How I Stumbled Upon the World of Islamic Marketing research?

I decided to write this following a conversation I had with a friend. We were talking about our areas of expertise and though I am mostly known for my research and publications on technology consumption, I have also researched areas related to sustainability and Islamic marketing. I have noticed that when I mention Islamic Marketing, it seems to generate a bit of surprise. I totally fell into this area by pure chance.

When I joined the University of Nottingham Malaysia in 2014, I had no idea that my journey would lead me to explore the fascinating and increasingly relevant field of Islamic marketing. The Dean of the Business School invited me to join the Centre for Islamic Business and Finance Research (CIBFR), led by Professor Nafis Alam (now my boss at Monash University). I was reluctant as I had never done any research in the area. However, I decided to look around and it soon opened my eyes to a niche that was both unique and significant. Little did I know back then that this connection would spark my interest in Islamic marketing and consumer behavior, eventually leading to several research papers, a book editing project, and even consultancy work in this area.

It’s important to clarify that I don’t consider myself an Islamic scholar. My focus has always been on the practical side of things—looking at Muslim consumers and understanding their behaviors in the marketplace. My research centers on the intersection of business and Islamic principles, exploring how businesses can better cater to the needs of Muslim consumers.

Yes, Islamic Marketing is indeed an area of research and there are a few journals dedicated to this area. The most famous is the Journal of Islamic Marketing. This journal was founded by Professor Pervaiz K. Ahmed, the former head of the School of Business, Monash University Malaysia and is now headed by Professor Jonathan A.J. Wilson from Regent's University London.

However, I have found out that there are a few other journals in this area, including:

1. Journal of Islamic Marketing Research (I have published 2 papers in this journal).
2. International Journal of Islamic Marketing and Branding
3. International Journal of Islamic Marketing 
4. Journal of Digital Marketing and Halal Industry

I have never published in them and am not aware of the quality.

There are a few other Islamic business related related journals including:

1. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management ( I am part of the editorial board)
2. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research 
3. ISRA International Journal of Islamic Finance
4. Journal of Islamic Economics, Banking and Finance

 Now, why should Muslim consumers be a key focus for businesses? 

The answer is simple: they represent a massive and growing market. With over 1.8 billion Muslims around the world, their purchasing power is only increasing. This is especially true as Muslim-majority countries experience economic growth, making it crucial for businesses to understand this demographic's unique demands and preferences.

In addition to their sheer numbers, the growth of sectors like Halal food and Islamic banking is a testament to the expanding influence of Muslim consumers. The Halal food market alone has become a multi-billion-dollar industry, with global demand far outpacing supply. Likewise, Islamic banking, which operates under Sharia law, is gaining traction worldwide, especially as more people look for ethical and socially responsible financial products. As these sectors continue to grow, businesses that understand and cater to the values and needs of Muslim consumers will be positioned to thrive in an increasingly competitive global market.

In short, whether you're in the food industry, finance, or any other sector, ignoring the importance of Muslim consumers could mean missing out on a huge opportunity. This is why Islamic marketing is not just a niche interest—it’s a critical area for anyone looking to succeed in today’s global economy.

Here is a list of my publications and consultancy work within the area of Islamic Marketing.

Journal Papers

1. Ghazali, E., Mutum, D., Waqas, M., Taha, A. Z., & Mohtar, M. (2022). Factors influencing the potential adoption of portable pork DNA detection device. Journal of Islamic Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-05-2022-0129. [ABDC B/ SCOPUS]
2. Ghazali, E.M. Mutum, D.S., Waqas, M., Nguyen, B. and Ahmad-Tarmizi, N.A. (2022). Restaurant choice and religious obligation in the absence of halal logo: A serial mediation model, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 101, 103109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.103109 [CABS 3/ ABDC A*/ SCOPUS/ WOS].
3. Al-hajla, A.H., Nguyen, B., Melewar, T.C., Jayawardhena, C., Mutum, D.  and Ghazali, E. (2019). Understanding the adoption of new religion-compliant products (NRCP) in Islamic markets. Journal of Global Marketing 32(4), 288-302. [CABS 1/ ABDC B/ SCOPUS]
4. Butt, M.; de-Run, E.; U-Din, A.; Mutum, D. (2018). Religious symbolism in Islamic financial service advertisements, Journal of Islamic Marketing, 9(2), 384-401. [ABDC B/ SCOPUS] Selected by the editorial team as Highly Commended in the 2019 Emerald Literati Awards.  

Edited Books:

Mutum, D., Rashid, M. & Butt, M.M.  (Eds) (2017). Advances in Islamic Finance, Marketing and Management: An Asian Perspective, Emerald.

Ghazali, E.M.; Mutum, DS; Rashid, M. & Ahmed, J.U. (Eds) (2019), Management of Shari’ah Compliant Businesses: Case Studies on Creation of Sustainable Value. Springer.

