Marking Criteria

Students must integrate only one of the four key concepts (change, creativity, ethics or sustainability) in their business research project. The chosen concept is used as a lens through which to analyse the work.

If none of the prescribed key concepts are used or a non-prescribed key concept (such as power, perspectives, innovation, globalization, culture, or strategy), students will be awarded zero for this assessment criterion.

The key concept can, but does not have to be, stated in the research question. However, in all cases, the key concept must be clearly shown on the title page (cover) page.

There are 5 marks (out of a total of 25) available for the identification and appropriate integration of a relevant key concept. Hence, it is important for students to make explicit reference to the use of the chosen conceptual lens throughout their work.

Criterion B Tips:

• The supporting documents must present a range of ideas and views. Therefore, avoid using a single source for the 3 - 5 supporting documents. For example, using only supporting documents published by the chosen organization would not provide balance or objectivity in order to address the research question in a critical and reflective way.

• The 3 - 5 supporting documents must be contemporary in nature and published within a maximum of 3 years prior to the submission of the work to the IB (20th April for May centres and 20th October for November centres).

• The IB recommends that no single supporting document should exceed the equivalent of five A4 pages. This is because the inclusion of overly lengthy supporting documents should be avoided.

• You can use a transcript of an appropriate audio or video source as one of your 3 - 5 supporting documents. If used, this must be from a reliable source and proper citation and referencing are required.

• The relevant parts of each supporting document (used within the business research project and relate directly to the research question) should be appropriately highlighted.

• The supporting documents must form most, if not all, of the information obtained for the written commentary.

• Evidence of the supporting documents must be included in the appendices (which are uploaded separately from the 1,800-word commentary of the business research project. It is important to label each of the 3 - 5 supporting document clearly, e.g., “Supporting Document 1”, “Supporting Document 2”, etc.

• The sources for the 3 - 5 supporting documents must be included in the Bibliography (works cited page). This is required for academic integrity purposes.

• The supporting documents must also be appropriately cited and referenced throughout the written commentary. Whichever referencing system is used, it must enable the reader to locate the original sources easily.

• Additional sources used for theory and tools, such as IB textbooks or class notes, are not considered as part of the 3 - 5 supporting documents, but these must still be appropriately cited and referenced.

• Include the 3 - 5 supporting documents in the appendices (no more than approximately 25 pages in length). These should be combined into a single PDF document and uploaded to IBIS or ManageBac as a separate document for assessment purposes.

Note: The 3 - 5 supporting documents must be included combined as a separate file in order to be uploaded to IBIS or ManageBac for assessment purposes. If you are not sure how to do this, check with your school's IB Diploma Programme Coordinator. Web page URLs are not acceptable as a replacement of attaching the supporting documents for submission of the IA. 

Top tips for showing evidence of primary research

If primary research is used in the business research project, insist on students providing evidence of the primary research they have stated in their Introduction or Methodology of the written commentary. Some suggestions include:

• Evidence to show surveys (questionnaires) have actually been conducted, e.g., copies of surveys that have been physically completed by participants or screenshots of results from online survey providers such as Survey Monkey or Google Forms.

• Email communications with the interviewee(s) from the chosen business organization.

• A letter of acknowledgement from the business organization.

• The business cards / contact details of the interviewees at the business organization

• Appropriate photographic evidence.

• Signed copies of interview transcripts.

Criterion C Tips:

• Consider the use of the tools in the Business Management Toolkit as a starting point - which of the 8 SL tools and 15 tools for HL can be used in a meaningful way to address your research question?

• Students should be discouraged from using tools and theories beyond the DP Business Management guide - you can reach the top mark bands without going beyond the syllabus. Whilst SL students are not prohibited from using HL tools and theories, such an approach is neither necessary nor encouraged by the IB.

• Refer to the FAQ section here, and pay attention to FAQ 9 and FAQ 10 in particular.

Top tips - Which tools to avoid?

