January 2026 Updates and Notices
Dear subscribers
Happy New Year! Welcome to the first Updates and Notices for 2026!
Our latest collaboration with FT Schools examines BP's divestment in Castrol in an attempt to repay some of its debts, reduce gearing, and improve cash flows. Exam practice questions and mark schemes can be found here.
Quizlet updates
Additional interactive Quizlets have been added throughout the website. Students now have the option for Quizlet to read out the clues - great news for auditory learners. Examples of updates include:
- Unit 1.2.3 (For-profit social enterprises) here.
- Unit 2.2.1 (Terminology for understanding organizational structures) here.
- Unit 2.3.1 (Scientific and intuitive management) (HL only) here.
- Unit 2.6.2 (Barriers to communication) here.
- Unit 4.4 (Market research) has been added here.
- Unit 4.5.1.5 (The importance of branding) here.
- Unit 4.5.3.2 (Below the line promotion) here.
- Unit 5.6.3 (Stock control charts) here.
Other updates
- If you were 20 years old and won CAD 1 million, would you choose $1000 per week for life or take the lump sum? This was the real-life dilemma faced by Brenda Aubin-Vega, who, during a break at work, bought two lottery scratch tickets at a small local shop in Montreal, Quebec. This scenario makes an excellent starter activity for exploring net present value (NPV) in Unit 3.8 (HL only) here, helping students apply the tool to a tangible, real-world decision.
- A new exam practice question for Unit 2.3 (Scientific and intuitive management) (HL only), contrasting decision making at Amazon and Virgin Group, can be accessed here.
- The Glossary of Key Terms has been updated, following completion of the November 2025 exams. The full list (of over 770 key terms) can be accessed on InThinking here.
- A new quiz called "Slogan Through the Decades" has been added here for Unit 4.5 to help students with understanding the use of slogans as part of the promotional mix.
- A table showing a glossary with concise definitions and examples for easy revision of the 9 pricing methods in the syllabus (Unit 4.5.2) has been added here. There is also an accompanying poster you can download to use with students.
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- A new ATL Activity (Thinking and Communication skills) for Unit 4.5.6 (Process in the marketing mix) has been included here.
- Our latest Paper 2, Section B, exam practice question has been created in collaboration with IB Educator Gema Quintanilla. Gema is a DP Business Management Teacher and Programme Coordinator for the Business@School programme at ACS International School, Egham, in the United Kingdom. She is a published author with Level7 Education and a regular contributor to InThinking Business Management, and we are grateful for her insights and contributions. You can access this resource, along with the other 26 Paper 2 exam papers, here.
Student Access
Subscribers are reminded that their students can gain free access to the InThinking Business Management website by activating Student Access from the homepage. At the time of writing, 28 619 Business Management students are already registered on the site, all with complimentary access. Subscribers may also register additional Business Management teachers at their school, allowing them to access the website at no extra cost.
Think-In upskilling courses in 2026
Why not start the new year by joining one of our Think-In courses? These virtual upskilling courses are dynamic, creative, and personal. Each Think-In lasts 3 hours, starting from 2pm until 5:15pm Spain time, with a short 15-minutes break.
Click on the relevant hyperlink in the table below for registration details.
| Dates | Think-In upskilling course |
| Monday 12th Jan 2026 | Keys to Success: Paper 2 DP Business Management (quantitative techniques) |
| Tuesday 13th Jan 2026 | Keys to Success: Paper 3 in Business Management (focus on social enterprises) |
| Wednesday 14th Jan 2026 | Keys to Success: The IA in the DP Business Management |
| Monday 19th Jan 2026 | Keys to Success: The Extended Essay in DP Business Management |
| Tuesday 20th Jan 2026 | Keys to Success: The new DP Economics Extended Essay |
*The above Think-In courses have all reached the minimum number so will go ahead as scheduled
If you are interested in attending one of the IB-approved Category 2 or Category 3 Business Management workshops, please take a look at the details on InThinking here. https://thinkib.net/businessmanagement/page/46474/cpd-
Looking ahead
As we look ahead to next month, resources will be added to the InThinking website for the upcoming Paper 1 pre-release statement (due out on My IB in early February 2026, for the May 2026 examinations).
Staying in touch
Whilst our monthly Newsletters will continue, why not stay ahead of the curve by joining us on LinkedIn for regular updates? Please feel free to join the 442 teacher-members here. We will be using LinkedIn a lot more for communication purposes in 2026.
At the time of writing, there are 2300 teachers in our InThinking Business Management Facebook group who share questions, ideas, and resources on a regular basis.
We also have 904 teachers in our highly active InThinking WhatsApp group. What we ask for is that all members check their WhatsApp privacy settings to ensure their full name and a suitable profile picture are on display - this is simply so that we all know who we are communicating with.
Wishing everyone a personally and professionally rewarding 2026!
Paul Hoang
