In today's competitive and complex business environment, achieving business excellence requires a combination of effective methodologies and strong leadership to drive and sustain organizational transformation. Lean Six Sigma (LSS), a proven methodology for improving operational efficiency, relies on effective leadership for successful implementation and lasting impact. This study examines how the integration of Lean, Six Sigma, and Total Quality Management (TQM) shapes leadership strategies that enhance organizational agility, resilience, and responsiveness to market dynamics. It highlights the crucial role of leadership in fostering collaboration, optimizing resource utilization, and cultivating a culture of continuous improvement. The study introduces the Structured Lean Leadership Framework as a strategic tool to develop the leadership capabilities essential for LSS success, addressing challenges such as weak leadership commitment, resistance to change, and communication barriers. Through the application of the DMAIC framework, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and Voice of Customer (VOC) analysis, the research aligns LSS with business objectives, customer needs, and sustainability goals. Additionally, it explores how combining LSS with Agile methodologies can improve operational efficiency, governance, and innovation, helping organizations better navigate future challenges. This research offers valuable insights for executives, practitioners, and researchers, supporting leadership development, data-driven decision-making, and long-term value creation. Future studies should focus on validating the Structured Lean Leadership Framework, exploring Agile-LSS integration in regulated industries, and examining the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on LSS and leadership.

This research aims to identify best practices and policy guidelines that foster sustainable urban ecotourism. As urban areas continue to expand, integrating ecotourism into urban planning emerges as a critical approach to sustainable development. This paper compares the policies and practices of urban ecotourism development in Thailand and China, aiming to construct a sustainable framework applicable to urban ecotourism development. Employing a comparative literature review, this research synthesizes findings from peer-reviewed journals, governmental reports, and case studies published between 2000 and 2024. The analysis focuses on the policies and practices adopted by Thailand and China to promote urban ecotourism, examining their effectiveness, challenges, and outcomes. The review shows distinct approaches in the two countries, with Thailand emphasizing community-based practices and stakeholder involvement and China primarily focusing on top-down policy initiatives for urban ecotourism development. Despite differing strategies, both countries demonstrate a commitment to integrating ecotourism into urban development plans. From the environmental, socio-cultural, and economic three dimensions, key successes include enhanced biodiversity conservation, increased local community participation, and improved tourist satisfaction. Challenges such as inadequate policy implementation, environmental degradation, and the sustainability of ecotourism practices are also discussed. The conclusion is that a holistic approach to urban ecotourism development that aligns policy and practice with the principles of sustainability is meaningful. The proposed framework offers actionable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and ecotourism practitioners aiming to use the potential of ecotourism as a tool for sustainable urban development in Thailand, China, and beyond.

This study investigates the optimization of ride-sharing services (RSS) on the ride-hailing service (RHS) providers in Bangladesh. This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed method research design- a qualitative study followed by a quantitative one. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with twenty (20) riders and drivers in Bangladesh, and quantitative data were collected from 300 respondents consisting of riders and drivers using a convenience sampling technique. Factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were applied to the data analysis. The qualitative analysis reveals several significant factors associated with RSS and RHS, including cost efficiency, fare, fuel consumption, traffic congestion, carbon emissions, environmental pollution, employment opportunities, business growth, and security. The quantitative results indicate that using RSS is associated with more significant benefits than RHS in various aspects, including cost efficiency, fare, fuel consumption, traffic congestion, carbon emissions, environmental pollution, employment opportunities, and expansion of the automobile industry. The findings may assist policymakers in understanding how RSS can yield more incredible economic, environmental, and social benefits than RHS by analyzing fare sharing among passengers, carbon emissions, fuel consumption, and the expansion of the vehicle markets etc. Therefore, the government can formulate distinct policies for RSS holders due to their contributions to economic, social, and environmental concerns. While RHS services are available in many cities in Bangladesh, this study considered only Dhaka and Sylhet cities. Thus, future studies can consider more respondents from other cities for a holistic understanding.

Corporate performance is the key indicator of availing the economic performances in all economies. Especially for the emerging economy, it is the oxygen for smooth economic operations. The study aims to investigate the influence of board characteristics on the corporate performance of the listed pharmaceuticals and chemicals sector from a developing country, namely Bangladesh. This empirical study examines eight attributes of the board and four financial performance indicators of the businesses. Here, the annual reports of the DSE-listed pharmaceutical and chemicals companies are considered to examine the impact of board attributes on corporate performance. Based on panel data analysis, this empirical study concludes that the fixed effect regression model is suitable for all four models. Except board size, the results demonstrate that all board attributes are generally statistically significant. Furthermore, it confirms that all the significant characteristics of the board are positively associated with corporate performance, except for board independence. The research offers valuable insights for policymakers, investors, organizations, and scholars, promoting optimal board structures, innovative solutions, and an enhanced understanding of corporate governance matters. This research explores the challenges in board attributes, which enhances our understanding of corporate governance matters and their impact over the last decade in the listed pharmaceutical and chemicals sectors in Bangladesh.

This study examined the factors influencing the organizational satisfaction of employees in public institutions. In the case of public institutions that must provide stable public services on behalf of the government, the organizational satisfaction of employees will be more important. In this regard, this study includes the perception of HRM and trust between employees as affecting factors, and the perception of HRM consisted of sub-components such as fairness of evaluation and excellence of education and training. Moreover, this study considered trust between employees as a mediator. In more specific, online surveys were conducted with 705 employees of public institutions in Korea, and the Structural Equation Model (SEM) was performed. The results indicated that the perception of HRM affected organizational satisfaction directly or indirectly. In addition, trust between employees mediated between all sub-components of perception of HRM and organizational satisfaction. Particularly, trust between employees has been verified to increase the influence of the perception HRM. Meanwhile, in the case of Korea, there are more public institutions than other countries, and many other countries are showing high interest in Korea’s public institution operation system. In this respect, dealing with Korean public institutions as examples provides important international implications.

Leadership is one of the important factors that ensured organizational achievement. Servant leadership offers a unique point of view on leadership which developed around the idea of service to subordinates. The implementation of servant leadership can lead to various positive outcomes, including increased engagement, organizational citizenship behavior, and improved performance. However, engagement and organizational citizenship behavior can serve as mediators to enhance organizational performance even further. The present study aimed to explore a prediction model of servant leadership using mediating variables such as employee engagement and organizational citizenship behavior, with employee performance as the outcome. The sampling method used was purposive sampling. This study used a structural equation model analysis approach to determine the predicted model of servant leadership. The research showed that the role of mediating variables indicated that employee engagement and organizational citizenship behavior had a positive effect in mediating the relationship between servant leadership and employee performance. The study indicated that applying servant leadership, with employee engagement, and organizational citizenship behavior as mediating variables would have an impact on better results of employee performance.