Fiona A.E. McQuarrie
Professor Emeritus | School of Business, University of the Fraser Valley
Abbotsford, BC, CANADA
Expertise in Canadian industrial relations, workplace issues, post-secondary education, and organizations.
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Biography
Fiona McQuarrie has been researching and writing about work and organizations for more than 30 years. Her areas of interest include industrial relations, organizational theory, workplace diversity, management history, post-secondary education, and the interaction between work and leisure. She is a regular media commentator on work, employment, and organizational issues.
Dr. McQuarrie is Professor Emeritus in the School of Business at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV). At UFV she was Associate Dean of the Faculty of Professional Studies and Co-Chair of the Business program. She was the first woman at UFV and the first faculty member in the School of Business to be promoted to the rank of Professor. She has also taught at the University of Alberta, Simon Fraser University, Athabasca University, and the University of Prince Edward Island. She is currently Special Projects Officer at the BC Council on Admissions & Transfers, which oversees BC's post-secondary transfer credit system.
She holds a Ph.D. in organizational analysis from the University of Alberta; a Bachelor of Business Administration (with majors in business and English), an MBA, and a Certificate in Liberal Arts from Simon Fraser University; and a Certificate in General Studies from Thompson Rivers University.
Dr. McQuarrie is the author of the textbook Industrial Relations in Canada, published by John Wiley and Sons. Currently in its fourth edition, the textbook is used at more than 30 universities and colleges across Canada. She is also the Canadian co-author of the widely used casebook Applications in Human Resource Management, published by Nelson Education.
Dr. McQuarrie’s research has been published in journals such as the Academy of Management Executive, the Canadian Journal of Administrative Studies, the Canadian Journal of Higher Education, the International Journal of Management Education, Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations, Leisure/Loisir, and Management and Organizational History. She has presented her research findings on work and organizations at many major international conferences.
Dr. McQuarrie is a member of the Academy of Management, the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (where she has served on the Board of Directors as a Member-at-Large, as Awards Chair, and as Divisional Liaison), the Canadian Association for Work and Labour Studies, the Canadian Industrial Relations Association, and the Canadian Association for Leisure Studies.
Industry Expertise (8)
Public Policy
Government Relations
Education/Learning
Management Consulting
Program Development
Government Administration
Writing and Editing
Training and Development
Areas of Expertise (11)
Higher Education
transfer credit
Workplace Behavior
Organizational Behaviour and Leadership
Organizational Theory
Gender & Diversity in Organizations
Post-Secondary Education
Human Resource Management
Work and Employment
Industrial Relations
post-secondary student mobility
Accomplishments (2)
Best Paper Awards, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Conference, 2004 and 2012 (professional)
Co-author of Best Paper in Organizational Theory Division (2012); author of Best Paper in Management History Division (2004)
Honourable Mention Paper Awards, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada Conference, 2001 and 2008 (professional)
Author of Honourable Mention Paper in Gender and Diversity in Organizations division (2001); author of Honourable Mention Paper in Management History division (2008)
Education (5)
University of Alberta: Ph.D., organizational analysis
Simon Fraser University: MBA, major in organizational behaviour
Simon Fraser University: BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration), majors in business and English
Simon Fraser University: Certificate in Liberal Arts
Thompson Rivers University: Certificate in General Studies
Affiliations (5)
- Administrative Sciences Association of Canada
- Academy of Management
- Canadian Industrial Relations Association
- Canadian Association for Work and Labour Studes
- Canadian Association for Leisure Studies
Links (1)
Languages (1)
- English
Media Appearances (12)
Job after job after job? Get used to it
Ontario Today, CBC Radio radio
2016-11-15
The Finance Minister says, short-term jobs are the new norm. Get used it. Should you just get used to it? With Fiona McQuarrie, associate professor in the School of Business at the University of the Fraser Valley.
On The Coast
CBC Radio radio
2016-11-11
Fiona McQuarrie, associate professor in the School of Business at the University of the Fraser Valley, on the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the case involving the BC Teachers' Federation. [segment starts at 59:00]
Job churn and precarious work don't have to be the new normal
The Globe and Mail print
2016-11-07
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau have both recently told workers that they need to get used to “job churn” and “precarious work.” They were referring to the increasing prevalence of short-term, non-permanent jobs in the Canadian labour market. But it’s a mistake to treat this as a norm we have to accept. Federal and provincial governments can change this situation and reduce the negative effects of uncertain work arrangements.
