Proceedings of World Business, Finance and Management Conference
8 - 9 December 2014, Rendezvous Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand, ISBN: 978-1-922069-66-5
Multicultural Challenges In Today’s Environment
Christine Lee and K. Asoka Gunaratne
With advances in technology, there is more movement and connections between the populations of
different nations in the world, more so than in the past. Australia today is regarded as a multicultural
society with legislation and policies to support multiculturalism. Apart from the Australia’s first people, the
rest of the population comprise migrants and refugees who have come to Australia over a period of time.
For example, the population of Victoria comes from over 200 countries around the world, with 260
languages and dialects spoken, and follow 135 different religious faiths. The 26.2% of the population was
born overseas continue to contribute to the diversity in the state.
Inevitably, workplaces, society and other institutions are increasingly becoming more diverse. This paper
discusses the issues and challenges relating to cultural competency, focusing mainly on training,
awareness and hurdles. With an increasing diverse workforce and multicultural society, which is
continually evolving, there is no simple solution to a complex issue. It is important to appreciate the
diversity within and external to any organisation. This paper concludes recommending a contingency
approach to managing diversity.
Key words: Multiculturalism, Diversity, Culture, Society
_________________________________________________________________________________
Dr Christine Lee PhD, MMS, Dip Acc & Fin, Dip Mgt St, BSc (Hons), GCHE, Lecturer, Federation Business School,
Federation University, Gippsland Campus, Churchill VIC 3842, AUSTRALIA, Telephone +61 3 5122 6714,
Christine.Lee@federation.edu.au
Dr. Asoka Gunaratne PhD (Cant), MCom (Auck), M.B.A (SJ), Senior Lecturer, Department of Management and
Marketing, Unitec New Zealand, Tel: 64 9 8154321 ext. 7035, Fax: 64 9 814 4374, AGunaratne@unitec.ac.nz