Overview

Google, IBM & Meta Certificates – 40% Off

One plan covers every Professional Certificate on Coursera.

Learn how commercial transactions are structured, how business organizations are formed, and how legal rules shape everyday business decisions. In this course, you’ll explore key areas of business law, including sales of goods under the UCC, warranties, agency relationships, business entities, corporate governance, commercial leases, intellectual property, payment systems, creditor rights, and bankruptcy. You’ll build practical legal awareness you can use to evaluate contracts, understand business liability, recognize risk, and make more informed decisions in professional settings. Along the way, you’ll see how legal concepts show up in real business scenarios: a supplier dispute, an unauthorized contract, a partnership gone sideways, a commercial lease problem, or a customer who cannot pay. This course is designed for learners who want business law to feel useful, relevant, and approachable. Whether you work in management, HR, operations, entrepreneurship, finance, or another business role, you’ll come away with a stronger foundation for navigating commercial relationships and organizational risk.

Syllabus

Structuring Commercial Transactions and Agency Relationships

Navigating the legal landscape of business is essential for managing risk and structuring successful relationships. This module covers the Uniform Commercial Code’s rules for selling goods, warranty protections, and the dynamics of agency creation and liability. By the end, you will be able to evaluate commercial contracts, manage warranty exposures, and structure agency relationships to limit organizational liability.

Structuring and Governing Business Organizations

Choosing the right business structure is critical for managing liability and facilitating organizational growth. This module covers the formation, governance, and risk profiles of sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations. By the end, you will be able to evaluate structural options, identify governance duties, and protect personal and organizational assets against legal claims.

Managing Business Property, Intellectual Assets, and Financial Risks

Protecting your company's physical, intellectual, and financial assets is vital for long-term survival. This module explores commercial real estate leases, the various forms of intellectual property protection, negotiable instruments, and bankruptcy law. By the end, you will be able to negotiate property agreements, safeguard proprietary innovations, evaluate commercial payment obligations, and navigate creditor risks when a client faces financial distress.

Applying Business Law to Commercial Decisions

In this final module, you’ll bring together the legal rules that shape commercial transactions, business structures, property interests, payment systems, and financial distress. You’ll practice evaluating business scenarios where contracts, authority, liability, governance, and asset protection overlap. By the end, you’ll be able to apply legal judgment to identify risks, compare options, and support better business decisions.