Artikel IYRES: Malaysian Youth Involvement In Halal Smes

MALAYSIAN YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN HALAL SMEs

Dr. Rozailin binti Hj Abdul Rahman

Prof. Datin Dr. Junaidah binti Hashim

Business Department, KENMS, IIUM
rozailin@iium.edu.my

junaidahh@iium.edu.my

ABSTRACT

In congruence with the acceptance of Halal business throughout the world, entrepreneurs in Malaysia also use new and innovative strategies to compete with other business in the global market. This is due to the Halal products that provide assurance and commitment to the consumer that the products or service is safe to be consumed or used. However, there are not many SMEs equipped with trusted Halal certification. Plus, the involvement of the youth in Halal market is very small. They have the products, but without any Halal certification, their products cannot go far.

The paper intends to explore the involvement of Malaysian youth in business generally and in Halal SMEs specifically. 658 randomly selected youth based in rural and urban area have been interviewed. The results shows that Muslim Malay male are more willing to involve in Halal SMEs and those with higher level of education prefer to join the business compared those with lower level of education. Out of 658 respondents, 279 of them were involved directly with Halal products and services and 41 have no business at all.

Keywords: youth; Halal; SME.