Conceptual and Methodical Research Procedures

In this chapter, the authors are engaged in the research of nine clusters in the Czech Republic. Chapter 6 defines the conceptual framework and methodological procedures of the research. Six of the nine clusters were established as organised through a cluster initiative. The other two clusters can be described as existing naturally in the historical context. One traditional industry has the characteristics of a natural cluster; however, at the same time a cluster organisation was established within it. The research can be divided into the following phases: identification of important industries in the regions, creation of a database of cluster members, division of clusters according to their basic forms, analysis of industries in cluster cores, data collection to evaluate innovation and financial performance of member companies, and authors’ own evaluation using data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Malmquist index.