AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
THE RISKS IN THE CASE OF CLUSTER COOPERATION AND WAYS OF THEIR PREVENTION:
AS SEEN BY SMEs ENTREPRENEURS
a
KATARÍNA HAVIERNIKOVÁ,
b
JO
ZEF KLUČKA
a
Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín, Faculty of Social and
Economic relations, Študentská 3, 911 50 Tren
čín, Slovakia
b
Unversity of Žilina, Faculty of Security Engineering,
Univerzitná 8215/1, 010 26 Žilina, Slovakia
email:
a
katarina.haviernikova@tnuni.sk,
b
jozef.klucka@fbi.uniza.sk
The paper is related to VEGA project, project No. 1/0918/16 dealing with: ”Risk
management of SMEs in the context of clusters´ involvement activities in the Slovak
Republic.”
Abstract: This paper contribute to the extension of risk management issues in specific
form of doing business in case of small and medium enterprises – clusters. The
clustering creates new strategies and brings through a shared approach not only
various economic and non-economic benefits, but also various risk factors influenced
their activities. There is specific typology of clusters in Slovakia. Within this typology
we recognize technological and tourism clusters. The largest group of clusters’
stakeholders are small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The main aim of the paper is
to evaluate the perception of six risk categories by SMEs that have experience with
cluster cooperation. In order to address this analysis in this research we used the
results of questionnaire surveys. For evaluation of the differences in perception of risk
categories between technological and tourism SMEs we used the Mann Whitney's test.
The significant risk categories were determined by Pareto analysis. The ways of risks’
prevention were presented in register of risks.
Keywords: cluster, cluster cooperation, cluster typology, small and medium
enterprises, risks, risk management.
1 Introduction and Theoretical Background
In today’s globalized word, especially in advanced economies,
the new paradigm of business based on the cooperation principle
is beginning to emerge in regions – clustering. The cluster
concept was closer elaborated mainly by M.E. Porter, who
defined cluster as a geographically proximate group of
interconnected companies and associated institutions in a
particular field, linked by commonalities and complementarities.
The geographic scope of a cluster can range from a single city or
state to a country or even a group of neighboring countries.
(Porter, 2000). Clusters represent network groups of various
regional stakeholders concentrated in one area, which operate in
the particular industry sector. Clusterization as a phenomenon
characterizes obvious and structural processes, which will
relegate in companies; they can get economic benefits and
achieve a business expansion effect. (Navickas & Svazas (2017);
Lemańska-Majdzik & Okręglicka, (2015);Razminiene &
Tvaronaviciene, (2018)). The existence of clusters proves to be
an efficient form of business cooperation in which businesses
support each other and improve their own ability to innovate.
The clusters are an important factor influencing the regional
development of the various countries (Mura & Machová, 2015).
Clusters are more and more used from small and medium
enterprises as a new opportunity to be a competitive in world
economy. According to Svec & Madlenak (2017) there are some
concepts, for example phygital concept, for innovative
entrepreneurship in clusters.
Various aspects of cluster cooperation were elaborated in the
research literature from various points of view: the advantages
related to shared costs for infrastructure, the build-up of a skilled
labor force, transaction efficiency, and knowledge spillovers
leading to firm learning and innovation (Malmberg and Maskell,
2000). Innovations are a basis for clusters possibilities and
cluster initiatives. (Fenyvesi, 2015). Another scientist, Zygmunt
(2017) write, that the innovation activities are the main reason of
innovator countries. Innovation strategies in Slovak and Czech
condition are analyzed by
Kovaľová et al. (2018); Lorincová
(2018) or Žižka et al. (2018). Tallman et al. (2004) mentioned
the macrolevel phenomenon – cluster based competitive
advantage-by disaggregating it and shifting focus from the
cluster and its constituent firms to the character of organizational
knowledge that resides within the cluster.
The cluster encourages
country competitiveness to increase (Korauš, Mazák, Dobrovic,
2018), and growing work productivity and employment allows
the creation of new additional value throughout the country.
(Mészáros, 2018; Horecký, 2018). Cluster strategic fit model
shows that both cluster partners competitiveness and country
opportunities can form a synergy, which enhance a country’s
economic potential. (Navickas & Svazas, 2017). Sforzi (2002)
and Becattini (2002) dealt with the area of social relations
between cluster participants, according to these economists, the
social capital of the cluster has a major impact on the
development of the whole cluster. Malmberg et al. (1996) dealt
with the concept of clusters in terms of urban agglomeration,
which includes companies from different segments located in the
same urban area, because companies are making similar or
related activities. Many other researchers and economists
confirmed the positives, but also the shortcomings (Barkley and
Henry, 2001) of clusters. Clusters play important roles in
competitiveness and regional development. Forming and
development of clusters represents huge potential not only for
the region, but also for the whole country performance increase.
They represent tool for restructuring of the regional economy,
the increase of the economic performance of the region and
improvement of its competitiveness. (Masárová and Koišová,
2018)
The opportunities for clustering are growing between business
and the neighboring community – stakeholders in the regions.
The clustering creates new strategies and brings through a shared
approach not only various economic and non-economic benefits,
but also various risk factors influenced on their activities. Cluster
cooperation and a new productive environment, which clusters
represent, underlines the role of risk management. If
stakeholders involved in clusters work in the same physical
space, various activities are no longer under their own control
and their activities are affected by a number of other risks, not
only related to their own activities, but also to the activity of the
whole cluster. The rules’ changing and solving of common
projects (Adamisin et al., 2018) within a one group will affect all
areas of risk management even in the case of clusters. .
According to Zauskova et al. (2013); Tvaronaviciene (2016) or
Kordoš (2015), European Union need dynamism in its economy.
It is opportunity for an innovation-driven structural changes and
create to clusters initiatives and cluster EU policy. The Influence
of Clusters on Economic and Regional Development is very
important. There are some studies about a comparative analysis
of clusters and cluster policies in member states of the European
Union (Cheba, 2015).
Long-term success and prosperity of cluster and the creation of
sustainable values are not possible without effective risk
management. Risk management is a rational approach to the
work with risk and uncertainty with the use of instruments and
methods of risk steering. Risk management provides data for
proactive decision that is also based on systematic assessment of
possible threats of an organization. It defines which risks are
important (assign risk priorities) and implement strategy for
dealing with them. Assessment of risks is linked with
quantification of impacts and with definition of an approach to
evaluate amount of risk. (Havierniková,
Okreglicka, Klučka.,
2016).
Cluster competitiveness most growth them, when exist favorable
cluster members. Itself cluster structure is much more progress
forward – in the world exist various types clusters, who orient
either to benefit aim for business, or to value added creation in
scientific research basis. (Navickas et al., 2016) A significant
part of the clusters’ membership represent small and medium
enterprises (SMEs). SMEs operate in the same environment as
the large companies, but without the associated benefits such as:
capital, access to innovations and results of R&D, access to a
wide resource base, access to a qualified workforce, profit less
often from economies of scale and many others. Moreover, the
highest added value is hidden just in products that are built on
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