ISB gets EQUIS accreditation, re-accreditation from AACSB

The Indian School of Business (ISB) said on Wednesday it had been accredited by the EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and re-accredited by the Association for Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

"ISB joins the league of just about a hundred select business schools worldwide that have both AACSB and EQUIS accreditations," the organisation said.

International accreditations matter for business schools, especially in this era of globalisation. It was a point underlined by many leading business schools across the country (LINK TO THE STORY: https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/features/equipping-students-with-skills-to-work-in-diverse-environments/story/240013.html) when Business Today conducted its survey of the country's best business schools in December 2016.

Uttam K Sarkar, Professor and Dean (New Initiatives and External Relations) at IIM Calcutta, told Business Today at the time IIM-C became the only Indian B-school to get the triple crown as it got the EQUIS accreditation on top of two earlier accreditations it had received from the AACSB and London-based Association of MBAs, better known as AMBA.

A note issued by the ISB describes AACSB and EFMD as "internationally accepted accreditation institutions focused on raising the standards of management education worldwide", adding, "ISB was the first B-school in South Asia to get the AACSB accreditation in 2011."

The key areas of focus for EQUIS include environment, institutional status, governance, mission, vision and values, strategic positioning, strategic direction and objectives, strategic planning, quality assurance, internationalisation, ethics, responsibility and sustainability, and corporate connections. The AACSB accreditation requires evidence of continuous quality improvement in three vital areas--engagement, innovation and impact.