Journal of Islamic Marketing

Ahmad, Anis Najiha ; Yang, Tajul A. ; Wan Abdullah, Wan Nadiah

2015 Journal of Islamic Marketing

doi: 10.1108/JIMA-10-2013-0069

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to evaluate the perceived knowledge of the general concept of halal food and actual knowledge of halal food principles with emphasis on alcohol (alcoholic drinks and ethanol). Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional descriptive survey, using quantitative research methods, was utilized. A self-administered survey was distributed to 188 undergraduate students of the food technology programme at Universiti Sains Malaysia, and a total of 114 responses were obtained. Findings – Results indicate that respondents believed that they have above average competence regarding the concept, sources, ingredients, processing and the overall production of halal foods (score: 3.75-4.18). In addition, all of the 114 respondents also agreed that alcoholic drinks are fundamentally prohibited in Islam. However, the survey also revealed that the respondents were less certain about the application of alcohol in halal food production. Respondents’ actual knowledge on these issues was low to average. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited by its cross-sectional nature. In addition, the research was only conducted on undergraduate-level students of the food technology programme, and therefore, results derived might not be generalized to the other segments of the population. The overall uncertainty and misconception about the application of alcohol in halal food highlights the need to improve the knowledge of these undergraduate students to more than a mere theory of the concepts of halal and haram. Originality/value – No previous study has been conducted to explore the issue pertaining to alcohol in halal food, and this paper categorically strives to fill this gap.

Setyobudi, Wahyu Tri ; Wiryono, Sudarso Kaderi ; Nasution, Reza Ashari ; Purwanegara, Mustika Sufiati

2015 Journal of Islamic Marketing

doi: 10.1108/JIMA-08-2014-0055

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the implicit and explicit attitude toward Islamic bank and how it influences desire to saving at an Islamic bank. Although the Islamic bank system has been experiencing rocket growth worldwide, but the development in Indonesia is still unsatisfying. The penetration is very low compared to the conventional bank system. Consumer attitude is one of the most important variables that need to be understood to develop effective intervention. Although extensive research has been carried out on consumer attitude in the Islamic bank context, no single study adequately elaborates on implicit attitude. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 423 respondents was taken to represent the middle-class employee segment. A set of questionnaires consisting of four sections was administered to respondents. The first section is a paper-based implicit attitude test, which collected data using a face-to-face interview, and the rest was self-reported. Data were analyzed using descriptive, analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. Findings – Analysis of the data shows that the implicit attitude toward Islamic banks in Indonesia is relatively lower than the explicit attitude. In addition, Islamic bank usage pattern and religion have a significant relationship with implicit attitude. While implicit attitude is relatively stable, explicit attitude significantly differs according to age and marital status variables. Finally, this study shows that implicit and explicit attitude simultaneously determine desire to saving at an Islamic bank. Originality/value – The paper extends the literature by exploring and highlighting the importance of implicit attitude in the study of Islamic consumer behavior. It also gives deeper understanding to Indonesian middle-class employee saving behavior, which has huge potentials, and helps Islamic bank practitioners to develop a set of strategies to tap the market.

Thomas, Paul ; Selimovic, Amina

2015 Journal of Islamic Marketing

doi: 10.1108/JIMA-05-2014-0041

Purpose – This study aims to explore how two Norwegian national online newspapers, Dagbladet and Aftenposten , have framed halal food in the past 6 years (2008-2014), a period conflating with a rise in Muslim demographics in Norway. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed-methods approach is used. Employing among others a Hallidayan transitivity analysis and other approaches from critical discourse analysis (CDA), clausal semantic structures, collocations and nominalizations were explored with a view toward fleshing out ideological significance. Particular attention was given to the neologism – “covert-Islamization” – popularized by the populist right-wing Progress Party. Findings – The findings reveal that Dagbladet refracts halal food through a discourse of crime and other dubious frames tapping into topoi of Islamophobia. Halal is, in this manner, transformed into a synecdoche for deviance. This is contrasted with Aftenposten’s more “halal-friendly” gaze which inter alia is attributed to greater access for Muslim contributors (over 40 per cent), with nearly all authorship penned in the aftermath of the Breivik massacre of July 22, 2011. Research limitations/implications – As a comparative research that explores two newspapers – albeit with substantial national circulation – there are obvious limitations. Future research could explore the contents of Verdens Gang , the biggest newspaper in Norway, and perhaps incorporate iconic semiotic content. Social implications – The prevalent media discourse on halal in Norway casts a shadow over a fundamental aspect of the identity construction of Norwegians who adhere to Islam, thus highlighting issues of belonging and citizenry in the “new” Norway. National discourses of identity and belonging impact upon the Muslim consumer’s perception of self and ethnicity, and how these perceptions are negotiated in the interstices of a skewed media coverage of halal certainly serves to undermine this self-perception. Originality/value – Several recent studies have broached the subject of the manifold representations of Muslims and Islam in the media using a CDA, but there is a dearth in studies with a specific focus on halal food. This study contributes to the lacuna in the literature in an area of growing importance, not just as a socio-political and religious phenomenon, but a lucrative commercial project in a Scandinavian context.