Book Chapters:

1. Ghazali, E.M.; Mutum, DS; Sundramohana, M. & Valdivieso, P. (2019). Was the Boycott of McDonald’s Malaysia Religiously Motivated? In Ghazali et al., (Eds), Management of Shari’ah Compliant Businesses: Case Studies on Creation of Sustainable Value, 155-161, Springer.
2. Ghazali, E.M.; Mutum, DS; Rashid, M. & Ahmed, J.U. (2019), Management of Shari’ah Compliant Businesses to Create Sustainable Value. In Ghazali et al., (Eds), Management of Shari’ah Compliant Businesses: Case Studies on Creation of Sustainable Value, 1-5, Springer.
3. Mutum, D.S. & Ghazali, E.M. (2019). Can Siti Khadijah Telekung Overcome Cultural Differences in the UK?  In Ghazali et al., (Eds), Management of Shari’ah Compliant Businesses: Case Studies on Creation of Sustainable Value, 171-176, Springer.
4. Ghazali, E.M.; Mutum, D.S.; Radzi, M.M. & Woon, W.P. (2019). Cadbury and the Porcine DNA Crisis, In Ghazali et al., (Eds), Management of Shari’ah Compliant Businesses: Case Studies on Creation of Sustainable Value, 163-169, Springer.
5. Ghazali, E. & Mutum, D.S. (2017). Islamic Marketing: Compatibility with Contemporary Themes in Marketing, In Mutum, D.S., Butt, M.M. and Rashid, M., eds., Advances in Islamic Finance, Marketing, and Management: An Asian Perspective, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 217-226.
6. Mutum, D. S. & Ghazali, E. (2014). Ikea Malaysia and the Halal Food Crisis, In Dilip Mutum et al. (Eds), Marketing Cases from Emerging Markets, Springer, 31-33.

Consultancies:

1. Salam Technologies, UAE. Title of Project: Defining the target groups of Muslim-friendly online (internet and apps) resources in Malaysia. August - September 2018. With Dr. Mamunur Rashid.
2. Salam Technologies, UAE. Title of Project: Browsers and Integrated Services. January - February 2018. With Dr. Mamunur Rashid.

How do some academics publish several papers annually

I received a recent notification from Quora and apparantly my most popular post on the platform was  a post I wrote way back in June 2018 for the question: "How do  some people publish several academic papers a year?" Another discussion on a Facebook page on the same topic reminded me of this old Quora answer and how relevant it still is.

The post is my most popular answer on Quora which has been viewed 79.8K times with 248 upvotes, indicating that this is indeed something that a lot of people and I am guessing mostly academics are interested in or worried about. There were some very interesting comments as well including some which highlighted the dark side.

So here is my updated version of that answer:

I used to ask the same question myself as I was definitely curious how some academics could publish 10 or more papers in a year. Moreover, some Professors manage to do that in some of the toughest-to-get-in, high-impact, top-tier journals.

 I soon realised that my aim of getting at least one journal paper published annually, was simply just not going to cut it. Talking to a few well published professors, looking at how they worked and analysing their papers, I learnt a lot. Here is what I found out - the top 3 lessons:

1.Working Hard:

Yes, you do have to work hard. We are constantly reading, reviewing, discussing and thinking of research ideas. And you keep on writing and writing and submitting. Last year, I submitted more than 20 papers to various journals. Many were desk rejected by the editors, others were rejected by the reviewers, a few went through to the next review rounds. Now this year, I am seeing the fruits of my hard work as I have had several papers published and others accepted for publication.

2. Working Smart

However, besides working hard, you have to work smart as well. I soon realised that a lot of papers by the top professors are with their students, also a number are in association with other academics. You simply cannot do it alone and highlights the importance of having good students researching under you and networking. 

The idea of the lonely professor working alone in his room does not work anymore. Looking the prolific professors, it is clear that they do not do it alone - it is in collaboration with many other authors and of course, with their students. I know of one PhD student who already has 3 publications even before graduation and all papers are with the supervisors.

3. Reading and Reviewing

I also joined the editorial teams of a few journals and am reviewer to several top ranking journals. Reading and reviewing papers of other academics have actually helped me to improve my own submissions and I can see that my success rates are improving over time.

The dark side of academia

Of course there are several criticisms - that we have become paper churning machines, that we are neglecting teaching and learning, and long-term research are often rejected for less impact short-term research. There are increasingly a number of reports indicating that so many academics are suffering from stress and depression because of the requirement to constantly publish papers and not just any paper, but papers in “high ranking journals”. 

Tenureships, increments, promotions all depend on the number of good publications. In fact, in academia, it is our currency. All academics are aware of the phrase “Publish or Perish”. Unfortunately for academics, it is still the major KPI used for evaluating performance, hirings and for promotions in most Universities throughout the World.

Then there is the dark side of academia. We regularly hear of how certain professors have been suspended or fired from their jobs for ethical issues including plagiarism and fudged research findings. Sometimes they go unpunished because it would involve bringing the institution into disrepute. 

Read my original Quora answer here.

FASS Research Excellence Award 2019

Was delighted to be recognised by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia for my research contributions for the year 2018. You might be wondering "Why 2018"? Well, it is like the impact factor for journals, we were judged based on our performance in 2018.

I didn't really expect to win but while going through the work I had done last year, I was actually quite surprised I had actually achieved a lot.

This included the completion of a Government-funded project; successful completion of 2 consultancy projects; delivery of 2 guest lectures in 2 public Universities in Malaysia; successful supervision of 8 Masters students; publication of 7 journal papers, an external examiner for 2 PhD theses, reviewed 9 journals and conference proceedings and received an Outstanding contribution in Reviewing award from the journal, Technological forcasting and social change.

My recent publications 2019

Here is the list of my recent publications this year. Let me know if you want soft copies of the paper. I am very happy and thankful that I have already exceeded my KPI requirements for the next 5 years. Whatever publications I have after this is just the icing on the cake.

