So here’s a comedy of errors begging clarity. The October 18, 2009 issue of Business Today ranks “Symbiosis, Pune” on all-India number 4. “Symbiosis, Pune” is specifically defined by the magazine as SCMHRD, Pune. But guess what! SIBM, Pune too is claiming to be ranked 4th in the same survey on its website and Director Arun Mudbidri has sent an email to alumni congratulating them on this ‘success’. What’s up? (Update: See SIBM Pune’s version on the matter in the end)

Here’s the entire story, in pictures. Business Today in its latest b-school rankings, has placed Symbiosis, Pune at number 4 across India.

The magazine scan below shows that by “Symbiosis, Pune”, it means Symbiosis Center for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), Pune.

However, on their website, Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune claims that they have been given the 4th ranking. See screenshot below.

Further, the Alumni of SIBM, Pune have received an email signed by Director Arun Mudbidri, who congratulates his institute over getting the 4th rank. See screenshot of email below.

As an MBA aspirant, what am I supposed to make of all this? Do I end up more enlightened or more confused in my search for a suitable MBA program when I try to use these rankings and make sense of them in the background of SIBM’s claims?

Who has really put their foot in the mouth here? Is this a misprint on part of Business Today, or jumping the gun on part of SIBM, Pune?

I have always wondered what Business Today and Nielsen really mean by “Symbiosis, Pune”, the mysterious name they’ve been ranking at number 4 since 2006. Is it supposed to be an umbrella name meant to denote all the Symbiosis b-schools? If yes, do they mean to say that Symbiosis Institute of Operations Management or Symbiosis Center for Information Technology are better business schools than Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow and XLRI, Jamshedpur, ranked at 6 and 7 respectively?

And if “Symbiosis, Pune” really refers to all Symbiosis institutes, why is the SIBM Director singling out SIBM Pune for the credit?

Furthermore, if they are generally putting all Symbiosis b-schools under one rank, what explains the dichotomous act of separate rankings for each IIM, or separate rankings for IIPM Delhi and IIPM Mumbai?

What are we missing here?

Added later: The Corporate Communication Cell of SIBM, Pune in a communication to us has claimed that “The printing of the wrong address is an error on the part of the editor and the publishing house (Business Today). We have already received a personal apology regarding the same. A correction will be issued in the forthcoming edition.”

It further adds, “Already, the India Today article in the issue dated 12th October 2009 clearly mentions SIBM Pune as the 4th best institute in the country as per the Business Today rankings. It is the same survey in a magazine by the same publishing house. The name SIBM Pune has been explicitly mentioned.”

Our comments: Whether this was a printing error or not shall hopefully be clarified by Business Today in the next edition. If it is a printing error, it throws up even more interesting questions. How does Business Today end up getting the names of all participating institutes correctly except that of SIBM Pune for four consecutive years? If “Symbiosis, Pune” indeed refers SIBM, Pune, then why haven’t other Symbiosis b-schools (SCMHRD Pune, SIMS Pune, SCIT Pune) been given a separate ranking? What is an MBA aspirant supposed to make of this confusion and why haven’t either of SIBM Pune or Business Today cleared the air on such an important matter?

Added on Oct 16: The new issue of Business Today does mention that “Symbiosis, Pune” is meant to be SIBM, Pune. As we mentioned earlier, this only raises more interesting questions into what seems to be ‘choreographed inaccuracy’.