They say research is formalized curiosity...we at VHTBS believe it's an ideational craftsmanship!

The 5-days long FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM on 'Insights to Write a Good Research Paper' conducted by Vatel Hotel and Tourism Business School, Sushant University envisioned to throw light on nitty-gritties involved in pursuing scholarly endeavours on similar lines.

From variety of research methodologies to numerous data interpretation techniques and ideal academic writing styles, the program resolutely catered to the endless questions that traditionally crop up inside the head of an avid researcher. This was further facilitated by not just a series of engaging demonstrations but also by intriguing Q&A sessions conducted by respective expert speakers.

Furthermore, these sessions underscored the importance of conducting consistent research during the changing times and highlighted the idea that along with the power and the passion of knowledge creation comes enormous responsibility and caution.

Overall, the event marked an exceptional convergence of novelty and a true jubilation of creation!

Use of computers and relying on the whole array of programmes which are advantageous and useful in almost all domains of life has, in the modern days, become an inseparable activity, from which we can never ever afford to separate ourselves. Be it a formal Degree course, a training or a mere instruction in the field of information technology, everybody gets some inputs regarding the use of computers and, in whatever way possible, somehow get along in producing official documents, reports, drafts, diagrams, communications and different papers.

It was for the benefit of those grappling with such situations while at work that a weeklong faculty development programme on the use of WORD AND EXCEL was organised, by Vatel Hotel & Tourism Business School, the resource person of which was Ms. Anjali Khurana from the academic department. The first three days were dedicated to MS-WORD, during which several programmes, applications and the ideal ways to copy data, texts, pictures, producing links, bookmarks, drawing tables and formatting were given. To a person using his or her computer regularly and not knowing the ways to enhance the quality of communication, these inputs proved to be very helpful and handy.

The next two days were dedicated to MS EXCEL in which the application of various formulae while making tables were explained, along with the techniques of filtering data and information to suit the users. It came up thus that Excel emerged to be a powerful tool of communication that everybody using computers must, must know.

“This FDP was very interactive and helpful as I came to know about the possibility of using so many programmes that I was totally unaware of. I am sure these inputs will help me in designing my communications better and, I will get to save a lot of time by using short-cuts on the computer keys” said one of the happy and enlightened participants, Ms. Chandana Paul.

Considering the fact that the basic principles of ethics can help us lead a more fulfilling life whether on a personal or professional level, the Vatel hotel & Tourism Business School (VHTBS) in order to highlight this truth, organised a 5-day, twin-session faculty development programme called ETHICS AND THE FUTURE OF WORK. However much our commitment to act in accordance with ethical principles of life may be in place, it is often challenged because of pressures, limitations and the temptation to do otherwise.

Peer pressure can make it more difficult for young people to act in a proper manner when conflicting interests exist. Workplace pressures may cause us to react in a way that is inconsistent with our own values. Pressure from a superior may at times threaten our commitment to do the right thing.

Ethics is a system of principles that helps us tell the right from the wrong and good from bad. Ethics can give real and practical guidance to our lives. Ethical values (i.e. honesty, trustworthiness, responsibility) help guide us along a pathway to deal more effectively with ethical dilemmas by eliminating those behaviors that do not conform to our sense of right and wrong – our best rational interests – without sacrificing others.

The faculty Development Programme was conducted by the resources available within the Sushant University and the topics touched upon were as follows:
• Is ethics a mirage or a reality?
• Corporate governance in leadership and ethics
• Ethics code of conduct
• Influence of ethical decision making
• Causes of ethical dilemmas
• Role of ethics and integrity in a positive work environment
• POSH at workplace
• Combating gender stereotypes
• Ethics, mental health and work-life balance

Due attention was paid to the outcome by the participants and it came about that ethics is all about the choices we make, consciously and sub-consciously. We constantly face choices that affect the quality of our lives. We are aware that the choices that we make have consequences, both for ourselves and others. We are aware of the responsibility we have for our actions.

Ethics is about character -- the sum of qualities that defines a person. These qualities include a person’s intellect, thoughts, ideas, motives, intentions, temperament, judgment, behavior, imagination, perception, emotions, loves, and hates. In virtue ethics, character is all about what a well-intentioned person with good character would do. Character counts, as the saying goes, and it is the sum of who we are. What we stand for.

The code of conduct at work, the inter-personal relationships, especially with regard to sexual harassment, the gender equality and what the society usually ‘stereotypes’ as certain actions belonging to the male gender and a few to the female genders was discussed in great detail.

