Applying the Islamic marketing ethics among small scale business Muslimpreneurs during Covid19 MCO: A comparison among types of social network system (SNS)

Taufik, M. S. M.; Faizal, P. R. M.; Qayyum, A. R. A.; Noorfazreen, M. A.; Afifa, N.

The outbreak of COVID-19 forced the Malaysian government to implement the Movement Control Order (MCO) in phases starting March 18, 2020. The implementation of the MCO has affected business continuity, especially among Muslimpreneurs involved in small-scale business. Restricting business hours and business movements to limited time periods and movements, entrepreneurs have turned to online and digital business methods specifically for marketing, supplying, and delivering goods. As a Muslim, Muslimpreneurs should not compromise with any unethical element in their entrepreneurial activities. Thus, business marketing and promotional activities conducted digitally and online should be in line with the Islamic law as well as the basic principles of ethics in Islamic business. This study used a content analysis approach to examine the implementation of Islamic marketing ethics in the sharing of business advertisements through Social Network System which is popular among Muslimpreneurs in Malaysia. For that purpose, a total of 45 samples of advertisements have been randomly studied from WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook applications. This study found that over 90% of Muslimpreneurs have adhered to the basic principles of Islamic marketing ethics in their advertising material. At the same time, Muslimpreneurs are also found to prefer sharing quality ads and more on Facebook compared to WhatsApp and Telegram. © 2021 Author(s).