R. A. Podar College is one of the pioneering HEI which has a fully functional research centre since 1965. The college became a recognized centre for guiding Ph.D. students as early as 1965. Late Principal G. P. Palekar headed the Ph.D. programme for almost a decade and guided many students to complete their Ph.D. After the sad demise of Principal G. P. Palekar, the Ph.D. division became non-functional, lacking suitable guidance. The tradition of continuing the research activity was revived in the year 2009 by Principal Dr. (Mrs.) Shobana Vasudevan (recognized teacher guide). The college is committed and involved in nurturing a research culture among its faculty and students. Most of the teachers are actively engaged in research while enriching the learning experience of the students. The college is a recognized research centre with three Ph.D research centres in the subject of Banking and Finance, Accountancy and Commerce.

To inculcate the spirit of research and enquiry, the college Research, Development and Consultancy Cell organises lecture series on various research and research methodology topics. Some of the topics on which lectures have been arranged include Citation Analysis, Introduction to Endnote Software, research publication process, proposal writing for MRP and literature review.

The College has three PhD programmes:

1. PhD in Commerce (Banking and Finance)

2. PhD in Commerce (Accountancy)

3. PhD in Commerce (Business Policy and Administration)

Recognised Research Guides at R.A. Podar College of Commerce and Economics

PhD Programmes	Research Guide
Banking and Finance	Dr. Mrs. Shobana Vasudevan
Accountancy	Prof. CA. Pradeep D. Kamthekar
Business Policy and Administration	Prof. Vinita Pimpale Prof. Tejashree Patankar

Details of Ph.D. students registered per PhD Guide (till 2023-24):

Name of the PhD Guide	Research Centre	Name of the Scholar	Ph.D. scholar’s Title of the Thesis	Degree Awarded on
Dr. Shobana Vasudevan	Banking and Finance	Sanchita Roy	A study of the information needs for the investment decision making process of the mutual fund investors of Greater Mumbai.	7.9.2013
		Vinda Paralkar	Financial Derivatives as a Technique of Hedging and its Adequacy in controlling Market Risk in Banking Sector in India	27.4.2017
		Vijayalakshmi Gaikwad	Analysis of self-help groups as a catalyst in the regional development with special reference to Mumbai region	17.3.2022
		Aparna Abhijit Ghaisas	A study of Social Banking initiatives in India with special reference to Public Sector Banks in Pune region	29.2.2016
		Sarita Bele (SRF Candidate)	Developing and sustaining Municipal Bond Market in India Issues and options	Synopsis submitted awaiting to submit thesis
		Anuradha Ganesh	Behavioural pattern of the working women in the Investment decision making process in the Indian households with specific reference to Mumbai Metropolitan Region	7.5.2019
		Pritam Kar	Environmental, Social and Governance(ESG) disclosures as a catalyst for enhancing Foreign Direct Investment: Analysis of select manufacturing-based sectors in India	Ongoing
Prof. Pradeep D. Kamthekar	ACCOUNTANCY	Zakira Riyaz Matwankar	Financial Analysis of Pharmaceutical Firms in India with Special Reference to Capital Structure Theories	Ongoing
		Rucha Prajakt Khavanekar	Comparative study of effect of Working Capital Structure on the profitability of Steel Companies (Small and Medium) in India	06/05/2023
		Mangesh Madhukar Nigudkar	Financial Structure Analysis and its impact on Profitability : A study of passenger cars and Tyres Industry in India	18/11/2023
		Dalal Radhika. N	A study of Liquidity and Stability of Cotton Textile companies in India and their Impact on Profitability	Ongoing
Prof. Vinita Pimpale	Business Policy and Administration	Manju Singhania	A Study of Application based Taxi Services and its impact on passenger satisfaction in Mumbai metropolitan Region	7.1.2020
		Arpita Baijal (JRF Candidate)	An Evaluative Study of Internet based payment Policies in Emerging E-Commerce Market in India	6.5.2019
		Kanchana Sattur	Assessing Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction using servqual model for department stores and convenience stores – A study with respect to Mumbai Region	7.10.2019
		Sayali Yadav	A Study on Changing Consumption patterns among Women Consumers in Mumbai with Special reference to Ready to-Cook Food Products	15.3.2019
		Vinayak Parshuram Karande	Sales Promotion Measures and Consumer Buying Behaviour in Quick Service Restaurant in Mumbai	26.10.2021
		Divya Venkatraman	‘Impact Investing’ in the Indian Financial services sector: Trends, challenges and opportunities- An Analysis	Ongoing
		Aparna Kambli	Women Buying behavior towards branded and non- branded gold jewellery : An analysis with reference to Raigad district	Ongoing
		Tejasvi Pawar	Emerging Digital Environment in International Trade with respect to Documentation and Procedure- A study of Issues, Challenges and Opportunities	Ongoing
		Karishma Khadiwala	Health- Tech applications as a Catalyst for transformation of Health Care Sector: An analysis from the User’s perspective in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR)	Ongoing
		Priyal Keni	Social entrepreneurship and sports as an opportunity for social inclusion and change	Ongoing
		Nikita Tanksali	Artificial Intelligence Enabled Technology for Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Textile Industry	Ongoing
Prof. Tejashree Patankar	Business Policy and Administration	Shweta Soman Dhamapurkar	A Study on Factors influencing the buying behaviour towards Generic medicines	Ongoing
		Krutika Pradeep Kumar Solanki	A study on perception of students regarding national Education Policy (NEP) 2020	Ongoing
		Deepti Mahendra Kamble	A study on Entrepreneurial Development under the scheme of Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme about Ratnagiri District	Ongoing
		Pooja Rajendrakumar Goswami	A study about viewer behavior among Indian youth towards subscription-based video-on-demand platforms in the entertainment sector	Ongoing
		Kushalraj Sonigda	In process

