Principles of Management

Course Description

MAN2021 – Principles of Management is a 3-credit-hour course that introduces students to the foundational concepts, theories, and practices of management as applied to contemporary organizations. The course examines the four classical management functions — planning, organizing, leading, and controlling — and explores how managers operate effectively across different organizational contexts, industries, and levels.

Students develop a working vocabulary of management theory and practice, gain familiarity with the historical evolution of management thought, and analyze contemporary issues including globalization, diversity, ethics and corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and the changing nature of work. Coursework typically combines lecture and discussion with case analyses, applied projects, self-assessments, and team-based assignments.

MAN2021 is a Florida common course offered at approximately 32 Florida institutions. It is a core course in nearly all Florida Business Administration A.A./A.S. programs and is required by or commonly recommended for Florida bachelor's-level business programs. It transfers as the equivalent course at all Florida public postsecondary institutions per SCNS articulation policy. Some institutions offer this content under the alternative SCNS number MAN3025 (upper-division Principles of Management) — students should verify which version applies at their institution and intended transfer destination.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define management and describe the role and functions of managers across organizational levels (front-line, middle, top) and types (functional, general, project).
• Describe the historical evolution of management thought, including classical (scientific management, administrative theory, bureaucracy), human relations, behavioral, quantitative, systems, and contingency approaches.
• Apply planning concepts, including strategic, tactical, and operational planning; mission, vision, and values; goal-setting (SMART goals); and the basic strategic management process.
• Apply organizing concepts, including organizational structure (functional, divisional, matrix, network), authority and responsibility, span of control, centralization vs. decentralization, and contemporary organizational designs.
• Apply leading concepts, including motivation theories (content and process), leadership theories (trait, behavioral, contingency, transformational), communication, and managing groups and teams.
• Apply controlling concepts, including the control process, types of controls (feedforward, concurrent, feedback), and key performance indicators.
• Apply decision-making frameworks, including the rational decision-making model, bounded rationality, common decision-making biases, and group decision-making.
• Analyze the management environment, including the general environment (economic, political-legal, sociocultural, technological, demographic, global) and the task environment (customers, suppliers, competitors, regulators).
• Apply ethics and corporate social responsibility concepts to management decisions, including stakeholder analysis, ethical decision frameworks, and CSR/ESG perspectives.
• Analyze workforce diversity, inclusion, and the changing nature of work, including remote and hybrid work, gig economy considerations, and managing across generational and cultural differences.
• Apply basic human-resource management concepts, including recruiting, selection, performance management, training and development, and compensation at the introductory level.
• Apply operations and quality management concepts at the introductory level, including process design, productivity, supply chain basics, and quality (Six Sigma, lean, total quality management).

Optional Outcomes

• Apply international and cross-cultural management concepts using frameworks such as Hofstede's cultural dimensions and GLOBE.
• Apply change management frameworks (Lewin's three-step, Kotter's eight-step) to organizational change scenarios.
• Apply entrepreneurship and small-business management concepts at the introductory level.
• Apply technology and innovation management concepts, including digital transformation and the role of AI in management.
• Apply sustainability and ESG management at the introductory level.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Introduction to Management: Definition; managerial roles (Mintzberg's ten roles); managerial skills (technical, human, conceptual); management levels (front-line, middle, top); manager vs. leader.
• The Evolution of Management Thought: Classical school (Taylor's scientific management, Fayol's administrative principles, Weber's bureaucracy); behavioral school (Hawthorne studies, McGregor's Theory X/Y, Maslow); quantitative school; systems theory; contingency theory; contemporary perspectives.
• The Management Environment: General environment (economic, political-legal, sociocultural, technological, demographic, global); task environment (customers, suppliers, competitors, regulators, labor force); organizational culture.
• Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: Ethical theories (utilitarianism, rights, justice, virtue); ethical dilemmas; codes of conduct; whistleblowing; stakeholder analysis; CSR pyramid; ESG considerations.
• Decision-Making: Rational decision-making model; bounded rationality; intuition; programmed vs. nonprogrammed decisions; common biases (anchoring, availability, confirmation, escalation); group decision-making (groupthink, group polarization).
• Planning: Strategic, tactical, and operational planning; mission, vision, values; SMART goals; planning horizons; the planning process; strategic management process.
• Strategic Management (Introductory): SWOT analysis; Porter's Five Forces; generic strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, focus); BCG matrix; corporate-level vs. business-level vs. functional-level strategy.
• Organizational Structure and Design: Specialization; chain of command; span of control; centralization; formalization; common structures (functional, divisional, matrix, network); contemporary designs (boundaryless, learning, virtual organizations).
• Human Resource Management (Introductory): HR planning; job analysis; recruitment; selection; orientation and training; performance management; compensation; legal environment overview.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Workforce diversity; benefits and challenges; managing diversity; Title VII, ADA, ADEA basics; inclusion as an organizational practice.
• Motivation: Content theories (Maslow's hierarchy, Alderfer's ERG, Herzberg's two-factor, McClelland's needs); process theories (Vroom's expectancy, Adams' equity, Locke's goal-setting, self-determination); reinforcement theory; designing motivating jobs (job characteristics model).
• Leadership: Trait theories; behavioral theories (Ohio State, Michigan, managerial grid); contingency theories (Fiedler, House's path-goal, Hersey/Blanchard situational); transformational vs. transactional leadership; servant leadership; authentic leadership.
• Communication: Communication process; channels; barriers; nonverbal communication; active listening; cross-cultural communication; digital and virtual communication; managing organizational communication.
• Groups and Teams: Group vs. team; stages of team development (Tuckman); team composition and roles; team effectiveness; managing virtual teams; conflict management.
• Controlling: The control process (set standards, measure performance, compare, take corrective action); types of controls (feedforward, concurrent, feedback); financial controls; budgets; key performance indicators; balanced scorecard.
• Operations and Quality Management: Operations management overview; productivity; supply chain basics; quality management approaches (TQM, Six Sigma, lean); process improvement; ISO standards.
• Change Management: Forces for change; resistance to change; Lewin's three-step model; Kotter's eight-step process; managing organizational change.

