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Diploma Programme subject outline—Group 3: individuals and societies

Monsif National School 062377


School name School code

Name of the DP subject Business Management


(indicate language)
(English Language)
Level
Higher X Standard completed in two years Standard completed in one year *
(indicate with X)

Hala Wannous Date of IB training April 29, 30, and May 1


Name of the teacher who
completed this outline

May 2022 Name of workshop Business Management Category 1


Date when outline was
(indicate name of subject and workshop category)
completed
* All Diploma Programme courses are designed as two-year learning experiences. However, up to two standard level subjects, excluding languages ab initio and pilot subjects, can be completed in
one year, according to conditions established in the Handbook of procedures for the Diploma Programme.

If you will teach history, complete the following chart.

Prescribed subject Topics HL option and sections

1. Course outline

– Use the following table to organize the topics to be taught in the course. If you need to include topics that cover other requirements you have to teach (for
example, national syllabus), make sure that you do so in an integrated way, but also differentiate them using italics. Add as many rows as you need.

– This document should not be a day-by-day accounting of each unit. It is an outline showing how you will distribute the topics and the time to ensure that
students are prepared to comply with the requirements of the subject

– This outline should show how you will develop the teaching of the subject. It should reflect the individual nature of the course in your classroom and should
not just be a “copy and paste” from the subject guide.
– If you will teach both higher and standard level, make sure that this is clearly identified in your outline.
Topic/unit Contents Allocated time Assessment Resources
instruments List the main resources to be
(as
to be used used, including information
identified in
technology if applicable.
the IB
subject
guide) O50 minutes.
n
State the topics/units in
the order you are I
n5 Classes.
planning to teach them.

Year 1
Topic 1:  What is a business 54 sessions – Class participation Textbooks
Business  Main functions of a business 45 hours Homework Scholarly articles
Organization and  Business sectors Case analysis E-magazines
Environment Projects Business websites/articles
 Nature of business activity in each sector Previous IB exams Videos
 Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship Current business Published cases
 Starting up a business related events Teacher worksheets
 Steps for starting up a business discussion/ PPTs
 Potential problems faced by start-ups reflection
 Private vs. public sectors Formative &
 Characteristics of commercial organizations summative
 Differentiate between for-profit social and non-profit assessments
social enterprises
 Vision and mission statements Feedback on
 Common business objectives submitted work
 Strategic and tactical objectives
 Corporate Social Responsibility
 Internal and External Stakeholders
 Conflict between internal and external stakeholders
 Identify different organization planning tools
 The value-added of these tools to an organization

Topic 1:  External Environment


Year 1 Business  STEEPLE framework
Organization and  SWOT analysis
Environment  Business plan
(cont.)  Economies and diseconomies of scale
 Small vs. Large Organizations
 Internal vs. External Growth
 Methods of external growth
 Multinational companies (MNCs)
 Organization planning tools (Ansoff matrix, decision
tree, circular business model, Porter’s generic
strategies, simple linear regression)
Topic 4:  Market orientation vs. product orientation 66 sessions – Class participation Textbooks
Marketing  Commercial vs. Social marketing 55 hours Homework Scholarly articles
 Market share Case analysis E-magazines
 Market growth Projects Business websites/articles
 Importance of market share and market leadership Previous IB exams Videos
 Role of marketing planning Current business Published cases
 Segmentation, targeting (target market) and positioning related events Teacher worksheets
(position maps) discussion PPTs
 Niche market vs. mass market Formative &
 Creating consumer profile summative
 Unique selling point assessments
 Differentiation strategy
 Benefits and limitations of sales forecasting
 Importance of market research Feedback on
 Market research techniques submitted work
 Qualitative vs. quantitative research
 Ethics of market research
 Methods of sampling
 Marketing Mix – Product
 Product life cycle, product portfolio, and marketing mix
 Extension strategies
 Relationship between the product life cycle, investment,
profit and cash flow
Topic 4:
 Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix
Year 1
Marketing (cont.)
 Aspects of branding
 The seven Ps of Marketing Mix
 Importance of branding
 Marketing Mix – Price
 Pricing methods (Cost-plus (mark-up), Penetration, Loss
leader, Predatory, Premium, Dynamic, Competitive,
Contribution, Price elasticity of demand)
 Marketing Mix – Promotion
 Aspects of Promotion
 Social media marketing as a promotional strategy
 Marketing Mix – Place
 Distribution channels
 Marketing Mix – People
 Importance of employee – customer relationships
 Marketing Mix – Processes
 Importance of delivery processes
 Marketing Mix – Physical evidence
 Importance of tangible physical evidence
 Appropriate marketing mixes for particular products or
businesses
 The opportunities and threats posed by entering and
operating internationally

