IMA Insights

Calcutta was once a thriving hub of industrial activity and a national epitome of economic advancement. It boasted of some of the finest business organisations in the country, hosted a multi-cultural and global citizenry and was everything a prosperous cosmopolitan city should be.

China's recent animosity towards India does not, in some ways, seem reasonable. It is, after all, economically and militarily superior and its churlish attempts to intimidate India for small parcels of worthless land at the border hardly seem rational for a nation that clearly has larger ambitions for global domination. Some answers to this quandary are to be found in a historical understanding of India's engagement with China, dating back to the opium wars of the 19th century.

India's financial technology (FinTech) sector remains on a high growth trajectory despite the pandemic. Propelling it forward are tailwinds such as strong consumer demand, an enabling regulatory environment, rich and diverse capital flows, a strong digital infrastructure backbone, and a large and relatively affordable tech talent pool. The sector's high-velocity growth of the last five years is likely to continue over the next five as well.

Udaan Co-Founder Sujeet Kumar shared his learnings from building a successful B2B e-Commerce unicorn.

An IMA India research update on what leading companies are doing to bolster their employer brands.

IIM-Bangalore's Professor Vasanthi Srinivasan shared a perspective on the CHRO's changing role in a post-pandemic world.

Insights from two industry veterans on how companies can cope with, and eventually ride the waves of disruption.

Insights on the emerging paradigms in risk management in a post-Covid world

Economists have argued that in view of India's weak state of demand and investment, the Government should spend its way out of trouble. Pump priming would lead to higher incomes for consumers and consequently greater spending, which in turn would boost production and ultimately investment.

Insights from IMA India's FY22 Salary Increments Benchmarking Study.

Celebrities have been endorsing brands since the turn of the 20th century but over the last decade, a new class of influencers has emerged in the world of marketing. These are key opinion leaders (KOLs) who connect with consumers on a personal level and assert tremendous influence over them through the sharing of engaging and relatable content. In this podcast, Archana Jain, Founder and Managing Director of PR Pundit, who has over 30 years of experience in the field, shares insights on how to get influencer marketing right.

Based on insights from IMA's 2020 Executive and Board Remuneration Report, this paper highlights some of key trends in female representation, and in male-female pay gaps.

Insights from IMA India's 2020 Board and Executive Remuneration Report on the linkages between pay and performance at the top-management and Board level.

The remarkable story that has played out in America's stock market recently pertaining to the GameStop's scrip points to the emergence of a new category of players in the capital markets: retail millennial investors. In the last few weeks, these new ‘wolves' have given the old ‘barbarians at the gate', i.e. hedge funds, a run for their money. The attached paper explains.

Genpact Founder and Clix Capital Chairman Pramod Bhasin provided his perspective on what leadership means in the new, post-Covid world order.

Gurumoorthy Mahalingam, a Whole Time Member with SEBI, provided an inside view of what the future holds for India's corporate debt market, and for governance practices.

At a recent all-India peer group forum webinar, we asked three industry stalwarts to provide an outlook for the critically important construction and real-estate sectors.

The surprising run of the stock market has been a matter of some debate in recent months. Since the Covid-induced crash of March 2020, equity indices have more than made up their lost ground and are currently trading at unprecedented levels. Whilst it is true that an economic recovery is taking place it is by no means comprehensive or guaranteed. Several risks can still play out and it would seem that the markets have run ahead of reality. The attached paper explains why this may be so and, consequently, what could cause this to reverse. 

Key takeaways from a recent India CHRO Forum webinar on how businesses are strategising for the future of work and the workplace.

Insights from IMA India's CXO Priorities: Life after Covid report on how the crisis has caused CEOs' to reassess their personal time commitments, and their decision to delegate, hire or commit new resources in specific areas.

e-Invoicing will radically change the way tax is administered under the GST. It will bring significant benefits but will also create a host of new issues and unknowns.

There are unprecedented demands on CEO's  time, requiring high levels of physical emotional and mental energy. Do they have the right skills to cope? What gaps do they see in their skill sets and how are they addressing them? This podcast, based on IMA India's latest research report, ‘CXO Diaries: ‘Life After COVID-19‘, offers some insights.

At a recent India CHRO Forum webinar, Deep Thomas explained the many uses - and possible pitfalls - of using technology in the HR function.

At recent all-India webinars of the India CEO, CFO, CHRO and CMO Forums, we presented the main findings of the latest BCPI edition, followed by an open-house discussion among members about the state of their businesses. This podcast captures some of the main takeaways of these discussions

Hybrid work', ‘remote work' and ‘work from anywhere' are just some of the phrases that have become commonplace in the corporate lexicon since Covid-19 struck. To gauge the sustainability of the new working models and explore innovative ways to engage a remote workforce, we drew insights from several CXOs from among IMA India's peer group forms.

The BJP performed better than expected in the Bihar assembly elections, significantly improving upon its own performance and ensuring that its NDA coalition came back to power. Bihar is always a keenly-watched election because it serves as an indicator of voter sway in the Hindi heartlands. There are three important drawings to be made from the current outcome as the attached paper explains. Adit Jain shares his insights.

The podcast, based on conversations with CFOs of leading companies, highlights the accelerating pace of technology in Finance and offers insights on how smart technologies are creating impact, and the opportunity for the function to leverage the current momentum.

