IB Business tutors for exam and case-study practice

Business definitions are useful only if you can apply them to the question and case. The course links business foundations, people, finance, marketing and operations through creativity, change, ethics and sustainability. Use the prompts below to identify where an answer stops short of explanation.

For the wider SL and HL course map and planning support across topics, see IB Business Management course tuition.

Consider this invented single-product business. For one trading period, fixed costs are £6,000, selling price is £25 per item and variable cost is £10 per item. Assume a constant price and unit variable cost, unchanged fixed costs, and that all items produced are sold in that period.

Dividing £6,000 by £25 gives 240 items, but that leaves out the cost of supplying each item. First calculate contribution per item: the amount left from each sale to cover fixed costs and, once those are covered, profit.

• Contribution per item = £25 − £10 = £15.
• Break-even sales = £6,000 ÷ £15 = 400 items.
• Check: 400 × £25 gives £10,000 revenue; £6,000 + (400 × £10) gives £10,000 total costs.

Now suppose the business is considering a supplier that raises variable cost to £13 per item, with everything else unchanged. Contribution falls to £12, so break-even rises to 500 items. A higher cost means each sale contributes less towards the same fixed costs.

If the business forecasts 450 sales, the original model gives £750 profit: (450 × £15) − £6,000. The revised model gives a £600 loss: (450 × £12) − £6,000. These are results within the example, not a prediction of demand.

A weak conclusion is “the new supplier is too expensive”. A more useful practice response is: “At the forecast of 450 sales, the new supplier would leave a £600 loss, so I would delay switching at the current selling price. If there is evidence that customers will pay more for the changed product, the business should test that price and its effect on demand before deciding.”

This response links the calculation to the decision and states what could change the judgement. In a lesson, the learner can then try a different cost or selling price independently and explain the result. The goal is to understand both the method and its limits.

HL Paper 3 asks you to use the supplied resources to recommend a plan for a social enterprise. Practise connecting the effects on finance, people and operations, rather than listing several business tools without explaining a decision.

For a separate invented practice case, imagine a social enterprise that repairs donated bicycles and offers trainees work experience. It wants to open another workshop, but the case says it has limited cash and too few experienced supervisors.

“Open another workshop to help more people” identifies a benefit but leaves the constraints unanswered. A more developed plan could be: “First train another supervisor and test extra repair sessions in the existing workshop. Compare the additional income with staffing and equipment costs before committing to a second premises. This delays the increase in training places, but reduces the risk of opening a workshop that cannot fund or supervise them.”

The recommendation explains a sequence and a trade-off: slower growth in social reach in return for a more manageable commitment. A learner could then identify what new evidence would justify faster expansion. In an examination, the plan must respond to the actual resources and question; this example illustrates the reasoning, not a model answer to memorise.

Look for experience with the current IB Business Management course at your level, then discuss how the tutor would approach the difficulty in your work. Relevant teaching or examiner experience needs to relate to this subject and qualification; a title alone does not explain how a lesson will help.

Latimer offers a free introductory meeting to discuss goals, teaching approach and arrangements. Use it to establish fit and agree a useful starting point for paid lessons.