June 2022 Updates and Notices
June 2022 Updates and Notices
It's been another busy month at InThinking, with the completion of five dedicated one-day upskilling workshops focusing on the new Business Management syllabus. These events were attended by over 100 teachers from across the globe. We are running a final upskilling event on 6th June 2022 (please see details below). We are also hosting an Extended Essay upskilling course on 7th June 2022 (again, details are below) for those who might be interested.
As we all prepare for the new syllabus (first teaching in July/Aug 2022), you may be reassured to know the contents for Unit 1 have been competed and uploaded to the website. This includes the latest change from the IB for Unit 1.1 which has put "Entrepreneurship" back into the syllabus. To access the page, click the link here.
If you refer to the version of the new guide that was released back in February 2022, “entrepreneurship” was omitted. You can download the latest version of the guide (republished in May 2022) from My IB.
Please also note that the IB suggests 20 recommended teaching hours to deliver Unit 1. There is no "HL only" content in Unit 1 of the new syllabus.
The new command terms (all 31 of them) have been added to the exams section on the website. There are two subtle changes from the previous guide. Find out more here.
Given the huge emphasis on social enterprises in the new curriculum, the resources for Unit 1.2 have been expanded. This includes a new ATL task with suggested real-world examples of for-profit social enterprises that students can investigate. This will help HL students in particular in preparation for the new Paper 3 assessment. An exam practice question has also been added, with answers provided for teachers. See the details here.
Additional research questions for the new HL & SL internal assessment have been added to the website. There are at least 5 different research questions for each of the new key concepts to help you get acquainted with the requirements of the new IA. Details can be found here.
One of the pedagogical shifts in teaching and learning in the new syllabus is the integration of the BMT. Here is an example of an ATL Activity for Unit 1.6 (Multinational companies) where students can apply the BMT (in this case, STEEPLE analysis) as part of students’ inquiry-based learning. To read more about this, click the link here.
How much do you know about the OECD's five circular business models as part of the new BMT? This section of the website now includes additional videos and ATL activities to support students with this new aspect of the course. The tool also works well with the key concept of sustainability. Find out about each of these by clicking the link here.
Another FAQ during the workshops about the new BMT is the breadth and depth that these should be taught. Essentially, you will need to teach each of these 15 tools to AO2 and AO4, as now stated in the revised edition of the guide (May 2022). Take the example of Hofstede's cultural dimensions (one of the new BM tools for HL only students) - students will need to be able to define this tool, describe how the tool can be used, explain the advantages and disadvantages of the model in a business management context. There are 8 ATL activities included in this topic to help your students really understand this new and important BM tool. These learning activities and resources for Hofstede's cultural dimensions are covered here.
Please also note that the new course will require you to teach all six cultural dimensions in Hosftede's model (some sources will only refer to the four or five dimensions of his original works).
InThinking will be hosting another BMT upskilling training course in the new academic year for those who were unable to attend our first event last month. Details of this will appear on the professional development page here.
Materials for Unit 2 are also being uploaded on a daily basis, with the first three units completed. For example, take a look at the new content for Unit 2.1 about Kotter & Schlesinger four reasons for resistance to change in the workplace by clicking the link here. There is also a new section of the matrix structure (a new addition to the syllabus) here.
We've successfully hosted five upskilling events during late April and throughout May. There is a workshop on 6th June 2022, focusing on getting teachers upskilled to deliver the new course. The details of this final workshop can be found here.
A condensed version of the presentation used at these InThinking workshop events has been uploaded to this section of the website for your review and reference (please scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the presentation slides using the link here).
In addition, the "New syllabus - Questions & Answers" section of the website has been updated. This should be useful for teachers who have not been able to attend an upskilling workshop so far. Please take a look here for details - how many of these 25 questions about the new course do you know the answers to?
For those teaching/reviewing the extended marketing mix, is there ever a case for rude service to be part of a successful business model? A short video about multinational company Karen's Diner has been added to get students thinking about this question - to access this, click the link here.
For those preparing students for end of year summative exams, please direct your students to this section of the website that has been recently updated with additional top tips for revision. This includes an activity based on Michael Jackson's 1987 hit song BAD (scroll down to "Revision Tip 4b - Practice your application skills with BAD analysis").
Finally, if you are in need of an exam practice question for Unit 2, please take at this newly added resource in the Exams (Paper 2) section of the website here.
Many thanks to the 1,352 teachers of IB Business Management who use this site regularly. Your ongoing support is highly appreciated.
With warm wishes for the month ahead.
Paul Hoang