The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) is a private unaccredited educational institute in India, and offers non-technical and non-professional^[1] certificate courses^[2] in entrepreneurship and a discipline it calls "National Economic Planning". It does not offer MBA or BBA courses.^[3] Established in 1973, it has its main campus in New Delhi and has branches in Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Pune, Gurgaon and Hyderabad. The Founding Director of IIPM is Dr. M. K. Chaudhuri, and the Honorary Dean is Arindam Chaudhuri.

IIPM's programmes are not accredited by Indian regulatory bodies such as AICTE^[4][5] and UGC^[6] which also mention IIPM is not authorised to operate as a university in India.^[6] According to the institute, it has never claimed it is a university, nor sought recognition from regulatory bodies or accreditation agencies as its courses are non-technical and non-professional and do not come under the purview of bodies like AICTE and UGC ^[1] In addition, the institute has been involved in controversies related to its advertising claims. At the same time, the institute has also been reported by various leading newspapers in India to have been amongst the top ranked management institutes in India.

Academics

IIPM does not award MBA or BBA degrees, nor does it award postgraduate diplomas recognized by AICTE or UGC, the government regulatory agencies^[7]. IIPM offers "certificate courses" aimed at making students eligible for degree courses like MBA and BBA. Its certificate courses are as follows -

• A 2-year full time Postgraduate Programme in Planning and Entrepreneurship
• A 3-year full-time Undergraduate Programme in Planning and Entrepreneurship
• A 1-year full time Postgraduate Programme in Planning and Entrepreneurship (open only for working executives with at least two years of past work experience)

Students who complete the IIPM certificate courses become eligible to apply for MBA/BBA degrees from IMI Belgium, which describes itself as an independent, privately held organization.^[8][9]. According to NVAO, the accreditation agency for Netherlands and Belgium, IMI is not recognized as a higher education institution in Belgium, and the degrees it awards are not recognized as being credible.^[10]

In the first year, core subjects such as Marketing, Accounting, Finance, Economics and Organizational Behavior are covered. In the second year, the Marketing and IT papers are compulsory, and students pick a major in Human Resource or Finance. IIPM also teaches courses like "Beyond the principles of management and economics" in which graduate and post-graduate students are taught concepts like survival of the weakest, the law of increasing marginal utility, apart from the age old concepts of survival of the fittest in the market economy and law of diminishing marginal utility.^[11] The postgraduate program has 1920 contact hours.

All students of IIPM are sent on a 21-day compulsory trip to developed countries of Europe/USA to study the Global Opportunities and Threat Analysis programme (GOTA).^[12] The GOTA programme attempts to arrange visits of IIPM students to multinational firms and political organisations.

According to IIPM, only 70 percent of its students opt for the placement process, and it claims that almost all of these 70 percent students get jobs through it.^[13] However, many IIPM students are hired by Planman, which is IIPM's own sister organization^[14]. As per the website, more than 600 companies have visited IIPM campuses across the country, and some students have gotten foreign offers too. However, several companies such as Standard Chartered, Barclays and Deutsche Bank, which are mentioned in IIPM advertisements, told the magazine Careers360 that they have never participated in IIPM's campus recruitment process. ^[10]

It has also been reported that IIPM now has seven international placement offices.^[11][15][16] However, according to an investigation by Careers360, jobs that IIPM students get abroad in places like the gulf countries come with severe restrictions and moderate pay.^[10]

Accreditation

IIPM is not recognized by the University Grants Commission or AICTE,^[6] and according to the institute, it has not sought de jure recognition from any statutory body or accrediting authority.^[17] The degrees awarded by IIPM are issued by International Management Institute (IMI), Belgium which describes itself as a privately owned independent organisation, and which is not recognized in Belgium as an institution of higher learning.^[18][9][19] In October 2005, the University Grants Commission (and the AICTE later on) raised objections over IIPM offering technical degrees. IIPM clarified that it never offered the MBA, BBA degrees (these were, are, and continue to be offered by IMI, Belgium which is an unrecognized institution^[10]). As of January 2007, the online prospectus mentioned awarding of MBA and BBA degrees.^[18] According to the institute, IIPM is an academically independent and autonomous body, without affiliation to any university. IIPM claims its programmes do not fall under the purview of AIU, AICTE, UGC and similar government-established regulatory bodies.^[20]

