Institute has a strong research focus on policy, managerial and operational issues. Institute has been undertaking research projects in frontier areas of concern at the industry, national and global levels, sponsored by corporate organizations, national and international bodies. Institute's strategic research units / research networks include, Commodity Information Grid, Strategic Management & Research, Marketing Management Network, People Management Network, Extension Management, R & D Management, Rural Empowerment and Development, Natural Resources Management, Network for Indian Ethos in Management and Corporate Ethics Research Network.

Research papers of the Institute broadly fall in three categories:

1. Policy and managerial issues related to specific commodity.
2. Functional area specific (Marketing, Finance, HRD, Strategic Management,
   Operations Management, Economics, Extension Management, etc)
3. Management Thought, Management Theory and Social Discourse.

The following indicates the broad areas and themes of research at the Institute.

• Global Competitiveness of the Plantation Industry
• Productivity & Quality
• Market Structure, Market Intelligence and Market Information
• Brand Building and New Product Innovation
• E-Commerce, National Commodity Information Grid
• Improving Competitiveness of Micro Enterprises
• Sustainable Plantation Management
• Estate Performance Agreement Systems
• Commodity Futures
• Extension Management and Grassroots Institution building
• Agri-business Development
• Social Development Contribution of Indian Plantation Industry
• HRD and Work Culture Development
• Social Concerns of Plantation Industry: Absenteeism, Alcoholism, etc.
• Knowledge Management in Plantation Industry
• Risk Management
• Cost Competitiveness
  
  

Institute's intellectual capital in the form of several papers is available in various edited volumes, periodicals, chronicles and leading journals of national and international repute.

Research Initiatives

The following are some of the research initiatives started at the IIPM. These research initiatives are longitudinal in nature and facilitate continuous interaction with industry. Following strategic research initiatives are based on key research areas identified by the Institute:

Commodity Information Grid: This strategic research initiative aims at facilitating the setting up of an information grid for plantation commodities. This information grid envisages collection and dissemination of Information at three levels viz. policy oriented information, corporate and estate level information and modeling oriented information. National commodity information grid would inter-connects the plantation databases related to production, technical aspects, market behaviour, man-power resources, financial performance etc.

Natural Resources Management: This research initiative aims at evolving appropriate models for better and effective sustainable use of natural resources. It also aims at the study of bio-relevance and bio-diversity conservation in the plantation zones. 'Re-engineering' the waste-lands and setting up appropriate bio-reserves on private (estate) waste-lands is a part of the natural resources management strategy. This includes efforts at conserving in situ wild relatives of plantation crops. This research initiative complements environment activities assigned to the Institute by the Ministry of Environment and Forest in the area of eco-development and aforestation.

Strategic Management and Research: This research initiative aims at studying and evolving strategic actions at the industry and corporate levels with a view to enhancing the global competitiveness of the Indian plantation sector. Case studies are used to analyze the strategic gearing capacity of economic entities.

Extension Management: This research initiative focuses on the grass-root problems and their solutions related to extension education and management in the context of Plantation technology, Grassroots institution building and Rural leadership development. It also aims at study of Indigenous Knowledge Management Systems for local solutions and universal applications. An evaluation studies are conducted to analyze the strategic-policy dimensions of schemes and projects.

Worker's Welfare and Health: This research initiative aims at studying the welfare and health issues of plantation workers. Since, a majority of workers are women, their health assumes significant importance. Accordingly, this initiative at improving the effectiveness of health delivery systems at the plantation estates.

Rural Empowerment and Development: This research initiative aims at empowerment and development issues in the plantation areas. It also studies the interventions made by co-operatives and NGO's in this respect.

Network for Indian Ethos in Management (NIEM): This research initiative aims at application, relevance and importance of Indian Ethos to the field of management. Knowledge seeking ethos of Indian Society has a particular relevance in knowledge economy. This research initiative studies such issues of relevance to management theory, including the development of Indian Management thought and the idea of 'Indian Management'.

Corporate Ethics Research Network (CERN): Corporate ethics has emerged as an important area of concern. This research initiative aims at studying the issues related to corporate ethics and corporates' social responsibilities.