The 14th Edition – An Introductory Guide
The Legal Environment of Business, 14th Edition was released in February 2016. Embracing both changes in the business law landscape and the changing needs and expectations of instructors and students, The 14th Edition is streamlined and updated throughout. It maintains the authors’ commitment to ensuring students acquire the foundational knowledge and skills they need to succeed in business while reinforcing the book’s reputation for quality scholarship and classroom usability.
Long-serving authors, Jeffrey F. Beatty, Susan S. Samuelson and Patricia Sanchez Abril, along with the editorial staff at Cengage Learning, have worked hard to maintain the book’s key strengths — a clear and engaging writing style, a business-oriented perspective that emphasizes the real-world implications of legal and ethical issues, and a supportive learning framework — while adding tools such as video case studies and expanded coverage of topics such as the impact of technology on business law.
Influenced by his business experience, technology background, and approach to learning, Dr. Jeffrey F. Beatty believes that success is unlocked by explaining the "why" behind concepts, not just the "what." According to Dr. Beatty, looking at it another way, the 14th edition is designed to help "make it stick," with tools that support key principles, concepts, and business law terms. Dr. Beatty is a long-time author and professor. Dr. Beatty’s book on analysis, logic and mathematics, Logic in Business, has been especially well received by students. Professor Susan S. Samuelson has written the chapter on Antitrust Laws to reflect her belief that, as a comprehensive system for protecting the interests of market participants, antitrust law extends far beyond preventing classic monopolization . The 14th edition’s coverage highlights antitrust’s role in promoting efficiency, innovation, and consumer welfare, while discussing enforcement in the digital marketplace. Professor Samuelson wants students to understand that antitrust’s relevance lies in its ability to protect competition in dynamic markets as well as static industrial structures. In addition to her work on The Legal Environment of Business, Professor Samuelson’s scholarship includes an Antitrust casebook and articles on broadcast public interest regulation and advertising law. She is the Butler Institute’s Distinguished Professor in Business Law at the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. Dr. Patricia Sanchez Abril believes that the fundamental principles of business law and the development of critical thinking and analytical skills can be used to prepare students for their future careers and for life. Building on nearly two decades of teaching experience, Dr. Sanchez Abril strives to teach students how to analyze real-world business law problems and supports that goal with integrated resources that illustrate the real-life applications of what they are learning. Dr. Sanchez Abril holds a Master of Arts in Sociology and International Economics and a J.D. from The Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has taught employment discrimination, private and public international law, contracts, and consumer law, and has acted as point person on the integration of digital and experiential learning and technology-centered pedagogy in the legal environment course. The 14th edition is the authors’ most focused edition yet. The book’s new streamlined organization, readability, study support, and updates reflect The Legal Environment of Business’s strength as the market-leading book in both business law program sales and individual course adoptions.
Features and Enhancements
The 14th edition of "The Legal Environment of Business" retains the foundational aspects that have made it a trusted resource for business students for over three decades. However, it has also undergone several important updates to ensure that it remains a cutting-edge resource that provides students with the most relevant legal context for the business environment. One of the key features of the 14th edition is its expanded focus on Internet Law, Cyber Law and e-business. The book includes expanded coverage of topics such as data privacy and identity theft, cybersecurity, and the risks and rewards of e-commerce. This reflects the fact that the digital economy has fundamentally changed the legal landscape for businesses and consumers alike, and that this transformation shows no signs of abating. Another practical update that makes this edition unique is a robust set of new cases, illustrative examples and mini-cases. These new elements are designed to promote critical thinking and active learning, providing students with the kind of real-world context far beyond the scope of standard business law texts. The 14th edition is also enhanced by a variety of business environment and professional networking resources to facilitate use in professional development and case study courses. "The Legal Environment of Business, 14th Edition" also continues the practice of using engaging writing and a user-friendly organization to aid students in applying legal principles to their business lives. In addition to all of the practical tools offered by the book, the text is replete with chapter-opening vignettes featuring "real-life" business scenarios, as well as a running set of "Business Law in Action" features that extend the teaching materials beyond the static textbook environment. The 14th edition has retained these tools and features, while continuing to expand their depth and range. Together, these features enable "The Legal Environment of Business, 14th Edition" to serve as an invaluable resource for helping students to navigate the complex world of business and law.
Primary Subject Matter and Topics Included
The Legal Environment of Business, 14th Edition, takes a comprehensive look at the most important aspects of the legal landscape facing modern-day corporations and multinational businesses. From contracts to employment law, and from the environment to cyberspace, it is critical that business managers have a firm understanding of the laws affecting them to avoid potentially disastrous litigation. This textbook effectively discusses all major areas of business law, including contracts, agency, torts, ethics, the court system and dispute resolution, alternative dispute resolution, employment law, building a diverse workforce and avoiding discrimination, intellectual property, international trade, product liability, business organization, and environmental law.