Students often ask which tools or theories are most suitable to the internal assessment. The right tool for the right job will clearly depend on the specific research question. For example, a research question that focuses on a financial decision could be benefit from the use of descriptive statistics (in the Business Management Toolkit) and/or investment appraisal (Unit 3.8 in the syllabus).

The BMT consists of the following (HL only tools are shown on the right hand side).

Standard Level (SL) tools

• Ansoff's matrix

• Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix

• Business plans

• (The OECD) Circular business models

• Decision trees

• Descriptive statistics

• STEEPLE analysis

• SWOT analysis

Higher Level (HL) tools

• Contribution

• Critical path analysis

• Force field analysis

• Gantt charts

• Hofstede's (six) cultural dimensions

• Porter's generic strategies

• Simple linear regression

It is recommended that certain tools should not be used in the IA or at least used with extreme caution. These tools are italicized and underlined above. In any case, you must use the right tool(s) for the right job; always.

DETAILED EXPLANATION: Tools that are best avoided or used with caution in the IA include the following:

• Decision trees (SL and HL) - The main issue here is the need to conduct meaningful primary research. It is highly unlikely that secondary data sources will be available to complete a decision tree analysis for a real-world business organization.

• STEEPLE analysis (SL and HL) - There is no scope to include all seven elements of STEEPLE analysis in a 1,800-word written commentary. If this tool is appropriate in addressing the research question, use only the most relevant aspects of the STEEPLE analysis. Remember however that all points need to be properly cited/referenced.

• SWOT analysis (SL and HL) - As with STEEPLE analysis, use this tool with extreme caution. Too often, students who use a SWOT analysis iin the IA do not make it clear why the tool has been used (i.e., its intended purpose) nor are there any clear justification made regarding the points about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

• Critical path analysis (HL only) - As with decision trees, the use of CPA will entail meaningful primary research. Read more about common mistakes made with primary research in the IA here.

• Force field analysis (HL only) - Again, this tool requires authentic primary research in order to determine the weights for the driving and restraining forces. Too often, students apply their own weights to a force field analysis without justifying the allocation of the weights. It does not make sense for students to try to tell the business what is more important to the organization.

• Gantt charts (HL only) - An authentic Gantt chart cannot be created for the chosen business without the use of primary research. Whilst this is allowed, of course, Gantt charts are often applied in a superfluous way in the IA. As Gantt charts serve the same purpose a critical path analysis, never use both of these tools in an IA.

Criterion D Tips:

The purpose of the analysis and evaluation section of the IA is to apply supporting documents collected and then to provide a balanced (two-sided) argument. This will then help students to reach reasoned/justified conclusions for assessment criterion E. There are numerous ways to show evidence of your application of the supporting documents. Some commonly used (and effective) ways are:

• Citing and referencing of the supporting documents - the supporting documents should be merged as a single PDF document and placed in the appendices (as a separate upload to the written commentary of the business research project).

• Highlighting the key parts of the supporting documents used in the analysis - this helps to show appropriate selection and application of the most relevant parts of the source documents. Again, the 3 - 5 supporting documents must be included in the appendices for the teacher and moderator to check.

• Making clear reference to the contrasting evidence in your 3 - 5 supporting documents - the evidence should provide breadth, depth, and varied perspectives in relation to the research question.

Note: statements made by the student that are not cited or referenced in the business research project can inadvertently turn potentially good analysis and evaluation into opinions or assertions. Knowledge claims must be backed by evidence from the supporting documents and cited or referenced accordingly.

Top tips for Analysis

A useful way to demonstrate the skills of analysis is to use the DEAD framework, i.e., the analysis of a particular issue or problem needs to include:

• Definitions - or appropriate use of Business Management terminology in addressing the chosen issue or problem facing the real-world organization in the business research project.

• Explanations - appropriate tools and theories need to be explained in the context of the research question. Do not allow the moderator to question any of your written work. All paragraphs must be fit-for-purpose in order to prevent the moderator being able to question "why?"