“The theme of Ethics chosen for the FDP was very relevant, especially in these days when there is a lot of pressure on students, teachers, professionals, businessmen and even the housewives as instances of dilemmas as to what is good and just and what is wrong and unjust were discussed at great lengths” said Ms. Chandana Paul who coordinated the 5-day FDP. Certificates of participation were awarded to all participants and to the resource persons.

WE are all living in an era where we see that our reliance on digital technology is gradually transforming into a near or a complete dependence on it. The use of computer-based and mobile phone based applications are increasing day by day and, apart from easing our systems and procedures, they are proving to be of tremendous help as they are readily available, easy to apply and to analyze, examine, study and evaluate any information that one may want to process and in the way in which one may desire.

The academic world has been a forerunner and its use of technology in the teaching process has increased, especially after the pandemic. The 5-day faculty development programme conducted by the Vatel Hotel & Tourism Business School, Sushant University Gurgaon, from July 18 to 22, 2022, in collaboration with several internal and external resource persons impressed upon the term Phygital, thereby encompassing the physical and the digital aspects of learning within and outside the classrooms.

Subjects like the Phygital learning benefits, which induce increased student interest and end classroom monotony, increase autonomy and ownership of learning leading eventually to enhanced learning outcomes were deliberated upon. Such flexible, digital classrooms are more suitable for self and continuous learning and promote innovation, upskilling and the curiosity to learn.

Mr. Joseph, while elaborating upon the people who could benefit from it said all who wanted to go in for regular studies, continuing education and also the frontline learners who were interested in capacity building could immensely benefit from it. Besides, the underprivileged and the women learners who had constratints of time and movement were the ones who could draw a lot of advantage from such learning systems as they are accessible, flexible, scalable and communicate quality content with a standardized delivery. Such programmes can prove to be a boon for the employed people who wish to continue their studies.

Analyses and comparisons were drawn between the way the physical and the digital instructions progress with their synchronous and asynchronous aspects of pedagogy. Mr. Joseph, in his discussion about making Phygital happen, said that the facilitator adaptation, competency building and to call on support for students was one of the most necessary steps. There is a need to create competency based modular courses and a multilingual LMS. Be that as it may, there are are also a few challenges of a digital divide and there are students lacking the necessary infrastruture and gadgets. Ther is also a fear of the traditional curriculum being adjusted in the phygital mode.

Mr Abhishek Antil, the I-T head of Sushant university, Gurgaon, being a software engineer, took stock of the present situation and envisioned the future of the things to come in the field of virtual pedagogy, which would have flexible classrooms with various combinations, gamification, all leading to self-paced adaptive learning plans. This would entail preparation of advanced subjects, soft skills, and competitive exams in the classrooms without intervention or dependence on any external resource. This would not have the necessity of hiring teachers or subject-matter experts and will get national and international collaborators at no additional costs.

Abhishek Sir then elaborated upon the various icons and symbols readily available on the email screens of which we tend not have much knowledge or have never felt the necessity to use them, irrespective of their being highly useful in organizing, planning and in further developing the quality of the course delivery. He said the blended learning was an amalgamation of face-to-face teaching and digital learning and this is exactly what is going to be the new norm in the near future. He also elaborated upon the several tools which are being provided by Google, which are totally free and might come in handy while conducting researches and deep studies.

Chef Sunil Kumar, academic coordinator, Vatel Hotel & Tourism Business School in his presentation on the dynamics of Power Point Presentations demonstrated the various possibilities available for choosing the background, the font, the size, animation and video clips while doing a power-point presentation. The subject-matter that one desires to communicate becomes more emphatic and forceful when presented to the audience in an analytical and a logical style.

Dr. (Chef) Saurav Chhabra in his presentation who blended the Phygital learning with the importance of Bloom’s Taxonomy. The title of his presentation was Preparing an Effective Course Learning Outcome as per the new era with the help of Bloom’s Taxonomy. He demonstrated the various stages of learning that a student goes through, which can be broadly categorized as Low Order Thinking and a High Order Thinking levels. He said the programme outcome cannot be achieved by one single module and that the programmes should be specific, measurable and concise.

Giving a brief background about the American educational psychologist who created his Taxonomy initially way back in 1956 and then further refined it over a few years, Chef Saurav said that all efforts should be made by the teachers and the professors must categorize the thinking and intelligence level of students to ensure that they move more towards the analytical, creative thinking, rather than working upon the knowledge of the basic hard facts.

