IB Business and Management SL Internal Assessment (Rubrics):
Research Question: You must formulate a research question that uses business theory, to solve a real problem or proposes strategies to further improve a business.
Length: 1,500 words
Introduction
You must produce a commentary with a title presented as a question. Your commentary must refer directly to a single business organization, but you may consider industry-wide issues that impact on that organization.
Example:
Link to samples on the IB site with
moderators scores and comments - http://xmltwo.ibo.org/publications/DP/Group3/d_3_busmt_tsm_0709_1_e/StudentWork_overview_en.html
Written
commentary—overview
The written commentary enables SL students to demonstrate the application of business and management tools, techniques and theories to a real business issue or problem. Students must select a real and contemporary issue or problem, not a fictional one, facing a single business organization.
Written
commentary—details
SL
written commentary
A Supporting documents
B Choice and application of business tools,
techniques and theory
C Use, analysis and synthesis of data
D Conclusions
E Evaluation and critical thinking
F Presentation
Selecting
a topic:
Selecting a topic for the
research project or written commentary
It is important that students,
with the teacher’s guidance, choose an issue that:
Using the library
The school library should be used
actively to enable students to acquire the skills of individual research
through a variety of media such as books, periodicals and electronic databases.
The ability to locate and use appropriate sources effectively is essential for
worthwhile research in business and management.
The professional librarian is a trained information specialist, whose knowledge of, and insight into, information will complement that of the subject specialist teacher. The librarian can help students and teachers with information gathering and research skills at all stages of the research project or written commentary.
The teacher may wish to build on the work of the librarian with study skills sessions to ensure that students make the best use of their time. Noting down resources in a standard format, prescribed by the teacher, can be a useful starting point. In addition, teachers can give general guidance on information gathering, note taking and the construction of a well-organized file of preparatory material.
Word limits
Students and teachers must ensure
that the word limit is not exceeded. If a student does exceed the word limit,
he or she will lose 3 marks (from a maximum of 25 marks). Moderators are
instructed not to read beyond the word limit. This means, apart from the loss
of 3 marks, students could potentially lose more marks.
Referencing
References must be included to
show where statements, ideas and evidence come from. It is very important to
cite all sources used. If students do not reference their work, issues
about the authenticity of the work may be raised.
Sources should be referred to in the text, and a standard referencing format should be used for the bibliography and footnotes. Students should ensure that their method of referencing is consistent throughout, and that all the relevant information is provided. The referencing system must enable the reader to locate the original sources easily.
How to reference sources
The following guidance is based on
the Harvard author−date system. It is offered only as an example: the IBO
permits any accepted convention for citing and acknowledging sources.
Body text
Use brackets or parentheses to set
off a reference in the text. Give the author’s last name, if it is not part of
the text, the page number(s) and the date of publication.
Footnotes
Footnotes provide related
information that does not belong in the text. There should be as few of these
as possible and they should be identified with a superscript number1and
placed at the bottom of the same page.
Bibliography
The bibliography, or list of
references used, should appear at the end of the piece of work.
List sources alphabetically by the last names of authors or editors. If there is no author or editor, list sources by titles and put them in order by date.
Books: Author’s last name and first name, or initial if name is unknown. Date. Title (in italics). Place of publication. Publisher’s name.
Identify source document #1: Serving Alcohol at Your Restaurant http://www.setupmyrestaurant.com/open-restaurant/restaurant-service/serving-alcohol.htm
Outline findings: Connecting points to your question from the source, including which side they relate to and the appropriate tools, theories and techniques:
Considering such issue as serving alcohol in your restaurant is one of those things that comes with many pros and cons. Some family restaurants offer alcohol with the menu. Some people enjoy a glass of wine, a mixed drink, or a couple of beers before their meal or while they are eating. And that's why, these persons may avoid dining at your restaurant because it isn't an option.
We all don't like to wait while our course is cooking. For some people it is difficult to wait 15 or 20 minutes for a table to open up in a restaurant. This may be a reason why they will choose another restaurant. But you can use one strategy – to offer alcohol for your customers. Be sure, a high percentage of them will decide to enjoy a drink during that wait period instead of eating at a different location.