Nevertheless, UGC and AICTE declared IIPM to be a fake university and not permitted to give MBA and BBA degrees, against which IIPM filed a lawsuit. ^[21] In June 2008, UGC and IIPM reached an agreement in the Delhi High Court, with UGC agreeing to remove IIPM's name from the fake universities list, and IIPM agreeing to clarify that it only offers "certificate courses" aimed.^[22]

In July 2008, India's cabinet minister for Human Resources Arjun Singh issued an appeal asking students entering the portals of higher education to satisfy themselves that their institutions are recognised under the relevant laws and are of quality and repute. "In particular, you should not merely go by the advertisements issued in the media by higher educational institutions, but satisfy yourselves by all counts in respect of quality and statutory recognition," Singh said in the appeal.^[23]

Campus and infrastructure

IIPM has two campuses in New Delhi, and six branches in different cities in India. The campus' infrastructure includes classrooms, teaching aids, libraries, electronic libraries, IT equipment like Wi-Fi and laptops, and leisure equipment like gymnasiums and swimming pools. The available facilities vary for each branch of IIPM.^[24] It has over 10,000 books in the Delhi libraries, with access to several other libraries such as the British Council and American Library through sharing agreements. Its electronic libraries have access to leading databases like ProQuest and India Business Information Database (IBID). IIPM provides laptops to all newly admitted students.

IIPM has also plans to set up campuses in Dubai,^[25] London, Brussels, Singapore, Beijing and New York.^[26][27]

Admission

The admission test of IIPM is known as E-PAT (Entrepreneurship & Planning Admission Test). This test is based upon a written test, group discussion and inter view. According to the institute, the testing process stresses more on Emotional Quotient as against Intelligence Quotient. The selection to IIPM is based on the composite score of the written test, group discussion and personal interview. E-PAT is conducted in 15 centres located in different parts of India.

Admission to the two-year programme in National Economic Planning and Entrepreneurship is open to graduate applicants across all disciplines. For the three-year programme in National Economic Planning and Industrial Entrepreneurship is open to all applicants who have completed their senior secondary schooling. According to the website of the institute, candidates with mathematics background at Higher Secondary Level are preferred.^[28]

Faculty

IIPM has over 250 full-time faculty and over 150 visiting members. 35% of all faculty are females. ^[29]. About 20% of its faculty have a doctoral degree ^[30]. Unlike most other business schools, the school has been able to build up its teaching faculty in India by recruiting its graduating MBA students.^[30].

IIPM has separate permanent faculty for its different campuses. Of the 84 faculty members in its New Delhi campus, 10 hold PhD degrees and 58 are MBAs. In its Chennai campus, the total number of faculty is 55 out of which 5 are PhD holders and 26 are MBAs. The Bangalore campus of IIPM has a total faculty strength of 29, out of which 4 are PhDs and 10 are MBAs. In the Mumbai campus, the total faculty strength is 38 out of which 2 are PhD holders and 10 are MBAs. The Pune campus has a total of 52 faculty members, but there are no PhD holding faculty in the campus, and the number of MBA degree holders is 11. Its Hyderabad campus has 51 faculty members, out of which 13 hold PhD degree and 22 have MBA degrees.^[31] Though the IIPM website lists the degrees held by each faculty member, it does not specify where these degrees have been earned from. Per institute's own admission, most of the permanent faculty members are IIPM alumni.^[29]

Arindam Chaudhuri is Honorary Dean. The regular faculty of the institute comprises alumni of IIPM, as well as visiting professors.^[32] IIPM faculty conduct Executive Education programs.^[33] Some faculty members such as Dean Arindam Chaudhuri, Prof Prasoon Majumdar, Prof A Sandeep, Prof Prashanto Banerji and Chair - Global Outreach Program Siddharth Nambiar are also editors of Business & Economy, a fortnightly business and policy analysis magazine published by Planman Media ^[34], a sister organisation belonging to the Planman group ^[35] headed by Arindam Chaudhuri.

