CLUSTER ANALYSIS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF INNOVATIVE POTENTIAL OF TRANSPORT LOGISTICS ENTERPRISES

In modern economic conditions, the survival of transport enterprises is largely based on their innovative potential. For the elaboration of weighted management decisions regarding the future of innovative development, an enterprise has to correctly assess its level of innovative growth potential in relation to competitors. The article reviewed the possibility of using cluster analysis to resolve this issue. To date, an extensive number of clustering algorithms are known, the diversity of which depends on the calculation methods and concepts used, but the most proffered of them are hierarchical cluster analysis and the k-averages method. By a dint of hierarchical cluster analysis, transport logistics enterprises classification was conducted according to the level of their innovative potential defined by four groups corresponding to its four levels — high, medium, low and critical. The first two groups consisted of all enterprises which during the review period were engaged in innovative activities, namely, being innovatively active. The third and fourth groups included enterprises that did not display innovative activity during the review period. The use of the k-averages method made it possible to determine the criterion measures of the innovation potential integral values and its components (production and technology, financial, personnel, technical-scientific, organizational, managerial and marketing) at the established levels in regard to the transport logistics enterprises, which allows enterprises in this field of activity to use the developed methodology for self-monitoring of their idividual innovative potential. The principle of using cluster analysis is rather universal and can be applied to enterprises of other industries, provided that the composition of indicators and their normative values are adjusted in accordance with the specifics of the activity.