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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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.

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Basics of Business Finance

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Photoshop CS5 Intermediate

Quick Facts

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

Take your Adobe Photoshop CS5 skills to the next level by mastering layers, layer masks, Smart Objects, and other advanced features that let you re-edit images easily long after you create them.

If you're already using the basic tools in Adobe Photoshop CS5, take your photo-editing skills to a new level!

In this course, you'll become an expert at using layers, layer masks, and other advanced features that let you change images easily long after you create them (and long after the Photoshop ""undo"" command expires).

Non-destructive editing lets you work faster and reuse parts of images over and over. In these lessons, you'll learn how to save every single pixel in your original image so you never have to say, ""I'm sorry—I tossed that information."" In addition, you'll discover how to use Smart Objects so you can crop or resize an image and return it to its original size months afterward. (You'll even learn some clever tricks for warping Smart Objects!)

After that, you'll find out how to add shadows or embossing non-destructively. And if you want to design page layouts you can fill with different images, you'll learn how to create templates you can reuse.

Whether you use Photoshop to edit photos, make scrapbook pages, or design original artwork, this course will give you all the skills you need to let your creativity shine. Once you see what non-destructive editing can do for your projects, you'll never look back!

Layers add a new world of possibilities to using Photoshop. In this lesson, you’ll create, view, and hide layers. Why do layers matter? Well, they open so many opportunities for fine-tuning your images. You can edit a layered image nondestructively, so you don’t have to start over if you make a mistake or need to change something.

Today we’ll focus on the clues Photoshop gives to explain exactly what you’re doing to a layer as you’re working. You’ll create, move, duplicate, lock, unlock, cut, and paste layers. Knowing this information will let you alter images quickly and nondestructively . . . and the lock commands will help you prevent others (and yourself!) from accidentally altering your work.

Take advantage of Smart Objects—the most awesome and significant innovation in Photoshop since the layers feature was introduced. You can place a RAW-format photo (or JPG or TIF) file inside the Smart Object and re-edit it in Camera RAW anytime you want. You’ll discover how to crop and resize photos nondestructively using Smart Objects, and you’ll love the way they let you make a protected package out of an image.

Today you’ll see how you can make an individual layer in an image larger or smaller, rotate it, and use the amazing Warp command. And you can reverse all these changes anytime you want—if you make them on a Smart Object layer. You can even use filters nondestructively, so long as you apply them to a Smart Object (gee, those come in handy!). You’ll also create a pear that, when cut open, has an orange inside it.

Each time you edit the exposure in an image, you lose image quality. But what if there were a way to edit the exposure as much as you wanted and not hurt the quality? There is! An adjustment layer makes no permanent change to the image, and you can stack up these layers as you wish. You won’t ever want to apply a regular Levels command or Adjustment command directly to an image again.

In this lesson, you’ll find out about layer masks—another way that Photoshop lets you have your cake and eat it too. If you bring a picture of little Johnny onto a new background image, and you erase all the stuff that was in the background, what happens if you change your mind? You’d better hope you have the original image somewhere, and then you’re in for a lot more work. However, if you use a layer mask, you’ll keep every pixel that’s in the original image and hide the parts of the original that you no longer wish to see.

Did the dog eat Grandmother’s portrait? Or did time and water do that damage? No matter. Using layers makes it easier than ever before to restore some of your treasured family heritage. You’ll get ample practice with that today, plus links to websites that specialize in image restoration. Again, the theme of this lesson is nondestructive editing—working in layers so that you can always change your mind about a correction without having to begin again.

What happens if you want to place a person into a swimming pool or the ocean using Photoshop? To make the composite realistic, you need to transition from total opacity above the water line to total transparency below it. You'll learn that skill today as you work with grayscale and gradient masks. You'll also experiment with vignette edges and other edge effects, plus you'll create a Web page header.

One of the most common ways to lose sleep while using Photoshop is to try to add a new background behind a model with wispy, flowing hair. Hair and fur have always been the bane of Photoshop users. CS5 introduces an ingenious new command to make this process easier. That's one of the tricks you'll learn today when we explore some new commands on the Masks panel.

Have you ever wondered how to put images inside type, like those old postcards for various cities? You’ll find out today. It’s called a clipping mask, and it’s a digital version of spreading glitter onto a paper that has a design drawn in glue—the glitter only sticks to the glue. In this case, the new layers only stick to the base layer in the clipping mask. Making a clipping mask is easy, but it provides one of Photoshop’s “wow” moments.

Photoshop can use the values in an image to correct the image. That sounds scary and mysterious, but it’s actually easy to do. Today, you’ll create luminosity masks and use them to correct images and to develop false duotone images and wonderfully creative image composites. This lesson should nurture your creativity and yet give you some solid ways to add punch to an image or to create stunning sepia tones.

Do you like the look of double-exposed images? Would you enjoy creating a seamless composite of your vacation images? Then this is your lesson! It’s one of my favorites in the course. Up to now, you’ve masked images so that you can either see the image in the layer or not, or you’ve used a gradient or paint in the mask to get a grayscale transition. Now you’ll use photos in the mask to get a hide-and-seek look to layer visibility. You’ll also create an image that has a different photo in each color channel. And you’ll finish the course with a fun assignment that lets you put together everything you’ve learned.

Sherry London

Sherry London is a noted Photoshop and Illustrator expert, an artist, a writer, and a teacher. Her fiber art has been featured in magazines and exhibitions. Her published works include Photoshop CS2 Gone Wild, Photoshop Magic, Photoshop Effects Ma... Read more

Read Sherry London'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

This was a very challenging class and you are a great instructor! I took your first class and then this one and enjoyed both. I would recommend this class to anyone. Thank you so much for giving us plenty of assingments to help get us more aquainted with the program and not restricting the amount of postings. Even though I wasn’t in a classroom I felt I could get help when I needed it and that is most important.

Verified Student

Some very challenging and heavy stuff in this excellent final lesson. So much more to master in the months ahead it makes my head spin…The sky's the limit for using this very artistic concept as well as the use of luminosity masking. This course was more than challenging, and it was worth every penny. A tremendous educational value! Kudos to Sherry London and staff!

Verified Student

I am glad I got the chance to use CS5 with all the assignments. I learned so much from them all. There were a few assignments that I did not do, however I plan to review and take advantage of all assignments. This was a really great class. You and Beth are wonderful instructors. I have an artist friend who has taken classes online under your expert instructions, and she also praises you highly. I hope to be able to take more of you classes in the future.

Verified Student

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The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Photoshop CS5 Intermediate 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.