Ghazali, E.; Mutum, D. and Woon, M. Y. (2019). Multiple Sequential Mediation in an Extended Uses and Gratifications Model of Augmented Reality Game Pokémon Go, Internet Research. 29(3), 504-528.
Abstract:
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mechanism by which uses and gratification (U&G) constructs predict continuance intention to play (ContInt) the augmented reality game Pokémon Go (PG), through multiple serial mediation technique, with enjoyment and flow as mediators. The model also integrates other motivational factors specific to PG, namely, network externality and nostalgia and investigates the process by which they influence ContInt through players’ inherent need-to-collect animated monsters and online community involvement, respectively.
Design/methodology/approach
The model was tested using 362 validated responses from an online survey of PG players in Malaysia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyse the data. The predictive relevance of the model was tested via partial least squares-Predict.
Findings
ContInt is influenced through various mechanisms. Enjoyment is the most important mediator, mediating three U&G predictor constructs (achievement, escapism, challenge and social interaction) and the outcome ContInt. Flow did not have any influence on ContInt unless coupled with enjoyment as a serial mediator. Network externality and nostalgia were found to only influence ContInt through mediators, online community involvement and need-to-collect Pokémon Monsters, respectively. Overall, the results show evidence of four indirect-only mediation paths and one complementary partial mediation path.
Originality/value
Provides support for an integrated model incorporating psychological, social and gaming motivational factors. While most other studies focus on direct relationships, we focus on indirect relationships through multiple sequential mediation analysis, following the recent modern mediation analysis guidelines. Contrary to previous findings, flow was not an important factor in predicting ContInt for gaming and nostalgia does not link directly to ContInt.

Al-hajla, A.H., Nguyen, B., Melewar, T.C., Jayawardhena, C., Mutum, D.  and Ghazali, E. (2019). Understanding the adoption of new religion-compliant products (NRCP) in Islamic markets. Journal of Global Marketing 32(4), 288-302. (AJG 1/ ABDC B/ SCOPUS)
Abstract:
This study examines the relationships between religious beliefs, brand personality, and new religion-compliant product adoption (NRCPA) in Islamic markets. Findings confirm that religious consumers tend to behave in accordance with a society or group that follows the same beliefs, and that these consumers’ behavior and lifestyle are influenced by similar religious groups and social relationships. In addition, the more religious the consumer, the more likely they will adopt or favour/disfavour a new product in accordance with his/her religious beliefs. Finally, the three constructs–relative advantages, compatibility and complexity–are found to partially mediate the influential relationship between religious beliefs and new religion-compliant product adoption. International firms that target Muslim markets, with an aim to profit and fit in these markets, must take into account the Islamic values, standards and guidelines.

Ghazali, E.M., Nguyen, B., Mutum, D.S. and Yap, S.-F. (2019). Pro-Environmental Behaviours and Value-Belief-Norm Theory: Assessing Unobserved Heterogeneity of Two Ethnic Groups. Sustainability 2019, 11, 3237.  (SCOPUS /ISI).
Abstract:
Previous environmental sustainability studies have examined only limited type of pro-environmental behaviour (PEB; e.g., recycling), but have not explored relationships among various types or dimensions of PEBs. This paper explores six types of PEBs (i.e., activist, avoider, green consumer, green passenger, recycler and utility saver) and investigates their antecedents and interrelationships between two ethnic groups—Malays and Chinese in Malaysia. Survey data from 581 respondents, comprising 307 Malays and 274 Chinese, were used to assess the research model. To conduct multi-group analysis, the study used partial least squares structural equation modelling in SmartPLS 3. The study extends the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory by using social norms to predict PEBs. The results suggest that social norms predict each type of PEB, in contrast to other constructs in VBN theory, except for utility-saving behaviours. The findings also reveal some similarities as well as differences between Malays and Chinese, indicating that the two ethnic groups are not homogeneous. The study is the first to simultaneously study six types of PEB and to examine the differences between Malays and Chinese on PEB constructs and offers a valuable contribution to the literature by extending VBN theory to social norms and PEB.

Ghazali, E.M.; Ngiam, E. Y-L. and Mutum, D.S. (Accepted for publication). Elucidating the drivers of residential mobility and housing choice behaviour in a suburban township via push–pull–mooring framework, Journal of Housing and the Built Environment. DOI: 10.1007/s10901-019-09705-8
Abstract
This study applies the “push-pull-mooring” model of migration to explain home purchase intention in a suburban township. “Push” effects include dissatisfaction and high housing costs in one’s current neighbourhood (“the origin”). “Pull” effects were consumers’ per-ceived value of the suburban township (“the destination”), which encompassed price, func-tional, emotional, social, symbolic, and Feng Shui aspects. Relocation costs and alternative township’s attractiveness were hypothesized as “mooring” effects that negatively impact purchase intention as well as moderate the push and pull effects. 179 valid responses from prospective home buyers were analysed using partial least squares structural equation mod-elling (PLS-SEM). Pull effects were found to exert a positive influence while mooring and push effects exert a negative influence on purchase intention. Moderation effects of the mooring factors were found to be not significant in this context. This study offers sev-eral interesting implications for researchers and marketing practitioners in the real estate industry

Mohd-Any, A. A.; Mutum, D.; Ghazali, E. M and Mohamed-Zulkifli, L. (2019). To fly or not to fly? An empirical study of trust, post-recovery satisfaction and loyalty of Malaysia Airlines passengers, Journal of Service Theory and Practice. DOI: 10.1108/JSTP-10-2018-0223
Abstract
Purpose
This research investigates the importance of successful service recovery in the airline sector by examining the interrelationship between perceived justice, recovery satisfaction and overall satisfaction, customer trust and customer loyalty. Furthermore, the research assesses the mediating effect of overall satisfaction and customer trust on customer loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected via an airport intercept survey of Malaysia Airlines passengers who had experienced service failure. 380 responses were used for the final analysis. The study uses partial least squares structural equations modelling technique with SmartPLS 3.0, in order to test and validate the research model and hypotheses posited.
Findings
The results reveal that: (i) recovery satisfaction is significantly affected by procedural and interactional justice; (ii) distributive and procedural justice, as well as recovery satisfaction is influenced overall satisfaction; (iii) customer trust is most influenced by interactional justice, distributive justice and recovery satisfaction; (iv) customer loyalty is positively affected by customer trust, overall satisfaction and recovery satisfaction; and (v) the influence among recovery satisfaction and customer loyalty is partially mediated by customer trust and overall satisfaction.
Originality/value
Our study contributes to a whole conceptual comprehension of the essential determinants of customer loyalty from the combined perspectives of three theories, namely, justice theory, expectancy disconfirmation theory and commitment trust theory. This study, successfully differentiates the three dimensions of perceived justice and assessed them individually to discern and compare their influence on overall satisfaction, recovery satisfaction and trust. In addition, the study found that the influence of recovery satisfaction on loyalty is partially and sequentially mediated by trust and overall satisfaction.

Mutum, D.; Ghazali, E.; Putit, L. (2019). Information, The Missing Link Between Innovation and Sustainability, The Bottom Line. 32(4), 249-252. [SCOPUS] DOI: 10.1108/BL-08-2019-0109.

Editorial for the special issue of The Bottom Line, titled, "Information, the missing link between innovation and sustainability".

Alwi, S.; Che-Ha, N.; Nguyen, B.; Ghazali, E.; Mutum, D.; Kitchen, P.(Accepted for publication). Projecting University Brand Image via Satisfaction and Behavioral Response: Perspectives from UK-based Malaysian Students, Qualitative Market Research,
Abstract:
This study attempts to ascertain the essential dimensions and components of university corporate brand image, including the cognitive attributes (service/educational quality) and affective attributes (corporate brand image) of the university. It builds on Schmitt’s (1999) conceptualization of brand experience. In doing so, this study develops, explores, and
presents a student-consumer behavioral response model based on students' experiences at a UK university, exploring the relationship between these attributes with satisfaction and behavioral response (word-of-mouth). Findings reveal that both branding aspects - brand experience and corporate brand image - follow a rational thought process before an affective
component is then considered, resulting in brand promise and loyalty. This study identifies several important brand experiences such as social, functional and emotional in higher education that enhance a university corporate brand image and behavioral responses that guide brand positioning of a UK university for the Malaysian market. Based on the findings
of this study, a conceptual framework has been presented. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed with suggestions for future research

New case study book on Management of Shari’ah Compliant Businesses out

The edited case study book titled Management of Shari’ah Compliant Businesses: Case Studies on Creation of Sustainable Value, has been published. This is my fourth edited book and the third from Springer.

I co-edited this book along with Ezlika M. Ghazali, Mamunur Rashid and Jashim U. Ahmed.

The book has 15 case studies with eight cases under Islamic financial management and seven under Islamic marketing and management.

"Muslim consumers represent an untapped and viable market segment, but to date there has been very little research on catering to their needs or running and managing Islamic businesses. Innovations in Islamic business, interest in the use of Sukuk (Islamic bonds) to finance major projects, pressures on Islamic banks to reduce the financing gap in society, and the need to understand Muslim consumers, require a deeper grasp of the issues and opportunities involved, which are quite unique. In similar vein, acquiring expertise on topics specific to Shari'ah-compliant businesses requires a thorough knowledge of matters ranging from financing to branding and, in a broader sense, creating an entrepreneurial framework suitable to the market. This book fills this gap by presenting high-quality and original case studies on Islamic finance, marketing and management from around the world. Equally valuable in business school classrooms and for c-suite strategists, it will help readers shape business strategies to tap into a billion-strong market."

You can now buy the e-book from the Springer site for EUR 53.54.

It is also available on Amazon.com for $70.93

Special issue call for papers from The Bottom Line

Calling for papers now on "Information, innovation and sustainability: The missing link?"

This is a special issue call for papers from The Bottom Line. The journal is indexed on Scopus.

Topics

Submissions can be conceptual or empirical (quantitative or qualitative) in nature. The main criterion for publication is that the submission has original value. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Link between innovation and sustainable consumption.
• Environmental and sustainable claims in advertising.
• Role of marketing communications in sustainable marketing.
• Role of marketing communications in affecting innovation.
• Emerging trends in sustainable marketing.
• Challenges facing companies with regards to sustainable marketing.
• How sustainable plans results innovation?
• Using information in inspiring people to adopt specific sustainable behaviors.
• Models of sustainable management

Some important dates:

Deadline: 30 January 2019  Now extended to 31st March 2019

Reviews returned: 1st June 2019
Revised papers submitted: 1st September 2019
Final papers due: 1st December 2019
Expected publication of special issue: Early 2020


For more information visit the link below:

http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/call_for_papers.htm?id=8024

First publication of 2019: Understanding New Religion-Compliant Product Adoption (NRCPA) in Islamic Markets

Just found out that one of my papers, titled "Understanding New Religion-Compliant Product Adoption (NRCPA) in Islamic Markets"  has been published online by the Journal of Global Marketing.

The authors of the paper were: Ali Homaid Al-hajla, Bang Nguyen, T C Melewar, Chanaka Jayawardhena, Ezlika Ghazali & Dilip S. Mutum .

Abstract:

This study examines the relationships between religious beliefs, brand personality, and new religion-compliant product adoption (NRCPA) in Islamic markets. Findings confirm that religious consumers tend to behave in accordance with a society or group that follows the same beliefs, and that these consumers’ behavior and lifestyle are influenced by similar religious groups and social relationships. In addition, the more religious the consumer, the more likely they will adopt or favour/disfavour a new product in accordance with his/her religious beliefs. Finally, the three constructs–relative advantages, compatibility and complexity–are found to partially mediate the influential relationship between religious beliefs and new religion-compliant product adoption. International firms that target Muslim markets, with an aim to profit and fit in these markets, must take into account the Islamic values, standards and guidelines.

Keywords: Religious beliefs, brand personality, new religion-compliant product adoption, Islamic branding, Muslim market

There are 50 free online copies of their article. Use the link below to view and download the paper:

https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/MtzrN5BEhsXWuD9kh3fF/full?target=10.1080/08911762.2018.1559907

Year end review post

As the year 2018 draws to a close, I thought I should do a year end review.

This has been a fantastic year:

Two consultancies successfully completed.

Joined the editorial team of International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, as an Associate Editor.

One book review published:

Dilip S. Mutum and Bang Nguyen (2018). Book review: The future of Indian universities: comparative and international perspectives, Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 28(1), 153-154.

One edited book accepted for publication by Springer and coming out early 2019. This would be my 4th edited book:

Management of Shari’ah Compliant Businesses - Case Studies on Creation of Sustainable Value.

Six journal papers published:

1. Ezlika Ghazali, Dilip Mutum and Mei Yuen Woon (2018). Exploring Player Behavior and Motivations to Continue Playing Pokémon GO, Information Technology & People.
2. Butt, M.M., Yingchen, Y., Mohd-Any, A.A., Mutum, D.S., Ting, H. and Khong, K. W. (2018). Antecedents of consumer-based electronic retail brand equity: an integrated model, Asian Academy of Management Journal, 23(2),  69–99. 
3. Ezlika M. Ghazali, Dilip S. Mutum and Nanang Ariswibowo (2018). Impact of Religious Values and Habit on an Extended Green Purchase Behaviour Model, International Journal of Consumer Studies, 42 (6), 639-654. 
4. Ezlika Ghazali, Dilip S. Mutum, Chong Jiu Hui and Bang Nguyen (2018). Do Consumers Want Mobile Commerce? A Closer Look at M-Shopping and Technology Adoption in Malaysia Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics,  30(4), 1064-1086.  
5. Butt, M.; de-Run, E.; U-Din, A.; Mutum, D., (2018). Religious symbolism in Islamic financial service advertisements, Journal of Islamic Marketing  9(2), 384-401. 
6. Mutum, D.S., Ghazali, E.M., Mohd-Any, A.A. and Nguyen, B. (2018). Avoidance of sponsored posts on consumer-generated content: a study of personal blogs, The Bottom Line, 31(1), 76-94.

And finally two journal papers accepted for publication:

Ezlika Ghazali, Dilip Mutum and Mei Yuen Woon (2019, forthcoming). Multiple Sequential Mediation in an Extended Uses and Gratifications Model of Augmented Reality Game Pokémon Go, Internet Research.

Al-hajla, A.H., Nguyen, B., Melewar, T.C., Jayawardhena, C., Mutum, D.  and Ghazali, E. (2019, forthcoming). Understanding the adoption of new religion-compliant products (NRCP) in Islamic markets. Journal of Global Marketing.

Wishing all visitors to my blog a very Happy, Prosperous and Healthy New Year, 2019.

Call for paper - Special issue of Journal of Service Theory and Practice

Helping to spread the word for my old friend Dr. Sanjit Roy who is guest editing a special issue of Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Emerald Group Publishing (ABDC A). He is co-editing the journal with Dr Harjit Sekhon (Coventry University) and Dr Bang Nguyen (Associate Professor of Marketing).

The theme of the special issue is “Service Research in Emerging Markets: Business as Usual?”

Click the link below for more information:

http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/call_for_papers.htm?id=7760

Updated ABS Marketing Journals List 2018

UPDATE: View the list of Marketing journals in the most recent CABS Academic Journal Guide 2021.

The much-awaited Chartered Association of Business Schools’ Academic Journal Guide 2018 is finally out.

I have to say that I am really disappointed. The list is practically the same. The major change seems to be the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, which has moved up from 4 to 4* and four journals which have entered the list under the 1 journals, namely, Journal of Communication Management, Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, Journal of Social Marketing and Young Consumers.

Here is the updated list of Marketing journals:

4*
Journal of Consumer Psychology
Journal of Consumer Research
Journal of Marketing
Journal of Marketing Research
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
Marketing Science

4
International Journal of Research in Marketing
Journal of Retailing

3
European Journal of Marketing
Industrial Marketing Management
International Marketing Review
Journal of Advertising
Journal of Advertising Research
Journal of Interactive Marketing (formerly JDM)
Journal of International Marketing
Journal of Public Policy and Marketing
Marketing Letters
Marketing Theory
Psychology and Marketing
Quantitative Marketing and Economics

2
Academy of Marketing Science Review
Advances in Consumer Research
Consumption, Markets and Culture
Electronic Markets
International Journal of Advertising
International Journal of Consumer Studies
International Journal of Market Research
International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management
Journal of Brand Management
Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing
Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing
Journal of Consumer Affairs
Journal of Consumer Behavior
Journal of Macromarketing
Journal of Marketing Management
Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice
Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
Journal of Services Marketing
Journal of Strategic Marketing
Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal

1
Advances in International Marketing
Australasian Marketing Journal
Corporate Communications: An International Journal
Corporate Reputation Review
Health Marketing Quarterly
International Journal of Bank Marketing
International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising
International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing
International Review of Public and Non-profit marketing
International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research
Journal of Communication Management
Journal of Consumer Marketing
Journal of Customer Behavior
Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management
Journal of Financial Services Marketing
Journal of Global Marketing
Journal of marketing channels
Journal of Marketing Communications
Journal of Marketing for Higher Education
Journal of Non-Profit and Public Sector Marketing
Journal of Product and Brand Management
Journal of Relationship Marketing
Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing
Journal of Social Marketing
Marketing Intelligence and Planning
Review of Marketing Science
Services Marketing Quarterly
Social Marketing Quarterly
Young Consumers.


