Business and Finance Fundamentals

Visualise, plan, manage and evaluate projects successfully

Whatever the type or scale of your project, delivering great results, on time and budget, is always a challenge.

This online course introduces you to the essential skills and processes that support successful project management and helps you apply them to your own context.

While other project management courses propose complex methods and techniques, this course will give you the skill-set to play an active role in a project environment right away.

You will also gain confidence with project document templates in Word, Excel and Powerpoint, as well as some web tools for project management.

This course is aimed at those already or likely to be involved in projects whether professional or personal. It assumes no prior project management or business knowledge, though an interest in the topic would be beneficial. Whether you’re at the start of your career and need an introduction to the subject, or you’ve been managing projects for years and are seeking to reflect on your experiences, you will get a lot out of this formal, yet practice-oriented, learning experience.

For further information about registration, the final assessment course, your eligibility and the BA in Business Management, visit the Open University website.

This course is supported by the Association for Project Management (APM), the chartered body for the project profession. APM is committed to developing and promoting project and programme management through its FIVE Dimensions of Professionalism.

IMPORTANT! If you are aiming to use your study of courses in the Business and Finance Fundamentals program to obtain academic credit, please be aware that the final planned presentation of the Open University Assessment Course BXM191 Business and Finance Fundamentals in Practice starts October 2020. Please ensure that you allow yourself enough time to obtain all eight Certificates of Achievement from courses in the program before registering for the Assessment Course. Details of runs of the relevant FutureLearn courses in 2019 and 2020 are available here.

Discover how to engage customers through relationships

When did you last do business with someone you didn’t trust? Or who broke a promise? Building a relationship with your customer involves time, communication and commitment, but the benefits are a sure way to help your business succeed and grow.

This online course introduces the principles of relationship marketing, revealing long-term relationships as the way to unlock value for marketers, customers and other stakeholders.

Even if you have never considered marketing to be relevant to you personally, the ideas shared in this course will reveal how you can benefit from it – at work or elsewhere.

This course is intended for anyone looking to develop and strengthen relationships with their customers or other stakeholders and does not require any previous experience of studying relationship marketing.

For further information about registration, the final assessment course, your eligibility and the BA in Business Management, visit the Open University website.

Academic credit

If you are aiming to use your study of courses in the Business and Finance Fundamentals program to obtain academic credit, please be aware that the final planned presentation of the Open University Assessment Course BXM191 Business and Finance Fundamentals in Practice starts October 2020. Please ensure that you allow yourself enough time to obtain all eight Certificates of Achievement from courses in the program before registering for the Assessment Course. The start dates of the relevant FutureLearn courses in 2019 and 2020 are available here.

Build your network and personal brand online and in the real world

Networking is a fundamental business skill, which will help you take control of your career. Understanding the benefits of business networking, and how to overcome common networking barriers is a valuable skill.

This online course introduces the principles of effective networking, which will help develop your personal brand.

You’ll learn how to analyse the value of your existing connections, and find out how to create and manage your digital presence for networking on social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

You’ll also learn how to write an elevator pitch and get feedback on it from the course educators.

This course is intended for anyone looking to enhance and develop their professional network in order to open up opportunities and strengthen their professional relationships.

The course does not require any previous experience of studying networking.

For further information about registration, the final assessment course, your eligibility and the BA in Business Management, visit the Open University website.

IMPORTANT! If you are aiming to use your study of courses in the Business and Finance Fundamentals program to obtain academic credit, please be aware that the final planned presentation of the Open University Assessment Course.

Learn how to improve your communication skills in a professional context

Faced with a daily deluge of information, effective communication has never been more important.

This online course offers you a practical grounding in using different types of communication media to boost your personal effectiveness, save you time, and reduce your stress levels.

You will discover the principles of how to write emails, reports, and proposals. You will find new confidence in your ability to make convincing presentations and conduct productive meetings. And you will develop communication skills that are sensitive to cultural and personal differences.

This business communication course is for anyone interested in how to improve communication skills in a workplace context.

