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Recognizing this gap in the literature, previous research has developed a conceptual model that aligns Lean thinking (LT) tools and principles with project management (PM) domains to increase project efficiency through waste elimination. This paper aims to explore the application of LT in PM to minimize waste, focus on value delivery and subsequently enhance the efficiency of projects.

This research uses qualitative analysis to validate the previously developed conceptual model by conducting structured interviews with project managers and practitioners in the information technology (IT) sector to examine waste sources, assess their impact on project efficiency and investigate the model’s applicability as a strategy to enhance efficiency in IT projects.

From the research conducted, the results from the literature put in evidence that while the construction and production sectors have seen extensive research on the link between LT and PM, the combined and complementary application of these concepts to IT PM remains understudied. The research findings reveal the agreement among all respondents that LT can be successfully adapted to PM practices, leading to a positive correlation between this adaptation and waste reduction, consequently enhancing project efficiency. Moreover, respondents concur that the developed conceptual model can be customized to suit various IT projects, facilitating the seamless integration between LT and PM.

The innovative conceptual model harmonizes LT with IT project management, offering a practical and forward-looking approach to amplify efficiency in projects.

Industry 4.0 is based on cyber-physical systems (CPSs); therefore, the risks of cyberattacks tend to increase. A cyberattack is any malicious act that could jeopardize the security of production, accounting and financial systems. This review hypothesizes quality management is in a position to play an important role in preventing and detecting hacker attacks.

To verify this hypothesis, Lakato’s research program was utilized in a bibliometric review. This review was separated into two stages: the first was a descriptive analysis and the second was a scientific mapping, done using a technique known as text mining. This technique was guided by factorial and cluster analysis.

The analysis revealed that this subject is emerging and relevant. It was observed that understanding the vulnerabilities of connected systems is crucial for combating cyberattacks. Furthermore, the study highlighted the potential of multivariate control charts, such as Hotelling’s T-squared charts and Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) control charts, in efficiently detecting anomalies in connected systems.

This article introduces an approach integrating quality management, statistical analysis and cybersecurity to safeguard CPSs. By leveraging advanced statistical techniques, such as Hotelling T² charts and EWMA charts, in conjunction with the foundational principles of quality management systems (QMS), such as continuous improvement and process standardization, this could be a potentially robust defense against cyberattacks. The integration of these tools allows for the early detection of anomalies and potential cyber threats, ensuring the prevention of integrity and security of interconnected industrial processes.

Created in 2006 to provide healthcare and social support to dependent patients in Portugal, the National Integrated Continued Care Network (NICCN) has been unable to tackle a growing demand, as the population ages with high dependency indices and social resources are scarce.

The study involved a retrospective cohort study of adult patients referred to the NICCN by a Portuguese university hospital in 2022, with sociodemographic and clinical characterization of patients and analysis of the referral process, outcomes and one-year survival after referral.

A total of 916 patients were referred but only 579 were admitted. Patients referred by the Palliative Care Department (PCD, n = 100) were younger and 64% had a cancer diagnosis, compared to 8% of patients referred by the Senior Management Team (n = 816), among whom stroke and trauma prevailed. The median time from referral to acceptance was 5 days for patients referred by PCD and 14 days for others. One-third of referrals were rejected/cancelled and 50% of corresponding patients died within a year, as did 35% of those admitted to the NICCN. Most patients referred by PCD died within 4 months of referral, 47% of them before admission to the NICCN.

The referral process to the NICCN is time-consuming and many patients die or are discharged while waiting for a place. The high proportion of deaths within the first year after referral and within a few months for patients referred by the PCD suggests that the NICCN as a whole could benefit from a specialised palliative care intervention, which should take place earlier.

Apart from estimates on the number of vacancies in NICCN and waiting time trends, no previous research evaluated the outcomes and efficiency of this process.

The purpose of this study is to examine how capital structure mediates the effects of corporate governance (CG) compliance on firm performance (FP) in the context of a developing market experiencing significant reforms to its governance landscape.

An index was built to measure firm-level compliance with Pakistan’s code of CG. Several robustness checks were performed, including alternate proxies of dependent and independent variables, using additional control variables and considering the Global Financial Crisis period. To address dynamic effects and endogeneity, several identification strategies were used: a leading dependent variable, fixed effects model, generalised method of moments model and propensity score matching.

CG compliance leads to higher FP. However, higher leverage partially and negatively mediates this association. The results of this study are robust against alternate proxies of dependent and independent variables and possible endogeneity issues.

This study constructs a summative measure of CG compliance that captures not only firm-level compliance to the prescribed codes but also the benefits of incremental improvements and reforms in the governance of the Pakistan market. This study offers insights into an emerging market, contributing further empirical evidence to support greater market transparency through mechanisms such as CG compliance and the monitoring effects of debt. However, this study cautions that greater compliance raises costs, especially when associated with higher leverage, and can undermine FP.

Social protection states the public-mandated (strategies and programmes) to address the vulnerability and risk among poor and near-poor households. Social protection must not only help people meet their basic needs but also contribute to the long-term well-being and broader societal goals of equity, social justice and empowerment. The role of social protection in achieving these goals has not been adequately documented. This paper examines the performance of the social protection mechanism from the perspective of the regional structural and institutional performance indicators. Social protection outlay dynamics are synthesized in the structural and institutional conducts.

A world regional comparability is made by considering the panel dataset for the time interval 1995–2020. In empirics, the unconditional and conditional ranks are constructed, and regression analyses are made subject to (1) the fiscal constraint of social protection, (2) structural performance indicators and (3) the institutional performance indicators of the targeted regions across the globe. The fully modified-ordinary least square (FM-OLS) method is used to construct the ranks.

The rank analysis demonstrates that the developed regions (i.e. Europe, Central Asia and North America) have relatively good welfare standards and fiscal capacity for social protection drives compared to the developing/underdeveloped regions (i.e. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia). The structural/institutional performance indicators have shown their significance in determining/utilizing their budget for social protection and maintaining welfare standards. Interestingly, most developed regions are relatively reluctant to maintain the structural/institutional performance for the determination/execution of the funds for social protection as compared to the developing and underdeveloped regions.

In policy discourse, this research suggests that governments must make some market operations to enhance their regions’ structural and institutional performance to get better outcomes of social protection spending in the form of attractive welfare standards.

Multiple studies have been done considering the social protection dynamics at nano, micro and macro levels, while this study considered the mega dataset across the globe to analyse the social protection dynamics in consideration of structural and institutional performances.