Emmanuel S. Asamoah

Background. Cultural values are important aspects of the self of consumers. As businesses have become more and more global, the cultural differences among consumers play an important role in the development of effective marketing and branding strategies. This is because the cross-cultural phenomenon occurs as a result of the diverse cultural components that exist among consumers and it is a significant factor that influences buying behaviour in consumer markets.

Research aims. The main objective of this study is to analyse the cultural orientation (cultural dimensions) of consumers in the Czech Republic and Ghana with reference to the different age groups and sex.

Methodology. The convenience sampling method was used to select respondents for the study. A total of 1253 respondents were selected from the Czech Republic and Ghana. There were 460 respondents from the Czech Republic and 793 respondents from Ghana. Data analysis was performed with inferential statistics.

Key findings. The study revealed that with regard to the first hypothesis there were no significant differences between three of the dependent variables and sex in the Czech Republic. The p-value for the analysis on power distance was 0.161, collectivism and individualism was 0.110, and long term orientation was 0.493. There were significant differences between sex and two of the dependent variables (masculinity and femininity and uncertainty avoidance). The p-value of the test of masculinity and femininity and sex was 0.000, whiles that of uncertainty avoidance and sex was 0.007. However, in Ghana, the results showed that there is no significant difference between sex and the cultural orientation of the respondents. The p-value recorded for all the five questions that access the cultural dimensions among consumers in Ghana were more than the significant level of 0.05. Concerning the second hypothesis, it was revealed that in the Czech Republic there was a statistical significance between the ages of the respondents and the cultural dimensions. The p-value of all the five cultural dimensions was less than the significant level of 0.05. In Ghana, there was no statistical significance between the ages of the respondents and the cultural dimensions of collectivism and individualism (p-value 0.230) and masculinity and femininity (p-value 0.728). However, there was statistical significance between the age of the respondents and 3 of the cultural dimensions, namely power distance (p-value 0.011), uncertainty avoidance (p-value 0.000), and long term orientation (p-value 0.000).

Conclusions. The study concludes that the cultural dimensions should be used as pre-predictors to determine how consumers differ or converge in their behaviour in different countries. This is how culture can serve the purpose in defining consumer behaviour and enable managers develop strategies for specific markets.

Background. Employee turnover is widely considered organisational issue. The commonest assumption regarding the relationship between turnover rates and organizational perfor- mance is that increasing turnover rates is dysfunctional in the sense of being associated with decrements in organizational performance and competitiveness.
Research Aims. The main objective of this study is to assess the effects of Employee Turn-
over on the performance and competitiveness of firms in the banking industry in Ghana.

Method. This research targeted the employees of 15 selected banks operating in Ghana. A sample of 480 respondents were purposively selected with no discrimination to sex, religion, disability, and, nationality. The Independent t-test and the Pearson's Product Moment (Pearson r) Correlation Coefficient test were the statistical tools used in the analysis of the data.
Key Findings. The analysis of the data reveals that banks with low employee turnover will
perform better and are more competitive than those with high employee turnover; highly motivated employees will have a lower turnover intention than those less motivated and employees in higher ranking jobs have lower employee turnover intentions than employees in low ranking jobs. Gender, age and job tenure have no significant influences on turnover intentions.
 

Background. Internal Market Orientation is a philosophy that is meant to create a seamless relationship among different functional areas in the organisation, with a view to achieving an improved organisations’ performance. However, there is an on-going debate grounded on the upper echelon theory, with regard to how leaders’ background characteristic influence firm performance; though with limited empirical support.

Research aims. This paper seeks to assess the relationship between marketing background expertise of senior executives and Internal Market Orientation, within the context of the public sector.

Methodology. Survey data was collected from senior executives of the public sector of Ghana, comprising 111 organisations; using a structured questionnaire. The hypothesized relationships between Marketing background expertise and the primary dimensions of Internal Market Orientation were tested through Pearson’s product-moment correlation analysis.

Key findings. Data analyses reveal lack of support for the hypothesized relationships between marketing background expertise and the primary dimensions of Internal Market Orientation. However, the study provides empirical support for the on-going discourse on leadership characteristics and firm performance, in the context of the public sector; where research on Internal Marketing is limited. It also refines these discussions from both a non-western and a developing economy context.