International Associations

IIPM is a member of CEEMAN (Central and East European Management Development Association),^[36] which is a global network of management institutions. CEEMAN organises courses, seminars and conferences for educators.

IIPM claims in its advertisements to have partnerships or tie-ups with many reputed business schools and universities, but most of them have denied these claims. The University of Texas, Austin, University of Cambridge and University of Virginia, in communications with the Indian magazine Careers360, denied having any tie-ups or partnerships with IIPM. ^[10]

Publications

IIPM publishes three non-peer-reviewed journals:^[37]

• India Economy Review: A quarterly review of the economy for policy makers and think tanks
• Need the Dough: A scholarly journal for academics and practitioners on research the field of Accounting & Finance
• Strategic Innovators: A collection of articles by eminent faculty and practitioners on Business Strategy

IIPM's consulting arm Planman Consulting also publishes 3 magazines and an online business newspaper, where IIPM faculty are editors:^[38]

• Business & Economy: A fortnightly with news and feature articles on India-centric, globally relevant policy and business issues
• 4Ps: A fortnightly magazine that caters to the marketing & advertising industry's needs
• The Sunday Indian: A weekly news magazine published in five languages across the country
• The Daily Indian: A daily summary of business news and highlights from an Indian perspective
• The Human Factor: Previously a journal of IIPM, it has now been repositioned as a monthly magazine targeted at the Human Resource issues facing modern corporate organisations.

Cultural Activities

IIPM organises AAGMAN (a cultural evening) and A-MAZE (a 3-day festival) every year at each campus. The event is organized completely by IIPM students, and involves a fashion show, multiple choreography, and theatre. A-MAZE is sponsored by industry, and attracts leading b-schools from across the country. Business plan competitions, debates and quizzes take place on campus, as participants compete for grand prizes. A-MAZE always ends with a rock show, which attracts several thousand fans. B-schools like IIMs, FMS, FORE School, IIFT, MDI, International Management Institute, JIMS, ICFAI^[39], and DU colleges like Jesus and Mary College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Kamla Nehru College, Gargi College, Lady Shriram College have participated in the past. [17] [18]^[40]

Ranking

IIPM does not feature in most business school rankings published in the Indian media. The institute states that "Rankings don't matter" and it has "strong reservations on the methodology applied by most of the magazines to rank b-schools".^[41] Its advertisements make frequent reference to the one ranking in which it has featured. The 2008 Zee Business Best B-School Survey ranked IIPM 7^th overall, 15^th in Infrastructural Facilities, 9^th in Course Content, and 9^th in Placements. ^[42]

Alumni

• Arindam Chaudhuri, founder, Planman group of companies
• Saurav Kumar, Co-founder, Community Friendly Movement^[43]
• Zeeshan Ahmed, suspected terrorist in the 2008 Delhi bombings^[44]

Controversies

In June 2008, the New Delhi High Court ruled against the AICTE and UGC in a judgement stating that "IIPM (Indian Institute of Planning & Management) was authorized to give MBA and BBA degrees from IMI and that UGC had no business stopping IIPM from advertising about the same." ^[45]

JAM magazine and advertising claims

In its June 2005 issue, JAM (a youth magazine) carried an article (named IIPM: Tall Claims) that claimed that IIPM's advertisements were misleading. The specific article in JAM also stated that IIPM uses ranking that have now been withdrawn by Outlook C-Fore B-School survey. ^[46]

