IIFT was set up in 1963 by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, and during the past forty four years has made significant contributions towards building professional skills of management focusing on international business. Rapid strides have been made by the Institute in achieving its mission to strengthen, sustain and professionalise business knowledge through creative research and teaching and learning and by integrating with organizations, institutions and universities both within and beyond national boundaries. It is a matter of pride for all of us that the IIFT is being constantly ranked as one of the TOP TEN BUSINESS SCHOOLS of the country by different B-School Surveys in the past few years. It is in acknowledgement of these impressive achievements that IIFT was awarded the status of Deemed University in May 2002 under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956 vide Notification No. F.9-31/2001-U.3 of the Government of India and accredited as “A” Grade institution by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in May 2005

IIFT stands apart from other institutions on many counts. It is the only Institute of its kind in the country which provides Management Education with in-depth global focus. The course curriculum offered at IIFT consists of core papers like international business strategy, international marketing research, international trade operations, etc. that reflect the concepts & trends in international business. Such courses are otherwise offered as electives by other institutes. We are witnessing rapid changes in the context of increasing globalisation & multilateralism in trade. An understanding of these international developments and capacity to analyse & respond to such changes are some of the capabilities that are inculcated in the students.

We have taken a number of steps to ensure that the curriculum of different programmes is updated on a regular basis to reflect the fast-changing concepts and trends in International Business. The process includes indepth external reviews of the course structure and course details by eminent management education experts. In addition, the course details that are prepared by a faculty member are reviewed internally within the discipline groups on a regular basis before each trimester/semester. The discipline groups also invite two/three outside experts in their area and arrange micro-level external validation of the course contents. We have been inviting external faculty from the eminent management institutions within the country and outside for teaching specific courses. These strategies have helped in continuous updating of our course structures to reflect the dynamic changes in management education.

Another area we have given attention is the large number of electives that are offered to students. The number has nearly doubled in the last couple of years and this helps students to go for the specialization that they want as they have a very wide choice from which to select their electives.

The Institute has also been engaged with high caliber training organized in the form of various Management Development Programmes. These programmes are sponsored by national and international organizations. IIFT has emerged as the nodal Institute for conducting training programmes on WTO related issues for Government of India, state governments and Industry. The focus has shifted from export procedures to areas such as IT and E-commerce, Currency Values, Risk Management in Exports & Imports and Foreign Trade Policy. Similarly, IIFT has conducted a number of research studies for both national and international organizations in the government and private sectors on emerging policy issues.

As we strive for excellence in what we do, the Institute is constantly making endeavours to scale new heights by developing synergy between graduate studies, research programmes and short-term training activities. Such a holistic approach would contribute towards continuous growth of the Institute.

K.T. Chacko
Director, IIFT