STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING OF THE EFFECTS OF MANAGEMENT ATTITUDE AND PERCEPTION, INDUSTRY CHARACTERISTICS, AND EXPORT MARKETING STRATEGY ON EXPORT PERFORMANCE IN THE WOOD INDUSTRY IN GHANA

Abstract

ABSTRACT Improved globalization has driven a developing number of firms to look past their customary domestic markets and spotlight on high-development export markets not exclusively to grow yet in addition to guarantee their exceptional survival. Therefore, the job of exporting in firms' movement has turned out to be progressively critical and examination into export performance goes back to the imaginative work of Tookey (1964). Notwithstanding, despite these exploration endeavors, there is an absence of combination and assertion in the conceptualization and operationalization of the develop (Sousa, 2004). The study examined whether there is an inter-relationship between the factors that are perceived to influence export performance in the wood industry in Ghana. The theoretical model underpinning the study is the Aaby and Slater (1989) model. A quantitative approach was employed. A structured questionnaire was administered to wood exporting firms identified by the help of forestry commission. A structural equation modeling was conducted to examine whether there is an inter-relationship between the factors that are perceived to influence export performance in the wood industry in Ghana. The results reveal that all three predictor variables examined, i.e. Industry Characteristics, Export Marketing Strategy and Management Perception and attitude are all key determinants of export performance at various levels Keywords Management, export, strategy, Ghana