Basics of Business Finance

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$389

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$599 AUD

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
896 Students

This course will help you understand business environments, financial statements, and strategy so you can make more profitable business and personal financial decisions.

Are you interested in making better business decisions to increase your company's profits, move you up the corporate ladder, and help you reach a better, personal financial position? Then you need to take this course.

Using practical explanations and real-life examples, this course will show you how money flows through a typical business. You will learn the basics of how a business operates, including how to develop successful business strategies and how to use financial statements to make better business decisions.

Whether you're an employee, sales executive, supervisor, or manager, this course will help you understand basic financial information and use that information to make decisions that will positively affect your company's financial situation.

This is a business finance course for non-financial employees and managers. In this course, you will obtain significantly improved business acumen skills and financial understanding. Position yourself to be more confident in your business and financial decisions!

Courses are delivered to you through expertly executed lessons, online instruction and interaction with like-minded students. Our courses are designed to deliver all of the benefits of studying in a classroom whilst giving you the flexibility to study at a time and place to suit your needs. You can access your classroom 24/7 from any device with an internet connection.

This course has a 3 month duration. You'll complete comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments before submitting your final exam at the end of the course to achieve your certificate. Courses must be completed within the 3 month access period.

In this first lesson, you'll learn the difference between financial knowledge and business acumen in a way that's easy to understand. You'll also be introduced to a few basic financial strategies and explore what business finance can do for you, your company, and your personal finances.

To gain a strong foundation in business finance, you need understand the basic business model, its components, and how they fit into the larger organization. You'll see how finances flow through the business and begin to master basic financial terminology. At the end of this lesson, you'll be able to apply what you've learned to your personal household and finances.

Do you know what ROI refers to? What's a Sales Forecast, and why is it so important? In this lesson, you'll learn these terms and many more. You'll also gain an understanding of financial forces, which provide a foundation for developing financial strategies and driving profit. You'll wrap up the lesson with a look at a very real example of the impact of unplanned expenses on the bottom line.

Financial statements can be one of the most mysterious parts of business finance. As you'll see, however, all you need is basic information about what is reported and why to make sense of the three basic financial statements. With this lesson under your belt, you'll be ready to take on the next crucial step in mastering business finance: recording and tracking the annual finances on these statements.

In this lesson, you'll gain a broader understanding of the first of the financial statements we'll be considering: the Income Statement. You'll visit the hypothetical company Bouncy Balls Incorporated (BBI), and examine its annual statement to comprehend what all these numbers mean. You'll also learn what's recorded on the Income Statement and how to analyze it using financial ratios to gain some valuable perspective on how BBI is doing.

Still working with the fictitious company BBI, you'll explore what information is included in the Balance Sheet, how it differs from the other financial statements, and how to analyze it using financial ratios.  You'll continue your work to determine BBI's financial position and see where changes in business strategy may be needed.

You'll finish your introduction to the basic financial statements as you review the Statement of Cash Flows. You'll see how financial personnel use this statement as you continue your tour of BBI. As you work through the Statement of Cash Flows, you'll start to put all of the information together to improve your understanding of BBI's financial position.

In this lesson, you'll listen in at a roundtable meeting of executives at BBI as they discuss the company's financial statements. The meeting offers a great opportunity for you to get an insider's look into how executives develop another component of a company's financial filings—the Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A). As you learn to interpret this filing, you'll gain valuable insights into how you can understand the "story behind the numbers" for any company.

Now you're going to put all of the financial knowledge you've gained during this course to work as you consider some strategies for improving BBI's financial condition. You'll explore how executives bring their financial knowledge in line with business needs to make solid business decisions that will have a positive impact on the company financials.

In this lesson, you'll tackle a key issue in business: cost cutting. Expenses are such a huge part of business. Here, you'll see how to use your new knowledge of financial reporting and your business acumen skills to develop strategies that have a positive impact on a company's bottom line.

Continuing your exploration of financial strategy, you'll use the decision-making process to examine the inventory situation at BBI and develop strategies to increase supply and production efficiencies. You'll also see how to develop strategies to improve the BBI cash position so that more things can be done to increase the bottom line.

