Economic-mathematical model for the examination of clusters’ sustainability

Abstract

Economic, political, and social tendencies have brought new actors into the picture. Alliances, business networks, and a special type of cooperation called „cluster” now play a more and more important role in the development of countries’ economies and in the enhancement of regions’ and local companies’ competitiveness. The most efficient of these are clusters, which consist of profit oriented, competitive companies, academic institutions, and civil establishments trying to collaborate with each other toward a common goal and taking advantages of geographical proximity and the coordination of capacities. The most essential condition for establishment of a cluster is that a certain number of enterprises take part in the collaboration. This number can be defined as „critical mass,” because it generates processes that attract other institutions to the region to utilize the possibilities of spatial concentration and to take advantage of positive local conditions. The specific quantity of institutions in „critical mass” is related to the financial requirements of the given cluster. Reciprocal access to the organizations' incomes is necessary to long-term operation, and this can be difficult without the right number and combination of members. I created an economic-mathematical model suitable for examination of networks’ sustainability, considering financial circumstances and shareholder base. Keywords: cluster, model, sustainability, financial structure, shareholder base