Data mining and cluster organisations

: the case of PortugalFoods

Abstract

Even though the concept of clusters received a considerable amount of attention, the literature dedicated to cluster organisations is still very scarce. On the other hand, the widely applicability of data mining to several industries, along with the benefits that it might bring to any organisation, have been the subject of various articles throughout the years. This dissertation intends to assess how could cluster organisations benefit from the application of data mining on the type of services they provide. Through the empirical study of a Portuguese cluster organisation – PortugalFoods – I analysed if data mining represents an opportunity for these governance bodies, particularly if applied as a new support tool on their market intelligence services. Supported by CRISP-DM methodology, and based on data provided by Mintel’s databases, a prototype data mining project was developed. The findings of this study indicate that data mining could enhance PortugalFoods’ market intelligence services, as well as their role as producers and disseminators of knowledge. Yet, challenges were also detected, due to the existence of several data’s problems, which could jeopardize the future replication of this process.

Date of Award	5 Dec 2016
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ricardo Alexandre Morais (Supervisor)