Which of the following is a source of management principles?

Correct answer: Managerial practice

The direct answer is A: managerial practice is a source of management principles. Principles often develop when managers repeatedly handle real work, observe results, compare different methods, and identify useful general lessons. The reasoning is: practical action produces experience; experience is examined; repeated and successful patterns are generalised; the resulting guideline becomes a management principle. Option A is correct because actual managerial practice supplies this experience. Option B is wrong because rumour has no dependable evidence and cannot by itself establish a sound principle. Option C is wrong because a dream is not systematic observation or tested experience. Option D is wrong because one sports result, by itself, is unrelated and cannot explain general management practice. Other sources may also include observation and experimentation, but the question asks for one source and A is valid. Memory cue: practice gives experience, and experience can produce principles.