Outcome based education is the need of the hour where each set of education is set around goals and the emphasis is laid on a clearly articulated area of what the students must necessarily know. This replaces the time-bound curriculum of traditional learning. the significance of the outcome-based education was greatly elaborated upon and leads to the achievement of higher order learning, thereby not limiting itself to an exercise of credit collection. Students must strive towards excellence and move up the ladder and achieve mastery on critical thinking. The cognitive, affective and the psychomotor domains of Bloom’s taxonomy were discussed in detail.

Elaborating further upon the High Order Thinking, which entails transformation of facts and ideas, he said that this transformation happens when students merge these two and arrive at some conclusions or interpretations. All outcomes of learning should be observable and reflect applicability. The measurability can give students alternative methods of demonstrating their learning in case one method does not work and the applicability will lead to improving the standards of working and of living

The higer order thinking questions are usually exploratory, relational and diagnostic and are of generalising and summarizing nature. In the examinations the purpose of getting the correct facts or the relevant information from the students will depend upon the way the questions are framed. The questions starting with the Describe right to the level of Justify is the voyage towards a more mature and an analytical mind.

Dr. Sudipto Sarkar, in his talk deliberated upon the ‘Low Tech Approach Towards Learning’ in which he discussed the limitations that the limitations of online learning which, besides reducing the direct interaction between the student and the teacher, also reduced the opportunities of hands-on learning. he further went on to say that many practical and vocational subjects cannot be learnt virtually and, therefore, he stressed upon the fact that the situation of blended learning should be introduced. He also spoke about the A to Z teaching methods

Dr. Atul Kumar Aggarwal of School of Business, Sushant University spoke about the ideals of conducting case studies and began with the psychological perspective and the peculiarities between the case writer and an article writer in which, he said that whereas the purpose of the article writer is to tell others, the case writer creates for the others. The article writer writes a complete story, whereas the case writer lays out information to entice others to actions, analyses and reflections.

The purpose as to why a particular case is being written needs to be identified and the case writer must put down his own ‘personal’ facts and findings rather than borrowing other peoples’ expressions and data. Cases can be produced in text, videos and put on podcasts and can be industry based, company based or can deal with the functional areas of management. The process of case-writing entails a system as follows:

Dr. Surabhi Goel , while elaborating upon the Indian higher education system compared the present mode with the ancient education, and discussed the ways in which it has progressed during the pre-independence and the post-independence periods. Deliberating further upon the guidelines ordained by the University Grants Commission (UGC), the National Assessment Accreditation Council, (NAAC), the National Board of Accreditation, (NBA) and the National Institute of Ranking Framework (NIRF) she clarified that all these regulatory bodies have specific functions which work within defined parameters. The Internal Quality Assurance Cells, (IQAC) are established by the organisations within their operational framework and keep evaluating the various systems and procedures with regard to their conformation to the regulatory bodies.

The IQAC was required for to establish clear education policies, create greater transparency, promote practical knowledge, enhance inter-departmental coordination leading to a better institutional function.

Besides this she spoke about the Government programmes like Deeksharambh, an induction programme for students, Jeevankaushal, imparting life skills to students, Gurudakshta – faculty development

Dr. Anjali Sehrawat, assistant professor, in her deliberation about the subject Quality Assessment Tools in Education spoke about assessment being a systematic basis for making inferences for the learning and development of students, in which, she said the assessment tool is a technique or a method of evaluating information and the methods must differ, based on context and purpose.

Citing about the advantages of assessment, she said that there were two types of assessments, namely formative and summative, which play a very important role in the learning-teaching process.

Dr. Latika Duhan of Sushant University contributed significantly in the area of Quality Assurance in Higher Education. She began by citing the saying of Dr. ban Ki Moon, the former secretary-general of United Nations who said “Education must

fully assume its central role in helping people to forge more just, peaceful and tolerant societies.” This implied an equitable and a standard education for all.

She said that quality education lays the groundwork for social fairness. It allows residents to participate as much as possible in their communities’ social and economic growth. The important pillars of education, she said, are the curriculum, the academic infrastructure, pedagogy and assessment. The Internal Quality Assurance cell (IQAC) is a body that can be created within any organisation, whether commercial or educational which keeps stock of the adherence to standards prescribed by the regulatory bodies.

Accreditation, she said, is a widely used method in quality assurance and is an evaluation of whether an institution or a programme meets a threshold standard and qualifies for a certain status.

Dr. Arati Vaish dealt with the subject of web security, the risks involved and the methods used to mitigate these risks. The subject of Why Web Security was elaborated upon by her, in which she said the prime purpose was to websites, servers and the web applications from cyber-attacks and unauthorized accesses.

