Znaczenie klastrów w rozwoju branż
The importance of clusters in the development of industries

Summary/Abstract: Competition is an indispensable element of business activity; it is also the engine of technological progress and development of industries, regions and countries. However, the ties that are established between entities in the economic reality do not only take the form of competition. This approach has become particularly important in the last fifty years, in the conditions of progressive globalisation, the development of information technologies and the growing role of innovation as a key success factor in business. Paradoxically, the increase in the intensity of competition has led to a greater interest in relationships in which cooperation is intertwined with competition. The recent popularity of the cluster concept indicates that business entities are interested in the phenomenon of a simultaneous cooperation and competition as an effective business strategy. The aim of this article is to answer the question whether it is possible to assume that clusters play a positive role in the development of industries. The research presented in the article is qualitative and based on literature studies. The first part of the article presents the industry as a meso-economic research unit. The authors consider a cluster as an element of industry’s operation. The most important benefits of cluster operations are indicated. In the light of the literature studies presented, it can be concluded that a positive impact of clusters on the industry does exist, but the definition of boundary conditions, which must be met in order for these effects to be realistically felt, requires further research.

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