CBI 510 · Business Law, Ethics, Sustainability & Risk
Find the legal and ethical risk in a decision before it costs you
In about seven weeks at nine hours a week, learn to read a contract for its risks, test a decision against four ethical lenses, price what could go wrong and know exactly when to call a lawyer.
For founders, owners and managers who sign contracts, hire people and make claims to customers without a lawyer in the room.
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What you'll learn
Everything you will learn in Business Law, Ethics, Sustainability & Risk
37 topics, taught at graduate level and explained from first principles.
- 37 topics
- 59 hours of study
- 13-chapter textbook
- Graduate level
01Law, ethics and jurisdiction
- Trace a rule to its source: constitution, statute, regulation, common law, contract
- Tell civil from criminal liability, and see how a company can face both for the same conduct
- Work out which country's court or regulator has power over a decision
- Run a decision through issue, rule, application and conclusion, then the four ethical lenses
- Compute the expected cost of non-compliance, and see why it is never the whole answer
- Recognize the triggers that mean it is time to call a lawyer
02The company, its owners and its directors
- Choose between sole trader, partnership, corporation and LLC
- Know what limited liability protects and how owners lose it
- Apply directors' duties of care and loyalty to a conflict of interest
- Tell the business judgment rule from the entire-fairness test
- Read a term sheet: board seats, reserved matters, liquidation preference, drag and tag rights
- Map what a minority investor can and cannot block
03Contracts, harm and people
- Test whether a contract was formed: offer, acceptance, consideration, intent
- Read a supply agreement for who bears each risk, up to what amount, for what conduct
- Compute expectation damages and see how caps, mitigation and foreseeability limit them
- Spot the clauses a contract is missing before you sign
- Use the Hand formula to decide whether a precaution is worth its cost
- Classify a product claim: manufacturing defect, design defect, failure to warn
- Tell an employee from a contractor, compute overtime and price the cost of misclassification
04Intellectual property and AI
- Build an IP register and choose patent, trademark, copyright or trade secret for each asset
- Protect a trade secret with reasonable steps, and see how careless disclosure loses it
- Clear a brand name for a new country before launch
- Judge whether AI-generated content can be owned and whether it is safe to use
- Write a one-page AI-use policy for your team
05Markets, claims and data
- Tell a cartel offer from a lawful arrangement, and know what to do when a rival proposes one
- Estimate foreclosure from an exclusivity deal
- Review a marketing claim, label or subscription term for substantiation before it goes out
- Map the personal data you hold and name the controller and processor
- Choose a lawful basis for processing and plan a cross-border data transfer
- Classify an AI tool under the EU AI Act's risk tiers and plan the first steps after a data breach
06Sustainability, risk and crisis
- Score a double-materiality screen
- Measure a carbon footprint across Scopes 1, 2 and 3, and test what share a green claim really covers
- Map a supply chain's known and unknown tiers and run the due-diligence cycle
- Build a scored risk register and compute expected annual loss
- Set a risk appetite, choose tolerate, treat, transfer or terminate, and read an insurance policy for its limit, retention and exclusions
- Screen an agent for bribery red flags under US and UK rules
- Write the first-day plan for a recall or crisis, and an integrated review with conditions and lawyer triggers
All 37 topics for $149. One-time payment, lifetime access.
Requirements
What you need to start
Very little. The course is built for people who have not studied this before.
- No experience required. The course starts from what law is and where it comes from.
- No legal background needed. Every term is explained in plain words the first time it appears.
- No plan to become a lawyer. This is a manager's course, not legal advice. It teaches principles and when to call a lawyer.
- No paid software required. A free spreadsheet such as Google Sheets is enough.
- No advanced math. Percentages and multiplication: a probability times an amount.
- No programming knowledge needed.
- No degree required. You do not need to have studied business or law before.
- A phone, tablet or computer. Any device with an internet connection.
- English. Every class has captions.
Is this for you?
Who this course is for
- Founders negotiating with investors or partners
- Owners signing supply, lease or distribution contracts
- Managers expanding into a new country
- Marketing leads who sign off on claims and labels
- Operations managers responsible for product safety and recalls
- HR and people managers who hire, schedule and classify workers
- Product and technology leads adopting AI tools
- Anyone whose team holds customer data
- Procurement and sustainability leads who audit suppliers or make environmental claims
- Finance and risk staff building a risk register or buying insurance
- Board members, directors and trustees
- Engineers and technical leads moving into general management
- People buying, selling or inheriting a business
- Students preparing for graduate business study
- Career changers who want graduate-level training in law, ethics and risk
Not for you ifyou want live lectures or a study group. Everything here is self-paced.
