IIM Bangalore set to increase fees

Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore has decided to increase the fee for its flagship PGP program to Rs. 2.5 lakhs. The change would be effective for all 2007 enrollments.

Explaining the hike from the current Rs. 1.75 lakhs, IIMB director Prakash Apte said the kind of salaries offered to students placed via campus selection justify the increase. He also pointed out that while the cost of the program is Rs. 4 lakhs, students are still charged a subsidized amount.

Along with the fee hike, IIM-B is also increasing the student intake to 270, from the current batch size of 240.

Source: Economic Times

Government wants more control over the IIMs

The HRD Ministry led by Arjun Singh is working on a law to curb the financial independence of the six IIMs. Through the Institutes of Management Act the ministry has proposed to limit the funds received by B-schools to only the annual grants from the government.

If this law is passed, the IIMs will also have to submit their financial records for review to the Parliament, making them answerable to the Government. The IITs have been governed by a similar law, Institutes of Technology Act, since 1961.

Source: Economic Times

IIM-A to revise PGP program

India’s top B-school has announced plan to revise its flagship program for the first time in a decade. A committee of professors has been formed to revise the curriculum and bring it more in line with the changing market scenario.

The course revision will be done keeping in mind the expectations of students and the institutes goals. Other issues such as teaching methodology, program content, exchange programs, faculty exchange and appointment, course curriculum, choosing electives will also be taken into consideration.

Source: The Economic Times

Reliance World, BIMTECH to offer retail management

The Birla Institute of Management Technology, in collaboration with Philadelphia University has launched an 11-month Executive Program for Retailing Management. The course content has been jointly developed by the two institutes, and covers topics such as Retail Store Management, Visual Merchandising, Merchandising Management, Supply Chain Management, Customer Relations Management, and Theft Prevention.

The 300-hour course will be delivered through the Reliance World videoconferencing based virtual class room platform. Faculty from the university will also visit India for contact sessions with the students.

Source: Moneycontrol.com

ISB and Wharton renew association

Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania have extended their association for another 5 years. Faculty from Wharton will continue to teach and contribute to the curriculum at ISB. Wharton faculty will also assist ISB in the development of course reading and case materials to be used in the post graduate curriculum; and help initiate a faculty development program for ISB faculty.Similarly, ISB will support Wharton on Asian business issues, as well as help with the development of course material relevant to the region. The two institutes will also collaborate on research.

Along with renewing the existing association, ISB has also joined Wharton as one of the founding sponsors and an academic sponsor of Wharton’s India Knowledge@Wharton.

Source: Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

IIM-L launches IPMX program at Noida

Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow has announced plans to offer a full-time, one-year, residential executive MBA program at its upcoming Noida campus. The focus of this program will be to train aspirants with prior work experience for leadership roles.

The International Program in Management for Executives program will focus on developing the students’ understanding of the Indian and international business environment. IPMX will facilitate their understanding of business, at both functional and strategic levels.

Admission to the program will be through GMAT scores. IIM-L will consider scores obtained from 1st January 2004 to 20th November 2007.

Application dates

Source: MBAUniverse.com