Improving Competitiveness in Iran Laminated Flooring Market with Structural Equation Modeling Approach.

The competitiveness of the laminated flooring industry was assessed in Iran. The statistical population was 200 persons, calculated using the stratified random method and the Cochran formula. The sample size was 132. After reviewing the literature, a conceptual model derived from the theoretical framework was presented. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. Content validity and confirmatory factor analysis were used to determine the validity of the questionnaire. Its reliability was calculated and confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The results were processed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed a significant relationship between factors affecting perceived value, environmental and intra-organizational factors, and competitiveness in the laminated flooring industry. The evaluation of the quality of the model showed that the factors affecting the perceived value (strong effect = 0.632) and intra-organizational factors and environmental factors (moderate effect = 0.211 and 0.171) that were calculated, respectively, had the greatest effect on competitiveness. Moreover, these independent variables allocated 91.6% of competitiveness variations as the dependent variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]