The behaviour of investments is nowadays understood as a socially enclosed phenomenon that is not merely determined by the financial literacy and mental biases of individuals, but also by human contacts and institutional culture. This paper presents the way the decisions of college faculty to invest are influenced by peer and departmental culture at Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), Tamil Nadu. Based on a mixed-methods approach, wherein the research combines a quantitative analytical approach (n = 384) with ethnographic reflections, the study examines the interaction frequency between peers, norms contained in the department, and investment risTiruchirappallik-taking behaviour.

The statistical results indicate that the peer interaction has a significant predictive predictive nature on investment risk orientation, and the two have the ability to explain 21.4% of this risk-oriented behaviour. The results of one-way ANOVA depict the existence of significant differences in the portfolio diversification of the academic departments with commerce faculty showing higher levels of diversification than the art and science faculty. The multiple regression analysis has indicated that peer influence and departmental culture together predict 34 percent of the variation in the overall investment decision behaviour with the departmental culture being slightly more important.