Indian Institute of Planning and Management

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{{Infobox university | name = Indian Institute of Planning and Management | motto = What we teach today, others adopt tomorrow | image_name = | image_size = | established = | type = Private Non-accredited | endowment = | staff = | faculty = | director = Dr. Malayendra Kisor Chaudhuri | principal = | chancellor = | vice_chancellor = | dean = Arindam Chaudhuri (Honorary Dean) | head_label = | head = | students = | undergrad = 600 | postgrad = 4500 | doctoral = | profess = | city = New Delhi | state = Delhi | country = India | campus = New Delhi | free_label = | free = | affiliations = | website = IIPM.edu }} Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) is a business school headquartered in New Delhi, with 18 branches across India. Founded in 1973, the institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in National Economic Planning and Entrepreneurship, In May 2010, the court upheld that the contents of the Careers 360 article were "prima facie defamatory" and issued bailable warrants against Maheshwar Peri, publisher Careers 360 and Outlook, and Mahesh B Sarma, editor of Careers 360 magazine.

According to the institute, it is an academically independent and autonomous body, without affiliation to any university; and as per the institute, its programmes do not fall under the purview of AIU, AICTE, UGC and similar government-established regulatory bodies. Nevertheless, UGC and AICTE declared IIPM to be a fake university not permitted to confer MBA and BBA degrees; IIPM filed a lawsuit in response. 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 offers only "certificate courses". In July 2010, UGC issued a notice to IIPM, after the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education questioned IIPM on the authenticity of its Hyderabad courses. UGC Chairman Ved Prakash commented that IIPM was advertising its programmes using the names of UGC, HRD Ministry and AICTE and that "it is indulging in cheating.” IIPM Group President for Corporate Affairs Amit Saxena said the institute wasn’t a university, was not empowered to award degrees on its own, and neither was doing so. IIPM is the "on-site academic partner of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University which grants its degrees to IIPM students." Saxena also said that IIPM had made representations to UGC and Andhrty]]'s MBA/BBA programmes in all of IIPM's 18 centres. However, on feb-25-2011, students of IIPM-Pune were informed when they called Manonmaniam Sundaranar University that this was a distance-learning i.e correspondence course - and not a full-time course as claimed by IIPM authorities.

The University of Buckingham has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2009 with the institute, mentioning that the University of Buckingham is working together with the institute "towards the final accreditation of IIPM's BBA and MBA programmes." In June 2009, Careers 360 wrote that a representative for the University of Buckingham had clarified to them that although they are in talks with IIPM, there is no formal agreement yet; and that until IIPMtory about IMI"/> In May 2010, post a 2009 criminal defamation filing by IIPM against Careers 360, the court - observing that the Careers 360 article contents were "prima facie defamatory" - issued bailable warrants against Maheshwar Peri, publisher Careers 360 and Outlook, and Mahesh B Sarma, editor of Careers 360 magazine..

Ranking

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." The institute highlights rankings prominently in its ads. A ranking of business schools released by Outlook magazine in 2003 ranked the institute 4 on Industry Interface, 7 on Industry Interface and 8 on Extra Curriculargh unethical practises and does not disclose facts truthfully. According to Arindam Chaudhuri, Honorary Dean of IIPM, this was done after Arindam pointed out Outlook's usage of perception qualitative rankings to influence b-school ranks. Post this, according to Arindam, IIPM responded with legal action against Outlook

Mail Today's August 2010 commissioned perception survey ranked IIPM amongst the top ten b-schools in the Delhi-NCR region. In February 2010, IIPM was awarded for its "innovative teaching methodology" in the 2010 DNA & Stars of the Industry group’s Innovative B-School Awards.

