Business Fundamentals

Now Only

$389

AUD

35% off

$599 AUD

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
6416 Students

Acquire practical experience in strategic planning, management, and finance from this online business fundamentals course.

Are you interested in acquiring practical business experience in strategic planning, management, and finance without enrolling in an MBA program? This course is for you! You'll understand the significance of strategic planning and discover how external and internal environmental factors affect an organisation.

You'll learn about various organisational structures and determine how to use leadership, motivation, and control for maximum impact. You'll understand how successful organizations use performance measurements to stay on track.

You'll also master the fundamentals of accounting and increase your knowledge about key financial terms, cash flow management, financial statements, and cost control. You'll learn the difference between financial and cost accounting.

You'll discover various financial investment models and you'll learn the basics of financial planning and budgeting methods. You'll even gain an understanding of the basic principles of business law, contracts, and the principal-agency relationship. And you'll explore the forms of business organization and learn about ethics and organisational politics.

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 our first lesson, you'll learn the ins and outs of strategic planning. You'll find out why you need to define your business in terms of the customer and why you must have the right ingredients in place to meet customer demands. We'll discuss how environmental factors, such as technology and economics, shape your company. You'll also see how the internal environment determines how well your organization responds to opportunities and threats.

I believe strongly in the phrase, "Plan your work and work your plan" because it has great applicability to strategic planning. We'll begin this lesson by discussing the elements you must use to effectively implement your strategic plan. We'll study vision statements, move on to purpose and mission statements, and discuss goals, objectives, strategies, policies, and procedures. Next, we'll focus on company culture and you'll find out why planning is beneficial. Finally, we'll look at the major strategic choices that you can choose from, ranging from core business focus to insolvency.

Organizing is a critical topic that many companies struggle with. Once you have a good idea of how to develop and implement a strategic plan, you need to take the next step. In this lesson, we'll discuss how to organize resources so employees can perform job duties and relate to one another in the most effective way possible. I'll share the purpose of organization and present several coordinating principles, including authority, power, and span of control. We'll also spend time exploring the staffing function and evaluate the elements—recruitment, selection, appraisal, and development—and study six different forms of organizational charts.

Today we'll discuss three key management principles: motivation, leadership, and control. Motivation and leadership, as compared to control, represent a more subtle side of business. While control focuses on concrete things such as analysis and procedures, motivation and leadership rely on less tangible factors. We'll begin the lesson by defining motivation, exploring four theories of motivation, and then moving into leadership. You'll learn about the types of leadership and see how delegation and empowerment differs. We'll finish up by investigating control and learning how to effectively use three different control processes.

In this lesson and the next four to follow, I'll help you increase your mastery of financial fundamentals. It's important that you increase your readiness to use financial information to identify and understand problems and opportunities, and also make decisions. We'll discuss the elements of the general ledger, explore a few key accounting terms, contrast accounting and bookkeeping, and investigate the different types of accounting. You'll learn about vital accounting concepts, such as the accounting equation, debits and credits, and the cost principle.

Now that you have the basics of accounting safely under your belt, it's time to start looking at how to apply financial information. We'll start off by reviewing two financial statements that you find at nearly every organization—the balance sheet and the income statement. Without these two documents, it's impossible to determine how a firm is performing. After we cover the balance sheet and the income statement, you'll learn how to account for inventories and understand about the significance of cash flow. I'll explain why sound cash management helps any company stay on the right path.

Cost is the price you pay to acquire, maintain, produce, or use materials or services. Since most firms account for their operations at cost, it's essential that you understand how costs are determined and used. In today's lesson, we'll discuss the nature of discretionary, relevant, sunk, and variable costs, and many more. You'll also discover how managerial accounting differs from financial accounting.

The largest investment that many businesses make is in their land and buildings. Firms also make smaller, more frequent investment decisions for items such as equipment and fixture purchase and replacement. Today you'll learn about the different types of investment decision-making models, including average rate of return (ARR), payback period, discounted cash flow (DCF), net present value (NPV), and internal rate of return (IRR). We'll also examine the nuts and bolts of financial planning.

In our last lesson about financial matters, we'll wrap things up by examining budgeting. In order to be successful and make meaningful decisions about the future, you must look ahead. One way to do this is by preparing budgets. Accounting, as a major organizational function, supports a number of different types of budgets. I'll show you how to use the major budgets, including the department administration budget (also known as an expense budget), the production materials budget, the maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) budget, the capital budget, and zero-based budgeting.

