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Business 101
3 College Credits
NCCRS Credit Recommended
Principles
of Management
What it actually takes to lead a team, run a department, and drive results. Management theory grounded in the realities of modern organizations.
$250
per course
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NCCRS Credit Recommended
3 Credit Hours
Self-Paced
Self-Paced · Final Exam · NCCRS Recommended
What You'll Learn
A full semester of principles of management — completed at your own pace, with no deadlines or fixed class times.
Learning Outcomes
What You'll Be Able to Do
- Master the core principles of management, focusing on the roles of managers and leaders, and clearly distinguishing between management and leadership competencies
- Analyze the evolution of management theories, evaluating the enduring impacts of key theorists like Max Weber, Frederick Taylor, and Henri Fayol on modern practices
- Acquire proficiency in understanding and managing organizational change, with a focus on identifying change catalysts and effectively applying change management models
- Assess and align organizational structures with strategic objectives, understanding the dynamics of various organizational designs, including mechanistic and organic structures
- Develop skills in fostering effective team dynamics and leadership, applying diverse theories and models to enhance team motivation, and resolving conflicts
Topics Covered
Major Course Topics
Management fundamentals & managerial roles
Classical school of management theory
Behavioral approaches to management
Effective teamwork & modern management
Managing organizational change
Lewin's & Kotter's change models
Organizational structure & design
Mechanistic & organic structures
Effective team dynamics & group development
Leadership styles & theories
Motivation theories & workforce engagement
Workplace communication & conflict resolution
Financial controls & budgeting
Human resources management
Strategic management & decision-making
Production & total quality management
International management & business ethics
From the syllabus · Business 101
Course chapters and lessons
Principles of Management has 16 chapters across 74 instructional hours, as listed in the course syllabus. Expand any chapter to see the lessons inside it.
- Chapters
- 16
- Lessons
- 135
- Instructional hours
- 74 hrs
- Semester hours
- 3
Chapter 1
Management Fundamentals
- 1.1 Management in Organizations: Roles of Top, Middle & Low-Level Managers
- 1.2 Managerial Competencies: Enhancing Productivity Through Effective Management
- 1.3 Henry Mintzberg's Managerial Responsibilities
- 1.4 The Four Pillars of Management: Planning, Organizing, Leading & Controlling
- 1.5 Leadership as an Essential Management Component
- 1.6 Management vs. Leadership: Distinguishing Managers from Leaders
Chapter 2
The Classical School of Management
- 2.1 Classical Management Theory (1900-1930): An Introduction
- 2.2 Bureaucracy: Max Weber's Theory of Impersonal Administration
- 2.3 The Foundations of Classical Scientific Management
- 2.4 Frederick Taylor & Management: Maximizing Efficiency and Productivity
- 2.5 Gantt Charts & Bar Graphs: Contributions of Henry Gantt to Management
- 2.6 Henri Fayol's Principles of Management: Organizing Departmental Tasks
- 2.7 Fayol's Insights on Staff Management and Worker Satisfaction
- 2.8 Frank and Lillian Gilbreth's Motion Study Techniques
- 2.9 The Classical Administrative School of Management: Navigating Organizational Structures
- 2.10 Mary Parker Follett: People-Centric Group-Network Management
- 2.11 Chester Barnard: Informal Organizations and the Acceptance Theory
Chapter 3
Behavioral Approaches to Management
- 3.1 Neoclassical Theory of Management: Embracing the Human Relations Approach
- 3.2 Behavioral Management Theory: Understanding Employee Behavior and Motivation
- 3.3 The Hawthorne Effect: Investigating Employee Productivity
- 3.4 Meeting Employee Needs: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
- 3.5 Theory X & Theory Y: Two Managerial Paradigms
Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4 - Effective Teamwork
- 4.1 Modern Management Theories
- 4.2 Quantitative School of Management: Enhancing Managerial Decision-Making
- 4.3 Operations Management: Prioritizing Production Efficiency and Customer Satisfaction
- 4.4 Systems Management Theory: An Integrated Approach
- 4.5 Contingency School of Management: Adapting to Unique Situations
- 4.6 Quality School of Management: Embracing Kaizen & Reengineering Strategies
Chapter 5
Managing Organizational Change
- 5.1 The Catalysts of Organizational Change: Internal and External Factors
- 5.2 Varieties of Internal Organizational Change: Structural, Strategic, People, and Process
- 5.3 Managerial Challenges in Times of Organizational Change
- 5.4 The Planned Change Process
- 5.5 Lewin's Three-Stage Model of Change: Unfreezing, Changing & Refreezing
- 5.6 Kurt Lewin's Force-Field Analysis Change Model
- 5.7 Kotter's Eight-Step Change Model in Management
- 5.8 Implementing Kotter's Eight-Step Change Model
- 5.9 Cultivating Learning Organizations
