The Food-Processing PLI Scheme: Progress and Challenges

Friday November 15, 2024

Category: IMA Analysis

The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme, launched in 2021-22 as part of the Make in India initiative, aims to strengthen India's manufacturing across key sectors. With an allocation of Rs 109 billion, the food processing PLI scheme leverages India’s agricultural resources to boost production, exports and reduce import dependency. It incentivises incremental revenue and capital expenditure, driving investments and capacity creation

India Brief - February 2024

Thursday February 8, 2024

Category: IMA Analysis

The political winds continue to blow in the BJP’s direction. Adding to the impetus created by the inauguration of the Ram Temple late last month, Nitish Kumar made yet another alliance switch, re-joining the NDA after a 2-year gap. This may swing Bihar firmly the BJP/NDA’s way in this year’s general elections and with the INDIA alliance fraying elsewhere, the government is confident of returning to power. This was apparent as well in the Interim Budget, which stayed far from the path of populism.

IMA India's Q4FY24 BCPI - Highlights - January 2024

Thursday January 25, 2024

Category: IMA Analysis

IMA’s quarterly Business Confidence and Performance Index (BCPI) survey tracks the business outlook of organisations across industries. Regularly conducted for over a decade, the headline BCPI index is strongly correlated with economic growth, and thus, is a good lead indicator of future GDP data releases. Over 155 CEOs and CFOs responded to the Q4 FY24 edition of the survey, run earlier this month.

India Brief - January 2024

Wednesday January 10, 2024

Category: IMA Analysis

January 2024 INDIA Political & Policy Issues to Watch The Winter Session saw much rancour but also significant legislative action Parliament’s short Winter Session was both, highly acrimonious and unusually productive. 146 opposition MPs were suspended for ‘disorderly conduct’ and one was expelled for ethical misconduct. Despite the opposition’s repeated protests and walkouts, the government managed to introduce 10 bills and pass a total of 17. These included 3 bills to replace colonial-era criminal laws and procedures; a bill repealing 65 redundant laws; one that changes the selection procedure for Election Commissioners; and a new telecommunications law that may potentially impinge on personal privacy. Outside of the legislature, the Supreme Court’s formal nod to the abrogation of Article 370 was a shot in the arm for the government and clears the way for the restoration of full statehood for Jammu & Kashmir. Ayodhya’s Ram Temple and the Interim Budget will

IMA India's Quarterly BCPI Q2FY22

Sunday December 4, 2022

Category: IMA Analysis, Industry and Business, Business Performance,

Earlier this month, we ran the Q2 FY22 round of our quarterly Business Confidence and Performance Index (BCPI) survey. Having dipped from a high of 73 in January to 60.6 in April, the index has now climbed back up to 66.6. Values above 50 imply net optimism/expansion, and those below 50 the opposite.

Shifting Leadership Imperatives

Thursday July 28, 2022

Category: Research & Insight, CEO Forum, IMA Analysis, Leadership, Industry and Business, Economy & Politics,

Leadership roles and responsibilities are being redefined as businesses grapple with technological, geopolitical and workforce-related disruptions. With no surety about when the pandemic will truly end and what future crises may emerge, CEOs are taking many steps to build leadership resilience.

The Operating Environment Assessment Paper June 2022

Thursday July 28, 2022

Category: Opinion Papers, CEO Forum, Indian economy & Politics, Policy & Governance, CFO Forum, IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Markets,

Economic growth slowed in the Jan-Mar quarter of FY22, pulled down by the Omicron wave, the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine war and last year's base effect. Although most lead indicators are currently healthy and forecasts of a normal monsoon are encouraging, the fact remains, there are clear signs of consumer demand faltering due to inflationary pressures. Interest rates will continue to move up over FY23 further impacting consumption and investment demand and growth is likely to slow to 6.5-7% from 8.7% last year.

Managing People Through Change

Tuesday July 26, 2022

Category: Research & Insight, Human Resources, CEO Forum, CHRO Forum, IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics,

Business transformation comes in many forms and has multiple drivers. The one aspect of internal transformation that matters more than any other is the ability to evolve with and empower one’s workforce. What will ultimately separate the winners from the also-rans is the ability to adapt and respond to a fast-evolving workforce.

Asia Brief - July 2021

Tuesday March 29, 2022

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, World economy,

The outlook for the next six months is dominated by the contest between COVID-19 variants and vaccination levels. The outcome will vary by country. Wealthy countries with capable bureaucracies and good vaccine supplies are better placed.

