Impact of internal and external factors on halal logistics implementation

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is as follows: first, this study aims to identify the impact of internal and external factors on the implementation of halal logistics (IHL). Second, this study aims to investigate the impact of internal factors on the IHL through competitive pressure (COP) as a moderating variable.Design/methodology/approachThis study used primary data that were collected through offline questionnaires. The questionnaires were intended to identify the internal and external conditions of a company and the level of the IHL. The internal condition consists of five factors, namely corporate image and reputation (CRE), entrepreneurial intensity, social responsibility (SRE), expected business benefit and halal integrity (HIN). The external factors consist of demand or customer pressure (DCP), government support (GOV), market share expansion and COP. This study considered the factors belonged to internal and external companies on the basis of the conceptual model from Ab Talib et al. (2015), Zailaini et al. (2015) and Ab Talib and Chin (2018) as they have clearly distinguished the important factors for the implementation of the concept of halal into internal and external groups and most of those factors are frequently stated by the other researchers.FindingsThere were 148 questionnaires administrated, 84.5% of which were properly filled in, completed and returned. For internal factors, the result of the study confirms that CRE, SRE and HIN have a positive significant impact on the IHL. For external factors, the result of the study confirms that DCP, GOV and COP have a positive significant impact on the IHL. Then, the result of the study also confirms that COP can make the impact of good CRE on the IHL stronger. This condition did not happen for the other internal factors.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, it is debatable that internal and external factors and the IHL are only measured by the Likert scales. Future research may take the benefits of inducing qualitative approaches to better measure the condition of internal and external factors and the level of IHL practices through observation and probing. Second, this study was limited to the respondents from companies in Indonesia, which is a Muslim-dominant country and this study does not take into account the differences in the target market and the company’s owner, size of operation and financial capacity. Future research should test the conceptual model in a non-Muslim country and should include controlling for variables to generate a more conducive finding. Third, this study only uses the limited variable as the internal and external factors. Therefore, as many variables represent technological, organisational and environmental factors, they could be included in the future research framework.Practical implicationsThis study practically contributes to the halal concept implementation body of knowledge by identifying the relationships between the internal and external factors and the IHL. Understanding this relationship will help the management of food, beverage and ingredient companies, as well as the government or policymakers in making better decisions and strategies to strengthen the IHL.Social implicationsThe IHL may help the food, beverage and ingredient companies to be competitive and achieve organisational improvements.Originality/valueThis study is among the few studies that scrutinized the rationale behind the IHL by Indonesian companies. Although halal logistics plays a key role in protecting the halal status of any given product, this topic is still rarely explored, especially with the case study of Indonesian companies.