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The study uses the meaning transfer model to integrate celebrity advertising and branding under the broad paradigm of celebrity–brand communication. Specifically, the paper aims to examine the influence of celebrity attributes (authenticity and identification) on brand advocacy and purchase intention through brand personality appeal and brand identification.

The study adopts two scenario-based research designs (involving nonfictitious and fictitious celebrities) for a cross-sectional structural path analysis.

Celebrity authenticity, celebrity identification and celebrity–brand congruency significantly influence brand advocacy and purchase intention, with brand personality appeal and brand identification emerging as effective mediators.

The study highlights how vital brand personality appeal and brand identification are in transferring positive perceptions about a celebrity endorser into brand advocacy and purchase intention. These results will allow marketers to realize the relative influence of celebrity attributes on the partnered brand.

India has a distinct family hierarchy and a vertical collectivistic culture. Indian traditional cultural norms discourage young adults from having romantic or sexual relationships before marriage. Romantic liaisons and marriages are fiercely opposed outside the caste and social network. Despite this cultural practice, research in the last decade demonstrated that more young adults in India engage in premarital romantic relationships and prefer a marriage of choice. However, they strongly wish their parents to approve of their partner and arrange their marriage. This increasing trend of love-cum-arranged marriages could be considered how Indian culture adapts to the demands of modernization strongly impelled by globalization. This chapter discusses the dynamics of change in the romantic and marital agency among young adults in India. First, the authors provide a brief historical introduction to the Indian marital system. Then, the authors discuss the changing cultural dimensions that promote marital choice and independence in partner selection (e.g., filial piety). Further, the authors provide an overview of the trends in premarital romantic relationships in India. In addition, the authors discuss the distress and conflict in Indian families due to the increasing premarital romantic and sexual relationships among Indian youth, as evidenced by eloped marriages, forced marriages, and honor killings.

The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled higher education institutions (HEI) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and globally to shift to a new pedagogy that is sustainable and resilient to crises and disruptions. It necessitated the integration of technologies as part of pedagogical innovation and modification of higher education practices – advancing toward a more holistic integration of physical and digital tools and methods to enable more flexible, creative, collaborative and participatory learning. In terms of pedagogy, an open approach to learning is essential, combining in-person teaching with technological tools and online learning.

This paper examines theoretical and empirical literature to define the potential benefits of utilizing open educational practices (OEP) in higher education, including better access, furthering equity and enhancing teaching, learning and assessment.

It proposes a comprehensive framework built on a continuum of open pedagogy (OP) that comprises “Emphasis”, “Essentials” and “Evolution”. Based on this framework, a set of recommendations for using OEP for successful knowledge building is provided.

The research determined the significance of increased OEP involvement for sustainable learning possibilities and the UAE’s initiatives in developing educators to support innovative pedagogies and technology-enabled teaching-learning standards. The study suggests placing more emphasis on faculty and student scaffolding while using OP for better learning experiences and outcomes, as well as more institutional support and the need for policy development to transform the UAE into a global hub for sustainable education.

The ongoing adverse effects of climate change have led scientific think tanks to aim towards achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets with affordable and clean energy (Sustainable Development Goal 7). One of the significant contributors to the escalating emissions rate is the use of conventional vehicles. The uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) is a promising solution for a cleaner economy. However, increased penetration poses various challenges to the power system. There is a need to explore alternatives, such as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs), to use the advantages of both electric and conventional vehicles and bridge the gap between them. However, the transition to hydrogen-based transport requires intensive study of its key benefits and issues, the actions that need to be taken to achieve a changeover concerning light and heavy vehicles and whether such kind of transformation is likely or even possible. This chapter highlights the brief history and mechanics of HFCVs. It further analyses the various benefits and challenges which the technology poses. Additionally, it addresses critical questions regarding the feasibility of the shift towards hydrogen fuel to satisfy the world's rapidly growing energy needs and meet net-zero targets based on real-life applications. This chapter will be a valuable resource for further research, development and education efforts in HCFVs to assist in the rapidly growing transportation needs for automobiles and other vehicles.

