Azmin Azliza Aziz

Motivations of SME entrepreneurs to become halalpreneurs

Purpose This paper aims to address the factors associated with a propensity for halal entrepreneurship among small and medium enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from SMEs in Malaysia by conducting a survey with 209 respondents. Data were analyzed with the partial least squares technique. Findings Results indicated that halal entrepreneurship, intrinsic motivation, effort to seek out opportunity, perceived desirability, peer influence, perceived feasibility and perceived governmental support significantly affected halalpreneurial propensity among SME entrepreneurs. On the other hand, the effects of creativity and innovation, honesty and integrity, risk taking attitude, relative advantage and family supports on halalpreneurial propensity were not supported. Practical implications Through identification of the motivational factors to be recognized as a halapreneurs, policyholders in Malaysia would be able to successfully promote halal entrepreneurship in this country. In this regard, policymakers can adjust their tactics and strategies in a way which encourage halal entrepreneurship among SME entrepreneurs. Originality/value This study aimed to serve as an initial step in understanding the cognitive process of SME managers in embarking on halal business.

Halal logistics opportunities and challenges

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to investigate the challenges and opportunities for logistics companies in Malaysia to adopt halal logistics. Logistics plays a key role in protecting the halal integrity of halal food through proper transportation, storage and handling along the supply chain until it reaches its final destination. Design/methodology/approach This research builds on existing research published in the Journal of Islamic Marketing on halal logistics. In addition to an extensive literature review, five focus group discussions were conducted to discover the challenges and opportunities with regards to halal logistics services in Malaysia. Findings The results show that the future market demands and the competitive opportunities related to halal services are the main motivators of first movers in halal logistics. The early adopters of halal logistics face several challenges such as ambiguous halal guidelines, lack of international halal certification, lack of collaboration among governing agencies (i.e. logistics service providers (LSPs), Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) and Halal Industry Development Corporation), a lack of cost-effective standards, an overly competitive transportation sector, lack of demand, lack of halal logistics compulsion, financial challenges and a general misunderstanding of halal practices. Practical implications The findings of the present study may help government policy makers recognise the issues that should be addressed in motivating logistics companies to adopt halal practices. Originality/value Although halal logistics plays a key role in protecting the halal integrity of halal products, there are few halal LSPs. This study contributes to the advancement of knowledge on the challenges and opportunities of adopting halal logistics.

Halal Logistics: The Role of Ports, Issues and Challenges

Originality/value The chapter concludes with recommendation to perform qualitative research and case studies at specific ports in order to assess the role and implementation of halal ports in their supply chain processes.

Halal Logistics Service Quality (HLSQ) by Third-Party Providers (3PL) in Malaysia: A Conceptual Paper

Logistics service quality plays a significant role in determining customers’ satisfaction and loyalty. Achieving logistics excellence requires continuous improvement in reliability, responsiveness, and the well-functioning of the supporting services. Today, third-party logistics providers (3PL) face a great pressure in order to meet its clients’ needs and challenges occurring in logistics service quality, especially for halal logistics in Malaysia in providing their services. Indeed, halal logistics activities are very important in order to determine the success of the services by the 3PL, together with the aim of strengthening and ensuring the Halal integrity of the products and services that are protected from the source of materials to the end users. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to review the current literature regarding the Halal logistics service quality in Malaysia. The review of the topic for this paper includes the exploring of HLSQ practices and also the concepts. The majority of the paper focuses on exploring the HLSQ concept and practices, and from the findings from the current literature, it has been found that HLSQ practices are still at the infant stage and are yet not at a satisfactory level. Hence, researchers have suggested that HLSQ practices should be implemented in a halal chain and implemented by all the members in the chain in accordance with Shariah principles. It is expected that implementing the right practices will improve the service quality in halal logistics. In addition, this paper will improve the knowledge of halal logistics and service quality in the academic world.

The Significant Role of Halal Ports in Malaysia Logistics Industry

Ports are the key players in the halal supply chain and the main processes of delivering halal products to the end customer should be performed through their gateway. The growing significance of ports in the halal supply chain network could be attributed to their vulnerable position and their key role in an efficient halal supply chain. Therefore, the port’s pivotal role requires particular attention and needs to explore how their effective functionality could enhance the halal supply chain performance. In this regard, this paper synthesizes the existing body of knowledge and addresses the importance of port activities in a successful halal supply chain. The increasing challenge of integrity in the halal supply chain domain could be addressed through the lens of the key actor’s role. Consequently, this paper tries to highlight the prominence of ports in the halal supply chain and provides some useful hints for the future studies in this area.