| Course | BU 217 Business Ethics and the Legal Environment |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 3 |
| Paper type | Contracts case |
| Length | About 1,100 words, 7 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | BS in Business Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BU 217 Unit 3
2,000 Tote Bags, Three Emails and a Canceled Conference: A Contracts Case Worked Element by Element Under Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code
Student Name
Business, Herzing University
BU 217: Business Ethics and the Legal Environment
Instructor Name
January 29, 2026
2,000 Tote Bags, Three Emails and a Canceled Conference: A Contracts Case Worked Element by Element Under Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code
The Facts
Ridge & Pine Print Company, a composite screen-printing business in Dayton, Ohio, and Brightline Events, a composite event planner in Cincinnati, exchanged three emails. March 3: Brightline asked for a quote on 2,000 canvas tote bags printed with a client's logo for a conference on April 20. March 4: Ridge replied, "We can do 2,000 totes, two-color front print, $6.50 each, $13,000 total, delivered by April 15. 50% deposit to start." The email was signed with the owner's name and title. March 5: Brightline replied, "Great, go ahead. Please make the logo navy, not black. Deposit coming Monday," signed by its operations manager. Ridge began printing on March 9. The deposit never arrived. On March 30, with 1,400 totes printed, Brightline emailed that the conference had moved online and canceled the order. The totes carry the client's logo and cannot be sold to anyone else.
Missing facts, marked rather than filled in: whether logo colors had been discussed before March 4; whether Ridge ever asked about the missing deposit before March 30; and whether the operations manager had authority to order for Brightline, which is assumed here but would need to be confirmed.
Which Law Governs
The contract is for the sale of goods, tote bags, so Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code governs, as adopted in Ohio, rather than the common law of contracts that governs services. Both parties are businesses dealing in their line of work, so Article 2's rules for merchants apply.
Element 1: Offer
Rule: an offer is a manifestation of willingness to enter a bargain, made so that the other party is justified in understanding that assent is invited and will conclude it (Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 24). Facts: Ridge's March 4 email stated the quantity, product, price, total and delivery date, in response to a request for a quote. Conclusion: Brightline's March 3 email was an inquiry, not an offer. Ridge's March 4 email was an offer; it was definite enough on the terms that matter for goods, quantity above all, that Brightline could accept it.
Element 2: Acceptance
Rule: under Article 2, a definite and timely expression of acceptance operates as an acceptance even if it states additional or different terms, unless acceptance is expressly made conditional on assent to those terms; between merchants, additional terms become part of the contract unless they materially alter it, the offer limited acceptance to its terms, or the offeror objects (U.C.C. § 2-207). Facts: Brightline wrote "Great, go ahead," a definite acceptance, and added "make the logo navy." Ridge did not object and began printing, apparently in navy. Conclusion: a contract was formed on March 5. The color request is either a clarification of "two-color print" or an additional term that did not materially alter the deal; either way, it became part of the contract. This element is not seriously in doubt.
Element 3: Consideration
Rule: each party must give something of value in exchange. Facts: Ridge promised to make and deliver 2,000 totes; Brightline promised to pay $13,000. Conclusion: the exchange of promises is consideration.
Element 4: Capacity and Legality
Rule: parties must have legal capacity and the purpose must be lawful. Facts: both are operating businesses; printing tote bags is lawful. Conclusion: satisfied, subject to the assumed authority of Brightline's operations manager.
Element 5: Writing
Rule: a contract for the sale of goods for $500 or more is not enforceable unless there is a writing sufficient to indicate a contract, signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought (U.C.C. § 2-201). Under the federal electronic signatures law, 15 U.S.C. § 7001, electronic records and signatures satisfy writing requirements. Facts: Brightline's March 5 email, signed by its operations manager, refers to the order and says "go ahead." Conclusion: the writing requirement is satisfied against Brightline.
Formation Conclusion
Drawing only on the sections above: an enforceable contract for 2,000 navy-printed totes at $13,000 was formed on March 5. The one doubtful point is the deposit. If "50% deposit to start" made payment a condition of Ridge's duty to begin, Ridge could have waited; but it chose to perform anyway, which suggests it waived the condition, and a missing deposit does not undo the formation of the contract.
Breach and Remedies
Brightline's March 30 cancellation, before delivery was due, is a repudiation. Rule: when a buyer repudiates, the seller may treat the contract as broken and seek remedies (U.C.C. § 2-610). For goods that have been identified to the contract and cannot reasonably be resold, the seller may recover the price (U.C.C. § 2-709). The 1,400 finished totes carry the client's logo and have no other buyer, so Ridge can recover their price: 1,400 × $6.50 = $9,100, holding them for Brightline. For the 600 not yet made, Ridge should stop production and recover its lost profit (U.C.C. § 2-708). With a production cost of about $4.10 per tote, that is 600 × ($6.50 − $4.10) = $1,440, plus any reasonable costs of stopping. Ridge's claim is therefore about $10,540, before any incidental costs.
