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The Role of Religiosity in Ethical Decision-Making: A Study on Islam and the Malaysian Workplace

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Abstract

This study investigates how Islamic religiosity affects ethical decision making. The study was conducted in the Malaysian workforce across the public and private sectors with a sample of N = 160. Five factors are tested to determine if they mediate the relationship between Islamic religiosity and ethical intention. These factors are: perceived importance of the ethical issue, moral judgment, ego strength, spiritual intention, and conscience. A parallel mediation design was chosen to test six hypotheses derived from the theoretical literature. The findings indicate that only the variable conscience mediates the relationship between religiosity and ethical intention. This study gives insights into the role of Islam in ethical decision-making, especially for Muslims in Malaysia, an area which has limited exploration. More generally, it contributes to the ongoing discussion in the literature on the relationship between religiosity and ethical decision-making.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UNITAR International University, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

    Rahizah Sulaiman

  2. Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

    Paul Toulson & David Brougham

  3. IESEG School of Management, Paris, France

    Frieder Lempp

  4. Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

    Jarrod Haar

  5. School of Management, Massey Business School, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand

    Rahizah Sulaiman

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  1. Rahizah Sulaiman
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Correspondence to Rahizah Sulaiman.

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Sulaiman, R., Toulson, P., Brougham, D. et al. The Role of Religiosity in Ethical Decision-Making: A Study on Islam and the Malaysian Workplace. J Bus Ethics 179, 297–313 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04836-x

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