Faculty and Staff
Photo of Dr. Zahy Ramadan

Dr. Zahy Ramadan

Associate Professor and Director, Internal Consulting & Project Management (ICPM) Office

zahy.ramadan@lau.edu.lb
Ext: 1931
AKSOB 1204
LAU Beirut 

View CV

Bio

Dr. Zahy Ramadan is an associate professor of marketing and founding director of the Internal Consulting & Project Management (ICPM) Office under the President’s Office at the Lebanese American University. He holds a Doctor of Business Administration from Manchester Business School, as well as an MBA and a BSc in Business Marketing with distinction from LAU.

His research examines the intersection of consumer behavior, technology, and retailing, with particular focus on the omni-channel consumer journey, online brand–consumer relationships, social media saturation, and shopper marketing. His work has been published in leading international journals and policy reports, earning him recognition among the world’s top 2% of most-cited scientists since 2024. In 2025, he received the LAU Research Excellence Award, together with Dr. Maya Farah, in recognition of their sustained scholarly contributions and international impact. His research has also been cited by global media such as Forbes and referenced by the European Union in shaping digital policy.

A Chartered Marketer (Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK), Dr. Ramadan brings more than 20 years of professional experience across the Near East, Arabian Peninsula, and Asia-Pacific markets. His industry expertise spans FMCG, luxury goods, and consumer electronics. He has designed and delivered executive workshops in China and South Korea on shopper marketing, in-store retail fundamentals, and SKU-mix strategy.

At LAU, Dr. Ramadan has advanced both academic and institutional strategy. He contributed to the university’s Integrated Health Strategic Planning and the renewal of Strategic Plan IV. He is recognized for his teaching innovation, having received the Excellence in Teaching Award (2019) and being twice shortlisted for the Times Higher Education Arab World Awards – Most Innovative Teacher of the Year (2024, 2025) for pioneering immersive, metaverse-based learning. In 2024, he co-designed and launched the LAU Leadership Program with Dr. Georges Najjar and co-developed the LAU Healthcare Customer Care Program with Dr. Maya Farah (2021–2024).

Dr. Ramadan continues to integrate scholarship, professional expertise, and institutional service to enhance LAU’s global visibility and impact, while mentoring the next generation of marketers and business leaders.

Teaching Interests

Research Interests

Awards and Accomplishments

Consulting Activities

Publications

Articles in Academic and Trade Journals:

Farah, M. F., Ramadan, Z., & Nassereddine, Y. (2025). Mind the gap: virtual fashion shows and generational disparities. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 1-9. 

Ramadan, Z., & Ramadan, J. (2025). AI avatars and co-creation in the metaverse. Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality, 20(1), 131-147. 

Nassereddine, Y., Ramadan, Z., & Farah, M. F. (2025). From Wellbeing to Addiction: The Influence of Inclusive Beauty Brands on People With Physical Disabilities. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 49(1), e70017. 

Mrad, M., Ramadan, Z., Tóth, Z., Nasr, L., & Karimi, S. (2025). Virtual influencers versus real connections: Exploring the phenomenon of virtual influencers. Journal of Advertising, 54(1), 1-19.

Farah, M.F. & Ramadan, Z. (2024). Toward an inclusive metaverse: maneuvering between acceptance of disability and need for uniqueness. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 18(5), 741-758.

Farah, M.F., Ramadan, Z., & Nassereddine, Y. (2024). When digital spaces matter: The influence of uniqueness and place attachment on self‐identity expression with brands using generative AI on the Metaverse. Psychology and Marketing, 41(12), 2965-2976.

Ramadan, Z. (2024). The rise of the egocentric brand and consumer: the case of soul bound tokens (SBT). Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 27(5), 921–940.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., Abosag, I., & Sleiman, A. (2023). Typology of e-commerce shoppers: the case of COVID-19. Qualitative Market Research, 26(4), 345-367.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Al Rahbany, N. (2023). Boosting customized and personalized interactive livestreaming experiences. Is Amazon Explore competing or complementing the hospitality industry? Qualitative Market Research, 26(5), 473-493.

Itani, O.S., Loureiro, S.M.C., & Ramadan, Z. (2023). Engaging with omnichannel brands: the role of consumer empowerment. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 51(2), 238-261.

