ASIAN JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT RESEARCH
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Research Article

ISSN 2229 – 3795

Employer branding: A new strategic dimension of Indian corporations
Suman Kumar Dawn, Suparna Biswas
Asst. Professor, West Bengal Universit y of Technology, Ko lkota skd_hooghly@yahoo.co.in ABSTRACT
Emplo yer branding is defined as a targeted long­term strategy to manage awareness and perceptions o f emplo yees, potential emplo yees and related stakeho lders wit h regards to a particular firm (Sullivian, 2004). This includes direct and indirect experiences of dealing wit h the firm. Like actual product branding, organizat ions have started to invest emplo yer branding as emplo yees are the internal customers of the firm. The emplo yer brand builds an image confirming the organizat ion as a good place to work. Today, an effect ive emplo yer brand is essent ial for compet it ive advantage. Wit h the liberalizat ion of the Indian econo my in 1991 and subsequent economic reforms, Indian co mpanies are becoming internat ionally strategic to utilize the emplo yer brand to attract and retain talent which leads to expand and growth of the business.
This paper gives some concept on emplo yer branding and also to examine how India n organizat ions with a posit ive corporate reputation can attract and retain emplo yees. It also focusses to explain the importance, applicabilit y, outcome and creat ing an effect ive emplo yer branding strategy o f Indian companies.
Key words: Emplo yer branding, Branding, Indian corporation,
1. Introduction and significance of employer branding in modern businesses
Branding was originally used to different iate tangible products, but over the years it has been applied to different iating people, places and firms (Peters, 1999). According to Aaker (1991), established brand is regarded as a crit ical means for different iat ing between products and creating compet it ive advantage for organizat ions. Similarly, emplo yer branding has beco me a new approach for gaining an edge in the compet it ive world. It refers to the process of ident ifying and creat ing a company brand message, applying tradit ional market ing principles to achieving the status of emplo yer of cho ice (Sutherland et al., 2002). According to Barrow and Mosle y
(2005), emplo yer branding is used not only to transfer the message of the personalit y of a company as an emplo yer of cho ice, but it also has been used to adapt the tools and techniques usually used to motivate and engage emplo yees. Like a consumer brand, it is an emotiona l relat ionship between an emplo yer and emplo yee.
Ambler and Barrow (1996) have defined emplo yer branding as the development and communicat ion o f an organizat ion's culture as an emplo yer in the marketplace. It is the package of funct ional, econo mic and psycho logical benefit s provided by emplo yment, and ident ified wit h the emplo ying co mpany. It conveys the "value proposit ion" ­ the totalit y of the organisat ion’s

