| Course | BUS 206 Business Law I |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | undergraduate discussion post on sources of law affecting a business |
| Length | About 370 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | BS Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUS 206 Module 1
Module One Discussion
Six Balloons, Five Sources of Law
The company I will use this term flies hot-air balloon rides from a field near Albuquerque. A family started it in 1998; it now has six balloons, four pilots, a ground crew of twelve and about 9,000 passengers a year. Before I took this course I would have said its legal duties come from the FAA and leave it at that. Tracing them more carefully shows at least five different sources, each with its own author.
The newest duty is federal and statutory. After a balloon struck power lines near Lockhart, Texas, in 2016, killing all sixteen people aboard, the National Transportation Safety Board (2017) found that the pilot had medical conditions and medications that impaired him and that commercial balloon pilots were exempt from the medical certificates required of other commercial pilots. Congress later passed a law requiring commercial balloon pilots who carry passengers to hold a medical certificate, and the FAA issued a rule to carry it out. Our four pilots now need annual medical exams.
Other duties come from federal regulations, which the FAA writes under authority Congress gave it: rules on weather minimums, passenger briefings and balloon maintenance. Then there is state common law. The company asks every passenger to sign a release, but the New Mexico Supreme Court has held that a release of liability for a commercial horseback ride was unenforceable as against public policy (Berlangieri v. Running Elk Corp., 2003), which means the company cannot rely on its waiver the way a business in some other states might. State statutes impose gross receipts tax on ride tickets, and a county ordinance requires a permit for the launch field.
Mallor et al. (2022) explain that the source of a rule decides who can change it and how it is enforced. That is practical. The owners can lobby the FAA during a rulemaking comment period, but they cannot change the court decision on waivers except through a new case or a state statute, and they must plan their insurance around it.
For classmates: pick one rule your employer follows every day. Which source does it come from, and who would have to act to change it?
References
Berlangieri v. Running Elk Corp., 2003-NMSC-024, 134 N.M. 341, 76 P.3d 1098 (2003).
Mallor, J. P., Barnes, A. J., Bowers, L. T., & Langvardt, A. W. (2022). Business law: The ethical, global, and e-commerce environment (18th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
National Transportation Safety Board. (2017). Collision of Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Company balloon with powerlines and crash, Lockhart, Texas, July 30, 2016 (Aircraft Accident Report NTSB/AAR-17/03). Author.
What the BUS 206 Module 1 instructions ask for
The first BUS 206 discussion usually asks why law matters to business or where business law comes from, often with a request to give examples from a company you know. A strong post goes beyond listing constitutions, statutes, regulations and court decisions by tying each to a specific duty a real or composite business must follow. It also explains why the source matters, for example that a regulation can be changed by an agency while a court decision can be overturned only by a higher court or a new statute. Replies can add a source a classmate missed or explain how a rule in their example is enforced.
How this BUS 206 Module 1 discussion example is built
The post uses a balloon ride company with six balloons and four pilots. It traces the medical certificate its pilots now need to a federal statute passed after a 2016 crash in Texas and the FAA rule that carried it out. It traces weather and briefing duties to federal aviation regulations, the limits on its passenger waivers to a New Mexico Supreme Court decision about a horseback riding release, its tax obligations to state statute and its launch field permit to a county ordinance. It explains that each source has a different author and a different way to change, and asks classmates which source shapes their own employer most.
Where the BUS 206 Module 1 rubric puts the points
Grading for this discussion usually looks at accurate identification of sources of law, specific examples tied to a business, explanation of why sources matter, clear writing and responses to peers. The best posts connect each source to a concrete duty, show how the rule is enforced and recognize that federal, state and local law apply at once. Posts that only define sources of law, or that give examples without saying where the rule comes from, earn less. A reply that supplies a source someone overlooked, or gently fixes a mistaken example, tends to score well. Instructors also look for at least one reference beyond the textbook, such as a court decision or a government report.
BUS 206 Module 1 help: the mistakes that cost points
Students often list the sources of law from the textbook and add one example at the end. Reverse that: start with a business and its duties, then trace each duty to its source. Explain what difference the source makes, such as who can change the rule and how it is enforced, because that is the practical point of the lesson. Keep examples accurate; if you are not sure whether a rule is federal or state, say how you would check. Finish by inviting classmates to try the same tracing exercise on their own jobs, which turns the lesson into something they can use. A short, concrete question works better than a broad one.
Get BUS 206 Module 1 written to your instructions
Send the BUS 206 Module 1 prompt. The post will sort one business's legal duties by source, explain why the source matters and close by asking classmates to trace a rule at their own jobs. About two days; a first post is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
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BUS 206 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free BUS 206 Module 1 Discussion sample?
This page includes the full BUS 206 Module 1 post on the sources of a balloon ride company's legal duties.
What are the main sources of business law in the United States?
Constitutions, statutes passed by legislatures, regulations issued by agencies, court decisions that interpret law and create common law, and local ordinances.
Why does it matter where a legal rule comes from?
Because the source determines who made the rule, who enforces it, how it can be changed and which courts interpret it.
What is common law?
Law developed by courts through decisions in individual cases, which later courts follow as precedent, especially in areas such as contracts and torts.
How do federal and state law both apply to one business?
A business must follow federal statutes and regulations within federal power and also the laws of each state and locality where it operates, unless federal law preempts state law on a subject.