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Supporting documents play a crucial role in the IB Business Management Internal Assessment. They provide real-world evidence that supports your research question and ensures your analysis is grounded in actual business data rather than in theory alone. This post will provide a detailed overview of the IB Business Management IA supporting documents, so you can check if you meet the requirements successfully.
IB Business Management IA Supporting Documents
What are supporting documents?
Supporting documents are authentic materials (e.g. documents, interviews, surveys, etc.) obtained from the real-world organization you are studying for your IA. Supporting documents confirm that your research question is based on a genuine business issue and that your analysis reflects real decision-making. These documents are submitted as an appendix alongside your IA but are not included in the word count.
The supporting documents are where most of the information for the Business Management IA comes from. The supporting documents you choose should allow you to analyze a minimum of 3-4 business tools (e.g. SWOT analysis, Ansoff matrix, STEEPLE analysis, etc). Your Business Management IA should be accompanied by 3-5 supporting documents, other than your textbooks or class notes/slides. The supporting documents must also not be more than 3 years old and should be 5 pages or less. For documents that are longer than 5 pages, you should pick only the most relevant sections to include.
Examples of supporting documents
Primary sources
Primary sources are original data collected directly from the chosen organisation or stakeholders, providing first-hand, authentic evidence specific to the IA. Primary supporting documents can include:
Interviews – These could cover a wide range of topics, such as management decisions, budget constraints, influence of competitors, etc. You should include a list of the interview questions asked as well as a summary of the interview results.
Surveys/questionnaires – These could cover topics such as employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and more. Include a copy of the survey questions as well as a summary of the survey results.
Focus groups – These can be used to obtain business information from a specific group of stakeholders. Include a copy of the questions asked in the focus group as well as a summary of the results.
Cash flow forecasts – These show forward-looking financial data, including expected inflows and outflows, which can be relevant to planning and decision-making.
Secondary sources
Secondary sources are existing information collected by others, used to provide background, context, or comparative data supporting the IA analysis. Secondary sources can include:
Published company annual reports – These are public financial and strategic information that can be used to understand the overall business performance and corporate objectives.
Industry market research reports – This can help you understand market size, growth trends, and competitive conditions relevant to the business. It can also highlight consumer behaviour, risks, and opportunities within the industry.
Competitor financial statements – If available, you can show comparative data from competitors to benchmark the business's performance and assess its relative competitiveness in the market.
Please keep in mind that the primary and secondary sources mentioned above are only examples. Feel free to use other primary and secondary sources as you see fit for your IA!
We hope this post has helped you learn more about the supporting documents for the IB Business Management IA. For more useful materials associated with the IB, check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify and other guides available on our blog.
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