Ngah, Abdul Hafaz ; Zainuddin, Yuserrie ; Thurasamy, Ramayah

2015 Journal of Islamic Marketing

doi: 10.1108/JIMA-03-2014-0027

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the determinants of the adoption factors of Halal warehousing activities among Halal manufacturers in Malaysia. It is hoped that this work would contribute to the growth of research in the area of Halal adoption services. Design/methodology/approach – The data for this quantitative study were gathered from 140 participants of the Malaysia International Halal Showcase 2013. Smart PLS version 2.0 was used to analyze the relationship of each construct using the structural equation modeling approach. Findings – Awareness, complexity and top management support were found to be the determinant factors in the Halal warehousing services adoption among Malaysian Halal manufacturers. Supplier availability was found to have a negative relationship in the adoption of Halal warehousing services. Research limitations/implications – The findings of this study revealed some important implications and great values among researchers, Halal service providers and the government sector. It is also hoped that the findings of this study would give some insights into the adoption of Halal warehouse services. However, many other variables such as perceived benefits, consumer pressure and, also, industry pressure which may also contribute to a better understanding of Halal services should also be considered. Practical implications – The Halal service providers should focus their offer of services not only to areas around Kuala Lumpur and Selangor but also to other areas in Malaysia. There is a great demand for their services throughout the whole nation, as the Halal manufacturers are scattered all over East and West Malaysia. Originality/value – This study is an attempt to investigate and develop the Halal warehousing adoption model that was theoretically grounded in the technology, organization and environment (TOE) framework. This study found that the TOE framework could explain better each variable which has a relationship with the adoption of Halal warehousing activities.

Aris, Aadam T. ; Zzaman, Wahidu ; Yang, Tajul A. ; Harivaindaran, K.V.

2015 Journal of Islamic Marketing

doi: 10.1108/JIMA-12-2013-0087

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the awareness of Muslim students regarding Istihalah in their daily life. The study was carried out to investigate attitude and awareness towards Istihalah among Muslim students in Universiti Pertanian Bogor (UPB), Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 456 students were randomly selected from the university. A self-administered questionnaire was handed out to consenting students focusing on attitude and awareness towards Istihalah and eagerness to learn more about Istihalah. Findings – Results showed that Muslim students lacked information about Istihalah. From the total number of students 86.18 per cent agreed that information and knowledge of Istihalah is scarce. 40.1 per cent believed that Ulamas (Muslim scholars) are a very important source of knowledge regarding Istihalah, and 87.50 per cent are willing to learn more about Istihalah. Research limitations/implications – The respondents in this study were Muslim students in UPB, Indonesia. The results of this study are only applicable to the specific community. Thus, extrapolation of the results to represent society at large is not possible. The study merely attempts to investigate the prevalence of the concept among students of the university. Originality/value – This study is formed as a novel study to explore the attitude and awareness towards Istihalah among Muslim students in UPB, Indonesia. Students being representatives of the educated society are important links in creating awareness of the concept of Istihalah at large. This pilot study is the second of its kind, and prior study of Istihalah with regards to community awareness is limited to just one other performed by the same team.

