Introduction: In Central Europe, in Hungary, the state guarantees access to health care and basic health services partly through the Semmelweis Plan adopted in 2011. The primary objectives of the Semmelweis Plan include the optimisation and transformation of the health care system, starting with the integration of hospitals and the state control of previously municipally owned hospitals. The transformation of the health care system can have an impact on health services and thus on meeting the needs of the population. In addition to reducing health inequalities and costs, the relevant benefits include improving patients’ chances of recovery and increasing patient safety. The speciality under study is decubitus care. Our hypothesis is that integration will improve the chances of recovery for decubitus patients through access to smart dressings to promote patient safety. Objective: to investigate and demonstrate the effectiveness of integration in improving the chances of recovery for decubitus ulcer patients. Material and methods: The research compared two time periods in the municipality of Kalocsa, Bács-Kiskun County, Southern Hungary. We collected the number of decubitus patients arriving and leaving the hospital from the nursing records and compared the pre-integration period when decubitus patients were provided with conventional dressings (01.01.2006–2012.12.31) and the post-integration period, which entailed the introduction of smart dressings in decubitus care (01.01.2013–2012.12.31). The target population of the study was men and women aged 0–99 years who had developed some degree of decubitus. The sample size of the study was 4456. Independent samples t-test, Chow test and linear trend statistics were used to evaluate the results. Based on the empirical evidence, a SWOT analysis was conducted to further examine the effectiveness of integration. Results: The independent samples t-test model used was significant (for Phase I: t (166) = −16.872, p < 0.001; for Phase II: t (166) = −19.928, p < 0.001; for Phase III: t (166) = −19.928, p < 0.001; for Phase III: t (166) = −16.872, p < 0.001). For stage III: t (166) = −10.078, p < 0.001; for stage IV: t (166) = −10.078, p < 0.001; for stage III: t (166) = −10.078, p < 0.001). for stage III: t (166) = −14.066, p < 0.001). For the Chow test, the p-values were highly significant, indicating a structural break. Although the explanatory power of the regression models was variable (R-squared values ranged from 0.007 to 0.617), they generally supported the change in patient dynamics after integration. Both statistical analyses and SWOT analysis supported our hypothesis and showed that integration through access to smart dressings improves patients’ chances of recovery. Conclusions: Although only one segment of the evidence on the effectiveness of hospital integration was examined in this study, integration in the study area had a positive impact on the effective care of patients with decubitus ulcers, reduced inequalities in care and supported patient safety. In the context of the results obtained, these trends may reflect different systemic changes in patient management strategies in addition to efficient allocation of resources and quality of care.

Women play a pivotal role in national development, and it is essential for every country to harness their skills to promote economic growth and comprehensive development. The purpose of the current study is to analyze and evaluation the impact of the most recent legislatives and legal reforms in the Saudi Arabia laws in the women’s empowering and economic growth. In addition, the research method is used is analyzing laws, regulations, and reports documents related to women rights in Saudi Arabia to clarify its impact on the women’s empowerments and economic developments. The study’s results indicate a significant and positive impact of recent legal and legislative reforms in Saudi Arabia on women’s empowerment and economic growth. Legal reforms have expanded employment opportunities and fostered entrepreneurship among women, resulting in increased workforce participation and a rise in women-owned businesses. Social empowerment has been enhanced through greater autonomy and improved access to education and vocational training, equipping women with competitive skills. Additionally, reforms have facilitated women’s participation in governance that creating a safer and more equitable environment. These changes have contributed positively to the economic incomes and diversification that reflecting the efforts undertaken by the Kingdom to enhance women’s empowerment and ensure the sustainability of reforms to achieve the ambitious goals of the Kingdome Vision 2030.

The quest for quality postgraduate research productivity through education is on the increase. However, in the context of the African society, governance structures and policies seem to be impacting on the quality level of the provided education. Hence, this conceptual study explored the roles of governance structures and policies in enhancing and ensuring quality postgraduate education programmers in African institutions of higher learning. To this end, various relevant literature was reviewed. The findings showed amongst others that governance structures and policies affect the quality of education provided. Meanwhile, other factors such as curriculum, foreign influence, lack of resources, training, amongst others contribute to the quality of education provided. The study concludes that there is need for the current structures of governance and the designed and implemented policies for postgraduate education to be reviewed and adjusted towards ensuring the desired transformation.

Sustainability has turned into a critical focus for businesses, drawing considerable interest from the commercial sector and scholarly environments. While empirical investigations have been conducted regarding sustainability reporting within small and medium enterprises, only a limited number of companies are subjected to increased pressure to adopt sustainability reporting practices, thereby ensuring enhanced transparency and disclosure in their financial and sustainability disclosures. This research, framed by Institutional Theory, delves into how challenges in sustainability reporting obstruct organizations from properly evaluating and sharing their progress on sustainability aims. With an explanatory research framework in place, we circulated survey questionnaires to 400 participants, who were randomly drawn from a population of 28,927 registered SMEs in Metro Manila, Philippines. The application of Interpretative Structural Modelling and MICMAC Analysis revealed that the absence of regulatory frameworks, governmental assistance, and sustainability infrastructure constitutes the most critical obstacles impacting other determinants. In contrast, neither the deficiency in sustainability awareness nor the inadequacy of training and skills demonstrated a considerable impact on the other identified barriers. This study clarifies the complex interactions and interrelations among the obstacles to sustainability reporting, thus providing significant perspectives for organizations aiming to overcome these difficulties. The findings suggest that business leaders and stakeholders can formulate targeted strategies and interventions to facilitate the adoption of sustainability reporting practices within organizations. The application of the institutional theory framework highlights that pressures arise from a diverse array of institutional actors, including regulators, customers, and local communities, which collectively shape corporate behavior and reporting methodologies.

This study explores the advancement of ethical practices and environmental sustainability in Thai banking through an in-depth case analysis of Siam Commercial Bank (SCB), the country’s first indigenous bank founded in 1907. SCB has significantly influenced ethical banking practices and sustainability initiatives. The research provides a unique comparative analysis of SCB’s ethical frameworks and sustainability policies, assessing their impact on key stakeholders, including customers, employees, the community, and the environment. Employing a qualitative case study methodology, this study utilizes secondary data from SCB’s reports and CSR documents, analyzed through thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. The findings reveal SCB’s substantial progress in aligning ethical considerations with environmental sustainability, contributing new insights into ethical decision-making processes and the balance between profit and responsibility. Recommendations are provided to enhance ethical and sustainable practices in banking, adding to the discourse on corporate responsibility, environmental stewardship, and sustainable development.