OVERVIEW

What is IB Business Management?

IB Business Management develops analytical and strategic thinking through the study of real-world businesses across marketing, finance, human resources, and operations. The course uses a case study approach throughout, requiring students to apply business theory to both pre-released case material and unseen business scenarios. Higher Level Business Management adds additional content in innovation, entrepreneurship, and organisational culture, and includes a more demanding written component in Paper 1. The Internal Assessment is a research project in which students investigate a real business using primary and secondary research. At Improve ME, our IB Business Management tutors build the analytical frameworks, financial calculation skills, and case study technique that IB examiners reward.

IB

Qualification

Ages 16-18

Age range

SL & HL

Exam boards

COURSE CONTENT

IB Business Management Course Content

SL & HL coverage plus Internal Assessment (IA) support and exam strategy.

Business Organisation and Finance

Business organisation — types of organisations (sole traders, partnerships, companies, cooperatives, social enterprises, NGOs), business objectives and stakeholders, growth and evolution, multinational companies
Finance — sources of finance (internal, external, short and long-term), financial statements (profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow), ratio analysis (profitability, liquidity, efficiency, gearing), investment appraisal (payback, ARR, NPV), working capital management, break-even analysis
Business strategy — SWOT analysis, Ansoff Matrix, Porter's Five Forces, competitive advantage, strategic direction, crisis management
HL extensions — mergers and acquisitions, organisational culture (Handy's model, cultural web), innovation and intrapreneurship, factors that drive change, resistance to change

Marketing and Human Resources

Marketing — market research (primary, secondary, qualitative, quantitative), segmentation (demographic, psychographic, geographic, behavioural), targeting and positioning, the 7Ps of marketing
Product — product life cycle, Boston Consulting Group Matrix, branding and brand value, new product development
Pricing — cost-based pricing, competitor-based pricing, psychological pricing, penetration, skimming, predatory pricing
Promotion — above and below the line, digital marketing, viral marketing, social media strategy
Human resources — workforce planning, recruitment and selection, training and development, appraisal, motivation theories (Taylor, Maslow, Herzberg, Adams, Vroom, McClelland), organisational structure, leadership styles (Blake Mouton, Tannenbaum and Schmidt)
Industrial relations — employer-employee relationships, collective bargaining, conflict resolution

Operations, the External Environment, and IA

Operations management — lean production, JIT, TQM, quality circles, capacity utilisation, supply chain management, location decisions, production methods (job, batch, mass, cellular)
The external environment — STEEPLE analysis (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Legal, Ethical), impact of globalisation, CSR and sustainability, ethics in business
HL extensions — crisis management, change management models (Lewin's), innovation (incremental vs disruptive, R&D), organisational culture impact on change
Internal Assessment — the Research Project: 1,800–2,200 words investigating a real business issue using primary and secondary research; assessed on research question, methodology, analysis, conclusions, and formal presentation
Pre-released case study — issued several months before the exam; Paper 1 is entirely based on this case study; students must know the business, its industry, financials, and strategic context thoroughly
Paper 2 unseen stimulus — financial data, business scenarios, and unseen cases testing knowledge application and evaluation

ASSESSMENT

Assessment Structure

We support both Internal Assessment (IA) and final exams with a structured plan, feedback cycles, and timed practice. SL and HL requirements are clearly differentiated.

Paper 1

Pre-Released Case Study

SL: 75 mins, 35%; HL: 120 mins, 35% — Paper 1 is entirely based on the pre-released case study issued several months before the exam.
HL includes additional extended response questions requiring evaluation and justified recommendations based on the case study business.

Paper 2

Structured & Extended Response

SL & HL: 105 mins, 40% — structured and extended response questions; includes financial calculation questions (break-even, ratio analysis, investment appraisal) alongside analytical and evaluative written responses.
Unseen stimulus material — financial data, business scenarios testing knowledge application and evaluation.

IA Research Project

Internal Assessment (25%)

Research Project: 1,800–2,200 words investigating a real business issue using primary (interviews/surveys) and secondary research.
Assessed on research question, methodology, analysis, conclusions, and formal presentation; same weight for HL and SL.

EXAM BOARDS

Assessment Framework

IB DP (SL)

IB DP (HL)

Internal Assessment (IA)

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TEACHING APPROACH

Our IB Business Management Teaching Approach

01

Pre-Released Case Study Mastery

Paper 1 is entirely based on the pre-released case study, which is released several months before the exam. We work through the case study thoroughly — analysing the business, its financial data, its strategic position, and the key issues it faces — so students enter the exam with deep, contextualised knowledge rather than generic business theory.

02

Financial Calculation Precision

Paper 2 regularly includes financial calculation questions on break-even, ratio analysis, investment appraisal, and cash flow. We drill these calculations systematically and ensure students can interpret results in a business context — not just produce a number.

03

Evaluation and Justified Recommendations

The highest marks in IB Business Management are reserved for responses that evaluate multiple perspectives and make justified, context-specific recommendations. We develop this skill deliberately throughout our programme, teaching students to weigh up arguments rather than simply describe them.

04

IA Research Project Guidance

The IA involves primary research — interviews or surveys — with a real business. We help students formulate a focused research question, design an appropriate methodology, collect and analyse data, and write a conclusion that directly addresses the research question.

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