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International Baccalaureate · IB Diploma Programme

IB Diploma Programme Business

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Business Management. What it covers, how it is assessed, a link to the official syllabus, and the free study material Marlbridge publishes for it.

Syllabus
DP Business Management
Board
International Baccalaureate
Qualification
IB Diploma Programme
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Topics and resources

10 free resources, 2 of 5 topics covered

Each topic below is from the official International Baccalaureate document for International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Business Management, with its study guides, revision notes and practice questions together. Everything here is for IB Diploma Programme Business only.

  • Learn with study guides
  • Revise with revision notes
  • Practise with practice questions
  1. Topic 1 No resources yet

    Unit 1: Introduction to business management

    Covers What is a business?, Types of business entities, Business objectives, Stakeholders, Growth and evolution, Multinational companies (MNCs)

    No Marlbridge resource for this topic yet. It is still part of the syllabus, so use the official document and past papers for it.

  2. Topic 2 No resources yet

    Unit 2: Human resource management

    Covers Introduction to human resource management, Organizational structure, Leadership and management, Motivation and demotivation, Organizational (corporate) culture (HL only), Communication, Industrial/employee relations (HL only)

    No Marlbridge resource for this topic yet. It is still part of the syllabus, so use the official document and past papers for it.

  3. Topic 3 3 resources

    Unit 3: Finance and accounts

    Covers 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)

    Study guides

    Revision notes

    Practice questions

  4. Topic 4 3 resources

    Unit 4: Marketing

    Covers Introduction to marketing, Marketing planning, Sales forecasting (HL only), Market research, The seven Ps of the marketing mix, International marketing (HL only)

    Study guides

    Revision notes

    Practice questions

  5. Topic 5 No resources yet

    Unit 5: Operations management

    Covers 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)

    No Marlbridge resource for this topic yet. It is still part of the syllabus, so use the official document and past papers for it.

Covering more than one topic

Course guides, exam preparation and pages that span several topics.

Study guides 2

Revision notes

Practice questions

Source: International Baccalaureate Organization, Business management guide (Diploma Programme), first assessment 2024 — First assessments 2024. Verified 2026-09-17. Subtopics are shown where Marlbridge has entered them; a topic may have more in the official document. A topic listed here is part of the syllabus; it does not mean Marlbridge has published material for it. Always check the current syllabus for your examination year.

About this course

Qualification
IB Diploma Programme Business
Spec code
DP Business Management
Does Marlbridge teach it?
Yes — request a free trial class
Who teaches it?
Salman Ahmad · Asif Iqbal
Are resources available?
Yes — 10 published
Is enrolment open?
Enquire to join — no online enrolment yet
Official syllabus
International Baccalaureate syllabus
Topic checklist
Printable DP Business Management checklist
Where was this verified?
2026-09-05, official International Baccalaureate specification

Compiled and maintained by the Marlbridge Academic Team, checked against the official International Baccalaureate specification on 2026-09-05.

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report an error — see the corrections policy.

The qualification

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Business Management

Marlbridge's summary of the course

The business management course is designed to meet the current and future needs of students who want to develop their knowledge of business content, concepts and tools to assist with business decision-making, at Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL).

The board's own description is on the official International Baccalaureate syllabus page.

First assessments 2024. Sourced from the freely public official Higher Level subject brief, read on 2026-09-05, plus the official subject guide's own "Assessment outline" appendix reproduced verbatim on two IB World Schools' own sites (see the matching assessment record for both mirror URLs and the corroboration reasoning). Four interdisciplinary concepts (creativity, change, ethics, sustainability) explored across five core units (introduction to business management; human resource management; finance and accounts; marketing; operations management), each with Higher-Level-only extension content, plus a business management toolkit of analytical tools. See the matching assessment record for the sourced paper-by-paper breakdown, modeled at both tiers.

Specifications change between examination series. Always confirm the current syllabus and assessment structure on the International Baccalaureate syllabus page for your examination year.

