Understanding the interplay of behavioural aspects of firm competitiveness: a case of apparel industry of Bangladesh

Abstract

The apparel sector experienced substantial growth since its inception, however, several factors tended to create uncertainty and present challenges for Bangladesh. The aim of this study is to develop a conceptual framework of structural equation modelling (SEM) based on extant literature about firm competitiveness with respect to adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT), green management, organisational learning, innovativeness, and organisational culture. The methodology of the study employed opinion survey in two phases. Data from the first phase include 415 observations which have been utilised for understanding the pattern of perception of the respondents. The second set of data includes 268 observations which have been utilised to evaluate the measurement model and the structural model. The results reveal that firm competitiveness is positively influenced by innovativeness, organisational learning, green management, and adoption of ICT. The influence of organisational culture on firm competitiveness was not found significant. Innovativeness was found to mediate the association between firm competitiveness and green management. The association between green management and firm competitiveness was found to be mediated by innovativeness. The findings extend the use of underpinned research works and thus can be considered as contribution to the existing body of literature.