- 5.10 Organizational Culture's Impact on Change
Chapter 6
Organizational Structure and Design
- 6.1 Specialization of Work in Organizations
- 6.2 Authority in Centralized & Decentralized Organizations
- 6.3 Aligning Strategy with Organizational Structure
- 6.4 Organizational Design and Behavior
- 6.5 Conventional Organizational Structures: Simple, Functional & Divisional Designs
- 6.6 Embracing Organizational Divisional Structures
- 6.7 Contemporary Organizational Designs: Matrix, Team & Network Approaches
- 6.8 Mechanistic & Organic Organizational Structures
Chapter 7
Effective Team Dynamics
- 7.1 Stages of Group Development: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing & Adjourning
- 7.2 Enhancing Group Cohesion: Utilizing Team Building Strategies
- 7.3 Understanding Groupthink and Its Consequences
- 7.4 Navigating Team Conflict and Its Impact on Workflow
Chapter 8
Leadership in Organizations
- 8.1 The Role of Leaders in Organizations
- 8.2 Exploring Transformational Leadership
- 8.3 Unpacking Transactional Leadership
- 8.4 The Essence of Servant Leadership
- 8.5 The Laissez-faire Leader: A Hands-Off Approach
- 8.6 The Participative or Democratic Leader: Collaborative Decision-Making
- 8.7 The Authoritarian or Autocratic Leader: Centralized Control
- 8.8 The Charismatic Leader: Inspiring Followers
- 8.9 The Situational Leader: Adapting to Circumstances
- 8.10 The Bureaucratic Leader: Rule-Based Leadership
- 8.11 The Blake Mouton Managerial Grid: Five Leadership Styles
- 8.12 Personal Power in Leadership: Referent and Expert Power
- 8.13 Positional Power: Legitimate, Coercive & Reward Power
Chapter 9
Leadership Theories and Models
- 9.1 Fiedler's Contingency Theory: Leader's Situational Control
- 9.2 Hersey-Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model
- 9.3 The Path-Goal Theory and Leadership Styles
- 9.4 Machiavellianism in Organizations: Balancing Means and Ends
- 9.5 Leader-Member Exchange Theory and Its Impact on Organizational Behavior
- 9.6 Comparing Trait Theories with Behavioral Theories of Leadership
- 9.7 The Attribution Theory of Leadership
Chapter 10
Motivating the Workforce
- 10.1 Motivation Theories: Needs-Based and Behavior-Based
- 10.2 The Pygmalion Effect: Shaping Employee Behavior
- 10.3 Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory: Hygiene Factors and Motivation
- 10.4 Alderfer's ERG Theory: Employee Motivation in the Workplace
- 10.5 Acquired Needs Theory: Achievement, Power & Affiliation
- 10.6 Equity Theory of Motivation: Balancing Reward and Effort
- 10.7 Vroom's Expectancy Theory of Employee Motivation
- 10.8 Thorndike's Reinforcement Theory: Motivating Through Consequences
- 10.9 Locke's Goal-Setting Theory: Using Goals for Motivation
- 10.10 Reward Systems and Employee Behavior: Intrinsic & Extrinsic Rewards
- 10.11 Job Redesign Strategies: Enrichment, Enlargement & Rotation
- 10.12 Empowering Employees to Enhance Performance
- 10.13 Job Flexibility and Its Role in the Workplace
Chapter 11
Effective Workplace Communication
- 11.1 Managerial Communication: Facilitating Organizational Interaction
- 11.2 Understanding the Communication Process
- 11.3 Diverse Forms of Communication: Interpersonal, Non-Verbal, Written & Oral
- 11.4 Organizational Communication Strategies
- 11.5 Conflict Resolution: Managing Disputes in Organizations
- 11.6 Mediation & Arbitration: Third-Party Interventions
Chapter 12
Controlling in Organizations
- 12.1 Financial Controls in Organizations: Ensuring Fiscal Responsibility
- 12.2 Budget Controls: Top-Down, Bottom-Up, Zero-Based & Flexible Budgeting
- 12.3 The Financial Planning Process: Charting Financial Courses
- 12.4 Crafting Corporate Budgets
Chapter 13
Human Resources Management
- 13.1 Human Resource Management: Talent Acquisition and Staffing
- 13.2 The Employee Recruitment Process: How HR Managers Source Talent
- 13.3 New Employee Onboarding: Functions and Traits
- 13.4 Identifying Organizational Training Needs
- 13.5 Types of Employee Training Programs: Skills Development
- 13.6 Employee Training Methods: Mentoring, On-The-Job & Job Rotation
- 13.7 Employee Rights in the Workplace: Legal Aspects
- 13.8 Workplace Privacy and Safety: Balancing Concerns
- 13.9 Monitoring the Workplace: Techniques, Ethics & Laws
- 13.10 Human Resource Management Laws & Regulations
- 13.11 Hostile Work Environments: Definitions, Legal Framework & Instances
- 13.12 Employee Termination: Procedures and Best Practices
- 13.13 Assessing Employee Performance and 360 Feedback
- 13.14 Understanding Employee Compensation: Rewarding Contributions
- 13.15 The Role of Collective Bargaining in Organizations
Chapter 14
Strategic Management and Decision-Making
- 14.1 The Strategic Management Process: Navigating Organizational Strategy
- 14.2 Strategy Formulation: Concepts, Models & Procedures
- 14.3 Business Environments and the Managerial Quadrant
- 14.4 The Decision-Making Process in Organizations
- 14.5 Managerial Decision-Making: Certainty, Risk & Uncertainty
- 14.6 Quantitative Decision-Making Tools: Decision Trees, Payback Analysis & Simulations
- 14.7 PERT Analysis and Project Completion
