Meet the Editor of… the Journal of Islamic
Marketing
Citation: (2010) "Meet the Editor of… the Journal of Islamic Marketing", Journal of Islamic
Marketing, Vol. 1 Iss: 1
DOI: http://0-dx.doi.org.mylibrary.qu.edu.qa/10.1108/jima.2010.43201aaf.002
Downloads: The full text of this document has been downloaded 307 times since 2010
Type: Secondary article
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright: © Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2010 | Published by Emerald Group
Publishing Limited
An interview with: Dr Bakr Ahmad Alserhan
Interview by: Margaret Adolphus
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Dr Bakr Ahmad Alserhan PhD, the founder of Islamic marketing as a new scientific
discipline, is an assistant professor of marketing at the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) University. His work experience spans both academia and industry. He held
various positions in Abu Dhabi University (UAE), the Hashemite University
(Jordan), and Microsoft European Operation (Ireland).
He publishes extensively in international refereed journals and is currently working on numerous
papers focusing on Islamic and Middle Eastern markets. He has signed an agreement with a major
publisher to write a book titled Principles of Islamic Marketing. His research interests include Islamic
marketing, Islamic branding, Islamic hospitality, marketing strategy, marketing research, and crosscultural studies.
About the journal
Islam is the world's fastest growing religion, with around 1.5 billion followers worldwide – nearly a
quarter of the world's population. This constitutes an enormous market, and one that is spread
across three continents where Islamic values have helped shape the societal structures, culture and
legal norms that influence consumer preferences and behaviour.
The Journal of Islamic Marketing aims to lay the foundation of, and advance, Islamic marketing as a
new discipline. It will identify the features of the Islamic framework for marketing practices and
ethics, and provide a forum where researchers, academics and business people can debate the
main issues.
The journal identifies the features of the Islamic framework of international marketing practices and
ethics. The benefits of understanding the Islamic perspective are both harmony and cooperation with
Muslim target markets, and the potential for a more ethical approach to marketing as a whole.
The inaugural issue, to be published in April 2010, will include an interview with Ernst & Young,
Bahrain; a case study of an Islamic e-brokerage company; articles on advertising in Malaysia; and
information sources on fatwa rulings on behaviour and products.
Islamic marketing
There has been a lot of media attention devoted to the Islamic prohibition of interest and how
this affects financial transactions such as mortgages. Other key Islamic principles that could
have a bearing on business include social justice and inclusion, honesty, protection of the
weak, and a strong sense of fair play. What are the key influences on marketing ethics and
what distinguishes "Islamic" marketing?
The Islamization of the marketing function through applying the principles of Islamic marketing,
which are intrinsically ethical, will allow businesses to be more at peace with the world as well as
with themselves. It will also establish relationships that are honoured by customers with an almost
religious zeal.
Islamic marketing addresses current marketing thought and practice within the overall framework of
Islam. It studies how Muslim market behaviour is shaped by various religious and cultural concepts
affecting almost all economic decisions in these markets. Doing business successfully in Islamic
markets requires that conventional marketing knowledge be tailored to comply with their
requirements. In other words, current marketing thought and practice needs to wear a turban, a veil,
or at least a head scarf in order to appeal to these markets. To be more specific, Islamic marketing
blends the religious, the ethical, and the business worlds to:
Create a more humane world market where buyers
get a fair deal and sellers accept a reasonable
profit, in a better-maintained environment.
Help both Muslim and non-Muslim marketers
understand the needs of the massive Muslim
markets.
Provide marketers with current information on the
behaviour of Islamic markets and their needs, as
well as analysis of their future trends.
Are there products or groups of products (other than the obvious, i.e. alcohol, pornography,
pork) which are off limits to Islamic marketing?
The areas affected by Islamic marketing are much wider than commonly understood, i.e. forbidding
the use of interest rates and the consumption of alcohol and swine products.
Islam approves only wholesome products that have been raised, prepared, and transported
wholesomely from "farm to table". The implications of Islamic principles on the marketing aspect of
business are very thorough and encompass the entire marketing mix for both services and goods.
