Thesis-1998-Waller.pdf (60.41 MB)
Engineers as managers: a comparative study of the career experiences of graduate engineers
thesis
posted on 2010-11-15, 12:57 authored by Steven D. WallerThe theme of the research stemmed from the generally held conviction that engineers are
not found populating the managerial levels of UK based companies to the extent that is
the case in most of continental Europe. Put simply, in the UK engineering is not
considered to be the 'royal route' to management.
In 1978 through a funding initiative by the then University Grants Committee,
management enhanced 4 year engineering degree courses known as 'Dainton' courses
after the then Chain-nano f the committee, Sir Frederick Dainton, were launched to attract
some of the most able candidates to engineering. Designed to "fast track" engineers into
management these courses have been running now for nearly 20 years and the research
set out to answer whether their graduates have become managers, professional engineers,
both or neither and how their background in technology and management may have
influenced their subsequent career progression and migration into management.
The study is based on 575 usable responses to a postal questionnaire sent to 1,838
'Dainton' graduate engineers and comparable control groups from Birmingham, Brunel,
Cambridge, Impenal, Oxford and Strathclyde Universities. The responses to the
questionnaire are supplemented by an ethnographical study of documentary course
literature and discussions with staff responsible for the courses.
Contrasts were found between the groups of engineers and the thesis explores these
differencesa nd discussesth e possible reasonsf or them. By developing an insight into the
role and influence of management training in engineering degrees the thesis concludes bv
examining the consequences for the management of careers.
History
School
- Business and Economics
Department
- Business
Publisher
© S.D. WallerPublication date
1998Notes
A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University.EThOS Persistent ID
uk.bl.ethos.311042Language
- en