IB Business Management SL study plan

Define the four business functions and classify six types of business organisation (sole trader, partnership, private limited company, public limited company, franchise, social enterprise) by ownership, liability and control

Distinguish between the private and public sectors and explain how each affects objectives and stakeholder influence

Identify internal and external stakeholders for three named businesses and rank their relative power and interest

Explain the stages of the business decision-making framework and apply it to a short scenario

Analyse how the external environment shapes business activity by applying STEEPLE factors to two contrasting industries

Explain the difference between economies and diseconomies of scale and give two examples of each

Evaluate the impact of globalisation, multinational corporations and free trade on a domestic firm

Distinguish between organic growth and external growth methods including mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures

Explain the phases of the business life cycle and match appropriate strategies to each stage

Distinguish between crisis management and contingency planning and outline the components of a business plan

Identify a feasible research question for the internal assessment linked to Domain 1 content

Draft three candidate research questions and test each against relevance, scope and data availability

Write the introduction and methodology sections of the research project, justifying the chosen organisation and research question

Design primary research instruments such as a questionnaire, interview guide or observation checklist with at least eight items

Explain sampling methods and select an appropriate sample for the chosen research question

Compile a correctly formatted reference list using a consistent citation style

Compare the main organisational structures (hierarchical, flat, matrix, by product, by region) and explain how each affects communication and control

Explain the components of a workforce plan and calculate labour turnover, absenteeism and labour productivity

Distinguish between financial and non-financial motivation methods and evaluate two theories of motivation

Outline the stages of recruitment, selection, induction and training, and distinguish appraisal from dismissal procedures

Classify costs as fixed, variable, direct and indirect and calculate total cost, revenue and profit

Construct and interpret a break-even chart and calculate break-even quantity, margin of safety and target profit

Prepare and interpret simple cash flow forecasts and distinguish cash flow from profit

Explain the purpose and structure of the main financial statements and calculate at least three profitability and liquidity ratios

Explain the purpose of market research and distinguish primary from secondary and qualitative from quantitative methods

Apply the marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion) to a chosen product and justify each element

Calculate and interpret market share, market growth and price elasticity of demand using given data

Evaluate the use of social media, branding and the product life cycle in shaping marketing strategy

Distinguish methods of production (job, batch, mass, lean) and evaluate their suitability for different output levels

Explain the role of quality control and quality assurance, and calculate productivity and capacity utilisation

Analyse the costs and benefits of holding stock and evaluate factors affecting the choice of suppliers and location

Finalise the research project by analysing findings, drawing conclusions and evaluating the research limitations