IB Business Management Tuition Online (SL and HL)
IB Business Management at SL and HL, first assessed in 2024: five units from human resources to operations, case study papers, Paper 3 at HL, and the research project.
Founder & Head of School, Afterkelas
Afterkelas teaches IB Business Management online at SL and HL. University tutors run live classes, 1-to-1 or in small groups, on the five units, the case study and quantitative papers, and the business research project.
What IB Business Management covers
The five units and their subtopics, numbered as the guide numbers them within each unit. Subtopics marked HL only are HL extension topics.
Unit 1: Introduction to business management
6 topics- What is a business?
- Types of business entities
- Business objectives
- Stakeholders
- Growth and evolution
- Multinational companies (MNCs)
Unit 2: Human resource management
7 topics- Introduction to human resource management
- Organizational structure
- Leadership and management
- Motivation and demotivation
- Organizational (corporate) culture (HL only)
- Communication
- Industrial and employee relations (HL only)
Unit 3: Finance and accounts
9 topics- Introduction to finance
- Sources of finance
- Costs and revenues
- Final accounts
- Profitability and liquidity ratio analysis
- Efficiency ratio analysis (HL only)
- Cash flow
- Investment appraisal
- Budgets (HL only)
Unit 4: Marketing
6 topics- Introduction to marketing
- Marketing planning
- Sales forecasting (HL only)
- Market research
- The seven Ps of the marketing mix
- International marketing (HL only)
Unit 5: Operations management
9 topics- Introduction to operations management
- Operations methods
- Lean production and quality management (HL only)
- Location
- Break-even analysis
- Production planning (HL only)
- Crisis management and contingency planning (HL only)
- Research and development (HL only)
- Management information systems (HL only)
Five units and four concepts
The course covers business organisation and its environment, then the four business functions: human resources, finance and accounts, marketing and operations. Four concepts, change, ethics, creativity and sustainability, run through all of it and frame the research project. HL adds extension topics in every unit, from organisational culture and budgets to production planning and management information systems.
Case studies and numbers
Paper 1 is based on a case study whose context is released before the exam, so students can prepare the setting but not the questions. Paper 2 is quantitative, with ratios, cash flow, investment appraisal and break-even, and HL Paper 3 is about a social enterprise. Marks go to answers that apply the theory to the case, using its facts and figures.
Tutors practise each paper the way it is set: reading the pre-released statement for what it implies, setting out calculations in full, and finishing every longer answer with a justified judgement.
The business research project
The internal assessment is a research project on a real business issue or problem facing a particular organisation, written through one of the course concepts, up to 1,800 words. A tutor can explain the tools, the theory and how the criteria work, but the research and the writing are the student's own.
A question, worked through
A Paper 2 question on investment appraisal, from 3.8. Payback and the average rate of return are in both levels; net present value is HL only.
Question
A business buys a machine for $50,000. It expects net cash inflows of $15,000 a year for 5 years, with no residual value. Calculate (a) the payback period and (b) the average rate of return (ARR).
- (a) After 3 years the business has recovered $45,000, leaving $5,000 to recover.
- The fourth year brings in $15,000, so the last $5,000 takes 5,000 ÷ 15,000 × 12 = 4 months: payback is 3 years and 4 months.
- (b) Total net profit = total inflows − cost = $75,000 − $50,000 = $25,000, which is $5,000 a year over 5 years.
- ARR = average annual profit ÷ initial cost × 100 = 5,000 ÷ 50,000 × 100 = 10%.
Answer (a) 3 years and 4 months. (b) 10%.
Frequently asked questions
What does HL add in IB Business Management?
Extension topics in every unit, from organisational culture and budgets to sales forecasting and production planning, a longer Paper 2, and Paper 3 on a social enterprise.
Do you help with the business research project?
With the tools and theory behind it, yes. A tutor does not choose the issue, do the research or write any part of the project.
When should IB Business Management tuition start?
Early in the first year, or before Unit 3, since finance and accounts brings in the calculations Paper 2 tests.
How much does IB Business Management tuition cost?
The fee depends on the format (1-to-1 or a small group), how many classes a week and the tutor, so there is no single figure. Send an academic advisor the level, the school and the latest predicted grade on WhatsApp, and you will get the current packages and a quote, usually within one working day.