Job placement

According to the institute, only 70 percent of its students opt for the placement process, and that almost all of these 70 percent students get jobs through it. In 2005, IIPM Delhi and Mumbai's average placement salary was Rs.380,000 for domestic placements and $30,000 for international placements. ICICI was the biggest recruiter and IBM was the "Star recruiter". It has been reported that the Indian Institute of Planning and Management invites companies to the campus, but also offers placements at its sister concern, Planman Consulting.". In 2007, according to IIPM's placement cell, its students got placed in over 200 companies. In 2007, it was reported that IIPM and other b-school graduates were getting "fabulous offers from top notch firms." According to IIPM, in 2007, "over 200 companies listed under Fortune 500, multi-national corporations and start-ups recruited students." In 2008, IIPM placed 2,670 students through campus placements, including 165 international placements. In the same year, Maheshwar Peri stated in an opinion column in Outlook magazine that "students are placed at Planman, a sister concern, at higher salaries meant to jack up placement ratios and dumped/sacked within two months." In 2009, B. Mahesh Sarma reported in a Career360 article that for the class of 2008, three companies - Standard Chartered, Barclays and Deutsche Bank - which are mentioned in IIPM advertisements as participants in campus placement, said that although they might have a few freshers of the institute working for them, they have never participated in the institute's campus recruitment process. The Pioneer reported in April 2010, "We found out that not only have they taken IIPM students, most of them have been taking the IIPM students very regularly over many years." As of June 2010, both Standard Chartered and Barclays were offering jobs to IIPM students. In the said Careers 360 article, B. Mahesh Sarma profiled a sample of jobs that IIPM said students get abroad in places like the gulf countries; in the article; Mahesh requests the reader to make his/her own judgement on the international jobs offered. In 2009, IIPM filed a criminal defamation charge against Careers 360. In May 2010, the court - citing Careers 360 article to be "prima facie defamatory" - issued bailable warrants against Maheshwar Peri, publisher Careers 360 and Outlook, and Mahesh B Sarma, editor of Careers 360 magazine. IIPM has seven international placement offices.

In June 2009, Mail Today, an India Today group publication reported that the institute got jobs for 2,300 out of 4,000 students with 750 companies participating, and 46 international placements, with the results of 100 campus interviews still being awaited. The average annual pay package was INR 420,000, which was reported to be a good figure given the recession. According to the institute, financial service companies and small and medium enterprises participated in placements in 2009.

In June 2010, it was reported that more than 10,000 IIPM students have been placed in the last five years in more than 1,500 companies; and more than 250 students have got international placements in the last three years, a new benchmark. IIPM Delhi got the highest number of global placements in India for 2008 (165 students placed globally) and 2009 (55 students). The August 2010 Mail Today commissioned perception survey noted that biodatas mentioning IIPM will be "be kept on top of the pile" by HR managers.

Controversies

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IIPM advertising

Main article: Indian Institute of Planning and Management advertising and blogging controversy

JAM magazine

In its June 2005 issue, JAM (a fun and satire magazine) carried an article by Arjun Ravi (namedIIPM: Tall Claims) where he claimed that IIPM's advertisements were misleading. Arjun Ravi also stated that IIPM uses rankings from 2003. Ravi's article was published before these rankings were withdrawn by the Outlook C-Fore B-School survey in July 2005.

Rashmi Bansal, the editor of the JAM magazine, published similar content in her blog, and this story was picked by other bloggers such as Gaurav Sabnis. IIPM sent a legal notice to Sabnis, eventually resulting in Sabnis being forced to resign from his job. IIPM also is said to have threatened to burn laptops purchased from IBM, where Sabnis was working at that time. Businessworld India magazine, of which Rashmi Bansal is a contributing editor, 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 Arjun Ravi at JAM and Businessworld stated that the institute did not provide them with detailed statistics on student placement.

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. The Outlook magazine covered the legal tussle between the IIPM and other bloggers.

In August 2010, JAM reported that "in furtherance of the order dated June 1, 2010 by the Hon civil Judge no 1 at Cachat, Silchar...," JAM was "temporarily removing the link to the article."

Careers 360 article

In June 2009, Careers 360, an Indian magazine focusing on education, published an article where they said they investigated some of the claims in IIPM's advertising.:

The article mentioned that IMI Belgium, the institution that awards MBA and BBA degrees to IIPM graduates, was not recognized as an institution of higher learning in the Dutch or French speaking part of Belgium by NVAO.
A few employers contacted by Career 360 "denied having recruited from the IIPM campus from the class of 2008," though IIPM claims otherwise. Three companies - Standard Chartered, Barclays Bank and Deutsche Bank - are mentioned. The article also listed a few international placements of IIPM students and asks the reader to make their own judgement.
According to the article, IIPM's ads mention "global certification in management for all its students from one of the leading universities of the world." McCombs School of Business communicated that they were unaware of any association with IIPM. University of Cambridge confirmed "a five day non-degree executive education programme delivered in Cambridge by the Judge Business School" resulting in a certification of attendance given to participants. Darden B School, University of Virginia, confirmed the existence of a series of week-long Executive Education programs for IIPM participants, mentioning that Darden had no partnership with IIPM. Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley, confirmed that IIPM was a business school "participating with the Haas School of Business" and that "Participation means IIPM has contracted with CEE to provide Haas faculty to teach courses in the IIPM program."
The story also carries testimonials from anonymous past students of IIPM who said the advertisements built up their expectations which were not met, and the jobs they got after studying at IIPM are barely enough for them to repay loans taken for paying the tuition fees at IIPM.
In 2009, IIPM filed a criminal defamation charge against Careers 360.
In May 2010, it was reported that the court upheld that the contents of the Careers 360 article were "prima facie defamatory". The court later issued bailable warrants against Maheshwar Peri, publisher Careers 360 and Outlook, and Mahesh B Sarma, editor of Careers 360 magazine, due to their non-appearance post the court summons.
In August 2010, IIPM said that despite "court orders against Careers 360 to refrain from further activities aimed at bringing IIPM to disrepute," the publishers of Careers 360 were "allegedly sending misleading e-mails to companies who recruit IIPM students."