Ramadan, Z. (2023). Marketing in the Metaverse era: toward an integrative channel approach. Virtual Reality, 27(March), 1905-1918.

Mahdi, A., Farah, M.F., & Ramadan, Z. (2022). What to believe, whom to blame, and when to share: exploring the fake news experience in the marketing context. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 39(3), 306-316.  

Farah, M.F., Ramadan, Z., & Kanso, J. (2022). Satisfying the online food crave: The case of online food aggregators. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 46(4), 1413-1427.

Ramadan, Z. & Nsouli, N.Z. (2022). Luxury fashion start-up brands’ digital strategies with female Gen Y in the Middle East. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 26(2), 247-265.

Mrad, M., Ramadan, Z., & Nasr, L.I. (2022). Computer-generated influencers: the rise of digital personalities. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 40(5), 589-603.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & El Essrawi, L. (2021). From Amazon.com to Amazon.love: How Alexa is redefining companionship and interdependence for people with special needs. Psychology and Marketing, 38(4), 596-609.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Bou Saada, R. (2021). Fooled in the relationship: how Amazon Prime members’ sense of self-control counterintuitively reinforces impulsive buying behavior. Journal of Consumer Behavior, 20(6), 1497–1507.

Ramadan, Z. (2021). “Alexafying” shoppers: The examination of Amazon’s captive relationship strategy. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 62, 102610.

Farah, M.F. & Ramadan, Z. (2020). Viability of Amazon’s driven innovations targeting shoppers’ impulsiveness. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101973.

Farah, M.F., Ramadan, Z., & Shatila, L. (2020). The examination of self-service replenishing solutions’ potential. International Journal of Web Based Communities, 16(2), 134–149.

Ramadan, Z. & Farah, M.F. (2020). Influencing the influencers: the case of retailers’ social shopping platforms. International Journal of Web Based Communities, 16(3), 279–295.

Abosag, I., Ramadan, Z., Baker, T., & Jin, Z. (2020). Customers’ need for uniqueness theory versus brand congruence theory: The impact on satisfaction with social network sites. Journal of Business Research, 117, 862-872.

Farah, M.F., Ramadan, Z. & Harb, D.H. (2019). The examination of virtual reality at the intersection of consumer experience, shopping journey and physical retailing. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 48, 136-143.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Kassab, D. (2019). Amazon’s approach to consumers’ usage of the Dash button and its effect on purchase decision involvement in the U.S. market. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 47, 133-139.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Daouk, S. (2019). The effect of e-retailers’ innovations on shoppers’ impulsiveness and addiction in web-based communities: The case of Amazon’s Prime Now. International Journal of Web Based Communities, 15(4), 327-343.

Ramadan, Z. (2019). The democratization of intangible luxury. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 37(6), 660-673.

Ramadan, Z. (2019). Brand–brand relational moments. Journal of Brand Management, 26(6), 705-716.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M. and Halawi, B. (2018). How can the Lebanese traditional media stations survive in the presence of digital media? ArabAd Magazine, 28(8).

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Dukenjian, A. (2018). Typology of social media followers: the case of luxury brands. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 36(5), 558-571.

Ramadan, Z. (2018). The gamification of trust: the case of China’s “social credit”. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 36(1), 93-107.

Ramadan, Z., Abosag, I., & Zabkar, V. (2018). All in the value: The impact of brand and social network relationships on the perceived value of customer endorsed Facebook advertising. European Journal of Marketing, 52(7/8), 1704-1726.

Farah, M.F. & Ramadan, Z. (2017). Disruptions versus more disruptions: How the Amazon dash button is altering consumer buying patterns. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 39, 54 -61.

Ramadan, Z., & Farah, M.F. (2017). The advent of the ‘social moment of truth’ in online communities. International Journal of Web Based Communities, 13(3), 364-378.

Ramadan, Z. & Farah, M.F. (2017). The Pokémonisation of the first moment of truth. International Journal of Web Based Communities, 13(2), 262-277.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Mrad, M. (2017). An adapted TPB approach to consumers’ acceptance of service-delivery drones. Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, 29(7), 817-828.

Ramadan, Z. (2017). Examining the dilution of the consumer-brand relationship on Facebook: the saturation issue. Qualitative Market Research, 20(3), 335-353.

