Online courses directory (801)

Understanding the travel patterns of tourists and why they choose which destinations they go to is of vital importance if tourism-focused organisations and businesses are to maximise the financial benefits of the international travel industry in a particular country or region. In this free online tourism course the learner will study the travel patterns of tourists and the most common reasons for why people travel. The course also explains the six main types of pleasure trips and the ways in which holiday resorts can attract tourists. The priorities of business travellers are also explained as well as the ways in which companies can instil loyalty in business customers. The second section of the course describes the various types of holiday destinations and the key factors needed for these destinations to be successful. This course will be of great interest to owners of tourism-focused organisations and businesses who would like to learn more about the travel patterns and destinations of the international tourist. It will also be of interest to people who wish to begin working and develop a career in the tourist industry.<br />

In order to attract tourists, any organisation or business in the tourist industry must create successful marketing and promotion campaigns. The tourist industry is one of the most important in the world, worth up to one trillion dollars annually, so successful marketing and promotion campaigns have the potential to generate huge revenue. This free online course will explain how tourist destinations and tourism businesses can successfully market themselves. The first section of the course explains the main challenges of promoting tourism and how they may be overcome. The following section explains how to identify the target audience of tourism campaigns as well as which methods of advertising are best suited for tourism. The following section explains the customer buying process and how it can be used to determine the objectives for a tourism promotional campaign. The final section explains how an effective marketing campaign can instil brand loyalty in customers and encourage repeat purchases. This course will be of great interest to marketers that wish to learn how to create campaigns for the tourism industry. It will also be of great interest to tourism board employees and owners of tourism businesses that wish to attract more tourists to a location.

Tourism has become one of the biggest industries globally generating up to 10% of world GDP. It is a vital industry for the economy of many communities and countries as it supports nearly 300 million jobs globally. There are many sectors in the tourist industry, each of which provides numerous employment and career opportunities. This free online course provides an overview of the various sectors and describes the type of employment and career opportunities that are available. The course also describes how tourism has been defined by tourist authorities and diplomatic organisations, and how these definitions have evolved over time. The final section describes the four essential elements needed to establish and develop an area as a tourist destination. This course will be of great interest to people who wish to gain employment or a career in the tourist industry as well as people already working in tourism. It will also be of interest to owners of tourism focused businesses.<br />

In the world of finance, futures trading is a very important activity to understand. It can have a great impact on all our lives as it effects the future prices of essential items such as food, energy sources and raw materials. A futures contract is a contract between a buyer and seller where an asset of certain quantity and quality has a price agreed for it today with delivery and payment for the asset occurring at a specified future date. In this free online course the world of futures trading, and its importance, is explained in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. You will learn how money is made based on the demand for a certain commodity and the trade-off between wanting that commodity now, rather than waiting for it at a later date for a given price. Examples of high demand commodities are gold, silver, oil and corn. This free course will be of great interest to professionals in business, finance and economics who would like to learn more about the concept and practice of futures trading and to all learners who would like a better understanding of how the prices of essential items such as food and raw materials are set.<br />

In the free online Transact-SQL - Programming Techniques and Error Handling you will learn about the many different options you have for queries and subqueries. You will learn to modify your data and use program within your queries. You will learn about the process of handling, raising and catching errors.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to Subqueries, what they are and their function. You will learn to apply operators within your queries and presenting data with views and temporary table. You will also learn about table valued functions, derived tables, how to pivot data and unpivot the pivoted data. This course also teaches about grouping sets subclause of the group by clause.<br /><br />Next, you will learn about modifying your data with the insert and update functions. You will learn about deleting data from your table, batches, comments and declaring variables for your queries. You will also learn about creating conditional branching and looping within your queries.<br /><br />In the end, you will be introduced to the elements of database engine errors. You will learn about raising and handling errors. This course also teaches you to try catch block and use transactions in your queries.<br /><br />This free Alison course would be of interest to those who wish to learn more about using queries in a database and deepen their knowledge of Transact-SQL.<br />

Dominic Orr, CEO from Aruba Networks, started up a small company in a market which was dominated by the likes of CISCO Networks. It was a daunting task bringing his own product to market in competition with such a huge giant of technology. In this free online course Dominic reveals what drove him to follow his passion and see it through to execution. He reviews the fundamental characteristics and support systems needed to bring a small startup business to where Aruba Networks is today. He discusses how it was necessary to bring big company culture and attitudes to his start-up business to maximise productivity from his team of employees so that the business could capitalise on its IPO and bring the company to world-class level. Brutal honesty is a phrase he uses more than once to define how key decisions were made throughout this growing process. This course will be of great interest to business professionals and entrepreneurs starting up their own business or growing an existing business and who are competing in a market dominated by large multinational companies. <br />

