IB Business IA Research Question Ideas 2025: 40 Top Questions Using the New Key Concepts
IB Business IA Research Question Ideas 2025
If you are an IB Business Management student staring at a blank page trying to figure out what to write your IA on, you are not alone. Choosing the right research question is the single most important decision you will make in your entire IA process — it determines which tools you can use, how much data you can find, and whether your key concept genuinely fits your analysis or feels forced in at the last minute.
This post gives you 40 research question ideas built specifically for the 2024 IB syllabus, organised by all four key concepts: Change, Creativity, Ethics, and Sustainability. Every question follows the IB requirement of being anchored in a real organisation, and many of the examples use Indian companies — Zomato, Tata, Amul, IndiGo, Paytm, and others — because local businesses give you easier access to primary sources, news articles, and annual reports that will strengthen your supporting documents.
By the end of this post, you will understand what makes a strong IA question, how to link your question tightly to a key concept, and which BMT tools work best for each type of question.
What the 2024 IB IA Actually Requires (Quick Recap)
Before the question ideas, a fast clarity check. Under the current syllabus:
Your IA is a research project of 1,800 words or fewer (the same for SL and HL). It must be about a single real organisation, though you can reference industry-wide issues affecting that organisation. You need three to five supporting documents, all published within three years of your submission date. You must use one of the four key concepts — Change, Creativity, Ethics, or Sustainability — as a conceptual lens running through your entire analysis. This is not optional and not cosmetic. The key concept must genuinely shape how you interpret your findings.
Your research question can be forward-looking (“Should Zomato adopt a subscription model?”) or backward-looking (“To what extent did Amul’s diversification into ice cream strengthen its market position?”). Forward-looking questions tend to generate stronger evaluation because they require you to recommend a course of action — which means you are naturally weighing options, making judgments, and justifying conclusions. That is exactly what AO3 demands.
One critical rule: do not include more than one key concept in your analysis. If your key concept is Ethics, do not start blending in Sustainability as a second concept. That is an automatic zero for Criterion A.
📌 Examiner Tip: The most common reason IAs score poorly on the key concept criterion is that students mention the concept once in the introduction and then forget about it. Your concept must appear throughout — in your analysis, your mini conclusions, and your final conclusion. Ask yourself after every paragraph: “How does this connect back to my key concept?”
Key Concept 1: Change
Change is one of the most versatile concepts in the 2024 syllabus. It works for questions about strategic pivots, market entry, organisational restructuring, technology adoption, or leadership transitions. The key to using Change well is to go beyond describing what changed — you need to evaluate whether the change was well-managed, what it cost, what it enabled, and what the risks were.
Strong Change IAs typically use tools like the Ansoff Matrix (to analyse the direction of change), Force Field Analysis (to weigh driving and restraining forces), and organisational structure diagrams (if the change affects how the business is run). For financial analysis, ratio analysis and cash flow forecasting can support your argument about whether the change was financially viable.
10 research question ideas — Change:
- To what extent has Byju’s transition from offline tutoring to a digital-first model created sustainable competitive advantage?
- Should IndiGo expand into long-haul international routes, and how would this change its business model?
- To what extent did Tata Motors’ acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover represent a successful strategic change?
- How has the shift to quick commerce (10-minute delivery) changed Zomato’s operational strategy, and was it the right decision?
- Should Paytm change its revenue model following the RBI’s regulatory restrictions on Paytm Payments Bank in 2024?
- To what extent has Reliance Retail’s expansion into grocery and fashion changed the competitive landscape for local kirana stores?
- Should Nykaa diversify into men’s grooming, and what changes to its marketing strategy would this require?
- How effectively did Infosys manage the change from on-premise software services to cloud-based delivery?
- To what extent has the introduction of UPI changed the competitive position of Paytm relative to Google Pay and PhonePe?
- Should a small family-owned restaurant in Mumbai franchise its brand, and what organisational changes would this require?
📌 Examiner Tip: For Change questions, always ask: what is the organisation changing from and to? The strongest Change IAs use Force Field Analysis to structure the tension between the current state and the proposed new state, then evaluate which forces dominate. If you can interview someone inside or close to the organisation, even one primary source significantly strengthens your supporting document section.
Key Concept 2: Creativity
Creativity in the IB Business context is not about art or design — it is about novel approaches to solving business problems, disruptive business models, unconventional marketing, product innovation, and new ways of creating value. A Creativity IA works well for questions about product development, branding, marketing campaigns, or the launch of genuinely new services.
BMT tools that pair well with Creativity include the innovation strategies section of Ansoff (particularly product development and diversification), the marketing mix (especially product and promotion), and SWOT when used to evaluate whether the organisation has the internal capacity to sustain creative output. Design thinking and Blue Ocean Strategy concepts can also be referenced if your teacher is comfortable with them.
