This study proposed a model and tested the causality of export performance determinants in the footwear industry at the firm level, focusing on environmental, competitive strategy, and organizational factors. The hypotheses presented in this study posited that managers' perceptions of the environment and organizational factors of the firm have both direct and indirect effects on the industry's export performance, while competitive strategy has a direct effect. Meanwhile, environmental and organizational factors were hypothesized to influence the adoption of competitive strategies. The data used in this study were collected through interviews and questionnaire surveys targeting 111 Korean footwear firms, and the analysis employed a structural equation modeling approach. The results indicated that the hypothesized causal relationships among environmental, strategic, and organizational factors on firm performance were statistically significant and accepted, with the exception of the environmental uncertainty factor hypothesis. The strategic implications of these findings for firms were subsequently discussed.