Eligibility Criteria for admission to PhD Programme:
Admission to the Ph.D. degree programme is done through the PhD Entrance Exam (PET), conducted by the University of Mumbai.
Students who have passed NET/SET/ M.Phil./JRF Examination in the relevant subject are exempted from the Entrance Test.

Admission process for Ph.D. programme:
Admission to the Ph.D. degree course is opened once in a year as per the vacancies available. Notice for admission to the PhD programme is displayed on the college website. A student seeking admission to Ph.D. programme shall apply on a prescribed form available in the College Office. The application form, duly filled in by the student and with a passport-size photo affixed on it along with photocopies of the documents listed below, must be sent to the Registrar of the College.

Migration Certificate (No objection certificate from the University last attended)
Passing/Degree certificate of the last qualifying degree examination
Mark-list of the last qualifying degree examination
Documentary proof for date of birth
Research Proposal
No objection certificate from the employer (if employed)

Only those students who have passed the entrance test or who are exempted from entrance test shall appear for an interview which is organized by the Research Centre of the College. At the time of interview, doctoral candidates are expected to discuss their research interest/ area.

After selection, the students shall prepare the Research Proposal in consultation with his/her proposed guide. The title of the Ph.D. thesis suggested should be such that no work of similar nature has been done or is being done. Research Proposal shall consist of:

o Topic of research
o Objectives of proposed research and methodology to be adopted
o Nature of the data to be collected; Proposed method of analysis and interpretation
o Expected contribution to the knowledge of the subject
o A detailed bibliography of the literature on the topic of research

The Research Advisory Committee shall examine the research proposal and approve the same and if modification required, shall ask for the required changes to be done. After the final approval from the College Research Advisory Committee, the student is required to submit 10 copies of the research proposal along with the relevant documents for title approval to the University.

Note:
1. Students are requested to note that their application will not be considered for admission if the above certificates are not enclosed with their application.

2. While granting admission to students to Ph.D. Programme, the College pays due attention to the State Reservation Policy.

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