Increasing the competitiveness of agricultural enterprises based on a cluster strategy

Abstract

Abstract The article discloses, systematizes and supplements the fundamentals of managing the competitiveness of agricultural enterprises integrated into clusters, as well as the cluster structures themselves, considering the current provisions of economic theory and the theory of managing large socio-economic systems, and using the appropriate methodology. Approaches to managing the competitiveness of agricultural enterprises included in clusters using competitive strategies are discussed. The organizational and economic mechanism of creating an agrarian cluster is shown in order to increase the competitiveness of not only enterprises, but also the cluster as a whole, considering external and internal backbone factors. The strategy for increasing the competitiveness of agricultural clusters considers the concept of ‘competitiveness of an agricultural cluster’ as its basic characteristic that is formed from intra-cluster mechanisms of cooperation and interaction of cluster enterprises, which reflects the ability of participants to generate innovative technologies, produce new competitive products and promote them to target markets, including global ones, and, thus, maintain and increase competitive advantages in the field of specialization of the agricultural cluster. The article presents a technique for assessing the achievement of target benchmarks of the strategy for increasing the competitiveness of an agricultural cluster taking into consideration the competitive potential of cluster member enterprises along with the definition of the set of cluster effects obtained.