In its July 16, 2006 issue, Business Today published its annual joke, the B-School ranking in India.
Seeing the ranking and reading the cover story outraged me so much that after reaching home the first thing I did was to mail a letter to editor of Business Today expressing by angst and displeasure at seeing the ranking. Well, I never expected Business Today to publish my letter as the words were really harsh. But now having confirmed in the latest issue that my letter on the said subject has not been published, I think it should be put on my blog for my esteemed readers. Here it is reproduced:
What is the use of this kind of ranking that seems so biased and without any objective methodology? Not only it is bad in taste, it is misleading as well and might become responsible for spoiling many a promising career.
No surprises that Prof. Madhukar Shukla, faculty at XLRI, has given “F” grade to Business Today’s B-School ranking.
Seeing the ranking and reading the cover story outraged me so much that after reaching home the first thing I did was to mail a letter to editor of Business Today expressing by angst and displeasure at seeing the ranking. Well, I never expected Business Today to publish my letter as the words were really harsh. But now having confirmed in the latest issue that my letter on the said subject has not been published, I think it should be put on my blog for my esteemed readers. Here it is reproduced:
Dear Mr. Editor
Apropos the B-School ranking published in 16th July'06 issue. To put it very mildly, I am outraged after going through the rankings.
The first three positions seem fair enough but the story turns topsy-turvy there after. To see the name of Symbiosis ahead of three other IIMs, XLRI, FMS, SPJIMR, JBIMS, etc. is incomprehensible. But the most shocking bit is finding worst grade B-schools like IIPM Delhi at 11 th rank and IIPM Mumbai at 16th rank – way ahead of better known B-schools like IIM Khozikode, IMT Ghaziabad, MDI Gurgaon, NMIMS, XIM etc. And this is not the end. There are many Tom, Dick, & Harry type B-schools in your top 30 at fairly higher ranks at the expense of really good B-schools.
To anyone with even a vague idea of Indian B-school scene, this entire ranking seems hilarious. I don't understand why business magazines like yours put up a sorry figure year after year after release of these absurd rankings. I can fathom only two reasons for this absurd ranking – either your research team is incompetent and cannot put a decent research methodology, or perhaps you derive rankings even before doing your research!
Well, I would like to let you know one more thing. Every time you guys publish something as absurd as this current ranking, you lose a little bit of respect from readers like me who view (or perhaps viewed) your publication highly. We expect thorough professionalism from Business Today.
Secondly, please be responsible towards aspiring MBAs, many of whom rely on rankings published in magazines like yours to decide their career as well as future. Please practice responsible journalism.
Regards,
Mayank Krishna
What is the use of this kind of ranking that seems so biased and without any objective methodology? Not only it is bad in taste, it is misleading as well and might become responsible for spoiling many a promising career.
No surprises that Prof. Madhukar Shukla, faculty at XLRI, has given “F” grade to Business Today’s B-School ranking.
What you have said is very apt. The ranking is debatable indeed. However, it should also be determined as to how many business shools try and gauge the inner aspirations of students-Make your passion your profession. If you see the quotable quotes on the right hand side, the same thing has been stressed by President Abdul Kalam as well.
Mayank: Dil pe mat le yaar. These rankings are largely discredited now and now no one cares. If some do, Caveat Emptor ( I mean w.r.t the magazines pronoucing pompous judgement and not to B Schools). Prospective students have so many other ways to ascertain info on B-Schools( one such way is this space). I am not surprised many B-Schools do not participate in such 'surveys'.
PS :I think Madhukar has been kind enough to give "F" :-)
Y do u have to spend your time on shuch issues.I dont even consider this rankings worth mentioning on my blogs.
I'll tell you what ask an aspiring aspirant he will know more than these rankings.
It's all sponsored.You think B-schools are clean,they pump money like anything on these rankings.
No offence meant for any of the schools,but the spin doctors run the show in most of these schools.
I agree with Mayank. And I agree more with all the commenters.
Shall we not consider the fact that Mr Ashish Bagga, the CEO of India Today group had done his MBA from SIBM???
Strange... :-DD
@Manan: Why don't you check CEOs and their alma mater across industries and then see which institute ranks where :-) Even on this parameter you will know where SIBM stands.
Whole picture never emerges in isolation :-)