The present paper assesses the effect of the formation of cluster organisations on the innovation performance of member enterprises in two different industriesthe traditional textile manufacturing industry and the new nanotechnology industry. Innovation performance is explored using Data Envelopment Analysis in two phases. In the first phase, it examines the ability of enterprises to transform resources (labour force, long-term capital, intellectual capital) into registered industrial property rights: patents, utility models, industrial designs, and trademarks. In the second phase, it assesses the ability of enterprises to commercialise industrial property rights and generate profits. Innovation performance then integrates both phases. In each industry, two samples were assessed: member enterprises of cluster organisations, and enterprises that operate in the same industry and region but are not members of a cluster organisation. The results of the research show that the existence of a cluster organisation has a greater effect on innovation performance in the traditional textile manufacturing industry. In contrast, in the new nanotechnology industry, the existence of a cluster organisation did not prove to have any significant effect on innovation effectiveness. In this industry, the existence of a cluster organisation had only a partial effect related to better industrial property rights commercialisation. Research shows that the type of industry is an important factor in the innovation performance of clustered enterprises.

The operation of air transport is one of the most significant factors in promoting economic growth and competitiveness within any given region. The present paper deals with an assessment of the performance of Germany's 27 most important airports in terms of their technical efficiency. For this purpose, the authors employed the method of Data Envelopment Analysis. The first part of the paper focuses on a literature review on the use of the DEA method in assessing the performance of airports and air transport. For this DEA a list has been compiled of inputs and outputs that have been used by international authors in their publications to assess airport performance. The second part of the paper describes the methodology of the actual research. The 2016 annual reports from various airports served as the main source of data. The number of employees, number of runways and airport area were selected as inputs. As the outputs, two variables were chosen: number of aircraft movements and the amount of cargo. By applying input-oriented DEA, CCR and BCC models, 13 German airports have been identified that are able to efficiently transform the given inputs into outputs, as they employ the best practices and appropriate processes in their operations management. Five airports can also be described as facilities that have achieved the optimal and most productive size.

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This article focuses on the impact of clusters on performance in five selected industries. Focused on increasing the competitiveness of regions and enterprises, clusters are currently considered one of the most essential tools of industrial policy. This includes the Czech Republic, where cluster initiatives have been systematically supported since 2004 by operational programmes. The goal of this research was to determine whether cluster organizations have a positive effect on the performance of their member enterprises in various industries. Another goal was to verify the relation between the financial and innovative performance of the member enterprises. The research was carried out on a sample of five clusters in the automotive, IT, furnituremanufacturing, packaging and machinery industries, with Data Envelopment Analysis used for this performance evaluation. The enterprises were divided into three groups: companies that are members of cluster organizations, companies that are active in the same region and industry but are not members of a cluster group, and companies from the respective industry that operate outside the region of the given cluster. The results of the study indicate that in four industries (automotive, IT, packaging, machinery), member companies of cluster organizations achieve better results than non-members or firms active in other regions. On the other hand, it was not possible to prove a positive relation between company performance and their registered industrial rights, neither from the perspective of cluster membership nor their activity in the respective industry and region.

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