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The following is a description of an interactive exercise for teaching the general components of commercial real estate leases to an introductory Legal and Ethical Environment of Business Law undergraduate class. Part I provides the context for commercial real estate leasing in the United States. Part II introduces the characteristics of and legal environment for commercial leases. Part III offers the rationale for illustrating business concepts through an experiential module. Part IV outlines the classroom exercise with instructions. Finally, Part V provides a framework for the instructor to measure the learning goals and efficacy of the exercise.

This article begins with a description of a role-play exercise for teaching the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) to an introductory Legal and Ethical Environment of Business Law (Business Law) undergraduate class. It goes on to provide the context for consumer debt in the United States. Next, the problems of debt collection are explained. A brief introduction to the applicable federal consumer protection law for debtors is then provided. The next section explains why role plays are effective in teaching the FDCPA and outlines how to prepare for the role-play exercise. The role-play exercise is then presented. This is followed by the instructor notes to accompany the role play. Lastly, the article provides a framework for the instructor to measure the learning goals and efficacy of the exercise.

Objective: The research evaluated the perceived quality of librarian-mediated literature searching services at one of Canada’s largest acute care teaching hospitals for the purpose of continuous quality improvement and investigation of relationships between variables that can impact user satisfaction. Methods: An online survey was constructed using evidence-based methodologies. A systematic sample of staff and physicians requesting literature searches at London Health Sciences Centre were invited to participate in the study over a one-year period. Data analyses included descriptive statistics of closed-ended questions and coding of open-ended questions. Results: A range of staff including clinicians, researchers, educators, leaders, and analysts submitted a total of 137 surveys, representing a response rate of 71%. Staff requested literature searches for the following “primary” purposes: research or publication (34%), teaching or training (20%), informing a policy or standard practice (16%), patient care (15%), and “other” purposes (15%). While the majority of staff (76%) submitted search requests using methods of written communication, including email and search request forms, staff using methods of verbal communication, including face-to-face and telephone conversations, were significantly more likely to be extremely satisfied with the librarian’s interpretation of the search request (p=0.004) and to rate the perceived quality of the search results as excellent (p=0.005). In most cases, librarians followed up with staff to clarify the details of their search requests (72%), and these staff were significantly more likely to be extremely satisfied with the librarian’s interpretation of the search request (p=0.002). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the limitations of written communication in the context of librarian-mediated literature searching and suggest a multifaceted approach to quality improvement efforts. This article has been approved for the Medical Library Association’s Independent Reading Program.

This article provides a tool to help instructors introduce students to the intersection of blogging and employment law. Section II provides source materials on the subject. Specifically, it presents a summary overview of: (1) the development of blogging and other forms of online user generated content; (2) the legality of terminating an at-will employee for maintaining a blog; (3) the legality of terminating an employee for posting critical or confidential information on the Internet in violation of the employee duty of loyalty; and (4) constitutional considerations which limit an employer's ability to prosecute employee-bloggers who blog anonymously. Section III provides a hypothetical case study involving a fictional blogging employee who is terminated for publishing anti-employer information on the Internet. This case study, as well as the blog referenced in the case, is available to instructors and students through an actively maintained blog: http://darnoksucks.blogspot.com. Finally, Section IV contains questions and teaching notes related to the case study. The questions are also linked to the Danoksucks blog for easy student access. The teaching notes are meant for instructors only and are not available online. (Contains 115 footnotes.)

The passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was a boon to many workers as it afforded them the opportunity to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid [...]

Abstract Anti-employer bloggers often use the anonymity of a blog to disclose information about employers or engage in discourse that the employer may perceive as adverse. Employers are increasingly willing [...]

This article argues the secular business interests of religious organizations should not be exempt from discriminating against individuals on the basis of religion. The Supreme Court in Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints v. Amos held that the Church's gym (a secular business open to the public) was exempted under Section 702 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and was permitted to discriminate against employees on the basis of religion although the church's gym had no religious tie to the church's mission. This holding allows for and has allowed churches to own insurance companies, radio stations, farms, construction companies, candy stores, roofing companies, banks, and other secular interests while simultaneously allowing the secular business interests of these churches to hire exclusively from the participating members of their faith. This article examines potential, if not existing problems, for civil society if Amos' broad interpretation is not curtailed. It analyzes three analytical frameworks for courts to follow when difficult cases arise that pose challenges in determining whether a business should be exempt from Title VII antidiscrimination clauses. In addition to the three analytical frameworks to resolve Amos-type cases, the scholarly contribution of this article is made *248 by exploring thirty years of legal scholarship, case law, the decisions in Amos I, Amos II, the briefs of the amici curiae, and the Supreme Court's opinion of 1987. Finally, this paper analyzes the Amos problem through the lens of organizational justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights extended coverage of the U.S. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to include a period of time following the death of a family member for whom leave was taken. Topics discussed include provision of taking unpaid leave of up to twelve weeks to care for a spouse, child or parent suffering a serious illness; decision of a federal court in the case "Smith-Megote v. Craig Hospital;" and rationale and genesis of the FMLA.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various articles within the issue on topics including government infringement of fundamental liberties, protected privacy rights and liability for legal challenges.