Year 1
Topic 2:  Role of human resource management 42 sessions – Class participation Textbooks
Human Resource  Human resouce planning 35 hours Homework Scholarly articles
Management  Internal and external factors that influence human Case analysis E-magazines
resource planning Projects Business websites/articles
 Resistance to change in the workplace Previous IB exams Videos
 Organizational structures: terminologies Current business Published cases
 Types of organization charts related events Teacher worksheets
 Appropriateness of organizational structures discussion PPTs
 Changes in organizational structures Formative &
 Scientific and intuitive thinking/management summative
 Management and leadership assessments
 Leadership styles
 Motivation theories (Taylor, Maslow, Herzberg, Feedback on
McClelland’s acquired needs, Deci and Ryan’s self- submitted work
determination, and Equity and expectancy)
 Labour turnover
 Types of appraisal
 Recruitment and selection process: methods and types
 Financial rewards
 Non-financial rewards
 Impact of rewards on job satisfaction
 Types of training
 Teamwork
Year 1
Topic 3:  Role of finance for businesses 18 sessions – Class participation Textbooks
Finance and  Internal vs. External sources of finance 15 hours Homework Scholarly articles
accounts  Short, medium and long-term finance Case analysis E-magazines
 Advantages and disadvantages of sources of finance for Projects Business websites/articles
a given situation Previous IB exams Videos
 Types of cost Current business Published cases
 Revenue related events Teacher worksheets
 Contribution discussion PPTs
 Purpose of final accounts Formative &
 Intangible assets summative
 Depreciation methods assessments
 Strengths and weaknesses of each depreciation method
Feedback on
submitted work

Year 2 Topic 2:  Organizational Culture 12 sessions – Class participation Textbooks


Human Resource  Types of organizational culture 10 hours Homework Scholarly articles
Management  Causes and consequences of cultural clashes within an Case analysis E-magazines
(cont.) organization Projects Business websites/articles
 Formal and informal methods of communication in an Previous IB exams Videos
organization Current business Published cases
 Barriers to communication related events Teacher worksheets
 Sources of conflict in the workplace discussion PPTs
 Approaches to conflict in the workplace Formative &
 Approaches to conflict resolution summative
assessments
Feedback on
submitted work

Year 2
Topic 3:  Profitability and Liquidity ratios 54 sessions – Class participation Textbooks
Finance and  Possible strategies to improve these ratios 45 hours Homework Scholarly articles
accounts (cont.)  Efficiency ratios Case analysis E-magazines
 Possible strategies to improve these ratios Projects Business websites/articles
 Difference between profit and cash flow Previous IB exams Videos
 The working capital cycle Current business Published cases
 Cash flow forecasts related events Teacher worksheets
 Investment, profit and cash flow discussion PPTs
 Strategies to deal with Cash Flow problems Formative &
 Investment opportunities using Payback Period, ARR, summative
and NPV assessments
 Importance of budgets for organizations
 Cost vs. Profit centres Feedback on
 Roles of cost and profit centres submitted work
 Constructing a budget
 Variances
 Role of budgets and variances in strategic planning

