Online courses directory (841)

Behavioral economics couples scientific research on the psychology of decision making with economic theory to better understand what motivates financial decisions. In A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior, you will learn about some of the many ways in which we behave in less than rational ways, and how we might overcome our shortcomings. You’ll also learn about cases where our irrationalities work in our favor, and how we can harness these human tendencies to make better decisions.

In this course, Tina Seelig reveals a set of tools and conditions that we each control - our Innovation Engine - that allows us to increase our own creativity and that of our teams and organizations. She shows that just as the scientific method demystifies the process of discovery, there is a...

Learn how to research and develop relationships with potential funding sources, organize grantwriting campaigns, and prepare proposals.

Randy Komisar, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and author of the best-selling book The Monk and th

This class uses lab exercises and a workshop setting to help students develop a solid understanding of the planning and public management uses of geographic information systems (GIS). The goals are to help students: acquire technical skills in the use of GIS software; acquire qualitative methods skills in data and document gathering, analyzing information, and presenting results; and investigate the potential and practicality of GIS technologies in a typical planning setting and evaluate possible applications.

The workshop teaches GIS techniques and basic database management at a level that extends somewhat beyond the basic thematic mapping and data manipulation skills included in the MCP core classes (viz. 11.204 and 11.220). Instead of focusing on one thematic map of a single variable, students will concentrate on more open-ended planning questions that invite spatial analysis but will require judgment and exploration to select relevant data and mapping techniques; involve mixing and matching new, local data with extracts from official records (such as census data, parcel data and regional employment and population forecasts); utilize spatial analysis techniques such as buffering, address matching, overlays; use other modeling and visualization techniques beyond thematic mapping; and raise questions about the skills, strategy, and organizational support needed to sustain such analytic capability within a variety of local and regional planning settings.

Students seeking graduate credit should enroll in the subject 11.520; undergraduates should enroll in the subject 11.188. The subjects meet together and have nearly identical content.

ArcGIS/ArcMap/ArcInfo Graphical User Interface is the intellectual property of ESRI and is used herein with permission. Copyright © ESRI. All rights reserved.

Learn how to easily access your Inner Greatness and how to become a genius.

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 />

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 />

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 />

A series of 17 videos describing the essential ideas typically covered in a university-level accounting principles cours

In this free online accounting course you will be introduced to accounting and its use in making business decisions. You will learn how to identify and describe the three basic forms of business organizations, and also distinguish among the three types of activities performed by business organizations. The course then describes the content and purposes of the income statement, statement of retained earnings, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows. You will learn about the basic accounting equation and describe its relationship to the balance sheet. The course then shows you how to prepare an income statement, a statement of retained earnings, and a balance sheet, and also how to analyse and use the financial results—the equity ratio. 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 course introduces the basic financial statements used by most businesses, as well as the essential tools used to prepare them. This course will serve as a resource to help business students succeed in their upcoming university-level accounting classes, and as a refresher for upper division accounting students who are struggling to recall elementary concepts essential to more advanced accounting topics. Business owners will also benefit from this class by gaining essential skills necessary to organize and manage information pertinent to operating their business. At the conclusion of the class, students will understand the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. They will be able to differentiate between cash basis and accrual basis techniques, and know when each is appropriate. They

Gain a marketable new skill by learning the basics of double-entry bookkeeping, financial reporting, and more.

Give yourself skills that are in high demand by exploring corporate accounting with a veteran instructor.

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.

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 examines the underlying concepts, processes, and accountability function of accounting and the scientific foundation for why accounting fulfills such an important role in both ancient and modern societies.

Tom Kelley is the highly respected general manager of IDEO, a firm that helps its clients create innovative products, services and environments. He is also the author of best-selling books on creativity. <br /><br />In ALISON's free online course about achieving personal success, Kelley starts by explaining how achieving personal success depends on implementing good, healthy mental habits. The course explains how you should treat life as an experiment, how you should be willing to fail and learn from your mistakes. Kelley advises that you should have confidence in what you know well, but realize that you have a lot more to learn and that you must keep yourself learning at all times. You will also learn about using your whole brain and how you should make the most of opportunities to use the right side of the brain. <br /><br />This course will appeal to all working professionals in businesses and organizations, and students who want to gain greater knowledge and understanding about achieving personal success.<br />

Learn how to have more successful relationships with difficult bosses, co-workers, students, neighbors, or relatives.