Diversity as a Competitive Advantage? A Case Study of Immigrant Labour in Swedish Agriculture

Abstract

This paper investigates cultural diversity as means to business sustainability and competitive advantage for entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector. 80 agricultural entrepreneurs have been addressed in this study, which include face-to-face meetings between entrepreneurs and candidates for employment. While supportive of the idea of cultural diversity as a beneficial element of business sustainability, most farmers stated they lacked both the time and the resources to manage the issues associated with immigrant workers. However, lack of organisational changes and managerial skills can also be a potential barrier for integration when the farm address growth and employment ambitions.