Ahmed, Muhammad ; Jan, Muhammad Tahir

2015 Journal of Islamic Marketing

doi: 10.1108/JIMA-10-2014-0068

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to browse literature based on Aaker’s brand personality modal and highlight criticism on it. Furthermore, the study proposes an Islamic brand personality modal based on Islamic teachings. Design/methodology/approach – Extensive research on Muslim characteristics based on Qur’an, hadith and scholarly work of traditional and modern scholars has been used to assess Aaker’s model. Expert opinions of faculty members from relevant field are also taken into consideration to propose Islamic brand personality model. Findings – Aaker’s brand personality dimensions have been revised in the light of Islamic teachings. As a result, few pre-existing dimensions have been re-named and several new dimensions such as moral character and trustworthiness are also included. Research limitations/implications – Considering the gap found in literature, the need to conduct brand personality research in the service industry such as Islamic banks is highlighted. Practical implications – Islamic brand personality model may help marketers effectively differentiate Islamic brands such as Islamic banks. It may also reinforce advertising techniques/tools to attract a large Muslim consumer market. Originality/value – This paper is one of the early attempts to see brand personality from Islamic perspective.

Sumaedi, Sik ; Juniarti, Rosa P ; Bakti, I Gede Mahatma Yuda

2015 Journal of Islamic Marketing

doi: 10.1108/JIMA-06-2013-0045

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the relationship among trust, commitment and ego involvement and their impacts on word-of-mouth communication (WOM) for individual saving customers in Islamic banking. Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual model and the hypotheses are formulated based on trust and commitment theory, organizational commitment theory, social judgment theory and the results of previous empirical studies on buyer–seller marketing relationship in business-to-customer (B2C) markets. Quantitative research methodology was performed to examine the model and the hypotheses. The data were collected using survey with questionnaire. The respondents of the survey are 100 Islamic banking individual saving customers. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the proposed model and the hypotheses. Findings – The research results show that affective commitment has a positive and significant impact on WOM, while normative commitment and calculative commitment have no significant impact on WOM. Ego involvement has a positive and significant impact on trust, normative commitment, calculative commitment and affective commitment. However, trust does not have a significant impact on calculative commitment, normative commitment and affective commitment. Research limitations/implications – This research was only conducted in one Islamic bank in Indonesia. The data collection using the convenience sampling method as well as the use of a small sample size caused the limitation of the research results in representing across the retail customer of the bank. This study can be replicated with a larger sample size and by involving more Islamic banks to examine the stability of the findings. Practical implications – The research results indicate that ego involvement has an important role in shaping trust and commitment of Islamic banking individual saving customers. Given this, the managements of Islamic banks need to ensure that the banks they have managed are relevant, important and appropriate with the values espoused by their individual customers. Originality/value – This study is important because of the limited literature which discusses relationship marketing in the context of Islamic banking. Furthermore, this research has a novelty on the inclusion of ego involvement in explaining trust and commitment. The use of commitment as a multi-attribute construct also enriches the literature on buyer–seller marketing relationship in B2C markets due to the limited literature that addresses commitment as a multi-attribute construct.

Kashif, Muhammad ; De Run, Ernest Cyril ; Abdul Rehman, Mohsin ; Ting, Hiram

2015 Journal of Islamic Marketing

doi: 10.1108/JIMA-12-2013-0086

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to understand the practice of Dawah among Muslims by discovering its perceived motives and benefits that can be replicated to organizational settings. Furthermore, the motives and benefits of performing Islamic Dawah are tied together to establish a Dawah based framework to foster ethical decision making in organizations. Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative study is based on interviews conducted among 40 male Muslims from Pakistan. The sample consists of Muslim scholars having strong religious knowledge, younger people and old-age Muslims. The data collected through the interviews are transcribed and content-analysed by using multiple coding schemes. Findings – The Islamic Dawah-based framework is based on five elements, which are self-reform, transcendence, complacency, dutifulness and pridefulness. The findings reveal that Muslim scholars put much emphasis on sharing of Islamic faith and livelihood among the members of the community, while the common people, both from the younger and older generations, are more concerned with establishing their own understanding of the Islamic value system and self-improvement. Aside from the spiritual impact that Dawah has on them, the role of family members in stimulating the practice of Dawah is highlighted. Practical implications – The study has managerial relevance in a way that the highlighted themes represented by a framework can be replicated to an organizational setting to impart a culture of ethicality which is purely based on Islamic tradition. The roles of peers, CEO and self-correction are pivotal to establishment of an ethical workplace culture. Originality/value – This study extends marketing knowledge in general and internal marketing knowledge specifically by presenting a first-ever Islamic Dawah-based model to foster workplace ethics.