Mitigation and Practical Next Steps
A seller claiming damages must act reasonably to limit its losses, and Ridge's claim is stronger if it can show it did. Three steps follow. First, Ridge should stop printing the remaining 600 totes at once and document the date, the stock on hand and the costs incurred, since costs added after it learned of the cancellation would not be recoverable. Second, it should check whether any of the blank canvas bags not yet printed can be returned to its supplier or used for other orders, which would reduce its claimed costs and show good faith. Third, before filing anything, it should send Brightline a written demand setting out the contract, the cancellation, the 1,400 finished totes held for Brightline and the amount claimed, and offer to deliver the finished totes on payment. Many disputes of this size settle at this stage, particularly when the buyer's own client, whose logo is on the bags, may still want them for a later event.
Brightline, for its part, is not without options. It could argue that the missing deposit shows the parties never reached final agreement, though its own "go ahead" email makes that difficult, or it could try to resell the totes to its client, which would reduce what it owes. A negotiated outcome in which Brightline takes the finished totes at a discount would likely cost both parties less than litigation.
References
Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, 15 U.S.C. § 7001 (2025).
Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 24 (Am. L. Inst. 1981).
U.C.C. §§ 2-201, 2-207, 2-610, 2-708, 2-709 (Am. L. Inst. & Unif. L. Comm'n 2022).
What the BU 217 Unit 3 instructions ask for
Unit 3 asks you to analyze a contract scenario element by element. Expect to state the facts, decide which law governs, analyze each element with rule, facts and conclusion, state whether a contract was formed, analyze breach and remedies and recommend practical steps. Students often ask when the UCC applies instead of common law. Article 2 governs sales of goods; services fall under common law. For each element, state the rule with its source, apply the specific facts and reach a conclusion before moving on. Address the writing requirement for sales of $500 or more, including whether emails count. Explain the seller's duty to limit losses after a breach.
How this BU 217 Unit 3 example is built
The case opens with the three emails summarized by date. The governing law section explains why tote bags make this a sale of goods. The offer section applies the Restatement definition to the March 4 quote. The acceptance section analyzes the March 5 reply and its added deposit term under the rule on additional terms between merchants. Consideration, capacity and legality are handled briefly. The writing section explains how signed emails can satisfy the statute of frauds under federal electronic signature law. The formation conclusion summarizes the contract and its one doubtful point. The breach section treats the cancellation as repudiation and outlines the seller's damages. The final section lists steps to stop work, resell and document losses.
BU 217 Unit 3 rubric: what full points look like
Herzing's rubric for a contracts case usually covers facts, governing law, analysis of each element, formation, breach, remedies and practical steps. Element-by-element analysis with rule, facts and conclusion weighs most, because that structure is what makes legal reasoning checkable. Fact points reward an accurate timeline. Governing law criteria look for the goods versus services distinction. Element credit goes to rules cited from the UCC or Restatement. Formation points reward a clear conclusion that notes doubtful points. Remedy criteria look for the correct seller remedies. Mitigation steps are often credited. UCC sections 2-201, 2-207, 2-610, 2-708 and 2-709, the Restatement (Second) of Contracts and the federal E-SIGN Act support the analysis.
Common BU 217 Unit 3 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Contracts cases in BU 217 Unit 3 frequently go wrong by using service-contract rules for what is plainly a purchase of goods. Another frequent problem is stating rules without applying the facts. Students often skip the writing requirement or assume emails cannot count. Additional terms in an acceptance are ignored. Formation and breach are mixed together. Remedies are described generally rather than by UCC section. Mitigation is left out. The timeline is unclear, so it is hard to tell which email was the offer and which was the acceptance, the question that decides when the contract began. Finally, finish each element before starting the next, because graders reward an analysis that a reader could follow from facts to conclusion without guessing at any step.
Get a BU 217 Unit 3 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 3 instructions and the BU 217 rubric with the fact pattern your classroom supplies. We write a custom example that marks the missing facts, works the elements in formation order, concludes on each one, keeps breach after formation and measures the remedy. First custom sample free, back in 24 to 48 hours.
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BU 217 Unit 3 questions, answered
Does the case need outside research?
Usually less than students expect. Most fact patterns at this level are graded on applying rules from the course reading to the facts given, and a paper importing unrelated case law often applies it loosely. Cite the materials your section assigns. If the instructions ask for outside authority, choose decisions from the jurisdiction the scenario sits in and say what each one held.
What if the facts do not settle an element?
Say so and reason in the alternative, which is what a lawyer would do and what these rubrics tend to reward. State what the missing fact would have to be for the element to hold, then say what follows in each direction. Filling the gap silently with a convenient detail is the failure this question exists to catch, and markers spot it easily.
Do sale of goods rules apply?
It depends on what the agreement is for, and the answer changes which rules you use, so settle it early. Contracts for goods are treated differently from contracts for services in every state adopting the commercial code, and a mixed agreement raises a further question about which part dominates. Work from your course materials and name the choice you made.
Where can I find a free BU 217 Unit 3 sample paper?
The full BU 217 Unit 3 contracts case is free on this page, a tote bag order formed by email and analyzed element by element under UCC Article 2. A case analysis with other facts can be written to order.
Can emails form a binding contract for goods?
Yes, emails can satisfy the UCC's writing requirement for sales of $500 or more if they show a contract and are signed, which federal law allows electronically. This sample applies that rule to three emails.