IB Docs (2) Team
Formulating suitable IA questions
"If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don't have to be pushed. The vision pulls you."
- Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011), Co-founder of Apple
Recall the basic requirements of the internal assessment for SL and HL students:
You must produce a research project about a real-world business issue or problem faced by a particular organization using one of the CESC concepts (conceptual lenses): creativity, ethics, sustainability, or change.
You must apply your knowledge of appropriate Business Management tools and theories (refer to the Business Management Toolkit as a starting point for this).
To answer the specific research question, you need to use (rely on) 3 to 5 supporting documents.
The word count limit (WCL) is 1,800 words.
The research question must be examined using a conceptual lens
Top tip 1 - Avoid using your school as the chosen organization
A commonly asked question is whether students can choose their own school to investigate for the business research project.
Whilst the previous syllabus allowed students to use their own school as the chosen organization for the Internal Assessment, it is probably best to avoid doing so for the new course. This is because the IB requires all IAs to be kept anonymous for assessment purposes. This means that you should not:
Acknowledge your teacher(s) by name in your business research project - doing so could give away the school where they teach and where you study.
Include the name of your school anywhere in the business research project. Hence, by choosing your own school as the organization for the IA means that this is not kept anonymous.
Considering the above requirements, when formulating a suitable research question for the IA, please ensure that you do the following:
Select a real business issue or problem for a real organization; this can be a small or large business. You must focus on your chosen business throughout the IA, but (where appropriate) can consider industry-wide issues that impact your chosen organization.
Ensure the research question is directly and clearly related to a specific part of the IB Business Management syllabus.
- Ensure you are able to collect and use 3 - 5 supporting documents to help answer the question. These supporting documents can be from primary and/or secondary research.
- Whilst the research question can focus on a specific issue or problems that the orgnization has faced for 3+ years, it must be a live issue/problem and the supporting documents must have been published within the three years prior to submission of the business research project to the IB.
Use only one of the four CESC concepts as a conceptual lens through which to analyse the research project. Make sure you are able to explicitly link the chosen key concept to the RQ, throughout the IA.
Ensure the RQ is practical in terms of being addressed within the 1,800 word count limit.
This is an example of a good IA research question:
To what extent has product diversification contributed to Samsung’s current market leadership position in the global smartphone industry?
This is an example of a suitable research question because it:
is specific and focused
encourages the application of business tools and theories
requires the use of supporting documents to address the question, perhaps mainly or exclusively through the use of secondary research
is manageable (within 20 hours and 1,800 word limit)
requires a (justified or substantiated) conclusion.
Top tip 2 - Getting the research question right with the 5S model
The above research question "To what extent has product diversification contributed to Samsung’s current market leadership position in the global smartphone industry?" is a good example of a suitable RQ because it complies with the 5S model for the IA:
Specific = purposefully focused on a real-world contemporary issue
Syllabus = tools and theories (such as product strategy and diversification strategies as part of Ansoff's matrix)
Supporting documents = to answer the RQ, there is a need for relevant and contemporary supporting documents
Systematic = manageable / methodical
Substantiated = requires a justified conclusion.
So, for example, the following question would not be appropriate as an IA research question:
Should BMW continue to diversify in the electronic cars market?
We can use the 5S framework to explain why:
Specific = purposefully focused. BMW produced its first hybrid electric i8 car back in 2011 (more than a decade ago). With many countries banning petrol and diesel cars within the next 10 years, BMW has little choice but to expand in the electric vehicles sector.
Syllabus = tools, theories, and techniques. Appropriate tools (e.g., Ansoff's matrix) and theories (e.g., growth strategies) could be used to answer this question, but it is likely to be descriptive and/or theoretical.
Supporting documents = breadth and depth of the 3 - 5 supporting documents. There is unlikely to be any evidence to suggest that BMW should not expand in the e-vehicles market. Hence, the supporting documents are likely to lack any balance in order to allow opportunities for critical and reflective thinking.
Systematic = manageable / methodical. Counter arguments might be challenging to identify and develop in this particular example.