Now that you've gone through various strategies to increase sales, decrease expenses, and better manage company assets, it's time to see how to complete an overall strategic analysis of an organization. You'll increase your ability to think "big picture" and see how to take advantage of opportunities in your workplace and personal life. This lesson focuses on using an analytical process called SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) to develop strategies to move your business and your personal financial life in a positive direction. You'll also explore a process for successfully implementing the strategies you develop.

Matt Crabtree

Matt Crabtree earned his Bachelor of Science in Business, Information Systems Management, in 1999 and a mini MBA certificate from The School of Management in 2004. After many years in project management, office management, and business sales, Matt... Read more

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Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Online learning is a flexible way to study that fits around your schedule, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll have 3 months to complete the course and can take the multiple-choice questions and final exam whenever it suits you.

If you need help, you can contact us anytime. You can also join the discussion area where you can interact with other students. The discussion area for each lesson is open for the entire duration of the course.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

We do not offer extensions or transfers for this self-paced course. However, you will have 3 months to complete the course, and if you need to cancel within the first 10 days of enrolment, we offer a money back guarantee.

What people are saying about our courses

This subject is very important not only in business, but also in IT. As an IT professional, this class really helped me to understand about a company's business finance. I will take more classes related to the same subject.

Verified Student

The course was very helpful, in addition, I was inspired to use the concepts for my own personal finances.

Verified Student

This class was a great refresher for me, since it has been quite a few years since I had taken accounting classes in college. The information was presented well and the instructor got the information across in a way that I could relate to.

Verified Student

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The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Basics of Business Finance you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

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Learn At Your Own Pace

We believe in personalised learning. That's why we provide all the tools and support you need to succeed at your own pace. With flexible learning, you'll stay motivated and retain more information. Plus, you can balance your studies with work and family commitments to make your dreams a reality.

We Won't Break The Bank

Education should be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. That's why we offer some of the most competitive prices in the industry with payments plans for just $25 per week. Investing in your future is a smart choice and doesn’t have to break the bank.

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There's no better way to learn than from experts with years of experience in your field. That's why each of our 200+ industry-led courses are designed to give you a real-life perspective on your industry. With our expert mentors, you'll learn from people who have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and who are passionate about sharing it with you.

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At Vibe Learning, we're real people who are dedicated to providing you with personal support every step of the way. Our industry experts are not only professional and knowledgeable but also incredibly passionate about sharing their expertise with you. With their guidance, you'll gain invaluable insights and practical knowledge to help you succeed.

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Basics of Business Finance

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Fiction Writing Advanced

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
3984 Students

Explore advanced fiction writing techniques with a published novelist.

Do you have a story idea but aren't sure how to begin? Do your friends say you write well, but you're not sure how to get started on that first book? Do you have a manuscript, or parts of a manuscript, and need to know how to polish it for publication? Are you a published author who wants to learn techniques to write more effectively and efficiently?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then Advanced Fiction Writing is for you!

In this course, you'll explore all the topics a writer needs to create a successful manuscript, including story structure, plot, character, dialogue, setting, suspense, conflict, action, viewpoint, tense, and even how to get published. Each lesson includes an assignment that will help you develop or polish your manuscript. And in the Discussion Area, you'll have an opportunity to share your work with classmates to obtain their feedback.

In Advanced Fiction Writing, you'll explore the essential techniques that are often overlooked by other writing classes and textbooks. And you'll explore them in a clear, step-by-step fashion that will make it easy for you to turn your story idea into a published book. Join us for this 3 month course, and you'll never look at fiction writing the same way again!

Welcome to Advanced Fiction Writing! During the next six weeks, we're going to take a detailed look at all the aspects of fiction writing, including story structure, plot, character, dialogue, setting, suspense, conflict, action, viewpoint, tense, and even how to get published. It sounds like we've got our work cut out for us! But don't worry. We'll take it one step at a time. We'll begin in this lesson by discussing the three-act story structure and how we can use it to create emotionally satisfying fiction.

Where do plots come from? Sometimes an idea pops into our heads, and all of its details play themselves out as we jot them down. Other times, coming up with a good plot is a real struggle. Wouldn't it be great if there were some templates we could use to create plots that would work? Fortunately, there are. In this lesson, I'll introduce you to them.