• Advantages of the points discussed, i.e., provide arguments in favour of a particular choice / outcome/ decision.

• Disadvantages of the points discussed, i.e., provide arguments against a particular choice /outcome/ decision.

An alternative framework you can use to demonstrate analysis is to use the DATE framework, by showing the following:

• Definitions and use of key terminology that are relevant to the research question.

• Application - each and every paragraph must be written in the context of the chosen organization and the issue or problem identified in the research question.

• Theory - use terminology, tools, techniques, and theories relevant to the focus of the research question.

• Evidence - explanations and applications are improved by the use of evidence from the 3 - 5 supporting documents. In turn, this helps to improve the analysis in the written commentary.

Top tip for evaluation - The SLAP framework

Students often struggle with demonstrating evaluation skills. One way that works well for many students is to use the SLAP framework - the evaluation can include a critical view of any of the following aspects:

• Stakeholder perspectives - not all stakeholder groups are equal, nor are they equally affected by business decisions and strategic choices.

• Long-term versus short-term consequences - as is often the case in business, there may need to be some short term pains (sacrifices) for long term gains.

• Assumptions - what do we not know? Given that the student has used (only) three to five data sources, there will be limitations of the findings and/or sources, including potential biases. What other information may have been useful to answer the research question?

• Priorities - this requires the student to prioritize the arguments presented in the written commentary. For example, if the student has presented more advantages or strengths than drawbacks or weaknesses, which of these has the greatest weighting, and why?

Top tips for citation and referencing (C&R)

The IB does not specify or prescribe a referencing system to be used for assessment purposes - so students (or IB World Schools) can use their own preferred style (such as APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard and so forth). Some students use footnotes for their citations and referencing (C&R), whilst others use in-text C&R.

Whichever method is used, students need to be consistent in their approach. The moderator needs to be able to locate the sources (supporting documents). It therefore helps if students label each of their supporting documents clearly, such as “Supporting Document 1”, “Supporting Document 2”and so on.

Criterion F Tips: Recommended Structure

Whilst there is no prescribed format for the IA, students should follow the IB's recommended structure shown below:

• Title page (Cover page) - see criterion G for how to present this.

• Contents page, with accurate page numbers.

• Introduction (including background information about the chosen organization, the issue or problem being investigated, the methodology used, and the key concept).

• Analysis and evaluation of the findings (based on evidence from the 3 - 5 supporting documents).

• Conclusion(s) - The exact research question must be explicitly answered.

• A complete bibliography (of all works cited).

• Appendices (the 3 - 5 supporting documents, as these must be uploaded on IBIS or ManageBac)

Top tip - The PEELS framework

One useful framework to help students write their work in a well-structured way is to use the PEELS framework.

• Point - what is the focus of the paragraph?

• Explain this point using appropriate Business Management tools, theories, techniques, or terminology.

• Examples can help to clarify the point being made, and help to consolidate the explanation being provided.

• Link this to the research question - what is the purpose of this paragraph?

• Structure - how does this particular paragraph fit into the overall structure of the business research project? Is it placed in the correct section and does it make the written commentary easy to follow, in a logical way?

Using the PEELS framework helps to ensure that paragraphs are fit for purpose in order to prevent the moderator being able to question "why?", i.e., you have provided sufficient detail and reasoning in your work.

Criterion G Tips: The Cover Page

The title or cover page of the business research project should include the following information:

• Subject, i.e., IB DP Business Management (indicate SL or HL)

• Research question - this must be phrased as a probing question

• Key concept

• Session, e.g., May 2024 or November 2024

• Word count declaration

• Personal code

• Declaration of authenticity

Top tips for assessment criterion G - Presenting the research project

Use the following methods to present your business research project, as suggested by the IB:

• Use appropriate headings and sub-headings (but remember these are part of the word count).

• Use consistent citation/referencing throughout the written commentary.

• Use Times New Roman or Arial font.

• Use font size 11 or 12, i.e., not too small and not too large.

• Number all pages accurately.