The educational system across the world has immensely been affected due to outbreak of COVID-19; it forced the shut down of educational institutions, which adversely affected student fraternity across the globe. Due to its contagious nature, COVID-19 demanded containment and enforced isolation that tremendously affected personal interaction of teachers and students. In the absence of traditional classroom teaching and one-to-one interaction, computer-based learning has emerged as closest substitute for off-line teaching. Against such a backdrop, it is pertinent to examine the students’ perception and readiness about online-learning system adopted at the university level during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For the present study, the quantitative approach has been adopted and responses from 184 university students of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, India namely Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University) and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University are collected through online questionnaire. This research study was conducted during June–August 2020. The findings of the study reveal students’ positive perception towards e-learning and thus acceptance of this new learning system. It has also empirically demonstrated the significance of e-learning in the time of COVID-19 crisis. In fact, e-learning has emerged as a new way of enhancing the learning process where social media may further improve the learning output. The findings of the study will facilitate educational institutions and policy makers to take this online-learning process to the next level in a better way.

The aim of this study is to identify the factors affecting the credibility of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) stimulation through Social Networking Sites (SNSs) through an empirical model providing both theoretical understandings and practical implications. The proposed framework explicates the consumer’s use of SNSs as a tool for information sharing and its effect on brand image and online purchase intentions. The consumer survey was done through a structured questionnaire developed in accordance with the literature. Data was collected from 256 respondents, using both offline and online modes from 4 different cities of India. Structural Equation Modeling was employed to estimate the proposed model and determine the antecedents of consumer eWOM credibility and in turn its effect on brand image leading to consumer purchase intentions. The results show SNS activities play a significant role in creating eWOM credibility, which leads to shaping the brand image and purchase intentions. The findings would help companies to create a positive brand image to enhance their purchase intentions through eWOM aroused via SNSs.

The three levels of the industrial sector in Saudi Arabia (primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors) are collectively regarded as a pillar of the economy, with great potential that offers attractive job prospects. Therefore, the success of Saudi private sector companies and foreign companies operating in the Kingdom is pivotal. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of incentives and rewards on the performance of employees in the Saudi industrial sectors, and the role of job satisfaction in this relationship. The research population consisted of employees working with the industrial sectors in Eastern Region in Saudi Arabia, and the sample comprised 216 full-time employees. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used as a statistical method for testing the hypotheses. The results demonstrated that there is an insignificant direct effect between incentives and rewards, and employees’ performance. However, evidence shows a significant direct effect between incentives and rewards, and job satisfaction, as well as a significant direct effect between the mediating variable, job satisfaction, and performance. Furthermore, when job satisfaction acts as a mediator, the influence of incentives and rewards on employees’ performance is significant. The research findings have notable theoretical and practical implications for incentive and rewards systems. The present study seeks to further our understanding of the incentive and reward effect on employees’ performance by examining job satisfaction as a mediating variable to the relationship. Additionally, the study attempts to explain how the relationship between proposed variables works in Saudi cultural context, which differs than Western contexts where most of the previous studies have been conducted. Analyzing employee job satisfaction as a mediator facilitates a better understanding of how and why different forms of incentives and rewards enhance employees’ behavior at work.

The operations of many industries, such as banking, insurance, energy, healthcare, and retail, have been improved and transformed by the application of artificial intelligence. The education sector is the particular one which has more potential for artificial intelligence and its applications. Universities and colleges are currently facing a number of challenges, including high rates of dropouts and student disengagement in their classes, as well as the failure of traditional learning techniques in the face of ongoing outbreaks. Major issues in the educational sector can be resolved by the proper application of artificial intelligence and big data, which can facilitate learner-centred approaches as per the needs of today’s era. This can be better described as a personalised learning approach, in which the needs of each and every student can be considered and education can be provided uniquely for them. In this way, the educator can provide a better learning experience according to the needs and ability of the learners/students. Thus, it also assists in enhancing the motivational level of the learners and minimising the dropout rates of the students. The main purpose of the study is to examine the role of artificial intelligence and big data in the adaption of the E-learning system for imparting better education facilities to the students of various colleges and universities situated in Saudi Arabia. The sample dataset for this study was collected through a purposive sampling technique from the 290 students enrolled in numerous higher educational institutions. The collected data were analysed using SPSS and SmartPLS 3 software. The findings of this study reveal that AI and big data assist educators and students as well to run the teaching and learning process smoothly even in the period of an ongoing pandemic at the higher levels of the education system. It also explores the educational inferences of transpiring technologies in the ways of students’ “learning and institutions” teaching and their adaption. In recent eras, technological evolution and an increase in the adoption of latest technologies in the field of higher education have been scouted to forecast the essence of higher education globally in the near future, where AI will be the gist for universities. This study reveals some issues faced by higher educational institutions and students related to the adaptation of these technologies for learning, teaching, administration, and student support. The implications of the present study will be helpful for students and teachers to access educational resources effectively and for educational institutions to improve the efficiency and personalization of learning tasks. Furthermore, it will allow students to get more time with their respective teachers.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the worldwide education system has been severely affected, following the shutdown of schools and colleges/universities since March 2020 in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Conventional classrooms shifted to online classrooms which profoundly impacted teachers’ and students’ closed interaction, making a paradigm shift in the teaching-learning process, inter alia. Against such a backdrop, it is relevant to analyze the perception of students and the challenges of online classes during this ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. The present study is based on a quantitative and sample survey approach. The respondent sample of 385 secondary school students from grades 8 to 12 in Delhi have been collected through a Google Form Questionnaire. The study was conducted in the months of January and February 2021. Statistical techniques, such as Descriptive Statistics, Chi-Square Test, Factor Analysis, Reliability Test and Logistic Regression, were used for analyzing the data. The Logistic Regression result shows that the quality of Internet, prior knowledge of ICT, family income, mother’s education and the number of rooms are positively impacting online classes. The findings of the study revealed that, on average, students have positive perceptions towards online classes during the pandemic to maintain their academic growth. Nonetheless, they experienced several challenges in online classes. Thus, the outcome of this research study will encourage policy makers and educational institutes to handle online classes in a better way, by adopting the latest techniques of online classes and by training teachers and students continuously so that the teaching–learning process becomes more enjoyable and effective during this ongoing pandemic. The government must take certain remedial measures to overcome the challenges in online classes and reduce the digital divide so that no students will be left out.

The green leadership (GL) concept has significantly gained popularity over the last decade. Consequently, more research has been conducted on this emerging leadership concept, emphasizing leadership styles that promote the green environment so that sustainable goals can be achieved. In the present research, leaders’ emotional intelligence (EI) is positioned as a mediating variable between GL and employees’ green organizational citizenship behavior (GOCB). The data of this research comprised managerial and non-managerial staff from the manufacturing and service industries. A PLS-SEM was used to evaluate the relationship between the various factors among 422 employees. The empirical findings indicated that GL and GOCB had a favorable and robust relationship. The results of the study also suggested that a leader’s EI mediates the influence of green leadership on their employees’ green organizational citizenship behavior. Green leadership is essential in creating sustainable environmental behaviors among employees. It can strengthen leaders’ EI, which successively helps them to garner positivity and foster an environment of mutual harmony and cooperation in the workplace to support pro-environmental policies. Overall, our study contributes to and advances previous studies and shows that green leadership plays a critical role in influencing a leader’s own EI which, in turn, predicts the green OCB of their employees in the workplace.