Good day, Pritha Ghosh. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

Yes Sir, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity myself. Preeta Ghosh. Right now I am residing in Kolkata W Bengal. I have done my schooling in Kolkata. Then I did my B.Tech in Biotechnology from DY Patil, Pune followed by Mtech and Biotechnology in Vellore Institute of Technology in Vellore. So basically I'm an alumni of VIT Valor. And followed by that I did MBA in finance.

Alliance Business Academy in Bangalore, Karnataka Then I had come back to Kolkata and I had joined in Tech Private safety Limited. It is a manufacturing company of industrial appliances. It does both import and export and has partnerships with foreign collaborators alongside. In 2020 I started my PhD journey and recently in 2026, January 17th, I.

Had my convocation where I was awarded the professional degree. My academic experience is mostly through research journey which I had. I had to take classes as and when required for the university and that's how I got hands in experience in teaching. I always had an inspiration to become a professor someday as I enjoyed speaking on the other side from the podium.

I was very much appreciated and comfortable in giving presentations, presenting slides, preparation of slides and I was always encouraged to impart whatever knowledge or skills I have that can make a difference to the lives of people. Basically, that is my ultimate goal and I'm happy that I have started my quest and journey. For it.

Professor Ghosh, let's evaluate your skills as per the requirements for the role of Marketing Professor. I'll ask targeted questions based on your profile and the expectations of the position. Please answer in sufficient depth to showcase your expertise. Let’s begin with "Marketing Analytics." Can you explain how you would approach developing a data-driven marketing strategy for an emerging market? What metrics would you prioritize?

Uh, definitely, Sir. I think marketing analytics, uh, basically when I was doing my PhD in marketing, I understood that, uh, consumer behavior, uh, is a very complex subject because it deals with the minds of the people and human mind is very complex. So there are various techniques which can be applied to understand how to what the customer is actually wanting, what is the need gap and how the companies can fulfill that need gap.

That is how they can introduce the product in the market. Second comes, uh, product positioning. We have to narrow down the, uh, target, uh, segment, the niche, who will, whom, uh, we can deliver the products. And if a company is already in the market, then they have to constantly, uh, research and reposition themselves, learn and unlearn things. And, uh, for that there are various methods like my research was based on mixed methodology where I approached. A qualitative and quantitative methods like grounded theory, thematic analysis which helps us to.

Understand the pattern of consumption pattern of the consumers for a particular product category. What are the pros and cons? What are they looking for? What are they happy or not happy with? Then I had done structural equation and modeling with which we can find out strategies with which we can actually better the position in the of the product in the market.

After my PhD, I also done courses in business and analytics from Coursera, so I think I'll be able to apply that knowledge and skill as well when I am teaching marketing.

Yes.

Yes, Sir, I had, I, I had actually completed my PhD and the highest category were two SCI Scopus index publications and one SCI conference publications. I have exposure to around more than 10 conferences in these last five to seven years and they were mostly on consumer behavior. I really find the subject interesting. I always had an interest in psychology of. In general and to understand the pattern really fascinates and excites me.

Thank you. Thank you so much, Sir. I am a keen learner. I can actually sacrifice, you know, the little pleasures of life or any kind of social activity to get an opportunity to learn something and to produce it in a proper publication or a conference. It really, you know, engages me.

Thank you, Sir.

Thank you so much, Sir.

You're welcome, Professor Ghosh. A moment now to assess another key skill: "Services Operations Management." How would you structure and evaluate the efficiency of service delivery in a retail organization?

Yes, Sir. Uh, I understand that service industry is, uh, very crucial industry service in service industry in the retail, uh, setup is very important because they are the people who are actually, uh, catering the products to the consumers. So what I understand in service industry is that it is a very dynamic process how they react. How they are handling each customer because each customer is different.

They come in a different mode, they come in with a different requirement, they come with a different budget, they come in to buy in different situational factors. So I believe that it is a dynamic process and we need really efficient people to be able to cater to this section of retail industry.

They have to be very well equipped with knowledge about the products and services, what are the utilities and because they should be able to answer the questions spontaneously.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, Sir.

Now let's assess your "Teaching theory and laboratory courses." Could you outline your approach to balancing theoretical instruction with practical application in a marketing course?