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culture, systems, attitudes, and emplo yee relat ionship alo ng with encouraging your people to embrace and share goals for success, productivit y, and satisfact ion both on personal and professio nal levels. Emplo yer branding is a dist inguishing and relevant opportunit y for a company to different iate itself fro m the competit ion creating its branded factors as its USP for emplo yee satisfact ion and happiness result ing in retention, productivit y and effic iency.According to Sullivan (2004), emplo yer branding is a long­term strategy to manage the awareness and perceptions o f emplo yees, potential emplo yees, and related stakeholders with regards to a particular firm. The emplo yer brand puts forth an image showing the organizat ion as a good place to work. This means invo lving emplo yees at all levels in the development of the brand so that it accurately reflects both the realit ies and aspirat ions of the business and its workforce In recent years and also in the globalised economies, the world has witnessed the dramatic entrance and success of Indian corporations in the glo bal marketplace. Wit h the continued influx o f mult inat ional corporations in India—as well as Indian corporations expanding beyo nd their own borders—the opportunities for India to contribute to the world economy have significant ly increased, with the likelihood of favorable outcomes for “Brand India” in the domest ic and internat ional markets. Thus, as India, Inc. forges forward to make a wider mark in the world, the emplo yer brand as a strategic HR tool will take on greater importance in Indian organizat ions— in how it is developed, communicated, marketed and ult imately. Big companies of India are using to solidify their brand to tap the tremendous growth potential that diverse markets represent. In product market ing, consumers make purchase decisio ns based on their brand perceptions and expectations of the brand experience. Similarly, for enhancing the brand image of these co mpanies, emplo yer branding not only would enhance and so lidify corporate reputation for fairness, inclusion and opportunit y for all, but also encourage more motivations and productivit ies in the work. Emplo yer branding closely relies on marketing concepts for highlighting the posit ioning of a company as an emplo yer. The ‘customer’ here is the
‘emplo yee/potential emplo yee’, while the aim remains the same: attracting new customers while retaining the current ones. Also, just like a consumer brand, the emplo yer brand highlights the emotional and rational benefit s that the emplo yer provides to the emplo yees.
2. Literature Review
There are a plethora of theories about market ing and branding, and a large number of literatures discussing corporate image and corporate reputation, however, there are only a few theories available concerning emplo yer branding, especially the linkage between emplo yer brand and consumer market ing co mmunicat ion methods. A brand was defined as a name, term, sign, symbo l or design, or combinat ion o f them which is intended to ident ify the goods and services o f one seller or group of sellers and to different iate them from those of compet itors (Gardner &
Levy, 1995). Clark (1987) on the other hand, offered another definit io n relat ing brands wit h values, i.e. brand is values that provide the important link between consumers and marketers, while Kapferer (1992) approaches brands under a ho list ic view. He claimed that a brand is not a mere product. It is a product's essence and often brands are examined through their co mponent parts like brand name, logo, design or packaging etc.
According to Keller (1993) brand equit y elevated the importance of brand in market ing communicat ion strategy and is o ften used to persuade customers to buy a product or service.
However, in recent years, especially in today’s compet it ive market, emplo yer branding is used to recruit and retain good emplo yees from a diverse work force. Most companies tend to promote
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factors that make their firm a good place to work and also offering a bright and cheerful o ffice space, an ethos of collaboration and teamwork, flexible working hours, crèche facilit ies, or even an excellent canteen. Levering (1996) has opined that a good workplace is believed to produce higher qualit y products, support more innovat ion, have the abilit y to attract more talented people, and experience less resistance to change and lower turnover costs, all o f which translate direct ly into a better bottom line. According to Sutherland, Torricelli, & Karg (2002), in organization’s skilled emplo yees are hard to attract and difficult to retain and it has beco me crit ical to business success. The emplo yer branding is used for corporate ident it y and reputation which communicates its image to current and potential emplo yees. Luthans and Peterson (2002) have found emplo yees who are engaged in their organizat ion with sat isfact ion demonstrate good performance and achieve success. This helps the corporate managers to be more effect ive and successful, which in turn increases the manager’s self e fficacy. Research has shown that self e fficacy is posit ively linked to work performance, in that individuals wit h higher self e fficacy are more likely to be proactive in init iat ing work, and show sustained effort and determinat ion in their pursuit to achieve the task, even when problems occur.According to
Robert & Dowling (2002), superior performing firms have a greater chance o f sustaining superior performance over time if they also possess relat ively good reputations. It is consistent with the growing body of strategy research that links high­qualit y intangible assets with sustained superior performance. Co llins and Stevens (2002) have also stated that early recruitment and advertising may have beneficial effects on increasing the quant it y and qualit y o f applicants. Fulmer, Gerhart and Scott (2003) have analyzed emplo yer branding policies on top
100 US companies. They found that emplo yer branding policies were associated with not only stable and highly posit ive workforce attitudes but also had effect on organizat ion’s performance.
Turban and Cable (2003) have argued that firms higher in corporate social performance (CSP) have more posit ive reputations and are more attractive emplo yers to emplo yees than firms lower in CSP. Such results suggest that potential applicants are aware of firms’ CSP and that those with more posit ive ratings may have compet it ive advantages because they attract more potential applicants than firms. Levinson (2007) also suggests that emplo yees who are happy in their work are more likely to stay in that organization, and found that work engagement is significantly related to organizat ional co mmit ment.
3. Conceptual & theoretical foundation of employer branding
Emplo yer branding is the process to communicate an organizat ion's culture as an emplo yer in the marketplace. An emplo yer brand is the sum o f all the characterist ics and dist inguishable features that prospective candidates and current emplo yees perceive about an organization’s emplo yment experience. The emplo yment experience serves as the foundat ion of the emplo yer brand and includes tangible features such as salary, rewards and benefit s, but also extends to intangibles such as an organization’s culture, values, management style and opportunit ies for emplo yee learning, development and recognition (Newell & Dopson, 1996; Hendry & Jenkins, 1997).
Figure 1, which is described below gives an idea about emplo yer branding and its determinants.
In establishing emplo yer branding, organizat ional ident it y co mes when there is a co mmo n ownership o f an organizat ional philosophy which is manifested in a dist inct corporate culture. It helps organizat ions to enhance emplo yer brand ident it y. An organizat ion’s image refers to how the potential and exist ing emplo yee receives and perceives the emplo yer brand. Organizationa l culture is an idea in the field o f organizat ional studies and management which describes the psycho logy, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) of an
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organizat ion. Emplo yer image is a co mposite psycho logical impressio n that continually changes with the firm's circumstances like performance, pronouncements, etc. It is the emplo yees’ perception of the firm. Emplo yer brand lo yalt y serves to define what the organisation would most like to be associated with as an emplo yer; highlight the attributes that different iate the organisat ion from other emplo yers; and clarify the emplo yment deal (balancing the value that emplo yees are expected to contribute with the value fro m emplo yment that they can expect in return). These leads the emplo yers to attract the emplo yees and it would also enhance the productivit y o f the emplo yees.

