Response: The governance is transparent, encourages participation from all quarters and is process driven. The institution has a well crafted vision and mission statement that is displayed in the entrance, central points and the library. The prospective plans of the institution are derived from the vision and mission of the institution while the core values inspired the students and the staff. There are various committees where teachers participate in decision making process such as:
• Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC): It is the driving force behind the success of all academic and institutional activity. It proposes, approves, plans, sets standards, monitors, controls and leverages feedback for improvement and development.
• Internal Complaints Committee: It is constituted with an objective of gender sensitization, prevention and prohibition of sexual harassment of women employees and students and redressed of grievances.
• Academic Council Committee: Academic Council is a think-tank that advises the Principal on various matters of academics, research & development, training & placements, and extra-curricular activities.
• Anti ragging Committee: Resolves the grievances and creates the awareness regarding anti- ragging practices.
• SC and ST Committee: the committee is constituted with the objective of welfare of SC/ST students and staffs and resolves their grievances.

ASTHA School of Management has always encouraged and empowered its faculty and staff to take initiatives in spearheading various initiatives to foster a decentralised and participative management system. An example of such participative decision making is the Shuttle Smashers (Whack n' Win), the state level Open Door Badminton Championship organised by ASTHA School of Management every year, aimed to promote not only sportsmanship and a spirit of healthy competition among the participants but also to act as a shining opportunity to ensure Institute industry connect. The entire event is planned and coordinated by faculty coordinators with the involvement of staff and student volunteers to smoothly carry out all necessary arrangements.
In its latest edition Shuttle Smashers 2022 held on 17th & 18th December 2022, the event witnessed participation from more than 100 teams, both in women's and men's doubles category from 60 different universities, institutes and corporate houses across the state. Chief Vigilance Officer, NALCO, acted as the Chief Guest of the valediction ceremony. Olympian Anuradha Biswal was invited as the Guest of Honour. Winners and runners-up were awarded trophies, certificates and Cash Prizes. A special exhibition match between faculty members added excitement and fostered camaraderie within the institution.

The strategic plan of the institution for the year 2022-2023 included conducting a green Audit. Green audit is a study of facilities to determine how and where energy is used to identify the methods for energy savings. The Green and Energy Audit of ASTHA School of Management (ASM) was carried out by M/S. Krishna Engineers and Consultants (KEC), Bhubaneswar and ISO 9001:2015 certified energy saving company, as a part of the work for the mile marker towards destination of achieving energy efficiency.
During the audit, it was observed that ASM Bhubaneswar has major loads such as light, fan, Air conditioners, computers, pumps and Laboratory equipments.
Based on the Audit report, KEC has recommended a list of possible actions for Electrical Energy conservation and efficient utilization of resources as follows-
• Installation for Solar PV System
• Replacing old water faucets with water saving faucets
• Installation of sewage treatment plant
• Documenting inventory and management process of all wastes
• Posting signage for water conservation, reduction and segregation of plastic waste, reduction of food waste.
• Retro fitting mirror optic reflector with existing tube lights.

The institutional bodies of ASTHA School of Management in the shape of Committees both statutory and non-statutory are effective and efficient as the Internal Quality Assurance Committee ( IQAC) approves and implements all the academic and administrative activities. The institute is run and managed by Shree Panchamukhi Educational and Charitable Trust, so the Board of Governers holds the responsibility to sustain the institute. The Executive Director-cum- Secretary acts as the representative of the Board overseeing all the activities such as revenue generation. Principal being the Head of the Institution and Head of IQAC engages in day to day academic, administration and Financial activities. Respective Deans of Academic Affairs, Training and Placement, Statutory Compliance and Communication and Research Publication provide necessary support to the Principal for effective execution. The faculties are involved in various committees and act independently in decision making.

ASTHA School of Management ensures the following welfare measures to motivate staff performance.
1. Working Hours: The institute has convenient working hours that ensure employee productivity.
2. Holiday, Leave and Vacations: The holiday list is provided by the affiliating University and the institute adheres to it. There is a well drafted leave policy which includes EL, CL, Duty Leave and Special Leave.
3. Ward Welfare Scheme: The institute provides monetary support to the wards of Grade four employees.
4. Rewards and Recognition: Institute provides rewards and recognition to its employees for outstanding services.
5. Statutory Welfare: Statutory welfare measures include leave, working hours, insurance, increments, special allowances, maternity benefits, safety and security etc.
6. Group Insurance: The institute has group insurance scheme for employees.
7. Salary Advance: The institute extends salary advances to its employees who are in dire need.
8. Provision for Uniform: Grade IV employees are provided with institutional uniform.
9. Free Lunch and Dinner: Grade IV employees enjoy free lunch and dinner at the canteen.
10. Outings and Get-togethers: The employees enjoy outings and get-togethers organized by the institute.
11. Training & Development: The employees are provided ample opportunities for training and development.

Performance Appraisal of employees is done yearly with a standardized appraisal form.The faculty face a 360 degree appraisal whereas, the non-teaching staff have dual rating system. The Grade IV employees are appraised by the supervisor and the management. Every individual is communicated about their roles, responsibilities and KPAs before the beginning of Academic Year.
Performance monitoring is however, a continuous process and it is carried out at the end of each semester for the faculty. The non-teaching staff are monitored monthly, and given feedback on half-yearly basis. Process of Performance Appraisal
• Principal evaluates the appraisal form and submits her recommendation to the ED-cum-Secretary.
• The ED-cum-Secretary constitutes a committee where each form is evaluated and verified.
• After the due recommendation of committee, ED-cum-Secretary incorporated it in agenda of the Governing Board or Trust Board meeting.
• The recommendation given by the committee gets approved and the same is beingcommunicated to each teaching and non-teaching members through an office order.
• The outcomes of the appraisal come into force by the first day of each annual year.