Yeah. So because so I have industrial experience so be able to manufacturing business. So we had to produce a product and then we it is very important that the product gets sold in the market. So when I am on the other side as well where I can understand that you know what are the consumers though it was AB2B business to business. You know products, but we can understand what is the requirement of the market.

So based on that, based on my applications, I would like to teach, I would like to teach employing on the latest business news. If I get access to, I will get access to, I will research it and imply the latest news which is going on in the business. Because when I was doing my MBA, that approach was used, you know, and I used to find it engaging and interesting rather than just. Telling them the this is the theory, this is the concept.

If I am able to give them, you know, examples like, for example, uh, like in, back in, I'm at 12:14 2012, 14 batch in MBA. I used to have those subjects were, uh, conducted with regular applications of what, which was the, you know, the latest and the hottest topics in the market of the business world. Like, for example, a nano was introduced during that time or a Cafe coffee day. How did it actually come up, you know, in Bangalore like that? So daily applications, I think will be interesting.

When I am teaching a colorful presentations, not just you know, black and white, which is, you know, they get bored. I think because as a student I would get really bored. So if I have some, some nice colors or animations, then you know, if required, YouTube videos are there, which actually sometimes explains the topic. The time and again playing them, asking questions so that they are alert and not lost in their thoughts, which usually happens with students. I think that will be my teaching approach.

Giving them assignments to see, uh, you know, that, uh, you know, they are doing their work and uh, uh, they are like, uh, next day asking them a couple of questions here and there, uh, you know, of the previous day's work so that they stay updated and not like, you know, mugging up things just the day before the exam.

That could be my teaching approach, laboratory approach. I have a good knowledge, I am skilled in NIIT with Microsoft, you know, Excel and Word.

So I, I, I was also into, I also equip myself with Tally software from NIIT. I've done all the three levels because that was a requisite when I joined job of that particular company. So as and when required, I will also be able to conduct a laboratories. And if there is any area where I'm not aware of, I'm ready to just, I'm a quick learner. I will be able to learn it and see that the students can apply it. I think this could be my.

String approach As a student, I used to enjoy this kind of a teaching experience. I would like to give it back the same to this society if I ever get a chance in any university and if yours then it would be like a dream come true.

Thank you so much.

Yes.

Umm.

Take your time, Professor.

I think I'm losing you. Please could you repeat the question?

I think case studies I have done in FDP program. I did a lot of FDP programs during my research, so I would be always ready to do it in the university I pursued PhD as well as in other universities. If my university gave me a chance to go there, case studies would be, I think, interesting. And in case studies we can actually apply concepts. When I'm introducing the topic to the students, I will, since I have a science background, I really believe.

Certainly, Professor. How would you design your assessment methods to measure both a student’s understanding of theoretical concepts and their ability to apply those concepts in practical situations?

And definitions, terms and concepts, those are very important. So first they must know what it is and then they should be able to relate it to the real world. Basic is the conceptual, you know, background. That should be strong. Foundation should always be strong. Evaluation is mostly I will keep it simple as possible, yet that will be able to test their knowledge because I have also prepared questionnaires during my teaching stint, during my PhD, I would. Prepare MCQS and.

Long answer questions. So MCQS would be not like something, you know, which is very difficult and they're not able to answer at all, not like that which tests the basic knowledge of the students. And like, it would give me a lot of satisfaction if they can answer it and not like if I'm giving a very difficult question and they're not able to answer it. So yes.

Yes.

Next, let’s address "Guiding student projects and research." How would you mentor students in selecting and developing research topics in marketing?

Right, research topics. When I was doing research and as I told you, I do frequent conferences, I have to pick up research papers, research topics on my own, like the very recent one, the recent conference I did was on, you know, the strategic use of equated monthly installments, Emis by Gen. Z and Millenniums. I had got this topic when I was watching the news in the news. You know nowadays how the news channel.

With a lot of drama. So they are it got my attention when I was just browsing the net. Also in social gatherings I've seen that this is a common topic so I thought why not approach it and do a study on that. So yes, research topics I do mostly on the current topics, the latest topics, the latest concerns of the economy. I think that is my approach to research and research when I'm guiding students I would like to guide them the way I was guided because.

I was not told that you know you read the whole paper and then because that will be a difficult research paper, difficult for them to understand. To begin with. They should start with high quality research papers, not like easy Indian, Indian journals. You know of not a proper index to read good papers, read the abstract, read the introduction, read the conclusion and then slowly start understanding the method. I think nowadays YouTube explains all methods I have myself.

