Accounting for Business Decision Making: Strategy Assessment and Control (Coursera)

Accounting for Business Decision Making: Strategy Assessment and Control (Coursera)

Accounting information is the lifeblood of the organization, as it facilitates and influences operational and strategic decisions intended to achieve organizational goals. Organizations benefit from three decision-oriented roles of accounting: measurement, control, and communication. This course provides an introduction to accounting’s role in helping managers develop and implement, and improve the organization’s strategy. In particular, you will learn how non-financial and financial information is created, organized, and communicated to help managers make strategic decisions, as well as measure strategic success.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

This course also provides an introduction to accounting as a control function inside the organization, which helps influence the alignment of managers’ and employees’ decisions with organizational goals. You will learn about different types of controls, including process controls, budgets, and performance measurement and evaluation tools and techniques.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Create and communicate accounting information that facilitates strategic decisions.
• Use accounting information to develop, implement, and improve organizational strategy.
• Implement controls that align managers’ and employees’ decisions with organizational goals.
• Measure and evaluate manager and employee performance to control and motivate operational and strategic decision-making.

Course 4 of 5 in the Fundamentals of Accounting Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Course Orientation
You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.
Managing Capacity
In this module, you will explore different measures of an organization's capacity and understand their implications for many different decisions, including product pricing.

WEEK 2
Managing Pricing
In this module, you will learn about accounting's role in pricing decisions.

WEEK 3
Planning and Monitoring Operations
In this module, you will explore budgeting in organizations.

WEEK 4
Managing Organizational Strategy
In this module, you will explore many aspects of this important system.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

The Power of Markets I: The Basics of Supply and Demand and Consumer Behavior (Coursera) Coursera
University of Rochester

The Power of Markets I: The Basics of Supply and Demand and Consumer Behavior (Coursera)

This opening module of the Power of Markets course covers the basic assumptions about market participants made by economists, the concept of opportunity cost, and the key determinants of supply and demand. We will then learn how to use the supply-demand framework to explain and predict market outcomes and to show how government policies affect those market outcomes. We will look at how quantity demanded and supplied respond to their key determinants in quantitative (elasticity) as well as qualitative terms. The last two weeks of the first module will investigate consumer behavior more closely and show how consumer choices are driven by the interplay of preferences and budget constraints.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Giving Helpful Feedback (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Giving Helpful Feedback (Coursera)

This course teaches you the simple principles expert managers use to improve and motivate employee performance. You’ll never have to avoid telling an employee “the truth” again, because the seven techniques we teach will not make employees defensive or afraid. As a manager, or someone who would like to be a manager, you’ll also learn specifically what feedback is, how negative feedback is weighed more heavily than positive, and how positive feedback can super-charge behaviors such as creativity and teamwork.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Power of Markets III: Input Markets and Promoting Efficiency (Coursera) Coursera
University of Rochester

The Power of Markets III: Input Markets and Promoting Efficiency (Coursera)

The final module of the Power of Markets course begins by further exploring firm behavior in imperfectly competitive market settings: how firms with monopoly power can increase profits through price discrimination; and the price-output combinations we can expect firms to select in cases of monopolistic competition and oligopoly. We will also analyze monopolies from an efficiency perspective and look at the effects of imperfect information on firm and consumer behavior. We will next turn to exploring input markets and what determines the demand for an input by a firm, an industry, and the overall market.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Financial Markets (Coursera) Coursera
Yale University

Financial Markets (Coursera)

An overview of the ideas, methods, and institutions that permit human society to manage risks and foster enterprise. Emphasis on financially-savvy leadership skills. Description of practices today and analysis of prospects for the future. Introduction to risk management and behavioral finance principles to understand the real-world functioning of securities, insurance, and banking industries. The ultimate goal of this course is using such industries effectively and towards a better society.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Gamification (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Gamification (Coursera)

Gamification is the application of game elements and digital game design techniques to non-game problems, such as business and social impact challenges. This course will teach you the mechanisms of gamification, why it has such tremendous potential, and how to use it effectively.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Supply Chain Principles (Coursera) Coursera
Georgia Institute of Technology

