Business Management

1. What makes Business Management distinct?

A Business Management EE must:

• analyse a real organisation or small set of organisations

• apply appropriate business tools and theories

• use organisational data, reports or evidence

• present analysis that supports strategic or operational conclusions

• evaluate the impact, limitations or implications of decisions

• show awareness of internal and external business environments

Your essay should feel clearly grounded in business structures, functions and decision making.

2. What counts as a suitable Business Management topic?

A strong topic is:

• based on a real organisation

• narrow enough to allow depth

• connected to recognised business functions

• suited to application of business tools or models

• supported by data or evidence that is accessible and reliable

Examples of suitable topic types

• impact of a marketing strategy on brand performance

• evaluation of a change management initiative

• analysis of the effectiveness of a leadership style within a team

• assessment of financial performance or investment decisions

• evaluation of the impact of innovation on productivity

• analysis of strategic decisions using models such as SWOT, Ansoff or Porter’s

Examples of unsuitable topics

• topics with no real organisation

• personal experience essays (for example work experience accounts)

• general discussions of business trends

• essays with no data, evidence or organisational access

• company histories with no analysis

• hypothetical business plans

Business Management essays must focus on decision making, not description.

3. Using evidence in a Business Management EE

Evidence is the foundation of a strong essay. 

Relevant sources may include:

• financial reports

• annual and CSR reports

• organisational documents

• performance indicators

• data from surveys or interviews (if conducted ethically)

• market data

• business case studies

• industry reports

Avoid:

• relying solely on promotional materials

• using unsourced data

• generalised claims not supported by figures

• personal anecdotes or impressions

The evidence must be appropriate, credible and interpreted through business concepts.

4. Business tools, models and theories

Your essay should apply relevant tools and models such as:

• SWOT analysis

• PESTLE

• Porter’s Five Forces

• Ansoff Matrix

• Boston Matrix

• Lewin’s force field analysis

• Motivation theories (Maslow, Herzberg, equity theory)

• Leadership theories

• Ratio analysis

• Decision trees

• Break even analysis

They must be applied accurately, purposefully and contextually, not inserted as separate or generic elements.

5. Research methods appropriate for Business Management

Depending on your topic and school guidelines, you may use:

• structured or semi structured interviews

• questionnaires

• financial analysis

• content analysis of organisational materials

• analysis of performance data

• comparisons across divisions or competitors

• evaluation of internal and external influences

Methods must be ethical and must not compromise confidentiality.

6. Expectations for analysis

Your analysis should:

• apply business theories correctly

• interpret data and indicators

• identify causes, implications or impacts

• examine internal and external influences

• link findings directly to your research question

• integrate models and tools into your argument

Strong essays use data and theory together, not separately.

7. Expectations for evaluation

Evaluation in Business Management may include:

• strengths and limitations of your data

• risks and constraints for the organisation

• feasibility and practicality of options

• alternative strategies

• effects on different stakeholders

• short and long term implications

• limitations of models or tools

Evaluation must be purposeful and clearly linked to your research question.

8. Common pitfalls in Business Management EEs

Avoid:

• essays without access to real organisational data

• topics too broad to be analysed deeply

• relying entirely on websites or promotional material

• using tools without interpretation

• generalised writing with no evidence

• essays that turn into sociology, economics or marketing theory with no business context

• analysing multinational corporations without specific focus

These issues frequently lead to low marks.

9. Model research questions

Here are examples of strong, focused Business Management EE questions:

1. How effectively has Patagonia’s focus on environmental responsibility supported brand differentiation within the outdoor apparel market?

2. To what extent has the introduction of automation improved productivity in the manufacturing processes of Company X?

3. How far has Starbucks’ localisation strategy contributed to its success in South Korea?

4. To what extent did a change in leadership style influence employee motivation at Company Y between 2019 and 2023?

5. How effective has the adoption of a hybrid work model been in improving employee retention at Company Z?

Each question is precise, analytical and grounded in a real organisation.