The first component of the conventional marketing mix, for example, is the product. In Islamic
marketing however, it is the halal product, and the difference between the two is huge. From an
Islamic marketing perspective the product that a company sells must be entirely halal. This means
that all inputs, processes, and outputs must be sharia compliant, i.e. the product and all that was
involved in its creation, delivery, and consumption must be environmentally friendly and totally
harmless, as Islam clearly prohibits causing harm to anything that God created (all-embracing
harmony in the universe). An un-halal, or haram product will be very difficult to sell to the Muslim
consumer because the latter's behaviour is mostly dictated by the common understanding of what is
permissible and what is prohibited under the sharia law. Being sharia compliant is the quickest way
to promote the company and its products.
Journal mission and editorial objectives
How and why did you found Islamic marketing as a new discipline, and what was your
rationale for launching the journal?
This discipline of Islamic marketing was a natural outcome of developments in the global economy,
where the Islamic perspective on commerce is increasingly gaining momentum. However, despite
that growing importance and influence, Muslim consumers have largely been ignored by academic
researchers and very little is known about them. Thus Islamic marketing as a discipline was
developed to help conceptualize and clarify the relevant Islamic teachings and guidance, so that
both Muslim consumers and their suppliers – Muslim or non-Muslim –- can define their expectations
of each other and learn how to establish sustainable relationships that are built on mutual
understanding, not on the widespread stereotypes.
What are the journal's editorial objectives and mission?
The short-term mission of the journal is to enable Muslim consumers and their suppliers to connect
more closely. In the long term, the journal aims to help create a more humane business
environment; one where man can prosper without bringing demise to his surroundings. It seeks to do
so by advocating Islamic principles and ethics as they relate to business in general and marketing in
particular. It will be a medium for researchers to discuss the marketing opportunities, challenges and
traditions in Islamic markets, and it will provide insights into the various aspects of marketing to
Islamic markets such as franchising, distribution channels, retailing practices, branding, hospitality,
consumption patterns, etc.
More specifically, what are your objectives for the next couple of years, in terms of numbers
of papers in each issue, numbers of issues per year, special issues etc.? For example, do
you intend to do an issue on marketing financial products?
During the first year three issues will be published, each containing nine successful submissions that
include papers and case studies, one interview, and one book review. After that, we are aiming to
issue the journal four times a year and probably increase the number of articles from nine to ten or
11.
Special issues are particularly high on our agenda. We are planning special issues on Islamic
branding, Islamic hospitality, and marketing of Islamic financial services. Also, another issue on
place marketing is being planned – this was actually inspired by Philip Kotler who in our
communications talked fondly of Dubai's efforts in that regard. Other topics that are also being
considered include relationship marketing in Islam. Established authors who are willing to become
guest editors on special topics are very welcome.
How will you ensure that you reach researchers and practitioners?
The journal is being heavily championed by a very professional and dedicated team from Emerald.
Distinguished persons who helped, and continue to help in this regard include: Joe Bennett, Juliet
Norton, Victoria Buttigieg, Chris Hart, Valerie Robillard, and Emily Hemus, to mention a few.
We have built databases that include many thousands of researchers across the globe and we have
received impressive feedback from them regarding the journal.
Extensive promotion in related events such as conferences is being pursued as we strengthen our
relationship with our potential readers and contributors.
Personal relationships and social online networks also play a role in creating more exposure and
awareness among the journal public.
At what sort of levels, and where, is Islamic marketing taught, and how will the journal help?
Interestingly, Islamic marketing is being explored at the very best business schools around the
world. For example, Oxford University in the UK has embarked on a large Islamic branding and
marketing project that was announced less than a year ago. The École Supérieure des Sciences
Économiques et Commerciales (ESSEC) in France offers an MBA course on Islam and marketing.
Similar initiatives are under way in Malaysia, Brunei, and parts of the Middle East.
The journal will play a major role in encouraging researchers to focus their research efforts more
closely on Islamic marketing, thus creating the world's first academic resource on the subject, which
will make it the number one reference on the issue.
