What is an Open Textbook?

Open textbooks are complete textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. As a particular type of Open Educational Resource (OER), this open textbook may be used and reused freely with no direct cost to the user. This book is available in PDF and Word formats on the Auraria Library repository: http://digital.auraria.edu/AA00007386/00001.

Unless otherwise noted, all content in this book is licensed with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY 4.0), which allows it to be adapted, remixed, and shared under the same license with attribution. Instructors and students may be interested in rearranging and adapting content or in transforming content into other formats. If so, please include the appropriate attribution under the Creative Commons license. More information about this license is available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.

The Authors and Contributors

Melissa Randall is an attorney who teaches business law and Constitutional law at the Community College of Denver. Frustrated that the expensive textbook her business students were using contained legal errors, heavily edited case studies that confused students, and was a roadblock to their learning, Ms. Randall sought a better option, which ultimately led her down the OER path. Special thanks to Terence Lau and Lisa Johnson for their OER textbook “Introduction to Business Law,” which served as the inspiration for several chapters of this book.

Ms. Randall’s business law students edited, updated, and revised the chapters contained in this textbook. They are also responsible for the visual depictions of the material. Although Ms. Randall is the subject matter expert who ensured the accuracy of the material, her students ensured the effective delivery of the content to undergraduate business students. It was truly a collaborative effort. Special thanks to Lucy Reyes and Krissy Main who turned the students’ rough visual concepts into professional quality graphics.

Thanks also to the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) for the grant that partially funded the development of this book. Without it, we could not have hired Lucy and Krissy to be our graphic designers. Nor would we have been able to have written so many chapters so quickly. The CDHE’s support of OER and open pedagogy validated our classes’ commitment to doing meaningful work and to contribute to the future of higher education.

Last, and certainly not least, thanks to the professionals who contributed their expertise to our book. Judges and attorneys filled our Counselor’s Corner with practical insights and advice to business professionals. Their insight from “the trenches” was an invaluable contribution. Subject matter experts peer reviewed chapters and worked with our students to ensure accurate information in dynamic areas of the law. Kathy was our dedicated copy editor who thoroughly proofread anything we gave her. Special thanks to the professional who was in the trenches the most: Tom. A successful businessman, Tom put his MBA to use by tirelessly editing the entire textbook to ensure that it was consistent and accurate in a business context. Our professional contributors volunteered their expertise and gave enthusiastically to our project. Words cannot express our gratitude for accompanying us on this journey.

Feedback Requested

The authors seek content-related suggestions from faculty, students, and users of this book. Please email Ms. Randall at Melissa.Randall@ccd.edu with any suggestions or feedback you may have. Also, faculty are invited to contact Ms. Randall to discuss other OER used in the business law course, including judicial opinions we use as case studies in lieu of heavily edited excerpts in textbook dialogue boxes.

This textbook was finalized during the Spring 2020 semester. With the outbreak of covid-19, our collaborative efforts were curtailed. As a result, readers may find that some chapters are better edited than others. Please help us with any constructive feedback you may have to improve the book.

If you are an instructor reviewing, adopting, or adapting this textbook, please help us understand how this book is being used. This helps all of us in the OER community understand our impact and justify future grant money.