COOPERATION AND NETWORKING AS DETERMINANTS OF THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CROATIAN WOOD CLUSTER

The paper presents the results of a survey conducted among company members of the Croatian Wood Cluster in June, July and August 2017. The fundamental goal is to determine factors that have a significant impact on the perception of members concerning the performance of the Croatian Wood Cluster. Perceptions and views of company members of the Croatian Wood Cluster were surveyed relating to attainment of the cluster’s goals, features of the cluster network and cooperation, as well as cooperation and an assessment of the effects of the cluster on the business results of company members. Additionally, the members were requested to assess the quality of the business environment in Croatia, limits of the cluster’s work and to assess important measures of public cluster policies. This paper utilises descriptive analysis methods, factor analysis and the multiple regression method. The survey results indicate that the most significant factors contributing to a positive perception by members towards the performance of the Croatian Wood Cluster is its cooperation with the science and higher education sectors and cooperation within the cluster itself. Accordingly, the results show that both identified forms of cooperation are not adequately utilised by the Croatian Wood Cluster.