National Monetisation Pipeline - January 2022

Thursday January 6, 2022

Category: IMA Analysis

For the past two decades the government has consistently been trying to improve private participation through disinvestments and public-private partnerships. To take this a step further, the Finance Minister announced the National Monetisation Pipeline, which is expected to raise Rs 6 trillion by leasing out brownfield public-sector assets.

Farm Laws - November 2021

Tuesday November 30, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis

The Government’s decision to repeal the farm laws in the face of opposition from a small and vociferous farmer lobby denies Indian agriculture of reforms it has been crying out for since the 1990s.

EVs in India

Wednesday September 22, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Industry and Business, Sector updates,

With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently signalling a code red for humanity, there is a renewed focus on environmental sustainability. India, the world’s third-biggest greenhouse-gas emitter and home to 5 of the 10 most polluted cities, will need to tackle the issue on a war-footing.

India Inc: In Recovery Mode

Monday August 16, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Industry and Business, Business Performance,

Every three months, for over two decades, IMA has run its Business Confidence and Performance Index (BCPI) survey amongst senior managers. The headline index – a composite of expectations around the macro-economy, business performance and capex spends – is strongly correlated with the GDP data and therefore acts as a good lead indicator of growth.

Vaccination Progress

Friday August 13, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Policy & Governance,

As India prepares for a potential third wave, the pace of its vaccination drive is raising concerns. Although massive in absolute terms – the half-billion mark is fast approaching – the percentage-of-population figures are less impressive. But there is also reason for hope.

India Brief - July 2021

Monday August 9, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Indian economy & Politics,

As Covid’s second wave in India recedes, the government has made a much-needed course-correction to its vaccination policy and has announced a series of relief measures, built around credit guarantees, to help the worst-affected sectors.

Developments in FinTech

Wednesday June 2, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Industry and Business, Sector updates, Business Performance,

India’s financial technology (FinTech) sector remains on a high growth trajectory despite the pandemic. Its high-velocity growth is likely to continue in the foreseeable future but the next round of growth will be more broad-based, going beyond the ‘payments’ space which has been the dominant category so far.

C-SUITE SUCCESSION PLANNING

Thursday May 20, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Functional, Human Resources, Leadership,

The complex nature of change today demands that, rather than just identifying a handful of successors for top jobs or specific positions, businesses must build a leadership pipeline. This involves a shift from tactical replacement planning to an organisation-wide succession management (SM) system.

Employer Branding - May 2021

Wednesday May 19, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Industry and Business, Business Performance, Functional, Leadership,

Employer branding has always been an important mandate for top companies, all the more so in a post-Covid world. According to a recent LinkedIn survey, 80% of hiring managers bank on a strong employer brand to hire key talent.

India's Quarterly BCPI Q1FY22

Tuesday May 4, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Indian economy & Politics,

A few weeks ago, we ran the Q1 FY22 round of our quarterly Business Confidence and Performance Index (BCPI) survey. From a multi-year high of 73 in the January quarter, the BCPI headline index has fallen to a still-high 60.6 this quarter.

Asia Brief - April 2021

Tuesday April 20, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, World economy,

The IMF, in its bi-annual World Economic Outlook 2021, has lifted its forecast for global growth in 2021 to 6% from the 5.5% anticipated in January. The recovery is driven by two countries: the US and China. America is expected to grow by a remarkable 6.4% in 2021 (up from 5.1% forecast earlier) and China by 8.4% (up from 8.1%).

Gender Gaps in Boards - April 2021

Monday April 5, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Functional, Leadership,

IMA recently published the 2020 edition of the Executive and Board Remuneration Report. Based on an extensive database of over 16,000 individual Directors of more than 1,800 companies, the report offers an exhaustive analysis of trends in pay and governance practices, with splits by multiple segmentation parameters.

Board Pay vs Performance

Thursday March 18, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Functional, Benchmarking / Best Practices,

To what extent are Board members and top executives rewarded for their company’s performance? Conventional wisdom holds that junior and middle manager compensation is based mainly on how well they do individually or as a team. On the other hand, pay in the upper echelons is supposed to be driven more by organisational performance.

Board Independence - March 2021

Wednesday March 17, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Industry and Business, Regulation, Functional, Leadership,

Following the enactment of regulations mandating the presence of Independent Directors on company Boards, companies have made considerable efforts to recruit such individuals. While this may have started as an exercise in compliance, it has evolved into a self-motivated effort to improve the quality and authority of Boards.

Update - Directors' Compensation February 2021

Monday February 8, 2021

Category: IMA Analysis, Functional, Benchmarking / Best Practices,

Last week, we published the FY20 edition of our Executive and Board Remuneration Report, our annual analysis of Board compensation and governance. The report covered over 16,000 Directors on the Boards of more than 1800 companies.