Academic Journal Guide 2018

Joined the International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management editorial team

Just wanted to share with all my readers.

I have been appointed as Associate Editor for the International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management.

Published by Emerald, the journal is listed in the Australian Business Dean's Council list (C) as well as the Chartered Association of Business Schools Academic Journal Guide 2015 (1) under Finance.

It is also listed in Scorpus and in the Emerging Sources Citation Index.

To submit to this journal, please visit the Author Guidelines page.

Marketing our research papers

I am an active member on Quora.com and I saw a very interesting question: "Do you think academic researchers should market their papers to create wider reach for the work?"

I wanted to share it with the audience on my blog as well. I have edited the answer a bit.

According to the American Marketing Association (AMA, 2012) marketing refers to: 

"the activity, set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large."

According to a study in 2007, half of academic papers are read only by their authors, referees and journal editors. I guess we academics have ourselves to blame as we tend to focus largely on the theoretical contributions and also limit the discussions mostly within the academic community.

However, changes in the way our Key Performance Indices (KPIs) are measured and funders disperse their money, have slowly resulted in changes in the way we view and carry out research as well. Most educational institutions of higher learning which have a research focus as well as funders, now require you to show the “impact” of the research. This impact includes evidence on how the results were circulated on mass media, implementation by industry or target audiences, etc.

The main issue is that many academics are not media savvy and do not really know how to market their research. Many researchers feel uneasy with promoting themselves. One Professor told me, "Your research should speak for itself". However, as indicated earlier, this may not be as straightforward if only 3 people read your research. Moreover, researchers tend to move on to the next project once they end the previous one - happy that they have a conference proceeding or two and a journal paper from the research and then move on to the next one. Again this is due to pressure from institutions to churn out research papers regularly to meet KPIs, University rankings and quality certifications.

Coming back to the definition of marketing in this context, we can market our research by looking at how we can create value from our research. We also need to be media savvy and should reach out to the general public. 

Thankfully, I can see that many of us are now active on social media and sharing our research and knowledge with everyone who cares to listen and we are also finding out what people think about our research. Engaging and collaborating with organisations (including NGOs, Governments and Corporates), allows us to fine tune our research to meet and satisfy specific needs and requirements.

Hopefully, this will increase the reach of our research.

Call for Case Study Chapters

I would like to invite all those who are interested to contribute an original, real case study for publication in our book titled: 'Management of Shari’ah Compliant Businesses – Case Studies on Creation of Sustainable Value' which will be published by Springer next year.

Authors are expected to submit original and real life case studies (not published elsewhere) on Islamic finance, marketing and management.

If you are interested, please email me (dilip.mutum@nottingham.edu.my) an expression of interest - a short outline or abstract (maximum of 500 words) by 11th of December, 2017.

More Info about the book:

Editors
Dr. Ezlika Ghazali, Senior Lecturer, Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya, Malaysia
Dr. Dilip Mutum, Associate Professor of Marketing, Nottingham University Business School, The University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus, Malaysia
Dr. Mamunur Rashid, Assistant Professor of Finance, Nottingham University Business School, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Malaysia
Dr. Jashim Uddin Ahmed, Professor of Management, Department of Management, School of Business & Economics, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Type of publication:
The book aims at presenting high quality case studies in the context of Islamic finance, banking, entrepreneurship, insurance, capital market, management, Halal marketing, etc. that deal with consumer perception, services orientation, new product development, risk management,
industry readiness for better customer satisfaction, and policy issues coupling strategy and best practices. Asian countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, hold a larger portion of Islamic assets. Hence, we have decided to limit the scope of this book within the Asian context.

Only original case studies based on primary as well as secondary research that are not published elsewhere will be considered.

Paper on Consumers’ Values for Buying Organic Personal Care Products published

Our paper titled Health and Cosmetics: Investigating Consumers’ Values for Buying Organic Personal Care Products has been published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.

This is one of the fastest I have ever had a paper published. It was submitted on 28 March 2017. Revised 24 June 2017. Accepted on 2 August 2017 and available online 10 August 2017.

Here is the abstract of the paper:

In investigating consumers’ intentions to re-purchase organic personal care products (PCP), this study extends the theory of planned behaviour by including perceived value dimensions as the antecedents of attitude in the model. The findings revealed that most of the hypothesised relationships linking the consumer perceived value constructs (namely, health, safety, hedonic and environmental) with attitude towards the rebuying of organic PCP, were supported. Also, better product knowledge about organic PCP would lead to more positive attitudes towards re-purchasing the product. In contrast, social value was not important in predicting attitude. Similarly, the influence of subjective norm on rebuying intention was not supported. In terms of ranking of importance with regards to prediction of re-purchasing intention, attitude was the most important predictor followed by perceived behavioural control, product knowledge, hedonic value, environmental value and safety value.

You can download the paper for free till September 29, 2017 using this link below:

Ghazali, E., Soon, P.C., Mutum, D. S. and Nguyen, B. (2017). Health and cosmetics: Investigating consumers’ values for buying organic personal care products, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 39, 154-163.

Most citations

Was going through Google Scholar today morning and was pleasantly surprised to learn that one of my journal papers has been cited 101 times (as of today).

The paper titled "A review of customer relationship management: successes, advances, pitfalls and futures" was co written with my friend Bang Nguyen. According to the journal, the paper has been downloaded 11298 times since 2012.

