The massive demand for halal food is the main reason business enterprises engage in halal food production, namely for the purpose of increasing profits. Halal certification has been managed by Malaysian halal certification authorities, namely the Islamic Development Department Malaysia (JAKIM) and the State Islamic Religious Department (JAIN). This study triangulates the viewpoints of Halal Auditors, Halal Executives, and Halal Certification Panel in managing the halal certification process in Malaysia. The main aim of this study is to explore the challenges faced by halal certification authorities and the initiatives that can be taken to improve their roles. A qualitative research method via indepth interviews with Halal Auditors from JAKIM and JAIS, Halal Certification Panel, and Halal Executives from various companies has been used to gather the data for this study. Findings from the interviews highlighted six challenges in the halal certification process which are lack of manpower, Halal Auditor’s lack of skills and knowledge, problems with MYeHALAL system, issues in reviewing halal certification applications, lack of proper guidelines in Malaysia halal certification, and competition from the foreign certification body. The initiatives and suggestions to improve the standard and performance of the Malaysian halal certification authorities are also highlighted. In terms of practical implications, the findings of this study can be used as baseline data for any policy intervention and improvement or advocacy efforts related to halal certification process in Malaysia.

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Purpose This study aims to gain insight into factors that impact employee readiness to change and organizational change management. Therefore, an integrative research model is developed with the combination of perceived competence, perceived relatedness, perceived autonomy, codification strategy and personalization strategy to investigate employee readiness to change. The research model tests the mediating role of employee readiness to change between factors underpinned self-determination theory, knowledge management strategy and organizational change management. In addition to the moderating role of self-efficacy is examined between the relationship of employee readiness to change and organizational change implementation. Design/methodology/approach This research is conducted under a positive paradigm, and therefore, a quantitative research approach is incorporated to design a research strategy. The research model is empirically tested with a sample size of 361 employees working in commercial banks of Pakistan. For data analysis, the structural equation modelling approach is applied. Findings Empirical findings indicate that altogether perceived competence, perceived autonomy, perceived relatedness, codification and personalization strategies had explained 76.8% variance in employee readiness to change. The effect size analysis shows that codification strategy has the largest impact in determining employee readiness to change. Therefore, the relatedness of employee tasks stands at the second stage in determining employee readiness to change. The predictive relevance of the research model is computed through blindfolding procedure and revealed substantial predictive relevance in measuring employee readiness to change. The findings of the research confirmed that the relationship between employee readiness to change and organizational change implementation will be stronger when self-efficacy is higher. Practical implications The current research has several contributions to theory and practice. Theoretically, this research extends the self-determination theory with knowledge management strategy and enriches literature in employee readiness to change and organizational change management context. Practically, this research suggests that policymakers should focus on factors underpinned by self-determination theory and knowledge management model to develop a positive attitude among employees towards readiness to change. Similarly, self-efficacy is another important factor that moderates the relationship between readiness to change and change implementation and should be considered for managerial implication. Originality/value This research is significant as it integrates two unique models, namely, the self-determination framework and the knowledge management model to investigate employee readiness to change. In addition to that, the research model is extended with the moderating effect of self-efficacy between the relationship of employee readiness to change and organizational change implementation.

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