A thought provoking article and a quiz

I wasnt planning on writing for another 2-3 days, but this this article came along, and set one thinking quite a bit. The IIMs, like the police, are a very interesting candidate for reform. Do read the article - its succint, and yet packs in the right information.

Here, then, is my set of Commandments(oops, "recommendations") for the IIMs. All thought inspired by the article. Thank you Shalini.

1. Thou shalt not dilute brand equity by diluting the product.
2. Thou shalt attract the most competent faculty by paying the best salaries and benefits.
3. Thou shalt get rid of all excess flab, expenditure and staff that is there only because it’s a government institution.
4. Thou shalt improve industry interaction.
5. Thou shalt listen to good advice, irrespective of where it comes from – some of the things R C Bhargava says make a lot of sense, and we should not dismiss a good advice just because we do not like the source.
6. Thou shalt not bow to political will. If the politicians want more IIMs , or if they want lower fees (when the IIMs are already not charging much), they can open MMJ School of Management and meet the same standards. An IIM Product will not be a reservation case or a person whose admission is a function of India’s population. 1000 IIM graduates a year is more than enough.
7. Thou shalt use thy faculty and thy alumni more.
8. Thou shalt innovate in the discipline to which thou are committed – Management education, not in politics of examination passing or the politics of dean selection. In short, thou shalt clean thyself internally. And do it periodically.

There is also one other quiz that I created on Braingle. This is about capitals of Indian states. It only sounds easy. Tell me what you think after you've tried it. :-)