Taking care of a highly valuable resource throughout the value chain - Lack of market orientation in red king crab export?

Abstract

Purpose - The main purpose of this research is to reveal whether the valuable Norwegian red king crab industry handles the resource appropriately throughout the value chain, securing both companies' long-term profit and environmental sustainability. The question is also asked whether todays’ management system for king crab in Norway is beneficial for attaining optimal quality. Design/methodology/approach - The explorative study involves in-depth interviews with members along the entire value chain of Norwegian companies exporting live king crab to South Korea, including the South Korean buyers. Findings - The results reveal that the resource is not optimally handled due to lack of market orientation and the sellers have several misperceptions of their own behavior and of the buyers’ satisfaction with their behavior. The disparities are explained by examining the complexity of the market orientation for small, nature-based value chains in the context of cross-cultural trading. Research limitations - Context limited to the Norwegian Seafood industry and South Korean buyers. Still, the results and explanations are relevant for much cross-cultural businesses, at least for smaller companies with limited resources. Practical implications - Awareness of cultural differences and sensitivity to the effect it may have on cross-cultural buyer-seller relationships will have strong practical implications on achieving long-term business relationships across cultures.