Finding the key: Unlocking conceptual teaching and learning in business management

The challenge for many of us, however, is turning ‘theory into practice’. In other words, how can we get students to focus on big ideas, principles and their connections given the demands on our time, heavy curriculum and daily distractions?

Concepts in formal assessment

In Business Management, these concepts showed up recently through formal assessments. In the previous syllabus (last exams November 2023), students had to write a business concept essay (Paper 2). In the new syllabus (first exams May 2024), the use and assessment of concepts now forms part of students’ internal assessment (IA). Specifically, page 53 of the Subject Guide states:

‘The business research project must use only one of the four key concepts (change, creativity, ethics or sustainability) as a lens through which to analyse the IA.’

Further, to earn full marks in criterion A: integration of a key concept, the level descriptor states:

‘The student effectively integrates the analysis of the connection between the key concept and the organisation under study throughout the internal assessment.’

This change presents both students and educators with an added layer of challenge. 

For me, integrating the key concept into the IA quickly proved one of the most difficult course aspects. Students found the opportunities I gave them to practise this throughout the semester – for example, by applying the concepts to the topics and case studies under investigation – helpful. Yet many required additional guidance. 

During this first iteration of the revised internal assessment, my students utilised an array of tactics:

• including the concept in the topic question to ensure proper focus

• providing a clear explanation of the concept and how it relates to their IA

• underlining or putting the concept in bold every time it is used

• using relevant theory and toolkit items connected to the concept (for example, force field analysis and change)

• acknowledging the limitations in applying the concept (for instance, the requirement to apply only one key concept may curb how well the topic question can be answered).

These strategies worked to a degree, but the open-ended and rigorous nature of the key concept requirement caused many students to fall short. For example, many students applied ‘change’ as a relevant key concept in their IA because they were evaluating a specific change in a business strategy or practice. Yet rather than integrating an in-depth analysis of the concept and using it as a lens to answer their topic question, they simply used the word ‘change’ as much as possible, taking a more descriptive approach.

Encourage the use of concept models

To counter this, I encouraged students to visualise and structure their IA using specific concept models. Taking the example of change, students investigated the causes, processes and consequences of the change and structured their IA into three distinct sections. They employed a range of tools when doing this:

• a SWOT or STEEPLE analysis for identifying the causes of the change

• a marketing mix or organisational chart to explain what processes changed

• a financial analysis or forecast to determine the consequences of the change.

When investigating the other key concepts of creativity, ethics and sustainability, students drew on the following models:

• Jon Bessant’s 4 Ps of innovation – product, process, position and paradigm

• the inputs (moral principles and values) and outputs (the moral implications) of ethical decision-making

• the triple bottom line (or the social, environmental and economical aspects) 

Other keys to showcase conceptual understanding

As an educator, do you agree that using visual concept models helps students to develop and showcase their conceptual understanding? What other models can students apply when integrating change, creativity, ethics or sustainability? What other ‘keys’ can you and your students use to unlock conceptual teaching and learning?

Note: For those curious to explore further, try reading H. Lynn Erickson’s position paper ‘Concept-based teaching and learning’, published in 2012 and available in the IB Programme Resource Centre. Erickson draws on two visual models to throw light on concept-based teaching and learning, contrasting a classic two-dimensional topic-based model with a three-dimensional one that frames facts and skills with concepts, generalisations and principles.

Further reading

Read a sample chapter of the IB Diploma Business Management Student Book and try out our free IB Diploma Business Management free lesson plans.