In response to the increasing global emphasis on sustainability and the specific challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China, this study explores the integration of green reverse logistics within these enterprises to enhance their sustainability and competitiveness. The aim of this study is to understand the relationship between reverse logistics, green logistics, and sustainable development. Data analysis was conducted utilizing a combination of descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. A survey of 311 participants examined SMEs’ performance in reverse logistics practices and their initiatives in green logistics and sustainable development. The empirical findings reveal significant progress in reverse logistics practices among SMEs, reducing environmental impact and improving resource efficiency. Moreover, a notable positive correlation was identified between reverse logistics promotion and advancements in green logistics and sustainable development. SMEs’ investment in reverse logistics is closely linked to their efforts in environmentally conscious and sustainable supply chain management. These insights benefit SMEs and supply chain practitioners and offer a valuable reference for future research and practical applications in this field.

This research seeks to identify the value of a few common factors determining the speed of economic growth in Baltic states and analyzes their impact in detail on Latvia’s lagging. Latvia’s economic starting point after regaining independence because of the collapse of the Soviet Union was at least comparable to its neighbors. Still, after the implementation of liberal reforms towards a free market’ economy and 20 years of operation as an EU full member, Latvia is lagging in growth, prosperity, and innovation. Within the analysis, this scientific paper pays special attention to the three less discussed factors, namely, the impact of post-Soviet mind-set effects as a part of local innovation culture, lasting since regaining independence in 1991; the importance of the availability of talent pull, its density, diversity, and accessibility; and readiness and capability to capture external knowledge and technology adoption. The overall approach is the systemic assessment of the national innovation system and/or innovation ecosystem, trying to understand the differences between these two models. Research is performed by analysis of the performance of the local innovation ecosystem in connection with export- and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policies. The authors present a novel method for visually representing economic growth and its application in analyzing process development within transitional economic nations. The study uses an analytical and synthetical literature review. It offers a new GDP data visualization method useful for monitoring economic development and forecasting potential economic crises—the outcomes from aggregative literature analysis in a consolidated concept are provided for required talent policy proposals. The post-Soviet mindset is seen as a heritage and devious underdog that has left incredibly diverse consequences on today’s society, power structures, economic growth potential, and the emergence of healthy, well-managed, and sustainable innovation ecosystems. The post-Soviet mindset is a seemingly hidden and, at the same time, an intriguing factor that has a significant impact on the desire to make and implement the right decisions related to innovation, education, and other policies promoting business development. The key outcome of the article is that sociocultural aspects and differences in innovation culture led to a slow-down of Latvia’s economic growth compared to Estonia’s and Lithuania’s slightly more successful economic reforms.

Language is fundamental to human communication, allowing individuals to express and exchange ideas, thoughts, and emotions. In early childhood, some children experience communication disorders that impede their ability to articulate words correctly, posing significant challenges to their learning and development. This issue is exacerbated in developing countries, where limited resources and a lack of technological tools hinder access to effective speech therapy. Traditional speech therapy remains vital, but the latest technological advancements have introduced robotic assistants to enhance therapy for communication disorders. Despite their potential, these technologies are often inaccessible in developing regions due to high production costs and a lack of sustainable manufacturing models. For these reasons, this paper presents “FONA,” a robotic assistant that employs rule-based expert systems to provide tactile, auditory, and visual stimuli. FONA supports children aged 3 to 6 in speech therapy by delivering exercises such as syllable production, word formation, and pictographic storytelling of various phonemes. Notably, FONA was successfully tested on children with cochlear implants, reducing the number of sessions required to produce isolated phonemes. The paper also introduces an innovative analysis of the Make To Order (MTO) manufacturing system for producing FONA in developing countries. This analysis explores two key perspectives: collaborative networks and entrepreneurship, offering a sustainable production model. In a pilot experiment, FONA significantly improved children’s attention spans, increasing the period by 17 min. Furthermore, the economic analysis demonstrates that producing FONA through collaborative networks can significantly reduce costs, making it more accessible to institutions in developing countries. The findings suggest that the project is viable for a five-year period, providing a sustainable and effective solution for addressing communication disorders in children.

Universal Health Coverage is a health insurance system that ensures every citizen in the population has equitable access to quality and effective promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative health services. Meanwhile, the Medan City Government of Indonesia is trying to improve health services through the Medan Berkah Health Insurance Program by adopting Universal Health Coverage, which aims to provide Universal Health Coverage to the entire community. This study aims to explain the implementation and projection of the development of health services of the Medan City Government with the Universal Health Coverage System in the Medan Berkah Health Insurance Program which is intended as a step in providing opportunities for all people to get equal opportunities in health services, especially for the poor. This research uses qualitative research by using the literacy study method by studying related documents and conducting in-depth observations. Data analysis included data reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing. The Medan City Government implemented the Universal Health Coverage Program in Jaminan Kesehatan Medan Berkah, which aims to improve health services in the city. The government is committed to simplifying the bureaucracy, managing the medical workforce, and collaborating with stakeholders and the community. However, challenges include low community participation, limited resources, lack of coordination, and limited access to information, which hinder the successful implementation of the program.

The article aims to evaluate the participation of below-poverty-line local community in tourism-related business activity in Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Further, this article addressed for those who work in the tourism sector. The study employs a mix of methods, including survey data from 500 respondents with a random sampling approach, using Analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical tools for analysis, other methods were interviews and observations at six tourism sites in Garhwal and four sites in Kumaun. Our findings showed that there has declined in community participation in tourism development, due to the lack of economic benefits obtained in the tourism sector, many believe that the tourism sector does not provide much income growth for them and does not make a significant contribution to the development of their region. Moreover, lack of understanding is considered the basis for community’s inability to play an active role, and lack of stakeholders’ involvement in encouraging them to improve their economy and culture through the tourism sector. Ultimately, this research also underlines the existence of some efforts by tourism travel to encourage public trust, which can help reduce poverty and increase community trust in tourism development in their region.