Online courses directory (51)

In this course you will learn how to account for and manage receivables and payables. For the receivables you will learn how to calculate a bad debt provision amount based on a company’s history using both the aging schedule and the allowance method. The bad debt amount for the financial reports is then managed by posting that provision, and then processing the realized loss of revenue when it becomes overdue. On the payables side you will learn how to make provision for known liabilities, estimate liabilities such as warranty liabilities and how to plan for the contingent liabilities mostly resulting from legal issues. The course also looks at raising short term finance through the use of promissory notes – distinguishing between interest bearing notes and discounted notes with examples of calculations of the postings for each. You will also learn about accounting for notes that are dishonored. The final section explains the use of the accounts receivable turnover and the number of days’ sales in accounts receivables ratios and the relevance of the level of liquidity they represent. This free online accounting course will be of great interest to entrepreneurs and business professionals who would like to better understand, manage and account for the receivables and payables, and to any learner who is interested in accounting as a future career.<br />

This is a continuation of our series of accounting courses that will greatly increase your knowledge and understanding of the theory of accounting and accounting practices. This free online accounting course explains the processes used to close your accounts at the end of an accounting period, from creating a worksheet that facilitates the generation of the Income Statement and Retained Earnings statement to the generation of the Balance sheet. You will also be shown how a Classified Balance sheet is broken down into current and long-term assets and liabilities. The important Current Ratio figure is calculated and explained in context. You will also learn a little about the history of accounting systems and the impact of computerization on the process. This free online accounting course will be of great interest to entrepreneurs and business professionals who would like to get a thorough introduction to accounting principles, and to any learner who is interested in accounting as a future career.<br />

Providing excellent customer service is essential to the long-term viability of every business. ALISON's free online Diploma in Customer Service course introduces the fundamental elements of customer service and explains how they can be applied in any organization. Following this, it describes how a business can develop its customer service program to the highest level. <br /><br />ALISON's customer service certification course also details the role of customer service in the hospitality industry, the retail industry and the public sector. These sections explain the elements of customer service that should be focused on in these sectors. <br /><br />This free online Diploma course is ideal for business managers, business owners and entrepreneurs who wish to learn how to implement an effective customer service program in their organization. This course will also be of great interest to retail staff, hospitality workers and public servants who want to become more proficient at providing friendly and effective customer service.<br />

Financial reports are used to see how a business is performing and therefore they should accurately reflect how the business performed during the period under review. The matching principle or accruals basis of an accounting system records more accurately the true revenues earned and costs paid for the period in question. The cost of rent and capital purchases are spread over the life of the purchase rather than distorting the accounts in the period the purchase was made. Likewise wages owing or interest payable is spread pulled into the period where they were used rather than when they were paid. In this free online accounting course students will learn how to determine if an account needs adjustment entries due to the matching principle concept. They will be introduced to the two classes and four types of adjustments resulting from unearned revenue, prepaid expenses, accrued expenses and accrued revenue, along with typical examples of each type of adjustment. Depreciation is explored in more detail as the effect on the balance sheet can be significant. This free online accounting course will be of great interest to entrepreneurs and business professionals who would like to get a thorough introduction to accounting principles, and to any learner who is interested in accounting as a future career.<br />

This free online course looks at the way in which the buying and selling of goods is accounted for in the merchandising sector as opposed to the manufacturing sector. As the inventory is the focus of such businesses, managing the accounts and finance related to purchasing, trade and chain discount, transport costs and invoice terms is critical as they are the major contributors to the gross profit. Students will also learn about the differences between perpetual and periodic inventory processes, both from a physical and accounting perspective. The learner will be walked through the process of calculating the cost of paying for goods as per the invoice terms, using borrowed monies, versus the cost of paying for them on the invoice due date. The learner will see how to calculate the cost of goods sold and see an example of a classified income statement used to calculate the net profit for this sector. This free online accounting course will be of great interest to entrepreneurs and business professionals who would like to better understand the management of stock and related cash flow for the wholesale and retail sectors, and to any learner who is interested in accounting as a future career.<br />

This course introduces the body of theory underlying accounting procedures. It puts the core practices and principles, covered in the previous courses, into a framework of theoretical concepts. This free online course will give learners an understanding of the theory behind the accounting process and will help learners make decisions in diverse accounting situations as is provides a logical framework for accounting practice. This free online accounting course will be of great interest to entrepreneurs and business professionals who would like to get an understanding of the theory behind the accounting practices that we use day today, and to any learner who is interested in accounting as a future career.

