As per data provided by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore in an answer to a Right to Information (RTI) application, Cognizant Technology Services recruited 11 students from the PGP class of 2010, making it the company recruiting the largest number of students this year at IIM Bangalore. By deeming the salary figures as confidential between the student and the employer, the institute has also effectively blocked all democratic recourse to knowing the compensation trends at IIMB placements – something that other IIMs (except Lucknow) release freely.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore has become the second business school in India to obtained the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) accreditation, a quality assessment system of business schools. Granted by the European Foundation for Management Education (EFMD), the accreditation is currently granted to 128 business schools in 35 countries. IIM Ahmedabad received the accreditation in 2008, the first Indian b-school to get one.

Convocations at b-schools are that time of the year when the entire top brass of a business school, including the Director, the Deans and the heads of the Governing Board assemble together to face the public. While their speeches have heavy inspirational quotient, one also learns about the highlights of the bygone year at the school and how the school is thinking about its future. Here’s a compendium of noteworthy excerpts from this year’s convocation speeches at some of the best known Indian b-schools.

Essay writing will replace group discussions (GD) during admissions to IIM Bangalore this year. According to sources at IIM Bangalore, “Yes, scrapping GD in favor of essays has been approved.” Candidates will have to write an essay in 30 minutes on any topic related to the current political, economic and business scenario or on topics such as sports and those that require more creative thinking. IIM B has not disclosed any conclusive reasons behind this decision. Note that IIM Ahmedabad had also eliminated the GD from its admission process in 2007. Update: The essays will be evaluated on the basis of their ‘content’ and ‘style’.

In this roundup:

• ‘The Looking Glass’: PAN- IIM Marketing Digest
• GIM, Goa selected to be part of Aspen Institute’s ‘Teaching Innovation Program’
• Advertising workshop by Marketing Head of Colors, Rameet Arora at IIM Lucknow
• XIMB celebrates Foundation Day

Advisory Council formed for Center for Public Policy at IIM Banglore

The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM B), one of the leading management schools in the world, announced the constitution of an Advisory Council of the Centre for Public Policy (CPP) on October 15, 2009 for providing long-term guidance to the activities of CPP. “This is an integral part of creating global benchmarks and linkages for IIM B that will strengthen our research programs,” says Prof Pankaj Chandra, Director of IIM B.

Doctors, economists, social scientists may be strutting out the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in a few years but unfortunately business will continue as usual at the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). There’s been a lot of talk about the problems that higher education faces in India and what changes need to be made. The IITs are embracing these changes and ensuring that they are not restricted to engineering courses. MBAs should also be able to rub shoulders with students from other fields but b-school faculty think that there are roadblocks.