Ethical Capital; Religious Education and Graduate Employability

Rasya Choirunni’mati Akmal; Daryono

doi:10.69725/jebi.v2i3.277

Authors

Rasya Choirunni’mati Akmal Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196)
Daryono Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69725/jebi.v2i3.277

Keywords:

Ethical Capital, Religious Education, Professional Character, Employability, Higher Education

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the present study is to explore the role of ethical capital in graduate employability, as measured by the economic worth attributed to character, as it is understood within the context of religious education, through the framework of university training.
Method: The present study employs a quantitative cross-sectional design, with a sample of 312 undergraduate students from public and private universities in Semarang, Indonesia. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed in SPSS 28.
Findings: The internalization of religious values, the quality of religious pedagogy, and the institutional religious climate have been identified as significant positive predictors of professional character formation. Furthermore, the students' self-perception of being prepared for a career structure is influenced by these associations even more powerfully, suggesting that if students understand that the market values virtue, they are far more likely to turn their religious education into professional character.
Novelty: The present study proposes a novel conceptualization of "ethical capital" that integrates moral philosophy, educational theory and the economics of business. This is the first study to provide empirical evidence for the hypothesis that self-awareness of career readiness functions as a key moderator in clarifying the efficacy of religious education in developing religiously oriented, character-retention career skills. This finding addresses contradictions across the national and regional literature.
Implications: University leaders must reframe religious education as a core component of employability strategy. This requires developing curricula for deep value internalization, training lecturers in transformative pedagogy, and aligning institutional policies to create a virtuous ecosystem that maximizes both ethical development and economic return.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Rasya Choirunni’mati Akmal, Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196)

Rasya Choirunni’mati Akmal is a researcher and lecturer at the Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196). Her academic interests focus on accounting education, ethics, and the integration of religious and moral values in higher education. Through her research, she aims to promote character development among university students and strengthen the ethical foundation of future professionals.
Daryono, Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196)

Dr. Drs. Daryono, M.S.I. is a senior lecturer and researcher at the Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196). His research expertise spans accounting ethics, Islamic economics, and education management. He has actively contributed to academic publications and holds a strong record of scholarly work indexed in national and international databases.

References

Ajzen, I. (2020). The theory of planned behaviour: Frequently asked questions. Human Behaviour and Emerging Technologies, 2(4), 314–324. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.195 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.195

Arli, D. (2017). Does ethics need religion? Evaluating the importance of religiosity in consumer ethics. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 35(2), 205–221. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-06-2016-0096 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-06-2016-0096

Aubrey, K., & Riley, A. (2024). Understanding and Using Challenging Educational Theories. SAGE Publications Ltd CN - LC. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781036232627

Belnap, A., Welsch, A., & Williams, B. (2023). Remote tax authority. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 75(2), 101570. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2022.101570 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2022.101570

Busch, C., & Grimes, M. (2023). Serendipity in Entrepreneurship, Strategy, and Innovation—A Review and Conceptualisation BT - Serendipity Science: An Emerging Field and its Methods (S. Copeland, W. Ross, & M. Sand (eds.); pp. 69–99). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33529-7_5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33529-7_5

Carrington, S., & Saggers, B. (2008). Service-learning informing the development of an inclusive ethical framework for beginning teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(3), 795–806. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.09.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2007.09.006

Damianakis, Thecla, Barrett, Betty, Archer-Kuhn, Beth, Samson, Patricia, Matin, Sumaiya, & Ahern, Christine. (2019). Teaching for Transformation: Master of Social Work Students Identify Teaching Approaches That Made a Difference. Journal of Transformative Education, 23(2), 219–240. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344619865948 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1541344619865948

Deming, D. J. (2017). The value of soft skills in the labor market. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) , Cambridge, MA, 7–11.

Emmanuel Kelechi Iwuagwu. (2018). The Relationship Between Religion and Morality; On Whether The Multiplicity of Religious Denominations Have Impacted Positively on Socio-Ethical Behaviour. Global Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(9), 42–53.