Business Intelligence is a set of theories and methodologies that handle large amounts of data and information and assists managers with decision-making. Knowledge management is the process of capturing, storing, retrieving and distributing the knowledge of the individuals in a business for use by others in the business to improve the quality and/or efficiency of decision making across the firm. This free online course in Business Intelligence and Knowledge Management Systems enables the learner to study information tools used to assist decision-makers and describe the process known as decision-making including the three steps involved. The course will be of interest to business professionals who would like to gain a basic knowledge and understanding of the benefits of business intelligence and knowledge management systems.<br />

Merchandising retailers and wholesalers use inventory costs to calculate the cost of goods sold as these are a major expense affecting net income and the balance sheet. In this free online accounting course learners are brought step-by-step through this process from the physical counting of goods, to the inclusion of costs such as transport or insurance, to the calculation on the value of the goods thereby connecting the cost of goods through to retained earnings and the balance sheet. The different methods of apportioning costs to a stock item, such as FIFO and LIFO, are discussed and topics such as net realization or gross margin are explained and explored. The importance of having accurate inventory figures and the serious consequences of using inaccurate inventory figures is also explained. This free online accounting course will be of great interest to entrepreneurs and business professionals who would like to better understand how to allocate inventory costs flow for the wholesale and retail sectors, and to any learner who is interested in accounting as a future career.<br />

For any business or organization, the need to control and monitor cash transactions to ensure the efficient operation of the business is vital. In ALISON's free online accounting course, procedures and structures for establishing internal control such as control of cash receipts and cash disbursements, proper use of the bank checking account, preparation of the bank reconciliation, and protection of petty cash funds are all explored in detail. Examples of recommended documentation and the postings used in the ledgers are given. An overview of the five components for internal control is described and this provides a structure for developing the necessary procedures needed to ensure the safe handling of cash within an organization. You will also see how companies can protect both their assets and employees by following steps such as segregating employee duties, assigning specific duties to each employee, rotating employee job assignments, and using mechanical devices. <br /><br />ALISON's free online accounting course will be of great interest to entrepreneurs and business professionals who would like to better understand how to control and monitor daily cash transactions within an enterprise, and to any learner who is interested in accounting as a future career.<br />

This free certificate in accounting course looks in-depth at the transactions, processes and controls used to record typical transactions in a business. <br /><br />In sales, you will learn how to handle returns, discount and freight charges as well as working out the cost of goods sold. In inventory, you will see the two different methods of counting inventory, periodic and perpetual, as well as the different methods of calculating value of the inventory and the associated journal transactions to record the necessary adjustments. <br /><br />To help manage the cash assets within a company, the different controls and best practices are outlined with examples of documents and processes given for both checking accounts and petty cash. Samples of adjusting journals are given and the importance and use of the quick ratio are explained. This is followed with details on how to manage the accounts receivables, from calculating the provision for uncollectable accounts to the use of aged analysis. Similarly in accounts payable you will see how to make provision for both the known and unknown liabilities as well as how to use payable notes as for of short term finance. <br /><br />This free diploma of accounting course will be of great interest to entrepreneurs and business professionals who would like to better understand the transactions and controls used in business, and to any learner who is interested in accounting as a future career.<br />

Building an effective online presence is critical for growing your business as it gives your company access to thousands or millions of local, national or international customers who are searching, interacting, sharing and shopping online. This free online Diploma course will help all business owners increase their knowledge and understanding of what online marketing involves and how to go about implementing a successful online marketing strategy. The Diploma will show you how to build an online marketing plan, promote your business online, and improve your Website landing page for greater customer conversion rates. This Diploma shows you in detail how to use Google tools such as Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Google AdSense and Google Webmaster to implement your online marketing strategy. You will learn how to set up a Google Analytics account, how to set up a Google AdWords account, how to write ads that attract customers, how to choose the right keywords, and budget for your online advertising. You will learn how to set up a Google AdSense account and how to set up a Google Webmaster account. This free Diploma course will be of great interest to all business owners who lack the knowledge and expertise to implement an online marketing strategy but who recognise the importance of having an effective online marketing plan for the continued success of their business.<br />