10 research question ideas — Creativity:
- To what extent has Amul’s long-running advertising campaign (“Amul Girl”) driven brand loyalty more effectively than digital marketing could?
- Should Swiggy Instamart use gamification as a creative strategy to increase customer retention?
- How has Nykaa used content marketing and influencer partnerships creatively to disrupt traditional beauty retail in India?
- To what extent did Byju’s use of celebrity endorsements represent a creative or a misaligned marketing strategy?
- Should a Mumbai-based independent bookstore use creative community events and subscription boxes to compete with Amazon?
- To what extent has Zomato’s social media marketing strategy (especially its Twitter/X presence) created a differentiated brand identity?
- How creatively has Amul responded to plant-based dairy trends, and should it launch a dedicated oat-milk product line?
- Should IndiGo use a co-branding partnership with a hotel chain to creatively expand its revenue streams beyond aviation?
- To what extent has Tata Motors used creative product design (particularly with the Tiago EV) to make electric vehicles accessible to middle-income Indian consumers?
- How has Meesho used a creative supply chain and social commerce model to penetrate Tier 2 and Tier 3 Indian markets?
📌 Examiner Tip: Creativity questions are only strong when the student evaluates whether the creative approach actually worked — or whether it was creativity for its own sake. Link your analysis to measurable outcomes: market share, revenue growth, customer acquisition cost, or brand recall data. Creativity must be shown to have business value, not just novelty.
Key Concept 3: Ethics
Ethics is the key concept that most students choose last — and that is exactly why it can be a differentiator if you do it well. Ethics questions work when there is genuine moral tension in a business decision: when what is profitable conflicts with what is fair, transparent, or socially responsible. The IB is not asking you to conclude that unethical behaviour is wrong (that is too obvious). It is asking you to evaluate the business consequences of ethical and unethical choices, and whether ethics can be a source of competitive advantage.
For Ethics IAs, tools like stakeholder analysis are essential — ethics almost always involves competing interests between different stakeholder groups. Corporate Social Responsibility frameworks, the Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet, Profit), and SWOT analysis (ethics as a reputational risk or strength) all work well. For HL students, you can connect ethics to the social enterprise themes that appear in Paper 3.
10 research question ideas — Ethics:
- To what extent did Byju’s management of employee layoffs in 2023 reflect ethical leadership, and what were the reputational consequences?
- Should Zomato introduce a living wage policy for its delivery partners, and how would this affect its financial sustainability?
- To what extent does Amul’s cooperative ownership model represent a more ethical business structure than investor-owned dairy companies?
- How ethically has Reliance Jio managed data privacy concerns as it has expanded its digital services ecosystem?
- Should Infosys adopt a formal ethical AI policy for the machine learning products it deploys for clients, and what competitive advantage might this create?
- To what extent is the pricing strategy of Indian private hospitals ethical, given the gap between public and private healthcare access?
- How has Paytm’s handling of the RBI regulatory crisis raised questions about corporate governance and transparency?
- Should fast fashion brands operating in India (such as H&M or Zara) be required to publish supply chain ethics reports, and how would this affect their competitive position?
- To what extent does IndiGo’s no-frills pricing model create ethical tension between affordability and fair wages for ground staff?
- Should a student-run social enterprise in Mumbai prioritise financial breakeven or community impact in its first three years?
📌 Examiner Tip: The most common mistake in Ethics IAs is writing a one-sided moral argument — essentially agreeing that the company behaved badly and listing reasons why. This reads like an opinion piece, not a business analysis. Your evaluative conclusion must weigh the business consequences of different ethical choices: what does acting ethically cost the business, and what does it gain? A 7-mark response in Ethics always includes a judgment about whether ethical behaviour in this case creates or destroys long-term business value.
Key Concept 4: Sustainability
Sustainability is the fastest-growing key concept in IB Business assessments, and for good reason — it is at the centre of every major business challenge in 2025. Sustainability IAs work when you focus on the business case for sustainable practice, not just the environmental argument. The IB wants to see you evaluate whether sustainable strategies are financially viable, whether they create brand value, and whether they represent genuine commitment or greenwashing.
For Sustainability IAs, the most useful BMT tools are the Triple Bottom Line, life cycle analysis (for product-related questions), SWOT (sustainability as a strategic strength or weakness), stakeholder analysis, and ratio analysis (to assess whether sustainability investment affects profitability). For HL students, questions connecting sustainability to social enterprise are directly relevant to Paper 3 content.
10 research question ideas — Sustainability:
- To what extent has Tata Group’s commitment to sustainability reporting created measurable brand value compared to competitors?
- Should Zomato expand its electric vehicle delivery fleet across all Indian metros, and is this financially sustainable in 2025?
- How effectively has Amul embedded sustainable dairy farming practices in its cooperative supply chain, and what more should it do?
- To what extent can IndiGo reduce its carbon footprint through sustainable aviation fuel without compromising its low-cost carrier model?