Today we'll examine performance measurements as a way to keep track of progress. Studies reveal that if you don't measure a process, you can’t properly manage it. We'll begin the lesson with a discussion on how human nature affects performance measurements. You'll learn about the attributes of effective performance measurements and see how traditional and progressive performance measurements differ.

The topic for this lesson is business law. Our objective is to help you develop a good overview of business law and also learn about some important concepts, such as the principal-agency relationship and the basics of contracts. We'll begin by talking about the nature of laws, move on to explore the basics of a legal system, and then discuss the essence of commercial law.

Now that you have a basic understanding of business law, we'll take a look at the four most popular organizational forms: sole proprietorship, general partnership, limited partnership, and corporation. We'll spend some time in our final lesson talking about organization politics. Wherever people work together, you'll find politics. We'll go over "good" and "bad" politics and discuss how ethics relates to politics.

Tony Swaim

Tony Swaim has helped many clients, colleagues, and students reach their professional and personal goals. He has been an online instructor since 1998 and has taught at colleges and universities across the United States since 1981. His focus areas ... Read more

Read Tony Swaim'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.

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

A well-rounded course. Touched on many of the essential aspects of business. Even though I have been in business for over 20 years, I found myself learning something new with each lesson.

Verified Student

Great course, outstanding supplementary material that went well with each lesson, and very knowledgeable instructor.

Verified Student

I use the material in this course on a daily basis and was able to obtain even more valuable information.

Verified Student

See More Reviews

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Business Fundamentals 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.

Ready to get started?

Enrol Now

Our Values

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.

Industry-Led Courses

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.

Get The Personal Support You Deserve

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.

Still looking?

Check out the following courses related to Business Fundamentals:

Communicate Effectively

Six Sigma: Total Quality Applications

Be Excellent!

Purchasing Essentials

Manufacturing Fundamentals

Discover more online courses

Business Fundamentals

$599

$389AUD

Save 35%

Make Money from your Writing

Now Only

$389

AUD

35% off

$599 AUD

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
2751 Students

You really can make money with your writing. Whether you want to create your own business, add to your income, supplement your retirement, or boost what you're earning as a writer, you'll find the how-to's here.

You really can make money with your writing. Whether you want to create your own business, add to your income, supplement your retirement, or boost what you're earning as a writer, you'll find the how-to's here.

In this course, I'll share secrets, methods, and tips to help you generate income with your writing. This class includes all the practical information that so rarely gets taught in writing classes.

Now I know in most courses and social groups it's taboo to discuss money . . . but not here. We'll embrace it! Making money is the focus of the lessons.

You'll explore a dozen genres that can help you establish a sometime, part-time, or full-time career as a writer. Along the way, you'll learn methods to work faster, suffer less rejection, and bring home more bacon (even if you're a vegan like me).

You'll get facts on ghostwriting, collaboration, writing for the Web, writing for new technologies, copywriting, article and essay writing, and novel and nonfiction book writing, plus I'll give tips for finding publishers and agents. And you're going to practice different writing techniques in a safe environment as I mentor you.

Please join me for this course. Fulfilling (and lucrative) writing work is waiting for you!

Where do great ideas come from? How do best-selling authors get to be that way? What makes writing so very scary, intimidating, delicious, and wickedly wonderful? How are words pulled from nothingness and zapped to the screen or printed page? What makes writing nearly addictive to one group of humanity and yet an overwhelming task for others? Are there born writers? Can anyone learn to write? Why do some people get published and others fail? Today, we'll start answering these questions and begin the journey to becoming a better writer.

Have you ever heard that to be a writer, you only need a pen and paper? That's true. Yet, too many writers throw in other requirements—from a year of unfettered time, to a trust fund that will keep them in caviar until the royalties come flooding in. In this lesson, we'll delve more deeply into the writing life as we expose some myths about writing.

Today we'll discuss self-editing and researching. Self-editing and researching are both skills you'll want to learn so you can sell your work. It's highly unlikely you'll ever sell a first draft, and it's equally as unlikely that you'll sell something you didn't research. So join me in this lesson, and I'll teach you some simple tricks to make your work shine!

