Abstract preview 1 Business Cluster as a Network of Relationships: An Empirical Study of Russian Industrial Sector

The purpose of the paper is to present a work-in-progress research on inter-organizational interactions within Russian business clusters. The paper is organized around the following topics. Firstly, we focus on the literature on the subject, including methods by which a business cluster can be identified, the concept of inter-organizational networks in Germany and the IMP network approach as a solid ground to observe networks in which business firms are involved. Secondly, we give a brief overview of the recent developments in the Russian economy which lead to changes in the forms of inter-organizational cooperation in the Russian industrial markets. In particular, there is an evident shift in the attitude towards the cluster concept which has already attracted attention from many governments and businesses since it was first proposed in 1990 by M.Porter. The Russian government and industry organizations have now turned to this concept as a means to improve the competitiveness of one or several specific business sectors and to stimulate regional economic growth. Still, business cluster as a network of relationships has not been yet an object of a serious study in Russia. In order to highlight the structure and sustainability o