IBA Versus Lums

Submitted By : Zohaib Azhar

IBA versus LUMS

No Karachi versus Lahore debate is ever complete without a heated discussion on which of the two above business schools are better. Most arguments though arent objective. An IBA student, attending a government run institution with fewer facilities, would never concede to LUMS being better than his own almamater whereas LUMS students would always refer to the HEC Rankings to prove whose better.

Institute of Administration IBA

Business

IBA is the oldest business school outside North America. It was established in 1955 with initial technical support provided by the world famous Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania; later, the University of Southern California set up various facilities at the Institute and several prominent American professors were assigned to the IBA. The course contents, the curriculum, the pedagogical tools and the assessment and testing methods were developed under the guidance of reputed scholars from these two institutions. IBA has zealously guarded the high standards and academic traditions it had inherited from Wharton and USC while adapting and adjusting them with the passage of time.

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Till 1994, the University of Karachi awarded degrees to the graduates. In that year, the Sindh Assembly elevated the Institute's status to that of a degree-awarding institution. A bill is pending in the Assembly for conferring the status of a University to IBA. Despite a rapid increase in the number of business schools, the IBA has maintained its position as the premier Institution of higher learning in the field of Management and Business Administration.

The IBA Philosophy

The recurrent theme of the 50 years of IBA's existence is that business education should be rigorous but also relevant and looking to the future. The IBA provides an enabling environment, conducive to scholarship and research. The faculty, staff, students and members of the industry work together to achieve learning goals. Students acquire
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knowledge and skills through constructive and distinctive processes that encourage them to develop understanding of business concepts and issues, think independently and to make rational choices. They are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning, to become active participants and leaders, and to apply their knowledge in realworld context. The IBA programs are designed to provide world-class professional managers and entrepreneurs for the business and industry in Pakistan.

Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

One of the largest universities of Pakistan, the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) is a world class academic institution with a proud history of achievement, and ambitious plans for the future. The idea of establishing the university took root in the mind of Syed Babar Ali, Pro Chancellor, LUMS who is the guiding spirit behind the university. With his resilient efforts and patronage of the business community, academia and representatives of the government, started the establishment of what was to become one of the leading universities of South Asia.

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With support of ten of the leading public and private sector corporations of Pakistan, the National Management Foundation (NMF), the sponsoring body of the University, was incorporated on November 7, 1984. The NMF was granted a charter by the Government of Pakistan for establishing the University on March 8, 1985. Through this charter, the University was given the legal right to establish degree-granting programmes. In addition to this, the government also granted authorisation to set up other schools under the aegis of the "Lahore University of Management Sciences". The Board of Governors of the NMF, being the sponsors of LUMS, raise the necessary funds for the Universitys operations and meet its infra-structure requirements. Consequently all land and university buildings are owned by NMF. Many members of the Board are representatives of the business community and form a crucial link between the University and the business world. The Board of Trustees, the policy-making body of the University, comprises leading members of the business community, academia and representatives of the government. The principal functions of the Board are to set broad policy guidelines and to review the operations of the University which functions on no-profit, no-loss basis. Since its inception in 1985, LUMS has strived to achieve the aim of imparting world class education while encouraging research and intellectual growth in the country. As a result, LUMS has
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played a key role in setting high standards of academics and producing professionals who can compete with counterparts from any university across the world. The LUMS Business School, now known as the Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) opened its doors to the first batch of MBA students in 1986. The LUMS MBA programme is first rate in standards and is based on the case methodology of teaching, which is the distinctive quality of the LUMS MBA programme. Adapted from leading business schools all over the world and then customised through local cases, this methodology has produced top business graduates of the country. The first class of MBA students graduated in 1988 and was rapidly placed in national and international companies while others became successful entrepreneurs.

LUMS Philosophy
Merit Based Approach
LUMS adheres to merit as the sole criteria in it's decision making. This applies to all aspects of its operations, from selection of faculty and staff, to admission and evaluation of students.

Hard

Work

We believe that sustained hard work provides the underpinning for the socio-economic development of a nation. LUMS academic programmes help develop the stamina and diligence essential for success in the increasingly competitive international environment.