Dr. Indu Prabha of the Center of Soft Skills, Sushant University, who gave the last presentation of the FDP, spoke, besides touching upon the various other subjects,

about Emotional Intelligence and elaborated upon how its proper implementation could help build confidence and increase proximity between the students and the instructors. She gave useful tips on self-management, relationship management which are the main ingredients helpful in enhancing the success of the student-teacher relationship.

Understanding a student’s situation and appreciating his or her point of view is the real sense involved in teaching with empathy and responding to learner expectations and having them share their expectations. Creating a situation where making a direct eye contact with the students and addressing them by their proper names was a step taken towards reducing the gaps between teachers and students. Adaptability of the subjects being taught and deploying one’s strengths are the two very important ingredients of successful pedagogy.

The 5-day webinar ended with a small self-assessment exercise on the two dimensions of emotional intelligence given by Dr. Prabha, followed by a vote of thanks proposed by Mr. Kulmohan Singh.

The Art of Review of Literature

Exactly the way in which a student is concerned about the evaluation of his* examination, especially the one for which he burnt the midnight oil, a research scholar is anxious and, at times, worried about the review of his research, which, unless subjected to an honest assessment, would not acquire any importance, neither gain any significance whatsoever. In both the cases, a neutral critique of their works, analyzing the things which go in favor or the ones that go against is absolutely necessary.

*This pronoun used in this article represents both the genders - masculine and feminine.

The Vatel Hotel and Tourism Business School, in collaboration with the Library resources of Sushant University conducted a unique one-day offline Faculty Development Programme on THE ART OF REVIEW OF LITERATURE on Saturday, February 20, 2021, in which, Dr. DNS Kumar, the vice chancellor of Sushant University, who has been an avid, enthusiastic and indeed a profound researcher, held in his previous portfolio the position of director research and professor of finance at the Christ University Bangalore.      

Dr. Kumar started his discourse by delving upon the tremendous significance that literature review has, which does not know any end. Citing live examples of how the basic subject matter and outlook of a researcher might undergo a change over the certain period of time, he eulogized upon the subtlety of mind which, with the progress of time, adapts itself to the environmental changes leading to a ‘modernity’ in traditions.

“The need is to map the scope of research, which, in the true sense is unfathomable and should never be diluted neither be conducted in silos. A relevant study of the allied departments whether directly or indirectly connected with the principle matter of the subject, should be conducted upon in order to highlight the cross-functional issues, leading eventually to a holistic, all-inclusive and a well-integrated research.” 

Researchers and scientists in India and all over the world tabulate numerous facts and draw their own inferences and conclusions which have to be understood and capitalized upon as this would render their work elements of depth and profundity, which are the basic essentials of a comprehensive study.

Dr. Shailendra Kumar, professor and head, DLIS Delhi University as the second resource for the Faculty Development Programme, said that every research starts with a field survey, leading to indexing and abstracting journals. “Though quoting and referencing may be allowed to some extent, but in my opinion, the best way to create a work of literature or a research paper is by way of expressing your views, and, in your own language. Piracy and stealing of work from the other authors though might prove to be the easier ways of being prophetic about a work but the existence of a variety of high powered software to detect plagiarism should be borne in mind.” He said the relevancy in time and space should be respected as these stand to be the foremost elements considered by the evaluating teams.

He spoke about the Open Access data and the variety of digital contents freely available to people at large as the E Journals, E Books, the Google service for Academics, the National Digital Library of India, the open online learning tools and research data thus collected should be qualitative and informative. “Research is the search for new knowledge and it is thus distinct from the routine application of known results. The Re in the word Research is a misnomer for, when you perform research, your goal should be to add to human knowledge by discovering, inventing or creating what was previously unknown” he said while quoting a great author. Writing a research paper is a logical and highly thought about process In which the selection of a topic and the location of material and information lead to the evaluation of information after which the writing process begins while citing the resources.

“Thinking is a very important part of any research and when one thinks continuously, something relevant and useful is definitely bound to come up.” He says in his opinion, the smaller the list of references given in a research paper the more value it would gain as then the research content has the scope of containing more of the views expressed by the researcher himself, in his own language. A clear view and a demarcation of what one is producing, whether it is a research article or merely a review article should be considered.

The use of correct, grammatically authenticated language in a research paper is of a paramount importance.

