The drivers of lean, agile and green principles towards business competitiveness among manufacturing firms in Malaysia

PurposeBusiness competitiveness is critical for a thriving economy that requires companies to be more efficient and innovative to outperform their rivals. This paper investigates the main determinants of business competitiveness from the resource-based view (RBV) perspective.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 140 discrete and large manufacturing firms in Malaysia through a cross-sectional quantitative-based survey with a convenience sampling procedure. The findings from the PLS-SEM analysis showed that implementing LAG manufacturing significantly amplifies business competitiveness.FindingsIt was found that cost leadership strategy drives lean and agile manufacturing implementation, while differentiation positively amplifies the implementation of lean, agile and green manufacturing. This study contributes to the body of knowledge and provides insight to practitioners in tailoring strategies to steer manufacturing firms toward being more competitive.Originality/valueThis study identifies the effect of LAGP implementation on business competitiveness. This paper will benefit practitioners and managers by providing insights into tailoring strategies to steer manufacturing firms towards being more competitive. This paper follows a structure that includes: an introduction to the study, a review of relevant literature on business competitiveness, lean, agile and green manufacturing implementation, the development of hypotheses, the presentation of research methodology and findings, and finally, a conclusion with a discussion, implications, limitations and suggestions for future research.