Figure 1: Emplo yer branding and its determinants
According to Ccorporate Leadership Council (1999), a firm’s emplo yment brand is ult imately based on its actual emplo yment offers and its abilit y to deliver on its promises. Like a product brand, the emplo yer brand has mult iple components, each contribute to strength of the brand with current and potential emplo yees. The emplo yer brand and its co mponents are shown below in figure 2 & 3.There are five components that make a good emplo yer brand. The first component is product brand strength. A product has added values which meets certain psycho logical needs of the consumers. These added values are elicited that the brand is of higher qualit y or more desirable than similar products fro m co mpet itors. This is also applicable o n emplo yer branding. The second component is the co mpany culture and environment. This includes the values that the company stands for, work rituals and systems in place and examples set by the top leadership.
The third component is work life balance. There is no point wasting time and money attracting people towards something the co mpany cannot deliver. The fourth component is work environment. . If the people at the top do not show their commit ment through the required actions and behaviors, the emplo yer branding process will not be successful. The fift h is the compensat ions and beliefs, which is the job offer made to an emplo yee. This is made up of the financial co mpensat ion, job role and responsibilit ies, designat ion, work environment and career development plan.

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Figure 2: The Contribut ion of the Product Brand to the Emplo yment Brand (Source: Corporate
Leadership Council, 1999)

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Figure 3: The Components of the Emplo yer Brand
(Source: Corporate Leadership Council, 1999)
4. A Strategic Model Developed on Employer Branding
In developing product branding strategy, a lot of factors are invo lved. They are i) nature of business, ii) nature of market, iii) target reception, iv) budget flexibilit y, v) long term missio n of the organizat ion, and vi) organizat ional structure. Similarly in emplo yer branding, the organisat ions are fo llowing to develop their brands. Every organisat ion has an external brand and

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an internal brand. The external brand is the image that an organizat ion projects to the customers, suppliers, investors, and the public. The internal brand is the image of the emplo yers to the emplo yees. When properly planned and executed, an emplo yer branding init iat ive can generate lively dialogue between an emplo yer and its employees, build a rationale for a 'mutual working arrangement', and establish co mpelling reasons to commit to the arrangement (see Figure 4).