Assessment structure

Component-based qualification

Assessment components for International Baccalaureate Business DP Business Management
Component Duration Marks Weighting Type
Paper 1: Paper 1 – Pre-Released Case Study Response (SL) 1h 30m 30 35% Written exam
Paper 2: Paper 2 – Unseen Stimulus, Quantitative Focus (SL) 1h 30m 40 35% Written exam
Internal Assessment: Internal Assessment – Business Research Project (SL) — 25 30% Project
Paper 1: Paper 1 – Pre-Released Case Study Response (HL) 1h 30m 30 25% Written exam
Paper 2: Paper 2 – Unseen Stimulus, Quantitative Focus (HL) 1h 45m 50 30% Written exam
Paper 3: Paper 3 – Unseen Stimulus on a Social Enterprise (HL Only) (HL) 1h 15m 25 25% Written exam
Internal Assessment: Internal Assessment – Business Research Project (HL) — 25 20% Project

Not all of these figures come from International Baccalaureate documents: The mark totals shown were read from a copy of the IB's Business management guide hosted on a school's website, not from a document on the IB's own site. The durations and weightings match the IB's public subject brief.

Source: official International Baccalaureate specification, verified 2026-09-05. Both tiers modeled in full. Owner decision 2026-09-05 widened this site's evidence policy so a genuine, authentic IB-origin document is usable even when mirrored on a third-party host, not only ibo.org itself, provided the primary figures are checked for internal consistency and independently corroborated. Weighting and duration for Higher Level are read directly from the official public subject brief (first assessments 2024), read on 2026-09-05. Exact mark totals for every component at both tiers – not published in the two-page subject brief itself – are read from the full official subject guide's own "Assessment outline – SL/HL" appendix, reproduced verbatim on an IB World School's own site (Anatolia College, a non-commercial school domain hosting the guide for its own community) and independently corroborated by a second, separately hosted copy of the identical official guide on another IB World School's site (UWC East Africa), both read on 2026-09-05. Every Higher Level figure the mirror and the official subject brief both state (all three paper weightings and durations) match exactly, giving strong confidence in the mirror's accuracy for the figures the brief does not itself publish (all mark totals, and the Standard Level weighting/duration, since no separate Standard Level subject brief was available when this record was compiled (2026-09-05)). Standard Level sits Paper 1 and Paper 2 plus the Business Research Project; Higher Level sits the same two papers (Paper 2 lengthened and extended to cover HL-only extension topics) plus an HL-only Paper 3 on a social enterprise, and the same Business Research Project (internally assessed, externally moderated, maximum 1,800 words, re-weighted).

Questions about this course

How is International Baccalaureate Business (DP Business Management) assessed?

International Baccalaureate Business (DP Business Management) is assessed through: SL candidates take: Paper 1 (Paper 1 – Pre-Released Case Study Response) — 1h 30m, 30 marks, 35% of the qualification; Paper 2 (Paper 2 – Unseen Stimulus, Quantitative Focus) — 1h 30m, 40 marks, 35% of the qualification; Internal Assessment (Internal Assessment – Business Research Project) — no fixed duration, 25 marks, 30% of the qualification. HL candidates take: Paper 1 (Paper 1 – Pre-Released Case Study Response) — 1h 30m, 30 marks, 25% of the qualification; Paper 2 (Paper 2 – Unseen Stimulus, Quantitative Focus) — 1h 45m, 50 marks, 30% of the qualification; Paper 3 (Paper 3 – Unseen Stimulus on a Social Enterprise (HL Only)) — 1h 15m, 25 marks, 25% of the qualification; Internal Assessment (Internal Assessment – Business Research Project) — no fixed duration, 25 marks, 20% of the qualification. It is a component based qualification. Source: official International Baccalaureate specification, verified 2026-09-05.

What topics does IB Diploma Programme Business cover?

5 topics in the current syllabus: Unit 1: Introduction to business management; Unit 2: Human resource management; Unit 3: Finance and accounts; Unit 4: Marketing; Unit 5: Operations management. The printable topic checklist lists every topic and subtopic on one page.

Can I get a tutor for IB Diploma Programme Business?

Yes. Marlbridge teaches IB Diploma Programme Business live online, one-to-one only, taught by a named subject teacher from its academy in Lahore, Pakistan. The first trial class is free.

Are there free IB Diploma Programme Business revision notes and practice questions?

Yes. Marlbridge has published 10 free resources for this course (exam preparation guides, study guides, practice questions, revision notes, a subject guide), free to read with no sign-up.

The subject

Business teaching and study resources, organised by level and topic.

All Business at Marlbridge

Business at other qualifications

These are separate qualifications with different syllabuses and assessments — not different names for the same course. Check which one your school enters you for.

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