Ramadan, Z. & Mrad, M. (2017). Fashionable stereotypes and evolving trends in the United Arab Emirates. Customer Needs and Solutions, 4, 28-36.

Case Studies:

Ramadan, Z. & Kanso, J. (2023). Zomato: shaping the future of food. Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, 13(1), 1-16.

Ramadan, Z. & Al Rahbany, N. (2022). Intangible Luxury Services: The case of Amazon’s Alexa. In Chapter 12, Fashion & Luxury Marketing 1st Edition, by Solomon, M. and Mrad, M. Sage, London, UK.

Ramadan, Z. (2019). Proven Arabia: Strategic Decision Making on a Digital Transformation Study in Saudi Arabia. The Case Centre, available at http://casecent.re/p/162211

Ramadan, Z. & Yunis, M. (2019). L’Oréal Brandstorm: Play, Experiment, Innovate. The Case Centre, available at http://casecent.re/p/162213

Books:

Ramadan, Z. (2018). Marketing Strategy in the Age of the ‘Omni-Moment of Truth’. Independently Published, U.S. ISBN 1980962804

Ramadan, Z. & Farah, M.F. (2017). The Dawn of ‘Guerrilla Marketing’: The alteration of consumers’ attitudes towards retailers and their usage of various social media platforms. [Kindle Edition], Retrieved from Amazon.com.

Chapters in a Book:

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., Abosag, I., & Dahi, B. (2024, June). Love Me, Love Me Not: The counterintuitive relationships in social networking sites. In Digital Marketing and eCommerce Conference (pp. 15-22). Springer, Cham.

Farah, M.F., Ramadan, Z., Sammouri, W., & Tawk, P. (2024, June). Digital luxury fashion shows: leveraging interactive marketing opportunities through social media sentiment analysis. In Digital Marketing & eCommerce Conference (pp. 23-30). Springer, Cham.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Bekdache, S. (2023). The examination of social and service relational aspects on customers’ retention. In Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics (pp. 70-79). Springer, Cham.

Ramadan, Z., Abosag, I., & Gadalla, E. (2023). Less for more: does consumers’ proneness to join more online brand communities negatively impact consumers’ sharing ability? In Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics (pp. 1-8). Springer, Cham.

Farah, M.F., Ramadan, Z., & Yunis, M. (2022). The examination of tech disruptions’ patterns on the consumer journey. In Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics (pp. 142-149). Springer, Cham.

Farah, M.F., Mrad, M., Ramadan, Z., & Hamdane H. (2020). Handle with care: adoption of drone delivery services. In Martínez-López F., Gázquez-Abad J., Breugelmans, E. (eds) Advances in National Brand and Private Label Marketing. NB&PL 2020 – Seventh International Conference. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics (pp. 22-29). Springer, Cham.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Audi, H. (2019, June). The advent of the voice moment of truth: The Case of Amazon’s Alexa. In Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics (pp. 165-174). Springer, Cham.

Ramadan, Z. & Abosag, I., (2017). The Mystique of Customers’ Saturation Behavior in Online Brand Communities. In Consumer Behavior, Sabah, S., InTech: Rijeka.

Ramadan, Z. & Abosag, I. (2016). Understanding online brand relationships in Western Asia: The Case of Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. In Asia Branding: Connecting Brands, Consumers and Companies, Melewar, TC, B. Nguyen and DE Schultz (Eds.). Palgrave Macmillan, UK.

Abosag, I., Martin, F. & Ramadan, Z. (2016). Social Media & Branding in Asia: Threats & Opportunities. In, Asia Branding: Connecting Brands, Consumers & Companies, Melewar, T.C, Nguyen, B. & Schultz, D.E. (Eds). Palgrave Macmillan, UK.

Proceedings and Presentations in Refereed Conferences:

Farah, M.F., Ramadan, Z. & Nassereddine, Y. (2024, August 16 - 18). The Migration from X to Threads: Consumer Journey and Brand-customer Relationships. Summer American Marketing Association (AMA) Academic Conference. Boston, USA.

Farah, M.F., & Ramadan, Z. (2024, February 23 - 25). Embracing disability versus need for uniqueness on the Metaverse. Winter American Marketing Association (AMA) Academic Conference. St. Pete, USA.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Nassereddine, Y. (2023, August 4 – 6). Mirror, mirror on the wall, can I with my physical disability be the fairest of them all? Summer American Marketing Association (AMA) Academic Conference. San Francisco, USA.