Employment Trends - October 2020

Thursday October 15, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis

Since 2018, the EPFO (Employee Provident Fund Organisation) has begun publishing monthly data on enrolments and dropouts from its scheme. This is the first and only source of payroll data in India that is based on ‘hard’ data, not survey-based estimations.

Quandary of Conflicting Interests

Thursday June 25, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Geo-politics & National security,

The violent engagement between Indian and Chinese security forces at the Ladakh border has now crossed the levels of what can be passed off as a routine skirmish.

Perpetual Bonds

Wednesday June 10, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Policy & Governance,

Perpetual Bonds, carry no tenor and are never repaid. This one feature sets them apart from the others in more ways than may be immediately apparent. At a time like this, they can be a valuable addition to the central bank’s arsenal.

A Balance Sheet Crisis May 2020

Monday June 1, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Indian economy & Politics, World economy, Policy & Governance, Geo-politics & National security,

Any economy comprises of four actors and the strength of their balance sheets ultimately determines aggregate economic performance. However, in India’s case all four were under stress when Covid-19 hit, and the crisis has only exacerbated matters.

Environment May 2020

Monday June 1, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Indian economy & Politics, World economy, Policy & Governance,

The lockdown, while unfortunate from many perspectives, has benefited the environment in ways never seen before. Whilst the current gains may turn out to be short-lived, they do point to the urgent need to rekindle a global political dialogue on sustainability.

Border Tensions May 2020

Monday June 1, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Geo-politics & National security,

China’s recent move to station thousands of troops close to this border and, in fact, to transgress into Indian territory is therefore a worrisome development. Its aggression, and India’s response to it, will have both geo-security and economic implications

Ratings Downgrade

Monday June 1, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Indian economy & Politics, Policy & Governance,

The muted reaction of the stock market to the recent ratings downgrade announced by Moody’s suggests that the move was largely expected. India’s fiscal and growth indicators have been worsening and with the additional burden of the stimulus package, some reaction from rating agencies was perhaps only to be expected

China Supply Chain May 2020

Monday June 1, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, World economy, Industry and Business, Business Performance,

China’s rise as the world’s manufacturing centre came at the expense of hundreds of thousands of local businesses across the world that were unable to compete with the terms of trade established by the Middle Kingdom. More recently, Governments have begun efforts to decouple their economies from China.

The Life After

Saturday May 2, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis, Indian economy & Politics, World economy, Policy & Governance, Geo-politics & National security, Markets, Sector updates, Business Performance, Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Leadership,

As the nation grapples with an extended lockdown, some aspects of the future business reality are becoming clearer. Certain changes in behaviour, operations, and indeed societal perceptions are here to stay.

A Less Liberal World

Saturday May 2, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, World economy,

The Covid-19 pandemic has hastened nationalism with many countries hunkering down to protect their own, promptly discarding their own ideals of a borderless world based on economic and social cohesion.

Work Customs- April 2020

Saturday May 2, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Indian economy & Politics, World economy, Policy & Governance,

The current lockdown has abruptly ended this practice and replaced it with a virtual one. Human nature is already adapting.

Badly Shaken May 2020

Saturday May 2, 2020

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Indian economy & Politics, World economy, Policy & Governance,

The Indian economy has been badly shaken and is precariously perched on a precipice. If suitable action is not taken quickly, it may well fall over and find it hard to recover.

Diversity at the Workplace : The Current State

Thursday December 19, 2019

Category: IMA Analysis, Functional, Benchmarking / Best Practices, Human Resources,

Progressive companies know that creating a diverse environment contributes to business results. In any event, millennial employees have strong views about working for companies that are inclusive.

Swells like the Solway but Ebbs like its Tide

Monday December 16, 2019

Category: IMA Analysis, Functional, Finance, Economy & Politics, Markets,

The remarkable rise of the Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensitive Share Index from 36,000 only a few weeks ago to a record level of 41,000 has foxed analysts and economists.

Time to let go

Tuesday October 22, 2019

Category: IMA Analysis, Human Resources, Leadership,

Letting go of a high performer is a hard call to take and more so by the board of a company for its chief executive or for a top performer in a senior leadership role.

Deficit Risks

Friday October 4, 2019

Category: IMA Analysis, Policy & Governance,

Most economic indicators are measured as a percentage of GDP, which makes it possible to properly compare them across countries and over time.

Economy and Markets

Tuesday September 24, 2019

Category: IMA Analysis, Markets,

When the markets went into a tizzy following the presentation of the budget earlier in the year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman put up a brave face. She shrugged off the hullabaloo, gracefully clarifying that market movements do not disturb her calm.