Every sanctioned account of the institute is audited internally and externally.
Internal audit is carried out by a committee headed by the Accounts Officer.
• Prior to the statutory auditor’s audit, the internal audit committee must conduct a pre-audit submitting for the final audit in the respective Financial Year.
• Internal Auidit Committee consists of Accounts Officer, Two senior faculty members and the Junior Administrative Officer.
• This done once in a year.
External audit is carried out by External Chartered Accountant.
• Internal audit is followed by external audit conducted by Dwarika and Associates.
• The audit reports are duly received, acknowledged and presented to the AICTE and the BPUT for approval and affiliation purpose year on year.
There is a provision for any audit objection to be mentioned by the external Auditor to mention in the audit report itself, which can be further resolved by the institution. However no objection has arisen till date.

ASTHA has the following resources and funds for mobilization and optimal utilization:
1. Students’ fees: Institute majorly relies on the fees of students for regular operations and development.
2. Internal Revenue Generation Committee: It generates revenue through corporate training, shareing training resources, counsels, consults etc.
3. Rentals: Institute receives rent from telecom service providers viz. BSNL and Bharti Airtel for the towers erected in the campus.
4. Contribution from the trustees and the alumni: Sometimes trustees and alumni contribute funds.
5. Interest from the bank in lieu of its deposits
6. Sale of forms and prospectus
7. Hostel fees
8. Transportation fees.
The following are the areas where the institutional expenditure occurs:
1. Capital expenditure on infrastructure development, procurement of library books, creating ICT facilities, buying equipment & accessories.
2. Administrative expenses are incurred as recurring expenditure on salaries, electricity & Wi-Fi bills, EMIs, Insurance, maintenance of systems and equipment, vehicles, landscape etc. The non-recurring expenditure is on tours and travels, repairs, write-offs, damages etc.
3. Academic expenses on events, seminars, conferences.
4. Social expenses are incurred on outreach programmes.
5. Training & Placement expenses
6. Corporate Liaison expenses
7. Expenditure is made on Admissions and Scholarships.
8. Audit expenses

IQAC has initiated various activities for continuous quality enhancement and holistic development of both students and faculty members. The activities are stated below • National Seminar
• Prakalpa-Recognizing Research Talent
• Anweshan-Astha’s Management Journal
• Industry Visit
• Academic Audit
• ISO Certification
• Expert Talk sessions
• Adhyan: Meditation Room along with institutional prayer
Two of the notable events are as elaborated-
National Seminar:
ASTHA School of Management conducted a two day National seminar on Workplace Happiness Optimization(WHO)-A New Thrust for Sustainability on 29th and 30th August,2022. The seminar was inaugurated by Chief Guest Mr. Radheshyam Mohapatra, Director (HR), NALCO. The seminar included one keynote session and 3 technical sessions in which 23 papers were presented attended by eminent personalities from academics and industries.
ISO Certification:
The Astha School of Management, located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, has been awarded the ISO 9001:2015 certification by QACS International Pvt. Ltd. This certification confirms the school's compliance with international quality management standards. The scope of certification includes promoting learner-centered, result-oriented management education, research, innovation, and executive education through contemporary knowledge, technology, and human values integration. Issued on March 28, 2023, the certificate is valid for three years, subject to annual surveillance audits.

The institute reviews it’s teaching learning process through a continuous assessment system through the following ways:
• Feedback from the students are collected on faculty’s subject delivery, course curriculum and learning support.
• Feedback is also collected from student for evaluating the attainment of COs, POs and PSOs
The IQAC has given guidelines for measuring learning outcomes. Accordingly the feedback survey is administered, analysed and reported to the IQAC. Based on the analysis IQAC recommends many interventions for continuous refinement of teaching learning process. Few of the add on initiatives are as follows:
Preparation of Online Study Materials
To ensure the students are better equipped to gain theoretical insights from a variety of sources, outside of books available at library, various study materials are prepared for the students essential from the examination perspective.
The following e-resources are prepared by the faculty members for their respective courses:
1. Module wise teaching notes of various subjects
2. Practice Questions at the end of every module related to those topics
3. One case study after each module
4. Probable questions for the University examination and model answer
5. Video lecture of eminent academicians from NPTEL
Out-Bound Training on Leadership Development and Team Building
Leadership:
Good leadership is often cited as the key reason for organizational success. Today’s highly competitive corporate workplace demands high energy leaders to develop agile, resilient teams who can translate their vision into competitive advantage.
Leadership development activities are custom designed that provide a collaborative and participative learning platform where the participants get many opportunities to hone their strategic skills combating critical challenges. These activities also help the participants in connecting their learning to their existing knowledge and experience base.
Team Building
Team building means shaping the people into a productive force. Team building is an ongoing process that helps a group evolves into a cohesive unit. The team members not only share expectation for accomplishing group tasks, but trust and support one another and respect one another individual difference.
Team building activities and team games consist of a variety of tasks designed to develop group members on behavioral competencies and enhance their ability to work together effectively. The team building activities aim to strengthen interpersonal relationships between group members, break up the monotony and get the creative juices flowing.