Most restaurant owners sell a large amount of alcohol and they are able to sell it for a substantial profit too. Moreover, many of them have come up with a good solution to slow times with alcohol too. They can also offer great specials on drinks and appetizers during the afternoon so that people will be enticed to drop in.
However, you may have extra costs if you want to offer alcohol. This is because you will have to purchase the supplies to make a variety of different drinks. Moreover, the machinery for mixing them and the glasses for serving them in are also needed. The only way that you are going to get your customers to want to pay for the drinks they order though is to make sure you have the best ingredients available. Purchase expensive alcohol. There should be bartenders at the restaurant that have plenty of experience making various types of drinks that your customers are going to request.
You should also keep in mind that staff under 21 years of age can take the orders for the drinks, but they won't be able to deliver them to the customers. But this usually isn't too much of a problem unless you have the majority of your employees under the age of 21.
The problems may arise with obtaining a license for your alcohol. Remember that there are strict guidelines for obtaining a liquor license and it relies on the state. You will also have to make every person asking for alcohol is verified as being legally old enough to drink. Otherwise, it can lead to fines and even for shutting down your restaurant. The main task of your staff is to watch for signs for intoxicated individuals in the establishment. They mustn't serve them any more alcohol.
Having decided to serve alcohol in your restaurant, you have to make sure all people drinking alcohol in your establishment are old enough. And for this you have to check their ID. Make sure your staff stops serving alcohol to those that are visibly intoxicated and should not continue to drink.
Identify source document: #2-5: Repeat as above.
Task Summary: Select a real company or organization. Apply business theory to do one or more of the following situations:
* Suggest a possible solution to a problem faced by a real company (e.g. ethical issue,HR problem, Marketing, Operational problem).
* Suggest new strategies a company could implement to reduce costs and increase profitability. (e.g. strategies could be marketing, operational or HR related).
*Suggest new strategies a company could implement to improve market share and increase sales.
Your response must be descriptive, but rather forward looking and of value to management.
Research Question: You must formulate a research question that uses business theory, to solve a real problem or proposes strategies to further improve a business.
Bibliography: Minimum
of 12 resources, using the internet, books, journals and other sources.
Must
comply with all conventions.
Referencing: Extensive
in text citation.
Visual Stimulus: At
least five Graphs, Charts, Tables, and other images.
Presentation Style: 12
point, Times New Roman font, left justified, double spaced.
Individual
Work: Individual
work only, no group work permitted.
Business
Theory: You must
apply relevant business theory to a selected company case study.
Introduction
The aim of the IB
Business & Management IA is to demonstrate the application of your business
skills and knowledge.
SL Written
Commentary
Background
Your IA this year
is a written commentary. You will need to demonstrate the application of
business and management tools, techniques and theories to a real business issue
or problem.
You must select a real
organization for this, not a fictional one, and the issue or decision under
investigation must also be real.
The Commentary
You must produce a commentary with a title presented as a question. Your commentary must refer directly to a single business organization, but you may consider industry-wide issues that impact on that organization.
Your commentary
must be based on primary and/or secondary data, selected for its
suitability, depth and breadth.
Your commentary
must not exceed more than 1,500 words. A word count must be included as
part of the commentary.
The commentary
requires analysis and evaluation of the business issue/problem. Judgements
should be made throughout the commentary, but are essential within the
conclusion.
You must attach five
supporting documents from which the
majority of the information for the commentary has been obtained. Any
additional sources, such as textbooks, class notes and DVDs/videos, must be
referenced, but will NOT be accepted as supporting documents.
All supporting
documents and additional sources must be fully referenced and included in
bibliography.
SELECTING
YOUR SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
Your supporting
documents have to be up-to date. They have to be written a maximum of two years
before the submission of your written commentary ( 2014 to current).
You must select
your own supporting documents. Teachers are not allowed to provide these for
you. It is also recommended that you do not use the same supporting documents
as other students in the school.
Any supporting
documents in other languages must be translated.