In April 2011, following a lawsuit by IIPM, the Silchar Civil Court passed a preliminary ex-parte injunction against the Caravan magazine ordering it to remove its cover story of February 2011 issue which focussed on Arindam Chaudhuri.

Trade practices

In May 2007, The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC), an anti-monopoly watchdog, initiated a probe into IIPM's advertisements. They stated that they suspected that IIPM recovers the cost of GOTA tours and laptops (both advertised as free for the students) from students later on.

In October 2007, MRTPC announced that they would not be processing enquiry against many business schools due to "shortage of staff."

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. 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. 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. 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. In March 2007, AICTE issued another notice to institutions offering unauthorised courses including IIPM. IIPM stated it has not, and will not apply for AICTE recognition as its programmes fall out of the purview of AICTE. In July 2010, UGC issued a notice to IIPM, after the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education questioned IIPM on the authenticity of its Hyderabad courses. IIPM Group President for Corporate Affairs Amit Saxena said IIPM was the "on-site academic partner of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University which grants its degrees to IIPM students." Registrar of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, a UGC-recognized university, confirmed that IIPM was authorized to offer Manonmaniam Sundaranar University's MBA/BBA programmes in all of IIPM's 18 centres.

Uttarakhand Technical University registrar report

The National Students Union of India (NSUI) started protests in March 2009 in Dehradun (Uttarakhand) demanding that the government shut down IIPM as it operates without any recognition or approval. According to Careers 360, the Uttarakhand government appointed Registrar of the Uttarakhand Technical University to conduct an inquiry, who has recommended banning IIPM. In 2009, IIPM filed a criminal defamation charge against Careers 360. In May 2010, the court upheld that the contents of the Careers 360 article were "prima facie defamatory" and issued bailable warrants against Maheshwar Peri, publisher Careers 360 and Outlook, and Mahesh B Sarma, editor of Careers 360 magazine.

According to the Uttarakhand University Registrar, IIPM did not cooperate with his inquiry, did not provide documents asked, and has no basis for claiming that students will get an IMI degree. The registrar also said that IIPM "is quite similar to fly-by-night finance companies" and its continuing operation can not only hurt students in the state of Uttarakhand, but also institutions which operate legally as opposed to IIPM. As of March 2010, the NSUI agitations continue, with the NSUI President saying they "would not let the institute play with hapless youngsters who were already grappling with lack of quality education and employment and would fight it out tooth and nail".

Tax issues

In May 2007, S.S. Palanimanickam, Minister of State for Finance, answered a question in the Rajya Sabha raised by Dharam Pal Sabharwal, another Rajya Sabha member, "IIPM has not paid income tax during the assessment years 2005-06 and 2006-07, claiming exemption under section 10(23C) (vi) of the Income-tax Act, 1961." The Ministry further stated that service tax paid by IIPM in the preceding two years had been nil. Under a query raised through the Right to Information Act on the institute, the Central Board of Direct Taxes had said that the ministry did receive a "tax evasion complaint in respect of wrong claims of exemption under Section 10 (23C) of the Income Tax Act, 1961."

In April 2009, the Indian government clarified that there were "no pending tax claims against IIPM" and the case had been closed after due enquiry.

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."

Allegations of conspiracy against leftists

In December 2009, IIPM released full-page advertisements in national newspapers, announcing awards for Mamata Banerjee and other personalities critical of the CPIM(Communist Party of India, Marxist). The advertisements referred to CPIM as "Stalinist" and applauded awardees for efforts against the Stalinist "clutches". The CPIM was furious over these ads and came down heavily against IIPM in its party mouthpiece. It alleged that IIPM was providing funds as a part of an imperialist conspiracy against the Left. The article also alleged that IIPM was being funded by the US Government. Furthermore, one of the awardees, legendary author Mahasweta Devi said that although she was named in the ad as a recipient of the award, she had not been contacted by IIPM about it, and she had no knowledge of the institute.