Ib Business Toolkit Summary
Ib Business Toolkit Summary
Ib Business Toolkit Summary
Category Description
Tool
Situational The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix allows manager to assess their
Boston tool organization’s product portfolio based on measures of relative market share
4 Consulting and market growth. It helps with long-term strategic planning and decision-
Group matrix Decision- making based on four categories of products: (i) question marks, (ii) stars,
making tool (iii) cash cows, and (iv) dogs.
These models explore how businesses create value for their customers and
other stakeholder groups whilst also reducing the environmental impacts of
Circular business Decision- their operations. There are five circular business models specified in the
8
models making tool syllabus: (i) circular supply models, (ii) resource recovery models, (iii)
product life extension models, (iv) sharing models, and (v) product service
system models.
This visual tool helps managers to plan and schedule different tasks or jobs
within a particular project. It illustrates the tasks or activities, their duration,
Gantt charts (HL
9 Planning tool and dependencies in order to determine the shortest time required to complete
only)
the project and helps managers to schedule resources to complete each task
and to keep the overall project on track to be completed on time.
This commonly used tool helps managers to explore how a business can gain
competitive advantages to help determine its strategic direction. These
Porter's generic generic strategies comprise of: (i) cost leadership (producing at a lower cost
Decision-
10 strategies (HL of competitors), (ii) differentiation (providing products with a distinctive or
making tool
only) unique selling point), and (iii) focus (selling specialized product aimed at
specific market segments). Focus strategies are further categorised as (i) cost
focus and (ii) differentiation focus.
This visual and quantitative tool is used by managers to examine the forces
Situational for and against change to make more-informed business decisions. It is useful
Force field
tool during the planning and decision making stages of corporate strategy and
12 analysis (HL
Decision- change management. It provides an overview, in an easy to understand
only)
making tool format, by illustrating and adding statistical weights to each of the driving and
restraining forces identified in the analysis.
This planning tool helps project managers to schedule and oversee large and
complex projects to ensure efficient resource use and for the timely
Critical path completion of the project. It maps out all the individual tasks or activities
13 analysis (HL Planning tool needed to complete the project so that realistic deadlines for a project can be
only) set. The syllabus specifies HL students need to be able to: (i) complete and
analyse a critical path diagram. (ii) identify the critical path from a diagram,
and (iii) calculate the free and total float from a CPA diagram.
This quantitative tool is used to support business decision-making by
Contribution
Decision- enabling manager to analyse and evaluate different cost and revenue
14 (analysis) (HL
making tool situations. This tool comprises of three techniques in the syllabus: (i) make or
only)
buy analysis, (ii) contribution costing, and (iii) absorption costing.