Supply Chain Principles (Coursera)

This course will provide a solid understanding of what a supply chain is all about. The course: provides an introduction to Supply Chain; leverages graphics to promote the Integrated Supply Chain model; emphasizes understanding the Extended Supply Chain; presents a holistic approach – Incorporating People, Process, and Technology; calls-out industry-specific supply chain; leverages discussions, videos, quizzes, and questions for consideration; provides awareness of career path opportunities; presents emerging and futuristic trends in supply chain and given that at GT we are focused on developing what’s next in the world, we include Discussion of emerging and futuristic trends in supply chain. There is very little math involved in this course – so don’t worry at all about your math skills.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Formal Financial Accounting (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Formal Financial Accounting (Coursera)

This course builds upon what you learned in Financial Accounting: Foundations and Financial Accounting: Advanced Topics and introduces you to formal foundations of financial accounting. The main purpose of the course is to familiarize you with technical terms in financial accounting, such as debit, credit and T-account. While knowledge on technical aspects of financial accounting is not necessary to understand and interpret financial statements, this knowledge is critical to be able to understand advanced topics in accounting. Formal Financial Accounting is a prerequisite course for the University of Illinois' iMSA program and the terminology we will cover will be used throughout the courses in iMSA program.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Today’s Music Industry (Coursera) Coursera
West Virginia University

Today’s Music Industry (Coursera)

This course provides an engaging and methodical insight into the past and present cultural and commercial music industry developments, directions, and trends. It will equip the students with the knowledge and skills necessary to appreciate, understand and more productively participate in today’s music industry field.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Leading Healthcare Quality and Safety (Coursera) Coursera
George Washington University

Leading Healthcare Quality and Safety (Coursera)

Ensuring patient safety and healthcare quality is critical and should be a key focus of everyone in healthcare practice. This course provides healthcare practitioners and others with an introduction to the knowledge and skills needed to lead patient safety and quality improvement initiatives at the micro and macro levels. Participants will explore the foundations of health care quality and the science underlying patient safety and quality improvement, design and select effective health care measures, analyze patient safety problems and processes using tools such as human factors analysis, apply systematic approaches including the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model to address quality improvement challenges, and learn strategies to lead a culture of change

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Removing Barriers to Change (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Removing Barriers to Change (Coursera)

What does it mean to truly change something? How does one persuade others to change? How do we reduce roadblocks to change? In this course, you’ll learn about the barriers to change and how to become more effective in inspiring change within others and your organization.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
ADHD: Everyday Strategies for Elementary Students (Coursera) Coursera
University at Buffalo,The State University of New York

ADHD: Everyday Strategies for Elementary Students (Coursera)

This course will provide an overview of ADHD diagnosis and treatment. Course participants can expect to learn about ADHD as a developmental disorder that begins early in childhood, and participants will also learn about evidence-based approaches for diagnosing ADHD. Following that, two evidence-based treatment approaches (the Daily Report Card and Parenting Strategies) will be introduced. (Note these course activities are informational and are not intended to replace working with a licensed/trained professional).

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
¿Qué hacen los buenos directivos? Prioridades de la Alta Dirección (Coursera) Coursera
IESE Business School

¿Qué hacen los buenos directivos? Prioridades de la Alta Dirección (Coursera)

Este curso persigue adentrarse en la realidad del trabajo de un alto ejecutivo: lo qué hace y cómo lo hace. Es un hecho conocido que la mayoría de altos directivos dedican hasta el 90% de su tiempo al día a día y menos del 10% a las tareas asociadas al pensamiento estratégico en la organización. Por eso es importante ir más allá y entender las prioridades que configuran esta actuación diaria. Al final, la mejor estrategia es aquella que se practica; la mejor organización, aquella que funciona; y el quehacer cotidiano coherente con las prioridades establecidas, la base de la continuidad con éxito de las empresas.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks