The Influence of Human factors in Halal Certification Process on ...

Besides that, the grow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> Muslim population also <strong>in</strong>creases the tourism <strong>in</strong>dustry
(Tourism Malaysia, 2011). Muslim travelers around the world cause the demand for the
Shariah compliant hotel has <strong>in</strong>creased over the years. Most <strong>of</strong> hotels need to ensure
Muslim travelers are provided with maximum convenience dur<strong>in</strong>g their trip and are able to
fulfill religious obligations whilst on holiday. One way to entice these Muslim tourists is by
serv<strong>in</strong>g a <strong>Halal</strong>-based service operation practices <strong>in</strong> the hotels. <strong>The</strong>se hotels should have
restaurants which serve <strong>Halal</strong> food, <strong>in</strong> accordance to the teach<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> Shariah law and is
free <strong>of</strong> any forbidden products such as pork and alcohol. Ch<strong>in</strong>g, Gun and Yong (2005)
found that the <strong>factors</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Halal</strong> food and beverages play an important role <strong>in</strong> determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g
the overall satisfaction level for Asian traveler especially Muslims. Based on the condition
above, it is necessary for hotel <strong>in</strong> Malaysia to take a holistic approach <strong>in</strong> obta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the
<strong>Halal</strong> certification for their services operation practice.
EDC-UUM hotel (Universiti Utara Malaysia) was selected as a case study <strong>in</strong> this study.
EDC-UUM is a hotel that has been aggressively prepar<strong>in</strong>g the required documents for
<strong>Halal</strong> certification for its kitchen. <strong>The</strong> standards <strong>of</strong> procedures for the hotel have also been
practiced to comply with the <strong>Halal</strong> certification. Hence, this research used a case study
approach to expla<strong>in</strong> <strong>Halal</strong> certification <strong>in</strong>itiative <strong>in</strong> term <strong>of</strong> human <strong>factors</strong> implemented at
EDC-UUM. In fact, research towards <strong>Halal</strong> certification process that relate to the human
<strong>factors</strong> has rarely been studied. Most <strong>of</strong> the previous studies completed by scholars
concentrated on issues among the consumers and traders, perceptions <strong>of</strong> <strong>Halal</strong> def<strong>in</strong>itions
and certifications on <strong>Halal</strong> food products. So, this research aims to access the <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong>
human <strong>factors</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Halal</strong> certification process towards EDC-UUM performance.
2. Literature Review
2.1 <strong>Halal</strong> <strong>Certification</strong> <strong>Process</strong>
<strong>Halal</strong> Malaysia (2012) def<strong>in</strong>es <strong>Halal</strong> as a description <strong>of</strong> th<strong>in</strong>gs or actions permitted by
Shariah law without punishment imposed on the doer. <strong>Halal</strong> food means food permitted
under the Shariah law and fulfils the follow<strong>in</strong>g conditions:
Does not conta<strong>in</strong> any parts or products <strong>of</strong> animals that are non-<strong>Halal</strong> to Muslims or
products <strong>of</strong> animals which are not slaughtered accord<strong>in</strong>g to Shariah law.
Does not conta<strong>in</strong> any <strong>in</strong>gredients that are najis accord<strong>in</strong>g to Shariah law.
Safe and not harmful.
Has not been prepared, processed or manufactured us<strong>in</strong>g equipment that is
contam<strong>in</strong>ated with th<strong>in</strong>gs that are najis accord<strong>in</strong>g to Shariah law.
<strong>The</strong> food or its <strong>in</strong>gredients do not conta<strong>in</strong> any human parts or its derivatives that are
not permitted by Shariah law.
Dur<strong>in</strong>g its preparation, process<strong>in</strong>g, packag<strong>in</strong>g, storage or transportation, the food is
physically separated from any other food that does not meet the requirements
stated above, or any other th<strong>in</strong>gs that have been decreed as najis by Shariah law.
Meanwhile <strong>Halal</strong> certification can be viewed as a common market<strong>in</strong>g tool used by
manufacturers and bus<strong>in</strong>esses to <strong>in</strong>form and reassure their consumers that their products
are <strong>Halal</strong> and Shariah-compliant (Wan Hassan & Awang, 2009). To Riaz (1999), <strong>Halal</strong>
certification is a document issued by an Islamic Organization, certify<strong>in</strong>g the products it
covers meet the Islamic dietary guidel<strong>in</strong>es. <strong>The</strong>se <strong>in</strong>clude that the product does not
conta<strong>in</strong> pork or it’s by products, the product does not conta<strong>in</strong> alcohol, the product does not
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