Measuring the competitiveness of a firm for an award system

Purpose - Competition is of interest to both policy makers and managers. However, existing studies concentrate on the measurement of national competitiveness while neglecting firm competitiveness. The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by developing a comprehensive and generic measurement model to understand firm competitiveness. The model is used to develop an award system to help companies in the self-assessment of their competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach - The theoretical base of the measurement of firm level competitiveness is driven from two national competitiveness models, namely World Competitive Yearbook and Global Competitiveness Index, while the assessment structure is based on the well-known European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Award. The competitiveness model developed in this paper is put into use in Turkey. The measures of the model are used for assessing the competitiveness of ten firms, in order to choose the most competitive firm of the year. The study in Turkey explains how the measurement model works by illustrating an example. Findings - This paper attempts to develop a generic model in which the competition parameters do not change for individual companies. The model covers a wide variety of parameters that form the base of competition at the firm level. It is demonstrated that the competition model developed in the paper works in practice. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the national competitiveness by providing deeper understanding of the dynamics of firm-level competitiveness and provides some implications and suggestions for further studies.