- 14.8 Benchmarking: Purpose, Types, Process & Examples
Chapter 15
Production and Quality Assurance
- 15.1 Productivity, Quality, Profitability, and Managerial Roles
- 15.2 Total Quality Management (TQM): Principles and Case Studies
- 15.3 Implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) in Organizations
- 15.4 Deming, Juran & Crosby: Pioneers of TQM
- 15.5 Achieving ISO 9000 Certification: A Quality Standard
Chapter 16
International Management and Contemporary Challenges
- 16.1 Managerial Functions in Global Organizations
- 16.2 Characteristics of International Managers in the Global Landscape
- 16.3 Internationalization and Globalization of Businesses
- 16.4 Management in International Companies: Strategies and Pitfalls
- 16.5 Embracing Diversity in Contemporary Organizations
- 16.6 Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory: Understanding Global Cultural Diversity
- 16.7 Ethical Dimensions in Modern Businesses
- 16.8 Business Ethics and Social Responsibility: Distinctions and Responsibilities
- 16.9 Ethical Challenges in Managing Technological Advances
- 16.10 Nurturing Ethical Behavior in the Workplace
- 16.11 Balancing Owner, Stockholder, and Stakeholder Interests Ethically
- 16.12 Social Responsibility in Organizations
- 16.13 Corporate Social Responsibility at Different Levels
- 16.14 Sustainable Development: Meaning, Barriers, and Implications
These chapters come straight from the official course syllabus, which also sets out the graded assignment and the proctored final exam.
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What it actually takes to lead a team, run a department, and drive results. Management theory grounded in the realities of modern organizations.
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FAQ
Common Questions Answered.
Everything you need to know about Principles of Management — credits, grading, transfer, and how it compares to traditional options.
What is Principles of Management?
Principles of Management is a college-level business course covering core concepts in management, strategy, ethics, or operations. It is Business 101 — worth 3 credit hours, carrying an NCCRS recommendation from NCCRS.
What will I be able to do after finishing Principles of Management?
You will be able to apply key business concepts to real-world situations, make more informed decisions in professional contexts, and demonstrate college-level competency in the subject area.
Is the Principles of Management course self-paced for college credit?
Yes. The course is fully self-paced with no deadlines or fixed class times. Most students complete it in 28–30 days, but you can move faster or slower depending on your schedule.
How many college credits is Principles of Management worth?
This course carries an NCCRS recommendation for 3 semester credit hours. UPI Study courses follow the same evaluation standard used across thousands of colleges and universities.
How is the Principles of Management course graded? Are there exams?
Yes — the course includes quizzes, assignments, and a final exam. Your grade is equally weighted: 25% Attendance · 25% Quizzes · 25% Assignments · 25% Final Exam.
Will my university accept Principles of Management credits from UPI Study?
Check our Find My College directory. If your university recognizes NCCRS credit recommendations, UPI Study courses can be considered; the final decision is with the university. You can also book a free call with our team.
Why take Principles of Management online instead of at a traditional university?
A traditional university course in this subject typically costs $500–$1,500+ per credit hour and requires fixed schedules, campus attendance, and semester timelines. UPI Study covers the same NCCRS-recommended content at $250 total, with no deadlines and no campus requirement.
Can international students take Principles of Management for college credit?
Yes. UPI Study courses carry an NCCRS recommendation — recognized by cooperating institutions in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and other countries. Students have submitted credits across 26+ countries.
Is this equivalent to the CLEP Principles of Management exam?
Yes — it covers the same planning, organizing, leading, and controlling framework as a paced course instead of one exam.
Is Principles of Management required for business degrees?
Nearly always — it's a business core course; NCCRS credit commonly transfers for it.
Are there prerequisites for Principles of Management?
None — it's a foundational business course.
Who should take Principles of Management?
Business majors and anyone moving toward a supervisory or team-lead role.
Where will my college put this credit?
Usually as transfer credit, credit for prior learning (CPL), or noncollegiate/alternative credit, the same route colleges use for professional training evaluated by NCCRS. The final decision is with the university.
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Structured lessons covering every topic — designed as a standard Principles of Management college-level course.
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