Figure 4: Emplo yer Branding Model

4.1 External Branding
External branding refers to branding which is done by using external sources and which may (or may not) require so me invest ment in mo netary or other forms.
· Use of job sites – As HR the first thing which comes to the mind is recruit ment, so Job sites also offer good branding opportunit ies through different means like Pop ups, pop ins etc.
· Banners – Banners are also a good mean for branding. Banners can be of both types’ means Online Banner and Street banners. By Online banner, the organizat ion name will be flashed on different web pages as per your choice and price.
· Organizing seminar, presentation­ The organizat ion can organize talks, presentations, seminars etc. for attracting people towards your organizat ion.
· Corporate social responsibilit y (CSR)­ Corporate social responsibilit y refers to corporate getting associated with societ y for some noble cause. The associat ion can be in any mode eit her getting associated with a Charitable Trust or a NGO or some other public venture.

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· Public events – Public events are one of the major ways of creat ing a brand image. An organizat ion can participate in any o f the public event and assuring that it does not get disappeared in the crowd of many brands or big names.
· Newspapers­ Branding can be done through newspapers as well. If you target the local public, you can go for advertisements considering the individual day circulat ion, target readers, rapport of newspaper, type of newspaper etc. If you target only to emplo y people for your workforce requirement, you can place job Ads which may seem expensive at the first glance but in terms of attracting the correct workforce, it can do magic. · Email – For mail ids related to job portals, the organizat ion can create an auto reply which can contain brief descript ion of the key aspects of candidate’s and public interest and at the same time introducing that company to the public.
4.2 Internal Branding
Internal Branding is concerned with the current and potential emplo yees’ information about the emplo yment experience and what is expected of them.
· Front office – Always pay attention to your front office because first impressio n is last impression. It should be kept neat and clean with a pleasant receptionist who always maintains freshness and welco mes the guests with courtesy.
· Stays interview – HR department can always conduct stay interviews in which they can interact with the emplo yee and ask them regarding their career prospects, there alignment with the company, there feedback regarding their concerned departments, etc. These feedbacks could be analyzed and therefore an internal brand image of the country can be created.
· Exit interview – An exit always carries a fair chance of init iat ing the chain react ion among the emplo yees. By analyzing the exit ing reasons, the organizat ion can overco me the just ified ones in the future.
· Emplo yee sat isfact ion: Emplo yee sat isfact ion is always very important for any organizat ion to grow. A satisfied emplo yee is a productive emplo yee. The company must create a good and positive rapport for the company in the market outside.
· Policy informat ion: A polic y should be designed in such a way that it holds good even after a long period of time. A frequent internal policy change sends a message to the outer world that the company is not consistent and reliable.
· Customer orientation: Customers are always the most important factors in business activit ies. The workforce should always be motivated towards delivery o f customers’ perceived requirements
· Emplo yee participation: Always try to ensure the maximum part icipat ion fro m the emplo yee side, either in terms of internal events participation or external events.

