Supply chain management strategies and performance in SMEs within and outside cluster

Abstract:

The objective of this paper is to compare the supply chain management (SCM) strategies and the business performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within and outside of cluster. The study aims to examine if SMEs within cluster show better performance than SMEs outside, and if they are capable of taking advantage of the cluster environment to improve their SCM. The analysis is based on a quantitative approach. A binomial logistic regression was carried out with 300 SMEs grouped according to their condition of belong or do not belong to cluster. The results revealed that there are more similarities than differences between the SMEs groups. Notably, the SMEs within cluster do not revealed integration with suppliers and exhibited a weak internal integration. In terms of performance, there were no differences between groups. The paper contributes by providing an understanding of the SCM theme from the perspective of clusters, comparing SMEs within and outside of clusters, an aspect that has not been sufficiently explored in previous studies.

Año de publicación:

2012

Keywords:

• CLÚSTER
• Supply chain management
• small and medium enterprises
• performance

Fuente:

scopus