This could range from jobseekers to those seeking internal promotions to anyone interested in communicating better day-to-day.

No prior communications skills training is necessary.

For further information about registration, the final assessment course, your eligibility and the BA in Business Management, visit the Open University website.

IMPORTANT! If you are aiming to use your study of courses in the Business and Finance Fundamentals program to obtain academic credit, please be aware that the final planned presentation of the Open University Assessment Course BXM191 Business and Finance Fundamentals in Practice starts October 2020. Please ensure that you allow yourself enough time to obtain all eight Certificates of Achievement from courses in the program before registering for the Assessment Course. Details of runs of the relevant FutureLearn courses in 2019 and 2020 are available here.

Find out how to manage your income and expenditure more effectively

This online courses explore how current economic conditions impact household finances, before showing you how to manage yours more effectively.

You will find out whether you have bad financial habits and how to address them; discover a simple four-stage model for making sound financial decisions; examine the two components of household budgeting – income and expenditure – and how to manage them; and look at a key area of household spending – insurance.

The Open University’s Centre for the Public Understanding of Finance created this course, with the generous support of True Potential LLP.

For further information about registration, the final assessment course, your eligibility and the BA in Business Management, visit the Open University website.

IMPORTANT! If you are aiming to use your study of courses in the Business and Finance Fundamentals program to obtain academic credit, please be aware that the final planned presentation of the Open University Assessment Course BXM191 Business and Finance Fundamentals in Practice starts October 2020. Please ensure that you allow yourself enough time to obtain all eight Certificates of Achievement from courses in the program before registering for the Assessment Course. Details of runs of the relevant FutureLearn courses in 2019 and 2020 are available here.

Ensure your investments are effective and match your risk-return appetite

Research shows that UK households are poor at investment management, with a limited understanding of choices, risks and returns. This could mean that many people cannot afford to retire in future.

This online course will give you the tools to avoid this nightmare. You will study investment choices, and the risks and returns of each; investment strategies and your risk-return appetite; and behaviours that can impair effective investment decisions.

The Open University’s Centre for the Public Understanding of Finance created this course, with the generous support of True Potential LLP.

For further information about registration, the final assessment course, your eligibility and the BA in Business Management, visit the Open University website.

Academic credit

If you are aiming to use your study of courses in the Business and Finance Fundamentals program to obtain academic credit, please be aware that the final planned presentation of the Open University Assessment Course BXM191 Business and Finance Fundamentals in Practice starts October 2020. Please ensure that you allow yourself enough time to obtain all eight Certificates of Achievement from courses in the program before registering for the Assessment Course. The start dates of the relevant FutureLearn courses in 2019 and 2020 are available here.

Prepare for the future through the effective management of household finances

Each household is its own miniature financial world, with a balance sheet comprised of assets (property, investments, pensions) and liabilities (household debts). Prudent management is essential to ensure these finances deliver the best returns.

On this course, you will learn to effectively manage your household wealth. You’ll learn about different types of borrowing and the associated debts, different types of mortgage, and different ways to invest your money.

By gaining a stronger grasp of household finance, you can best prepare for the future, and ultimately for a comfortable retirement.

This household finance course would be useful to anyone looking to more effectively manage their own household wealth and debts, with a view to preparing for the future. If you want to better understand the buying and selling of property, personal investment vehicles, and different forms of borrowing then you could benefit.

This course might also be of interest to current or aspiring business and management, finance, accounting, or actuarial science students, or financial advisors.

For further information about registration, the final assessment course, your eligibility and the BA in Business Management, visit The Open University’s website.

If you are aiming to use your study of courses in the Business and Finance Fundamentals program to obtain academic credit, please be aware that the final planned presentation of the Open University Assessment Course BXM191 Business and Finance Fundamentals in Practice starts October 2020. Please ensure that you allow yourself enough time to obtain all eight Certificates of Achievement from courses in the program before registering for the Assessment Course. Details of runs of the relevant FutureLearn courses in 2020 are available here.