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· Trained emplo yees: The organizat ion should impart proper training of emplo yees before they are engaged in work. The training should be in all the aspects like policies, visio n, missio n and act ivit ies o f the organization. This will pro ject a good picture of organizat ion on the new emplo yee.
5. Employer branding on Indian companies
Emplo yer–emplo yee relat ionships have undergone a paradigm shift over the past few decades.
The war for talent has meant companies are jostling for space in an increasingly crowded job market where skill is at a premium. A successful emplo yer branding strategy can have a far reaching impact in increasing the number and qualit y of applicants. Wit h co mpanies like Infosys,
TCS, Tata Steel , CEAT figuring prominent ly in establishing their brand as a best place for working and also attracting the best talents across the world , one can safely surmise that wooing talent is the new battle to be fought. This can happen only when there is a perception that their workplace is attractive. Infosys and the co mpanies seek to do this by a strong learning culture and leadership development strategy, where each emplo yee has a career roadmap to follow.
5.1 Employer brand: Infosys
At a time when organizat ions are debat ing the strategic importance of their human resources,
Infosys recognizes that the key role of its human assets can sustain and increase its compet it iveness. With changing emplo yee demographics in the world, it has beco me essent ial to source talent where it is cost­effect ive and deploys it where it creates the maximum value. To achieve this object ive, Infosys has developed an innovat ive workforce –management strategy – the Global Talent Program. This is the largest sustained effort by any co mpany to recruit fro m campuses outside of India and develop the skills of a global workforce through training assignments in India. After training, the trained personnel are deplo yed by Infosys in their ho me countries. Increased profitabilit y, reduced cost, increased market share, improved customer service, higher stock value, increased productivit y and higher retention rates led to the winning the Optimas Award in the GLOBAL outlook category for 2007.In addit ion to this, Infosys keeps its emplo yees engaged and enthusiastic in the demanding 24*7 work environment necessary to serve it s global clientele. To meet the global challenges and also to reduce attrition rate, Infosys introduced a wide variet y of programs that provides the best aspects of universit ies but with professio nalis m that a workplace required. These programs have helped stem attrition, which is well below the industry average and have made Infosys a top emplo yer of cho ice. Business today and its knowledge partner Mercer Human Resource Consult ing rated Infosys the Best Company to Work for In India” in 2006, based on a methodology built on four quadrants of HR metrics , emplo yee sat isfact ion, perceptions o f key stakeho lders, and HR processes and po licies. ( Source
:http://www.infosys.co m/HCM/white­papers/Documents/managing­talent­flat­world.pdf)
5.2 Employer brand: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
The work environment at TCS is built around the belief of growth beyond boundaries. Some of the crit ical elements that define the work culture of TCS are global exposure, cross­domain experience, and work­life balance. Each of these elements goes much deeper than what it ostensibly conveys.

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5.2.1 TCS Value proposition
The TCS emplo yer brand posit ioning builds on its strengths and it communicates that TCS as an organizat ion that offers its emplo yees a complete Global IT Career by highlight ing the three main value proposit ions:
(a) Global exposure­Global exposure at TCS extends beyo nd geographical boundaries.
This means working on world­class pro jects on a global scale and exploring cutting­ edge techno logies, fresh out of the world renowned research labs. The opportunit y to understand, interact, and work with people fro m cultures all over the world creates kaleidoscopic avenues for learning that propel the emplo yees to be at par the best in the world. (b) Freedo m to work ­TCS has established an environment that focuses on individua l aptitude, talent, and interests. As a proven practice, the company promotes the emplo yees cross­domain experience. It provides the emplo yees with opportunit ies to funct ion across different industry verticals, service practices, and funct ional do mains as well as varied techno logy platforms.
(c) Work life balance­TCS has introduced many programs as per the needs and aspirat ions of our emplo yees while retaining fun as a key element. The company understands the need o f an increased flexibilit y in order to navigate the different spheres of life.
(Source: http://www.careers.tcs.com/CareersDesign/Jsps/WorkingatTCSValue.jsp)
5.3 Employer brand: Tata Steel
India’s oldest and most respected corporate brand ‘TATA’ at present stands 65th in the world brand valuat ion league as per Brand Finance Global 500 March 2010 report. A series o f internat ional acquis it ions and 65 percent of group’s revenues drawn from outside India has helped the 140 year old group to achieve a major international reach today. Tata has many different markets and many different types of customers. However, customer’s images o f Tata brand are remarkably similar. Indian consumers see Tata brand as trustworthy, safe, reliable and provider for value for money. The co mpany has always developed a reputation as an excit ing place to work in. The emplo yer brand is much move tightly focused and allows everyo ne, fro m top execut ives to staff to workers to feel that they are working in a comfortable environment where growth and development always exist. The Tata Steel group believes that people are its key assets and value creat ion for the company depends principally on their professio nal and personal wellbeing. Adhering to the adage “successful individuals create a successful team”,
Tata Steel has always given priorit y to the people, encouraging them to take init iatives and look beyo nd the obvious. The organisat ion provides a fertile ground for the personal and individua l growth of each member in its large and mult icultural family.For these init iatives, Asia's Best
Emplo yer Brand Awards 2010 conferred the tit le 'CEO wit h HR Orientation' on HM Nerurkar, managing director, Tata Steel, at a recent ceremony held at Suntec, Singapore. Addit ionally, the
'HR Leadership Award' was also conferred on Radhakrishnan Nair, chief human resource officer
(CHRO). (Source : http://www.tata.com/article.aspx?art id=60QZ4Ku1XAc=)

