Faculty
Dr. Kanaya Mahanti
Assistant Professor
Alliance School of Business
Dr. Kanaya Mahanti is an academic specialising in Entrepreneurship, Copreneurship, Family Business, Rural Management and Research Methodology. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from Xavier Institute of Social Service and a PhD in Management (specialising in Copreneurship) from Central University of Jharkhand, with scholarly engagement in family business, women’s entrepreneurship, rural livelihoods, tribal entrepreneurship and indigenous entrepreneurial practices.
Her research advances the conceptual and empirical understanding of copreneurship, rural and tribal entrepreneurial ecosystems. She employs rigorous mixed-method research designs, integrating qualitative inquiry with advanced quantitative techniques such as structural equation modelling and multivariate analysis to generate both theoretical contributions and policy-relevant insights. Her work has been published in internationally indexed journals and presented at leading national and international academic forums.
Dr. Mahanti’s scholarship extends to developmental and policy-oriented engagement, particularly in the areas of rural and tribal women’s empowerment and social entrepreneurship. She has been associated with funded research initiatives and contributes as a peer reviewer for reputed international publishers. Her teaching philosophy integrates research-led insights with experiential learning, fostering analytical rigour and entrepreneurial orientation among management students.
- Kanaya, M., Nitesh, B (2025), “Nurturing Rural Women as Entreprenurs: Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) Based Case Evidences”, Journal of Rural Development, 31-44, ISSN: 0970-3357.
- Kanaya, M., Nitesh, B (2025), “The Role of Murma Jatra in Shaping Social Entrepreneurship: Motivations and Challenges Faced by Rural Women and Copreneurs in Jharkhand, India”, South Asian Journal of Management, 122-146, ISSN: 0971-5428.
- Kanaya, M., Nitesh, B., Sudhir, R (2024), “Redefining Copreneurs: A four decadal review adopting computer aided text analysis”, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 1-40, ISSN: 1554-7191.
- Kanaya, M., Nitesh, B (2023), “Promoting Rural Women Empowerment through Micro-entrepreneurship at McCluskiegunj, Jharkhand”, Third Concept, 68-71, ISSN: 0970-7247.
- Sadhvi, , Ashoke, K., Kanaya, M. (2022), “The impact of Financial Inclusion on Socio- Economic Status of Rural People in Jharkhand”, Jharkhand Journal of Development and Management Studies, 9021-9034, ISSN: 0973-8444.
FDPs/Workshops/MDPs Attended:
- Participated in Professional Development Programme on ‘Entrepreneurship Sustainable Innovation and Economic Growth’ organized by National Institute of technical Teachers Training and Research, Chennai, Ministry of Education, Government of India.
- Completed 03 AICTE ATAL FDPs organized by the University of Hyderabad (Data Analytics: Tools and Techniques), Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (Research Methodology), NIT- Jamshedpur (Social Enterprise Management).
- Completed 03 National FDPs organized by IIM Vishakhapatnam- 01 (Research Methodology), JVA Eductech- 01 (Qualitative & Quantitative Analysis) and V.H.N. Senthikumar NadarCollege (Autonomous), Virudhanagar, Tamil Nadu-01 (Strategies for writing Review of Literature).
- Completed 07 Workshops organized by EdMaestro Pvt.Ltd. -02 (Structural Equation Modelling using SmartPLS), Blue-Forskning Research Academy – 02 (Basics of Research and Data Analytics using SPSS, Data Analytics Workshop on PLS-SEM Basics), Emerald Publishing - 01 (Case Writing), Elsevier Knowledge Hub- 01 (Publication Ethics and Research Integrity in Science).
- Completed ICSSR sponsored Ten Days Research Methodology Course for M.Phil./Ph.D. Scholar in Social Sciences, organised by Vikram University, Ujjain.
- Completed 03 Short Term Training Programmes organized by NITTTR Kolkata- 02 (Student Mentorship and Writing Research Proposal) and NITTTR Bhopal-01 (Women Empowerment through Entrepreneurship and Start-up).
- Attended a panel discussion on "Managing migration within the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice - the EU's policies post-2015 refugee crisis" organized at EU Parliament, Brussels, Belgium.
- Attended a session (Keynote by Saskia Sussen) on "When We All Become Urban Subjects: Cultural City Imprints of the Powerless." organized at University of Antwerp, Belgium.
Other Achievements:
- Measuring Faculty Happiness and Its Impact on University Success: From Wellbeing to Student Citizenship in Private Universities, Bengaluru (Seed Money Research Project, sanctioned in 2025)
- Submitted a report on “Status of street children in Ranchi” for Jharkhand State Human Rights Commission in 2018. The study is the result of an investigation on the matter of child substance abuse and forced begging in different locations of Ranchi
- From Technostress to Wellbeing: A PRISMA-Based Systematic Literature Review on Digital Fatigue and Boundary Management in Hybrid Work, (2025), International Conference on Sustainable Synergies Technological Innovation and Resilience in Global Business Practices, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Bangalore, India.
- Entrepreneurial Mindset in Higher Education: Insights from Female Graduates in Bangalore (2025), International Conference on Entrepreneurship and Ecosystems in the Global Economy: Role of Returnee Entrepreneurs, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
- Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS): Facilitating Rural Livelihood Diversification in Jharkhand, (2024), 63rd Labour Economics Conference, Centre for Development Studies and Department of Economics, Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, India
- Promoting Rural Women Empowerment through Micro-Entrepreneurship: A case study of McCluskiegunj, Jharkhand, (2024), ICSSR funded National Seminar, Department of Commerce and Financial Studies, Central University of Jharkhand, Jharkhand,
- COVID induced challenges on rural livelihood dependent on educational institutions: Case study of McCluskiegunj, Jharkhand, (2023), 62nd Labour Economics Conference, Department of Humanities and Social Science, IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India.