This has been my most cited paper all time and was totally unexpected as it was a conceptual paper and I did not think much about it. However, I have since then realised that many of the most cited academic papers are actually conceptual papers as opposed to the empirical research papers. Just take a look at some of the ground breaking Harvard Business Review papers.

My second most cited paper is a book chapter which I co-authored during my PhD days with my supervisor Professor Qing Wang. The chapter titled "Consumer generated advertising in blogs" in the book  'Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption (Vol 1)', edited by Matthew S. Eastin; Terry Daugherty and Neal M. Burns and published by IGI Global, has now been cited 35 times.


Anyway here is the link to my journal paper:

Nguyen, B., & Mutum, D. S. (2012). A review of customer relationship management: successes, advances, pitfalls and futures. Business Process Management Journal, 18(3), 400-419.

Book on Islamic Finance, Marketing, and Management is now out

I am delighted to announce that our latest edited book is finally out. The book 'Advances in Islamic Finance, Marketing, and Management: An Asian Perspective' is co-edited with Dr. Mohammad Mohsin Butt, Associate Professor of Marketing at Curtin University Malaysia and Dr. Mamunur Rashid Assistant, Professor of Finance at Nottingham University Business School.

With contributions from 35 experts, this book is targeted at both academics and practitioners who are interested and assist in making Shariah-centric strategies.

Here is the preface from the book:

The Islamic financial industries have been growing at a double-digit rate for over a decade now. Referring particularly to the post-financial crisis era, challenges of the management of Islamic financial, management and marketing have reached new heights. Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) from the South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle Eastern countries hold a major percentage of Islamic assets. New opportunities are opening up in the Central Asian countries as well. Currently, the knowledge base on Shari’ah-compliant business and finance is particularly limited, and largely written on the development of finance and allied industries. Experts foresee the need for a useful integration of Islamic finance, halal marketing, and management of Islamic businesses.
This book “Advances in Islamic Finance, Marketing, and Management: An Asian Perspective” aims to balance these gaps by focusing on the Asian perspective of Islamic businesses and by incorporating, alongside finance, the development in Islamic marketing and management of Islamic business. The book is divided into three sections, considering:
Islamic finance that includes topics on Islamic equity and mutual funds, risk and performance of Islamic banks, long-term investment and Sukuk, dynamics of credit portfolios, and financial crimes in Islamic perspective.
Islamic marketing that includes topics on Islamic marketing theory, halal marketing in several Asian markets, and halal logistics.
Islamic business management that includes topics on management of Zakat institutions, and the corporate social responsibility in Islamic organizations.
A group of international experts offer original conceptual articles, empirical research findings, case studies, and critical reviews in the areas of Islamic finance, banking, capital market, halal marketing, consumer perception, services orientation, risk management, industry readiness for better customer satisfaction, as well as policy issues coupling strategy and best practices. As expected, major portion of the discussion surrounds already established Islamic finance industry and a preliminary discussion on the management of businesses. The book can be considered as a guidebook for the academicians as well as the practitioners in the areas of Islamic finance, marketing, and management.

New Services Marketing Cases Book

I am delighted to announce that our latest book 'Services Marketing Cases in Emerging Markets: An Asian Perspective' has now been published by Springer. I would like to thank all the contributors and my co-editors Sanjit Kumar Roy (The University of Western Australia) & Bang Nguyen (East China University of Science and Technology).

You can buy the book on the Springer site for 57.19 € (Hardcover) and as an eBook for 44.02 €.

It is also available on Amazon.com.

About the book:
This casebook provides students and academics in business management and marketing with a collection of case studies on services marketing and service operations in emerging economies. It explores current issues and practices in Asia, across different areas, countries, commercial and non-commercial sectors. This book is important and timely in providing a framework for instructors, researchers, and students to understand the service dynamics occurring in these countries. It serves as an invaluable resource for marketing and business management students requiring insights into the operationalization of services across different geographical areas in Asia. Students will find it interesting to compare and contrast different markets covering important aspects related to services.

Here are some reviews of the book:

“Services are the foundation of human civilizations. Every market has different needs that must be met with different service solutions. This case book provides an invaluable collection of service cases on emerging markets in Asia. These cases cover the very established topics of service experience, co-creation, branding and servicescapes, and add the very forward-thinking topic of transformative services. Services faculty and service students will be well served by this book.” (Professor Raymond P. Fisk, Department of Marketing, McCoy College of Business Administration, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA)

“Asia has experienced tremendous growth of the service sector. This case book is timely to help educate tomorrow’s leaders in Asia on service marketing and management. If offers valuable insights and case examples on the management of three contemporary themes - service experience and co-creation, branding and servicescapes, and transformative services. Students, academics, and practitioners alike will find this book highly insightful.” (Professor Jochen Wirtz, Department of Marketing, NUS Business School, National University of Singapore, Singapore)

“This is a timely book. We need real world cases that make new concepts and theory come alive. Ideas and conceptual models are often difficult to grasp as they go against the mainstream. Service-Dominant (S-D) Logic and IBM's Service Science service are leading the way but I see them constantly being misinterpreted. More cases can cure this.” (Dr. Evert Gummesson, Emeritus Professor, Stockholm Business School, Stockholm University, Sweden)

“This book is a direct response to the emerging need for a quality case book on services marketing in Asia which has been witnessing tremendous growth in services arena in recent times. The cases have addressed the contemporary issues of services marketing, are relevant and well written. I am sure students and academics interested in services marketing will find the book to be useful.” (Professor Ali Quazi, School of Management, University of Canberra, ACT, Australia)