Foster, R., & Ojanen, W. (n.d.). Ecosocial Care Ethics in and through Dance Education. Journal of Dance Education, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/15290824.2024.2423230 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15290824.2024.2423230

Kashif, M., Zarkada, A., & Thurasamy, R. (2017). The moderating effect of religiosity on ethical behavioural intentions: An application of the extended theory of planned behaviour to Pakistani bank employees. Personnel Review, 46(2), 429–448. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-10-2015-0256 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-10-2015-0256

Kolenko, T. A., Porter, G., Wheatley, W., & Colby, M. (1996). A critique of service learning projects in management education: Pedagogical foundations, barriers, and guidelines. Journal of Business Ethics, 15(1), 133–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00380269 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00380269

Kuusisto, E., Ubani, M., Nokelainen, P., & Toom, A. (2021). Good Teachers for Tomorrow’s Schools: Purpose, Values, and Talents in Education. Brill. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004465008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004465008

Mezirow, J. (1997). Transformative learning: Theory to practice. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 1997(74), 5–12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.7401

Mouta, A., Torrecilla-Sánchez, E. M., & Pinto-Llorente, A. M. (2025). Comprehensive professional learning for teacher agency in addressing ethical challenges of AIED: Insights from educational design research. Education and Information Technologies, 30(3), 3343–3387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12946-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12946-y

Nonis, S., & Swift, C. O. (2001a). An Examination of the Relationship Between Academic Dishonesty and Workplace Dishonesty: A Multicampus Investigation. Journal of Education for Business, 77(2), 69–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832320109599052 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08832320109599052

Nonis, S., & Swift, C. O. (2001b). Personal Value Profiles and Ethical Business Decisions. Journal of Education for Business, 76(5), 251–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832320109599644 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08832320109599644

Osborne, J. W. (2010). Data Cleaning Basics: Best Practices in Dealing with Extreme Scores. Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews, 10(1), 37–43. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1053/j.nainr.2009.12.009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1053/j.nainr.2009.12.009

Pinar, M., Girard, T., & Basfirinci, C. (2020). Examining the relationship between brand equity dimensions and university brand equity: An empirical study in Turkey. International Journal of Educational Management, 34(7), 1119–1141. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-08-2019-0313 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-08-2019-0313

Plesner Rossing, C., & Rohde, C. (2014). Transfer pricing: aligning the research agenda to organizational reality. Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, 10(3), 266–287. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAOC-03-2012-0017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JAOC-03-2012-0017

Ramly, Z., Chai, L. T., & Lung, C. K. (2008). Religiosity as a Predictor of Consumer Ethical Behaviour: Some Evidence From Young Consumers From Malaysia. Journal of Law and Governance, 3(4 SE-Articles), 43–56. https://doi.org/10.15209/jbsge.v3i4.147 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15209/jbsge.v3i4.147

Rest, J. R. (1986). Moral development: Advances in research and theory.

Retnawati, H., Arlinwibowo, J., & Apino, E. (2018). Strategy and Implementation of Character Education in Senior High Schools and Vocational High Schools. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 9(3), 370–397.

Riskawati, T., Salim, W., Hidayat Putro, H. P., & Ginting, H. (2025). Faith-driven leaders in a non-theocratic country: internalizing Muhammadiyah values in local governance. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/23276665.2025.2571898 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23276665.2025.2571898

Su, H.-Y. (2014). Business Ethics and the Development of Intellectual Capital. Journal of Business Ethics, 119(1), 87–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1623-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1623-4

Succi, C., & Canovi, M. (2020). Soft skills to enhance graduate employability: comparing students and employers’ perceptions. Studies in Higher Education, 45(9), 1834–1847. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1585420 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1585420

Viinikka, K., Ubani, M., & Lipiäinen, T. (2022). Religious Education as a 21st Century Practice: A Quantitative Study of the Perceptions of In-Service and Pre-Service Teachers Concerning New Learning Skills. Religion & Education, 49(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/15507394.2021.2009304 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15507394.2021.2009304

Walker, A. G., Smither, J. W., & DeBode, J. (2012). The Effects of Religiosity on Ethical Judgments. Journal of Business Ethics, 106(4), 437–452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1009-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1009-4

Williams, A. A. J. (2018). Religious discourse as a political tactic: a comparative analysis of David Cameron’s God Strategy. Religion, State and Society, 46(4), 367–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637494.2018.1518743 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09637494.2018.1518743