The communication of our thoughts by means of language, whether spoken or written, like every other object of mental exertion, constitutes a peculiar art, which, like other arts, cannot be acquired in any perfection but by long-continued practice. Some, indeed, there are, more highly gifted than others with a facility of expression, and are naturally endowed with the power of eloquence; but to none is it at all times an easy process to embody, in exact and appropriate language, the various trains of ideas that are passing through the mind, or to depict in their true colors and proportions, the diversified and nicer shades of feeling which accompany them. To those who are unpracticed in the art of composition, these difficulties present themselves in their most formidable aspect. 

However distinct may be our views, however vivid our conceptions, or however fervent be our emotions, we cannot but be often conscious that the phraseology we have at our command is inadequate to do them justice. We seek in vain the words we need, and strive ineffectually to devise forms of expression which shall faithfully portray our thoughts and sentiments. The appropriate terms, notwithstanding our utmost efforts, cannot be conjured up at will. They come not when we call; and we are driven to the employment of a set of words and phrases either too general or too limited, too strong or too feeble, which suit not the occasion, which hit not the mark we aim at; and the result of our prolonged exertion is a style at once labored and obscure, vapid and redundant, or vitiated by the still graver faults of affectation or ambiguity. 

The stronger the control over a language, the better will it be read, heard and accepted, he said. 

Dr. Neeraj Chaurasia, deputy librarian at the Central Library, IIT Delhi was the third presenter of the FDP who gave a presentation about a whole universe of information available in the soft form over the net, in which the publicly available data can be used for research work, amongst which the biggest being the National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. “Every information you are looking for is available on the net; all that one needs to do is to be aware of the relevant tools and their location and one would definitely hit upon a site that will satisfactorily answer all that a researcher is in need of. The data sources range from academic, finance, medical, health, crime, environment, business and all that one can think about.” The Directory of Open Access Journals, the Electronics Journals library, the Indian open journals, plus the ones introduced by the Government of India like Swayam, Swayamprabha, added with the World E-Book Library, South Asia Archives, Virtual Labs creates a whole treasure and an unfathomable repository of data and knwledge. Be that as it may, one has to organize the research material well before writing the concept structuring.

Dr Chaurasia was very articulate about sites like Mendeley, Zotero, Ideal Rover, Scrivener, Filemaker Pro, Omeka, Bookends, Evernote, sage Research, Citation Machine, Cross-Ref, Ref and Write, Annotate and several other citation databases which can be used to conduct all research.

He was equally eloquent about plagiarism. The English word “Plagiarism” has been derived from the Latin word “Plagiare” means  “to kidnap or to abduct”.

To plagiarize means stealing and passing off the ideas or words of another as one’s own. It is a literary theft and can be taken as fraud because it contains both elements i.e., stealing someone else’s work and lying about it afterwards.

The incorporation of someone else’s work into our own work, with or without their consent and presenting it as our own without full acknowledgement is termed as “PLAGIARISM”. It may be intentional or unintentional. It is one of the most severe violation of the Academic writing.

The copying of another’s ideas without giving credit to the actual owner of the idea is said to be plagiarism. Plagiarism in normal sense considered as unethical issue but not a CRIME.

“It is therefore essential to use the sites I mentioned as ‘tools of help’ only to draw ideas, the expression and the communication of which must be done, however, in your own words.”

The Faculty Development Programme was consummated by Chef Saurav Chhabra giving the vote of thanks and the participants being awarded certificates of participation. A group photograph of all the participants and the resource persons was taken as a token of reminiscence for all.

REPORT ON FDP – ACADEMIC AUDIT

An IQAC Initiative 

On Thursday, 11^th march 2021, FDP on Academic Audit was organized at Sushant University to facilitate the learning just before the Audit Cycle scheduled to commence from April 19 onwards.

The FDP was conducted with an objective to ascertain bottlenecks and areas of improvement in the existing academic and administrative system & to assess the efficiency & effectiveness of administrative functions being performed by schools through audit of policies, documents and standard practices thus suggesting ways to improve quality through practicing good practices & continuous improvement procedures.

The same was conducted by the Chairperson of IQAAC, Prof. Dr. Garima Parkash and was attended by the deans of the respective school with the IQAT Teams, Program Directors & Coordinators of the school.

Dr. DNS Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Sushant University in his opening session explained the importance & need for conducting an Academic Audit. In his session he has given an overview of the academic audit process and briefed that every year IQAAC will conduct academic audits during the months of April and November.

