The Business Management IA
How to write a level 7 Business Management IA
How to Write a Business Management IA: Level 7 Guide with Example IAs
Writing the Business Management IA can be really tricky! All students are ambitious and set out wanting to create a level 7 IA and often look for examples IAs on which to base their own! However, one of the biggest hurdles to writing the perfect IB BM IA is getting started!
I’ve watched many students take hours and hours, weeks and weeks to get out of the starting blocks and complete the first challenge – select a research question (RQ). Why does it take students so long? What are they so hesitant to start?
Every year, we present the Business Management IA in a slightly different way, hoping to take last year’s effort and improve on it! Shift the curve to achieve even more perfect IA’s and hit even more Level 7 IA’s, but it’s not easy! Each cohort of students is different and requires slightly different levels of support or inspiration. This page aims to help students get out of the starting block and offer some help in pursuit of the perfect Business Management IA!
This page isn’t a guide! But….it is a guide to getting started! The big question is….
"You only need one thing to get started on writing a level 7 Business Management IA... so what is it?"
Its super simple! To get started on the Business Management IA – you need a solid research question. And this is where students fall down! With so much pressure to write the best IA they can (hopefully a level 7 IA) they often fail to start and get out of the start blocks! So this page is going to be your life saver, your life raft! You will see below a growing list of potential Business Management IA research questions to give you some inspiration. Not only that, but for each question you’ll find a list of suggested tools and lenses and short blurb about how the question could be approached!
Example IA #1 Nike versus Bape
A. 30‑word summary of the issue: Nike and BAPE settled a trademark lawsuit; BAPE must discontinue several models and redesign others after allegedly copying Nike’s iconic sneaker silhouettes, raising strategic and creative challenges.
B. Research question: To what extent does the legal settlement drive BAPE to strengthen its creativity through product innovation to sustain brand distinctiveness in competitive sneaker markets instead of ‘borrowing’ from Nike?
C. Lens used: Creativity
D. Suggested BMT tools: SWOT analysis (assess internal creative capabilities and external threats); BCG matrix (evaluate performance of redesigned vs existing lines)
E. Linked business management theories: Ansoff Matrix (product development strategy for redesigned lines); product life cycle, product life cycle extensions, cost of marketing and research and development!
F. Read the original article here: Nike settles trademark case against BAPE over shoe designs
Example IA #2 B Corps certification looking shaky!
A. 30‑word summary of the issue: B Corp certification, once a trusted sustainability badge, now faces criticism for enabling greenwashing, with firms leaving the scheme amid growing doubts about its true value. (bbc.com)
B. Research question: To what extent does the suspicion around the value of B Corp certification reduce the value of certification and encourage companies not to bother pursuing sustainability?
C. Lens used: Sustainability
D. Suggested BMT tools: SWOT analysis (evaluate risks and benefits of pursuing certification); STEEPLE analysis (external pressures shaping sustainability decisions).
E. Linked business management theories: Stakeholder theory (balancing diverse stakeholder expectations of sustainability); Corporate social responsibility (CSR as a strategic choice in the absence of trusted certification); Porter’s five forces (impact of market skepticism on competitive advantage). Stakeholder mapping.
F. Read the original article here: Has B Corp certification turned into corporate greenwashing?
Example IA #3 Banking toxic culture!
Worked to Death: Inside Banking’s Toxic Culture
30‑word summary: Investment banking’s entrenched “toxic culture” continues, with analysts reporting 95‑hour weeks, bullying, burnout and even deaths—suggesting reforms have stalled despite regulatory measures .
Research question: To what extent does the continued negative press of XXX bank OR the investment banking industry necessitate change to ensure sustainability of the model into the future?
Lens used: Change
Suggested tools: Force Field Analysis; PESTLE; Hofestede’s Cultural Dimensions (HL)
Theoretical links: Stakeholder Mapping, Herzberg’s Two‑Factor Theory (motivation vs. hygiene); Kotter’s Change Model (implementing cultural reform); stakeholder theory (prioritising employee wellbeing). Read the original article here: Inside banking’s toxic culture
Example IA #4 Zara forced to change their model!
30‑word summary: Zara’s fast‑fashion model thrives on rapid, high‑volume production, but growing environmental standards and consumer expectations challenge its traditional supply chain sustainability efforts.
Research question: To what extent is Zara’s business model forced to change as a result of changing industry standards and consumer expectations for environmental responsibility? OR, ‘To what extent is Zara under pressure from stakeholders to change to a more sustainable model’?
Lens used: Change / Sustainability
Suggested tools: SWOT analysis; evaluation of circular business models; PESTLE
Theory links: Triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) to assess environmental, social, economic balance, Costs of business (unit 3 links) examining whether sustainability will bring added costs and damage potential profitability! Problems of sourcing new suppliers who can deliver sustainable products!
Read the original article here: Zara can never be sustainable
Example IA #5 Target try to lure customers back!
30‑word summary: Target cut prices on 5,000 essential items amidst inflation and retail competition, aiming to attract budget-conscious consumers and boost sales revenue amid declining comparable-store performance.
Research question: To what extent might Target’s recent efforts to increase affordability affect sales revenue?
Lens used: Change
Suggested tools: Porter’s Generic Strategies; 7P’s of Marketing; Descriptive Statistics, Simple Linear Regression
Theory links: Price elasticity of demand (evaluate consumer response to lower prices), Porter’s Competitive Advantage (cost leadership strategy impact), Marketing mix theory with a focus on prices and promotion and perhaps physical appearance of stores.
Read the original article here: Target to cut prices on 5,000 items ahead of Memorial Day
Final thoughts on the internal assessment (IA)
If you feel like you’ve grasped the Business Management internal assessment (IA) then maybe you’re ready for the next stage! Feel free to check out the complete guide to the IA! Hopefully now you have a solid research question, you can move through the next steps! The IA isn’t super difficult but it can seem overly complicated – especially as it asks your for so many things simultaneously! Our best advice to write a level 7 Business Management IA is to consider the following…
- Do you have a solid research question for your IA?
- Can you answer it using 2 to 3 tools from the Business Management Toolkit? This is essential!
- Does the question connect to other theories that are within the course material / textbook?
- Is your Business Management IA research question ‘researchable’? Ie…is it written about? If not, then forget it!
- Does the research contain a difference of opinion? This is key to accessing higher marks!
Link to the complete guide on writing your IA
If you think you’re ready to move on from the research question writing stage then why not check out the complete guide on writing your IA?
You can find the link here! https://ibmonkeybusiness.site/ib-business-management-ia-guide-level-7/
Another great guide can be found here: https://thecuriouseconomist.com/intro-to-the-bm-ia/
