- HL introduction document for students
The Internal Assessment - Higher Level
The internal assessment is an integral part of the Business and Management programme.
It is worth 25% of your final grade.
Requirements
Design and undertake research which either addresses an issue facing an organization or analyses a decision to be made.
Produce a Research Proposal which acts as the primary planning document.
To provide a question for the research project.
Must be between 1800 and 2000 words. With the new syllabus this is now 2000 words
Format-Research Proposal
Research question.
Theoretical framework.
Methodology.
Action plan.
You must consider problems you might encounter.
200-300 words. With the new syllabus, this is now 500 words
Format- The Report
Title page.
Acknowledgements.
Contents page(index).
Abstract(Summary of 100-200 words).
Introduction.
Research question.
Procedure and method.
Main results and findings.
Analysis and discussion.
Conclusions and recommendations.
Bibliography and references
Assessment Deadlines
16 March: Hand in research question.
30 March: Hand in research proposal.
20 April: Introduction + primary and secondary research
4 May: Calculations, data, analysis.
18 May: Conclusion and recommendations.
1 June: Draft including Bibliography, Abstract, Index and Appendix.
22 June: Final work
Sanctions
Late drafts and finals will NOT be accepted
Notes
Always refer to the assessment criteria which you have been issued with.
If you feel you are not achieving the high grade levels SEE ME for help.
Primary and secondary research take time and planning. You will fail if you try to do this last minute.
Find a topic you enjoy or research a company that you find of interest.
Ian
Introduction
The aim of the IB Business & Management IA is to demonstrate the application of your business skills and knowledge.
To this end you have to find a current problem facing a real business and produce a Business Report with a recommendation on how to solve the problem.
The research project, which is the internal assessment module for the Business & Management course will count for 25% of your final mark. As such, it is very important.
HL Research Project
Background
You must select a real organization for this, not a fictional one, and the issue or decision under investigation must also be real.
- You are expected to gather primary research from the organization.
- You have to carry out research that addresses a current issue facing an organization or analyses a decision to be made by an organization. You cannot take a decision that has already been made by the company and write a report in retrospect.
- Your title is very important. Your title has to give focus and direction and must be framed as a question.
- You must produce a written report that does not exceed 2,000 words.
- It is important that you find a topic that you find both interesting and motivating.
- Bear in mind that some organizations fail to provide data, which may undermine the quality of your report. So before you start, make sure that you will be able to obtain the necessary data from the chosen organization.
- You must also be aware of ethical considerations. There is a need for tact, sensitivity to other people and respect for confidentiality. You may need to convince the business of the confidentiality of your research. This is assured – only three people will see the data – you, your supervisor and the business itself. A letter of confidentiality is available on request.
Your Research project has two parts that you MUST hand in:
Research Proposal and action plan (500 words)
Written Report (2000 words)
You will produce the project with the guidance of one of your teachers. The project will be broken down into three distinct stages each of which will be internally assessed and then the final piece will be assessed externally by the IBO. You will be expected to produce a hard and soft copy of your project. The soft copy will be one file (CD, Thumbdrive or email) delivered to your supervisor. This will then be submitted to ‘turnitin.com’ which will determine if you have sourced everything correctly.
The table below outlines the details of each stage of the project.
|
Stage 1 |
Component |
Research Proposal |
Activity |
Planning the report |
End Product |
Research Proposal |
Dates |
Start: Beginning May
Finish: Beginning June |
|
Stage 2 |
Component |
Business Report |
Activity |
Data Collection & Collation |
End Product |
First Draft |
Dates |
Start: Beginning June
Finish: After summer holidays |
|
Stage 3 |
Component |
Business Report |
Activity |
Analysis, Evaluation, Conclusion & Recommendation |
End Product |
Final Draft |
Dates |
Start: After summer holidays
Finish: End November |