Look inside
See a class, a study card and the marking before you pay.
Watch the opening of class one, flip a real study card, and see exactly how your work is judged.
One of 48. Each returns just before you would forget it, so the course stays with you.
Case 2: Lawful, Defensible, Survivable. You see the rubric before you start, and get written feedback on every criterion.
The full textbook and the study guide written to it, so you can look anything up after you finish.
The classes
Every class, in the order you will need it.
01Law, Ethics, and the Rules of the GameTrace a rule to its source, tell civil from criminal, run a decision through four ethical lenses and compute the expected cost of non-compliance
- A label that costs nothing to print
- Two questions hide in every decision
- The big idea and the four parts
02Business Forms, Directors' Duties, and GovernanceChoose a business form, see where limited liability fails, apply directors' duties to a conflict and read a term sheet's board seats and veto rights
- The roaster and the question
- The big idea and the five parts
- When the business is just a person
03Contracts and RemediesTest whether a contract was formed, read a supply agreement for its risk allocation, compute damages for a breach and list the clauses it is missing
- From the company to its promises
- A fee, a minimum, and a cap
- Why contracts exist, and the big idea
04Torts, Product Liability, and Employment DutiesUse the Hand formula to decide if a precaution is worth it, classify a product defect, compute overtime and the cost of misclassifying a contractor
- From pricing risk to paying for harm
- A piece of metal in a bag of coffee
- The big idea and the four parts
05Intellectual Property and AI-Generated ContentBuild an IP register, choose patent, trademark, copyright or trade secret for each asset, clear a brand for a new country and judge whether AI-made content is protectable
- From harm to ownership
- Three assets behind one launch
- The big idea and the five parts
06Competition and Consumer ProtectionTell a cartel offer from lawful cooperation, estimate foreclosure from an exclusivity deal and review a marketing claim for substantiation before it goes out
- From protecting what you own to the limits on how you compete
- An offer at the trade show
- The big idea and the five parts
07Data Protection and AI RegulationMap the personal data you hold, name controller and processor, choose a lawful basis, classify an AI tool by risk tier and draft a breach response
- From honest claims to personal data
- A trail of small facts
- The big idea and the four parts
08Sustainability, Supply Chains, and GreenwashingScore a materiality screen, measure a carbon footprint across Scopes 1 to 3, test whether a green claim is supportable and map a supply chain's unknown tiers
- From data to the planet and the supply chain
- A label that costs eleven thousand dollars
- The big idea and the five parts
09Risk, Compliance, Anti-Corruption, and Crisis ResponseBuild a scored risk register, set a risk appetite, assign tolerate, treat, transfer or terminate, screen an agent for bribery red flags and write a first-day crisis plan
- From claims you can prove to losses you can survive
- The roaster's worst days
- The big idea and the five parts
10Review of the UK Launch and Investor Offer, Integrated Case, Ethics, and Individual AssessmentWrite an integrated legal, ethical and risk review of a launch and an investor offer, rank the issues, set conditions and say exactly what to ask a lawyer
- One decision, three tests
- One plan, five weak points
- Three tests, three ways to fail
When you will see results
You will use it at work before you finish.
- After class 1
You run a real decision through issue, rule, application and conclusion, then four ethical lenses, and compute what non-compliance would be expected to cost
- After class 3
You read a supply contract for who bears each risk, compute the damages a breach would cost and list the clauses to add before signing
- After class 5
You audit a launch end to end: structure, contract, product safety, employment and an IP register, and write the one-page memo of what needs a lawyer
- After class 10
You write an integrated legal, ethical and risk review of a launch and an investor offer, with conditions, residual risk and the exact questions for counsel
Your time
Built to fit around a full-time job.
About 59 hours in total, at whatever pace your week allows. Nothing is live, the portal remembers exactly where you stopped, and study cards take about five minutes a day.
Two case assignments
Mattel's Project LanternA Legal, Ethical and Risk Audit Before Launch
You analyze Mattel from its public information and write a legal, ethical and risk audit of a product before launch. It is marked against this rubric, with written feedback on every criterion, usually within the hour. You finish with work you can show.
