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Understanding “Employment Relations” (ER) in the dynamics of individual-organizational and institutional relationships is important for executives to regulate the employment relationship. ER as a discipline deals with understanding the nature of employment contract, the rights and obligations of employer and employee, the laws and regulations and provides insights into understanding the employment relationship in a liberalizing, deregulated, and global environment.

2. Student Learning Outcomes

· Be able to approach issues related to employment contract in a multi-dimensional way using economic, legal, relational, functional, social and ethical perspectives
· Be able to approach transactions in employment relations in a multi-dimensional way by using the principles of observation, verification, enforcement and compensation for breach etc., and provide solutions from both regulation and governance perspectives
· Be able to compare the approaches used in regulating the issues related to Intellectual Property Rights and Restrictive Covenants in India and other Countries such as US, Europe and China by highlighting the advantages and limitations of the approaches in the context of globalization

3. Required Text Books and Reading Material

The “Employment Relations” Reading Material provided by the instructor.

4. Tentative Session Plan

Session Number	Topics/Activities	Reading/case list etc.
01	Introduction to Employment Relations	Regulating the Employment Relationship: An Analytical Framework
01	Intent of Offer and Acceptance of Offer	At IIT Mumbai, Job Letters Turn into Pink Slips A Position Statement on Rescinded and Deferred Employment Offers
02	Rescinded / Deferred Job Offers / Detrimental Reliance	The Functions of Profit
02	Employment at Will / Notice Period / Cause for Exit	No Cause, No Notice When Employers Should and Should Not Use Employment Contract
03	Employment Bond / Training Bond / Overseas Assignment Bond	Training Bond Story of Jet Airways and Jan Peter
03	Training as a Trade Secret	Sanctity of Contract and Public Interest – A Case on Regulating Employment Relations in Indian Airline Industry
04	Breach of Contract and Remedies	Nature of Exchange and Regulating Exchange
04	Regulating Employment Relations	Internal, External and Mixed Regulation of Employment Relations
05	Copyright, Patents, Work for Hire Contract and Promissory Estoppel	Open Source Development and Ownership issues
05	Assignability / Transfer of IPR	Upaid Vs Satyam
06	Ownership, Authorship, Moral Rights Regulation	New Copyright Bill
06	Employment Contract, Intellectual Property Rights and Trade Related aspects of IPR (TRIIPS)	Trouble in E-Topia: Knowledge as Intellectual Property
07	Trade Secrets as IPR and Protection of Trade Secrets through Non-Disclosure Agreement	Trade Secret: A Secret to Unveil
07	Introduction to Restrictive Covenants	Hypercompetition: Pepsi Vs Coke
08	Freedom of Occupation Approach	Article 19 (G) Constitution of India and Indian Contract Act Sec (27)
08	Covenant per se in Invalid Approach / Presumption Against Enforcement Approach / Bad Faith Approach	The Enforceability of Restrictive Covenants in Involuntary Discharge Cases
09	Balancing Equities Approach and Freedom of Contract Approach	The Enforceability of Restrictive Covenants in Involuntary Discharge Cases
09	Non Solicitation Restrictive Covenant and Non Disclosure Restrictive Covenant	Who is a Customer and Whose Customer? The Story of American Express Bank Ltd.
10	Exclusivity Agreement and Non Solicitation Agreement	Partners for Life: The Story of Wipro Biomed and Beckman Coulter
10	Employee Non-Solicitation Agreements	The Story of Apple, Google, ABN Amro, SKS Microfinance

5. Evaluation

1. ER Activity and Course Involvement (10 Marks)

Each student would be pre-assigned stories to be narrated in the class together with one or two of his/her classmates. The storytelling exercise would be evaluated based on quality of preparation, creativity, coordination and ability to illustrate the core issues by highlighting the morals of the story. Students are expected to update the details related to ER activity within 3 to 4 days through the form provided in the course web for the above purpose.

The measures of course involvement would be based on quality of preparation and performance in class exercises such asstorytelling exercises, role plays, debates, punctuality, class attendance and any other initiative to enrich the course design, content, process and outcome.

2. Quiz (30 Marks)

There will be two online quizzes conducted during the term. It will have multiple choice / true or false, objective type questions which are drawn from the readings, instructor’s presentation, and any other relevant material provided through email and course web.

2. ER Assignment (10 Marks)

The purpose of ER Assignment is to promote “Collective Learning” and a team of two to three members, depending on the nature of assignment, will be formed for this purpose. The guidelines for ER Assignment will be given through email / course web.

3. End-Term Examination (20 Marks)

The End-Term will be a closed book exam evaluating the understanding of concepts and theories learned in the ER course.

6. Academic Integrity

Students are expected to adhere to the guidelines given for ER Activities, Quizzes, Assignment, and End-Term. All evaluation components are closed book unless it is explicitly specified by the instructor. Bringing Reading materials, Power Point Presentations, any electronic gadget including laptop and mobile phone to the exam hall would disqualify the students from appearing for the component. Copying in ER Assignment, Quiz, and End-Term would invite “F” in the whole component or even in the entire course depending on circumstances. This would be applicable for those who aid copying as well as for those who copied the ideas from others.