Examples of
secondary sources of information for your commentary:
- Market research surveys
- Articles from the local, national or
international press
- Financial reports
- Business accounts
- Business plans
- Mission statements
- Web-based surveys
- Extracts from the company websites
- Government and other statistics
- Academic publications
Examples of
primary sources might include:
- Responses to questionnaires (if you do
this, you should include a blank copy of the questionnaire and a
tally/summary of results)
- Transcripts of interviews and
discussions with focus groups
- Results of surveys.
The selection of your documents is very important. To
achieve the highest level of each assessment criterion, it is strongly
recommended that the supporting documents present a range of ideas and views.
Should Starbucks continue to roll out their concept to sell beer and wine in the early afternoon/evening?
The commentary
could then examine business concepts such as:
· economies of scale
· target markets
· profitability
· training
· marketing mix
· external environment
· Etc.
Your commentary
will include tables and graphs. The supporting documents and supplementary
information such as diagrams, figures, tables or data and references are not
included in the 1,500 words.
Don’t forget – you
can present a SWOT as a document in the appendix and then you could reference
it in the text of the body. This is because it is NOT about where the SWOT is,
but more about how it is used and applied. EVERYTHING IN THE SWOT MUST BE
REFERENCED
When choosing your
title, consider the following:
We think "How
should..." is better than "How can..." since the former requires
you to justify (critically) your answer, whereas the latter tends to lead to
descriptive answers.
Information in
tables is not included in word counts providing it is concise (for
example, like sets of numbers, lists of counties, etc.).
The
following is extracted from the IBO website:
Link to samples on the IB site with
moderators scores and comments - http://xmltwo.ibo.org/publications/DP/Group3/d_3_busmt_tsm_0709_1_e/StudentWork_overview_en.html
Written
commentary—overview
The following is
a suggested structure for your IA written commentary:
- Title (in the form of a question)
- Introduction (including a description of
methodology)
- Findings (based on the supporting documents)
- Analysis of the findings
- Conclusion(s)
- Bibliography and references
- Appendices: supporting documents
The written commentary enables SL students to demonstrate the application of business and management tools, techniques and theories to a real business issue or problem. Students must select a real and contemporary issue or problem, not a fictional one, facing a single business organization.
·
The
title of the written commentary must be phrased in the form of a question.
·
The
commentary can be based on primary and/or secondary sources.
·
The
commentary requires analysis and evaluation of the issue or problem, and the
student must form judgments, and incorporate them into the commentary in light
of the question posed in the title.
·
The
maximum number of words for the written commentary is 1,500 words.
·
Students
must provide a declaration of authenticity on the coversheet of the written
commentary.
Written
commentary—details
Title
|
The title
question must be clear and focused, allowing the student to answer it by
carrying out a limited amount of research, supported by chosen documents. If
sufficient sources are not available for the research to be carried out, the
question should be replaced.
The following
are examples of suitable questions.
· Is including a line for male customers a
profitable decision for company X?
· Is a wage increase an effective way to
increase productivity & motivation in company Y?
· Is company Z’s decision to increase
productive capacity by building a new plant a sound financial decision?
|
Introduction
|
A brief and
focused introduction should explain the purpose of the commentary and the
methodology used to investigate the problem or issue. Business tools,
techniques and theory should be included to present the commentary in
appropriate business format and to support the analysis and the judgments
with relevant business concepts and theory.
|
Finding
|
In order to
write the commentary the student should refer to secondary sources and may
collect primary sources depending on the issue or problem investigated. These
sources provide a vast and varied amount of information for the student to
analyse and answer the question.
Three to five of
these sources have to be selected and presented as supporting documents for
the commentary. They should be included in the appendices, with the relevant
sections highlighted by the student.