Celebrity endorsers are usually considered to bring positive effects to associated nodes, such as brands and corporations. However, limited evidence suggests that brands and corporations are equally responsible for affecting celebrities and their credibility. Drawing on associative network theory, this study explores the effects of brand credibility and corporate credibility on celebrity credibility, both directly and through the mediating and moderating effects of advertising credibility. The research addresses three main issues: (1) whether brand credibility, corporate credibility and advertising credibility have significant effects on celebrity credibility; (2) whether advertising credibility has a significant mediating effect on the effects of brand credibility and corporate credibility on celebrity credibility and (3) whether advertising credibility has a significant moderating effect on the effects of brand credibility and corporate credibility on celebrity credibility.

The study used a quantitative approach involving structural equation modelling. Data were collected from 675 participants from London and focussed on four leading international brands, corporations and celebrity endorsers.

The findings show that brand credibility and advertising credibility have positive direct effects on celebrity credibility; and that advertising credibility mediates the effects of both credibility constructs on celebrity credibility. Furthermore, moderating effects of advertising credibility are also found.

This study will help managers to understand the reverse effects, i.e. the effects of brand credibility and corporate credibility on celebrity credibility. They will be able to understand that a credible brand and corporation like a credible celebrity can also bring significant effects on the associated elements. This will help them to recruit celebrity endorsers who have historically earned their credibility from previous endorsements of credible brands and corporations. Further, these findings will help managers to understand that credibility of the brand and corporation can also affect the credibility of the associated advertising, resulting in having a significant effect on the credibility of the celebrity. This on the consumers’ side will enhance their preferences, attitudes and behaviours, while for the corporation, it will enhance their economic and commercial performance.

This is the first study in the literature, where a conceptual model based on the reverse effects of both credibility constructs on celebrity credibility is examined, directly and based on the moderating and mediating effects of advertising credibility. Hence, the contributions to the literature are threefold: first, the study examines the reverse effect of celebrity endorsement, whereby the credibility of a brand or corporation is transferred to a celebrity endorser; second, the study examines the mediating and moderating effects of advertising credibility on this reverse effect and finally, associative network theory is used to examine the importance of the model.

The presence of green spaces plays a vital role in promoting urban sustainability. Urban green parks (UGPs) help create sustainable cities while providing fundamental ecological functions. However, rapid urbanization has destroyed crucial green areas in Ranchi City, endangering inhabitants’ health. This study aims to locate current UGPs and predict future UGP sites in Ranchi City, Jharkhand.

It uses geographic information system (GIS) and analytical hierarchical process (AHP) to evaluate potential UGP sites. It involves the active participation of urban communities to ensure that the UGPs are designed to meet dweller’s needs. The site suitability assessment is based on several parameters, including the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), land use and land cover (LULC), population distribution, PM 2.5 levels and the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. The integration of these factors enables an evaluation of potential UGP’s sites.

The findings of this research reveal that 54.39% of the evaluated areas are unsuitable, 15.55% are less suitable, 12.76% are moderately suitable, 11.52% are highly suitable and 5.78% are very highly suitable for UGPs site selection. These results emphasize that the middle and outer regions of Ranchi City are the most favorable locations for establishing UGPs. The NDVI is the most important element in UGP site appropriateness, followed by LULC, population distribution, PM 2.5 levels and the UHI effect.

This study improves the process of integrating AHP and GIS, and UGPs site selection maps help urban planners and decision-makers make better choices for Ranchi City’s sustainability and greenness.

The construction industry has more propensity to negatively affect employees’ physical–mental well-being due to the inherently intense and demanding nature of the work involved. Digitalization can streamline the construction processes, and reduce stress, overtime and overall job-related pressure generated due to the nature of employment, contributing to the well-being of employees. Hence, the authors examined how digitalization, technostress and individual resilience could contribute to construction professionals’ physical–mental well-being using the transaction model of stress, self-determination theory and job-demand resources theory.

