What Do Members Expect From Cluster Membership? The Case of the Croatian Wood Cluster

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the composition of services and firms in a wood industrial cluster based on members’ interests and examine the differences among the groups. Since firms have very different interests when joining the cluster, this paper develops the taxonomy of cluster members based on their expectations regarding services and investigates the differences and similarities among groups in firms’ characteristics, their resources, innovative activities, the performance of firms, and perceived cluster performance. The data collected from members of the Croatian wood cluster were explored using factor and cluster analyses. The results revealed three categories of services that the cluster should provide: 1) lobbying; 2) facilitation of networking and cooperation; and 3) supporting joint logistics and joint access to the market. Four groups of members were identified, named as 1) cooperation and lobbying-oriented; 2) market-oriented; 3) purely lobbying-oriented; 4) purely networking and cooperation-oriented. Group 1 (44% of the sample) scores high on all categories of services. It contains more firms that innovate and more high-growth firms. Members in this group evaluate the effects of the cluster better than the other two groups. The study offers new evidence on the alignment of cluster services with the interests of cluster members, indicating different levels of performance among groups in a small cluster in traditional forest-based industries. The findings can help managers not only in the Croatian wood cluster but also in other similar small cluster organisations in Central Eastern and South-Eastern Europe to use their limited resources more efficiently and enhance the competitiveness and performance of the firms/sector.

Clusters and Innovation: The Relationship Between Membership in Clusters Organisations and Technological Maturity of Companies in Poland

“…Moreover, according to Simmie and Sennett (1999), the benefits of location in a cluster are not distributed evenly as some companies absorb knowledge from the network more than others. Anić et al (2022) investigated the composition of services and firms in a wood industrial cluster based on members' interests. The research results revealed that firm's expectations regarding cluster's services may result in differences in market performance among the groups of cluster members.…”

Effect of cluster initiatives and natural clusters on business performance

“…Anić et al (2022) investigated the expectations of members of the wood cluster in Croatia. The cluster was institutionalized in 2013 and currently has more than 70 members, and thus its characteristics correspond to those studied in the Czech Republic.…”

Роль Транспортной Инфраструктуры В Повышении Связности Кластеров Для Обеспечения Устойчивого Развития Регионов

“…[23]. Если рассматривать, взаимосвязь отраслевых кластеров и транспортной инфраструктуры, то исследование Anić I. D., Rašić I., Aralica Z. подчеркивают значимость хорошо развитой транспортной инфраструктуры для кластера древесной промышленности в Хорватии, особенно для малого бизнеса и компанийэкспортеров, которым необходимо максимальное уменьшение издержек в работе [12]. Большое внимание сейчас также отдается исследованиям кластера высокотехнологичной промышленности, в которых отражена важность как близкого расположения компаний внутри этого кластера, так и сопутствующая инфраструктура, в том числе и транспортная [13].…”