Zeszyt naukowy - całość - Wydział ZarzÄ dzania i Ekonomiki Usług

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Agita Donina
ters are mentioned, this study is to evaluate the cluster concept and its applications
in the management of tourism destination and enterprises.
1. Literature review on the cluster concept
Many authors, starting from the last century’s 80ies and 90ies, have described,
analyzed and tried to define clusters in different industries and different countries.
The best known are the mega-clusters as Silicon Valley, several bio-technological
clusters in many countries worldwide. Definitions of the cluster approach differs by
many authors, however, it is believed that the authors have done their research
based on M.E. Porter’s developed concept. M.E. Porter in his study „Clusters and
the New Economics of Competition” has defined clusters as geographic concentrations
of interconnected companies and institutions in a particular field un they have
to „include governmental and other institutions – such as universities, standard –
setting agencies, think tanks, vocational training providers, and trade associations –
that provide specialized training, education, information, research, and technical
support 4 .
Looking to given definitions of different authors (for example, Porter; Swann
and Prevezer 5 ) it is possible to conclude that different authors as main feature has
defined either geographically united enterprises within one industry or existence of
cooperation between companies and organizations. For example, in the book „The
dynamics of industrial clustering. International comparisons in computing and biotechnology”
6 authors Swann and Prevezer say that clusters means a large group of
firms in related industries as a particular location. Whereas other authors as a priority
defining clusters have stated cooperation and networking. Roelandt and den Hertag
7 have defined clusters as following: „Clusters can be characterized as networks
of producers of strongly interdependent firms (including specialized suppliers)
linked each other in a value-adding production chain”. More precise cooperation
types and organizations have been marked out by W. Elsner, who considers that
clusters should include organizations and institutions with recurrent, stable and
long-term interaction and this interaction should be between near-by located suppli-
4
M.E. Porter, Clusters and the New Economics of Competition, „Harvard Business
Review” 1998, No. 76/6, pp. 77–90.
5
P. Swann, M. Prevezer, D. Stout, The dynamics of industrial clustering. International
comparisons in computing and biotechnology, Oxford University Press 1998.
6
Ibidem.
7
T. Roelandt, P. den Hertog, Cluster analyses and cluster – based policy making in OECD
countries: an introduction to the theme, in Boosting Innovation: the cluster approach, OECD,
1999, pp. 9–23.