Data were collected from 86 young professionals using a structured survey. The professionals were working in Indian construction organizations where digitalization is implemented extensively. The survey consists of 21 items to measure four latent variables namely digitalization, technostress, physical–mental well-being and individual resilience. The study employs a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach to examine the theoretical model empirically.

The results revealed that digitalization was positively associated with physical–mental well-being and negatively associated with technostress. Further, individual resilience was a moderating variable in the relationship between digitalization and technostress. Finally, technostress partially mediated the relationship between digitalization and physical–mental well-being.

Digitalization has emerged as a valuable tool to tackle these challenges and improve the overall well-being of construction personnel. In the present study, digitalization is found to augment the physical–mental well-being of young construction professionals. Also, digitalization helps to significantly reduce technostress, thereby improving the physical–mental well-being of young professionals.

This study aims to investigate the heat and mass transfer characteristics of a temperature-sensitive ternary nanofluid in a porous medium with magnetic field and the Soret–Dufour effect through a tapered asymmetric channel. The ternary nanofluid consists of Boron Nitride Nanotubes (BNNT), silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) nanoparticles, with a focus on understanding the thermal behaviour and performance across mono, hybrid and tri-hybrid nanofluids. This paper also examines the thermal behaviour of MHD oscillatory nanofluid flow and carries out an uncertainty analysis of the model using the Taguchi method.

The governing equations for this system are transformed into coupled linear partial differential equations using non-similarity transformations and solved numerically with the Crank–Nicolson scheme. The impact of temperature sensitivity at three distinct temperatures (5°C, 20°C and 60°C) is incorporated to analyse variations in viscosity and Prandtl number. The study also examines the combined effects of Soret–Dufour numbers and thermal radiation on heat and mass transfer within the nanofluid.

The results demonstrate that the inclusion of BNNT, Ag and Cu nanoparticles significantly enhances heat and mass transfer rate, with copper nanoparticles showing superior performance in terms of skin friction and heat transfer rates. The Soret and Dufour effects play critical roles in modulating heat and mass diffusion within tri-hybrid nanofluids. The study reveals that temperature sensitivity alters heat and mass transfer characteristics depending on the temperature range, with pronounced variations at elevated temperatures. The influence of thermal radiation and the Peclet number is found to significantly impact temperature distribution and overall heat transfer performance within the asymmetric channel.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to analyse the heat and mass diffusion in a ternary nanofluid composed of BNNT, Ag and Cu nanoparticles, considering porous media, oscillatory flow and thermal radiation within a tapered asymmetric channel. The research extends to a novel examination of temperature sensitivity in mono, hybrid and tri-hybrid nanofluids at varying temperature gradients. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of skin friction and heat transfer rates between copper, alumina and ferro composites is presented for optimising the nanofluid performance.

This study aims to examine millennial consumers’ intentions towards purchasing eco-friendly products in the emerging Arab nation of Oman, focusing on the moderating role of eco-labelling (EL).

Environmental knowledge (EK) and environmental concern (EC) are integrated into the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) framework as independent variables, along with EL as a moderating variable. The data was collected through a self-administered survey and consisted of 705 random responses that was tabulated and analysed through the structural equation modelling technique.

ECs, subjective norms (SNs) and perceived behavioural control (PBC) significantly influence consumer attitudes towards green eco-friendly products. Consumers’ EK and attitudes positively influence the purchase intention (PI) to make green purchases. SNs and PBC substantially influence consumer attitudes towards adopting green products. However, the findings reveal a non-significant moderating influence of EL on the relationship between EC and PI for millennial Omani consumers.

The findings are limited to only one Arab country, Oman, which limits the scope of the study. This study contributes to the TPB by using additional dimensions to examine the green purchasing behaviour of millennials.

Marketers can use these insights to develop strategies that emphasise the environmental benefits of products, leverage social influences and empower consumers to make environmentally conscious choices. Incorporating EL and green packaging can enhance the visibility and attractiveness of green products.

Promoting environmental education, awareness campaigns and policy interventions that highlight the importance of eco-friendly product choices can foster more sustainable consumption patterns among Arab consumers.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the green PIs of millennials in an Arab context, specifically focusing on the moderating role of EL.