Substantiated = requires an evaluative and justified conclusion. The research question does not provide opportunities for critical and reflective thinking. In addition, there is no need for any recommendations to be made in the IA (so be careful with research questions starting with "Should ..." as these do not always work well for the IA). If the RQ starts with "Should", remember there is a need to include full justifications for the answer, backed up by the contrasting evidence from the 3 - 5 supporting documents.
ATL Activity 1 - Communication and Thinking skills
Take a look at the following research questions for the IA. Discuss why each of these research questions are not suitable for the business research project.
RQ 1 - How did Elon Musk's hostile takeover of Twitter affect the public image of the social media platform?
This is likely to lead to a descriptive and potentially or highly biased piece of work. It is likely to be difficult to get supporting documents that provide a balanced, two-sided argument to this question. In addition, it is challenging to apply appropriate business management tools, theories, and techniques to answer this question.
RQ 2 - To what extent does the impact of technology impact Toyota's quality management practices?
Given Toyota's legacy of lean management philosophy since the 1950s, the answer to this question might be too obvious from the outset.
RQ 3 - What changes did Salesforce undergo to combat the recession?
This will tend to lead to a highly descriptive piece of work. It is also a question that does not require the use of a conceptual lens to answer, so it therefore not suitable for the business research project.
RQ 4 - How did the Boeing scandal impact the company? An evaluation through the conceptual lens of ethics.
"How did" research questions will tend to lead to highly descriptive (rather than analytical or evaluative research projects). In this case, any "scandal" will likely to have caused only major damage to the company's reputation, brand value, and sales revenue. Hence, it is unlikely that the student will be able to provide a balanced, two-sided argument using the supporting documents.
RQ 5 - To what extent does the acquisition of Activision Blizzard change Microsoft's business objectives?
Whilst "change" as a key concept appears in the research question, the RQ is inappropriately phrased. This is because an organization's decisions/actions/strategies are driven by its mission or vision and hence its business objectives (such as growth), rather than the other way round.
RQ 6 - How has Samsung's marketing strategy evolved over time to maintain its market leadership in the highly competitive consumer electronics industry, and what impact has this had on its brand perception and customer loyalty?
This research question is far too broad; there are too many parts to the questions:
How has Samsung ‘s marketing strategy evolved over time to maintain its market leadership in the highly competitive consumer electronics industry, and what impact has this had on its brand perception and customer loyalty?
Avoid using "marketing strategy" in any research question as this is far too broad for 1,800 words.
Furthermore, avoid double-barrelled questions that require the students to answer two or more questions (brand perception and customer loyalty, in this case).
RQ 7 - How can Nike increase its market share in the sports apparel market in Egypt?
Whilst there is evidence that Egyptian consumers have a preference for locally-made footwear (with traditional designs and materials being particularly popular), "How can" questions tend to lead to highly descriptive responses in the business research project. "How should" might work better, although this needs to be driven by the evidence in the 3 - 5 supporting documents, such as from Statista and Middle East Economy news magazine.
RQ 8 - To what extent does Lidl (German discount supermarket chain) rely on cost-leadership to maintain its competitiveness in the UK grocery market?
The answer to this research question is obvious from the outset - Lidl is a discount supermarket that only uses a cost-leadership strategy to maintain its competitiveness. A good RQ will entail research that relies on contrasting evidence from a range of suitable supporting documents. In this case, it would be unrealistic to find any evidence that Lidl uses alternative generic competitive strategies (Porter's) or pricing methods.
ATL Activity 2 (Thinking skills) - Better for the IA or EE?