Year 2
Topic 5:  Operations management and business functions 60 sessions – Class participation Textbooks
Operations  Operations management in organizations producing 50 hours Homework Scholarly
Management goods and/or services Case analysis articles
 Operations management strategies and practices for Projects E-magazines
ecological, social, and economic sustainability Previous IB exams Business websites/articles
 Operations methods Current business Videos
 Features of lean production related events Published cases
 Methods of lean production discussion Teacher worksheets
 Features of cradle to cradle design and manufacturing Formative & PPTs
 Features of quality control and quality assurance summative
 Methods of managing quality assessments
 Impact of lean production and TQM on an organization
 Importance of national and international quality Feedback on
standards submitted work
 Reasons for a specific location of production
 National and International ways of re-organizing
production
 Total contribution vs. contribution per unit
 Break-even chart and different aspects of break-
even analysis.
 Graphical and quantitative applications of
changes in price and break-even quantity, profit
and margin of safety
 Limitations of break-even as a decision-making
tool
 Local and global supply chain process
 JIT vs. just-in-case (JIC)
 Stock control charts
 Capacity utilization rate
 Defect rate
 Labour productivity, capital productivity, productivity
rate, operating leverage
 Cost to buy (CTB)
 Cost to make (CTM)
Year 2  Crisis management vs. Contingency planning
Topic 5:
 Factors that affect effective crisis management
Operations
 Impact of contingency planning
Management
(cont.)  Importance of research and development
 Importance of developing goods and services that
address customers’ unmet needs
 Intellectual property protection; copyrights, patents,
trademarks
 Innovation: incremental and disruptive
 Data analytics
 Database
 Cybersecurity and cybercrime
 Critical infrastructures
 Virtual reality
 The internet of things
 Artificial intelligence
 Big data
 Customer loyalty programmes
 The use of data to manage and monitor employees;
Digital Taylorism
 The use of data mining to inform decision-making
 The benefits, risks and ethical implications of advanced
computer technologies and technological innovation on
business decision-making and stakeholders

Year 2 Review, problems  Pre-released statement in paper 1 Almost 17 hours Paper 1 / Paper 2 / Pre-released case study IB
solving, cases  Previous IB exams (20 sessions) Paper 3 Student led Question Bank
review

2. IB internal assessment requirement to be completed during the course

Briefly explain how and when you will work on it. Include the date when you will first introduce the internal assessment requirement, when the internal
assessment requirement will be due and how students will be prepared to do it.

Internal Assessment explanation and methodologies will be worked on throughout the DP years for HL:
Year 1:
1. September 2022:
a. Brief the students about internal assessment, important dates, and expectations (Teacher)
2. October 2022:
a. Meet with the librarian to ensure correct understanding of research work (Teacher)
3. November 2022:
a. Attend library sessions to know how to conduct an academic research (Students)
b. Brainstorming sessions to explore potential research topics (Teacher & Students)
4. December 2022:
a. Develop a list of possible businesses to work on (Teacher)
b. Start exploring the four interdisciplinary concepts and link them to the research project (Teacher & Students)
c. Reminder of deadlines and work expectations (Teacher)
5. January 2023:
a. Choose a research question (Students)
b. Discuss the availability/relevance of supporting documents (Teacher & Students)
c. One-on-one meetings with the students (Teacher & Students)
6. Beginning of February 2023:
a. Start drafting the research proposal (maximum 500 words) (Students)
b. Ensure use of key business concepts and techniques (Students)
7. March 2023:
a. Final draft of the research proposal (Students)
b. Ensure proper application of business tools and theories (Teacher & Students)
c. One-on-one follow-up (Teacher)
8. April 2023:
a. Start drafting secondary research if applicable (Students)
b. Make necessary corrections based on teacher’s feedback (Teacher & Students)
9. May 2023:
a. Continue with the 1st draft of secondary research if applicable (Students)
b. Comments on submitted work (Teacher)
c. Explore primary research instruments (Students)
d. Decide on the sample size and sampling method if applicable (Students)

Summer between Year 1 and Year 2:


Conduct primary research mainly data collection from interviews and surveys (Students)

Year 2:
1. September 2023:
a. One-on-one meetings (Teacher)
b. Bring a penultimate draft of the secondary research (Students)
c. Mark the penultimate draft of the secondary research (Students)
d. Revise the research proposal (Students)
e. Reminder of IA timeline (Teacher)
f. Start writing the methodology section if applicable (last 2 weeks of September) (Students)
2. October 2023:
a. Submit the 1st draft of secondary research with relevant supporting documents (Students)
b. Finish the methodology section if applicable (2 nd week of October) (Students)
3. November 2023:
a. Start with the main results and findings section if applicable (2nd week of October) (Students)
b. Ongoing corrections (Teacher)
c. Finish the main results and findings section (3 rd week of November) (Students)
d. One-on-one meetings (Teacher)
e. Submit 2nd draft of secondary research with all supporting documents, citations, and references included (4 th week of November)
(Students)
4. December 2023:
a. Write conclusion and recommendations section (First week of December) (Students)
b. Bring a penultimate draft of the secondary research (Second week of December) (Students)
c. Mark the penultimate draft of the secondary research (Second week of December) (Students)
5. Mid-January 2024:
a. Submit 1st draft of the research paper with all sections included (Last week of December) (Students)
b. Grade the IA with feedback (Teacher)
6. February 2024:
a. One-on-one meetings (Teacher)
b. Ensure that corrections are in place (Teacher)
7. March 2024
c. Submit final draft of the research paper (maximum 1,800 words) (Students)
d. Start preparation for the IA presentation (Students)
e. Presentations (Last week of March) (Students)

3. Links to TOK
You are expected to explore links between the topics of your subject and TOK. As an example of how you would do this, choose one topic from your course
outline that would allow your students to make links with TOK. Describe how you would plan the lesson.

Topic Link with TOK (including description of lesson plan)

Topic 1.3: Organizational TOK is part of all the topics in the Business Management subject mainly because of the dynamic nature of business and its
Objectives – Corporate economic and social impacts. Thus, students are expected to be asked TOK questions in all topics. For example,
social responsibility questioning intuition and decision making, motivation and job satisfaction, leadership and management, e-commerce and
marketing mix. However, CSR can be one of the most reflective topics to students especially that they belong to Gen Z,
who its members are considered as the most socially conscious. Questions that can be raised: How are companies
executing CSR practices? Are they really ethical and honest about their CSR practices?
Take the case of many brands who claimed sustainability practices and assess if these brands have effectively executed
their claims or not and why. Students here are asked to do some research about some brands of their choice where they
investigate the reasons behind each claim. They can question things like why brands/companies in general focus mainly on
recycling and forget about the “reduce and reuse” processes?

4. Approaches to learning

Every IB course should contribute to the development of students’ approaches to learning skills. As an example of how you would do this, choose one topic from
your outline that would allow your students to specifically develop one or more of these skill categories (thinking, communication, social, self-management or
research).

Topic Contribution to the development of students’ approaches to learning skills (including one or more skill category)

Topic 4: Marketing Communication and research are two of the most critical skills that are needed to develop a well-rounded personality and make
smart decisions in this highly connected world. Marketing exposes students to various communication practices, tools, and channels
used by companies to reach its stakeholders. Students are expected to think about a company that they frequently use its
products/services, and ask how did that specific company reach them. Also, students will explore different successful/unsuccessful
communication strategies applied by companies. In addition, since the IB students are requested to do some research work as part of
the IA, normalizing research by incorporating it within the Business Management topics can help them strengthen this essential skill in
an interesting way. Marketing incorporates market research which is the main pillar for marketing planning. Similarly, students can
apply knowledge from market research into their lives. For instance, students might be asked to do some activities like choose future
career/university, then they will conduct a research about potential opportunities & threats of their choice. Based on the findings of
this activity, students will be asked to reflect if they will stick or change their initial choice and explain the reasons why to do so.