Privacy breach exposes details of UBC ex-president’s departure
Vancouver Sun
2016-01-28
Fiona McQuarrie, a business professor with the University of the Fraser Valley, said the problem is compounded because in B.C., many former colleges are now universities, which require more administrators, many presidents are retiring and a few high-profile cases of conflicts between boards and presidents have made people more reluctant to go into administration...
Let’s bridge the gap between academia and management
The Globe and Mail
2015-09-08
In August, the annual meeting of the Academy of Management – the largest global association of management and organization scholars – came to Vancouver. In more than 2,000 sessions over six days, 11,000 researchers presented the results of their work. Their research looked at many extremely timely topics: gender representation on executive boards and in senior management, work-life balance, organizational strategy, effective hiring procedures, corporate wrongdoing and precarious employment...
B.C. appeal court rules in favour of province in dispute with teachers
Vancouver Sun
2015-05-01
Fiona McQuarrie, a business professor with the University of the Fraser Valley, said that if the decision had gone the other way and the government had lost, it also would have been likely to appeal. "I think both parties were pretty convinced that they were right and I think it would have gone to the Supreme Court either way," McQuarrie said...
On The Coast
CBC
2015-04-30
BCTF, racial tensions, CBC Music, Greenpeace doc, Quinn's Quiz, political panel, Fox and classical, Variety billboard...
B.C. says Supreme Court’s RCMP ruling sets precedent in teachers’ case
The Globe and Mail
2015-01-26
Fiona McQuarrie, an associate professor at the University of the Fraser Valley’s School of Business, said it appears the government is saying “that whether the amount or type of consultation was appropriate depends on the context and the issues in that particular set of collective bargaining relationships.”...
Ruling on RCMP’s right to unionize could influence B.C. teacher dispute
The Globe and Mail
2015-01-22
Fiona McQuarrie, an associate professor at the University of the Fraser Valley’s School of Business, said the ruling confirms that meaningful collective bargaining is one of the functions that must happen for the freedom of association to be fulfilled. “I think the BCTF would likely interpret this Supreme Court ruling in the RCMP case as making an even stronger case that, to fulfill the freedom of association that’s guaranteed, there has to be meaningful collective bargaining between the parties – not just that there is a collective bargaining relationship,” she said...
Media silence from teachers, government could be a good sign: expert
News 1130
2014-09-12
The teachers union and the government have agreed not to speak to the media about yesterday’s talks with mediator Vince Ready. Professor Fiona McQuarrie, a labour relations expert with the University of the Fraser Valley, says that could be reason for some optimism. “Usually when the parties agree not to talk to the media, it means that they’re focusing on the actual discussions between the parties and not on appearing publicly to state their cases,” says McQuarrie...
Teachers job strike
CBC British Columbia
2014-05-21
BC Teachers are once again set to strike and we speak to Fiona McQuarrie, who teaches industrial relations at the University of the Fraser Valley...
How can the truckers strike at Vancouver's ports be resolved?
CBC
2014-03-17
Guest host Michelle Eliot speaks with industrial relations expert Fiona McQuarrie, Port Metro Vancouver's Peter Xotta, and hears from you as this strike drags into its 3rd week...
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Articles (3)
An innovative model for delivering business education in India
The International Journal of Management Education2016 The purpose of this article is to describe the development and establishment of the University of the Fraser Valley’s (UFV) unique Bachelor of Business Administration program in Chandigarh, India. This program offers the entire four-year BBA program in Chandigarh, with the students enrolled as UFV students and receiving UFV course credit. The article also makes recommendations to other post-secondary institutions considering entering the Indian education market...
Applying the Principles of Soccer Training to the Design and Delivery of Classes in Introductory Accounting Courses
Accounting Perspectives2014 Accounting instructors face numerous challenges in structuring and teaching accounting classes. This paper describes the experience of redesigning classes in an introductory accounting course to follow the format of team training sessions in the sport of soccer. The soccer format includes six sections: warm-up, balance/agility/coordination, skill/technique, simplified small game, game, and cooldown. We explain how the activities in each of these sections can be translated into parts of a class session...
Government, coercive power and the perceived legitimacy of Canadian post-secondary institutions
The Canadian Journal of Higher Education2013 Governments regulate and control organizations, yet their role in determining organizational legitimacy is largely unexamined. In the changing Canadian post-secondary landscape, legitimacy is an increasingly important issue for post-secondary institutions as they compete amongst themselves for access to ever-shrinking resources. Using an institutional theory framework, we analyze two examples of government policy and legislation relating to the organizational legitimacy of Canadian post-secondary institutions...
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