Cluster analysis of the manufacturing sector using performance indicators

Abstract

The measurement of business performance is considered essential activity of strategic management. This study’s main objective is to verify, through the sample of Small Businesses cooking the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza - MRF, if there is presence of clusters and what characteristics of these groups with respect to organizational performance. The research strategy was to apply a survey and analysis of results was through quantitative approaches, especially the technique of cluster analysis. It was interviewed 64 companies making the MRF. Based on the results of the analysis, two groups were generated, one prone to performance measurement, in which main characteristic is the enhancement of performance indicators and a little inclined, in which main characteristic is not the value of the indicators used in this research. At the end of the work are included suggestions for possible improvements for future research.