Virtual characteristics measurement using factor analysis

Increasing development of using Information and Communication Technology and globalization issue leads to fundamental changes in classic principles of organizations. Hence, neglecting these changes can lead to the organizations failure. Substitution of virtual organization is one of the most important of these changes that many corporations claim. Of crucial necessity is the criterion for measuring the amount of their success in getting virtual characteristics. In this paper, we measure the degree of virtual characteristics by using the properties of an ideal virtual enterprise as a reference point and comparing each company with that point. To assess the degree of virtual characteristics, factor analysis method is used. Our aim in this paper is to perform an empirical research, besides improvement of previously used methods to measure the degree of virtual characteristics. The proposed method has been used to assess the degree of virtual characteristics of Iranian Petrochemical Corporations.