Browsing by Author "Shams, Farshid"

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    The acceptance of halal food in non-Muslim countries: effects of religious identity, national identification, consumer ethnocentrism and consumer cosmopolitanism
    (Emerald, 2019) Wilkins, Stephen; Muhammad Mohsin, Butt; Shams, Farshid; Pérez, Andrea
    Purpose – International restaurant and fast food chains such as KFC, McDonalds and Subway currently serve halal food in some non-Muslim countries, with mixed results. The purpose of this research is to identify the factors that most influence the product judgements of halal food among non-Muslim consumers in non-Muslim countries, and to assess the extent to which these judgements are related to willingness to consume halal food. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative survey method was adopted, using a total sample of 1,100 consumers in Canada, Spain and the United Kingdom. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modelling. Findings – The results suggest that it may be possible for firms to satisfy specific niche market segments with standardised mass market products. Consumer cosmopolitanism and non-Muslim religious identity were found to be positively related to halal product judgement, and consumer ethnocentrism and national identification were negatively related to halal product judgement. There was a strong relationship between product judgement and willingness to consume halal food. Practical implications – The findings indicate that halal marketing may provide promising business opportunities for international restaurant and fast food chains, as well as food manufacturers and retailers. However, in countries or regions where there are many consumers with high levels of national identification or consumer ethnocentrism, firms should not expect non-target consumers to accept halal products. Originality/value – This is the first study to suggest that in non-Muslim countries, food companies may switch entirely to halal produce for certain products as an effective market segmentation strategy targeting Muslim consumers.
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    Product standardisation in the food service industry: post-purchase attitudes and repurchase intentions of non-Muslims after consuming halal food
    (Taylor and Francis, 2019) Wilkins, Stephen; Muhammad Mohsin, Butt; Shams, Farshid; Pérez, Andrea
    In order to satisfy the Muslim market segment, many restaurant and fast food companies in Western countries have standardised their products by switching to halal. The purpose of this research is to discover the extent to which non-Muslim consumers in non-Muslim countries experience cognitive dissonance when they think about restaurants and fast food outlets having likely served them halal-produced food, and the extent to which these consumers intend to repurchase halal food. A quantitative survey method using structural equation modelling was adopted. Data came from a total sample of 1,097 non-Muslim consumers in Canada, Spain and the United Kingdom. Consumer religious identity and interest in animal welfare were found to significantly predict the consumer cognitive dissonance associated with unintended consumption of halal food. The full model, with religious identity, ethnic identification and interest in animal welfare as antecedents of cognitive dissonance, explained 35% of the variance in consumers’ repurchase intentions. Our findings suggest that many non-Muslims do not have a particular issue with consuming halal food, but they may react negatively if they unintentionally consume halal food and perceive that they have been deprived of information, or worse still, deliberately deceived. The research makes a number of contributions to marketing knowledge with regard to the negative spillover effects that can result from faith-based product standardisation, and the influences of consumer interest in animal welfare and deprivation of product information on consumer behaviour.