Value

Addition

Our programmes are structured so that every activity enhances student learning and individual development. All activities are thus designed with definite learning objectives.

Intellectual

Rigour

The programmes offered at LUMS not only require the capacity

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to work hard, but also the ability to think analytically and to solve problems. The mental strength that comes from a rigorous academic programme prepares the participants to perform demanding intellectual tasks.

Character

Building

We consider character building to be an integral aspect of our programmes, as learning without personal integrity will be of little value to the individual and the society.

Critical Analysis Versus IBA

of

LUMS

In an age of no scarcity in rivalries, new borders are being drawn.This time students of Pakistans two premier business schools are trading jabs at each other, vying for the enviable title of the countrys best educational institution. Competition may not always be healthy but for the neutral observer it is always highly amusing. And so, as an unbiased observer who graced the halls of neither IBA nor LUMS, I would like to present a collection of arguments (based on impeccable logic and verified facts) presented by either side as to why one has always trumped the other.

Enter the LUMS student

Confident and self-assured, his first question is: Are you from LUMS?No? Their mental process seems to contain a simple binary classification: LUMS or not LUMS. The opinion on IBA is simple. Its not even a university! Its an institution.
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Clearly, HEC needs to have some form of bifurcation to define the difference between the two. The LUMS student (or LUMINITE as they prefer to be called) then informs me of the well-rounded education they receive, the independence they gain while living in a different city (by that argument, citizens of Lahore should go to IBA instead) and the exposure they receive to different personalities during their time in college. To top it all off, LUMS clearly has the best music scene. Those poor IBA graduates have no flexibility in their courses (and their thinking) and are stuck with the same people throughout their four years. Now we know which students are more promiscuous anyway. A common complaint that employers have is that LUMS graduates are much more fickle than their IBA counterparts. Surprisingly this claim is not denied by LUMINITES (a title which bears striking resemblance to a certain wood-gnawing insect and an ancient cult group known for their obsession with ambigrams). They claim that they need a job that something more intrinsically fulfilling and that repetitive tedious tasks are hardly what their degree merits.

Enter the IBA student

Displaying more restlessness than a New Yorker waiting at a pedestrian crossing, he elaborates on the number of assignments, exams, quizzes and courses he has to juggle whilst keeping up appearances at social gatherings. The prima donna of college then recounts the hours of sleep he lost during his stint at IBA. Sleep deprivation at IBA may single-handedly drive the institutions case to elevation to university status, assuming LUMS takes over the responsibilities of the HEC. IBA students are apparently preferred by employers because of their ability to put their head down and work even the most repetitive of tasks. An IBA graduate was once known to work at a drainage
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cleaning firm without complaining about the quality of work even once. The IBA graduate could recite the text contained in most of his books backwards. Regarding his LUMS counterparts, the IBA graduate marvels at how their heads can contain so much hot air. The famed IBA diplomacy having deserted him here, he points out that the only practical skill they learn is how to talk excessively. What LUMS considers critical reasoning and analysis, IBA considers fluff. The IBAian (the verdict is still out on the pronunciation) then informs me of the job he has to get back to, unlike his job-deprived LUMS counterpart, and leaves with the same bustle he entered.

General Comparison between LUMS and IBA

So, now after a general comparison between these two business schools now i will compare them on certain criteria.

Faculty:
If one asks about LUMS fauclty then its one of the best in Asia. IBA is not bad. But definitely here LUMS is better than IBA. In HEC ranking LUMS has been given more points for faculty. IBA does have some of excellent teachers from Cambridge, MIT,Harvard but in general its not better than LUMS.

Students:
In terms of students IBA has much more hardworking and brilliant students than LUMS. In HEC ranking IBA students are given more points than LUMS. If you see different competitions around the world then it can be seen quite clearly that participation of IBA students is much more and better than LUMS.

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Facilities:
As far as facilities are concerned LUMS is better than IBA. But none the less IBA is doing concerted efforts under Mr. Ishrat Hussain to upgrade its facilities so as to meet the international standards. It has a vast land at its main campus in Karachi university. So, its a matter of years that it would be converted into a university with excellent sports and recreational facilities.

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