Guide to Writing the Business Extended Essay
Overview:
The Extended Essay provides students with an opportunity to develop research skills by reviewing business theory, concepts and principles, and critically analyzing how these have been put into practice in the business world and the resultant impact on business activity.
The Extended Essay requires the application of business theory, tools and techniques to produce a coherent and structured analytical essay that effectively addresses the research question.
Please remember that the point of the Extended Essay is to display your ability to answer a question of your choosing by writing a scholarly paper. At all times during the process you should be working towards addressing your selected research question.
All literature based research undertaken, interviews and questionnaires completed, and the recommendations/conclusions drawn should all seek to address the research question as directly as possible.
Your goal is to reach a conclusion about your research question. This should not just be repetition of the research you can find on the internet but should show analysis and evaluation of information with respect to your question.
Treatment of Topic:
The basis of the extended essay is secondary data, supported, where appropriate, by primary research. The sole use of secondary sources will allow students access to all levels of the extended essay assessment criteria. (Note that this is the reverse of the approach required in the HL internal assessment component of the business and management course, where primary research takes precedence.)
Students should apply the accepted theories, tools and techniques of the subject to the topic/research question chosen. These may be applied to an organization, industry or market in a particular region or country, or globally.
Students should ensure that the treatment of the topic allows for an analytical approach. It is important that the approach to all aspects of the essay is directly related to the research question and that the research carried out addresses the question. Topics researched should not be too broad in scope.
The development of the essay must be related to the question directly and must not include information that is unnecessary. Strategic approaches should be encouraged and considered—for example, the effect of new technologies and cultural, international and ethical implications.
A good extended essay will demonstrate the appropriate use and application of selected analytical tools, often supported by statistical data to assist the discussion and evaluation.
An extended essay in business and management is a formal essay and, as such, should fully meet the assessment criteria for the organization and formal presentation of an extended essay.
In addition, it should be remembered that a business and management essay must be written in an objective style without personal bias. Observations and conclusions should be derived from the evidence and not based on any preconceptions of the student.
Determining the Research Question:
The research question should reflect the need for clarity by providing a clear and concise communication to the reader the argument the extended essay is seeking to engage.
It should also be emphasized that the research question is not just for use as a title. You should realize that you should:
“explicitly state their research question at the beginning of the essay to facilitate focus on the analysis and evaluation of the topic, and also the generation of a dedicated conclusion.” (Extended essay report, May 2001)
A student whose focus is too broad needs to narrow it down. However, if the actual intended argument in the essay is not too broad, make sure that the research question reflects this as well. For this reason, you need to be careful in designing their essay’s research question.
The format of the question is very important: it must precisely state the exact area that you will explore. In the process, it can be used to encourage you and help you to maintain the research focus.
Sections of the EE:
The extended essay guide gives detailed information on the structure and presentation of the essay. It is recommended that these sections are clearly labeled to help the student ensure they have included the required sections, which include the following:
• Title page
• Abstract
• Contents page
• Introduction
• Body (development/methods/findings/analysis/evaluation)
• Conclusion & Recommendations
• References and bibliography
• Appendices
Some common mistakes on extended essays include:
• no contents list or page numbers
• simplistic contents page
• awkward, verbose titles
• bibliographies in which the sources are not always in alphabetical order
• difficulties with documentation of primary and secondary sources
footnotes/references without page numbers
Formatting:
• Be sure to complete references section correctly (according to your choice of standardized system)
• Be consistent
• Title page
• Table of contents
• Chapters with titles
• Data tables, diagrams and graphs should be numbered and titled and referred to in that way.
• Page numbers
Referencing and Citations:
• The IBO says that you may follow any recognized system of citing work in the essay, although MLA is the one most commonly used.
• It is also recommended to use a footnote system to identify in-text citations. This provides the opportunity to clarify information about a source or add additional information.
• Be sure to cite all facts. General information does not need citations.
• Be sure to cite any and all images unless drawn/created by you.
Don’t Forget To:
• Read the Extended Essay Guide and the Marking Criteria (pg.1 to 33)
• Read your subject specific clarification of the marking criteria (pg.52 to 56)
• Read EE Exemplars. These are road maps to success!
Identifying the Easy Marks:
“A surprising number of essays would score 5, even 8 marks more with careful attention to such basic points” (Extended Essay report)
Below you will find a table displaying areas where marks are most frequently lost:
Criteria Problem Marks lost
A no research question or
research question does not lend itself to systematic investigation in the subject in which the essay is registered A: 2
C: 2
D: 2
E: 2
H: 2
H no conclusion 2
I essay exceeds 4,000 words 4
I no contents page, page numbers up to 3
J no abstract or
abstract exceeds 300 words or
research question, how the investigation was undertaken or conclusion is missing (Note: if just ONE of these three components is missing a mark of 0 must be awarded) 2