Dr. Kumar reiterated the fact that this audit is to introspect the academic and administrative functions of the university, propose suggestions based on areas of improvement and monitor the implementation and adherence of the same & The Committee has the responsibility to collect and assess the following information, processes and outcomes.

Dr. Garima Parkash in her session explained the process of conduct of an Audit, the SOP’s and roles and responsibilities of Auditors, Deans of Schools and members involved in the process. Dr. Parkash also have shared the timelines for the academic audit and a copy of the audit card with the member details were circulated to the attendees in hard copy as well.

A detailed description of all Criteria’s, their respective activities and their weightages was presented and explained by Dr. Parkash & the marks obtained in the audit scorecard will reflect in the audit grade sheet based on which the academic performance of the school will be ascertained.

Next in the Agenda was a session by Dr. Latika Duhan on geo tagging of pictures for University/School events (Both Academic & Non Academic Events), which is also a requirement by the auditing bodies and agencies and is a proof of the conduct of an event.

The FDP was concluded with a Q & A Sessions wherein Deans, Program Directors & members of the faculty have raised their concerns and doubts. The Pictures, Attendance sheet and feedback forms are being collected and filed for audit purpose.

An initiative of VHTBS for non teaching staff of Sushant University under Kaushal Sashaktikaran Prashikshan for staff who have the will (Kaushal) and need to be given opportunities of further empowering themselves with skills (Sashaktikaran) need to be given training inputs (Prakshikshan).

VHTBS, Sushant University, On Tuesday, January 07, 2020, organized a training programme for the attendants of its various schools and gave them inputs about how to conduct themselves with regard to dealing with the visitors, other departments and with the own. Through live demonstration by Food & beverage expert participants have gained the knowledge of basic skills related to guest handling and service of basic meals to guest and in the second session VHTBS has showcased the importance of workplace ethics and shared some tips to maintain the quality standard at workplace The programme was moderated by Ms. Anshu Rawal and Mr. Saif Anjum of the Vatel Hotel and Tourism Business School.

This is an eye-opener and we will do our best to apply today’s learning in our departments and even at home” said one of the attendants. The participants were duly awarded certificates for the same.

Efficient & Effective writing of Research Papers for Web of science & Scopus Indexed Journal

Research is a personal activity

Everybody conducts, personally or professionally, some research or the other all the time. Be it for buying a car, a laptop, a house, a pair of jeans, a new tennis racket, for following a course at a university, for a job and even to get into a matrimonial relationship.

Research is therefore inherent in all human beings and that is what makes us different from the other living species in the universe. Research is therefore not foreign to us – it has now become commonplace to use a search engine or explore the internet for further and a deeper information on any subject right from personal issues such as the likely effects of a drug to extremely complex issues like robotics or the space…

A research paper, like a personal essay, incites you to choose a topic in which you have a personal interest and is backed by one’s will to invest several hours thinking about it. It requires you to develop and refine your ideas in the process of gathering an array of relevant information, reading and analyzing the sources critically and making the applicable notes.

General inter-personal communication in the modern world lacks the ideal blend and balance of a content and its delivery. People being communicated to, as far as they get to come to terms with the basic gist of the content, appear to be satisfied with what they hear or read, and the communicators get away by conveying things in their own personal way.

The biggest apprehension of the author of a research paper hovers around the mysterious result, wondering about whether his work, in which he has put in incessant and relentless efforts, referred to several websites, consulted various journals, has gone everywhere on his research engine, would be published or not.

In order to dispel or, to reduce this worry of the researchers to a large extent, the Vatel Hotel and Tourism Business School & Library resource center,Sushant University in collaboration with Nexus global, invited Mr. Zeeshan Ahmed, heads the University Support and Training division at Typeset, a company which is into the business of helping researchers and giving them a handy and ready, on-line guidance, not only in adopting the easiest way of writing a research paper, but also to present in a format that gets accepted, appreciated and, finally, published.1200+ registered for the Webinar.

Mr. Ahmed said that a written word, whether it is a history paper, a field report or a field project, creates a public record of our knowledge, our opinions and with our skills in the knowledge. Hence, we must strive to make our writing accurate, forceful and honest.

“All this begins with discovering a well-focused topic and, more importantly, a reason for writing it begins the process. Choosing a format, exploring sources through critical reading, and then completing the writing task with grace and style are indeed daunting tasks. Despite this, writing is an outlet for the inquisitive and creative nature in each of us.

Our writing is affected by the richness of our language, by our background and experiences, by our targeted audience, and by the form of expression that we choose. One must definitely have a guide or, if possible, a co-author.

