Halal Certification an International Marketing Issues

Halal Certification: an international marketing issues and challenges by Shahidan Shafie1 Prof. Dr. Md Nor Othman2 Faculty of Business & Accountancy Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Abstract Marketing of products and services in the Muslim countries presents a very challenging task to multinational companies (MNC) due to the difference in political, economy and socio-cultural aspects. At the same time, MNC could not “avoid” targeting Muslim countries as their source of expansion as these countries represent almost 20% of the world’s population. Furthermore, this figure is expected to increase to 30% by 2025. One of the most important concepts in Islam is the concept of halal, which means “permissible.” Halal covers the aspects of slaughtering, storage, display, preparation, hygiene and sanitation. It covers food as well as non-food category of products. Given the speed of trade globalization, the advancement in science and technology, and the ongoing initiatives to simplify manufacturing processes, it is essential that the halal concept be fully understood by marketers. This paper discusses the marketing challenges in dealing with the halal issue. It makes reference to Malaysia’s halal certification policy and procedure as the country has set itself to become the major player in providing halal products and services. This complements well with Malaysia’s role as the Chairman of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and its vision to become the global halal hub

Track: Contact: Address:

13. International marketing and service Shahidan Shafie 1829, Ptg Hj Hassan, 13220 K.Batas, SPU. Penang, MALAYSIA Tel: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail]

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Shahidan Shafie is a PhD candidate at the Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Md Nor Othman is a Professor of Marketing and the Dean of Faculty of Business & Accountancy, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur

Halal Certification: an international marketing issues and

References: 9 Osman, Hamzah Lutfi Khraim and Muhamad Jantan (1999) “Malay Consumers Evaluation of Store Attributes – The Influence of Religiosity”, paper presented at the 7th Tun Abdul Razak International Conference Part 2, Penang, 2-4 Dec