What are the key research issues that you will take on, and will you favour any particular
research approach, e.g. quantitative as opposed to qualitative?
The journal's scope is fairly broad. Issues that are of particular importance to us include Muslim
consumers, Islamic markets, commercializing Islam, Islamic marketing ideals, Islamic marketing mix,
Islamic business ethics, marketing Islamic financial products, the halal market, Islamic hospitality,
Islamic branding, the Islamic e-market, the Islamic fashion and clothing industry, Islamic
pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and toiletry, Islamic law and marketing practices, selling to Islamic
markets, and buying from Islamic markets.
Contributions related to any of these broad subjects are welcome regardless of the research
approach. We understand that this is a new subject and therefore we expect many of the
submissions to be exploratory and descriptive in nature. However, the type of the approach is of little
relevance when it comes to publishing decisions; what matters is the quality of the submission and
its contribution to creating the desired understanding of the various aspects of the Islamic market.
Aside from (obviously) relevance to the topic, what are the quality indicators you will look for
in your articles?
Submissions to the journal have to be well-written, precise, to the point, well-focused, flowing
smoothly, engaging, and not rigid. This is neither a political nor a religious journal; it is a business
journal with an academic mission so we expect submissions to be balanced in that regard.
Publishing issues
Journal publishing is becoming more and more niched, and while your journal provides an
identifiable receptacle for all the research and the topic, how will you persuade people to
publish with you and not with journals that are already established?
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. So far, we have taken many successful steps
in that regard. At this point in the journal's development we understand that we are no match for
some of the journals that have been around much longer, but we promise that this will change within
a few years. It is our clear objective that in less than five years' time, the journal will be among the
most widely acknowledged in the field of marketing, and we are hurrying towards achieving it. As
you said, the journal is very well differentiated from other journals; publishing in it will give
researchers a different exposure and will greatly expand their readership base.
Getting Philip Kotler onto your editorial board was a considerable coup. How did you achieve
this, and generally, what do you see as the role of your editorial board?
Philip Kotler is a visionary scholar; he is no stranger to foreseeing business trends, especially in
marketing. I have been raised on Kotler's books, I read them, I was taught them, and I lecture about
them. I approached him in summer 2008 and requested his help in the establishment of the journal
and he very kindly accepted to do so. I believe the field of Islamic marketing owes him a lot for his
support and understanding.
Moreover, the journal's editorial board includes the best of the best in the field of marketing
internationally. For example it includes, Professor Marin Marinov, Professor Abbas J. Ali, Dr Lyn S.
Amine, Dr Tim Beal, Professor Rafik Beekun, Professor Salih Tamer Cavusgil, Professor Zohheir
ElSabbagh, Naseem Javed, Professor Erdener Kaynak, Professor Cedomir Nestorovic, Dr Ozlem
Sandikci, and Dr Paul Temporal, among many distinguished others.
The editorial advisory board (EAB) plays a vital role in the establishment of the journal. As well as
the traditional role of making sure that only qualified submissions are published, it helps set the
future direction of the journal through its continuous monitoring, guidance, and direct involvement.
No journal could have a future without the active participation of its EAB. The Journal of Islamic
Marketing has been blessed in this regard.
And finally...
Can you sum up the impact, actual and potential, of Islamic values on business ethics?
We acknowledge that the effect will not be immediate. Like all other ethical initiatives that are aimed
at society as a whole, realization takes time; it begins with creating awareness and gradually building
momentum. It is like stirring a lake with a pebble, it begins with a tiny splash and grows into
consecutive waves that encircle the entire expanse of water.
Consumers are fed up with how they have been treated. They want to be seen as humans, not as
wallets for marketers to drain. They want products that will keep the planet habitable for their
children and their grandchildren. They want marketers who care more about the health and wellbeing of their consumers. They want companies that view the interest of the community as a minaret
that guides their operations, not as a target to shoot at. The ethical principles of Islamic marketing
can help greatly in this regard. Businesses that Islamize their entire marketing function will have a
tremendous competitive advantage over others that delay such a transition.
Publisher's note
Dr Bakr Ahmad Alserhan was interviewed in October 2009.