Linking Halal Food Certification and Business Performance

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between Halal food certification (HFC) and business performance. This study argues that Halal food certificate implementation positively influences business performance. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 210 Halal certified food manufacturing companies in Malaysia participated in the study. Data were gathered through a structured questionnaire and were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling technique. Findings: The study proved that HFC has a positive relationship with operational performance. Additionally, operational performance mediates the relationship between HFC and financial performance. Altogether, this signifies that Halal food certificate implementation positively influences business performance. Practical implications: By linking HFC and business performance, managers may be aware of the significant role of HFC in influencing operational and financial performance. It would entice more food companies to become Halal certified that opens up an opportunity to a lucrative Halal food industry. It also empirically justifies that a religion-based food certification has the ability to influence business performance, consistent with other established food standards such as ISO 22000 or HACCP. Originality/value: Although numerous studies have concentrated on well-established food certifications, the expanding Muslim population, rising demand for Halal food, and lucrative Halal food market have raised the attention on HFC research among academicians and practitioners. This research is able to highlight the importance of implementing HFC among food companies as it could potentially lead to superior business outcomes

Halal food standard implementation: are Malaysian firms proactive or reactive?

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons behind halal food standard (HFS) implementation among food manufacturers in Malaysia. Additionally, it examines whether firms in the Malaysian food manufacturing industry are proactive or reactive in implementing HFS. Design/methodology/approach: A field survey was conducted in 210 halal-certified food manufacturers. A partial least squares structural equation modeling technique was used to examine the relationships between the reasons and implementation of HFS. Findings: The empirical assessments revealed that organization’s commitment, operational improvement and marketing functions are the internal reasons. Meanwhile, government intervention and consumer pressure are the external reasons to implement HFS. Findings also indicated that Malaysian food manufacturers are proactive in implementing HFS. Practical implications: The knowledge from this research could encourage non-certified firms to implement HFS and entices halal-certified firms to remain certified. It guides managers toward adopting a better strategy, particularly in prioritizing the internal factors and resources for a more sustainable and positive implication. Originality/value: This research is among the few studies that scrutinized the rationale behind the rapid growth of halal food industry. It argues that the pursuit of HFS is not solely a religious obligation, but it is also driven by safety, quality and marketing motives

Critical success factors of supply chain management: A literature survey and Pareto analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is three pronged. First, to review the existing critical success factors (CSF) literature in the context of supply chain management (SCM). Second, to analyze the occurrence frequency of every possible CSF in SCM literature. Third, to identify the “vital few” and the “useful many” CSF that are harmonized across the SCM field. Design/methodology/approach – A time-specific and term-sensitive literature review technique is undertaken to generate a list of possible CSF in SCM. The review yielded 55 papers, but only 26 empirical CSF papers were selected for analysis as the reliability and validity of the factors had been rigorously tested. Consequently, a Pareto analysis approach was applied to trace the CSF frequency of occurrence in SCM literature. By performing a Pareto analysis, this present study is able to identify and categorize the “vital few” and “useful many” CSF that are consistent throughout various fields of SCM. The review and results are tabulated and a Pareto diagram has been constructed to provide a summary of findings. Findings – Out of the 26 selected empirical papers, 25 potent CSF in SCMliterature have been extracted. From the Pareto analysis, nine CSF represent 80.68 percentage of occurrence which is regarded as the “vital few” CSF in SCM. The remaining 16 CSF represent 19.32 percentage of occurrence and is regarded as the “useful many” CSF in SCM. The nine “vital CSF” are immensely important, because in order to achieve supply chain and operation success, one must recognize the few vital factors that are responsible for the larger impact onto the industry compared to the other 16 “useful many” CSF. Practical implications – The study offers some sense of assistance to SCM managers in highlighting the vital few CSF that matter most, regardless of their nature of SCM fields. Thus, saving their energy, time, and resources in determining the critical pieces of information. For academicians, this study provides a platform for future SCM CSF research and the results could aid researchers in developing the research instrument. Originality/value – This study is the first attempt to apply Pareto analysis for SCM CSF studies and critically analyzing a wide range of SCM CSF literature. The result could allow supply chain managers to focus on the internal factors, as it could implicate the external factors, and is vital for sustainable supply chain operation, plus, it could stimulate potential researcher opportunities in linking SCM CSF and firm performance

Conceptualizing the implementation of Halal food certification: an institutional theory perspective

Current literature on Halal food certification are largely focused on consumerism, but less attention on the manufacturer and supply-side of the Halal food chain. Although Halal food certification literature is growing, the field lack theoretical foundation and the uneven focus of Halal certification research indicate that theoretical application is severely deficient. Acknowledging the shortcomings, this paper set out to explore the drivers that motivate firms in implementing Halal food certification, and examines the institutional theory on why business enterprises engage in Halal food certification. Literature in Halal, Halal certification, and institutional model are synthesised to conceptualise the motivational factors in implementing Halal food certificate. This paper argues that the coercive, normative, and mimetic isomorphism are the motivational factors behind the implementation of Halal food certification. The paper serves as a foundation for future research undertakings and entices more academic arguments to further fine-tune the suggested proposition

Motivations and limitations in implementing halal food certification: A pareto analysis

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review, analyse, and synthesise the motivation and limitation factors in implementing Halal food certification. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic online library search gathered 50 recent journal articles between the years 2004 and 2014. After common motivation and limitation factors were identified and reviewed, a Pareto analysis was performed. This is done to prioritise the motivation and limitation factors and ultimately revealed the major factors that influence the implementation of Halal food certification. Findings: A total of 36 motivation and 37 limitation factors were identified. Through Pareto analysis, 15 motivation factors accounted for 80.07 per cent and 20 limitation factors are responsible for 79.65 per cent. These factors are considered the major factors in implementing Halal food certification. Practical implications: For academicians, this study provides the most recent review of food safety and quality certification literature and the highlighted factors could assist in designing research instruments and set the foundation for future research endeavours. For industrialists, factors drawn from this study highlight the information critical for effective and efficient decision making. Originality/value: This paper is unique as it is the first study to review and analyse the relevant literature from which the authors synthesised the major factors in implementing Halal food certification. The result of this study will provide greater insights to researchers, food companies, and other stakeholders in an effort to encourage greater implementation of Halal food certification

Barriers to Halal logistics operation: views from Malaysian logistics experts

There is a growing demand for Halal-certified logistics service, but the supply of such logistics service is limited. This study asserts that there is a potential area for research, and argue that logistics service providers (LSP) are resistant to adopt Halal logistics operation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the barriers in adopting Halal logistics operation. Additionally, this study tries to highlight the core reasons behind the barrier to Halal logistics operation. This study fills in the gap exist between insufficient supply of Halal LSP and the rising demand for Halal logistics. Semistructured interview technique is used to gather information from four Halal LSP in Malaysia. The respondents are identified from purposive judgement sampling. Four major barriers to Halal logistics operation are identified, and there are four core reasons behind these barriers. This study appraised and contributed to the growing knowledge of Halal and Halal logistics. Research limitations are highlighted and future research agendas are proposed