Applicability for Business Users
On the practical use level, the book has several chapters of case brief examples that can be utilized as study guides. The book also has sample exam questions that can be used by business professionals as a form of continuing education. Remember that the business environment is constantly changing. There are constantly new rules, theories and cases that are being used. As you are entering new work places, there are several things that you have to consider. Who is the owner of the business? What are the general expectations of the workers within the business? What types of insurance does the business cover? What types of liabilities are excluded by the business? It is important for all of these questions to be asked prior to continuing on with your career. This book is an excellent way to ask those hard questions.
More so, the concepts and rules of law are presented in a clear and readable way. Consider the following – for the last forty years, the United States has not added a new type of liability, which is called strict liability. It is the liability of a party without regard to fault or negligence. While this is a big concept, it is so clearly laid out within the book that it is easily understood. The book does an excellent job of breaking down the language of the strict liability rule so that it is easily understandable. It can be used as a way to open new lines of conversation and to study them among people you know. More than anything, the principles of business law can be used in your every day life. They allow you to not just think like a lawyer, but to continue on with your business career.
Implications for Learning and Editorial Review
The 14th edition of "The Legal Environment of Business" has received a great response from the education community. Its innovative dynamic in concert with its established reputation has set this textbook apart from its predecessors and other competitors to become a standard for educators teaching business law. The book has been reviewed favorably by various publications. The rental company Chegg stated, "Rental prices tend to be overpriced compared to purchase prices for textbooks. However, we felt that "The Legal Environment of Business, 14th Edition" by Nancy K. Kubasek and others was worth the price. The quality and wide range of topics covered in the text made us rate this book very highly in our reviews. It is essential that all students read this text book in its entirety to absorb all the important details within it. Whether you are an Accounting major, Marketing major, Sales major or Professor, we know that this book would come in handy for several of your courses . " A review by experts at Flashcards4U states, "We recommend this textbook because it is heavily concentrated on what it takes to operate a business in today’s competitive economy. The sections on taxation, accounting and bookkeeping are exceptional and it covers everything an aspiring young entrepreneur will need to know and more. It is the type of book you can invoice your professor for and he will appreciate the timely information in it because this is what any business will need for daily operation." Of course, it is not enough for books to be reviewed well. In addition, student responses to the text have been positive as well. An article by The Student Journal titled "Top 10 Textbooks" stated, "This book is simply a must have for those students wishing to study business at a further level. The topics are carefully presented and supplemented by large amounts of case studies and examples. There is a separate workbook available to help students learn and nail down the material even further."
A Comparison of The 13th and 14th Editions
As with many textbook iterations, the most current version of "The Legal Environment of Business" has some upgraded features from its predecessor. For instance, one of the biggest strives toward modernity has been an improved online platform. Websites and apps have been major parts of today’s education, and many textbooks have both websites and apps they provide for supplementary discussion and study material. This newest edition has a new website that allows users to watch videos of business case studies and cases. These case studies allow students to explore judicial opinions and try to figure out the cases’ outcomes themselves. These are great for showing real-world examples and enhancing student engagement.
In addition to the case studies, the website has access to the SmartBook app (by McGraw-Hill), a reading and study assistance program that allows students to highlight and copy passages from the book as they read, and helps them quiz themselves. This type of interactive learning allows students to do more than just read the textbook cover-to-cover, it’s turning the page into a much more visible form of active reading. In terms of academic programs, a newer edition makes it easier for professors not to have to spend extra time keeping up with any updates that may have occurred in the law since the last edition.
For businesses, the easy-to-navigate website allows for the field access to any content updates or recent cases to the specific sections of the textbook. The website also allows for the easy access of supplemental material that can be translated across many devices, making it easier to reference or incorporate into other materials. For these two reasons, law offices may find the 14th edition more advantageous to their needs and therefore better than the 13th.
Ultimately, both editions are highly rated. If you have been using the 13th edition and your business’s needs are entirely met by it, there is no real need to purchase the 14th edition. However, if you have a need to keep up with the changes in the law and your employees are more focused in their learning with an interaction tool like the SmartBook app, then the 14th edition is a better choice for you.
Availability and Purchase Information
The book can be accessed or purchased from a variety of platforms. Flat World Knowledge offers a variety of free online options, including digital formats for the iPad and the Kindle, via deep links to the iBookstore and the Amazon.com website. A print edition is available through Textbook Media , in both black and white and color options that are competitively priced with Wiley editions. And an affordable PDF is downloadable for $19.95 through the Flat World Knowledge website.