A Brief Look at Business

The IBO Business and Management syllabus is a critical study of the ways in which individuals and groups interact in a dynamic business environment. Many areas of Business will be studied in the coming years but here we will examine how business decision are made and how these decisions relate to the internal and external environments, the international dimension and through citizenship.

The IB course as provided at Colegio Americano is of two years in duration – it follows the High Level (HL) program of the International Baccalaureate Organization for a total of 240 hours of total classroom instruction. Throughout the two years the students have the opportunity to study and research issues facing an organization(s), and analyze the decisions made by them. As students in Sexto Curso, you are in the final year of your journey!

The syllabus consists of six compulsory modules and a research project. During this year, all members of this course will get the opportunity to study:

a. Introduction to Organizations

Organizational & ethical objectives

b. Marketing

Market research

c. Human Resource Management

Human resource planning
Organizational structure and culture
Motivation and leadership

d. Accounting and Finance
Sources of finance
Investment appraisal
Budgets and cash flow
Final accounts and ratio analysis


For those students who wish to earn an HL Diploma from IBO in business they will have additional requirements: Students will be both internally and externally assessed at the end of the course. External assessments will be carried out in the following manner:

· Paper 1 will be based on a pre-released case study applicable to both Higher and Standard level students.
· Paper 2 is based on data response questions related to the 4/6 modules that would have been studied during the course.

Also, all students will complete a research project that will be internally assessed by the class teacher. For diploma candidates, the IBO will also externally moderate this research project. All students then have a requirement to present their research project and results to a board of faculty. Students must pass this board in order to earn a graduation diploma from Colegio Americano.

It is the final year of a demanding course. it will take a great deal of work from both myself and all of the students to complete everything we must. However, the rewards of working hard are high. I look forward to the new year with all of the students and their parents!