5. International mindedness
Every IB course should contribute to the development of international-mindedness in students. As an example of how you would do this, choose one topic from
your outline that would allow your students to analyse it from different cultural perspectives. Briefly explain the reason for your choice and what resources you will
use to achieve this goal.

Topic Contribution to the development of international mindedness (including resources you will use)

Topic 1.6: Growth and Think globally but act locally is what students are expected to develop as a result of rigorous discussion of the Growth and
evolution evolution topic. Students will explore the importance of culture as a key factor that goes hand in hand with strategy,
which contributes to the success/failure of MNCs. For instance, students will be asked to analyze some cases like
Walmart’s success in China yet failure in Germany. Students will be assisted with the Hofstede Insights tool that can be
accessed through the following link: https://hi.hofstede-insights.com/. This tool will help the students get insights about
the culture of a specific nation/country, which will enrich their knowledge by researching about a company that operates
in a country of their choice. Although the world is extremely interconnected, going international for a company is not that
easy. This is why students will be exposed to the legal, currencies, and systems of values and beliefs challenges that may
encounter an MNC in a host country. It is important to note that international-mindedness will be developed throughout
the course in other units too. For example, international marketing (unit 4), organizational culture (HL unit 2), accounting
practices (unit 3), and location (unit 5).

6. Development of the IB learner profile

Through the course it is also expected that students will develop the attributes of the IB learner profile. As an example of how you would do this, choose one
topic from your course outline and explain how the contents and related skills would pursue the development of any attribute(s) of the IB learner profile that you
will identify.

Topic Contribution to the development of the attribute(s) of the IB learner profile

Topic 2.4: Leadership and Good management and leadership are essential to operating a successful business. In this topic, students will be asked to
Management do some activities like researching companies and assess their leadership/management styles. This activity activity will
develop enquiring minds, so they become inquirers as they discover different leadership and management styles. Then,
the students will debate different styles and give their opinions about these styles and the difference between
management and leadership. Due to this activity, students will express themselves and share their thoughts. Thus, they
become better communicators especially after discovering the importance of communication for managers/leaders.
Afterwards, the students will be asked to elaborate the pros and cons of each style, which requires them to be reflective.
7. Resources

Are instructional materials and other resources available in sufficient quality, quantity and variety to give effective support to the aims and methods of the
courses? Will students have access to resources beyond the ones available at school? Briefly describe what plans are in place if changes are needed.

The Business Management subject is very well resourced with good amount of quality information from various sources. In addition to the textbook,
students have access to the school Madrasatie website where all the worksheets, exercises, cases, and specific readings will be posted. Also, students
will be guided throughout the lessons to specific websites in order to access appropriate material that are relevant to specific topics. For example,
students will be asked to download the BBC news app on their mobile phone, so they will be updated with any new business-related event. This will
also help them get ideas about some research questions, which enhances their knowledge to answer the CUEGIS essay too. Also, the school library
with all the physical and online contents will be a great source of information that supports the student’s learning journey. Furthermore, students will
attend seminars by guest speakers who will deliver their experience in a specific topic like leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation. The school
administration will ensure inviting the most professional guest speakers who will be an authentic source of information as they will immerse the
students into the real business world.

Some of the selected textbooks and resources:

 Harvard Business Review – Cases https://store.hbr.org/case-studies/


 Hoang, P. (2016). “Business Management for the IB Diploma Study and Revision Guide”
 Jones, G.R,. & George, J.M. (2018). “Contemporary Management”. 10th Edition, International Edition. McGraw-Hill/Irwin
 Kotler, P., & Keller, K. (2015). “Marketing management”. 15th Edition. Harlow: Pearson.
 Stimpson, P., Malli-Charchalaki, A., & Smith, A. (2022). “Business Management for the IB Diploma Coursebook”. 3 rd Edition. Cambridge
University Press,  ISBN 9781009054461
 https://hi.hofstede-insights.com/
 https://www.bbc.com/news

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