia, has a dispute with Loathsome Mind over the value of Target, Temper's hunting dog, who was run over and killed by Loathsome on New Year's Day. Tell Temper how to find the courthouse and advise him as to what legal steps he should take.

PROJECT 2

Sandy Locks drove from Hahira to Valdosta, Georgia, in order to get a haircut from Plenty Scissors at the Bon Salon. When the time comes, Sandy quietly takes a seat in Plenty's chair and ends up with no hair. Sandy refuses to pay and sues for breach of contract. Plenty defends by saying that there were no contractual terms in the first place. Will Sandy recover from Plenty or end up with nothing?

PROJECT 3

Bummer Joke lives and works at the YMCA extension in Lake Park, Georgia. Trip Switch orally offers Bummer free rent and a lousy salary for work at the Power Outage Apartments, a small complex in Valdosta. Joke orally agrees to manage the property for six months. Two months later, on Sadie Hawkins Day, Bummer gets a better deal when Francis Looney, who is sweet sixteen, proposes marriage. He relocates to Quitman where Francis and the entire Looney family live. Bummer is now out of work but desperately in love. Trip is bummed out. What are the legal implications?

PROJECT 4

Idio T. Lee, who does not know how to write, decides to trade his hunting dog, Runaway, to Over Thear for an old pick up truck worth about $600.00. Two days later, Runaway gets away from Thear and causes an accident. To avoid Runaway, Tremont Driver veers off Bemiss Road and hits a tree near Moody Air Force Base. Tremont wants the damage recovery to go to Opportune Pawn for a preexisting $10,000 debt. Over wants the old truck back to bargain with Tremont. In any case, Over wants to end his deal with Idio and give Runaway the boot. Discuss the legal implications.

PROJECT 5

BJ Mower cuts Leslie's lawn every few weeks. This week BJ found mole crickets all over Leslie's yard. Leslie wants some pesticide applied right away. That afternoon, BJ buys two cans of BugGone from the hardware store in downtown Valdosta. The product comes with a full warranty stating it safely eliminates pests. After reading the instructions, BJ applies BugGone according to the directions. The next day, Leslie finds her pet, Tabby, dead in the grass among the busy mole crickets. What can Leslie legally do?

PROJECT 6

After winning the Georgia lottery, Lucky decides to share the wealth with the people he encounters in his hometown of Valdosta. He has no checkbook but on any scrap of paper, he writes "pay to" with the person's name and tells that payee to receive payment at the Park Avenue Bank, the place where he deposited his money. Will Lucky's payees be as lucky as him? Does it make any difference if the scrap of paper indicates "pay to bearer?"

PROJECT 7

Tia Maria, the richest and busiest person in Valdosta, gives a power of attorney to her alcoholic accountant, C.P. Able, to make sure that her bills get paid on time. After passing out in his office, he goes into intensive rehab for two months. At the clinic, Able fails to pay Tia's bills but uses the power of attorney to transfer funds to his pretty therapist, Siam Sober. Tia's creditors think she is an irresponsible deadbeat. What can Tia do?

PROJECT 8

After finding an empty lot, Season Cook pitches a tent on St. Augustine Road in Valdosta and operates an open-air grill and barbecue stand. The food and business are both good. One of the customers, Honey Loaf, decides to help Season without objection. After two weeks, Honey asks for a share of the profits. Season insists that she is not a partner and is entitled to nothing. Adding to this unsavory trouble, Season is told by local authorities that he is in violation of Valdosta's zoning laws. Discuss the legal issues at stake.

GRADUATE PROJECT 1

According to Paul Simon, "There are at least 50 ways to leave a lover." Detail all the ways you can leave the other contracting party holding the bag of obligation while you suffer little, if any, consequence for your failure to perform fully. If you can walk away from completing your agreement, why is it not an illusory promise? Can the lover in the Paul Simon song sue for any kind of recovery?

PROJECT 2

Ever Cash Poor has just discovered that UCC Articles 3 and 4 facilitate the flow of what he likes best--money. He wants to know all the slick ways that the bank uses the law to get and keep money at his expense.

PROJECT 3

Over the years, Claire D. Lune has offered anyone willing to join her somewhat strange business opportunities such as earthworm farms, prints of artistic works, and other get-rich schemes. Val D'osta just lost her life savings of $3000 after getting involved in one of Claire's loony deals. Are Claire's business ventures subject to regulation? What kind of government response can Val expect?

PROJECT 4

Terry Ball is bad to the bone. He studied the bankruptcy code and Georgia's list of exemptions so he could take full advantage of creditors, family and friends within the letter of the law while minimizing his own personal liability. For example, among his many dealings, his rental property on Patterson Street is a fire hazard because of poor wiring. Instead of fixing the premises, Terry merely increased his fire insurance coverage with the hope that a blaze would soon occur. Detail the ways that Ball can reach his objectives legally.

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S. Andrew Ostapski, Valdosta State University

Donna J. Cunningham, Valdosta State University

Jane Williams, J.D., Attorney-at-Law