Finance Function Budget July 2019

Wednesday July 24, 2019

Category: IMA Analysis, Finance,

Finance can bolster organisational performance by strengthening monitoring and forecasting, risk management and ensuring transparency and control.

The Credit Dilemma

Wednesday July 24, 2019

Category: IMA Analysis, Indian economy & Politics, Economy & Politics,

With their books now under close scrutiny, following the IL&FS default last year, NBFCs are unable to source funds and consequently to lend.

Artificial Intelligence in Brand Strategy

Monday January 21, 2019

Category: IMA Analysis, Marketing,

The tools of artificial intelligence (AI) are evolving rapidly and, in several aspects, have begun to surpass humans.

A Mixed Picture

Monday November 5, 2018

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics,

For now, world growth is strong, led by a resurgent America. However, the upward cycle may begin to turn with a host of risks starting to play out.

The Employment Conundrum.

Wednesday October 24, 2018

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics,

In recent months, there has been considerable debate over the issues of 'jobless growth’ and ‘rising unemployment' which seem to originate

Depression at Work

Wednesday October 24, 2018

Category: IMA Analysis, Human Resources,

Physical and emotional stress within the corporate workplace has become increasingly common. Although recognition of the phenomenon is growing the fact remains that employees often hesitate to report such symptoms for fear of attracting a negative stigma.

Currency Turmoil

Friday August 31, 2018

Category: IMA Analysis, Markets,

Despite reasonably good macroeconomic conditions, India’s currency has declined by over 10% since the start of 2018. The reasons for this, as we have argued in recent briefings, stem largely from global considerations

India's Middle Class

Thursday February 8, 2018

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics,

Hard to Miss the Middle Class

Federal India: A Competitive Assessment of India’s States

Monday January 1, 2018

Category: IMA Analysis

The IMA study of state-level trends in income, consumption, investment, and employment reveals significant - and business-relevant - variations across India’s regions

Uday: A Federalist Success Story

Tuesday December 19, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Sector updates,

Power distribution has been shoddily managed over the last 30 years in almost every state of the Indian Union and being a state subject there is little the central Government can do directly...

Ratings Upgrade

Thursday November 23, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Policy & Governance,

A Fair Acknowledgment

Irrational Exuberance

Tuesday October 31, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Markets,

Asset Prices

Rise of the Dragon

Monday October 2, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Geo-politics & National security,

China

Pointless Assertiveness

Wednesday August 2, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Geo-politics & National security,

China

Taxation

Sunday July 30, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Policy & Governance,

Remove the veil

The Reform Agenda: On Track?

Sunday July 23, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Policy & Governance,

Reforms

Post Retirement

Tuesday July 11, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Leadership,

For those that have worked in the corporate world, retirement can come with challenges. Many look to remain involved in a professional capacity, while others engage in travel or photography. But perhaps the nicest thing to do is to give back to the society as this provides a unique sense of fulfilment. The remarkable story of Devendra Raj Mehta illustrates this like no other.

The Road Ahead with GST

Thursday July 6, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Policy & Governance, Regulation,

The switchover to the GST on July 1 will be a crucial test for the administration. The new tax is expected to bring in substantial revenue benefits to the government, lower prices for consumers through the elimination of cascading taxes and provide a single market environment for industry.

Global Monetary Policy

Tuesday June 13, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, World economy,

Keeping it slack

State Finances

Wednesday June 7, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics,

A need for restraint

Chaos under the Heavens

Sunday May 28, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis

China's belt and road

The Banking Regulation Ordinance

Thursday May 25, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Sector updates, Policy & Governance,

A difficult journey...will finally start

CFO Forum Executive Briefings

Tuesday April 18, 2017

Category: IMA Analysis, Functional, Finance,

Cheap Oil: Here To Stay?

Wednesday October 26, 2016

Category: IMA Analysis, World economy,

Oil Prices

In Pursuit of Happiness At Work

Tuesday June 23, 2015

Category: IMA Analysis, Human Resources,

In conversation with NS Rajan, Member of the Group Executive Council and Group CHRO, Tata Sons, June 2015 at The India CHRO Forum in Mumbai

Net Neutrality

Wednesday April 15, 2015

Category: IMA Analysis, Policy & Governance,

For consumers or investment, a hard choice

The Business Confidence and Performance Survey: Q4 2015-16

Monday March 30, 2015

Category: IMA Analysis, Economy & Politics, Business Performance,

A summary of the results from IMA's January 2016 quarterly Business Confidence and Performance Index (BCPI) survey

ISIS

Monday September 22, 2014

Category: IMA Analysis, Geo-politics & National security,

Islamic State - the rising threat