ICSAN Management Principles study plan
ICSAN Management Principles · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Leadership, Motivation and Group Dynamics
Explain the difference between leadership and management, and describe the five bases of power (legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, referent) with a workplace example for each.
Compare trait, behavioural, contingency and transformational leadership theories, and identify the practical implications of each for a Nigerian work context.
Apply Maslow's hierarchy, Herzberg's two-factor theory and Vroom's expectancy theory to diagnose a motivation problem in a team you know.
Describe Tuckman's stages of group development and identify two symptoms of groupthink in a decision-making group.
Your checkpoint
A 1,200-word case analysis of a real or realistic team, diagnosing its leadership style, motivation profile and group-development stage, with three evidence-based recommendations.
Leadership, Motivation and Group Dynamics & Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Evaluate situational leadership and path-goal theory by matching leader behaviour to follower readiness and task characteristics in three short scenarios.
Explain the communication process (sender, encoding, channel, decoding, receiver, feedback, noise) and identify four barriers to effective workplace communication.
Distinguish downward, upward, horizontal and diagonal communication, and recommend the appropriate channel for a sensitive performance feedback message.
Demonstrate active listening techniques by writing a reflective summary of a 10-minute conversation with a colleague or peer.
Your checkpoint
A 1,000-word communication audit of a real or simulated organisation, identifying two barriers and proposing a channel-mix improvement plan with measurable outcomes.
Planning and Strategic Decision Making
Distinguish strategic, tactical and operational planning, and write one SMART objective at each level for a chosen organisation.
Apply a SWOT analysis and a PESTLE analysis to a named organisation, and derive two strategic options from the findings.
Explain the rational decision-making model and contrast it with bounded rationality and satisficing in managerial decision making.
Use a decision tree or payoff table to evaluate two alternatives under uncertainty, showing the expected value calculation.
Your checkpoint
A 1,500-word strategic plan for a named organisation, including SWOT, PESTLE, two strategic options and a justified recommendation with SMART objectives.
Organising: Structure, Design and Delegation & Coordination, Control and Performance Management
Compare functional, divisional, matrix and network organisational structures, and recommend a structure for a growing 200-person firm with reasons.
Explain the principles of delegation (authority, responsibility, accountability, unity of command) and identify three common delegation failures.
Describe the control process (setting standards, measuring performance, comparing, corrective action) and distinguish feedforward, concurrent and feedback controls.
Calculate and interpret three basic performance ratios (e.g., return on assets, inventory turnover, labour productivity) from supplied figures.
Your checkpoint
A 1,200-word organisation design and control report for a chosen firm, including an organisation chart description, delegation policy and a balanced scorecard with four KPIs.
Coordination, Control and Performance Management & Corporate Governance, Ethics and Social Responsibility
Explain the purpose and process of performance appraisal, and identify three rater errors (halo, leniency, recency) with mitigation strategies.
Outline the principles of corporate governance in the ICSAN/Nigerian context, including the roles of the board, audit committee and shareholders.
Distinguish shareholder and stakeholder models of corporate social responsibility, and apply Carroll's CSR pyramid to a Nigerian company.
Analyse a code-of-ethics dilemma using a structured ethical decision-making framework (e.g., utilitarian, rights, justice tests).
Your checkpoint
A 1,500-word governance and ethics review of a named company, assessing board composition, CSR activities and one ethical dilemma with a reasoned resolution.
Management of Change, Innovation and Risk
Explain Lewin's change model and Kotter's eight steps, and apply one model to a planned organisational change.
Identify sources of resistance to change and propose three strategies to overcome them.
Distinguish incremental, radical and disruptive innovation, and describe the elements of a risk management process (identify, assess, treat, monitor).
Conduct a simple risk register for a project with five risks, scoring likelihood and impact.
Your checkpoint
A 1,200-word change management and risk plan for a specific organisational change, including a stakeholder resistance map, a change model application and a five-item risk register.
Nature and Scope of Management & Management Thought and Theoretical Foundations
Define management and explain the four functions (planning, organising, leading, controlling) with examples from a manager's day.
Trace the evolution of management thought from classical (Taylor, Fayol, Weber) to behavioural, systems and contingency approaches.
Compare the contributions and limitations of scientific management and human relations theory.
Explain the systems and contingency perspectives and their implications for managerial decision making.
Your checkpoint
A 1,000-word comparative essay on two management theories, evaluating their relevance to contemporary Nigerian organisations.
Nature and Scope of Management & Management Thought and Theoretical Foundations & Planning and Strategic Decision Making & Organising: Structure, Design and Delegation & Leadership, Motivation and Group Dynamics & Communication and Interpersonal Skills & Coordination, Control and Performance Management & Corporate Governance, Ethics and Social Responsibility & Management of Change, Innovation and Risk
Synthesise all domains into a one-page mind map linking key concepts and theories.
Complete a timed 60-question mock examination covering all domains, scoring at least 70%.
Review incorrect mock answers and write a one-paragraph correction note for each.
Rehearse three essay-style answers under timed conditions (25 minutes each).
Your checkpoint
A mock exam score report with a correction log and a personal weak-area revision checklist for the final week before the exam.
Milestones
Week 2: Explain the difference between leadership and management, and apply one motivation theory to a real team, in a 10-minute verbal presentation to a study partner or recorded self-review.
Week 4: Produce a strategic plan and an organisation design report that together cover planning, organising and control, and score at least 65% on a 20-question self-test on Domains 3, 4 and 7.
Week 6: Deliver a change management and risk plan that correctly applies a change model and includes a scored risk register, verified against a model answer or peer review.
Week 8: Achieve at least 70% on a full-length timed mock exam covering all nine domains, with a completed correction log for every incorrect answer.