Qualitative research is inquiry aimed at describing and clarifying human experience as it appears in people's lives. Researchers using qualitative methods gather data that serve as evidence for their distilled descriptions. Qualitative data are gathered primarily in the form of spoken or written lan

Language and meaning: Data collection in qualitative research.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new framework to optimise the design of halal food supply chains, called the “Halal Supply Chain Model”. In this research the main logistics business processes are defined, which are the determinants for the halal supply chain performance.Design/methodology/approach – Next to an extensive literature review, a large discussion group and various focus group sessions conducted in Malaysia, The Netherlands and China have been used to identify halal control activities and assurance activities in logistics business processes, with a focus on transportation, warehousing and terminal operations.Findings – The findings show that product characteristics (bulk versus unitised, ambient versus cool chain) and market requirements (Muslim or non‐Muslim country) determine the supply chain vulnerability to halal contamination, for which halal control activities and assurance activities are put in place to reduce supply chain vulnerability. More empirical research is ne...

Principles in halal supply chain management

This research paper aims to establish the principles of halal logistics. This exploratory research paper is based on a large discussion group held in Malaysia to define the scope of halal logistics, its principles and foundation for Muslim and non-Muslim countries. Halal logistics covers warehousing, transportation and terminal operations. The establishment of these principles serves as a guide for the creation of a global halal logistics system; minimising hardship for the halal industry; define cross-contamination between halal and haram and how to avoid it; create an evolution of a complete halal value chain and supply chain; and benchmark with existing standards and best practices. For Muslim countries, halal logistics is based on avoiding direct contact with haram , addressing the risk of contamination, and perception of the Muslim consumer. For non-Muslim countries, halal logistics is only based on avoiding direct contact with haram and addressing the risk of contamination. Since this paper is an exploratory study, it provides some insights into the minimum and preferred level of halal logistics in Muslim and non-Muslim countries. However, quantitative research is needed to confirm this difference in consumer perception between Muslim and non-Muslim countries.

Establishing The Principles In Halal Logistics

A survey of the use of ethnographic methods in the study of libraries and library users

Purpose




The purpose of the paper is to investigate the challenges and opportunities for logistics companies in Malaysia to adopt halal logistics. Logistics plays a key role in protecting the halal integrity of halal food through proper transportation, storage and handling along the supply chain until it reaches its final destination.




Design/methodology/approach




This research builds on existing research published in the Journal of Islamic Marketing on halal logistics. In addition to an extensive literature review, five focus group discussions were conducted to discover the challenges and opportunities with regards to halal logistics services in Malaysia.




Findings




The results show that the future market demands and the competitive opportunities related to halal services are the main motivators of first movers in halal logistics. The early adopters of halal logistics face several challenges such as ambiguous halal guidelines, lack of international halal certification, lack of collaboration among governing agencies (i.e. logistics service providers (LSPs), Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) and Halal Industry Development Corporation), a lack of cost-effective standards, an overly competitive transportation sector, lack of demand, lack of halal logistics compulsion, financial challenges and a general misunderstanding of halal practices.




Practical implications




The findings of the present study may help government policy makers recognise the issues that should be addressed in motivating logistics companies to adopt halal practices.




Originality/value




Although halal logistics plays a key role in protecting the halal integrity of halal products, there are few halal LSPs. This study contributes to the advancement of knowledge on the challenges and opportunities of adopting halal logistics.

Halal logistics opportunities and challenges

Purpose – Focus group interviewing, an important social science research methodology dating to the 1920s, is currently experiencing renewed popularity worldwide. This paper aims to review the implementation of this qualitative assessment tool as it relates to the library environment. The article is designed to stimulate the use of focus groups in librarianship and to demonstrate the range of positive applications across various activities within this field, such as administration, cataloging, reference, internet, and other areas. The goal is to bolster recognition that this data‐gathering technique can be utilized to achieve a variety of goals.Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive search of online databases was conducted in library science and in numerous other social sciences, given the interdisciplinary nature of the topic. The salient monographic and journal literature was selected and annotated. A number of standard handbooks, textbooks, references sources, and scholarly articles were consulte...

Focus group interviewing in the library literature: A selective annotated bibliography 1996‐2005

CBQ ESSAY REVIEW: Recent Books on Focus Group Interviewing and Mass Communication

Over the past fifty years, public opinion polls have assumed an increasingly important role in daily life. Quite possibly every person living in America has at one time or another been affected by polls. In fact, few aspects of our lives remain untouched by polls—from the television programs we watch, to the choice of candidates for public office, to national political issues, to the products we buy. Polling has become widely known through frequent use by television and the mass market print media.

Public Opinion Polls: A Guide to Accessing the Literature

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate alternative strategies to enhance participant interaction in library focus groups. Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive alternatives strategies are suggested as techniques to enhance participant interaction in library focus groups. Findings – There are no findings as such, rather this is a paper which suggests different approaches than have hitherto be tried in library focus groups. Originality/value – There has not been a similar article or set of proposed alternative strategies on this subject in so far as library focus groups are concerned.

Informing library research with focus groups

As we approach the millennium, we find ourselves in a world that places ever greater weight and significance on the outcome of polls, surveys, and market research. The advent of modern polling began with the use of scientific sampling in the mid‐1930s and has progressed vastly beyond the initial techniques and purposes of the early practitioners such as George Gallup, Elmo Roper, and Archibald Crossley. In today's environment, the computer is an integral part of most commercial survey work, as are the efforts by academic and nonprofit enterprises. It should be noted that the distinction between the use of the words “poll” and “survey” is somewhat arbitrary, with the mass media seeming to prefer “polling,” and with academia selecting “survey research.” However, searching online systems will yield differing results, hence this author's inclusion of both terms in the title of this article.

Graham R. Walden

Papers

Focus group interviewing in the library literature: A selective annotated bibliography 1996‐2005

CBQ ESSAY REVIEW: Recent Books on Focus Group Interviewing and Mass Communication

Public Opinion Polls: A Guide to Accessing the Literature

Informing library research with focus groups

Selected reference sources in polling and survey research methodology, 1971–1996