Although it is
mandatory to include three to five sources as supporting documents, this does
not mean that the investigation should be limited to these documents. Any
sources consulted by the student but not chosen as supporting documents
should be referenced in the body of the commentary and included in the
bibliography.
|
Analysis of the findings
|
The above
findings have to be analysed in the light of the title question, taking into
account business theory and using, as far as possible, business tools and
techniques. This analysis could be included as a separate section, or it
could be included together with the findings (findings and analysis). The
different supporting documents should be analysed in such a manner that their
relevance to the question is clearly established. The analysis should also
show how the supporting documents relate to each other.
|
Conclusion
|
The title
question must be answered, based on the analysis of the findings and, in
particular, on the analysis of the supporting documents. The conclusion
should not introduce ideas or judgments that have not been discussed in
previous sections of the commentary. It is good practice to include those
aspects of the question that have not been fully answered in the commentary
or that might need further analysis or investigation to be judged more
effectively.
|
Bibliography and references
|
The commentary
should contain correctly presented references and a bibliography. Only books
and web pages actually consulted should be included. The access dates to the
web pages consulted should be specified. If the student refers to sources of
any type, these should be referenced through the use of footnotes.
|
Appendices: supporting documents
|
The appendices
should only include the three to five supporting documents, chosen by the
students as the structuring documents for the commentary. The chosen
documents have to be included in their complete form, although relevant parts
to the investigation have to be clearly highlighted.
|
SL
written commentary
A Supporting documents
If fewer than
three supporting documents are presented, a maximum of three marks can be
awarded.
Achievement level
|
Descriptor
|
0
|
There are no
documents presented in support of the commentary.
|
1
|
The supporting
documents are irrelevant.
|
2
|
The supporting
documents are generally relevant but some lack depth.
|
3
|
The supporting
documents are relevant and sufficient in depth.
|
4
|
The supporting
documents are relevant, sufficient in depth and provide a range of ideas and
views.
|
B Choice and application of business tools,
techniques and theory
Achievement level
|
Descriptor
|
0
|
There is no use
of business tools, techniques or theory.
|
1
|
There is a
limited selection of business tools, techniques and theory.
|
2
|
There is a
limited selection of business tools, techniques and theory, and these are
superficially applied.
|
3
|
There is
appropriate selection of business tools, techniques and theory, but these are
superficially applied.
|
4
|
There is
appropriate selection of business tools, techniques and theory, and these are
suitably applied.
|
5
|
There is
appropriate selection of business tools, techniques and theory, and these are
competently applied.
|
6
|
There is a
broad and appropriate selection of business tools, techniques and theory, and
these are skillfully applied.
|
C Use, analysis and synthesis of data
Achievement level
|
Descriptor
|
0
|
There is no use
of data from the supporting documents.
|
1
|
There is
inappropriate selection of data from the supporting documents.
|
2
|
There is
appropriate selection of data from the supporting documents.
|
3
|
There is
appropriate selection of data from the supporting documents with superficial
analysis.
|
4
|
There is
appropriate selection of data from the supporting documents with appropriate
analysis.
|
5
|
There is
appropriate selection of data from the supporting documents with appropriate analysis.
There is some integration of ideas.
|
6
|
There is
appropriate selection of data from the supporting documents with appropriate
and detailed analysis. There is coherent integration of ideas.
|
D Conclusions
Achievement level
|
Descriptor
|
0
|
There are no
conclusions.
|
1
|
Conclusions are
inconsistent with the evidence presented.
|
2
|
Some of the
conclusions are consistent with the evidence presented.
|
3
|
The conclusions
are consistent with the evidence presented and answer the commentary
question.
|
E Evaluation and critical thinking
Achievement level
|
Descriptor
|
0
|
There is no
evidence of evaluation.
|
1
|
There is
limited evidence of evaluation.
|
2
|
There is
evidence of evaluation, but not all judgments are substantiated.
|
3
|
There is
evidence of evaluation, and judgments are substantiated. Critical and
reflective thinking occurs in the commentary.
|
F Presentation
Achievement level
|
Descriptor
|
|
0
|
The commentary
exceeds 1,500 words.
|
|
1
|
The commentary
is disorganized and lacks structure. Sources are not appropriately
referenced.
|
|
2
|
The commentary
is sufficiently organized and structured with some use of appropriate
business terminology. Sources are appropriately referenced.
|
|
3
|
The commentary
is well organized and structured, with consistent use of appropriate business
terminology. Sources are appropriately referenced and an appropriate
bibliography is provided.
|
|
Selecting
a topic:
Selecting a topic for the
research project or written commentary
It is important that students,
with the teacher’s guidance, choose an issue that:
·
engages
their interest
·
is
realistic in terms of resources
·
meets
the criteria for assessment.