Today's lesson could be called Magazine Writing 101. If you've written for magazines before, then today's lesson will be a refresher or a nudge. If you haven't written for magazines and would like to, today you'll find out indispensable information that will get you going. With this info, you could find your niche and begin making money as a freelancer, possibly while you're working on your novel.

In the previous lesson, we focused on writing nonfiction articles for popular magazines. But you won't find every magazine that uses freelance work in your grocery store or big super bookstore. There are magazines, publications, and periodicals with otherwise large distribution that never even get to these places. And these magazines are looking for short works such as short stories, columns, essays, and poetry. Today we'll talk about how you can sell your short works to magazines and newspapers.

Some writers just love to write long fiction and have a story that is burning to get out. If you fit into this group, or just wonder how one goes about writing a novel, then this lesson should speak to you. You'll find out why some of us need to get that book out and what it takes to do so. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a working knowledge of the genre possibilities and what it takes to write a novel. You'll learn how stories are found, how some famous novelists were discovered, how to stay motivated, and what has stopped a few hopeful writers from writing.

Now it's time to give the nonfiction genres a turn. Adults are infatuated with nonfiction and it sells better than any other type of book. There are scads of different genres in nonfiction books. In this lesson, we're going to focus on the types of nonfiction writing and how to get a project started, written, and noticed by publishers and agents. Nonfiction books concern real people, places, events, information, or situations. Whether you're addicted to reading nonfiction, or just want to learn all you can about writing, this lesson will give you valuable information that will help you better understand the world of publishing.

What does it mean to be a ghost in the literary world? This lesson will give you the scoop on this lucrative business. If you have a talent for emulating peoples' voices, and if you're fast, efficient, and good with people, this might be the field for you. Today we'll talk about how to advertise and find clients, how to select appropriate clients, and how to maintain a good working relationship so you can produce the best book possible.

Today, we're going to talk about the roles of editors and agents. Specifically, you'll find out what each of their jobs includes and why you need to know this information. If you're currently writing a novel or a nonfiction book, gathering a collection of poetry or short stories, or maybe just dabbling in the idea, you'll want to read this lesson carefully. Find out how agents interact with editors at publishing houses and how you can interact with agents and editors.

Attend any writing conference or sit with a group of published writers, and you're bound to hear words like: self-publishing, POD, copublishing and e-publishing. In this lesson, we'll discuss the options that are often called alternative publishing. If you're serious about joining the world as a writer, you should be aware of these options. They're not for everyone, but the information I'll give you today will help you make sound career and financial decisions.

This lesson is all about the legal side of writing. Today, you'll see sample agreements and contracts that should keep you in good stead as you become the writer of your dreams. We'll also talk about royalties, advances, and the scoop on that lovely green stuff that pays the bills.

Saturday comes, finally. The house looks like a disaster hit. The kids need shoes, the dog has a vet's appointment, and you swear that the health department might condemn the car. Unlike Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, you can't seem to click your heels hard enough to make it all disappear. You've got a yearning, a deep burning to write, but the clutter, the mess, the hours spent doing things for others (okay, and procrastination) are eating at your heart. What does all of this have to do with creativity? Check the clock, because it's all about time management, and that's what you'll learn in this vital lesson.

Eva Shaw

Eva Shaw, Ph.D. is a full-time working writer of 1000 articles, essays and short stories. She’s the ghost or author of 70 books including: Ghostwriting for Fun & Profit, Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers, Write Your Book in 20 Minutes ... Read more

Read Eva Shaw'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

I was in your magazine writing course last year. I actually used the magazine article query letter I wrote for a class assignment, and I sold the story. It is on the children's musical composition project called "Hey, Mozart!" and will be in the Aug/Sept issue of American Music Teacher (AMT) magazine. Yippee!

Verified Student

Eva has found the right mix of lessons for an Advanced Writing class. Her commitment to teaching is, as aways, very strong. She comments constructively on all submitted work, and encourages useful and positive feedback from fellow students. She creates a wonderful, positive class, that was very inspiring. Very well done!

Verified Student

Eva, I truly appreciate all your help, encouragement and patience. I can honestly say had it not been for you and this amazing class, I wouldn't be writing.

Verified Student

See More Reviews

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Make Money from your Writing 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.

Ready to get started?

Enrol Now