Learned structural equation modeling, uh, during the pandemic. So, uh, I have learned it myself. I had applied it myself and I had got the results, you know, and nowadays we have access to free softwares like this conference when I was attending the last one I saw, for example, bibliometric analysis was a current topic because I am doing the, after I had finished research, like I was convocated in January, but I finished the research in 2023.

The criteria were over and then I did 2 conferences after that. But then I thought that after there's a two years gap between my research and you know what are the current topic is. So yes, what is the current methods they're using? They should be equipped with the latest softwares. When I had started SPSS, you know are they were there but now there are different methods. So the latest research is all about being updated.

Thank you so much.

Your emphasis on contemporary, relevant topics and guiding students toward quality resources showcases a thoughtful mentorship approach.

Yes.

How do you ensure your communication style and teaching structure keep students engaged and motivated throughout the course?

Where for me as a student, whenever I'm teaching, I think myself as a student there.

For me, I am actually, I speak, you know, I speak less, but I speak to the point I think that is very important for engaging. Like if the topic is A and I spent most of my time talking about B, you know, here and there it they lose track.

From the very beginning, if I'm talking about A and then give breaks with B topic to, you know, just divert and then bring them back again to AI think that keep it simple, keep it understandable, keep it short, keep it precise, not keep it very abstract that they don't understand anything and then they have to go searching on libraries for the books. What is there in the chapter.

Actually come for the exams, not like in the examination, I'm giving the, you know, Z question and I kept discussing A in class. Not like that, to be honest. My approach is always honesty when I was doing it in in the industry also. So teaching should also be that there's nothing to trick students that, you know, I'm going to discuss #2. But I will give in the exam #1.

This read it properly and just make them understand the crucial topics which will.

No, I don't believe in that kind of a teaching.

Your focus on clarity, relevance, and honesty reflects a student-centered teaching philosophy aimed at fostering trust and engagement. Let’s move on.

Sorry Sir, I lost you I think.

Yes.

Let’s evaluate your "PhD in a relevant specialization." Can you briefly explain how your doctoral research contributes to the field of marketing?

OK, So, uh, uh, when I saw otherwise, as I told you, the time when Indian finance, uh, I have done, you know, very reputed University of Calcutta. And when I went there, uh, they panel which was comprised of all the senior, most members of the university, they suggested me that research should always be for marketing. You know, that means it interesting with surveys and, you know, the understanding.

Within the market, I trusted them. I went for it. My topic at that time was to understand the competitive scenario between the private and the national brands of men's apparel.

I use mixed methodology where there was qualitative and quantitative. I collaborated with many professors who came with their own expertise. So I believe I'm a team player when it comes to research. I can selflessly also contribute to research and I'm not very worried about.

So the credit like as long as I understand what the paper was about, I get an exposure and it gets published in a reputed publication, I'm happy.

But that does not mean that, you know, like I will be like if you have the main contributor, like, you know, just ignored. But definitely credit is not my main motor to learn is my main motive in qualitative methods, as I told you I was.

Exposed to thematic analysis, grounded theory in conferences. I have, you know, presented on SWOT matrix, Tao's SWOT analysis and Taos matrix. There were different methods in quantitative which my paper right now I believe is nearly 5 impact factor in general of marketing analytics. There I did a mix of methods like positioning of the brands, but I started with multidimensional perceptual mapping followed by decision tree analysis.

Offset theory and multilayer perceptron theory. I have done 2 papers that was just one paper and in another 2 papers I have done structural equational modeling where I try to understand the positive organization behavior of the same retail employees post COVID. That was very interesting. That got again published in an HCI journal.

This is what my research is journey was.

And.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yes, Sir, actually I was, I I used to actually select the journals before my uh, guys used to select when I started off, then I understood how it is selected.

Let’s now discuss "Research publications in reputed journals." Beyond what you've shared, can you provide further insight into how you select journals and ensure your research meets their standards?

We have to, uh, understand the theme of the journal. You know, if the theme is like, uh, for a particular there, there are different journals have different themes. If we are trying to communicate the paper in a wrong themed paper, which does not sync with the topic, it will never get published no matter how hard we try. So that theme is very important. We have to understand the impact factor. We have to be practical to understand the standard of the paper. Now, if I'm going on trying for.