Using the library
The school library should be used
actively to enable students to acquire the skills of individual research
through a variety of media such as books, periodicals and electronic databases.
The ability to locate and use appropriate sources effectively is essential for
worthwhile research in business and management.The professional librarian is a trained information specialist, whose knowledge of, and insight into, information will complement that of the subject specialist teacher. The librarian can help students and teachers with information gathering and research skills at all stages of the research project or written commentary.
The teacher may wish to build on the work of the librarian with study skills sessions to ensure that students make the best use of their time. Noting down resources in a standard format, prescribed by the teacher, can be a useful starting point. In addition, teachers can give general guidance on information gathering, note taking and the construction of a well-organized file of preparatory material.
Word limits
Students and teachers must ensure
that the word limit is not exceeded. If a student does exceed the word limit,
he or she will lose 3 marks (from a maximum of 25 marks). Moderators are
instructed not to read beyond the word limit. This means, apart from the loss
of 3 marks, students could potentially lose more marks.
Referencing
References must be included to
show where statements, ideas and evidence come from. It is very important to
cite all sources used. If students do not reference their work, issues
about the authenticity of the work may be raised.Sources should be referred to in the text, and a standard referencing format should be used for the bibliography and footnotes. Students should ensure that their method of referencing is consistent throughout, and that all the relevant information is provided. The referencing system must enable the reader to locate the original sources easily.
How to reference sources
The following guidance is based on
the Harvard author−date system. It is offered only as an example: the IBO
permits any accepted convention for citing and acknowledging sources.
Body text
Use brackets or parentheses to set
off a reference in the text. Give the author’s last name, if it is not part of
the text, the page number(s) and the date of publication.
·
(Johnson,
p98, 2006)
A full reference should appear in
the bibliography at the end of the piece of work.
Footnotes
Footnotes provide related
information that does not belong in the text. There should be as few of these
as possible and they should be identified with a superscript number1and
placed at the bottom of the same page.
Bibliography
The bibliography, or list of
references used, should appear at the end of the piece of work.List sources alphabetically by the last names of authors or editors. If there is no author or editor, list sources by titles and put them in order by date.
Books: Author’s last name and first name, or initial if name is unknown. Date. Title (in italics). Place of publication. Publisher’s name.
·
Hall,
D, Jones, R, Raffo, C. 2001. Business Studies (2nd
edition). Ormskirk United Kingdom. Causeway Press Ltd.
Articles in journals: Author. Date. Title of the article (in
quotation marks). Name of the journal (in italics). Volume number, first and
last pages.
·
Lindner,
James R. June 1998. “Understanding employee motivation”. Journal of
Extension. Volume 36 Number 3, pages 23–38.
