Multidimensional enterprise competitiveness: An empirical study of Malaysian listed companies

This study conducts an empirical assessment of the competitiveness of Malaysian enterprises by establishing a multi-level analytical framework that integrates current performance with future potential. Productivity, profitability, image, stability, and growth are identified as the five pillars for the enterprise's competitiveness, with their relative weights quantified through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Utilizing financial data from 710 publicly listed firms between 2020 and 2023, the study performs statistical analyses to compute company-level competitiveness indices and conduct cross-industry comparisons. The findings indicate that the banking and real estate investment trust sectors demonstrate superior overall competitiveness, particularly in profitability and corporate image, whereas capital-intensive industries tend to underperform in dimensions related to stability and growth. Moreover, a sequential rank agreement test comparing the derived competitiveness rankings with earnings per share (EPS) suggests that conventional financial indicators may inadequately reflect the multidimensional aspects of enterprise competitiveness. Overall, this study presents an integrated evaluation model grounded in expert-informed weighting and empirical evidence, offering strategic insights for corporate and industrial policy decisions.