This study analysed the behaviour of both economic and financial profitability of credit unions belonging to segment 1 in Ecuador, as well as its determinants. For this purpose, data from the financial statements of a sample of 30 credit unions between 2016 and 2022 were used by means of a multiple linear regression methodology using panel data with fixed effects after applying the Hausman test. The findings of this research showed that current liquidity and non-performing loans have a negative and significant effect on both economic and financial profitability while the past due portfolio has a positive and significant impact on the generation of profitability of the financial institutions under study. In addition, it was revealed that the rate of outflow absorption has a negative relationship with economic profitability but a positive relationship with financial profitability. Unlike previous research in the Ecuadorian context, this research is pioneering in presenting results that indicate that the determinants traditionally considered for nonfinancial institutions and banks are also valid for credit unions, even though they are organisations with different characteristics from the rest.

This study addresses the present limited understanding of the complex relationship between ethical leadership, job stress, and employee job performance in the hotel business. This study shows that job stress moderates the association between ethical leadership and employee job performance, underlining the necessity for more research in the industry. The present study fills a crucial research void in our understanding of the complex interaction between these factors. The study utilizes a sample of 292 employees in the accommodation and hotel industry. Prior to commencing data collection, the questionnaire underwent thorough validation and reliability testing to ensure that the instrument met all specified criteria and demonstrated robustness. Using hierarchical regression analysis, the study reveals substantial findings. It has been discovered that ethical leadership has a direct and positive effect on employee job performance. Notably, job stress emerges as a significant moderating variable that affects the relationship between ethical leadership and employee job performance. This highlights the crucial role that job stress plays in determining outcomes. The research indicates that reducing workplace stress and fostering ethical leadership can result in improved employee job performance. In addition, the study highlights the importance of social learning theory in enhancing employee job performance, with job stress and ethical leadership serving as significant moderating factors.

Despite the efforts of public institutions and government spending, progress on the SDGs is mixed at the midpoint of the 2030 timeframe-some targets are off track and some have even regressed. ICT-related indicators, on the other hand, stand out for their strong progress. The author notes this progress, but questions its relationship to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. He argues that the growth in internet and mobile network penetration is due to the economic characteristics of communications development. The objectives of the article are to review the impact of the ICT sector on economic growth, to consider the role of government spending in the development of this sector in the context of fostering the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and to identify the prerequisites for significant progress towards SDG targets in communications. Achievement of these objectives will make it possible to determine whether this progress is a consequence of targeted efforts to achieve the SDGs, or whether, in accordance with the author’s hypothesis, it is based on the specifics of the ICT sector’s development, allowing for the accelerated spread of mobile communications and the Internet, which is reflected in the SDG indicators.