Information from the
Internet: Author’s
name if possible. Title (in italics). Date site was visited. URL (address for
the home page). Heading as listed on the web page (if there is one
Internal
Assessment Business Techniques/Tools/Theory (examples)
Syllabus Topic
|
Business Tool/Theory
|
Topic 1: Business organization and environment
|
SWOT
(internal strengths and weaknesses + PESTLE
PESTLE
(external environmental factors)
|
Topic 2: Human Resources
|
Motivation
theories: Herzberg, McGregor, Maslow, Taylor
Leadership
Styles: autocratic, democratic,
laissez-faire, situational leadership
|
Topic 3: Accounts and finance
|
Investment
Appraisal
Ratio
Analysis
Sources of Finance
Cash
Flow
Financial
Statements
|
Topic 4: Marketing
|
PESTLE
(external environmental factors)
Product
Life Cycle (different stages in a products life)
Marketing
Mix (will change with life cycle)
Ansoff’s
Matrix (product and market growth strategies)
Boston
Matrix (product portfolio analysis)
Product
Positioning Maps (customer perception)
Pricing
Policies
|
Topic 5: Operations management
|
Production
methods (job, batch, flow, cell)
Break
Even Analysis
Quality
Control (QC vs. QA, TQM)
Stock
Control (just in time, just in case)
|
METHODOLOGY
Create Question (Best to start with “Should, Will, etc”): Should Starbucks continue to roll out
their concept to sell beer and wine in the early afternoon/evening?Identify source document #1: Serving Alcohol at Your Restaurant http://www.setupmyrestaurant.com/open-restaurant/restaurant-service/serving-alcohol.htm
Outline findings: Connecting points to your question from the source, including which side they relate to and the appropriate tools, theories and techniques:
a. (Both) Existing product and existing market
(Ansoff matrix)
b. (Both) New targets, confusion? (Market segmentation and consumer profiles)
c. (Pro)
High profit (Final accounts)
d. (Pro)
Marketing opportunities (specials, co-branding, etc) (Above and below the line advertising)
e. (Con)
Extra costs (ingredients, labor, capital equipment) (DC, VC, FC, BEP)
f. (Con)
Regulatory requirements (PESTLE)
g. (Con)
Training (Training)
<Article>Considering such issue as serving alcohol in your restaurant is one of those things that comes with many pros and cons. Some family restaurants offer alcohol with the menu. Some people enjoy a glass of wine, a mixed drink, or a couple of beers before their meal or while they are eating. And that's why, these persons may avoid dining at your restaurant because it isn't an option.
We all don't like to wait while our course is cooking. For some people it is difficult to wait 15 or 20 minutes for a table to open up in a restaurant. This may be a reason why they will choose another restaurant. But you can use one strategy – to offer alcohol for your customers. Be sure, a high percentage of them will decide to enjoy a drink during that wait period instead of eating at a different location.
Most restaurant owners sell a large amount of alcohol and they are able to sell it for a substantial profit too. Moreover, many of them have come up with a good solution to slow times with alcohol too. They can also offer great specials on drinks and appetizers during the afternoon so that people will be enticed to drop in.
However, you may have extra costs if you want to offer alcohol. This is because you will have to purchase the supplies to make a variety of different drinks. Moreover, the machinery for mixing them and the glasses for serving them in are also needed. The only way that you are going to get your customers to want to pay for the drinks they order though is to make sure you have the best ingredients available. Purchase expensive alcohol. There should be bartenders at the restaurant that have plenty of experience making various types of drinks that your customers are going to request.
You should also keep in mind that staff under 21 years of age can take the orders for the drinks, but they won't be able to deliver them to the customers. But this usually isn't too much of a problem unless you have the majority of your employees under the age of 21.
The problems may arise with obtaining a license for your alcohol. Remember that there are strict guidelines for obtaining a liquor license and it relies on the state. You will also have to make every person asking for alcohol is verified as being legally old enough to drink. Otherwise, it can lead to fines and even for shutting down your restaurant. The main task of your staff is to watch for signs for intoxicated individuals in the establishment. They mustn't serve them any more alcohol.
Having decided to serve alcohol in your restaurant, you have to make sure all people drinking alcohol in your establishment are old enough. And for this you have to check their ID. Make sure your staff stops serving alcohol to those that are visibly intoxicated and should not continue to drink.
Identify source document: #2-5: Repeat as above.
1. Write
a bullet point outline of each section:
a. Title page
b. Write your Introduction: see rubric
c. Write your Findings: see rubric
d. Write your Analysis: see rubric
e. Write your Conclusion: see rubric
f. Bibliography and References
g. Appendices (highlighted source documents,
etc)
2.
Tips for outlining your Findings, Analysis
and conclusion sections:
· Analyse your findings from your outlines to
uncover syllabus topics to focus on
· Use your Connecting Points to develop a
plan for your commentary
· Provide judgements throughout while
recognizing major limitations.
· Use business language clearly and
accurately while discussing both sides of an issue
· Provide your conclusion (ultimate judgement or recommendation to
the company) with any limitations noted.
· Demonstrate connections to tools,
techniques and theories you have selected for inclusion.
· Demonstrate appropriate selection of data
from the supporting documents with appropriate and detailed analysis.
· There must be coherent integration of ideas
to receive full points.
