Business Law, Fifth Edition

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TO THE STUDENTS Each semester, as I stand up in front of a new group of business majors in my business law class I am struck by the thought that, cases and statutes aside, I know two very important things that they have yet to learn. The first is that I draw as much from them as they do from me. Their youth, enthusiasm, questions, and even the doubts a few of them hold about the relevance of law to their futures, fuel my teaching. They don't know that every time they open their minds to look at a point from a new perspective or critically question something they have taken for granted, I get a wonderful reward for the work that I do. The other thing I know is that both teaching and learning the law are all about stories. The stories I tell provide the framework on which students will hang everything they learn about the law in my class. It is my hope that long after the facts about the specific language of the statutes have faded, they will retain that framework. Several years from now, "unintentional torts" may draw only a glimmer of recognition with business managers who learn about them as students in my class this year. However, they will likely recall the story of the woman who sued McDonalds for serving her coffee that was too hot and caused her injuries. The story sticks and gives students the hook on which to hang the concepts. I remind myself of these two facts every time I sit down to work on writing and revising Business Law, as well. My goal is to present the law in a way that will spur students to ask questions, to go beyond rote memorization. Business law is an evolving outgrowth of its environment, and that environment keeps changing. In addition to the social, ethical, and international contexts I have incorporated in previous editions of Business Law, this fifth edition adds coverage and emphasis on the Internet and entrepreneurship as two vital catalysts to the law and a key part of its environment. It is my wish that my commitment to these goals shines through in this labor of love, and I hope you have as much pleasure in using it as I have had in creating it for you. Henry Cheeseman


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