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The study aims to investigate the reasons behind the growing diverse practices of Shariah governance (SG) among Islamic banks in Bangladesh.

Data has been collected through a semi-structured interview process from the concerned authorities (Shariah supervisory board members, Shariah department officers, central bank executives and banking professional experts) related to SG and Islamic banks in Bangladesh. The data has been analyzed by NVivo software.

The results of the study show that SG mechanisms are different due to the lack of unique comprehensive SG guidelines and the absence of a Centralized Shariah Supervisory Board (CSSB) under the Central Bank. The self-developed practices, the diversified opinions and viewpoints of the Board of Directors (BOD), banks' policies, business motivations and profit intention are also responsible for diversified SG practices. The diverse understandings and explanations of Shariah, Madhab (school of thought) and rulings are also responsible for the different practices of SG in Bangladesh.

The study has unique implications for the regulatory authorities and Islamic banks in Bangladesh. The study explored the diverse reasons for numerous applications of SG guidelines which will be beneficial for the central bank and regulators to resolve the issues by outlying unique SG guidelines.

This study outlines the reasons for dissimilar practices of SG by the Islamic banks in Bangladesh, which will be beneficial for Islamic banks and the central bank of Bangladesh.

The purpose of this study is to explore the practices of Shariah governance (SG) systems in terms of their guidelines, current operational procedures, internbal policies and structures and regulatory framework of Islamic banks in Bangladesh from the viewpoints of Shariah, Tawhidic approach/ontological approach and Shuratic process of Islamic corporate governance and institutional theory.

A semi-structured interview tactic has been applied to attain the objective. Overall, data has been collected from the regulators, Shariah supervisory board members, Shariah department executives and experts from the central bank and Islamic banks of Bangladesh.

The study finds that Islamic banks do not follow complete Shariah principles in all aspects of SG nor violate them fully in their overall functions due to less accountability, which contradicts the concept of the Tawhidi epistemological process of Islamic corporate governance. Islamic banks announce that they are following Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) guidelines, but in practice, they do not follow the instructions accurately because all of the standards and policies of AAOIFI and the Islamic Financial Services Board are not applicable in Bangladesh due to its cultural, legal and regulatory structures. It is found that Islamic banks in Bangladesh have a lower practice of maqasid as-Shariah and Tawhidic approach and Shuratic process.

The study significantly contributed to the central bank of Bangladesh and Islamic banks by exploring the SG systems for their further enhancement. The research provides some suggestions for improving existing SG systems and enhancing more application of SG guidelines and Shariah principles in the overall operations of the Islamic banks in Bangladesh.

This research extends the literature regarding the Islamic banks’ SG practices in Bangladesh. The study also contributes to Shariah, Tawhidic approach/ontological approach and Shuratic process of Islamic corporate governance and institutional theory by exploring the Islamic banks’ existing SG practices in Bangladesh.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the question “Why is Shariah Governance Framework (SGF) important for Islamic banks?”

A semi-structured face-to-face personal interview is used to accomplish the research objectives. This study has collected data from the concerned bodies related to Shariah Governance (SG) from the central bank and Islamic banks of Bangladesh.

This study states SG as a process of confirming Shariah compliance in the overall functions of the Islamic banks, while Shariah denotes some rules, regulations, guidelines, objectives and directions to enhance accurate functions and activities, which are solely based on Shariah principles. SGF is important for Islamic banks to implement Shariah principles, confirm Shariah compliance and monitor the functions of the banks. Besides, it is needed for a well, efficient, effective, profitable business and higher performance and, finally, to eliminate the confusion among the management, executives, conventional bankers and banks.

This study significantly contributes to the national and global regulatory bodies by providing evidence that why do Islamic banks and financial institutions require a sound SGF. It is recommended that there should be a sound and robust SGF to protect and fulfill the interest, expectations and demands of different stakeholders, which can easily draw their attention, intention and interest.

This is the first research that extends the literature of Islamic banking and SG by highlighting the importance of SGF. This study claims that to be a complete Islamic bank as well as protecting the unique identity from the general banks and corporate governance system, SG manual is required.

Inventory is a crucial part of a systematic supply chain of a business. Small firms mostly neglect inventory management (IM) by accumulating excessive inventory for a time. The study aims to examine the IM practices of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh.

The study applied a qualitative case study design. Data were collected from ten SME owners in Bangladesh. The study employed a purposive sampling technique to collect data. This study used semi-structured interviews to generate data. The NVivo software was used to analyze the data.

The findings show that most SME business owners collect raw materials from the local market. Along with the local sources, they collect raw materials from international markets. Some SME entrepreneurs collect raw materials throughout the country as they dealt with recycled products. Frequently, they used digital technologies and online media to manage raw materials. SME owners could not buy many raw materials due to financial crisis, wastage, and damage, leading to a ratio of 10–15% losses.

This research contributes greatly to the government, SME Foundation, and trade associations concerning the SME IM system. The study recommends the government should reduce the tax rate on importing SME raw materials and inventories and exporting SME products.

This is the first study that focuses on the IM systems of SMEs in Bangladesh.