Calculating the flow and stock concept of Brand IIM Ahmedabad

(my first post in last 1 year)

I have now spent 3 years at IIMA as doctoral student.I realise that I have studied IIMA more than my thesis topic,which makes me atleast somewhat qualified to comment on my observations about IIMA.

My several discussions with students and faculties of IIMA makes me feel that IIMA as a brand has grown bigger than what its "Brand Manager/s" can handle.However that is only half the truth! The other bitter half of the truth is that the IIMA brand is growing slower than before or not growing at all...Let me explain this using the stock and flow concept. The Sabarmati River(which flows few kms away from IIMA) also has a stock of water which keeps increasing or decreasing ( the flow) depending upon its own sources of water.So is the case with brands.

The stock of IIMA Brand has grown in the protective environs of the Government.The government was liberal in funding it for several decades since its inception in 1961, and protected( or rather insulated) the institute and the institution from the top global Universities. However the flow of the IIMA brand( understood as how much IIMA's brand equity was growing each year) was not getting noticed.Everyone was going 'ga-ga' about "We are No 1 in India" so much that no one stopped to ask " what are we doing to make the IIMA brand grow every year?".

The who's who at IIMA can boast of the Equis accreditation, world class placements( debatable though), Alumni funding growing each year,average salaries rising,more US Phds joining as faculties etc...however the competition is slowly gnawing away its edge.If someone wants a real example of Hare and Tortoise story one heard from parents in childhood,it is here: IIMA plays the hare and other IIMs( read IIMB and IIMC) playing the tortoise. IIMB and C were slow to catch up till now( the stock of their brand was lesser than A) like tortoise but the flow of additional brand equity that IIMB and C were building post 1990s was faster than A,and now on their way to victory( how do you define it...).The rabbit is left to sulk once the race has been run.

Now the story becomes even more murky.Harvard and UMich(University of Michigan) and a host of several top Bschools/Univs are knocking at the door and equipped to enter the Indian Management education market.It is only the government policies which are again protecting the IIMs from it.The ISB FT-20 ranking saga has impacted IIMA too-little too-late.Is IIMA prepared...there is now a committee on future directions that is looking into it....but committees would do what they can do best....i.e. submit some 100 page report that is either too obvious or too general...who will bell the CAT...its now the turn of the organizers of the CAT themselves ( pun intentionally intended)...My take on this issue is that we need a turn-around guru or business magnate...say..Laxmi Mittal...or Anil Ambani (reminds me that Mukesh Ambani has already announced that he would make sure IIMB gets best faculties from abroad by paying them more) ...or..can Prof Sameer Barua draw a rabbit from the hat himself...with Mr Singhania by his side...the dice is loaded already...and fingers are being crossed...but if boat rocks too much...rats may be seen leaving first...but the present moment is defining one in IIMA's history...it would be either a beginning of an end or an end of a beginning...lets hope it is neither and rather a beginning of a beginning of a new growth story for IIMA!

Something to think about for all concerned...