Information technology companies Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services enjoy the strongest corporate reputations in India, followed by Tata Motors, Tata Steel and Hindustan Unilever, according to global consultancy firm TNS India, which conducted research for its second annual Corporate Reputation Index earlier this year.

“Corporate reputation is assuming increasing importance in today’s business, economic and social environment,” said Shubranshu Das, vice president at TNS. “As corporate behavior is increasingly under scrutiny and corporate valuations go beyond financial performance parameters, it is considered to be a measure of confidence in the organization and goes much beyond market capitalization and brand equity.”

The corporate reputation index reflects attitudes of financial community and senior and middle business managers in various industries and also includes the views of opinion leaders such as senior bureaucrats, academicians and media personalities. A total of 70 leading companies across various sectors were selected for the study.

Among the financial community, Tata Steel was the leader with a score of 94, followed by ICICI Bank, Intel, Wipro, Tata Motors and Reliance. Among business managers, Infosys took the lead with a score of 100, with TCS, HLL, Intel and Tata Power close behind. Among opinion leaders, Tata Tea was in first place, with a score of 92, followed by Infosys, SAIL, Asian Paints and Tata Motors.