Talking about the programme Typeset, he enumerated the following features which help enormously in writing a research paper:

Perfect formatting – Formatting a research paper is like constructing a design, a body in which it is presented for submission which is an important tool in creating the first impression. It has to be a thoroughly thought-about and a well-reflected format. He said that there was a large variety of formats available at the Typeset.

There was also the facility of instantly re-formatting the document as per the need. Their software could set a document in any format and could also bring it back in its original form. It can put in the form of a plain document into a columned one or vice-versa. The theses or dissertations, however voluminous may they be, can also be formatted, re-formatted.

Keywords – The keywords used in the research paper have to be mentioned strategically so as to facilitate the understanding of the document.

Display of captions and diagrams – These can automatically be formatted in the end or strategically in the main body of the research paper. The software also allows a manual putting up of elements.

Images can be displayed at the best possible, easily readable and understandable positions.

Codes, tables and figures can be located strategically.

Plagiarism – the system automatically passes all the work through Turnitin an American internet based plagiarism detection device, which certifies the authenticity and the originality of the work

No security threat – as the work does not get into the hands of unauthorized people. Mr. Ahmed further endorsed by saying that even the banks are using their software and have had to face no risk of any kind.

All these features increase the chances of one’s research paper getting published.

Should one’s paper get rejected, one must not get dejected but go ahead to use a different template, a different formatting and a totally different layout…

The Typeset programme was available to individuals as well as to the universities but he recommended the use of it through a university as the domain helps in a much larger way.

Vatel Hotel & Tourism Business School, Sushant University has organised a Research Webinar on "Qualitative Research Analysis Through NVivo" on Saturday,
June 26 from 11:00 AM – 12.00 Noon
NVivo is a software program used for qualitative and mixedmethod research. Specifically, it is used for the analysis of unstructured text, audio, video, and image data, including (but not limited to) interviews, focus groups, surveys, social media, and journal articles. It is produced by QSR International. The
Webinar session was useful for researchers in analysing qualitative data in the field of their respective researches.
The Key highlights of the Webinar were as follows:
• Documents compatibility with NVivo and import process
• Research data management and organization process
• Coding process with Rich Text source, audio/video, image files and all other
compatible sources
• Research data bird-eye-view analysis by Codes analysis
• Search-queries: Word search, frequency, matrix quarry and many more
• Compatibility with Social media and online survey websites, and data analysis

Ethical Research Practices

On 13th November 2021 VHTBS organised an online webinar on “Ethical Research Practices” moderated by Saif Anjum, Assistant Professor VHTBS. Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, Associate Professor, Institute of hotel & tourism management, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak was the guest speaker for the event.

During an intensive two-hour session, Dr. Kumar delivered the inputs on concept & objectives of research & participants showed keen interest towards learning of ethical research practices which is the basic requirement nowadays for every researcher.

The webinar concluded with the question and answer session in which the key points of avoiding unethical practices in research was discussed followed by vote of thanks.

On 11 December 2021, Vatel Hotel & Tourism Business School, Sushant University, one of the best private Hotel Management colleges in India, organized an online session on Formulation of Research Design. Dr Malini Singh, Associate Professor, Amity School of Hospitality, Amity University Noida conducted this session meticulously.

A research design is a structure or diagram for directing the advertising research project. The subtleties are the methodology essential for getting the data and structuring it, along with tackling advertising research issues. Research design establishes the framework for directing the undertaking so it becomes very important for the stakeholders of the research field.

Topics like Research Design, Types of research design and research problems were very well explained in the session. Also, the participants interacted and discussed real life issues they face while deciding their research topic and which type of designing will be accurate in the research. The session was attended by Research scholars, Sushant university Faculty members and Masters and Bachelors students.

Seminar on New Trends in Research

In order to bring on a single platform, the various and diverse aspects connected with research in their micro and macro levels, Vatel Hotel & Tourism Business School planned a series of 8 eight sessions wherein eminent speakers, researchers and thinkers were invited to express their views about formulation of research topics, drafting research synopsis, art of review of literature, objective and hypothesis formulation, research design, handling of statistical designs and referencing styles.

Hand-picked speakers who were experts in their fields were called upon to elaborate upon specific topics like research designs, sampling and calculation of sample size, statistical software and the eventual publications.

