ISSN 2736-1721
Global Journal of Business Management ISSN 6731-4538 Vol. 2 (6), pp. 001-012, June, 2008. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
The role of organizational culture in modeling buyer-seller relationships in the fresh fruit and vegetable trade between Ghana and Europe
Amos Gyau1 and Achim Spiller2
1Section for Food and Agricultural Marketing, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Georg-August University of Goettingen, Germany.
2Section for Food and Agricultural Marketing, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Georg-August University of Goettingen, Germany
Accepted 17 March, 2008
Abstract
In this paper, a model for buyer-seller relationships between Ghanaian fresh fruit and vegetable exporters and their buyers in Europe is provided. Organizational culture is brought into the limelight as an important dimension in the study of buyer-seller relationships in agribusinesses. Based on interviews with 101 managers of fresh fruit and vegetable export firms, the study revealed that certain organizational cultural dimensions (communication and team orientations) influence the firm’s relationship skills which in turn influence relationship quality. It is concluded that export firms can improve their relationships with their buyers if they look inward and evaluate certain aspects of their own internal organizational practices.
Key words: Organizational culture, relationship skills, exporters, importers, Ghana, Europe.