Factors affecting the identification and prioritization of export industrial clusters of Iran to the eurasian economic union (case study: Gilan province)

Today, organizations face competitive environments and always need radical and fundamental change. This competitive environment forces organizations to abandon their fixed work methods and replace them with new ones to make fundamental changes. Industrial clustering is conducted in almost all countries worldwide, and Iran tends to consider industrial clusters in scientific and decision-making meetings in decision-making and development programs. Competitive necessity is the essential issue of clustering and cluster-based policies. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and prioritize the effective factors in the industrial export clusters of Iran to the Eurasian Economic Union (case study: Gilan Province). This applied research employed a field implementation method and questionnaire and interview tools as exploratory research with quantitative and qualitative data. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed. The population was industry experts and some professors in the industrial export clusters who were selected as a statistical sample through convenient judgment sampling (15 people) for localization of the model. Data collection was prepared and adjusted through a researcher-made questionnaire based on pair-wise comparisons of the mentioned components. Fuzzy DEMATEL methods and fuzzy network process analysis were used to analyze the data in Excel. First, the criteria were identified, and then its content validity was confirmed by university professors by studying and reviewing scientific texts. In addition, the reliability of the indices was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha greater than 0.7. Then, seven main factors and 21 important sub-factors were identified using the scoring technique. In the next step, the effectiveness of each factor was determined using the fuzzy DMATEL technique (F.DMATEL). The "governmental factor" with an impact value of 1.49 was the most influential, and the "Company structure factor" with a net impact value of -1.174 was the most impressive. The identified factors were prioritized with Fuzzy Network Analysis Process (F.ANP) technique. The results showed that the maximum weight is related to the company structure criterion. The factors of company structure, suppliers, resources, markets, infrastructure, and economy were in the next ranks, respectively. Finally, some recommendations were provided to senior managers and experts of Iran's export industrial clusters to the Eurasian Economic Union, especially in Gilan province.