Optional Topics

• International Management: Going international; entry modes; managing multinational operations; Hofstede's cultural dimensions; GLOBE; managing expatriates.
• Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management: Entrepreneurial orientation; opportunity recognition; small business management; family business; intrapreneurship.
• Technology and Innovation Management: Innovation processes; technology adoption; digital transformation; AI in management; managing knowledge.
• Sustainability and ESG Management: Triple bottom line; environmental management; social impact; ESG reporting.
• Florida Business Context: Major Florida industries (tourism, healthcare, aerospace, agriculture, international trade); Florida regulatory environment.

Resources & Tools

• Common Textbooks: Management (Robbins/Coulter), Fundamentals of Management (Robbins/DeCenzo/Coulter), Management (Schermerhorn), Management (Daft), Principles of Management (Carpenter/Bauer/Erdogan)
• Open Educational Resources: Principles of Management by OpenStax, Lumen Learning, Saylor Academy management modules
• Online Platforms: MyLab Management (Pearson), Connect (McGraw-Hill), MindTap (Cengage)
• Self-Assessments: Personality (Big Five, MBTI), leadership style, conflict-style (Thomas-Kilmann), team-role inventories — frequently integrated
• Case Sources: Harvard Business School cases, Ivey cases, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg, Florida-based business publications (Tampa Bay Business Journal, Orlando Business Journal, South Florida Business Journal)
• Professional Standards: Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM); Project Management Institute (PMI); Institute of Management Consultants USA (IMC USA); Academy of Management Code of Ethics

Career Pathways

MAN2021 develops the foundational management vocabulary and analytical capabilities valuable across virtually all professional careers. Specific career pathways supported include:

• Front-Line Supervisor / Lead — Entry-level supervisory roles across industries.
• General and Operations Manager (SOC 11-1021) — Front-line, mid-level, and senior operational leadership.
• Sales Manager / Marketing Manager — With additional sales/marketing coursework.
• Human Resources Specialist (SOC 13-1071) — With additional HR-specific coursework.
• Business Analyst — With additional analytical/quantitative training.
• Project Coordinator / Project Manager — With additional project management coursework and credentials (CAPM, PMP).
• Small Business Owner / Entrepreneur — With additional accounting, marketing, and entrepreneurship preparation.
• Healthcare Administrator — Healthcare management roles requiring business management foundation.
• Public Sector Manager — Federal, state, and local government supervisory and management roles.

Florida's diverse economy — encompassing tourism and hospitality, healthcare, financial services, technology, aerospace, agriculture, and international trade — creates broad demand for managers across all sectors. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Florida State Council and local chapters provide professional networking and continuing education for management-track professionals.

Special Information

General Education and Transfer

MAN2021 is a Florida common course number that transfers as the equivalent course at all Florida public postsecondary institutions per SCNS articulation policy. It is a core course in most Florida Business Administration A.A./A.S. programs and serves as a foundation for upper-division business coursework. Some institutions offer the upper-division equivalent under SCNS number MAN3025 — students intending to transfer to a four-year university should verify which version their target program accepts. Most Florida universities accept MAN2021 as equivalent to or as a prerequisite for MAN3025; some require MAN3025 specifically for upper-division business credit.

Course Sequence

MAN2021 is typically taken in the second year of an A.A./A.S. program. It often serves as a prerequisite for upper-division management courses (MAN3240 Organizational Behavior, MAN4720 Strategic Management, MAR3023 Principles of Marketing, FIN3403 Business Finance) and is part of the standard business core for transfer to baccalaureate business programs.

Course Format Variations

MAN2021 is offered in multiple formats: traditional face-to-face, hybrid, fully online (asynchronous and synchronous), and accelerated formats (8-week sessions). The fully online format is particularly common given the broad student audience for this foundational course.

Related Credentials

While not directly preparing students for specific credentials, MAN2021 supports preparation for the SHRM-CP (Certified Professional in Human Resources) credential at the foundational level, the CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management), and other entry-level professional credentials with management content.