When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Liability and Legal Responsibility in Business

4 days left! Save on skills that make you shine with 40% off 3 months of Coursera Plus. Save now

Liability and Legal Responsibility in Business

This course is part of CPA Licensure Prep: The Regulatory Framework of Business Specialization

Instructor: William Karalius

Included with

Learn more

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

Recommended experience

6 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

Recommended experience

6 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Analyze whether an agreement meets the legal elements required to form an enforceable contract.
Distinguish between express, implied, bilateral, and unilateral contracts in real-world business contexts.

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Fraud detection

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

logos of Petrobras, TATA, Danone, Capgemini, P&G and L'Oreal

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the CPA Licensure Prep: The Regulatory Framework of Business Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

By the end of this course, you will be able to identify the elements of a legally enforceable contract, distinguish between bilateral and unilateral agreements, differentiate express and implied contracts, and analyze how contracts are formed and enforced under both common law and the Uniform Commercial Code.

Contracts shape nearly every business relationship — from employment agreements and vendor arrangements to online terms of service and sales transactions. In this course, you will move beyond memorizing definitions and instead learn how to recognize how contracts operate in real-world business settings. Through practical examples, you’ll examine how mutual promises create obligations, how conduct can form binding agreements, and how courts determine enforceability. What makes this course unique is its applied business focus. Rather than treating contract law as abstract doctrine, you’ll evaluate everyday commercial scenarios and build the analytical judgment needed to interpret agreements with confidence. Whether preparing for professional licensure or strengthening your business decision-making skills, you’ll develop a clear framework for understanding how contracts function in modern commerce.

Module details

In this module, you'll explore the core concepts behind negligence and strict liability, how businesses can avoid such liabilities, as well as how businesses can be negatively impacted. You'll learn how to define negligence in the context of a business setting, how a negligence claim is established, and how a business can potentially defend itself from a negligence claim. Beyond negligence, you will further analyze strict liability and its impacts on various types of businesses.

What's included

5 videos4 readings2 assignments

5 videosTotal 38 minutes

Instructor Introduction and Course Overview4 minutes
Negligence8 minutes
Establishing a Negligence Claim9 minutes
Defending a Negligence Claim8 minutes
Strict Liability9 minutes

4 readingsTotal 50 minutes

Course Outline 5 minutes
Defining Negligence in Practice15 minutes
Establishing and Defending Negligence Claims20 minutes
Review: Module Key Concepts 10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 30 minutes

Practice Assessment: Establishing a Negligence Claim10 minutes
Graded Assessment: Module 120 minutes

In this module, you'll learn about how businesses that make and produce their own goods for sale may be at exposure for unique liabilities where users of the goods may have legal recourse against the business. You will explore various types of product defects such as manufacturing defects and design defects. You will also dive into the liability a business is exposed to when it fails to reasonably warn product users of known issues that may harm users. Finally, you will gain an understanding about how a business can defend itself against product liability lawsuits.

What's included

4 videos2 readings1 assignment

In this module, you'll apply concepts of negligence and other liabilities towards accountants performing various roles within an organization. Specifically, you'll learn how accountants may be held liable for negligence and fraud when preparing financial statements for a business. Also, you'll explore the concept of reasonably foreseeable users and how the work accountants perform may impact certain parties resulting in the opportunity for legal recourse against an accountant.

What's included

4 videos2 readings1 assignment

This final module brings everything together. You’ll review key concepts from the course and apply what you’ve learned to real-world business situations. By stepping back and looking liabilities, you’ll strengthen your ability to analyze how risks influence day-to-day business decisions and hopefully keep a business out of court and needing to settle for large amounts in court—skills that are essential for accountants and business professionals alike.