The U.S. Citizenship Test is a required step in the naturalization process to become a citizen of the United States and this test offers the ideal preparation. Prove your right to be an American Citizen by taking this free US Citizenship test! <br />The FREE test covers US history and government structures, in a multiple-choice format. It is a fun way to revise US history and to learn things about the US (that you may have forgotten!) <br />

Google Search is the most widely used search engine on the Web and processes several hundred million search queries every day. However, there is a level of sophistication, namely Google advanced searches, that most people don't know about and therefore don't use. Using the advanced search features on Google Search would greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the search process for all users. This free online course will demonstrate power searching with Google and give practical examples of how to use them. This course will give you a clearer understanding of how Google Search works, why word order matters, how to read the Search Engine Results page, how to remove invasive results, and how to use WHOIS and look for other Google search tips. You will also get a clear knowledge and understanding of how to use features such as conversions, the calculator, search-by-image, and translation services. You will see examples of how combining these techniques together will give you much more effective search results in a faster time. This course will be of great interest to all users who use Google Search in a professional capacity as they will learn how to input more specific search queries and obtain more relevant search results in a faster time, and to individuals who want to learn Google advanced search tips and techniques about improving their search process.<br />

In this the second of our series of courses on Quality Management topics such as Cost of Quality and what tools are used in Total Quality Management are covered in more detail. The Cost of Quality is a term that's widely used and widely misunderstood. It isn't about the cost of creating a quality product or service, rather it's the cost of not creating a quality product or service. For example, every time work is redone the cost of quality increases. TQM tools have been around for more than 50 years and have revolutionised the concept of quality management. Successful businesses realise that TQM tools are used to prevent problems from occurring rather than detect problems that have occurred. Popular TQM tools include Checklists, Fishbone Diagrams, Histogram Charts, PDCA Cycle and Pareto Diagrams. This free online course will be of great interest to all professionals working in the area of Quality Management and who would like to learn more about Cost of Quality and using TQM tools. It will also be of great interest to any learner who is interested in a career in the area of Quality Management.<br />

The free online course Understanding Cross-Cultural Communication in International Business offers business professionals advice and guidance for communicating effectively with work colleagues and clients who come from different cultural backgrounds. The course first introduces learners to the concept of cross-cultural communication and its importance in the modern globalized workplace. The course then describes strategies for identifying both similar and divergent cultural characteristics across different cultures, and why they play an important role in effective cross-cultural communication. Learners will be introduced to potential barriers to cross-cultural communication such as language, religion and food, and the course suggests suitable ways of overcoming them. Many business professionals move abroad as part of an international assignment and this course also gives guidance and advice on how best to prepare for moving to a country with a different culture, and effective strategies for living and working within a different culture. This free online course will be of great interest to all business professionals who would like a greater understanding of cross-cultural communication and how it plays an important role in conducting effective international business.<br />

Cryptography plays a vital role in modern digital communication systems. Cryptographic methods allow the encryption and decryption of messages sent across digital communication networks. In this free online course the learner is first introduced to ancient ciphers and how they were used. The vital role of randomness in cryptographic methods is then explained and the learner is taken through step-by-step examples. The role of key scientists such as John von Neuman is also explained. This course will be of great interest to all learners who would like to learn more about cryptography and the vital role it plays in today's digital communication networks.<br />

This follow-on course takes you deeper into the workings of Google Analytics and provides comprehensive training for marketers and data analysts seeking to understand the core principles of digital analytics and how to improve web site performance through better data measurement. Google Analytics is a service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about a web site's traffic and sources and it also measures conversions and sales. It can track visitors from all referrers, including search engines and social networks, direct visits and referring sites. It also displays advertising, pay-per-click networks, email marketing and digital collateral such as links within PDF documents. In this free online course you will be guided on how to build an effective measurement plan and what the best practices for collecting actionable data are. You will learn about key digital measurement concepts, terminology and analysis techniques, and the role of reports in Google Analytics, with specific examples for evaluating your digital marketing performance. This course will be of great interest to all marketing and data analysis professionals who would like a better understanding of how data analysis can improve web site performance, and to all learners who would like to learn more about Google Analytics.<br />

Understanding Drainage and Water Distribution Systems is a free online course which is designed for anyone who wants to get a better understanding of the drain, waste, vent, and water distribution systems. Within a building, these systems are installed and maintained by plumbers. A thorough understanding of how they work is, therefore, a crucial requirement of a plumber's job. This free online course - the fourth and the last in the series of plumbing courses – completes the list of introductory courses on plumbing. The first section of this course covers the major components of a drainage system. It also explains the basic drainage fittings and traps that are used by plumbers. The second section of the course discusses the water distribution systems. From outlining the water supply sources for private and municipal systems to explaining the water purification process, this section introduces the learner to how water is sourced and supplied to the public. This course will be of great interest to all professionals who want to understand how drainage and water distribution systems work. It will also be of interest to all learners who have completed the previous courses on plumbing, and would like to complete the series in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of a modern-day plumber's job. <br />

