Winter Business School Conference was a two day event. On the first day, an Expert Talk was conducted with Prof. Tomas Balezentis from Vilnius University, Prof. Kazi Sohag from Ural Federal University, and Dr. Olatunji A. Shobande from the University of Aberdeen, UK where they discussed hydrocarbon price shocks, fiscal stability, and monetary policies during geo-political risks. This was followed by a formal dinner with the faculty and the speakers.

On the second day, Dr. Leila Dagher - Associate Professor at the American University of Beirut, presented her research papers to the students, faculty, and other speakers at the event. She discussed two of her researchs namely, “Clean Power Potential in Gulf Countries” and “Relationship between Oil Prices and Financial Stress Index in Asian Countries and India as a Market”, and shared her analysis with the audience.

Dr. Manoranjan Mohanty - Advisor, Government of India, Ms. Upali Nag Kumar - Chief Strategy Officer Motivator, GroupM, and Mr. Akash Sharma - Assistant Policy Analyst, CUTS International, were invited to the event to participate in a panel discussion based on the broad theme of 'Sustainability'. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Sanghmitra Bhattacharyya - Professor at Great Lakes, Gurgaon.

The panel discussed how one can make the transformation from 'planning' to 'practicing sustainability'. It was a cross-section between stimulators from government, corporate, and for-profit & not-for-profit think tanks. The panelists represented each sector and talked about how their respective sectors plan to take the sustainability movement forward.

A fireside chat session was also hosted for the participating researchers with Keynote Editors - Prof. Justin Paul and Prof. Aviral Kumar Tiwari along with Dr. Bappaditya - Professor at Great Lakes, Gurgaon.

The closing address on the second day was given by Dr. Amol Phadke - Senior Scientist, Lawrence Berkley National Lab. Mr. Amol discussed emerging opportunities in the energy and infrastructure sector with the students. He enlightened them about the innovation in sustainable ways of producing energy including solar and wind energy.

Upcoming researchers also participated in the event and presented their rigorous research and analysis to the keynote editors and speakers. The participants received feedback from panelists who are at the forefront of cutting-edge research in various sustainability areas.

The following participants won the award for the ‘Best Research Paper’ at WBSC 2022:

• Mr. Sanjeev Kumar for his research paper titled - “Interconnectivity and Investment Strategies among Commodity Prices”
• Ms. Nikhita Tuli and Mr. Harish Kumar for their research paper titled - “Demystifying the Engagement Process: A BOP Perspective Towards Social Media App Engagement”
• Ms. Sneha Kadyan for her research paper titled - “Impact of COVID-19 on garment workers in India”
• Mr. Rahul Kumar for his research paper titled - “CSR, not a Substitute of ESG”

The event provided a platform for dialogue between experts in a long-term vision of sustainability and those who pursue excellence in short-term efficiency. The overall objective of raising awareness on the balance of efficient functional business areas & sustainable practices, and promoting research on the same was effectively realized through the conference.