5 Key Features of the Best Online Business Courses for 2023

Online learning has taken the world by storm. Today, e-learning is not limited to students. In fact, even corporate employees are focusing on upskilling themselves through online learning. Furthermore, while this is available for every domain, business and management remain the most popular niches because of the high workforce demand in these domains. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, business and financial occupations are expected to grow by 7% by 2031. Thus, now is the ideal time to enroll in online business courses. This blog provides online business courses’ top features and benefits to help professionals improve their skills.

What are the Features of Online Business Courses?

Engaging Learning Experience

The best feature of business courses is the engaging learning experience they provide. Evidently, they use gamification, immersive learning, and interactive learning techniques to teach business fundamentals. Moreover, one also gets an opportunity to collaborate with peers on various projects and tasks. Undoubtedly, such business courses also encourage participation and increase retention power.

Self-Paced Learning

Upskilling is necessary to grow as a business professional constantly. However, a fixed working schedule makes it challenging to learn new skills. As noted above, they offer self-paced learning for working professionals. In addition, these courses can accommodate different learning styles and levels of prior knowledge. Moreover, they provide access to recorded course materials such as videos, readings, and assignments for self-paced learning.

Practical Tasks

Online business courses incorporate practical case studies, tasks, and projects that require applying business concepts and theories in real-world situations. Moreover, practical tasks can help develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and other relevant business skills.

Practical Evaluation

Business courses assess progress through practical assessments that evaluate practical knowledge of business concepts. It can help identify areas where improvements are needed. Moreover, it also enables one to create a portfolio of work that demonstrates acquired skills to potential employers.

Flexibility

One of the most significant features of such courses is flexibility. It allows you to learn at your own pace and schedule. Furthermore, it helps in balancing work, family, and other commitments.

What are the Benefits of Taking Online Business Courses?

1. Remote Access to Quality Education

You can access quality business education anywhere in the world with an online business course. In fact, most of these courses are taught in collaboration with leading business schools worldwide. Therefore, they can provide access to international business knowledge while focusing on career growth.

2. Cost-Effective

Yet another advantage of such courses is that they are much more cost-effective than traditional classroom courses. They have lower tuition fees compared to on-campus courses, and one doesn’t have to spend on commuting, either.

3. Wide Range of Courses

Equally important, learners can access specialized knowledge in marketing, finance, accounting, entrepreneurship, and more per their professional goals.

4. Career Advancement

The relevant technical skills and tools that these courses teach can significantly boost one’s career. In addition, these courses are taught by industry leaders; they offer guidance on how to solve complex problems and make business decisions. 

How do Online Business Courses Compare to Traditional Courses?

On the whole, the business management sector has changed drastically in the last few years due to increasing digital transformation, international economic conditions, and several other factors. Here’s how online business courses compare to traditional courses today:

Theoretical vs. Practical Approach

For the most part, traditional business courses have focused more on business management’s theoretical and philosophical aspects. But, modern online business courses teach technical and soft skills relevant to tackling contemporary business challenges. Simply put, online business courses are more skill-oriented than traditional business courses.

Focus on Modern Business Factors

These courses are paying more attention to business ethics, corporate governance, workplace diversity, flexibility, and other factors. In fact, they teach a more agile approach to business management. Strangely, traditional business courses followed an idealistic and rigid approach focusing solely on workplace productivity.

New Approach to Leadership

Incidentally, leadership has been redefined more often than not over the years. While traditional business courses teach more traditional leadership styles, such as autocratic or transactional leadership, these courses focus on introducing new leadership theories and styles. In fact, they stress team productivity, employee motivation, enhancing communication with team members, and employee participation in decision-making.

ALSO READ: A 2023 Guide to a Career in International Business Management

How to Choose the Best Online Business Course?

There is no ideal criteria for choosing the best online business course: It all depends on the requirements and the skills one wants to learn. Therefore, first, decide the goal or purpose for pursuing an online business course. For example: learning new business skills, and gaining in-depth knowledge of a particular concept. Moreover, there are four key factors to focus on when choosing a course:

1. Faculty

The whole purpose of pursuing online business courses is to access quality business education. Therefore, check the qualifications or experience of the course instructors before shortlisting a course. As a matter of fact, it is best to enroll in online business courses that industry leaders teach as it offers direct learning from their experiences.

2. Accreditation

Another factor to consider is whether a leading university or educational organization accredits the course. Considering this view, it is best to shortlist online business courses taught in collaboration with leading business schools. 

3. Networking

Online business courses allow one to connect with industry professionals and business leaders. Without a doubt, this helps career growth. Therefore, also explore networking or peer learning opportunities along with the course.

What Skills Can I Expect to Learn from an Online Business Course?

Online business courses remain one of the best sources for learning relevant technical and soft skills. Here are some of the most in-demand business skills to learn online today:

• Customer service management
• Project management
• Corporate communications
• Negotiation
• Data analysis
• Market research and planning
• Business management
• Setting clear business objectives 
• Leadership 
• Financial accounting
• Networking
• Time management
• Financial management 
• Team management
• Marketing 
• Delegation
• Organization 
• Risk management
• Conflict resolution
• Business strategy
• Human resource management
• Entrepreneurship

Furthermore, some of the soft skills that one can learn from online business courses include the following:

• Critical thinking
• Logical reasoning
• Strategic planning
• Decision-making
• Effective communication
• Emotional intelligence
• Ethics and awareness 

Moreover, one can also acquire skills from online business courses that help leverage the following popular business management tools and software:

• Agile management 
• Business process reengineering
• Change management programs
• Complexity reduction
• Customer relationship management
• Customer segmentation
• Digital transformation
• Mergers and acquisitions strategies
• Supply chain management 
• Zero-based budgeting 
• Total quality management
• Change control
• Building strategic alliances
• Trello
• Asana
• Wrike
• ClickUp
• Zoho
• Slack Evernote 

ALSO READ: Mastering Company Management: 8 Skills Needed to Succeed in This Career

Upskill with Emeritus

Due to the plethora of online business courses available from universities or edtech platforms, finding the appropriate course can take time and effort. Nevertheless, Emeritus has designed a wide range of online business courses for senior business professionals to executive leaders. In fact, these courses target specific topics like corporate governance, sustainability leadership, energy leadership, and more. Check out Emeritus’ business management courses developed in unison with the world’s best universities.

Write to us at content@emeritus.org