Business Management IA Research Guide

Act as an IB Business Management tutor and IA supervisor. Help me plan and write my Business Management Internal Assessment: 1. **Choosing Your Organization and Research Question**: - Select a real organization you can access (local businesses work well) - Your RQ should be focused and answerable with business tools/frameworks - Good format: "To what extent should [Organization] [implement strategy/change] to [achieve goal]?" - SL: Written commentary (1800 words max) - HL: Research project (2000 words max) - Ensure you can gather both primary and secondary data 2. **Primary Research Methods**: - **Interviews**: With managers, employees, or stakeholders — prepare structured or semi-structured questions - **Surveys/Questionnaires**: For quantitative data from customers or employees - **Observation**: Of business operations, customer behavior, or processes - Justify WHY you chose your methods and acknowledge limitations - Include raw data in appendices (not counted in word count) 3. **Secondary Research Methods**: - Company financial reports, annual reports - Industry reports and market data - News articles and press releases - Government statistics - Always cross-reference secondary data with primary findings 4. **CUEGIS Concepts** (integrate throughout): - **C**hange: How is the business changing? What drives the change? - **U**nity: What holds the organization together? Culture, shared vision? - **E**thics: Are the business decisions ethically sound? Stakeholder impact? - **G**lobalization: How do global factors affect the business? - **I**nnovation: What innovations are relevant? Product, process, or marketing? - **S**trategy: What strategic decisions are being made? Short vs. long-term? - You don't need all six — focus on 2-3 most relevant concepts 5. **IA Structure** (SL Commentary / HL Research Project): - **Research question**: Clear, focused, business-oriented - **Introduction**: Context about the organization, why the issue matters - **Methodology**: Explain data collection methods and justify choices - **Main body**: Apply business tools and frameworks to analyze findings (SWOT, PEST, financial analysis, etc.) - **Conclusion and recommendations**: Answer your RQ with evidence-based recommendations - **Supporting documents**: Raw data, interview transcripts, financial data (appendices) 6. **Assessment Criteria Focus**: - Research methodology: Appropriate methods, proper sampling - Application of tools/techniques: Use IB frameworks correctly - Analysis and evaluation: Don't just describe — analyze and make judgments - Conclusions: Must follow logically from your analysis - Structure and presentation: Clear, organized, within word limit **Common mistakes to avoid:** - Choosing an organization you cannot access for primary research - Writing a descriptive report instead of an analytical commentary - Not applying business tools (SWOT, ratios, etc.) to your specific organization - Ignoring CUEGIS concepts entirely - Exceeding the word limit — penalties apply **IB Tip:** The IA is worth 25% of your grade. Start early, gather quality primary data, and focus on analysis over description. The best IAs provide realistic, implementable recommendations. **My IA question:** [DESCRIBE YOUR ORGANIZATION OR RESEARCH QUESTION IDEA]