In this podcast, Stephanie Flanders, Senior Executive Editor, Bloomberg Economics, and Abhishek Gupta, India Economist at Bloomberg Economics, provides an assessment of the impact of Covid-19 on the global economy, global supply chains, labour markets and government finances. They also offered a perspective on the Indian economy and a forward view on what to expect in the coming months.

Conventional wisdom holds that being kind is a risk in the cut-throat corporate world where performance and productivity are prized over everything else. However, social scientists argue that exhibiting pro-social behaviour at the workplace heightens employee engagement, promotes brand loyalty and improves business performance in the long run.

Conventional wisdom holds that being kind is a risk in the cut-throat corporate world where performance and productivity are prized over everything else. However, social scientists argue that exhibiting pro-social behaviour at the workplace heightens employee engagement, promotes brand loyalty and improves business performance in the long run.

In this podcast, R Rajnarayan, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Titan Industries, Dr Prince Augustin, Executive Vice President – Group Human Capital & Leadership Development at Mahindra & Mahindra, and Rashmi Pradeep, Partner in the General Corporate Practice of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, share their diverse perspectives on critical workforce-related challenges, the impact of the new labour codes on business and what these mean for CHROs.

Hybrid work', ‘remote work' and ‘work from anywhere' are just some of the phrases that have become commonplace in the corporate lexicon since Covid-19 struck. To gauge the sustainability of the new working models and explore innovative ways to engage a remote workforce, we drew insights from several CXOs from among IMA India's peer group forms.

Illustrating his talk with a series of recent, path-breaking media campaigns, Sukesh Nayak, Ogilvy's Chief Creative Officer, spelled out what it takes to succeed in today's ‘6-feet economy.

An IMA India Research update on the key DM-related challenges facing CMOs today.

Illustrating his talk with a series of recent, path-breaking media campaigns, Sukesh Nayak, Ogilvy's Chief Creative Officer, spelled out what it takes to succeed in today's ‘6-feet economy.

This podcast, based on conversations with HR leaders across the services and manufacturing space, highlights the acceleration in the pace of technology adoption in this function, and how smart technologies are creating the most impact and the opportunity for HR to leverage the current momentum.

Suhasini Haider, Diplomatic Editor at The Hindu, highlighted India main foreign policy challenges as the world approaches the end of a traumatic year.

Suhasini Haider, Diplomatic Editor at The Hindu, highlighted India main foreign policy challenges as the world approaches the end of a traumatic year.

In this IMA India research update, we examine important labour-market trends that are visible in the EPFO's data series on EPF enrolments. These include rising formalisation, greater labour-market stability and an increase in female employment as a share of the total. Adit Jain shares his insights.

In this podcast, Anu Aga, Ex- Chairperson, Thermax India, shares her extraordinary tale of enduring a family crisis, the turnaround of Thermax, the lessons learnt, the values that define her, and the strength she found by turning inwards.

In this podcast, Anu Aga, Ex- Chairperson, Thermax India, shares her extraordinary tale of enduring a family crisis, the turnaround of Thermax, the lessons learnt, the values that define her, and the strength she found by turning inwards.

In this podcast, Anu Aga, Ex- Chairperson, Thermax India, shares her extraordinary tale of enduring a family crisis, the turnaround of Thermax, the lessons learnt, the values that define her, and the strength she found by turning inwards.

In this podcast, Anu Aga, Ex- Chairperson, Thermax India, shares her extraordinary tale of enduring a family crisis, the turnaround of Thermax, the lessons learnt, the values that define her, and the strength she found by turning inwards.

In this podcast, Manish Sabharwal, Chairman and co-founder of Teamlease Services, India's largest staffing and human capital firm, provides a perspective on the policy challenges facing India, the mechanics of the process, the obstacles and the possible way forward.

Over the weekend, Parliament passed two important bills pertaining to agriculture - the Farmer's Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotional and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmer's (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. A third Bill, The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020, has been passed by the Lower House and awaits the approval of the Upper House. Adit Jain shares his insights.

India's economy is today precariously perched. Unemployment has jumped, government revenues have collapsed, banks are saddled with bad loans, thousands of SMEs are on the verge of closure and consumer spending remains weak. A quick recovery, much less a V-shaped one, is simply not a tenable expectation at this point. If new investment in manufacturing is to be invited, it is important to appreciate the prerequisites to achieving this. There are 4 broad issues that need to be addressed through suitable policy measures. Adit Jain shares his insights.

The podcast draws insights from IMA's 2020 Digital Marketing Benchmarking Study on the evolution of digital marketing in the last five years.

The podcast draws insights from IMA's 2020 Digital Marketing Benchmarking Study on the evolution of digital marketing in the last five years.

The podcast, based on IMA's 2020 Accounts Closing Benchmarks Report, reveals interesting insights on whether companies are, in practice, outsourcing their closing work to a third-party or opting to do it in-house.

The podcast draws insights from IMA's 2020 Digital Marketing Benchmarking Study on the evolution of digital marketing in the last five years.

The podcast, based on IMA's 2020 Accounts Closing Benchmarks Report, reveals interesting insights on how companies that are leading the ‘tech-adoption' revolution in their closing processes are able to leapfrog ahead of those still relying on manual effort and spread-sheets.