Each criterion is judged Exemplary, Proficient, Developing or Beginning.
Before you decide
You don't need any legal training. Every term is explained in plain words, and the course is not legal advice: it teaches you what to ask, and when to call a lawyer.
- Each class ends with a short quiz, so you know it stuck before you move on.
- Study cards bring back what you would forget, five minutes a day.
- The portal always shows your next step, so a busy week never becomes a lost month.
What $149 gets you
The complete course, for one price.
- Video classes you can fit around workPause anywhere and pick up on any device. Captions on every class, so you can study with the sound off.
- The full Business Law, Ethics, Sustainability & Risk textbook, yours to keepPDF and EPUB, so you can look things up long after you finish.
- A study guide that covers every classThe key ideas, models and worked examples in one place, so you never write your own summary notes.
- 11 quizzes and exams, marked fastQuizzes are marked the moment you submit and exams usually within minutes, with the reasoning behind every answer, so you know what stuck and what to revisit.
- Two real-company cases with written feedbackStarting with Mattel. You finish with analysis you can show, marked against a published rubric.
- 48 study cards that keep it freshFive minutes a day. Each card returns just before you would forget it.
- Your progress, saved everywhereThe portal remembers exactly where you stopped, so a busy week never sets you back.
- Lifetime access and updatesIt is there when the real decision arrives, including every future improvement to the course.
One payment. No subscription, no hidden fees.
What one check before launch is worth
If one marketing claim carries a 10% chance of a $150,000 regulator remediation, its expected cost is $15,000. Fixing the wording before launch costs $5,400 of relabeling. That one check is worth about $9,600, before counting the trust you keep. The course costs $149, once.
One-time paymentInstant access14-day money-back guarantee
Questions
What people ask before they buy.
How much time will it take?
About 59 hours in total: the video classes, the readings, the quizzes and exams, and the case assignments. At nine hours a week that is about seven weeks. Nothing is scheduled, so you set the pace.
Is this right for beginners?
Yes. The course starts with what law is and where it comes from, and every term is explained in plain words the first time it appears. No prior study of law, ethics or risk is assumed. Being comfortable with a percentage and a simple table is enough.
What if I'm too busy?
Nothing is live and nothing expires. Each class stands on its own, the portal remembers exactly where you stopped, and your study cards take about five minutes a day. Pause for a month and pick up where you left off.
I've started online courses before and never finished. Why is this different?
It is built so you finish. Every class ends with a short quiz, study cards bring back what you would otherwise forget, and the portal always shows your next step. Two graded cases give you a reason to apply it, not just watch it.
When will I see results?
After class 1 you can run a decision through the rule and the four ethical lenses and price the cost of getting it wrong. After class 3 you can read a contract for its risks and compute damages, and after class 4 you can decide whether a precaution is worth its cost.
Why is it worth $149?
You get the complete course: every video class, the full textbook and study guide, a quiz for each class, a final exam, and two real-company cases with written feedback. One clause caught before signing can be worth far more than $149.
What if it isn't right for me?
If the course isn't right for you, ask within 14 days of buying for a full refund. It applies as long as you've watched fewer than three classes and haven't submitted an assignment.
Is this legal advice? Does it replace a lawyer?
No. The course teaches the legal, ethical and risk judgment a manager needs, at the level of principle. Law differs by country and changes often. A large part of what you learn is recognizing the moment a decision needs a lawyer, and briefing one precisely.
Which country's law does it teach?
United States rules first, compared with the European Union and the United Kingdom wherever the difference matters: consumer terms, dismissal, data protection, bribery and the ownership of AI-made work. Every rule is labeled with the jurisdiction it belongs to.
Does it cover AI?
Yes. Whether AI-generated content can be owned, the EU AI Act's risk tiers, the duties that follow when an automated tool screens applicants or talks to customers, and how to stop staff pasting trade secrets into public AI tools.
How do I get access?
Straight after checkout you are signed in to the CBI student portal and can start class one. We also email you a sign-in link so you can come back from any device.
CBI 510 · Business Law, Ethics, Sustainability & Risk
Find the legal and ethical risk in a decision before it costs you
Start tonight. If it isn't right for you, ask within 14 days for a full refund.
One-time paymentInstant access14-day money-back guarantee
Our students work at