- Should Infosys’s net-zero carbon commitment by 2040 be considered a genuine strategic advantage or primarily a reputational exercise?
- To what extent does single-use plastic packaging in India’s food delivery sector (particularly Swiggy and Zomato) represent a sustainability risk to these businesses?
- How should a small Pune-based textile business transition to sustainable cotton sourcing without losing price competitiveness?
- To what extent has the growth of Nykaa created sustainability challenges related to beauty product packaging and returns, and how should the company respond?
- Should Reliance’s new energy division prioritise solar panel manufacturing for export or for domestic rural electrification, and how does this decision reflect its sustainability commitments?
- To what extent can a Mumbai-based social enterprise selling upcycled fashion achieve financial breakeven while maintaining its sustainability mission?
📌 Examiner Tip: Sustainability IAs score highest when students distinguish clearly between environmental sustainability (carbon, packaging, supply chain), social sustainability (fair wages, community impact), and economic sustainability (long-term financial viability). The Triple Bottom Line tool is perfect for this — it forces you to evaluate all three dimensions explicitly. Do not write an IA that only covers environmental issues and ignores whether the business can actually survive financially while pursuing them.
A Closer Look: Using Zomato as an IA Organisation
Zomato is one of the strongest IA choices for Indian students, and here is why: it is publicly listed (so annual reports, investor presentations, and financial data are freely available), it has faced genuine business dilemmas across all four key concepts, and it has been extensively covered in Indian business media — making it easy to find three to five diverse supporting documents.
Here is how Zomato maps to each key concept:
Change: Zomato’s move into quick commerce (Blinkit acquisition, 2022) was a massive strategic change — buying a loss-making company at the cost of profitability. A strong research question: “To what extent was Zomato’s acquisition of Blinkit a well-managed strategic change, and has it strengthened Zomato’s competitive position by 2025?”
Creativity: Zomato’s marketing voice — particularly its social media and advertising campaigns — has been widely credited with creating emotional brand identity in a commoditised market. Research question: “To what extent has Zomato’s creative marketing strategy created a sustainable brand advantage over Swiggy?”
Ethics: Zomato’s treatment of delivery partners — gig economy workers with no job security, insurance, or minimum wage guarantee — is a rich ethical dilemma. Research question: “Should Zomato reclassify its delivery partners as employees, and what would be the financial and ethical consequences?”
Sustainability: Zomato’s EV delivery pilot and packaging reduction pledges offer measurable data. Research question: “To what extent is Zomato’s transition to electric vehicle delivery financially viable and environmentally meaningful by 2025?”
For any of these, you will find supporting documents in Zomato’s annual reports (available at ir.zomato.com), the Economic Times, Mint, and The Ken — all reputable, recent, and diverse in perspective.
How to Turn an Idea into a Strong Research Question
A list of ideas is only useful if you know how to convert one into a question that can actually score well. Here is the three-part test every strong IB IA research question should pass.
First, the specificity test: is the organisation named? Is the business issue specific enough that a different company would not give you the same question? “Should a company adopt a sustainable supply chain?” is too generic. “Should Amul transition its top-selling butter product to fully sustainable packaging by 2026?” is specific enough to investigate.
Second, the key concept fit test: can you apply your chosen concept as a genuine lens throughout the analysis? Write down three sentences about how your concept shapes your interpretation of the business issue. If you struggle, your concept does not fit your question — try a different one.
Third, the data availability test: can you find three to five recent, diverse supporting documents within the three-year publication window? Before you commit to a question, spend 30 minutes searching for sources. If you cannot find enough, choose a more visible organisation.
📌 Examiner Tip: A forward-looking research question almost always produces a stronger IA than a backward-looking one, because it forces you to evaluate options and make a justified recommendation — which naturally demonstrates AO3 (synthesis and evaluation). Questions starting with “Should…”, “To what extent should…”, or “How should…” are structurally more likely to produce evaluative conclusions than questions starting with “Why did…” or “How did…”, which can slide into description.
Practice These Skills on the BizRevise AI Tutor
Now that you have 40 ideas and a clear framework for evaluating them, the next step is practice. The best way to strengthen your IA is to write short draft paragraphs, test them against the key concept, and get specific feedback on your analysis and evaluation.
The BizRevise AI Tutor is built specifically for IB Business and Cambridge A Level students. You can use it to test your research question, get feedback on your introduction, check whether your BMT tools fit your question, and practise the evaluation paragraphs that determine whether you land in the top mark band.
Practice this topic on the BizRevise AI Tutor →
This article is written for IB Diploma Programme students following the Business Management course with first examinations from May 2024 onwards. All IA requirements referenced align with the current IB Business Management subject guide. Cambridge A Level (9609) students: your coursework research report shares similar principles around business context, analysis depth, and evaluative conclusions — the question ideas in this post are equally useful as starting points.