The driving force behind whatever you write is character. Without a well-constructed, believable character, your readers won't care about the story. And without a consistent, clearly defined character, you won't have anyone to traverse the physical obstacles of the plot. How do you create well-constructed, believable, consistent, and clearly defined characters? I'll show you in this lesson.

Today we'll turn our attention to viewpoint, voice, and tense. You'll have a chance right in the lesson to test-drive the ideas we'll be discussing. These road tests will give you an opportunity to try out your possible choices on sample scenarios and see how they work for you. Then I'll show you how I tackled them.

What good is setting, anyway? Isn't it just a bunch of set decoration that we can add without much consideration of the story or plot? Oh, no. Setting is actually one of your most powerful tools for conveying emotion. How so? Setting helps establish your story's mood, reinforces your theme, and immerses your readers in the story, which makes all your other words more memorable. We'll explore all these ideas in this lesson.

To write your long form, it's vital for you to understand that every sentence contributes to the flow of your prose. Each paragraph relates to those that come before and after. In this lesson, we're going to delve into the internal structure of fiction, called scene and sequel. You'll discover how to use scene and sequel with the checkpoints of story structure, with dialogue, and with an eye to pacing. You'll also have lots of exercises to help you polish your scene and sequel skills throughout this lesson.

Today, you're going to learn about action and suspense. Conflict creates action. And it also creates suspense, which is the possibility of action. As essential as conflict is, it's surprisingly hard to write. Why? Because most of us spend our lives trying to avoid it. As a writer, though, you must immerse yourself in conflict. In this lesson, you'll learn how.

We spend a lot of our lives talking, so doesn't it seem like it should be easy to write dialogue? Actually, in many ways, it's the most difficult part of fiction writing. Creating convincing, meaningful dialogue that advances the plot and contributes to character development can be an author's greatest challenge. In this lesson, we'll meet that challenge and see how to succeed.

There's only one chance to make a first impression—that's as true of fiction as it is of people. So in this lesson, we'll examine how to make your first impression with your first few lines. You'll also see how to make a lasting impact with your story's last few paragraphs. I'll show you lots of great examples that should help you to spark your own creative ideas.

Writing is more than a profession. It's also an art. As we begin writing our long form, we have many artistic tools to work with. In this lesson, we'll look at a few of them, including symbols and metaphors, plus techniques for writing "bigger."

One of the most common bits of advice to authors is "show, don't tell." In short, it means letting your readers make discoveries through your characters and their surroundings, not because you, as the author, explained it to them. Telling is a trap even very experienced authors can fall into. In this lesson, we'll explore ways to avoid it. We'll also look at the differences between drama and melodrama, and when to use each of them.

In our final lesson, we'll explore the steps you'll follow to get your book onto the shelves of your local bookstore. First, you'll need to edit your first draft into a polished second draft. Then it's time to find an agent, a publisher, or a printer. Finally, you need to take the initiative in marketing your book. If that sounds like a lot of effort, it is. But seeing your book in print makes everything well worth it.

Steve Alcorn

Steve Alcorn is the published author of a wide range of fiction and nonfiction works including the mystery A Matter of Justice, the historical novel Everything in Its Path, the romance Ring of Diamonds (under the pseudonym Sha... Read more

Read Steve Alcorn's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

What people are saying about our courses

Steve is a student's dream -- attentive, knowledgeable, and able to present course material in a fun and interesting way. He is admirably meticulous in checking the discussion forums and offering comments on student work, even when work is posted days after more recent lessons have been released. A wonderful instructor and a wonderful class -- both highly recommended!

Verified Student

Steve is wonderful. I don't know how he does online what so many instructors can't do in a classroom. The content and pace were beyond expectation. His critiques were always immensely encouraging and right on. Thank you Steve.

Verified Student

This course has energized and motivated me more than I can possibly imagine. I loved every bit of it and I learned so much. I really got a lot out of lesson 5 with sharpening your descriptions and loved the whole lesson on metaphors and similes. One piece I wrote I read to my husband and he asked which book that came out of!! I felt so great. I can't wait to tackle my original novel and apply the things I've learned and also continue on with my second one. I can't thank you enough Steve, and everyone in the course who gives such wonderful feedback!!

Verified Student

See More Reviews

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Fiction Writing Advanced you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.