العربية
Prof. Rakesh Belwal
Biography
Professor Rakesh Belwal is a distinguished academic and consultant with over 25 years of international experience spanning higher education, applied research, and strategic consultancy. He currently serves as Professor of Business at Sohar University, Oman, where he has shaped academic direction for almost two decades. He also holds adjunct professorial appointments at the University of Queensland Business School, Australia (AACSB, EQUIS accredited), and Jaipuria Institute of Management, India (AACSB accredited).
Since beginning his academic career in 1999, Professor Belwal has taught at some of the world’s most reputable institutions, including the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), India, and Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. His career reflects a genuinely global outlook, having contributed to higher education development across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific.
He holds a Ph.D. in E-Commerce and master’s degrees in Economics, Business Administration (with dual specialization in Marketing and Information Systems), and Journalism and Mass Communication. This interdisciplinary foundation underpins his work across curriculum design, executive education, digital and blended pedagogies, and the research–teaching nexus. He has led multi-institutional programme reviews, shaped strategic academic policy, and championed sustainable and inclusive learning innovations across disciplines.
Professor Belwal has secured and delivered numerous research and consultancy projects — funded by Oman’s Ministry of Higher Education Research and Innovation, the Ejaad programme, and NASA, USA — spanning public transportation, fishermen’s training, waste management, women’s empowerment, tourism marketing, and stakeholder impact analysis.
Professor Belwal is the Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy, UK. A passionate, student-centered educator, he is recognized for his use of flipped classrooms, experiential learning, and technology-enhanced pedagogy. His contributions to teaching and academic leadership have earned multiple accolades, including the Excellent Professor Award at Addis Ababa University, the Vice Chancellor’s Outstanding Achievement Award, and the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Research and Industrial Collaboration at Sohar University.
Beyond the classroom, Professor Belwal is a sought-after trainer and mentor, having led staff development workshops across Oman and India, facilitated CPD programmes, and guided emerging academics in publishing, grant writing, and curriculum innovation. His mentorship has helped shape the careers of students and colleagues who have gone on to assume academic and industry leadership roles worldwide.
A reflective practitioner and lifelong learner, Professor Belwal holds certifications in PRINCE2, ITIL4 Foundation, and Google AI, and remains actively engaged with the academic and professional community through conferences, editorial contributions, and advisory roles. Across every role he undertakes, Professor Belwal embodies academic integrity, innovation, and inclusivity — hallmarks that distinguish him as one of the region’s foremost educators and thought leaders in higher education.
Qualification
- Ph.D. in E-Commerce, Kumaun University, India, 2004.
- Masters in Economics, Kumaun University, India, 2001.
- PGDBA (Marketing & MIS), Jaipuria Institute of Management, India, 1998.
- Bachelors in Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Kumaun University, India, 1993.
Teaching Interest
- Principles of Marketing
- Marketing Management
- Public Relations
- Research Methods
- Electronic Business
- Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods
Research Interest
- Electronic business
- Consumer behaviour
- Services Marketing
- Retail Marketing
- Entrepreneurship and Small Business
- Women in Business
- Work-life balance
- Tourism & Hospitality
Consultancies Awarded
- June 2026 – July 2026: Business Lead for the consultancy “ Development of the HSSE Management System,” awarded by Jazeera Steel LLC, undertaken jointly with technical lead Dr. Furqan Alam, IT Expert, Faculty of Computing and IT (US$ 4,000).
- February 2026 – July 2026: Business Lead for the consultancy “Utilization of Lime Slag in Cementitious Materials,” awarded by Gulf Alloys and Metals LLC, undertaken jointly with technical lead Dr. Mohsin Qureshi, Civil Engineer, Faculty of Engineering (US$ 20,000).
- May 2024–May 2025: Co-Investigator on a research and consultancy project with the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), “Utilization of Sulphur By-product in Diverse Civil Applications” (US$146,000). Responsible for the economic efficiency and feasibility analysis of innovative products developed by the engineering team.
