IB Business and Management IA example: How did the social media-driven boycott against Starbucks in response to allegations that Starbucks supports Israel in the Israel-Hamas conflict affect the company’s brand image, consumer perception, and financial performance?

Exemplars

Review

Tutoring

Schools

Research question

Business and Management-SL

Grade

6

Fully verified

Session

May 2024

Current Syllabus

Examiner's summary

Criterion A

4/5

The student has successfully identified ethics as the key concept and consistently focused on it throughout the IA. The title page clearly states "Key Concept: Ethics," meeting the requirement for clarity. The research question is backward-looking and centered on Starbucks Corporation, without straying into other businesses except for contextual comparison. Additionally, the chosen business issue aligns with the IB Business Management syllabus. However, the student is advised to include a brief background section and provide a clear explanation of the methodology used for investigation. Despite these areas for improvement, the student effectively links the key concept of ethics to Starbucks’ actions and the effects of the boycott throughout the entire IA.

Criterion B

2/4

The student includes three to five supporting documents, which are contemporary and published within a maximum of three years prior to the submission of the IA. Each document is clearly labeled, and they are relevant and sufficiently in-depth, providing a range of ideas and views regarding the topic. However, the student should highlight the specific sections in each supporting document that are directly referenced in the analysis. Additionally, the assessment of the validity and reliability of the supporting documents is missing and should be included to address credibility, publication bias, and potential limitations of the data.