Programme

Business Foundations

Three courses that build every manager's base: the numbers, strategy and marketing, in one programme.

Apply nowGet the brochure
A group discussing a case together

What you will be able to do.

  • 01

    Read a balance sheet, an income statement and a cash flow, and know what they say about your company.

  • 02

    Choose where your company competes and how it stands out in a crowded market.

  • 03

    Understand your customer and build a campaign whose results you can measure.

  • 04

    Tie the numbers, the strategy and the marketing into a single decision.

  • 05

    Present a plan built on evidence to your peers and take their critique.

Who it is for.

Each track has one stated admission criterion, which we read along with the rest of your application. The criteria below are drafts until aali's team confirms them, and they describe what suits the programme, not a bar to compete over.

  • Early career

    Building a firm base in business

    You are entering work or moving into a role with decisions to make, and you want the whole language of business in one place before you need it. Draft criterion: two years of work, or the equivalent.

  • Specialist moving up

    An expert who wants the whole picture

    An engineer, analyst, doctor or designer heading toward a team of their own, who needs to understand the numbers, the market and the customer. Draft criterion: five years in your field.

  • Owner

    Running a business of your own

    You run a small or family business and want to decide with numbers, not with instinct alone. Draft criterion: a business that has run for at least a year.

What you earn.

You earn an aali programme certificate, and a certificate of completion for each course you finish. They are aali's own certificates, and we claim no degree and no accreditation from any outside body. Each certificate states exactly what you completed, so anyone reading it knows which courses you finished and when.

Curriculum by term.

The programme opens with an orientation, then 3 courses spread over 3 terms, and ends with a capstone. Inside the programme every course follows your group's calendar, even one that is sold on demand when bought alone. Open each term below to see what it holds and what you need before it begins.

Before term 1Orientation

You meet your group and the learning platform, agree with your classmates how you will work together, and set your own goal for the programme.

Term 1Read the Numbers: Accounting Basics

The balance sheet, income statement and cash flow in language non-specialists understand.

  • Subject: Finance & Accounting
  • About 5 hours a week
  • Also sold on its own at 4,900 SAR (draft)
Term 2Strategy in a Crowded Market

How do you stand out when everyone sells the same thing? Cases of companies that found a way.

  • Subject: Strategy
  • About 7 hours a week
  • Also sold on its own at 4,900 SAR (draft)
Term 3Marketing That Earns Attention

From understanding the customer to a campaign whose results you can measure, channel by channel.

  • Subject: Marketing
  • About 6 hours a week
  • Also sold on its own at 4,900 SAR (draft)
Final termCapstone: a plan for a real company

You choose a company you know, analyse its numbers, market and customers, then present your recommendations to your group in a last session and take its critique.

Upcoming cohorts.

The programme starts on the dates below, and applications for each close 7 days before it (draft). The programme costs 4,200 SAR less than its courses bought one by one (14,700 SAR) (draft). Choose the date on which you can commit to the weekly hours, because the group moves forward together and does not wait for anyone.

Upcoming cohorts
StartsApply byPay byPriceLength
11 Jan 20274 Jan 20279 Jan 202710,500 SAR4 months
22 Feb 202715 Feb 202720 Feb 202710,500 SAR4 months
5 Apr 202729 Mar 20273 Apr 202710,500 SAR4 months

Dates and prices are drafts.

Your group and your week.

Expect about 5 to 7 hours a week of reading, discussion and practice. Each course opens with a case, followed by a discussion with your group, then a tool you try at work before the next case. You are not expected to be free of other work; the programme is designed for people with full-time jobs.

  • Group

    The same group throughout

    You come to know your classmates, so the discussions grow more candid and deeper each term.

  • Live (draft)

    Live sessions with the faculty

    Short sessions to take up the hardest cases and answer your questions. Dates are announced with each cohort.

  • Coaching (draft)

    Small-group coaching

    You meet in a smaller group to review what you applied at work and where you stumbled.

Taught by aali's faculty.

Teachers' names and photos are added once confirmed; we do not print a name here that has not been. The places below are held for teachers of the subjects the programme covers, and each one says draft until a real name fills it with its owner's consent.

  • Faculty member (draft)Finance & Accounting
  • Faculty member (draft)Strategy
  • Faculty member (draft)Marketing

Common questions.

What do I receive when I finish?

Finish all 3 courses and the capstone and you earn an aali programme certificate, plus a certificate of completion for each course. They are aali's own certificates; we claim no degree and no accreditation from any outside body.

What is the cohort experience like?

You study with the same group throughout: a case to read each week, a discussion to join, and live sessions with the faculty (draft). You begin with an orientation where you meet your classmates and the platform, and end with a project you present to the group.

How do I apply, and what are the admission criteria?

You send a short application about your work and goals, with no essay and no exam. We read each one and reply within about a week (draft), judging fit by one stated criterion for each track. The steps and questions are on the apply page.

How much time do I need each week?

Expect about 5 to 7 hours a week on average, on top of the live sessions. The numbers are drafts and vary a little from course to course; each course page shows its own hours.

How do I pay, and can I pay in instalments?

You can pay 10,500 SAR at once, or in 2 instalments of 5,250 SAR each (draft). The first is paid after acceptance and before the pay-by date, and the rest on dates announced inside the programme.

Can my employer pay for me?

Yes. Your employer can pay directly or reimburse you once you finish. The employer reimbursement guide has the steps to follow, and our team can help with the paperwork.

Can I withdraw or defer?

You can withdraw within 24 hours of the programme's materials opening and get back what you paid, minus an administrative fee that will be announced (draft). After that nothing paid is refunded, but you can ask to defer once to the next cohort. The details are in the policy on changing status.

What if I do not finish a course?

You can retake the course with a later cohort within a year (draft) at the past-learner price, so the programme certificate is not lost. Tell aali's team before you miss the date.

Do the programme's courses count toward a learning track?

Yes. This programme does not hold three courses in one subject, but each of its courses counts: add two more in its subject within 18 months and you earn a specialisation certificate in it (a draft rule).

More programmes.

All programmes