Rashmi Bansal, the editor of the JAM magazine, published similar content in her blog, and this story was picked by many other bloggers as well. On 4 October 2005, IIPM sent legal notices to Rashmi and Gaurav Sabnis (another blogger who posted similar content) threatening to sue them for libel.^[47][48] IIPM also threatened to burn laptops purchased from IBM, where Sabnis was working at that time.^[49] Businessworld magazine, of which Rashmi Bansal is a consulting editor,^[50] in its October 2005 issue, covered the issue. The magazine reported that facilities including the swimming pool, 300-seater auditorium, seven amphitheatre classrooms, and mini golf course were restricted to IIPM's Delhi campus only. IIPM, in response to these findings, stated that "We have only one campus. The rest are branches." The magazine also reported that the average age of IIPM faculty is 27 years, and the international faculty mentioned in IIPM's advertisements only gave one-time lecture to the students. Both JAM and Businessworld magazine stated that the institute refused to provide them with detailed statistics on student placement.^[32]

IIPM issued a statement countering the allegations raised by the magazines. IIPM said that these allegations were a result of inferiority complex that IIM alumni (like Rashmi Bansal and Gaurav Sabnis) suffered due to IIPM (referring to IIPM's 'Dare to think beyond the IIMs' positioning statement), and that the articles were shallow lies, and an attempt to spread baseless rumours.^[51] The Outlook magazine as well as CNBC-TV18 covered the legal tussle between the IIPM and other bloggers.

In August 2007, India's Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand Gupta announced that IIPM is under investigation for misleading advertisements.^[52]

In June 2008, The Wall Street Journal's Mint carried an article about misleading advertising by educational institutes in which it mentioned IIPM's claims about foreign faculty. ^[53]

Unfair trade practices investigations

In May 2007, The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC), an arm of the Indian government in charge of overseeing fair trade practices, launched investigations into the tall claims made by IIPM in its advertisements. As a result of recurrent complaints, an arm of the MRTPC will be investigating the ads and if they are found misleading, a case for unfair trade practices could be filed against the institute.^[54][55]

In August 2007, India's Corporate Affairs Minister Prem Chand Gupta announced that IIPM is under investigation for misleading advertisements.^[52]

UGC and AICTE objections

In October 2005, both UGC and AICTE raised objection over IIPM using the term 'Indian Institute' as part of its name. ^[56] The UGC also said that the IIPM cannot give MBA and BBA degrees as these can only be given by universities recognised by the UGC.^[6]. IIPM confirmed that they never offered the MBA, BBA degrees (and that those were offered by IMI Belgium), and that IIPM advertisements had, and continue to promote their certifications as being "superior to MBA and BBA" courses. The words "superior to" were in a much smaller font than "MBA" and "BBA". In December 2005, AICTE raised objections over IIPM awarding degrees in foreign collaboration, and sent notice to IIPM detailing the objections. According to AICTE, as per its guidelines on foreign collaboration that came into force since 15 May 2005, IIPM is not approved to give such degrees.^[57] In March 2007, AICTE issued another notice to unaccredited institutions including IIPM.^[58]IIPM stated it has not, and will not apply for AICTE recognition as its programmes fall out of the purview of AICTE.^[17].

Tax evasion

The Indian Government's Ministry of Finance issued a press release saying that proceedings have been initiated against IIPM for its evasion of income tax and service tax for the assessment years 2005–06 and 2006–07. The Ministry further stated that service tax paid by IIPM in the preceding two years had been nil. Information about IIPM's tax evasion was discussed in the Indian parliament too.^{[59] [60] [61]}. In April 2009, a series of replies by the Indian Finance Ministry to petitions under the Right to Information Act revealed that IIPM was being investigated by the Director General of the Income Tax department for evading taxes by wrongly claiming exemptions^[62].

Plagiarism

In August 2006, a USA Today article about plagiarism on the internet mentioned that a column by Jack and Suzy Welch was posted on the IIPM website below Arindam Chaudhuri's photo without attributions to either BusinessWeek or Jack and Suzy Welch. IIPM subsequently informed USA Today that it had rights to the Welch column through the New York Times News Service/Syndicate, and that a Welch byline was added after the USA Today inquiry because, "others could be confused." ^[63]

Gallery

• IIPM Tower, Hyderabad
  IIPM Tower, Hyderabad
• 
  IIPM Tower, Ahmedabad
• IIPM Tower, Mumbai
  IIPM Tower, Mumbai

References

External links

• Official IIPM Website
• IMI Belgium