- April 2024–November 2024: Principal Investigator for a research and consultancy project with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries Wealth, and Water Resources, “The Socio-Economic Study of Traditional Fishermen in the Sultanate of Oman” (US$23,000).
- November 2023–May 2025: Principal Investigator for a research and consultancy project with Oman Environmental Services Holding Co. SAOC (be’ah Oman), “Food Waste Awareness Study” (US$99,000).
- July 2023–September 2025: Co-Principal Investigator for a research and consultancy project with the Chinese Institute of Education (CIE), “The Cultural and Social Aspects of Chinese/Omani Commerce in Spices and Frankincense along the Old Silk Road” (US$52,000).
- July 2020–November 2021: Principal Investigator for a research and consultancy project with Oman Environmental Services Holding Co. SAOC (be’ah Oman), “Inventory of Industrial Wastes in Oman” (US$101,500).
- January–April 2019: Principal Investigator for a research and consultancy project with Oman Environmental Services Holding Co. SAOC (be’ah Oman), “Data Acquisition on End-of-Life Tyres (ELT) Generated in the Sultanate” (US$55,000).
Publications
- Qureshi, M. U., Al-Shamakhi, A., Rumhi, M., Javid, M. A., Badaruzzaman, W. H. W., Al-Kindi, G., Tawfeeq, W. M., Belwal, R., & Al-Handasi, H. (2026). Utilisation of Sulphur By-Products in Diverse Civil Engineering Applications: A Systematic Review. Materials, 19(4), 784.
- Shukla UN, Belwal R (2026;), Fueling innovation: market identification and service evolution at Kuber-Kanak Microfinance Association. The CASE Journal, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
- Saleem I, Belwal R., Ul-Durar S (2026), The nexus of socio-emotional wealth and organisational identity to explain corporate entrepreneurship: the challenge of human resource consistency in family firms. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, Vol. 18 No. 1 pp. 292–316, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-12-2023-0517
- Shukla UN, Belwal R, Nautiyal N (2025;), Exploring risk-return behavior to examine sectoral influence on nifty ESG performance. Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
- Belwal, R., Al Fazari, M. and Mansour, S. (2025), “Women working in public and private sector organisations in Oman: are they free to glide?”, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
- Belwal, R., Belwal, S., Morgan, Z., Al Badi, L. (2024), “Profiling consumers for their shopping motivations in modern retail formats in Oman”, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
- Belwal, R., Belwal, S., Al Hashemi, S. (2024), “What influences women’s participation in the private sector workforce in Oman”, Employee Relations, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
- Srivastava, S., Rishi, B., Belwal, R. (2024), “Linking Fear of Missing Out and Psychological Wellbeing: A Multi-Country Study”, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 41 No. 4, pp. 391-405.
- Belwal, R., Belwal, S., Al Hashemi, S. (2023), “Disentangling Work-Family Conflict, Support, and Turnover Intentions – Quanti-Quali Mixed Method Approach”, Quality & Quantity, 1-27.
- Belwal S., Belwal, R. (2023), “Work-Family Conflict and Women’s Turnover Intention: Mediating effects of Organizational Commitment”, Applied Research in Quality of Life, 18, 1915-1937.
- Selem, K. M., Ahmad, M. S., Belwal, R., & AlKayid, K. (2022). “Fear of COVID-19, hotel employee outcomes and workplace health and safety management practices: Evidence from Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.” Tourism and Hospitality Research, 14673584221119374.
- Belwal, R., Hoque, S. M. S., & Belwal, S. (2022), “Mobile phone usage behavior: A longitudinal study of university students in Oman”. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 88(5).
- Jain, N., Le Sante, D., Viswesvaran, C. and Belwal, R. (2021), “Incongruent influences: joint effects on the job attitudes of employees with psychological contract breach in the MENA region”, Review of International Business and Strategy, 32(3), 387-404.
- Belwal, R., Al Shibli, R. and Belwal, S. (2021), “Consumer protection and electronic commerce in the Sultanate of Oman”, Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 19(1), 38-60.