Determinants of agricultural SMEs´ development within clusters

Abstract

Small and medium-sized enterprises are at a great disadvantage compared to large companies, they are not able to take advantage of, for example, economies of scale, they do not have sufficient capacity and resources for research, training of their employees, obtaining information, etc. Therefore, participating in such innovation clusters helps them survive and prosper for a long time. In essence, the cluster helps to increase specialization, encouraging governments to invest in the industry and the region at the same time. This, of course, has such a positive effect as regional development. For appropriate cluster identification, we have opportunity to use various methods, quantitative and qualitative, too. We have mainly focused on quantitative methods with the perspective to directly determinate achieved outcomes. Our objective in this this paper was to find possibilities of cluster creation and their identification in the area Slovak eight regions. With this aim we have used Location Quotient. Statistical data has been provided from statistic database and they were compared then with the real clusters operating in selected 8 regions within area of Slovakia. Identification of the economic opportunities of tourism clusters creation in individual regions is the precondition of the originality of this paper as the starting point for formation of clusters and cluster initiatives within the regions of Slovakia.