The Department of Economics and Banking in collaboration with the Directorate of Higher Education, Government of Goa, organized a One Day National Conference (Hybrid Mode) with the theme ‘Economic Transformation – A Future Perspective vis- a-vis Technology’ on 24th of February, 2024.
The Inaugural session of the Conference was held in Hall No. 2 of the Central Block, at 10.30 am. The Session began with the Invocation song and the lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries present. The compere for the Inaugural session was Asst. Professor Lizette D’Costa.
The Principal in her welcome address spoke about the changing face of the economy and said that any discussion on the economy has to include technology. She congratulated the Department of Economics for organizing the Conference on a very relevant topic.
Mr. Shreyas Desai, the Conference Coordinator, addressed the audience. He said that today the business environment has become more dynamic and it is difficult to imagine a business without an online presence.The Chief Guest of the Conference, Professor of Economics and Former Director IIM, Ahmedabad, Professor Errol D’Souza, was introduced by Dr. Lira Gama, Head of the Department of Economics and Banking. Professor Errol, in his address, elaborated on the history of the growth of technology and the workings of the human mind. He gave some examples of studies conducted based on data and human wisdom. He opined that machines need a human mind to make decisions as they are not super intelligent and only work on pre-assigned data, and emphasized that we need to train the data to not be biased. He further added that automation and mechanization have considerably increased the salary earned by employees on the high end but we need to rethink our social life.
The first technical session commenced at 12.15 pm and was held in Hall no. 2. It was an offline session and the moderator was Dr. Shripad Marathe, Assistant Professor in Commerce, Swami Vivekanand College of Commerce, Borim. The compere for the session was Ms. Swati Bhat, Assistant Professor in the Department of Commerce & Management. Dr. Sheetal Arondekar, Associate Professor, introduced the moderator, and a floral welcome was extended by Assistant Professor Sheryl Sanches. Four research papers were presented during this session, covering diverse topics such as the adoption of digital marketing in the MSME sector in Goa, the necessity of state government subsidies on e-vehicles and hybrid vehicles, the perception and experience of MOOCs among college students in South Goa, and a study on global innovation capacity focusing on BRICS countries. The session concluded with remarks from the moderator, followed by the presentation of a memento by Mr. Ainsley Bernard, Assistant Professor in Commerce. The first session witnessed research scholars presenting papers and shedding light on cutting-edge developments and the transformative impact of technology and their applications in different domains.
The second technical session started at 2:30 pm in Hall No. 2, with Mr. Yasser Hussain Razak, Assistant Professor in Economics at MES Vasant Joshi College of Arts & Commerce, Zuarinagar, chairing the session. The compere for this session was Ms. Marjina Shaikh, Asst. Professor in Commerce & Management. Ms. Saruka Kalangutkar, Assistant Professor in Economics, introduced the moderator, and Assistant Professor Delisha Rebello, presented a floral welcome. Like the first session, this was also an in-person event featuring four research paper presentations on various themes, such as the evaluation of the performance of AI stocks in India, the Role of Technology in women empowerment, empirical testing of capital asset pricing model in India, and understanding financial inclusions amongst the unorganized workforce in Goa. The session concluded with the Moderators’ remarks followed by the presentation of the memento by Ms. Kalpana Parab, Assistant Professor in Commerce.
The third technical session was a parallel session held in online mode in the Smart Classroom, Ground floor. The Moderator of this session was Dr. Rodney D’Silva, Associate Professor in Commerce. Asst. Professor Pretty Pereira was the compere for this session and the Moderator was introduced by Asst. Professor, Dr. Monica Patil.
A total of five papers on topics of Digital transformation, Digitalisation of Payments, Inclusivity in HSS, the Role of technology in disaster management, and the future of start-ups, were presented during this session. The session concluded with the Moderator’s remarks and he congratulated all the presenters for their active participation. The session concluded with the presentation of a memento by Ms. Akshada Gaonkar, Assistant Professor in Commerce.
The Valedictory session commenced at 4:15 pm in Hall No. 2, with Dr. Maithili Naik, Assistant Professor in Commerce, serving as the compere. The esteemed Chief Guest for the occasion was Dr. Kaustubh Kamat, Assistant Director of Academics at the Directorate of Higher Education. Dr. Prita Mallya, Professor, and Principal extended a warm welcome to the Chief guest by presenting a potted plant. Mr. Sanjay Velip, the Conference Coordinator, then proceeded to read the proceedings of the one-day National conference titled ‘Economic Transformation – A Future Perspective Vis-a-vis Technology,’ conducted in Hybrid Mode.
Dr. Lina Sadekar, Associate Professor in Commerce, introduced the chief guest, Dr. Kaustubh Kamat. In his address, Dr. Kamat emphasized the significance of quality research in the education sector. He shared insights into various government schemes available for research projects and encouraged research scholars to leverage these opportunities for financial support provided by the state government. Dr. Kamat commended the conference organizers for creating a platform that allowed researchers to share diverse perspectives and ideas. He acknowledged the role of such forums in challenging assumptions and fostering new insights.
Dr. Lira Menezes Gama, Head of the Department of Economics and Banking, expressed gratitude in the Vote of Thanks. The National conference witnessed participation from research scholars across India. This one-day national conference on economic transformation, focusing on the future perspective vis-a-vis technology, successfully brought together researchers, academicians, and practitioners from various corners of the country. The event served as a forum for insightful discussions on the impact of technological transformation across different sectors. The dedication and hard work of the organizing committee played a pivotal role in making the conference a grand success.
