The SL Business &

Management IA
 How important is this IA?
• The Extended Essay is worth:
1.5 points

• The Business IA is worth:

2.5 points
 Your Task:
To write a commentary based
on 3-5 documents covering a
common theme, 1,500 words.
 Meaning
• You have to write a commentary on a
real issue or problem, not a fictional
one, with a title presented as a
question.
• The commentary must refer directly
to a single business organisation, but
may consider industry-wide issues
that impact on that organisation.
There are two parts to the IA:
Commentary 25 % of
25 / 25
= the final
mark
Or:
1% of your
Every mark = final mark
you get
How will you do this?
 An Example question

How can British

Airways resolve the
industrial dispute with
its cabin crew?
 An Example question

What impact will the

recall of Toyota cars
have on the brand?
 An Example question

How will the

introduction of pay per
view for Times online
be profitable?
 An Example question

Will the merger of

Continental and
United Airlines be a
success?
 The Format:
1. Title (in the form of a question)
2. Introduction (including a description of
methodology)
3. Findings (based on the supporting
documents)
4. Analysis of the findings
5. Conclusion(s)
6. Bibliography and references
7. Appendices: supporting documents
 Stage 1 -
The Supporting Documents:
 Supporting Documents
Some secondary sources: Some primary data:
• market research surveys • questionnaires
• articles from local, national • interviews
or international press • discussions with focus
• financial reports groups
• business accounts • observations
• business plans • surveys
• mission statements
• web based surveys
• extracts from co’ websites
• gov’t and other statistics
• academic publications
 Supporting Documents
To achieve the highest levels of each assessment
criterion, it is strongly recommended that the
supporting documents will present a range of
ideas and views.

The selection of three to five documents, for

instance, published by a single company or three
to five surveys of similar populations would not
provide balance or objectivity.
 Tools & Techniques
Decision Making Ratio Analysis & Forecasting SWOT
Model Final Accounts Analysis
Product Life Motivational TQM CSR
Cycle Theory
Marketing Mix Stakeholder Economies of PEST
Conflicts scale Analysis
Investment Motivational Break Even BCG Matrix
Appraisal Theory Analysis

Benchmarking Ansoff Matrix Channels of Distribution

Leadership Communication Organisational Charts

Theory Theory
 Stage 2 -
Using the tools & techniques

• Confirming the tools & techniques

• Applying the tools & techniques
• Writing the first Draft
 The data Sources
• You must collect secondary data.
• You may want to collect primary – but
you don’t have to.
• There are two factors that are
important when deciding what type
data to collect:
1. How is it to be used?
2. How reliable is the data source?
 An example – A Product
Positioning Map
If your commentary is a marketing
one then you may well decide to
introduce a product position map.
 High Price
Apple

Creative
Low iriver High
Quality Quality
Oregon

Low Price
 Source:
• “I did a survey of 20 ’randomly’ selected
students from my school – as they are the
ones who use MP3 players the most.”
 High Price
Archos
iriver Beosound
Apple Nano
Apple Photo
Rio
Low High
Quality Apple Shuffle Quality
Sharp
Creative (Muvo)
Oregon
Ministry of
Sound
MPman
Low Price
 Source:
•“What Hi Fi? Sound & Vision Awards 2005”

Survey criterion – System: MP3, AAC or

WMA; Radio, Microphone, Storage capacity,
USB, FireWire, Battery life, Dimensions &
Weight
 The Techniques to use
We recommend two general points

1. Use 3 or 4 techniques.

2. Use at least 1 qualitative and 1

quantitative technique.
 Stage 3 -
The final write-up

There are four elements in this stage:

1. Reworking the first draft

2. Writing the analysis & evaluation
3. Writing a conclusion & recommendation
4.  Producing the completed project
 Writing the analysis & evaluation
You need to consider:
• How to link the analysis to more than one of
your supporting documents
• Be succinct and ordered
• Integrate your data, analysis and evaluation
• Avoid relying too heavily on one document
• Avoid unsupported generalisations
• Be critical – don’t take everything for granted
 Assessment Criteria
Total = 25 marks

A = 4 marks D = 3 marks
B = 6 marks E = 3 marks
C = 6 marks F = 3 marks
 Assessment criterion ‘A’:
supporting documents
• There are three to five supporting documents.
• The documents cover a range of ideas and
views.
• The supporting documents are contemporary in
nature, written within the last two years.
• The relevant parts of the supporting documents
are highlighted.
• The documents are relevant to the issue or
problem being examined.
• Different types of documents are included.
 Assessment criterion ‘B’:
Choice and application of business
tools, techniques and theory
• Business tools and techniques are included in the
commentary.
• Business theory is included in the commentary.
• The tools, techniques and theory are relevant to the
question posed.
• The commentary includes a range of tools, techniques
and theories.
 Assessment criterion ‘C’:
Use, analysis and synthesis of
data
• There is evidence that data is used,
analysed and synthesized.
• Data from the supporting documents is
used to help answer the question posed.
• The ideas are written in a clearly structured
and logical manner.
 Assessment criterion ‘D’:
Conclusions
• The conclusion(s) are relevant and answer
the question posed in the title.
• The conclusions are supported by the data
from the supporting documents.
• The conclusions are a logical extension of
the arguments.
 Assessment criterion ‘E’:
Evaluation and critical thinking
• Judgments are made.
• All judgments are substantiated.
• The nature of the supporting documents
has been considered.
• The reasons why the problem or issue
exists have been discussed.
 Assessment criterion ‘F’:
Presentation
• The written commentary is within the word limit.
• Sources are provided for all the supporting documents.
• Sources are provided for any quotations used in the written commentary.

• The referencing is consistent throughout.

• An appropriate bibliography is provided.
• Subject-specific terminology has been used throughout the commentary.

• The title question has been answered.

• The word count is provided on the commentary.
• The commentary is focused on the issue or problem identified.
• The commentary follows a logical structure from identifying the issue or
problem through to he conclusion.