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Industrial clusters have been considered a successful form of firms’ organisation, and an instrument for increasing the competitiveness and growth of the region and firms’ performance (Aranguren et al., 2013; Abdesslem & Chiappini, 2016; Stojčić et al., 2019; Pecze, 2019). The idea behind cluster formation and its promotion is that firms benefit from agglomeration effects due to knowledge and technology spillovers, input and output sharing, and location externalities (Maffioli et al., 2016). Cluster organisations should facilitate collaboration among firms, scientific and public actors, networking, inter-firm linkages, sharing of information, resources, and knowledge to build new growth opportunities, and overcome coordination failures (Maffioli et al., 2016). Past research has examined the impact of clusters on firm performance in various industries and the wood industry as well, indicating that cluster membership has a positive impact on firms’ survival, innovation activities and performance – exports, productivity, and sales (e.g., Strøjer et al., 2003; Tödtling & Trippl, 2004; Wennberg & Lindqvist, 2008; Eisingerich et al., 2010; Abdesslem & Chiappini, 2016; Stojčić et al., 2019).

Sustainability is a theme that has gained interest among researchers and practitioners due to the increase of stakeholder awareness regarding environmental and social issues. In this context, the purchasing power of a company may turn out to be an important booster to bring positive changes to society. Corporations have to use this power to accomplish a goal and turn their supply chain in a driver for inclusive growth (Szegedi & Kerekes, 2012). Consequently, businesses have become conscious of the requirement of developing strategies, which can spread their usual corporate governance methods beyond the company’s borderline to their supply chain partners. According to Keating, Quazi and Kriz (2007), the appearance of purchasing approaches in favour of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the most noticeable display of this extension.

Economic theory suggests that consolidation of hospital ownership through the formation of multiple hospital ‘‘systems’’ should lead to improved hospital performance. The general view of system superiority follows from considerations of economies of scale, improved financial and other administrative management, and better access to financial capital. Still, there is little evidence demonstrating greater efficiency in system-affiliated hospitals. The majority of studies have found hospitals belonging to multiple hospital systems to be more cost than independent hospitals, raising questions regarding the social value of much of the recent growth of new inter- organizational relationships. (Carey, 2003)