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5.4 Employer Brand: CEAT Tyres
CEAT Tyres, the flagship company o f RPG Enterprises, was established in 1958. Today, CEAT is one of India's leading tyre manufacturers and has a strong presence in both domest ic & internat ional markets. The company emerges as one of the best emplo yer brand amo ngst the
Indian tyre companies. Awarded by the Emplo yer Branding Inst itute ­ Australia, the company bagged seven awards from the western region for its different HR practices. CEAT, the only tyre company fro m the western region received awards in 2009 in the fo llowing seven categories:
Best HR strategy in line with business , (ii) Talent management (iii) Innovat ive retention strategy, (iv) Continuous of HR Strategy at work, (v) Innovat ion in career development , (vi)
Excellence in training, (vii) Excellence in HR through techno logy The co mpany has told in a t press release on 28 h December 2009 that this award recognizes CEAT's contemporary and forward looking people practices. Its own innovat ive HR practices reflect the ethos and values of our company where CEAT transforms the best workplace in the country(Source: http://consumer.admanya.com/pressrelease/ceat_emerges_as_the_best_emplo yer_among_the_in dian_t yr).
5.5 Conclusion
Today, an effect ive emplo yer brand is essent ial fo r gaining co mpet it ive advantage. Increasingly,
Indian corporations are beco ming intentionally strategic to utilise the emplo yer brand to attract and retain talent for the expansio n and growth. The increasing focus on co mpetit ive advantage is leading many Indian firms to rethink their emplo yer brands. A powerful emplo yer brand has the capacit y to attract and retain talent and represent qualit y to its customers, with the goal of gaining global recognit io n in a sustainable manner. The right kind of emplo yer branding has also plent y of advantages as it provides a personalit y to the company and helps structure recruitment.
It pulls in the right kind of candidates and spells out the company’s expectations fro m them right at the beginning. Most importantly, it ensures that the best emplo yees stay on longer, thus allowing the company to carry on its operations smoothly. Ult imately, the key to a successfu l emplo yer brand is to ensure that expectations are fully aligned with the realit ies of working for the organization.
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Bibliographical Notes:
Suman Kumar Dawn is an Assistant Professor in Centre for Management Studies JIS College of
Engineering under West Bengal Universit y of Techno logy. He has completed and obtained the degrees in MSc (Mathemat ics) fro m IIT Kharagpur, MBA (Market ing) and PhD fro m the
Universit y o f Burdwan. The areas of interest of Dr. Dawn are Market ing, Marketing Research,
Advert ising and Sales Promotion, Strategic Management, Quantitative Techniques and
Operations Research. He has accumulated 11 years o f teaching and 7 years of industry experience. He has published many research papers in referred nat ional and internationa l journals and attended several internat ional and nat ional conferences and seminars.
Suparna Biswas is an Assistant Professor in Centre for Management Studies JIS College of
Engineering under West Bengal Universit y o f Techno logy. She has completed and obtained the degrees in M.A ( Economics ) from Kalyani Universit y and MBA (HR) from West Benga l
Universit y of Techno logy.. The areas of interest of Prof. Biswas are OB, Organisat iona l
Development, Business Economics, Industrial relations etc. She has accumulated 2 years o f teaching and 4 years o f industry experience.

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