Topics
The five main topics that are studied in IB Business Management HL are:
- Business Organization and Environment (Introduction)
- Human Resources
- Finance
- Marketing
- Operations
We are graded based on two exam papers and one IA:
Paper 1
This paper is mainly based on a case study about a company that is given to students around three months before the exam. There is a mix of short and long answers, including an essay in the end that involves making a decision.
Paper 2
This paper consists of three sections: quantitative, mini case studies, and a CUEGIS essay.
IA
For HL, you have to collect information with a real-life company and provide a solution to a problem they face. Your work should be based on primary research rather than secondary research. This means that the data you use should be collected from interviews, surveys, etc. rather than from the internet.
Final Thoughts on Business Management HL
Personally, this subject was not very workload heavy, as my teacher did not give us many assignments. The content of the course is easy to understand and relevant to my daily life, so I found the subject very intriguing and enjoyable. I think the difficult part of this course is getting used to answering exam questions effectively. This takes practice, but constant exposure and practice with past paper questions will help you improve really quickly. You also have to learn how to manage your time properly during exams. Two hours may seem like a long time, but I often found myself writing until the last minute.
For the IA, I was a bit overwhelmed in the beginning because my chosen company’s problem was really complicated and had a lot of aspects to consider. I think the key is to narrow your focus and choose a simple and straightforward topic that you can discuss in 2,000 words.
This website is really helpful and provides a summary of almost everything you need to know for the course.
I would definitely recommend this subject to anyone, regardless of whether you plan to pursue Business in university. The lessons learnt from this subject are practical and could be useful for any future career!
• Elena’s overview of Business Management HL’s IA
• Overviews of other IB subjects found here