Brands
Tata tops the Best Indian Brands 2014 list
MUMBAI: Omnicom Group’s Interbrand India has released the second edition of its Best Indian Brands 2014 league table, the definitive guide to the top 40 brands in India.
While unveiling the table, Interbrand global chief marketing officer Graham Hales said that with an impressive growth rate of 14 per cent across the brands within table, it can be seen that investing in brands is a good opportunity for Indian business. “Indian business may have been slow to start the process of creating really strong brands, but the opportunity is now evident and in its own right that should feed the impetus to create stronger brands,” he said.
Interbrand India managing director Ashish Mishra believes that not just Indian, but very few Asian companies have managed to build valuable international brands. “In my mind, it has to do with a prevalent business belief that brand is a cost, rather than a strategic and long-term investment. Here businesses clearly lead the brand and are not led by it, with the brand mostly relegated to being an expression tool.”
As a brand consultant in the region, he sees the need to continue to educate senior managers, about brands being an asset that requires long-term management and planning. If Indian companies begin to change their brand mindset, the opportunities are limitless.
“Indeed opportunities are a positive way of looking at the challenges. And there can’t be a stronger motivation for us than to act as a bridge of sorts in the Indian corporate world – between the two league tables we bring to the market – best Indian brands and best global brands,” adds Mishra.
Beyond resulting in a numeric value, the brand value perspective brings in an appreciation of where and how brand and business value could be created. These are the discussions Interbrand wants to create in the Indian market to create a rightful leverage for Indian Brands on the domestic as well as the global scale.
The league table is pasted below:
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Brands
33 per cent of women believe the salary scale is rigged: Naukri report
Voices @ Work study finds rising calls for equal pay audits and lingering bias
MUMBAI: Progress may be visible in India’s workplaces, but many women still feel the need to tread carefully. A new report by Naukri reveals that one in two women hesitate to disclose marriage or maternity plans during job interviews, worried that such information could influence hiring decisions.
The findings come from the second edition of Naukri’s annual Voices @ Work International Women’s Day report, titled “What Women Professionals Want.” Drawing insights from more than 50,000 women across over 50 industries, the survey sheds light on evolving workplace aspirations alongside the biases that continue to hold women back.
One of the report’s most striking insights is the growing demand for equal pay audits. The share of women calling for regular pay parity checks has climbed to 27 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent a year ago. The demand now stands alongside menstrual leave as the most sought after workplace policy.
Interestingly, the call for pay transparency grows louder higher up the income ladder. Nearly half of women earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually say equal pay audits are a priority, suggesting that pay gaps become more visible as women move up the career ladder.
At the same time, confidence and ambition appear to be rising. About 83 per cent of women say they feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, a significant jump from 66 per cent last year. Cities in southern India appear particularly supportive, with Hyderabad leading the way as 86 per cent of respondents there reported encouragement to step into leadership positions. The education sector recorded the highest sense of encouragement at 87 per cent.
Yet the report also highlights a growing trust deficit around pay equity. Nearly one in three women, or 33 per cent, say they do not believe men and women are paid equally at their workplace. That figure has risen from 25 per cent last year, pointing to widening perceptions of disparity as careers progress.
Bias in hiring and promotions continues to be the biggest hurdle. About 42 per cent of respondents say workplace bias is the main challenge for women from diverse backgrounds. The concern is consistent across major metros, with Chennai and Delhi NCR reporting similar levels.
Reluctance to discuss personal milestones during hiring processes is also widespread. While 34 per cent overall said they hesitate to share marriage or maternity plans in interviews, the anxiety increases with experience. Among professionals with 10 to 15 years of work experience, the figure rises to 40 per cent.
Info Edge group CMO Sumeet Singh, said the data reflects both progress and unfinished work. “Behind every data point in this report is a woman who is ambitious. The fact that 83 per cent feel encouraged to lead is something to celebrate. However, the fact that one in two still hide their marriage or maternity plans in interviews tells us the work is far from done. As India’s leading career platform, it felt not just important but necessary for us to shine a light on these gaps through the second edition of our report,” he said.
The report suggests that while ambition among women professionals is growing, structural changes around pay transparency, fair hiring and supportive policies will be key if workplaces hope to keep pace.