910 impact factor for people which is you know of which deserves a one or two impact factor, then it will never get published. It will just be waste of time because there is no luck or by chance in publications. If it is there, it is there. There is no other way out. So I think that is how I used to choose my journals like I used to keep on browsing through the journals in a year or two when I used to do my review of literature. I get an idea that, you know, these publications or whichever 2-3 papers I choose is the main references with the help of which I would write the paper. Uh, I would uh, get an idea that this similar kind of journal is able to.

Publish the paper and again we have list of journals. You know, I was a member of a British Council where I had a platinum membership. I was exposed to Proquest also for American Council, we have GSD or I had a membership there. I could do it online as well.

From my workplace or home or in the library. So from there also we can understand which journals will be suitable for the paper.

Yes.

Thank you.

Your methodical approach to journal selection and adherence to their standards reflects a thorough understanding of academic publishing. Let’s proceed.

Next, let's assess "Experience in industry projects or consultancy." Can you share an example of an industry project or consultancy work you’ve undertaken and its impact?

Yes, so, uh, uh, like, uh, very recent one, I can remember, uh, during the COVID, you know, when manufacturing companies were coming down, since we have of industrial appliances and safety equipments, I had we were producing masks in 99 masks N 9599. We supplied to the government as well. And then we, I had given the suggestion that, you know, one day I had I used to wear these colorful cloth masks.

Like it's very nice where you got it from. He would always ask, you know, if he likes because he's very brand sensitive and into interest in apparels. Then I told him I said we can also try it. So because they are cheap and they can be used by, you know, common people.

So if we're at that time very popular among women and I had a fetish for them because it would sync with my dress and I was there. So one day we had a meeting, board meeting, and my CEO has a very beautiful mask.

And other workers, because you know, when you're giving it to the government, it's mostly the ministers and all who use it in 99 because they are flying frequently and they needed more. They could go for international trips and domestic trips. But what about the workers? They also need protection. Sometimes they're just given that, you know, that light blue colour mask which was there, which was like after some time it would tear you or there for cloth Mark, they can wash it and they can, you know.

Reuse it for a fixed number of times and that had taken off very well. It was done and it made quite a good business. That's what I can remember right now.

That was a recent one.

Yes.

Professor, to begin, could you describe an undergraduate marketing course that you particularly enjoy teaching? Specifically, what aspect of the course do you find most engaging when working with students?

I really find it engaging when I am teaching business subjects or brands. I really find that very interesting because as a person it interests me. Business and branding and you know, brand management or marketing management, strategic marketing. Strategic marketing was a subject I really excelled in because. That. Subject I had actually read it.

Only on the day before the exam. I just read it once the book and when I went for the examination, there were no questions from that book. It was all practical and I had scored a 90 plus and that subject. So strategy and marketing.

I would like a really interest me.

Thank you, Professor. It's clear that strategic marketing resonates deeply with you, not just as an academic subject but as a practical intersection of business and branding. Your ability to connect with the subject on such a profound level, even under challenging circumstances, is intriguing. Let’s proceed.

Professor Ghosh, I see you have a Ph.D. in Management with notable expertise in areas like strategic business planning, financial analysis, and market positioning. Let's discuss your academic research and its practical application in teaching. Could you describe one of your key research projects or publications during your Ph.D.? How do you incorporate the findings into your teaching methodology?

Yes, Sir. I'll start with my first paper ever. That was, as I had just mentioned sometime back, positioning of a brand in a market where we had done a perceptual map. I think that is a very good technique for students, you know where we're positioning the brands in the market in the four quadrants and then try to make them understand like in others. 2 accesses we had to define through SPSS software and we had to.

You know, get the dimension, the latent dimension based on which the consumers are actually buying that particular product, which two attributes and they relate the most with. For my research it was reputation and availability of sizes. So I think for then they were for the national and private brands were put and then we saw that the most prominent one was Raymond followed closely by Alan Soli. So what we understand Raymond is.

Brand and Alan Soli is a private brand, but it is so well good in reputation and availability of sizes that they can go at par in the market and can be strong competitors for each other. So that is one very strong example the students can understand. Then followed by rough set theory. In rough set theory we narrow down, we narrow down the study and find that one particular attribute that actually catches the attention of the consumers.