A Cluster Reference Framework for analyzing sustainability of SME clusters

In this paper a Cluster Reference Framework is introduced in order to give a complete model for an industrial network useful, to give keywords to a manager for the analysis of the industrial network and the decision making process. During the development of the EU project CODESNET, a big number of data of industrial district have been collected and analyzed. From that data, it has been possible to introduce a classification of the network's type and to identify the main components of the model of an industrial network. A graphical three dimensional representation of the cluster model has been presented and used in order to give, to a manager that aims to cluster, a tool for a decision making process based on a sufficient view of the cluster main characteristics. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V