Syllabus outline (final exams November 2023)

There are five units in the IB DP Business Management syllabus.

Unit 1: Business organization and environment

This introductory unit consists of seven topics:

1.1 Introduction to business management

1.2 Types of organizations

1.3 Organizational objectives

1.4 Stakeholders

1.5 External environment

1.6 Growth and evolution

1.7 Organizational planning tools (HL only)

The recommended teaching hours for SL students is 40 hours, whereas HL students are recommended to have 50 hours to cover the contents in Unit 1.

Unit 2: Human resource management

This unit is about the people who work for, manage and lead organizations. There are six topics in this section of the syllabus:

2.1 Functions and evolution of human resource management

2.2 Organizational structure

2.3 Leadership and management

2.4 Motivation

2.5 Organizational (corporate) culture (HL only), and

2.6 Industrial/employee relations (HL only)

The recommended teaching hours for SL students is 15 hours, whereas HL students are recommended to have 30 hours to cover the contents in Unit 2.

Unit 3: Finance and accounts

This section of the syllabus covers financial aspects of businesses and management accounts to aid business decision making. It consists of nine topics:

3.1 Sources of finance

3.2 Costs and revenues

3.3 Break-even analysis

3.4 Final accounts (some HL only)

3.5 Profitability and liquidity ratio analysis

3.6 Efficiency ratio analysis (HL only)

3.7 Cash flow

3.8 Investment appraisal (some HL only), and

3.9 Budgets (HL only)

Along with Unit 4 (Marketing), "finance and accounts" is the largest unit in the syllabus in terms of time needed to cover the content.

The recommended teaching hours for SL students is 35 hours, whereas HL students are recommended to have 50 hours to cover the contents in Unit 3.

Unit 4: Marketing

The marketing module of the syllabus consists of eight topics:

4.1 The role of marketing

4.2 Marketing planning (including introduction to the four Ps)

4.3 Sales forecasting (HL only)

4.4 Market research

4.5 The four Ps (product, price, promotion, place)

4.6 The extended marketing mix of seven Ps (HL only)

4.7 International marketing (HL only)

4.8 E-commerce

Along with Unit 3 (Finance and accounts), the Marketing module is the joint largest unit in the syllabus in terms of time needed to cover the content.

The recommended teaching hours for SL students is 35 hours, whereas HL students are recommended to have 50 hours to cover the contents in Unit 4.

Unit 5: Operations management

Operations management (or production) is the final unit in the syllabus, and consists of seven topics:

5.1 The role of operations management

5.2 Production methods

5.3 Lean production and quality management (HL only)

5.4 Location

5.5 Production planning (HL only)

5.6 Research and development (HL only)

5.7 Crisis management and contingency planning (HL only)

Unit 5 is the smallest unit for SL students in terms of teaching hours. The recommended teaching hours for SL students is 10 hours, whereas HL students are recommended to have 30 hours to cover the contents in Unit 5.