Consider whether each of the following research questions are better suited to the IA or EE in Business Management.
| No. | Research question | IA or EE? |
| 1. | To what extent can Proton increase its market share in Egypt by using through-the-line promotional strategies? | IA |
| 2. | To what extent has product innovation contributed to Apple being a market leader? | EE |
| 3. | To what extent can Oracle's success be contributed to its corporate culture? | EE |
| 4. | To what extent has Nike’s decision to offshore its production to Vietnam improved its international competitiveness? | EE |
| 5. | To what degree has Tesla’s distinct marketing strategies been effective at promoting its automotive business in the USA? | EE |
| 6. | To what extent has Amazon’s expansion into the physical grocery retail industry been a successful growth strategy? | EE |
| 7. | To what extent has Pep Guardiola’s reign as head coach of Manchester City Football Club (MCFC) changed the organization’s management culture? | EE |
| 8. | To what degree does Google’s corporate culture contribute to its financial success? | EE |
| 9. | To what extent have JustEat’s growth strategies been effective in a thriving food delivery gig economy during the COVID-19 pandemic? | EE |
| 10. | To what extent is IKEA’s local and global supply chain practices aligned with the company's sustainability goals for 2030? | IA |
When formulating and planning the research question for your own IA, use the following format as a template:
Research question: | |
Key concept: | |
Name of organization: | |
Links to the guide (including the Business Management Toolkit): | |
Links to resources (supporting documents): |
Take the following two examples for further guidance.
Sample 1: Toyota, Sustainability
Research question: | To what extent will Toyota’s plan to launch a range of 15 new electric vehicles by 2025 improve its low market share in the UK’s EV industry? |
Key concept: | Sustainability |
Name of organization: | Toyota |
(including the Business Management Toolkit): |
|
Links to the guide (including the Business Management Toolkit): |
|
Sample 2: McDonald's, Ethics
Research question: | How ethical has McDonald’s in Oregon, USA, been in its recruitment practices during the COVID-19 pandemic? |
Key concept: | Ethics |
Name of organization: | McDonald’s |
Links to the guide (including the Business Management Toolkit): |
|
Links to resources (supporting documents): |
|
Credit to Susan Brownswood for the McDonald's IA RQ. Susan is an IB educator, examiner, and Workshop Leader.
Top tip 3 - The use of an audio-video source
Note that students can use video or audio material (such as a short documentary) as one of their supporting documents. If used, this need to be transcribed, along with the usual citation and referencing required for all supporting documents.
The transcript of the video/audio source must provide the key points used to address the research question. As with all sources, only video or audio material published by a reliable organization should be used).
For example, the CNBC video below can be used to help answer the first sample IA research question: "To what extent will Toyota’s plan to launch a range of 15 new electric vehicles by 2025 improve its low market share in the UK’s EV industry?"
Top tip 4 - Total flexibility
Remember that the IA has total flexibility:
The RQ can be either forward looking or backward looking.
It can be based on primary and/or secondary research.
It can focus on any-sized business, be it a large or small organization.
However, you will need to ensure your RQ is fit to purpose (see above requirements for the IA).
Top tip 5 - Forward vs Backward looking research questions
Whilst the RQ can be forward looking, make sure the data and information are available to adequately answer the question. For example a RQ about the potential benefits of Adidas being a partner sponsor of the FIFA World Cup in 2026 (the quadrennial international men's football championship) would not work as a good IA RQ. This is far too forward-looking and the supporting documents do not yet exist to answer the question in an objective manner.
Equally, go too far back does not work for the IA. For example, a review of the impact of the global financial crisis on General Motors (2008) or the impact of Tim Cook's leadership style on Apple (since being CEO in 2011) are far too dated. These would simply lead to overly descriptive IAs being produced.
Top tip 6 - Formulating a suitable question
The research question must be phrased as a probing question that is worthy of research or investigation. Some suitable prompts for formulating a suitable research question include the following:
To what extent ...
How likely is ... (or How likely will ...)
How probable will ... lead to ...
How effective has ...
To what degree does ...
How significant will ... impact ...
Top tip 7 - Have your road map so you know where you're going
Students must formulate their own research question (RQ) for the internal assessment. They must drive the IA, including the rationale for study, the choice of supporting documents, as well as the relevant tools and theories to be used. Whilst teachers can/should support students in this process, students must take ownership of this.
After all, students would not get into a taxi and ask the driver where they should go. Unless they know where they are going, and why they are going there, they will never get there!
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