“Good, relevant and timely case studies are always in demand from business and management educators. And it is increasingly important that students are exposed to a diversity of business experiences when undertaking case work. Despite the rapid growth in in the service sector across much of Asia, good case studies have been in short supply. Until now! The authors are to be congratulated for bringing together an excellent collection of cases that are diverse in terms of sectors and countries but which together provide invaluable insights into contemporary service marketing practice.” (Professor Christine Ennew, Provost, Faculty of Social Siences, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Nottingham University Business School, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia)

“This book on services marketing is timely as businesses are grappling with the “what” and “how” of an effective strategy to win the competition in service industries. Lessons from case studies would provide the much needed learning for a richer class room experience for final year undergraduates and MBA students, giving them an early start on dealing with the complexities of managing service businesses.” (Professor Fon Sim Ong, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Nottingham University Business School, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia)

Latest paper on online switching barriers and loyalty

Really delighted that our paper titled 'Constructing Online Switching Barriers: Examining the Effects of Switching Costs and Alternative Attractiveness on E-Store Loyalty in Online Pure-Play Retailers' (Yes, it is a really long title), has been published in 'Electronic Markets: - The International Journal on Networked Business'.

I co-wrote this paper with Ghazali, E., Nguyen, B. and Mohd Any, A. A.

It has been published online and should be is now out in print as well. Here is the abstract of the paper.

Abstract

Developing switching barriers to retain customers has become a critical marketing strategy for online retailers. However, research on the role of switching barriers in e-retailing is still limited. Recent trends show that when competitors are just one click away, it is questionable if customer loyalty can be achieved at all in online environments. This leads to the research question on whether switching barriers have any impact on e-loyalty in pure-play retailers. The paper examines the influence of switching barriers on customer retention (i.e., e-store loyalty) and further investigates the moderating effects of switching costs and alternative attractiveness. Data were gathered via a survey of 590 shoppers of online pure-play retailers in the UK. Findings show that customer satisfaction and the two dimensions of switching barriers (perceived switching costs and perceived attractiveness of alternatives) significantly influence customer loyalty. Contrary to findings in earlier studies, it was found that switching costs did not moderate the relationships between satisfaction and loyalty nor between perceived attractiveness of alternatives and loyalty. The paper makes imperative recommendations to develop switching barriers and to foster loyalty along with suggestions for future research.

Please let me know if you would like a soft copy of the paper: dilip.mutum@nottingham.edu.my

To cite:

Ghazali, E., Nguyen, B., Mutum, D. S. and Mohd Any, A. A. (2016). Constructing Online Switching Barriers: Examining the Effects of Switching Costs and Alternative Attractiveness on E-Store Loyalty in Online Pure-Play Retailers, Electronic Markets: - The International Journal on Networked Business. 26(2), 157-171.
DOI: 10.1007/s12525-016-0218-1

Virtual worlds, social media gaming, celebrity branding and personal branding

I recently attended the ANZMAC (The Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy) 2015 conference which was hosted by the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. It ran from the 30th of November to the 2nd of December.

I presented a paper titled "Lady Gaga goes virtual: Social network gaming communities’ response towards virtual branding efforts" which I co-wrote with Dr. Ezlika Ghazali, The University of Malaya and Dr. Bang Nguyen, East China University of Science and Technology.

Here is the abstract of the paper:

"This study examines community members' response towards a one-off online personal branding campaign of Lady Gaga. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, the study critically examines forum messages from the official Zynga forums of the social game, Farmville. The findings reveal that in the context of social network games, the marketers' role is, to some extent, reduced, while the roles of consumers, especially opinion leaders, become paramount. Theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed."

The background of how I thought about doing a research on this topic is quite interesting (at least to me). While doing my PhD a few years back, I was introduced to Farmville, a game on Facebook. I think that this game as well as other social games helped me through some of the most stressful times during my PhD journey. It was around the time I was writing up my thesis that American
singer and songwriter Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, who brands herself as Lady Gaga, partnered with Zynga, the creators of Farmville to launch and promote her album 'Born this way'. As far as I know, she was the first artist to ever launch an album on a social media game.

I did a bit of preliminary research and realised that this campaign presented several research opportunities to examine the response of members of an online community towards a branding campaign.

Most studies on virtual worlds have focused on World of Warcraft and Second Life and no one has actually looked at games on Facebook. The gaming communities are different from the Brand communities on Facebook and present a totally different context. I also discovered that studies on celebrity branding mostly examined their role as a brand ambassador and specifically how the brand image fits with the personality of the celebrity. There was a lack of studies on the celebrity as a brand - which I feel is linked to concept of personal branding. To my surprise, when I looked at pesonal branding literature and how I could link to celebrity branding, I discovered that most of the papers were in human resource journals and linked to personal development.

There is of course the question of methodology. I could have used the increasingly popular Netnographic techniques made popular by Robert Kozinets. However, in the end I used content analysis method for this research.

I would love to hear from and to collaborate with other researchers who are researching in any of the areas listed here.

Academics and the dark side

Many of us grew up watching Star Wars and the various films has had an impact on a number of us. Anyway, one of my papers is titled  "Customer relationship management: advances, dark sides, exploitation and unfairness." My friend Bang Nguyen (my co-author) came up with the name. He is a big sci-fi fan and though I have not confirmed it with him, you can probably guess where the phrase "dark sides" come from. In fact, he has written a few other papers with the phrase "dark side" in the title.

Today while going through some academic papers, I came across one with "dark side" in the title. This made me wonder and a quick search on Google Scholar reveals that there are around  3,920,000 paper with the phrase "dark side" in the title. When I restrict the search results to publications which came out this year (2015),   there were an astounding 50,100 results including books, chapters and journal papers.

I further narrowed down the search to the keywords "dark side marketing" and restricted to publications this year, gave me 8,770 results.

The Force is definitely with us.