Friday, February 4, 2022 was the first day of the series which started with a warm inaugural and welcome address by Dr. Garima Parkash, the Dean, Vatel Hotel & Tourism Business School, wherein she spoke about the purpose of the lecture series and elaborated upon how vast and deep the field of research is and is indeed ‘Fathomless’ in its scope. She said research is an infinite activity and nobody can ever claim that he or she has fully completed the research in any field. These series are being conducted to not only highlight the current trends of research but also to put in all attempts to further elaborate upon the scope and the dynamism that exists in this very vast and expansive field of research.

This was followed by the keynote address delivered by Dr. DNS Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Sushant University, who lauded the effort of the school by saying that the term Responsible Research which was coined for this series has a lot of implications – The achievement of end result of a research work should not be measured merely in terms of its publication; it should lead to actually putting into practice the findings of the research and initiating the required changes in the society – that is indeed what may be termed as Responsible Research. Dr. Kumar gave an example of a vastly viewed TV serial Shark Tank, in which the contestants, in order to get their plans financed, have to present a deeply researched, commercially viable and a well thought-out proposal. He further gave example of poor sect of people in Karnataka who, despite producing a high quality footwear, could barely make a hand-to-mouth living, until the day when a few researchers endeavored to streamline their systems and bring about supply-chain management, in mobilizing grants, thereby transforming their small profession into a highly successful model.

Taking it further, Mr. R. Dayanand spoke about the contemporary perspective spirit of Enquiry and stressed upon the incisive approach. The lack of clarity about what research is and what does a person actually want to do needs to be addressed. One should work in groups and elaborate upon the commonality of problem or the research question. He said that research findings help us come to terms with each other’s disciplines. He said that research needs to have an inter-disciplinary and a collaborative approach. Talking about Convergence Research, Mr. Dayanand elaborated upon the need to have a deeper integration of the different discipline involved in research, of which the impetus should always be on social application.

Elaborating upon the need for contemporary research, he said that the data explosion was actually bringing the world together, wherein the specific inputs were resulting into better insights. The transparency in transactions leading to awareness of linkages with the other disciplines. Referring to the Sacred Groves in Karnataka. These sacred groves, which are dedicated to local deities or ancestral spirits, are protected by local communities through social traditions and taboos that incorporate spiritual and ecological values. Preserved over the course of many generations, sacred groves represent native vegetation in a natural or near-natural state and thus are rich in biodiversity and harbor many rare species of plants and animals. The forces of the modern world are depleting sacred groves and weakening the traditions that protect them. Here the environment is connected with religion as to inspire an element of fear and hence commitment in the society. This is a living example of a research work having been carried out at great lengths, the benefits of which are being reaped by the society. Dr. Chef Avin Thaliath. Spoke about the latest research inclination in food industry and observed that the taste moved to hygiene and hygiene has moved to healthy food,

He said that there was a need and scope of research in food industry in terms of its taste, colour, aroma and to discuss about how to preserve the health aspect of the consumer in an atmosphere wherein the sugar, salt and flour are fortified.

While speaking about innovation and research in salt reduction he said whereas a person requires just about 2.3 grams of salt, the excessive intake is increasing blood pressure and increasing the frequency of thirst. He spoke about the ways in which we can replace the salt by sodium chloride. 50/50 of the best restaurants in the world are doing the same, salt can be reduced and the fortification of the salty taste can be done with fibres. Research on other substitutes like black rice extract oligofructose (present in oions, leeks oats), calcium carbonate. Fiber fills in the gap and reduces the intake of salt. Emerging research in gluten-free products –people are gluten-allergic. Gluten, though the body builder, it produces a common allergic protein, causes improper functioning of small intestines, takes a longer time to digest. 5-6 % are gluten intolerant. Research in different parts of the world.

Alternate flours from quinoa, buck wheat, chickpea, yam arrowroot etc. Raw banana powder. Oats millets and coconut for cookies and biscuits. Combination of different flours. Food preservation. While talking about research in advanced food preservation systems, he observe that the consumer wants a naturally preserved food. Longer shelf life, temperature controlled, eco-friendly preservation practices. He then spoke about the way forward in preservation – natural fermentation, brine and sugar solution like it used to be done in olden days. Vacuum sterilization, temperature control, enzymes for preservation.

Innovations in baking ingredients – the Key players in baking ingredients can be looked into, like organically grown, healthy and nutritious, high in protein, fiber and carbohydrates, low caloric sugars, there was a need to Production of rare sugars, like allulose tagatose, high fiber. While elaborating upon the shift in trends of food consumption he says that the customer preference is moving away from take to after-taste and more of transparency across all types of foods.

Chef Avin’s research therefore centered around food ingredients which actually play an important part in the life of human beings, their health and their well-being.