Dhruven Zala

Dhruven Zala

Assistant Professor, Information Management and Analytics

Dhruven Zala completed his Ph.D. in information systems at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. His research focuses on digital platforms and ecosystems, exploring critical success factors and their impact on user engagement. Specifically, his work investigates how these platforms influence access, particularly in addressing disparities in resource availability. His dissertation examined crowd-based platforms, specifically how they serve the demand side or seekers, i.e., individuals or organizations in need of resources. These explorations concentrated on three key areas: content control by seekers, platform-level policy regulations, and broader societal externalities.

To address these questions, he utilizes machine learning, natural language processing, econometric analysis, and case-based methods. His work has been recognized with best paper awards at numerous conferences and published in an AIS journal. At SPJIMR, he is developing a research program on digital markets and entrepreneurship in growing, rural, eastern, aspirational, and transitional (GREAT) economies. The aim is to understand and inform practice and literature on how digital platforms can support economic development in these regions. When not immersed in research, you’ll likely find him designing interactive simulations and puzzling students with case studies!

Zala, D. R., & Priya, S. (forthcoming). Impact of geo-cultural diversity on teams’ innovation performance. To be presented at the 5th Management Education and Research Colloquium (MERC), Indian Institute of Management Kashipur, India.

Zala, D. R., Majumdar, A., & Deodhar, S. (2024). Effect of innovativeness narrative on entrepreneurial fundraising through equity crowdfunding. Paper presented at the 2nd India Strategy Conference (ISC), Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India.

Zala, D. R., Majumdar, A., & Deodhar, S. (2024). Effect of innovativeness narrative on entrepreneurial fundraising through equity crowdfunding. Paper presented at the 1st India Management Research Conference (IMRC), Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India.

Zala, D. R., Majumdar, A., & Deodhar, S. (2024). Effect of innovativeness narrative on entrepreneurial fundraising through equity crowdfunding. Paper presented at the POMS India International Conference, Indian Institute of Management Ranchi, India.

Zala, D. R., Majumdar, A., & Deodhar, S. (2024). Effect of innovativeness narrative on entrepreneurial fundraising through equity crowdfunding. Paper presented at the 4th Management Education and Research Colloquium (MERC), Indian Institute of Management Kashipur, India.

Zala, D. R., Majumdar, A., & Deodhar, S. (2024). Effect of innovativeness narrative on entrepreneurial fundraising through equity crowdfunding. Paper presented at the 10th Management Doctoral Colloquium and VGSOM Research Scholars Day, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India.

Zala, D. R., Deodhar, S., & Gupta, S. (2024). Effect of concurrent contests on contestant efforts in crowdsourcing platforms. Paper presented at the 1st India Management Research Conference (IMRC), Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India.

Zala, D. R., Deodhar, S., & Gupta, S. (2024). Effect of concurrent contests on contestant efforts in crowdsourcing platforms. Paper presented at the POMS India International Conference, Indian Institute of Management Ranchi, India.

Zala, D. R., Deodhar, S., & Gupta, S. (2024). Effect of concurrent contests on contestant efforts in crowdsourcing platforms. Paper presented at the 4th Management Education and Research Colloquium (MERC), Indian Institute of Management Kashipur, India.

Zala, D. R., & Priya, S. (2024). Impact of geo-cultural diversity on teams’ innovation performance. Paper presented at the 1st India Management Research Conference (IMRC), Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India.

Zala, D. R., & Priya, S. (2024). Impact of geo-cultural diversity on teams’ innovation performance. Paper presented at the POMS India International Conference, Indian Institute of Management Ranchi, India.

Zala, D. R., Majumdar, A., & Deodhar, S. (2023). Effect of innovativeness narrative on entrepreneurial fundraising through equity crowdfunding. Paper presented at the 3rd Annual International Research Conference (AIRC), Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, India.

Zala, D. R., Majumdar, A., & Deodhar, S. (2023). Effect of innovativeness narrative on entrepreneurial fundraising through equity crowdfunding. Paper presented at the 2nd International Conference on Digital Organizations, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, India.

Zala, D. R., & Deodhar, S. (2022). Effect of attention on prosocial lending: A natural experiment. Paper presented at the 12th Conference on Excellence in Research and Education, Indian Institute of Management Indore, India.

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Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

L.D. College of Engineering

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