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The selfie phenomenon has significantly affected retail environments. This study aims to conceptualise this phenomenon and analyse its findings and implications for managers, researchers and policymakers in retail environments.

A literature review, an exploratory qualitative study and three experiments were conducted to examine the conceptualisation, findings and managerial implications of retail consumer selfie culture as a marketing tool across different age cohorts.

The concepts of the extended self in a digital world, sense of vision (sight), self-imagery and distance explain retail customer selfie culture and the findings that its impact varies significantly across different age cohorts in the retail environment from both vision (sight) and self-imagery perspectives.

This study proposes the retail consumer selfie theory (RCST). RCST can revolutionise retail advertising and branding and design more effective retail selfie campaigns specific to the target audience (different age cohorts) according to different products in various industries, offering new ways of performing product trials, evaluations, implementing retail strategies and public policy.

Soil is an essential component of road construction and is used in the form of subgrade materials. It ensures the stability and durability of the road under adverse conditions; being one of the important parameters, poor judgment of the engineering properties of soil can lead to pavement failure. Geopathic stress (GS) is a subtle energy in the form of harmful electromagnetic radiation. This study aims to investigate the effect of GS on soil and concrete.

A total of 23 soil samples from stress zones and nonstress zones were tested for different engineering properties like water content, liquid limit, plastic limit, specific gravity and California bearing ratio. Two concrete panels were placed on GS zones, and their quality was monitored through nondestructive testing for a period of one year.

The result shows that the engineering properties of soil and pavement thickness are increasing in stress zones as compared with nonstress zones. For concrete panels, as time passes, the quality of the concrete gets reduced, which hints toward the detrimental effect of GS.

This research is a systematic, scientific, reliable study which evaluated subgrade characteristics thus determining the detrimental impact of the GS on soil and pavement thickness. On a concluding note, this study provides a detailed insight into the performance of the road segment when subjected to GS. Through this investigation, it is recommended that GS should be considered in the design of roads.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted education systems worldwide, forcing schools and universities to close their doors and shift to remote learning. However, the transition to online education has exposed a deep digital divide, leaving vulnerable students at a disadvantage due to limited or no access to the Internet. Internet access during the COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a critical necessity, transcending traditional notions of human rights. The concept of the fourth generation of human rights recognises that access to the Internet is not just a privilege but an essential right that enables individuals to exercise their other rights effectively. Governments, policymakers, and international organisations must prioritise bridging the digital divide to ensure equitable access to the internet for all students, especially the vulnerable ones. Initiatives such as providing subsidised internet services, distributing devices, and establishing community-based internet centres can help overcome these challenges. Public-private partnerships and collaborations between governments, civil society, and technology companies can play a crucial role in expanding internet infrastructure and affordability. By recognising internet access as a vital component of the fourth generation of human rights, societies can foster inclusivity and bridge the educational gap exacerbated by the pandemic. Efforts should focus not only on immediate solutions but also on long-term strategies to address systemic inequalities in internet access. Empowering vulnerable students with internet connectivity is pivotal for their educational success, personal development, and future opportunities.