ERIC Number: EJ1011002
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0304-3797
EISSN: N/A
Advancing Intercultural Competency: Canadian Engineering Employers' Experiences with Immigrant Engineers
Friesen, Marcia; Ingram, Sandra
European Journal of Engineering Education, v38 n2 p219-227 2013
This paper explores Canadian engineering employers' perceptions of and experiences with internationally educated engineers (recent immigrants to Canada) employed in their organisations for varying lengths of time. Qualitative data were collected from employers using focus group methodology. Findings reflected employers' observations of culturally different behaviours and characteristics in their internationally educated employees, employers' reactions to cultural differences ranging from negative attributions to tolerance, and the implementation of largely "ad hoc" intra-organisational strategies for managing cultural differences in employer--employee relationships. Findings exposed the lack of corporate intercultural competency in the Canadian engineering profession. Equity and gatekeeping implications are discussed.
Descriptors: Cultural Awareness, Foreign Countries, Engineering, Engineering Education, Immigrants, Foreign Nationals, Employer Attitudes, Cultural Differences, Qualitative Research, Attribution Theory, Work Environment, Organizational Communication, Employer Employee Relationship, Intercultural Communication
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A