Cultural intelligence and relationship quality in export market ventures in Ghana

Abstract

BACKGROUND : Although research on SMEs has shown that various internal and external factors are important for export performance, some scholars argue that for African SMEs, internal factors play a more critical role than external factors. This study examines the relationships between managerial cultural intelligence (CQ), relationship quality and export performance of SMEs in Ghana. OBJECTIVE : The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of SME owner/managers’ CQ to the quality of relationships of the firms, and whether the relationship quality is related to export performance. METHODS : A self-administered questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 145 SMEs in Ghana. Structural equation modelling was used to test the research hypotheses. RESULTS : The results indicated that the CQ of the owner/manager has an impact on both the local and foreign relationship quality of the firm. Furthermore, foreign relationships were found to play a significant role in the export performance of SMEs. However, the quality of the local relationships did not have a significant effect on export performance. CONCLUSIONS : This research has shown that the CQ of owners and managers and the quality of relationships play an important role in the international performance of SMEs.