Farah, M.F., Ramadan, Z., & Bdeir, N. (2023, February 10 – 12). Inclusive Marketing in the Web 4.0 Metaverse, Winter American Marketing Association (AMA) Academic Conference. Nashville, USA.

Farah M.F., Ramadan, Z., Sammouri W., & Tawk, P. (2022, August 12 – 14). Social Media Sentiment Analysis: The Case of Virtual Luxury Fashion. Summer American Marketing Association (AMA) Academic Conference. Chicago, USA.

Majdalani, J., Farah M.F., & Ramadan, Z., (2022, July 23 – 26). The Addictive Subscription Economy. 28thRecent Advances in Retailing and Services Science Conference. Baveno, Italy.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Al Rahbany, N. (2022, February 10 – 18). Reconceiving customer experience: The case of Amazon Explore. Winter American Marketing Association (AMA) Academic Conference. Las Vegas, USA.

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Bou Saada R. (2021, August 4 – 6). Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on Amazon Prime. Summer American Marketing Association (AMA) Academic Conference, Boston, USA. 

Ramadan, Z., Farah, M.F., & Sleiman A., (2021, August 4 – 6). E-commerce and shoppers’ evolution post Covid-19. Summer American Marketing Association (AMA) Academic Conference. Boston, USA. 

Ramadan, Z. & Farah, M.F. (2020, February 14-16). The Advent of Artificial Intimacy: An AI-Consumer Relationship Framework Using the Case of Amazon’s Alexa. Winter AMA Academic Conference. San Diego, USA.

Farah, M.F., Ramadan, Z., & Mehdi, A. (2019, August 9-11). The impact of fake news on brands and social media. Summer AMA Academic Conference. Chicago, USA.

Abosag, I. and Ramadan, Z. (2018, September 3-5). Similarity vs. Uniqueness: How Social ads counterintuitively motivate the need for uniqueness. International Colloquium on Corporate Branding, Identity, Image and Reputation (COBIIR). Calabria, Italy.

Farah, M.F. & Ramadan, Z. (2018, May 2-4). The impact of retailers’ utilization of guerrilla-like marketing tactics on consumers’ attitudes. Global Brand Conference (GBC 2018). Newcastle, UK.

Farah, M.F. & Ramadan, Z. (2018, April 10-11). The long-term sustainability of retailer-driven tech innovations on shoppers’ impulsiveness.  3rd International Conference on Marketing, Strategy and Policy (MSP 2018). London, UK.

Farah, M.F., & Ramadan, Z. (2017, December 14 – 16). The consumer’s journey in the era of the “First Moment of Truth 2.0”. 43rdEuropean International Business Academy Conference (EIBA 2017). Milan, Italy.

Farah, M.F., & Ramadan, Z. (2017, October 26 – 29). The Rise of the Impulsive Shopper: The Case of the Amazon Dash Button. Association for Consumer Research North American Conference. San Diego, USA.

Abosag, I. and Ramadan, Z. (2017, April 26-28). The Paradox of Brand Similarity with Customer Uniqueness on Social Network Sites’ Satisfaction. The AM Brand, Identity and Corporate Reputation Special Interest Group (SIG). Kalmar, Sweden.

Ramadan, Z. and Abosag, I. (2016, April 27-29). The Co-Creation of Social Reputation; The Effect of Consumer – Social Networking Site’s Relationship on Socially Advertised Brands. The AM Brand, Identity and Corporate Reputation Special Interest Group (SIG). Bradford, UK.

Ramadan, Z., Mrad, M. & Farah, M.F. (2015, October 28 – 31). A Contemporary Challenge in the Globalization of Service Technology; Moving from Self-Service Technologies to Drone-Delivery Interfaces. The EAMSA: Theory and Practice in Bridging Europe and Asia: Contemporary Challenges in International Marketing. London, UK.

Ramadan, Z. and Abosag, I. (2015, April 27-29). From Community Addicts to Disengaged: The influence of Saturation on Consumer-Brand Relationship. The AM Brand, Identity and Corporate Reputation Special Interest Group (SIG). Turku, Finland.