“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
– Maya Angelou
Respect and reputation matter to organisations just as they are important to individuals. And these are built and acquired not just in days or months but over years. Our cover story this issue spotlights the Most Respected Companies. Respect for an organisation is based as much on having an unblemished record and having delivered a stellar performance year after year as on how they are perceived by their stakeholders and the core values they stand for.
The 2020 edition of BW Businessworld’s Most Respected Companies study by TechSci Research seeks to map how employees and self-employed individuals in India perceive organisations. The exercise measured the perception of respondents from 80-plus companies across parameters such as effective growth plan, financial return, innovative product & services, trustworthy leadership, technological innovation, corporate social responsibility, women-friendly policies and work culture. The companies were then ranked at two levels: overall and sector-wise. In this issue, we have profiled the top 20 companies thrown up by the survey.
Google India, Amazon India, Sony India, Tata Consultancy Services and HDFC Bank emerged as the leading five players based on survey. Google India for instance, topped the table by virtue of trustworthy leadership similarly, Amazon India topped on work culture. The profiles will offer up more insights.
Our second cover story maps the most innovative tech companies that are changing the face of the sectors they operate in. BW TechTors, in its second edition, zeroed in on 16 most innovative tech companies through a process of nomination and review of more than 150 nominations. The winners were picked up from a shortlist of 80 nominees. We have featured all the 16 winners in this issue along with the eight most promising companies to watch out for.
Of course, in this issue, we have an analysis of the Union Budget 2020-21 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. There are differing opinions on the merit of the announcements made and their impact across sectors. Some call it a budget that has been curated to boost spending, and therefore one that would provide a much-needed kick-start to the economy while others call it a missed opportunity. We bring to you opinions from industry experts on the impact of the budget across sectors.
Among other interesting reads in this issue is a freewheeling chat with Ashwani Lohani, Chairman and Managing Director of the Air India on issues like the proposed disinvestment of the national carrier, his leadership and what lies ahead for the airline.
In addition to all this, we have our regular columns that all of you look forward to. I do hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we did writing it.
Happy Reading!