Associate Professor of Marketing · IIM Calcutta
Twenty-seven published papers, including the Journal of Marketing. Small language models, retrieval systems and agent architectures built for real organisations. I publish the measurements either way.
What I do
Research
Twenty-seven published papers, in the Journal of Marketing and other leading journals. Field experiments, quasi-experiments and event studies on regulation, platforms and consumer welfare in emerging markets.
Read the researchBuild
Fine-tuned small language models, retrieval systems over large private corpora, and agent architectures with real spending controls. Each one measured, including the ones that did not work.
See the systemsTeach
Programme Director for IIM Calcutta’s AI executive programmes in Kolkata and Dubai, and in-company work with TATA AIA, ITC India, Axis Bank and others.
Teaching and programmesHow I work
I build agent systems on frontier models where the work demands it, and move to small open models where they measure up. I publish the measurements either way.
One fine-tune beat a carefully written prompt by 24.5 points. Another lost to a stock model it was meant to replace, so it was never shipped. Both are on this site, because the second one tells you more about how I work than the first.
See what was measured
Systems
Prototype · SLMs & fine-tuning
A small local model beat a good prompt by 24.5 points on held-out queries.
88.3% (83 of 94)Fine-tuned accuracy
Prototype · Agents & automation
73 Claude-based roles with hard spending limits, and an honest review of what failed.
73 in 16 departmentsAgent roles
Running · Agents & automation
A scout, a writer in my voice, and reviewers who can block a post.
18 (11 posted, 7 draft), 12 Sep to 3 Nov 2026Posts produced
Running · RAG & knowledge
Search across 86,527 passages of my own course material, fully local.
7,339 (29 GB)Files inventoried
Research
Journal of Marketing, 88(6), 1–23.
11 citations
Information Systems Frontiers, 22(3), 633–653.
104 citations
Journal of Strategic Marketing. Advance online publication.
1 citations
Executive programmes for IIM Calcutta. Photographs from my own programme archive.
In their words
Thoroughly enjoyed every single class of yours in multiple terms of MBAEx. I have written my maximum notes in your classes.😃 Still talk about you and your classes to multiple people.
Sumona KunduManager, UHG OptumKahoot!! That’s how every lecture with you ended – fun, engaging, and fully immersive. Thank you, Professor Sarvana, for making Marketing Management – Strategic Issues and Digital & Social Media Marketing such memorable experiences. The case studies helped us understand real-world marketing decisions, from strategy and positioning to digital engagement and consumer behaviour. Your interactive teaching style made marketing feel dynamic and relevant. Truly grateful for the energy, clarity, and passion you brought to every class.
Jinesh PatelMBAEx Batch 17, IIM CalcuttaProfessor Saravana’s teaching style is like listening to a masterful storyteller—the pace is intense, the delivery carrying the rapid-fire cadence of skilled rap, yet every word carries weight. He bridged academic concepts with business reality through real-world examples and innovative AI tools. His ability to make us question assumptions, explore customer psychology, and understand the ‘why’ behind strategic decisions fundamentally changed how we approach marketing. His sessions rewarded us with insights that will stay with us throughout our careers. Thank you for the transformative experience, Professor!
Nishant SinghMBAEx Batch 19, IIM CalcuttaWriting
Ask, Automate, Delegate and Orchestrate describe where an organisation sits with AI and what each stage asks of its leaders, with a real case for each.
Ad platforms may now choose who sees an ad better than you can, which leaves marketers with positioning and with checking the platform's own reported results.
A manufacturer's quotes took two to three weeks and five in 150 became orders, and the technology was quick to build while changing how people worked was the real project.
I take a small number of advisory and build engagements each year, alongside executive teaching.