Dyslexia is a condition affecting literacy skills. It is not caused by problems with vision, rather, it is a developmental reading disorder that occurs when the brain does not properly recognise and process certain symbols. This free online dyslexia course analyses how our image of normality affects the way we as a society define conditions such as dyslexia. You will learn how important it is to integrate the different psychological accounts of dyslexia in order to provide a full explanation of potential causes and strategies for remediation. The course presents dyslexia as a ‘case study’ in how different perspectives might be complementary to each other and outlines different approaches to the definition of ‘abnormality’. You will learn about the different explanations of dyslexia including behavioural, cognitive, and biological perspectives. The course also considers the more practical issue of how to approach the treatment of dyslexia and associated difficulties. This free online dyslexia course will be of great interest to all professionals in the areas of education, child development, and adult literacy who would like to learn more about the causes of and treatment for dyslexia, and to all learners who would like a greater understanding of this common condition.<br />

Put options and Call options are widely used financial contracts by investors and are part of very important financial trading methods that keep the financial markets running. In this free online course you will learn more about the role of put and call options as financial contracts, what the difference between American and European options are, what going short and going long on investments mean, how to balance investment risks by taking a long straddle and how to use payoff diagrams to read the outcomes of put and call options. This course will be of great interest to finance and business professionals who would like to learn more about put and call options and how they are used as financial contracts, and to all learners who would like a greater understanding of important financial trading methods.<br />

Fixed cost, variable cost and marginal cost are very important concepts to understand in economics. Fixed costs are business expenses and are often time-related such as salaries and rents which are paid on a monthly basis. Variable costs are expenses related to business activity and change in proportion to an increase or decrease in this activity. Marginal cost is the change in total cost that arises when the quantity of goods produced increases by one unit. It is a measure of the cost of producing one additional unit. This free online economics course explains in a simple and clear manner the concepts behind fixed, variable and marginal costs using worked examples. The relationship between marginal cost, average total cost and marginal revenue is also outlined. By studying this course the learner will appreciate the importance of these costs in economics, and why and how they are calculated. This free online economics course will be of great interest to all professionals in economics, finance and business who would like a greater knowledge and understanding of fixed, variable and marginal costs, and to all learners who would like a greater insight into the factors that determine these key costs in economics.<br />

Control of information within an organization is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of managers. Modern businesses and organisations must be capable of creating and implementing a control structure which will suit the operations of the business. Information technology (IT) can be used to create information systems which result in effective and efficient control in a business. In this free online course the learner is introduced to the issues that control presents in the organization and also outlines the impact globalization has on control within the organization. Information systems can greatly aid communications in an organization but they may also pose a major control problem for management in terms of development, implementation and security. The learner will also see how different types of organizations may require different levels of control. Improved information systems have allowed many businesses to expand their operations to the global market, in turn creating more control issues, for example, businesses with extensive outsourcing face problems of control and communications. This free course will be of great interest to professionals in the areas of business management, IT and information systems who would like to learn more about implementing effective control measures within organisations and the impact globalization can have on control within a business.<br />

Information has always been with us but with the advent of electrical and digital communication systems, and in particular the Internet, the quantity of information being generated has increased exponentially. This free online course is an introduction to information theory and where our ideas about information first started. It reviews ancient forms of information from cave art up to clay writing tables. It also reviews how the development of electrical communication systems revolutionised the transmission of information. This free online course will be of great interest to all IT and communication professionals who are involved in the area of digital communications, and to all students who would like to increase their knowledge and understanding of how the science of information theory.<br />

A monopoly exists when one particular business is the only supplier of a commodity or service within any particular sector of the economy. This is a very important concept to understand as to monopolize a market means that a business has significant market power and can charge higher prices. In this free online economics course you will learn about the characteristics of a monopoly, when monopolies might occur, and the economic and financial implications of a business having a monopoly in a particular commodity or service sector. You will learn how monopolies optimize prices. Concepts such as total revenue, marginal revenue, and dead weight loss are clearly explained. Monopolies are also contrasted with oligopolies where a market or industry is dominated by a small number of businesses and where the decisions of one business influence the decisions made by the other businesses. This free online economics course will be of great interest to all professionals in areas such as economics, finance, business and politics who would like to learn more about the economic and financial implications of monopolies existing within any business sector, and to all learners who would like learn more about how monopolies operate within a market.<br />

Taking out a mortgage for a house or property is the biggest financial commitment most people make in their lives. Because of this it is of vital importance that people understand the financial concepts behind mortgages and home equity. In this free online course you will learn about the concepts of assets, liabilities and equity in relation to obtaining a mortgage from a financial institution to purchase a house. You will also learn how to calculate the monthly interest repayments for a mortgage. This course will be of great interest to all learners who are considering purchasing a house or property and who would like to learn more about the financial concepts behind mortgages and home equity.<br />