Evaluation of Value Chain Capability of Industrial Clusters and Its Ranking in Arak Province

The aim of this study was to investigate the capability of value chain of industrial clusters and its ranking in Arak province. The ranking is based on the indicators and capabilities obtained using multi-criteria decision-making method. This research is descriptive and applied. Data were collected using experts' surveys and two questionnaires of pair comparisons and an index importance questionnaire for each industry and extracted data from statistical resources and official reports of relevant organizations. In this research, literature has been reviewed and then the indicators of industrial cluster formation have been studied. After interviewing the experts of flour, dairy, handmade carpets, agricultural equipment, poultry farming, handicrafts have been selected for prioritization. In data analysis, an ANP method, which is one of the multi-criteria decision-making methods, has been used to prioritize the mentioned industries for the formation of industrial clusters, and entropy method has been used to weigh the indicators in each industry. Super Decision software is used to solve multi-criteria decision-making model. Finally, industrial clusters of Golestan province were ranked as handmade carpet clusters, dairy clusters, poultry clusters, agricultural equipment clusters, flour clusters and handicraft clusters, respectively.